Basmati Spanish Rice

1 tbs olive oil
1 c basmati rice
1/2 tsp. onion powder (or 1/2 a diced onion)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder (or 1 large garlic clove)
1 can stewed mexican style tomatoes (puree in blender) with water to equal 2-3/4 cups (plus more water if needed)

Heat olive oil in a large skillet with lid. Add rice and brown lightly. Add onion and garlic powder. Slowly add tomatoes and water. Bring to a boil stirring continually. Simmer on low heat, covered for 30 minutes or until rice is moist.

(in the pictures I used fresh green onion chopped)

BBQ French Bread

Have you ever BBQed your french bread loaf? Well, why not? Especially if it's frozen...it's a quick way to warm it just in time for dinner.

Wrap it in foil and place on the BBQ. It needs about 15- 20 min. turning once. When you dinner is ready so is your piping hot bread!

Homemade Organic Yogurt

I have been wanting to make my own organic yogurt for some time now since our family loves yogurt and organic yogurt is expensive. (Not to mention it's just another way to cut out the store varieties that are filled with high fructose corn syrup and lovely things like that.) Nothing artificial about this one! So, I attempted it this week and it turned out well! =0) I bought a yogurt machine which isn't as "from scratch" as some but since I was wanting to make it quite regularly I thought it might be the way to go instead of having an ice chest underfoot in my kitchen all the time. Remember, I like healthy and homemade but I'm also all about easy and convenient! =0) If you want to do it the hard way, click here.

Here's the recipe I used:

4 c milk (I used pasteurized organic whole milk-if it's not pasteurized you'll need to bring it to a boil first. Because I used whole milk it came out very thick and rich (similar to yoplait's custard brand)....but if you use low fat milk you may need to add some other things in which you might want to read this guide about making yogurt.)
1/4 c organic sugar (evaporated cane juice or rapadura but NOT refined sugar)
1 tsp vanilla (optional)

1/2 c plain yogurt (I used organic plain yogurt- it must be plain or it won't work-this is your "starter" for bacteria-it must be as fresh as possible and you can make a lot of batches at once using most of the carton. I plan on using some of the rest of the carton for frozen yogurt...post to come)

Heat the milk, sugar, and vanilla to about 170 degrees on the stove (just before a boil). Let sit and cool to around 90-110 degrees. (You'll need a thermometer.) Mix 1/2 c yogurt into the milk and pour into glass jars. Plug in machine and let sit for 8 hours (all machines vary so follow directions of your machine). If you let it sit too long it will become tart. Remove from machine and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least an hour before consuming.

You can make it into frozen yogurt, you can serve it with berries, granola, sliced fruit, etc.

Tip: I start this process in the morning because although easy, it is time consuming. Heating the milk takes about 15 min. Letting it cool takes about an hour to an hour and a half. Plus the 7 hours for cooking...then cooling takes another hour. Then an hour to refrigerate...which I just leave it till morning and we have it at breakfast.

Oh, and where did I get my yogurt maker? I knew you were going to ask that.....beat you to it. Walmart.com. But I won't tell you anything more about it cause it's my Favorite Gadget Thingy of the month for September....so simmer down and have patience. =0)

Ice Cream Cake

Now, don't laugh at this ice cream cake....I made it in a hurry, with melted ice cream, and was making it really tiny for our family of four...but I wanted to show you the process so I swallowed my pride and took pictures for you. This was more like a "tower" ice cream cake. I've made several ice cream cakes in the past (one of my favorite types of cakes to make) and I assure you they are easy and can turn out beautiful!

2 boxes of ice cream

crushed cookies

cool whip or whipped cream frosting

The easiest way to make an ice cream cake is to buy the boxed ice cream that you can completely open and slice in large slices. (In the pics I used ice cream that came in a carton so it was difficult to work with. I've never done it this way but was in a hurry. I wouldn't recommend it.) First let it sit out to soften for a few minutes (but try to avoid allowing it to melt like in my pictures!). For a rectangle cake (NOT pictured) you would cut the slices into about 4 slices long ways and lay them flat to make a rectangle. Then layer a filling on top. Crushed cookies work best for ice cream cakes because they hold the ice cream layers apart better than a cream filling. You can mix other things with the crushed cookies (like whipped cream or sundae toppings) if you want to. In the pictures I used crushed oreos and then poured caramel sauce over top. Then cut your next box of ice cream into four slices and layer on top. Frost with cool whip or whipped cream frosting. Doing this method will give you a pretty tall 9x13 sized cake.

