Easy Asian Stir-Fry

This recipe was in the Sunday paper's Parade magazine not too long ago. It uses all my favorite veggies (asparagus, broccoli and zucchini) so I had to give it a try. It was surprisingly flavorful despite being pretty much veggies and soy sauce. I loved it and I loved that I felt good eating it! (and it makes lots, so be prepared for leftovers!)

Ingredients:
1 each green, orange and red bell pepper (I used yellow instead of green)
2 large zucchini
1/2 onion
1 head broccoli
15 asparagus spears
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T olive oil (I used sesame oil)
2 T soy sauce (I used low-sodium)
salt and black pepper
(I also sprinkled some ground ginger on it)

Directions:
1. Chop or slice all of the vegetables into bite size pieces.
2. Lightly oil a wok or skillet; heat over low until very hot.
3. Add the garlic; saute to a golden brown.
4. Add all the vegetables. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper to taste. Increase the heat to medium and stir-fry for 3 minutes or until the veggies are crisp-tender.
5. Add the soy sauce and stir well to blend.
6. Transfer to a large bowl, adjust season and serve with rice (I used jasmine rice).

Zucchini Risotto

This was another recipe I found on Delicious Dishes. It is such a bummer when recipe sites you like stop posting, but at least you can always go back through the old ones! This was really yummy and could easily be a main course meal. I served it with some chicken just because I knew it wouldn't work as a meal for my family, but I would have been fine without anything else. I love zucchini and I love risotto so it was a great combination for me!

Ingredients:
1 cup arborio rice
2 Tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp garlic salt
3 cups chicken stock
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
freshly ground pepper

Directions:
In heavy saucepan, saute rice in butter stirring constantly.
Add onion, red pepper, and garlic salt. Saute until onions and peppers are tender.
Add 1 cup chicken stock, stirring frequently.
As the liquid cooks down, continue adding 1/2 cup stock at a time until all the stock is used and the mixture is creamy. Keep stirring!
Add zucchini.
Stir in milk.
Fold in cheese.
Top with fresh ground pepper.
Serve immediately.

Oven Kalua Pork

I found this recipe on Delicious Dishes and made it with the intention of freezing half of the meat for a future meal...I love it when I can do that (it's so nice having meals on hand for busy weeks)! This pork was super easy to make and had a great, yummy flavor to it. I was wanting some sort of sauce with it though and would definitely figure out something next time for that. I think we will use the leftovers for pulled pork sandwiches! (and I'm sure you could do this in a crock pot if you wanted to leave it cooking for longer)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 Tbsp. coarse salt
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 small piece of fresh ginger root, crushed (or 1 tsp. ground ginger)
1 clove garlic, minced
5 pound boneless pork roast
1 tsp. liquid wood smoke flavoring

Directions:
In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, salt, Worcestershire sauce, ginger and garlic. Mix well. Lay 3 sheets of aluminum foil out, one on top of another. Place roast in center of aluminum foil; rub with soy sauce mixture and sprinkle with liquid smoke. Fold all 3 sheets of aluminum foil over top of roast and secure tightly. Place wrapped meat in a baking pan. Roast at 375 for 5 hours. Shred the pork before serving.
** Recipe from the Lion House Entertaining Cookbook**

3 Recipes: Grilled Beef Skewers, Sun-Dried Tomato Relish, and Summer Squash and Chive Pancakes

When I saw this yummy dinner on The Daily Dish, I instantly knew I wanted to try it! I love all kebabs and the squash and chive pancakes sounded awesome! The pancakes were our favorite part of the dinner and we'll definitely make them as sides for other dishes in the future. The beef had an awesome flavor (even though I only marinated it for 2 hours) and it was a perfect combo with the relish. The relish was my least favorite part of the meal, I think I'm just not used to the strong flavor of the sun-dried tomatoes, but I did love the way the 3 things complimented each other. Plus, it all looked so fancy together which is always fun :-)!

Summer Squash & Chive Pancakes

Ingredients:
- Canola oil spray
- 2 cups of cooked yellow squash, crushed (from about 3 1/2 yellow squash)
- 1 egg
- 1 egg white
- 2/3 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp of baking powder
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese
- 3 tbsp of fresh chives, chopped
- 1/2 tsp of salt
- A pinch of ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Place the squash in a large pot. Fill with water making sure to cover the squash completely.
2. Bring the pot to a boil and cover, cooking until soft.
3. Once soft, drain and set to the side to cool for a few minutes while you chop the rest of your ingredients.
4. After the squash has cooled down a bit, add them to a food processor and pulse until crushed.
5. Place the squash in a large mixing bowl with the egg, egg white, flour, baking powder, garlic, Parmesan cheese, chives, salt, and pepper, and mix until smooth.
6. Spray the bottom of a large griddle pan with canola oil and place the burner on medium heat.
7. Take 1/4 cup of the batter (per 1 pancake) and drop it onto the griddle. Use the book of a spoon to slightly flatten them and cook for a few minutes until golden brown on the bottom side.
8. Once the bottom has cooked, flip the pancake and cook the other side until golden brown.
9. Set the finished pancakes aside on a platter and repeat with the remaining batter until all 12 pancakes are made. Serve and enjoy!

