a1 patty melt.

Stephie and I are obsessed with A1!  We also love burgers.  Last week we put the two together.  This recipe make 4 patty melts.

1. 25 ground beef or ground turkey

1/2 c. A1 sauce

1 t. salt

1/2 t. onion powder

1/2 t. garlic powder

1/2 t. pepper

1/4 t. oregano

French bread, 8 slices

butter

swiss cheese, 4 slices

onions, chopped and sauteed 

In a bowl, combine defrosted beef or turkey, a1, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper and oregano.  Score into 4 sections.  Make four 1" thick patties.  

You can cook your patties on the grill, under the broiler or on the stove top.  We used the broiler.  Preheat your broiler option on your oven.  Move an oven rack to the highest possible position.  Place four patties on broiler pan.  If you don't have a broiling pan, use a cookie sheet with a cookie cooling rack on it.  This way the grease will still drain off the patties as they cook.  Broil patties for 4 minutes on each side. 

While patties are broiling, saute chopped onions over medium heat in a little bit of olive oil or butter.  Saute onions until they are translucent.  I used whole wheat french bread, but hamburger buns, regular bread or sourdough bread would be good, too.  Lightly butter one side of 8 slices of the bread of your choice.  In the same pan you sauteed the onions, toast the bread, butter side down.  Top 4 slices of bread with swiss cheese and let the cheese get melty.

Assemble your patty melt- toasted bread, cooked patty, sauteed onions and toasted bread with swiss cheese.  Top with more a1, if desired.

xx.

val  

dump cake.

This dessert is the easiest thing to make and very tasty.

1 can crushed pineapple

1 can pie filling (cherry, blueberry, apple)

1 box cake mix (white or yellow)

1 stick butter, cubed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Dump 1 can crushed pineapple, 1 can pie filling (flavor of your choice) and one cake mix into a 13 by 9 pan.  Top with cubed butter.  Bake for one hour.  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, if desired.

xx.

val

easy garlic-cheese biscuits.

This recipe is straight out of my Betty Crocker Cookbook. These really are easy and very similar to the biscuits they serve at Red Lobster.

2 cups Original Bisquick
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I prefer sharp)
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Mix Bisquick, milk and cheese until soft dough forms; beat vigorously for 30 seconds. Drop dough by 10 to 12 spoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.
3.Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Mix butter and garlic powder; brush on warm biscuits before removing from cookie sheet. Serve warm.


emily.

spinach salad with sweet vinaigrette dressing.

1 lb spinach, washed

4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

3 eggs, hard boiled and chopped

1 recipe for sweet vinaigrette dressing

Wash 1 lb of fresh spinach.  Cook 4 slices of bacon.  Crumble bacon once cool.  Hard boil three eggs.  Chop into bite sized pieces or slices.  Toss spinach, crumbled bacon and chopped egg together.  Dress the salad with sweet vinaigrette dressing right before serving so that the spinach doesn't wilt.  Salt and pepper if desired.  

Stephie's stove top bacon cooking tips: (Since I always burn bacon, Stephie is earning her keep by cooking it for me.  Here are her suggestions for great stove top bacon.)

1. Don't overcrowd the pan.

2. Cook on med- low heat.  

3. Flip the bacon only once.

4. If cooking a large quantity of bacon, drain grease as needed.  Bacon won't get crispy if you cook it in too much grease.

How to hard boil eggs: Place eggs in a saucepan in a single layer.  Pour cold water over the eggs - just enough water to barely cover them.  Place on high heat until water is boiling.  Once water is boiling, remove from heat and cover.  Let eggs stand in hot water for 15 minutes.  Drain hot water from eggs.  Cool eggs by running cold water over them.  Once eggs are cool, remove the shells from eggs. 

Sweet Vinaigrette Dressing:

1/4 c. canola oil

1/4 c. white vinegar

1/4 c. brown sugar

1 t. worcestershire sauce

1/2 t. salt

Place all dressing ingredients in a bowl.  Whisk to combine.  

xx.

val

It's VAL's birthday!

Happy birthday DIVA VAL! Love you!

em.

chocolate candies.

