Strawberry- Watermelon and Mint Granita

In honor of summer's arrival I thought I'd post a recipe for an icy refreshing treat to keep you cool on those roasty-toasty days of unbearable heat.

I got the idea from my food network girl crush, Giada De Laurentiis, who made a yummy looking version of this using cantaloupe and a lot more mint.

photo from foodnetwork.com

I'm not a huge fan of cantaloupe but when I saw her make it, strawberries and watermelon popped into my head. I tweaked her recipe a bit to fit my tastes so here's what I've come up with.

*Side note I use -ish in a few of  the measurements because I didn't exactly measure anything- I just eyeballed it and tasted as I went*

You'll need:
2-ish cups fresh strawberries
3-ish cups watermelon (seedless) cut into chunks
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup mint leaves (like 20 ish leaves)
1 & 1/4 cups water
1 cup sugar

So heat up your water, sugar and half your mint  in a small saucepan stirring until the sugar dissolves. Heat until boiling, reduce to simmer for about 5 min stirring occasionally. Turn off heat and let cool.

While your simple syrup is cooling. chop the tops off your berries and cut your watermelon into chunks. Toss your fruit and lemon juice in the blender along with the remainder of your mint. Strain your cooled syrup. Or you can cheat and put it in one of those plastic ketchup/mustard dispensers like I did so you don't have to strain it and you can just keep it in the fridge for use later in your iced tea or fresh lemonade, or mojito! :)

See the plastic thingy by the blender? That's what i put the simple syrup in.

Add half the syrup to the blender and blend til smooth. Taste it to see if it's sweet enough for your liking and add more to taste. I only used half the simple syrup since the fruits I chose are pretty sweet to begin with and since they are in season they were already at their peak of natural sweetness.

Pour your mixture into a 9 x 13 glass baking dish (if you use a metal dish just be sure you don't get your hands stuck to it when you take it out ha ha!) and place in the freezer and freeze until firm.

To serve use the tines of a fork to scrape the top of the frozen granita to make it have that snowy texture. Scoop into bowls and enjoy!

You can tweak it to your tastes, if you aren't a mint person leave it out. If you like strawberries more than watermelon put more in (you may not need as much simple syrup though). Heck, you can even switch fruits like I did!

Enjoy!

Stuffed Mini Peppers

So I bought a bag of these little mini peppers because they are cute and colorful and I wanted to stuff them with cheese! The bag they came in suggested stuffing them with goat cheese and chives and.... well, I wanted something more fun.

So I tweaked it.

A lot.

I started by heating the oven to 350° and lightly spraying a baking sheet with non-stick spray. Then I chopped off the tops of the adorable little sweet peppers....

...and de-seeded them. Easy cheesy.

Now for the mixture...I wanted Italian-ish pepper poppers so I sauteed up some pancetta (Italian sausage would be yummy too),  1/3 cup of finely chopped onion & 2 cloves of garlic (minced).



In a small bowl I mixed 1 1/4 cup ricotta, 1/2 cup each of fresh grated parmesan and mozzarella with 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper, 1 tsp italian seasoning, 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper for a little kick, and 1/8 tsp of nutmeg. 

Then I added the onion, garlic, & pancetta mixture....

 ...put it in my ghetto piping bag, and started filling the peppers.

Here they are ready to go. Next go round I'll make a little foil roll to lean the peppers on to tilt them upward as the baking process melts some of the cheese out.

Bake at 350° for 18 minutes and enjoy!! This recipe makes about 30-35 little peppers.



Sorry, I was in a dark spot and have yet to gain any photo editing skills so all my pics are SOOC.



Happy snacking!

{Meatless Monday} Grilled Veggie Sammies

These are delish (the carnivore husband loved them!) and for you picky veggie eaters are super easy to customize to your liking!

You'll need:

• bell pepper (I used mini peppers)
• 1 zucchini
• 1 yellow squash
• 1/3 onion
• sliced mozzarella or provolone
• gooooood bread (I used asiago focaccia) the "bread & the spread" make the dish.
• sliced avocado
• baby spinach

for the spread I made a kind of aoli-ish type thing:
1/4 cup low fat mayo
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 cloves garlic (I use the garlic press and smash the crud out of them)
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard

I also used store bought pesto. Because I'm lazy.


Aaand here we go.....

So we'll start by slicing your zucchini and squash into 1/2 -3/4 inch slices. I say the bigger (surface area- not thickness) the slice the better! I'd recommend the slices like the yellow squash below...makes for less "stuff " to fall out of the sammy when you're trying to eat it a few steps from now! Place them in a Ziploc with 3-4 tablespoons of balsamic vinaigrette dressing, give it a shake and let 'em marinate while you do the rest of the prep. Which is only like 5-10 min. but that's all it takes!)

Mix up your "almost aoli" by combining the mayo, lemon juice, garlic, and Dijon and set aside.

Slice the peppers and onions (I did mini peppers in half lengthwise and onions in rings) and toss the onions in a small pan to saute with a tablespoon of olive oil and set aside.

We are currently grill-less but we have the handy dandy indoor grill/griddle. So this is when I turn that puppy on medium and brush it lightly with oil to prevent sticking.