Grilled Beef Skewers

Ingredients:
- 2 lbs of beef of choice, cut into cubes
- 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp dried rosemary
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- Pinch of salt
- Skewers (I use metal)

Directions:
1. In a resealable bag or glass container, combine the olive oil, garlic, rosemary, oregano, garlic powder, salt & pepper with the beef. Refrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours.
2. Once the beef is done marinating and you are ready to begin cooking, place a grill pan on medium-high heat (or preheat your gas or charcoal grill).
3. Remove the meat from the marinade and begin placing the cubes on a skewer
4. When the skewers all set, place on the grill pan for about 4 minutes on each side.
5. Arrange the skewers on a plate and serve along side the relish below.

Sun-Dried Tomato Relish

Ingredients:
- 1/2 small red onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup of oil-packed sun dried tomatoes
- 1/2 cup of frozen (thawed) corn (or 1 ear of corn kernels removed if you are using fresh)
- 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil (I omitted because the tomatoes were already plenty oily)
- 1/2 of an avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced
- 1/4 cup of feta cheese crumbles
- Ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. In a small to medium-sized bowl, combine the onion, tomatoes, corn, and olive oil.
2. If you are prepping this in advance, refrigerate these ingredients until ready to serve.
3. Just before serving add the avocado and feta cheese before mixing all of the ingredients together. Add the ground black pepper to taste.
4. Serve the relish alongside the beef skewers, and enjoy!

Artichoke Mushroom Lasagna

I don't think I've ever been so behind on posting recipes before...I like to get them up here as soon as I make them. But life has been SO busy that it just has been low on the priority list. This lasagna was a hit though...even with Mike who is not a big pasta (or meatless dish) fan. In fact, he even had leftovers of it the next day...and he's not a leftovers guy either, so that says TONS!!! I used gluten-free noodles and loved it! (recipe from Taste of Home apr/may 2011)

Ingredients:
* 1 pound sliced baby portobello mushrooms
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 2 cans (14 ounces each) water-packed artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and chopped
* 1 cup chardonnay or other white wine (used white cooking wine)
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
SAUCE:
* 1/4 cup butter, cubed
* 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (I used cornstarch)
* 3-1/2 cups 2% milk
* 2-1/2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
* 1 cup chardonnay or other white wine
ASSEMBLY:
* 9 no-cook lasagna noodles (I used gluten-free and cooked them before assembly)
* 4 cups (16 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

Directions
* In a large skillet, saute mushrooms in butter until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add the artichokes, wine, salt and pepper; cook over medium heat until liquid is evaporated.
* For the sauce, in a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Stir in Parmesan cheese and wine.
* Spread 1 cup sauce into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Layer with three noodles, 1-2/3 cups sauce, 1 cup mozzarella and 1-1/3 cups artichoke mixture. Repeat layers twice.
* Cover and bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake, uncovered, 15-20 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting.

Chilled Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cookies

I saw these yummy guys in All You magazine quite awhile ago, but the kids and I just got around to giving them a try. They were a big hit! They were easy to make, gluten-free, and surprisingly delicious! We will definitely be making them again and again!

Ingredients:
* 2/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut
* 1/4 cup honey
* 1/4 cup light corn syrup
* 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
* 1/4 cup chocolate chips
* 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
* 3 cups corn flakes, lightly crushed

Directions:
* 1. Line a large baking sheet with parchment. Place a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add coconut and toast, stirring constantly, until light golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; let cool.
* 2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine honey, corn syrup and peanut butter. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring, then remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips and cocoa.
* 3. Continue stirring until chocolate chips have melted, then stir in cereal and toasted coconut until well coated. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto baking sheet and refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes.

Snickerdoodles

I have tried snickerdoodles, but I have never made my own, so when a volunteer was needed to make some for my book club meeting came up last week I thought it was a perfect opportunity to give them a try! I went to a blog that is known for yummy desserts but quite a few of the reviews of her snickerdoodles said they were spreading too thin when baking. Since baking is not my specialty I decided not to risk and went to allrecipes.com instead. This recipe from Beth Sigworth had awesome reviews (I did tweak it a bit after reading through some comments)! I was so proud that they turned out so beautiful...AND tasted awesome too! They were a hit!
(now I need to attempt a gluten-free version!)