TIPS:

~The best tip I can give you is to freeze it in-between layers as you build it. Do your first layer and then freeze it. Add the filling and freeze it. Add the top layer of ice cream and then freeze it. Then frost it and freeze it.

~Also, use ice cream flavors that are generally liked by most people. Chocolate chip, chocolate, cookies-n-cream - are all good flavors to use. (In the pictures here, I used Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough on top and Moose Tracks on the bottom).

~You can also do a fruit flavored one by using strawberry ice cream, blueberry cheesecake, or types like that. For the filling, layer with sliced berries or something like Keebler Vienna Finger cookies.

~You can also make ice cream cakes in a round shape by using a cheesecake pan. Line it with cling wrap first so that you will be able to easily get the cake out. Let ice cream soften quite a bit and then press it into the pan to shape the first layer. Freeze and remove from pan. Wrap in cling wrap and freeze until ready to assemble. Press into the round shape your final layer of ice cream and freeze. Remove and put on your filling (crushed cookies, etc.). Place your first round of ice cream on the top and freeze the cake as a whole. After freezing it, frost it.

The bug cake in this post is an ice cream cake made by the above described method. It was decorated with crushed graham crackers for sand.....

Baked Marsala Chicken

I love Chicken Marsala (especially this recipe that I made up myself) but the other night I was wanting to make it but was pressed for time and didn't want the mess so I took a chance and invented a new version of it. Shocker, it turned out good!



4 frozen chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
1 can drained and rinsed artichoke hearts
1/4 c Marsala cooking wine
a sprinkling of capers
olive oil
plain bread crumbs

Brush olive oil on glass 9x13 pan. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Lay chicken in pan and pour wine over chicken breasts. Sprinkle with capers and artichoke hearts. Sprinkle the chicken with the bread crumbs, cover with foil, and bake for about 30-40 min. or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. Remove foil and bake for about 5 more min. to brown the top a bit.

Serve over brown rice or noodles. OR serve beside mashed potatoes.



This turned out so good! How easy for company too...and impressive flavor! For some reason I kept thinking you could give it a Greek twist by adding Greek olives....

I don't see why you couldn't prep this and make it a freezer meal either.

Tomato Cheese Salad

This yummy summer salad is so easy to make.

sliced tomatoes (any kind will do)

chunks or slices of whole milk mozzarella

fresh basil leaves

Italian dressing

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I didn't have fresh basil leaves this year so the pics are without....I use Newman's Own Family Recipe Italian dressing (YUM!). You can make this early in the day and serve it up later...it's all the better.

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DO YOU LOVE SALADS? SHARE YOUR FAVORITE SALAD RECIPE BY COMMENTING ON THIS POST!

Favorite Gadget- Portable Salad Bar

Now, I know this is really a veggie and dip tray in case you're thinking I'm really dumb. LOL. BUT, I love this gadget for salad bar. Every time I'd make salad to go with dinner and ask my kids what they wanted on it, they hardly wanted anything on their salads. So, one night I decided to let them put their own toppings on and I was SHOCKED! They loaded their salads with all kinds of good veggies including radishes! Even my husband put radishes on his salad which I never would have thought he'd like those. My son started to catch on somehow and stopped putting anything on his salad so we made a rule that you have to pick 2 things to put on. Their choice but they have to pick two things.

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So, for quite some time I just used several little bowls for our salad toppings which meant washing lots of little bowls every night. That's where this little tray comes in. I picked it up for a few dollars at wal-mart and now I'm not washing a bunch of bowls. Better yet, I put the lid on and stick it in the fridge for the next meal with salad. We just pull our "salad bar" out of the fridge and we're ready to go. That way when we are done I don't have to put all the leftovers in little baggies (which takes a lot of time and they get lost in the fridge!). Every few days we use it all up and wash the container and start fresh.