I go ahead and toss the peppers on because they need a 3-4 minute head start. Then add the zucchini and squash and cook 3 min on each side.

While the veggies are grillin' put your spread (or in this case- spreads) on the bread add the cheese and place on the grill to warm the bread and melt the cheese. Once melted, remove from grill and build away! Throw on some baby spinach, avocado and layer on all those grilled veggies- onions, zucchini, squash and peppers. Pop the top on and enjoy!!


asiago cheese focaccia...deeeeeelish!



You can easily add and remove to your liking- eggplant, mushrooms, even asparagus would make good veggie toppings and sun dried tomato spread, hummus or an olive tapenade would be yummy options too!

Parmesan Tilapia

I'm sharing another quickie meal that often makes an appearance in our home. I love it because it literally takes 30 minutes from start to finish for the entire meal. It's actually an adapted version of the Parmesan tilapia on allrecipes.com. I will admit it's not the most beautiful dish I've ever made, but the funny lookin' topping on the fish is what makes it so darn gooood.

You'll need:

• tilapia fillets (I only do 4-6 at a time since there are only 2 of us)
• old bay seasoning (optional)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 c. butter (softened)
• 3 tablespoons mayo
• 1/8 tsp. onion powder
• 1/8 tsp. celery salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp basil
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 c. dried or panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 c. Parmesan cheese (and not the powdered kind they have at pizza shops, go buy a wedge of parm at the store and grate some- it'll change your life)

I know, I know - That's a bunch of seasoning! But trust me it's tastes scrumpy (that's my yummy-scrumptious hybrid)

So once you take every seasoning you've ever owned out of your cupboard.......

1.) Preheat the oven's broiler, line a pan with foil and spray some Pam on it. That could be a rap song....."just spray some Pam on it, dog, spray some Pam on it..." I know, no one says dog any more, except Randy Jackson, clearly rapping is not my gift.

2.) In a small bowl mix together the softened butter (I put it in the bowl first and microwave it for 5-10 seconds), mayo, Parmesan, breadcrumbs and lemon juice with the 8 million spices I made you take out of your cupboard! (pepper, basil, onion & garlic powder, celery salt, paprika and crushed red pepper)

3.) Arrange the fillets in a single layer on the pan (sprinkle old bay on one side of fish if using). Broil on top rack for 2 minutes, flip fillets and broil for 2 more minutes. Remove from oven and cover the top of each fillet with some of the mixture and place back in the broiler 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily. The topping makes like a spread so don't be afraid to get your hands dirty, I always start spooning some on then trying to use the back of the spoon to spread the mixture but every time, without fail, I get frustrated and end up using the kitchen tools God gave me! :)

I served this with sauteed zucchini and squash and Parmesan orzo.

see how the topping gets bubbly and crunchy?! mmmm....

Cheers!

Quickie Quesadilla

I loooove a good chicken quesadilla and hadn't ever been able to successfully recreate the restaurant kind of taste at home.....until now-I think I finally got it!!

I think the 2 most important rules to remember are to 1.) butter the tortilla and 2.) season the chicken well. That makes a WORLD of difference! So without further adieu here's the lowdown on easy and yummy quesadillas.....

You'll need :

• Large tortillas
• chicken (cooked) -I used 2 breasts
• fajita / taco seasoning
• butter
• 1/2 onion, diced
• bell pepper, diced (optional)
• grated cheese (I like to use cheddar jack)
• all the fixin's you'd like (lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole, salsa)

So I'm a cheater and usually buy a rotisserie chicken ready made from the grocery store. It saves time and sanity. And it usually tastes better. I'm a white meat kinda gal so I pull that off and run a knife through it and toss it in a bowl. For this occasion though I had some leftover breasts so I used those.

Heat a couple teaspoons of olive oil in a skillet and toss in the onion for a minute or 2, add in your chicken and about a tablespoon or so of seasoning (I use the McCormick chicken taco seasoning) and about 2 tablespoons of water and get it all nice and mixed (I usually let it all hang out together for several minutes on low- let the seasonings soak in)

and now for my fave wedding gift....the griddle/grill thing. I heat that puppy up to low med/low and butter one side of my tortilla (I got the mega huge tortillas -you can use 2 of the small ones but I found that when I do that all the stuff falls out of the edges when I try to flip it!)

Lay it on the griddle thingy and sprinkle a layer of cheese (it acts kind of like and adhesive for the chicken to the tortilla) then add the chicken /onion/ (pepper) mixture, then more cheese, then close 'er up!After a few minutes, I give it a flip-a-roo.

and now it's time to eat!!!!

...aaaand you can put any extra chicken mixture into the fridge or freezer for your next quesadilla hankerin'!

Next I'm trying buffalo chicken quesadillas or BBQ chicken. Giddy up!

Day 5 ....mmmmmm....food...

Day 5: Your favorite recipes

Oh Goodness! This has the potential to be the longest post of all time! I'll keep it short and only give you a couple!