Ingredients:
* 1/2 cup butter, softened
* 1/2 cup shortening
* 1 1/2 cups white sugar
* 2 eggs
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
* 1 teaspoon baking soda (make sure it is fresh!)
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 3 tablespoons white sugar
* 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 390 degrees F.
2. Cream together butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar, the eggs and the vanilla. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls.
3. Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
4. Bake 8 minutes (you don't want to over-bake), or until set but not too hard. Remove immediately from baking sheets.

Spicy Lemon Garlic Shrimp

My oldest Ella loves shrimp, I mean really LOOOVES it! I have an aversion to raw meats in general though, so the thought of raw seafood has always really freaked me out...and I therefore have never prepared it at home, except for the occasional fish dish. When figuring out what to make for our back to school dinner I saw this (on The Pioneer Woman Cooks) and knew Ella would love it, so I decided it was about time to give it a try, for her sake :-). It wasn't actually bad at all, although de-shelling the shrimp to eat them was a pain and I think the recipe would still be delicious if they already had their shells off, so that's what we'll do next time. And there will be a next time!

Ingredients:
* 2 pounds Raw Shrimp, Deveined, Shells On
* 2 sticks Cold Unsalted Butter Cut Into Pieces
* 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
* 4 cloves Garlic, Peeled
* 1/4 cup Fresh Parsley
* 1/2 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
* 1 whole Lemon, Juiced

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rinse frozen shrimp to separate, then arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet.
In the bowl of a food processor, add cold butter, garlic, lemon juice, salt, parsley, and red pepper. Pulse until combined. Sprinkle cold butter crumbles over the shrimp.
Bake until shrimp is opaque and butter is hot and bubbly.
Serve with hot crusty bread. Peel and eat the shrimp, then dip the bread into the butter in the bottom of the pan.

Peanut Butter Cup Trifle Dessert

Ella and I were browsing food blogs looking for a yummy dessert for our back to school dinner and she kept picking out really fancy cakes, that frankly scared me! Then we saw this Peanut Butter Cup Trifle on The Sister's Cafe and were sold! I remembered I bought a trifle dish at my last Pampered Chef party and still needed to break it in. And the dessert? It was DELICIOUS!!! I mean, how can you go wrong with brownies, PB cups, and a creamy peanut butter layer?! It was a perfect recipe for little helpers to assist with as well. SOOO good...and SOOO easy!

Ingredients:
9×13 pan of brownies, cut into 1 inch pieces (can easily sub in gluten free brownies!)
5.1 oz instant vanilla pudding
3 cups milk
½ cup creamy peanut butter
2 tsp vanilla
8 oz container thawed whipped topping (Cool Whip), divided (I used lite)
20 peanut butter cups, crumbled (buy in a 8-pack. Not the bite-sized)
5-6 peanut butter cups to garnish.

Directions:
Combine pudding and milk. Beat for 2 minutes. Add peanut butter and vanilla, beat until smooth. Gently fold in 2 cups cool whip.
Layer in trifle dish ½ the brownies, ½ the crumbled peanut butter cups, ½ the pudding mixture. Repeat. Top with cool whip and peanut butter cups. (Or shaved chocolate curls) Chill until serving.

Pioneer Woman's Spicy Beans

This recipe came up on The Pioneer Woman Cooks while I was planning Ella's Mexican-inspired birthday dinner, so they were a perfect fit! They were great for a party because I could prepare them the day before and they were also delicious, which is a must. I was slightly traumatized when I had to buy a ham hock, but I think I'll get over it eventually...maybe after eating some more yummy beans :-).

Ingredients:
* 4 cups Dry Pinto Beans
* 1 whole Ham Hock
* 1 whole Onion, Diced
* 2 whole Red Bell Peppers, Diced
* 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
* 2 whole Jalapenos, Sliced
* 2 teaspoons Salt, More To Taste
* 2 teaspoons Chili Powder (optional)
* 2 teaspoons Black Pepper, More To Taste

Directions:
Rinse beans under cold water, sorting out any rocks/particles.
Place beans in a stock pot with the ham hock and cover with water by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover the pot and simmer for 2 hours, checking occasionally to make sure the water level is fine. Add more water as needed (I had plenty).
Then throw in diced onion, red bell pepper, garlic and jalapeno. Cover and continue cooking for another hour or two, remembering to check the water level.
Add salt, chili powder and pepper, then cover and cook for another 20 to 30 minutes, or until beans are lovely and tender. Serve with cornbread as a meal, or spoon on top of nachos, tacos, etc.

My Kodak Photo Book

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity through the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program, with KODAK Gallery, to create a photo book. Having just returned from my trip to Oregon for a roommate reunion, I thought it would be the perfect subject for my book!

