Summer Day in the Kitchen

Summer Bounty

 

Usually most people tend to stay out of the kitchen on a hot summer's day including myself. But now that our garden is coming in, and I mean REALLY coming in, what's a girl to do? This food won't get put up or cook by itself! So early this morning, with coffee in hand,  I started in on what turned out to be a pretty successful day in the kitchen.  After putting up peas and squash for the winter, I began with our fresh tomatoes and turned them into a batch of home made salsa. This is very easy to make, and it makes approximately 2 pints.  Keeps in the fridge for about 2 weeks, but ours never lasts that long! This recipe was adapted from The Pioneer Woman. 

 

Add all the following to the blender and pulse till well combined.

4 medium sized fresh tomatoes (whole -boiled for 1 minute to remove the skins)
2 cans of Rotel tomatoes
1 small onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, diced
Chopped jalapeno pepper to taste! I used a tiny, tiny, bit.
1/2 tsp. of sugar
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
juice of 1/2 a lime
fresh cilantro - This is also to taste. Some like less, some like more.

Next up was cucumber dressing. It's a bit tart, so adjust the ingredients with more or less cucumber according to your taste. I also added a bit of sugar to add a touch of sweetness. This recipe makes just under a pint, so if you want more just double or triple it. *Hint* Taste your cucumber first. Sometimes they are bitter and can ruin a batch of dressing. 

Creamy Cucumber Dressing

1 cup of plain Greek yogurt

1/2 cup peeled, diced cucumber

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1 clove of garlic

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. sugar

fresh ground black pepper

Add all to a blender and blend until well mixed. 

Then comes the sweet stuff! I am always overloaded with zucchini. Just go back and look at my last post for one of my fav lunch recipes for using up loads of the green stuff. I have several zucchini bread recipes, and this is one of my favorites. It reminds me a bit of fall because of the spicy smell while it's baking, and the taste; well just try it and see for yourself!  These muffins are adapted from a zucchini bread recipe from the following link:  http://www.marthastewart.com/318960/zucchini-spice-bread

We have had a bumper crop of blueberries this year! This is the first year EVER that I have been able to have enough blueberries for cooking/baking/freezing without having to go to a u-pick farm. So far we've picked 3 gallons. One bush we have that is another variety is just now getting ready for harvest. I know it has at least 2 gallons on it! Man, it's loaded! So I found several blueberry recipes that I wanted to try and this is the one I started with today.  It's a recipe for Blueberry Pie Bars and it came from this link: Blueberry Pie Bars

Hopefully you have spent some time in your kitchen this summer with all the yummy stuff that's available from your own garden or local produce stand. Enjoy! 

ZUCCHINI!

The squash and zucchini are starting to roll in, and one of our favorite things to make for lunch is a zucchini pizza. It's fast, low in calories, and so very good.

Ingredients:

1 medium to large zucchini, sliced lengthwise
salt, pepper, oregano
pizza sauce
shredded mozzarella
turkey pepperoni

Lay sliced zucchini on baking sheet or stone. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and oregano. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Take out and spread with pizza sauce, sprinkle with mozzarella, and top with pepperoni. Bake until cheese is bubbly, about 5 more minutes. Enjoy!

www.slenderkitchen.com/zucchini-pepperoni-pizza

Busy, Busy, Busy...

Wow, I can't believe it's been February since I've posted. Come to think of it, that seems about right though. That's when my oldest started her soccer season, and it just ended two weeks ago. It takes a lot of time and effort from the whole family, so I haven't had much time for blogging lately. But, I'm back and I'm posting one of our new favorite quick meal recipes. If you like the saucy, tangy, orange chicken you can get at the mall with a great big ole' side of rice, then this is the one for you. It. Is. Just. So. Good! We have also learned to really like Jasmine rice over the regular white rice. It's got a nice Thai scent and it's a little 'stickier' than regular minute rice. In my opinion, this meal just 'sticks to your ribs' as my Memama used to say about anything hearty. I hope you try this for your family, and I'm glad to be back in the blogger world!

Love this stuff!!!

Add all of your sauce ingredients into a really big pot so that you can have plenty of room for stirring that delicious, sticky, yummy, stuff on to your chicken. 

Sticky Sesame Chicken Recipe: (Courtesy of Six Sister's Stuff) (Makes 4-6 servings)

Finished product!

Ingredients:1 1/2 to 2 pounds frozen popcorn chicken
9 Tablespoons honey
6 Tablespoons ketchup
6 Tablespoons sugar
3 Tablespoons white distilled vinegar
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste
Green onions
Sesame seeds

Directions:Cook popcorn chicken as directed on package.  In a saucepan over medium heat, whisk together honey, ketchup, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce and salt and pepper.  Bring sauce to a boil while stirring and simmer for a few minutes until sauce slightly thickens.  Toss cooked chicken in sauce and serve over rice.  Garnish with green onion and sesame seeds.

'Main Meal' Appetizer

It's been a busy winter! Gone are the days of lazy winter nights in front of the TV and playing games with our girls. They have been replaced with soccer and baton practices, church activities, and fifth and eighth grade homework. Now more than ever I need quick, but healthy recipes. This is one of our favorites. It's a familiar appetizer gone 'main meal'. Sweet and Sour Meatballs are great spooned over egg noodles or mashed potatoes and served up with a vegetable on the side.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs


1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1 cup soft breadcrumbs
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 tbsp. freshly minced onion
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. parsley
dash pepper
olive oil
1 bottle of Heinz Chili Sauce
1/2 to 3/4 cup of grape jelly

Combine the first 9 ingredients. Form into meatballs. Coat large skillet with 1-2 tbsp of olive oil. Brown lightly.
Pour chili sauce and grape jelly over the meatballs and simmer until jelly melts into the sauce. 