Lasagna from scratch (Serves 10)

INGREDIENTS
• 1 lb. Italian sausage

• ¾ pound lean ground beef

• ½ cup onion, finely chopped

• 2 cloves garlic minced

• 1 – 28oz can crushed tomatoes

• 2 - 6oz can tomato paste

• 1 - 14oz can tomato sauce

• ½ cup water

• 2 tablespoons white sugar

• 1 ½ tsp dried basil

• ½ tsp fennel seed

• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

• 1 ½ tablespoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon pepper

• 2 tablespoons dried parsley (double if using fresh)

• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

• 12 lasagna noodles

• 1 egg

• 16 oz ricotta cheese

• ¾ lb shredded mozzarella

• 2 cups shredded Parmesan


DIRECTIONS
1. In a large saucepan, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Drain grease. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and ½ of the parsley. Simmer, covered for about 1 hour stirring occasionally.


2. Soak raw, hard noodles in a large bowl of very hot tap water for 25 min. then drain.


3. In a mixing bowl combine ricotta cheese, ½ tsp salt, nutmeg & remaining parsley.

4. To assemble, spread thin layer of meat sauce in bottom of 9x13 in. (or larger) baking dish. Place layer of noodles over meat sauce, spread 1/3 ricotta mix top with 1/3 mozzarella, add another layer of sauce, noodles, ricotta, mozzarella, 1 cup parm., etc making sure the top layer is sauce, mozzarella then sprinkle with remaining Parmesan.


5. Spray a piece of foil with non-stick spray to prevent from sticking and cover with foil


6. Bake in 375°F preheated oven for 30 min, uncover and bake an additional 25 min. let stand 15 min before serving.


***Tip: Assemble the night before you’d like to serve this dish. When ready to cook take out and let sit at room temp for 1 hour prior to cooking & bake as directed***


Chicken Pot Pie

INGREDIENTS



• Ready made pie crust (pack of 2)

• 1 cup sliced carrots

• 1 cup frozen peas

• ½ cup corn

• 1 potato peeled & cubed

• 1 ¾ cup chicken broth

• 1/3 cup butter

• 1/3 cup onion, chopped

• 1/3 cup flour

• ½ tsp. salt

• ½ tsp poultry seasoning

• ½ tsp. pepper

• ½ tsp celery salt

• ½ tsp garlic powder

• 1 pound chicken breast (chopped/shredded) (I just buy a small pre-cooked rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and just use the breast)

• 2/3 cup milk


DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 375°F

2. Boil peas, carrots, corn & potatoes in chicken broth for 10 min. Strain & set aside in large mixing bowl with shredded chicken. (Save 1 & 3/4 cups of broth)

3. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat, sauté onions until translucent, stir in flour, salt, pepper, celery salt, and garlic powder. Reduce heat to medium low and slowly add broth and milk, stirring until thickened.

4. Place bottom crust in pie dish and bake for 5 minutes.

5. Pour sauce over chicken/veggie mix and stir

6. Pour/spoon mixture into pie crust, place top crust and seal edges. Cut several slits in top crust and Bake for 40 min.

Happy Cooking!

Soup-a-loop

In addition to fun winter shopping the fall/winter season is also perfect soup weather!! We are crazy about soup (especially when a bread bowl is involved!). I know there are only 2 of us but the best part about soup is that you can make a batch and freeze half which makes for a super quick lunch or dinner for a busy night later in the month!!

Thought I'd share one of my (and the hubby's) favorites! It's super easy and can be modified to your liking. It's almost more of a stew than a soup...we like lots of stuff in our soup!

Spicy Chicken (Semi) Tortilla Soup

What you'll need:
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded (I just grab an original seasoned hot ready mades from the grocery store)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced (baseball sized- sometimes those yellow onions are huge!)
2 tbsp EVOO
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 can rotel
1 can condensed tomato soup
1/2 jar salsa (4-6oz)
2 - 14oz cans chicken broth (or 1 & 1/2 boxes of broth!)
1/2 bag frozen corn
2 cans beans of your choice (Daniel happens to be allergic to beans so I substitute 2 potatoes peeled and diced to get a similar consistency)

Let's get cookin'!

• Remove meat from chicken, shred and set aside.
• In a large pot heat olive oil & saute onion and garlic until translucent over medium heat.
• Add shredded chicken, and all seasoning (salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, parsley flakes, ) stir  1-2 min.  
• Stir in corn, beans (or potato!) rotel, salsa, tomato soup, and broth. Simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.     
• Enjoy!

We do an add your own fixin's bar (sliced avocado, shredded cheese, sour cream, homemade tortilla strips)

**To make tortilla strips I just take 4 or 5 corn tortillas and cut them into 1/2 in strips, toss them in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, spread them on a large baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and pop them in the oven at 425 degrees for 5 min -or until crispy!)**


Cheers!

Sharing the love

So I saw this recipe on Rachel Ray yesterday and I had to share! I must say I've heard about the sandwiches and burgers with the fried egg on top and they never sounded appetizing, but this was pretty good! (and not the healthiest meal either!) I used chicken tender cutlets instead of breasts and now I have grilled chicken to use in recipes later this week!

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/tex-mex-chicken-club/


Cheers!