The process of making the book through Kodak was really simple and within an hour, I was ready to order my finished product! I just uploaded the photos from my trip (you can even upload them from your facebook page), picked a page layout and dragged and dropped in the pictures. You can view mine here.

I can't wait to get it!

Kodak Gallery is also providing an exclusive offer to my readers; 40% off a medium hardcover or a large Photo Book. Just go to HERE to make your book. The offer expires 8/31/11.

And just a reminder of the yummy dishes we made for each other while we there...

Bean Salad, Yam Vegetable Stew, Artisan Bread, Vegetarian Enchiladas, Baked Salmon, and Roasted Rosemary Vegetables.

Roasted Rosemary Veggies

This is the last of the recipes from my Oregon trip with my old college roommates...kind of sad! Kim paired these delicious roasted veggies with her baked salmon and it was perfect. I love anything roasted, and especially loved the rosemary!
I guess I better get cooking again so I have something else to post :-)!

recipe from Kim
Ingredients/Directions:
Peel and dice as much butternut squash and potatoes as you like. Toss them in olive oil, garlic salt (or garlic powder and regular salt), pepper and rosemary. Cook in a 400 degree oven for about 40 minutes (or until tender).

Baked Salmon

After just recently trying salmon for the first time (and really liking it!), I was excited when Kim told us she would be making some salmon for one of our meals! I was definitely inspired to try it on my own after trying her delicious "recipe". It was so simple, yet the salmon was so flavorful. Mmmm, this makes me want more!

recipe from Kim
Directions:

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Cut salmon into single serving portions and lay on paper.
Thinly coat with olive oil.
Generously season with Old Bay.
Lay sliced lemon on top, then pop in a 400 degree oven for about 25 minutes.

Yam Vegetable Stew

This was my favorite food picture from the trip...it is definitely a pretty dish with all the colors! This stew was so flavorful and filling that I didn't miss the meat at all (and I thought it was great eaten plain without rice, bread, etc. to go with it).

recipe from Sara
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp cooking oil or coconut oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp curry powder
1/2 serrano pepper minced or 1 tsp dried chili flakes (I prefer to skip the serrano pepper and chili flakes and just use a tablespoon of Sriracha sauce)
2 quarter size slices of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1-2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 peeled yams, cut into matchsticks
1 can coconut milk (Sara likes to use 2 cans coconut milk instead of the water below)
1 cup water or vegetable stock
1 bunch or less of any leafy green, chopped (we used swiss chard I believe, but kale or spinach works as well)
1/4 tsp tumeric
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste
1 can garbanzo beans
optional: chopped tofu or cooked chicken,

Directions:
Saute onion in oil, add curry powder, serrano pepper and ginger, saute until onion soft.
Add Carrot, garlic, yam, saute on medium until carrots begin to soften. Add coconut milk and broth/water, and beans/protein, if using chard, kale or beet greens throw them in now. Cover and cook until yam is soft, then stir in cilantro, tumeric, lime juice, and salt and pepper. If using spinach stir that in at this time. Serve over rice, cous cous, or quinoa.

Artisan Bread

I am definitely not a bread making expert, but Sara whipped up this delicious bread for us and it was divine. I loved the salt on the crunchy crust, especially in contrast to the soft, fluffy inside. Plus, it was so pretty! I am determined to master this recipe for myself!

Recipe from Sara...
Ingredients and Directions:
3 cups warm water (should feel comfortably warm, not hot, to your finger)
1 1/2 tablespoons Kosher or coarse salt
1 1/2 tablespoons yeast (we use Fleishmann's active dry yeast)
Mix it together.

6 1/2 cups flour
We usually add 4 cups of flour, mix it in (it should be quite wet
still), then add the remaining 2 1/2 cups. You can experiment with any
proportion of white to whole wheat. (I think Sara used half of each on our loaves)

When you finish adding and mixing the flour it tends to be very
sticky. Once you extricate your mixing spoon from the dough, cover it
with a towel and let the dough rise for 2 hours or so.

Once the dough has risen we sprinkle some flour on top of it, add some
to our hands, and separate the dough into four loaves. They can all be
cooked at once, or placed in a container in the fridge for up to 2
weeks. Leave the lid on loosely for the first 12 hours or so to let
the dough finish expanding. Our dough usually gets used in a few days.

For those being cooked immediately, we shape each loaf into whatever
shape, let it rise for 40 minutes on a greased pan or nonstick mat, slash the top with a sharp knife (optional, but recommended), and place in oven preheated to 450
degrees (every oven's different - 425 works well for us).

One note on the oven - we have a roasting basin below the bread pan on
a lower rack that we add a cup of hot water to just after adding the
loaf/loaves to the oven. This steams the bread and tends to give a
nice crisp crust. Bake the bread for 20-30 minutes. Done.