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Here are some things we put in our "salad bar" container from time to time that may give you some ideas if you're thinking about trying this:

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hard boiled eggs

peas

tomatoes

olives

beets

radishes

garbanzo beans

pepperoncinis

carrots

celery

onion

grated zucchini

artichoke hearts

avocado

snap peas

mushrooms

sprouts

sunflower seeds

bell pepper

cucumbers

broccoli

cauliflower

asparagus

sliced almonds

corn

Featured Product- Potato Wedges

I haven't done a featured product in a long time and I've got a few for you. These mo-jo potatoes are from Costco and they are so good. It says on the package "made with organic garlic"...why it's made with organic garlic and not organic potatoes is beyond me....doesn't make a whole lot of sense to mix something organic with something that has pesticide but who am I......

These are cool cause you can BBQ them right on the grill. I've only done them in the oven so far but my family loves them.....

Sausage (Vegetarian) Stuffed Portobellos

Begin with:

1 c bread crumbs

1/2 c parmesan cheese

3 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp salt

Combine the above for a topping and set aside.

Prepare 4 portobello mushrooms by removing the stem with a gentle twist. Spoon out the "gills" with a metal spoon. Use a wet paper towel to wipe the mushroom cap clean (rinsing with water will make the mushroom spongy). Sprinkle with a little salt before stuffing.

Saute in 1 tbsp olive oil and add:

1 lb. italian sausage (preferrably sweet but mild will do) -you can also omit the meat and make these vegetarian which I have done

1 c diced onion

1 c diced bell pepper (red, yellow, or orange)

1 tbsp minced garlic

Deglaze your pan by adding:

1/4 c dry sherry (marsalla works well too)

and simmer until almost all has evaporated

take off heat and stir in:

about 10oz of fresh baby spinach

1 1/2 c fresh cubed mozzarella (the real thing...not the low moisture but if low moisture is all you can find it will do)

Spoon in the filling evenly among the 4 caps. They will be piled a little high. Press down to pack it in. Top with thinly sliced roma tomatoes and sprinkle with the crumb topping. Grill on a preheated hot grill for about 5 min or until cheese begins to really melt and mushroom has softened. Do not over cook.

Grilling Veggies and Mushrooms

We love BBQing portabello mushrooms. YUM!

We've done them where you stuff them as well and boy were those good too! I'll post the recipe above for stuffing them. Mushrooms don't take long on a hot grill. Only about 5 min. and they are good to go.

Squash is a long time favorite as well. The ones in the picture just have some garlic and seasoning salt on them. I really like them marinaded with herbs as well though.... some favorites are:

balsamic vinegar with basil and garlic

olive oil with italian herb mix

balsamic vinegar, olive oil, rosemary

olive oil, garlic, lemon thyme

or just your favorite balsamic vinegar salad dressing will work

You can grill tomatoes as well... I slice them in half and grill skin side down.

Some other ideas for grilling veggies:

whole green onions

sliced thick eggplant

tomatoes

zucchini

bell peppers

mushrooms (all kinds)

crookneck squash

summer squash

winter squash

yellow squash

Sand Dollar Cookies

Aren't these cute? My daughter checked out some fairy, mermaid, and princess cookbooks from the library and we made a few of the recipes. She insisted that I post them on the recipe blog so that when she is a mom she will know how to make them with her daughter. We made these while we were camping so instead of making the cookie dough from scratch with this recipe I resorted to store bought refrigerated dough.

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The only other thing you need is cinnamon sugar (combine 1/4 c sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon together) and slivered almonds. Sprinkle the unbaked cookies with the sugar mixture and top with five slivered almonds each in a star pattern. Bake according to recipe directions or label.

Green Chicken Chili

I know, I know, another taco recipe....sorry, it goes with the family name and blood on my husband's side....we just love Mexican food. (or I should say -thanks to my sister that actually lives in Mexico- that we love "american-mexican food" since it's really not the same thing at all)

This is an oh-so-yummy recipe my dear friend, Robin, shared with me and my other friend, Tenille. Very easy and great for leftover chicken. If you want to make it and don't have leftover chicken, then you can cook about 4 chicken breasts in the crock pot, boil in the pot, bake in the oven, or pull off of a roasted chicken from the super market.

about 4 cups leftover chicken
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove minced garlic
1 tsp chili powder
1 c enchilada sauce verde
1/4 c chopped roasted red bell peppers (come in a jar in the store)
1 c verde salsa
1 small can green chillies

Saute garlic in olive oil. Chop up the roasted red peppers and then mix everything together in a pot till heated through. Serve.