These homemade chocolate candies were the favors for Anna's baby shower.  They got a little melty in the Arizona heat, but they were delicious!  There are three types: Top left- coconut; top right- maple with walnuts; bottom - cherry.  Each flavor was a batch that made around 30 chocolates.  

For one batch you will need:

8 oz Bittersweet chocolate (Suggested: Ghirardelli baking bar)

2/3 cup heavy cream (up to 1 c. heavy cream)

3 T butter

1 t. vanilla extract

Add to each batch one or two of these things:

1 t. coconut extract

1 t. peppermint extract

1 t. almond extract

1 t. maple extract

chopped walnuts

chopped almonds

chopped pecans

4 oz cherry flavored baking morsels

4 oz peppermint flavored baking morsels

4 oz peanut butter chips

4 oz toffee chips

4 oz butterscotch chips

2- 3 oz amaretto

2- 3 oz baileys

2-3 oz kahlua

If desired, roll chocolates in: toasted nuts, cocoa powder, toasted coconut

Chop chocolate into small pieces.  Place in a mixing bowl.  If you want to add baking morsels or flavored chips to your chocolate truffle, place them in the mixing bowl with the chopped chocolate.  Over low heat, melt 3 T butter.  Add melted butter to your chopped chocolate.  In the same saucepan, heat heavy cream until the cream is just about to boil.  Pour over chopped chocolate.  Wait a minute, then carefully stir together chocolate, butter and cream.  Add vanilla extract and other extracts, if desired.  If adding liqueur, do so at this time.  Stir to combine until chocolate pieces and chips are all melted and mixture is smooth.  If adding nuts to your chocolates, stir in once all the chocolate is melted.  Let cool a few minutes.  (If all the chocolate won't melt after stirring for a few minutes, heat 1/3 c. more heavy cream until it is just about to boil.  Pour over the chocolate mixture and stir to combine.)  

If making square chocolate candies, pour chocolate mixture into a 13 by 9 pan, cover with foil, and refrigerate for one hour.  If the chocolate is hard enough after a hour, cut into small squares.  Place chocolate squares in a parchment lined dish and refrigerate until just before eating.  If making round chocolates, place mixing bowl into the fridge for one hour.  If chocolate is hard enough after a hour, using a ice cream scoop, scoop out truffles into a parchment lined dish.  If you want to roll your chocolates in nuts, cocoa powder or coconut, do so at this time.  Refrigerate until just before eating.  

Bring chocolate candies to room temperature before eating.  Enjoy!

xx.

val

fruit pastry.

1 sheet puff pastry (Suggested: Pepperidge Farm), cooked according to package directions

1/2 c. vanilla yogurt

1/2 c. ricotta cheese 

4 oz cream cheese 

1/4 c. honey 

zest of one lemon

juice of one lemon

1 t. vanilla extract

fruit (I used raspberries, blueberries and strawberries)

dark chocolate, optional

Cook one sheet of puff pastry according to package directions.  Let cool for a few minutes.  Very careful cut through the puff pastry with a bread knife.  

In a bowl, combine vanilla yogurt, ricotta cheese, cream cheese, honey, lemon zest and juice and vanilla extract.  Beat together.  For more sweetness, add more honey.

Wash and chop fruit of your choice. 

Assemble:  Bottom layer puff pastry, layer of cream mixture, layer of fruit, top layer puff pastry.  Cut into squares and serve.  Drizzle with melted dark chocolate, if desired.

Melt a few ounces dark chocolate over low heat in a small saucepan.  Use a fork to drizzle chocolate over fruit pastry.

xx.

val 

blt with egg.

In my home growing up, we ate this sandwich at least once a week for every summer I can remember.  Fresh tomatoes from the garden, crispy bacon and fried egg - it is such a good combination!  If you have never made a blt with egg, you gotta try it! 

Makes 4 sandwiches.