My First Major DIY Project!

We have had a small TV in our living room for the 8 years we've been here since building this house. We finally 'bit the bullet' as the saying goes and bought a big screen for the room! YAY! Now comes the hard part. Finding a stand that I like, that's real wood, that's white, that looks antiqued, was not easy. AND it had to be in the 'right' price range, which really is rather low. SO, I took to Pinterest and found inspiration! With my Thrift Store cousin Debbie by my side, we took off in search of the perfect old dresser to transform into my TV stand. Long story short, we found one at my local Humane Shelter's thrift store for a whopping............$15!!!!! I was SO excited! All wood, perfect size, perfect slots for baskets! I got to work right away and here is the finished result! 

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

The most wonderful time of year has arrived! Busy schedules with church functions,
Christmas parties, family get-togethers, Christmas parades, and more lend to a hectic pace. But it's worth it all to celebrate the Reason for the Season! Here's a peek into how we celebrate...



JESUS!!! He's the reason we celebrate!!

Our Family Tree

This tree has a theme, and it's family. Every ornament on this tree was given to us by a family member, very close friends, or obtained on a special trip to remind us of our time spent there. There are usually a couple of new ones added each year to represent different events in our lives from the previous year. We also have 4 ornaments given to us by friends that were on our very first tree as a married couple 25 Christmases ago. Each ornament holds sentimental value to us and that's what makes our tree so very special to us!

German Hutch

This hutch was found on the side of the road in Germany while we were living there in the early 90's by some of our friends. They already had one, so they gave this one to us. It was a labor of love (and hate) to refinish it, but is was well worth the effort! I bought the dishes while in Germany also. 

Den Mantle
The theme here is Santa! Most of these were found during our time in Germany. 

This window came from my great grandmother's house. This idea was inspiration from a Pinterest photo. 

The Kitchen Tree

This tree is full of hand made ornaments from my daughters that were made at school and church over the years. It also contains their Disney ornaments from our trips to Disney World. 

My Grandmother's Cabinet

I love filling this cabinet with treasures from my friends and students and special things we've found while on vacation in different places. 

Our Guest Nook

This cozy spot in the kitchen seats friends and family before and after meals. 

My Garden Corner

This tree features official White House Ornaments from the last 13 years. They are given to us each year by a dear family friend. 

My Christmas Village

Guest Bath

My Christmas Cactus

This cactus is always right on time! I just love it!

Memories of New England

                                 


This past Columbus Day weekend, Trey and I took vacation to New England to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to see, first hand, the leaves change in New England. You see, fall is my favorite season. I LOVE to see the beauty of the Earth change with God's hand into a brilliant display of oranges, reds, and yellows. New England was everything I thought it would be and more. We flew into Boston, stayed in New Hampshire, and drove into Maine,Vermont, and all in between.  We reconnected with our country's history in Boston and Plymouth and stood in the footsteps of Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, the Boston Massacre victims, and the Pilgrims. We visited Fenway Park (I am now a SOX fan!) and Harvard and crossed the finish line of the Boston Marathon (in a car).We drove the back roads and took in the beauty of the countryside and met locals who were just as friendly as us in the south.

Ash Street Inn

We stayed at the Ash Street Inn (http://www.ashstreetinn.com/ ) in Manchester, New Hampshire. It was one of the best Bed and Breakfasts we've ever stayed in. Each morning we were treated to our choice of pumpkin spiced pancakes, cinnamon vanilla french toast, omelets, eggs, bacon, sausage, or toast. Delicious! There were always homemade goodies out for snacking whenever we liked and coffee and an assortment of drinks to go along. Two of my favorites were the freshly made Cranberry Orange Scones and Apricot White Chocolate Scones. I couldn't get enough. So I asked for the recipes and got them! Cranberry Orange Scones were what we had for breakfast this morning....

Cranberry Orange Scones


2 cups all purpose flour                               1/4 cup orange juice
1/3 cup sugar                                                1 tsp. vanilla extract
   2 tsp. baking powder                              1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. baking soda                                                                  
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp. grated orange peel
1 cup Craisins
1 egg white mixed with 1/2 tsp water for glaze

Soak Craisins in orange juice overnight. Drain off the liquid. Preheat oven to 385. Grease baking sheet.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut the butter into 1/2 inch cubes and distribute over the flour mixture. With a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a small bowl, stir together the eggs, orange juice, vanilla, and orange peel.  Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and combine well. The dough will be sticky.  With lightly floured hands, knead in the Craisins. Divide mixture into 24 pieces, about the size of golf balls. Space evenly on greased baking sheet. If desired, brush the egg mixture over the top and sides of each scone. Bake 15 minutes or until cake tester inserted into the center of the scone comes out clean. Remove and cool for about 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Uncooked dough may be formed into scones and frozen. Place scones on baking sheet place in cool oven. Once oven is preheated, the scones have thawed enough to cook as above.

Here's a peek into our trip.......

Bunker Hill

Old State House

Grave of the Boston Massacre Victims

Paul Revere's grave - TINY!

New Hampshire Coast

Plimouth Plantation

Paul Revere's House

Boston Harbor