This is like a green enchilada taco. You can actually make them into enchiladas if you want to, or layer it with tortillas and cheese in a casserole dish or be simple and dump it into a tortilla like a taco and dress it with your favorites, like cheese, sour cream, olives, chopped onions....whatever ya like! =0)

Fresh Organic Produce

I've shared before on here about our organic produce deliveries that we've been enjoying. But, I've had some friends ask me about the same thing in their areas. Recently, I learned of a local one for the Santa Clarita Valley (CA) (where some friends in that area were asking about so I wanted to share it with you here. Now, this one is different than the one I'm apart of. There are private companies, there are co-ops, and there are CSAs. I'll try to explain them here.....

Delivery-
The one we use is a private company owned and operated by a young Christian couple in our area. They purchase organic produce from farms, box it and deliver it to your door step weekly, bi-weekly, or as one time orders. They have several boxes to choose from including the small, the large, the gourmet, veggie only, fruit only, etc. They also have many organic alacart items you can add to your order off of their website. Each week, you put out your old box on your porch and they switch it with your new box full of produce. They also include their weekly newsletter which has tips, recipes, and articles on healthy eating and organic lifestyle. The small box is $24. At first I thought we wouldn't possibly eat it all and that it would be much more money than I was spending before. After totalling what I spend at the store on produce (even the non-organic stuff) I was shocked to find that I was spending quite a bit at the store. I also realized that we were throwing out a lot of produce from the store because we didn't eat it all before it all went bad. I used to buy in bulk because I only shop twice a month but the produce rarely lasted past a week. All to say, we are eating tons more produce, not wasting much of it, and enjoying all kinds of new things that we haven't tried before. I plan my cooking around what we have in our box or what is on the box menu for the next week (which is posted on each newsletter).

Co-ops
Okay, then there are co-ops. Co-ops like Azure Standard for example, usually have a website where you order alacart and there is a drop off location in your area by one of the customers who volunteers to be the drop off person. You go each week to your drop off location and pick up your order. You can usually by healthy foods that are difficult to find in grocery stores and they are usually at a fraction of the price. This isn't just produce though...it usually includes flour, pantry items, etc. We also have a local co-op that is a store...similar to a Trader Joe's and Whole Foods store but you buy a membership to be apart of the supporting co-op part of it. It's open to the public but the prices are higher for the public.

CSAs-
CSAs are a way for people to buy directly from farms. You purchase a "share" of a farm and get your produce and other farm products through them (usually meats, poultry, eggs are included in these). The shareholders are people like you that keep the farm running and profitable. Not all CSAs are organic though and you need to research whether they are or not if that matters to you.

Now for the links......
-if you are in my area, you can leave a comment with your email address on this post for info about our boxed organic delivery. I have brochures I can pass out.
-if you are interested in Azure Standard click here
-if you are interested in the boxed organics in Santa Clarita (CA) click here AND you can also read more about it on my friend's site by clicking here. (thanks for sharing all that Jan)
-if you are interested in finding a CSA in your area or even a great list of possible healthy restaurants you should check out this nationwide site called Local Harvest. It will let you know about the farms and businesses in your area that are committed to organics or healthy foods.

Garlic Grilled Chicken

It's not only sandwich season and salad season, but it's also BBQ season! Our BBQ was broken the first half of summer which was a total bummer but a trip to the store and a few hours in the hot sun repairing it, my husband is back to grilling for us. We love using the BBQ in the summer....it's convenient and it keeps the heat outside instead of inside. So, I hope to put more grilling things on here this month....

I'll start with something simple though......when we first grilled up this chicken with some beef for a party we had years ago, some of the gals chose the chicken because they were trying to be "good" on their diets. After tasting it, one of them said, "what is that seasoning on it?!?!?" All that was on it was garlic powder. Yep, garlic was the secret ingredient that tasted amazing on the grilled chicken. I like to add some seasoning salt to it sometimes as well.

You could surely use minced fresh garlic as a rub for your chicken instead of garlic powder. The leftovers also make wonderful garlic chicken Caesar salad wraps for lunch the next day! =0)

Layered Bean Dip

Have you made layered bean dip lately? One of my favorite summer things...yum.