8 pieces toasted bread (i used sourdough this time, but love it on potato bread and whole wheat, too)

8 strips of bacon*

4 - 8 pieces lettuce (romaine, iceberg, butter lettuce or whatever you like)

8 slices of tomato (fresh from your garden or on the vine)

4 eggs, fried over easy

4 slices cheese, optional (cheddar, american or whatever you like)

mayo

salt and pepper

*I'm terrible at frying bacon.  I always burn it.  So I have begun to cook bacon in the oven.  Preheat your oven to 350.  On a cookie sheet place a cookie cooling rack.  Place defrosted strips of bacon on the cooling rack.  8 strips should fit if you put them close together.  Be carefully not to overlap the bacon though.  They need to cook for 20 minutes in the oven, flip the strips after 10 minutes.  After 20 minutes at 350 degrees, preheat the broiler and adjust the oven rack to the highest position.  The bacon goes under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes.  This makes the bacon a little crispy.  The nicest thing about cooking bacon on a cooling rack is that the grease drains off the bacon and into the bottom of cookie sheet.  

Fry (or oven bake) 8 pieces of bacon.  Remove the grease from the pan.  If you wish to fry your eggs in the bacon grease, leave about 1 tablespoon.  Fry 4 eggs over easy.  If you oven baked your bacon or don't wish to cook your eggs in bacon grease, you will need to add a little cooking spray or olive oil to your frying pan to get started.  Fry eggs over medium heat.  Crack 2 eggs into the pan on opposite sides.  Salt and pepper the egg.  Cook until the white appears solid- 3 to 4 minutes.  Carefully flip the eggs so that the yolk does not break.  Cook for another minute or two.  Choose your cheese, optional.  If you want your cheese a little melty, put a slice of cheese on each egg in the last minute of the cooking time.  After removing the egg from the pan, while you are assembling your other ingredients, cover the eggs topped with cheese with foil.  If you want egg on your sandwich, but hate the idea of runny egg yolk, then completely fry your egg until the yolk is cooked through.  Get your other ingredients ready - toast bread of your choice.  Wash 4 to 8 pieces lettuce of your choice. Wash and slice the tomatoes.  You'll need your mayo and a knife for spreading.

Assemble your sandwich:  Spread mayo on four slices of toasted bread.  You can salt and pepper the mayo if you forgot to salt and pepper the egg or if you just like a lot of salt and pepper.  Add two slices of tomato to each slice of bread with mayo on it.  To each sandwich, add two strips of bacon- you can break each strip so that it fits on the sandwich nicely.  Carefully add the fried egg over easy on top of the bacon.  Add the lettuce pieces.  Top with other slice of toasted bread.  With a knife cut right through the middle of your blt with egg and possibly cheese and enjoy!

xx.

val

roasted garlic and lemon broccoli.

2 lbs. broccoli, washed and chopped

1/3 c. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 lemon, juiced

salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to broil.  Adjust your oven rack to the highest shelf.  In a plastic bag (Ziploc), combine washed and chopped broccoli, olive oil, minced garlic and juice from one lemon.  Shake the bag until all the broccoli is covered with the olive oil mixture.  Pour broccoli out into a cookie sheet.  Sprinkle broccoli with sea salt and fresh ground pepper.  Place under broiler for 4 minutes.  Turn broccoli over and broil for another 4 minutes.  

xx.

val  

cilantro lime salmon.

My favorite way to eat salmon. Cilantro and lime- what could be better than that?! This recipe serves 4. You want to use 6 to 8 oz (or 1/2 lb) of salmon per person. Why wild salmon? Salmon contains omega- 3 fats which boost brain development, fend off depression and are strongly anti-inflammatory. Wild salmon is lower in mercury and higher in omega-3's than farm raised salmon. Moreover, farm raised can have up to 10 times more toxins than wild salmon.

4 wild salmon fillets (about 2 lbs)

1/3 c. olive oil

2- 3 T fresh cilantro, chopped

juice of 2 limes

2 cloves of garlic, minced

salt and pepper

extra fresh chopped cilantro, for garnish

extra lime slices, for garnish

Remove the pins from the wild salmon. Skin side down, flesh side up place the salmon over the side of a bowl. This will cause the salmon to bend at the middle and the pins should stick out. You can easily (but carefully) remove them with your hands. When you are finished removing the pins, salt and pepper the salmon's flesh.

In a 13 by 9 pan, combine olive oil, chopped cilantro, juice of two limes and 2 cloves of minced garlic. Place salmon in the pan flesh side down, skin side up. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

If you are going to grill your salmon, clean your grill grate and spray with cooking spray before lighting. Or use paper towels and a couple tablespoons of oil and rub down the grill grates. If you desire, wrap your salmon in aluminion foil. The cooking time will be longer, but you will not have any problems with the salmon sticking to the grill. Turn your grill on and let it heat up to medium high heat. Heat fillets for 4 to 5 minutes on each side. If in aluminion, heat for about 7 to 8 minutes on each side.

If you are going to cook your salmon indoors, preheat your broiler. Arrange an oven rack to the highest possible option. Spray your broiling pan with cooking spray. When your broiler is preheated, place your fillets on the broiling pan skin side down, flesh side up. Broil for 4 to 5 minutes (depending on the thickness of your fillets). Flip your fillets to flesh side down. The skin should easily peel off. Broil for another 3 to 4 minutes.

When finished cooking, place salmon on a platter skin side down or remove skin at this time, if desired. Top with fresh chopped cilantro and garnish with lime slices.

xx.

val

lasagna.

When I made this lasagna last week for dinner, Kt was very impressed.  He said that he really could taste the fresh ingredients.  That is quite the observation from him :)  But truly the homemade sauce, fresh herbs and fresh cheese make this a very tasty little dish.

 

12 lasagna noodles, whole wheat

1 lb ground turkey (Suggested: Jennie O)

5 to 6 T olive oil

2, 15 oz cans tomato sauce 

1 carrot, chopped fine

1 stalk celery, chopped fine

1/2 small onion, chopped fine

1/2 green pepper, chopped fine

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tomatoes, chopped (fresh from your garden or on the vine)

3 T fresh parsley, chopped (or 1 T dried)

3 T fresh oregano, chopped (or 1 T dried)

3 T fresh basil, chopped (or 1 T dried)

1/2 t. dried rosemary 

1/2 t. dried marjoram

1/2 t. pepper

16 oz ricotta cheese

5 oz block of fresh Parmesan, grated

2 eggs

12 oz fresh Mozzarella, sliced thin

fresh basil, chopped, for garnish

In a skillet, saute carrots, celery, onion and green pepper in a few tablespoons of olive oil.  In a large saucepan, over medium heat, combine two 15 oz cans of tomato sauce, sauteed veggies, minced garlic, chopped tomatoes, fresh herbs, dried herbs and pepper.  When sauce begins to bubble, reduce heat to low and let simmer while you prepare the other ingredients. 

In the same skillet you sauteed veggies, add a few more tablespoons olive oil and cook ground turkey over medium heat until browned.  Drain grease into paper towels.  Boil water in a large, deep saucepan.  Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions.  Drain.  Lay out flat so they don't stick together.  In a bowl, combine 16 oz of ricotta cheese,  5 oz of grated Parmesan and two eggs.  

Assemble your lasagna- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Ladle enough tomato sauce into a 13 by 9 pan to cover the bottom.  Reserve one cup tomato sauce for the top.  Add ground turkey to the rest of your tomato sauce (except for the cup you have reserved).  Add four lasagna noodles to your 13 by 9 pan with the tomato sauce.  Spread ricotta/ Parmesan cheese mixture over the noodles.  Place four more lasagna noodles on top of the cheese layer.  Pour meat sauce over the noodles.  Place down one last layer of four noodles.  Ladle reserved one cup tomato sauce over noodles.  Slice fresh mozzarella and place down over the top.  Bake for 50 minutes.  Let rest for 10 minutes.  Chop fresh basil and sprinkle on top for garnish, if desired.  

dreamsicle.

Makes 2 drinks.

6 oz vanilla yogurt

1/2 c. orange juice

1/2 c. sprite (or 7 up, club soda, etc.)

1/2 c. pineapple, chopped

3 to 4 oz passion fruit rum or vodka, optional

ice

pineapple slices, for garnish

Combine first four ingredients in the blender or magic bullet.  Pulse until smooth.  Add alcohol, if desired.  Serve over ice right away or refrigerate over ice until chilled and then strain into martini glasses.  Garnish with pineapple slices.

xx.

val