I use:

vegetarian refried beans

guacamole or mashed fresh avocados

sour cream (I always use Daisy cause it doesn't have other stuff in it)

Mexican style shredded cheese

salsa or fresh chopped pico de gallo

olives

chopped cilantro

tips:

~if you want it hotter you can add a minced (seeded) serrano chili.

~sprinkle the bean layer with some garlic powder for an added flavor

~squeeze fresh lime juice over the top for a citrus zing

Keeping Your Avocado

Here are some tips on how to keep an avocado as long as possible. That is of course, if you can resist eating it! =0)

1. if it's uncut you can store it in the fridge to slow down it's ripening process.

2. if you've cut it and want to save some, keep the pit with it which helps prevent browning. You can even store chopped avocado or guacamole with a pit to help it last longer.

3. to store a half avocado, keep the pit with it, brush the top with lemon juice and cover tightly with cling wrap which has been pushed and sealed around the pit and cut side.

4. if serving sliced, chopped or mashed avocado (guacamole included) mix in some lemon juice or spritz with lemon juice when setting out to keep from turning brown.

Grilled Turkey, Onion, and Cheese

I've had requests for more sandwiches to be posted on here. When I used to work at a deli sandwich shop in the LA area the owner's dad would come in and ask me to make him this sandwich. It wasn't on the menu but he tried to convince me that no one made it better than I did.....that's probably cause I added extra grilled onions and lots of cheese....

diced onion

olive oil

sliced deli turkey

provolone cheese

sourdough bread or sub roll

Grill the onions in a little olive oil till lightly browned, add turkey and grill. Shape turkey into the shape of your bread while still in the pan and then lay slices of cheese of over top. Turn off burner and let sit till cheese is melted. Using a spatula, transfer the turkey and cheese to the sandwich bread/roll.

Optional- serve with tomato, spinach, avocado, mayo...etc.

Sub Sandwich For A Crowd

It's sandwich season still so here's another sandwich for you. When serving a crowd or going to a large picnic or summer potluck, I like to make this style sandwich. Most grocery stores carry a fresh french bread loaf in their bakery areas and they are ideal for making large sub sandwiches.

french loaf

mayo

Newman's Own Family Recipe Italian

lunch meat

sliced sandwich cheeses

sliced tomatoes

lettuce

Slice bread loaf in half long ways with a bread knife. Spread on mayo and dressing (one on each side). Layer meat and cheese. Top with tomatoes and lettuce and any other items listed below under "optional". Close with top of bread and slice in about 2 in. thick slices. Long sandwich picks can be used in each sandwich slice to hold sandwich together if desired. Stack on platter and cover with cling wrap and refrigerate till ready to serve.

One sandwich serves about 6-8 adults. For a potluck, I make three of these. For our family and one other family coming over, I make 2 of these. For potlucks I use only turkey and cheese and none of the "optionals".... Sometimes I set out some mustard, sliced onion and pepperoncinis on the side.

optional: sliced red onion, pepperoncinis, mustard, spinach, avocado, and olives

In the pictures I used: mayo, Italian dressing, honey roasted turkey, roast beef, salami, Havarti, provolone, tomatoes, romaine, and baby spinach.

You can also use wheat french bread (below) which is found in some stores OR make your own fresh french bread loaves.

Sneaky Chocolate Cake

Here is the other eggless cake recipe and this one is extra sneaky with a whole can of pumpkin that you can NOT taste in the cake! I'm so impressed with this recipe because of it's rich texture! It's wonderful to sneak squash into kids, bring to a party when you're on a diet, or camping when you don't have eggs!

1 box devils food cake mix

1 14 oz can pumpkin or half of a 28 oz can (can NOT be pumpkin pie filling)

Mix the above together till well blended. (it's a little dry to mix at first but keep mixing. If needed you can add a bit of water but I haven't needed to)

Bake in cake pans or as cupcakes @ 350 for approx. 35 min. or until centers are done.

Variations:

~ mix in 1/2 cup of your favorite nuts

~ mix in 1/2 cup chocolate chips

~ top with frosting

~ top with whipped cream

~ top with whipped cream and sliced strawberries

~ serve hot with vanilla ice cream

~ bake in a 9x13 with chocolate chips mixed in as a brownie

THANKS to my two friends who told me about this recipe and the one below!