Summer Dining

Good morning to all of my blogger friends! David and I had a nice relaxing weekend at home, and were able to head out on the water a bit between all of the erratic summer-shower-weather. I headed into Atlanta yesterday afternoon to check on one client's progress, and have a meeting afterwards with another client. Keep your eyes peeled for updates on my projects on my other blog.

Anyway, I digress. David and I hosted our great friends Brian and Callie, and my sister in law Amanda. Callie and Brian needed a break from their move-in madness, so we all took a sunset boat ride before sitting down for red-wine-fest dinner. I had very sweet compliments on the meal, so I wanted to share a few of the recipes! Our main course was Gena Knox's Shrimp and BLT Tacos - always a hit! But, I had several summer salads available and even a summer chili!

Shrimp Tacos
1. tortillas
2. grilled shrimp
3. sauteed bell pepper
4. grape tomatoes
5. lettuce
6. turkey bacon
7. Avocado creme - 2 avocados, 1/2 cup FF sour cream, 1 jalapeno, cumin, the juice of 2 limes, and a tablespoon of water. Mix in blender or Magic Bullet food processor

Smoked Salmon-Butter Bean Salad
1/4 lb smoked salmon, cut into small pieces
1 can butter beans, drained
1 small red onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 can green chilies
1 pkg. frozen green peas, thawed
parsley to taste
oregano to taste
juice of one lemon
1/4 cup FF Italian dressing

Mix all ingredients in bowl. Add more dressing if desired.

Two Corn Green Chili
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves minced garlic
1 chopped bell pepper
mild chili powder
cayenne pepper
1/2 cup bouillon
1 cup frozen baby Lima beans
1 can green chilies
1 bag fresh spinach
1 can whole kernel corn
2 cans white beans
2 cups brown rice
cilantro to taste
lean ground beef, chicken, or turkey
1 packet of taco seasoning

Brown ground beef and sit aside. Cook onions, garlic and bell pepper with seasonings in bouillon over medium heat about 10 minutes. Add Lima beans and cook another 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and summer for 10 more minutes.

Mango and Black Bean salad
3 c. cooked brown rice
1-2 mangoes cubed
1 med. red pepper cubed
1 white onion chopped
1 can black beans rinsed
3 tbs. Red Wine Vinegar
2 tbs olive Oil
Cilantro to taste
Mix all ingredients together.
 
Happy Eating!

Good food and fun friends



After a week of being in Hawkinsville with Asa, I brought him back to Gainesville with me on Friday. David, Asa, and I started our weekend off with Mexican and the movie Bridesmaids. It was hilarious! I was crying half the time from laughing so hard! On Saturday morning, Lauren and Ryals arrived early, followed by Hollie, Meghan, and Brian. The day started off a little overcast, but once the sun came out to play, it was a lovely afternoon on the boat with friends. Abbye got here about 6:00, then the Muller-Stones headed back to the city, but the Wages (plus their adorable little Sophie) stayed for a lasagna dinner and then also headed home. We had been planning to have a bunch of people over on Sunday for a while, and even though the weather wasnt exactly ideal, we still had a great time and hope everyone comes back when its warmer! I wanted to share some of my recipes from the weekend!    

Ingredients for Frankie's Corn Salad
4 ears corn
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tbsp mint leaves, torn
1/2 medium red onion, sliced
3 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
big pinch of salt
red pepper flakes
casterlrosso or mild provolone cheese (optional) Add Cooking Step Directions

1. Soak ears of corn in a bowl or water for 10-15 minutes. Peel back husks, remove silk, and pull husks back over to cover corn kernels while cooking.
Grill corn for 5 minutes over moderately hot fire.
Remove corn from grill, and when they're cool enough to handle, peel off husks. Scrape kernels off cobs and place in a big salad bowl.
Toss tomatoes in with corn. Add mint and onions. Dress with olive oil, lemon, salt, and red pepper flakes to taste. Crumble cheese on top.
**I didn't grill my corn and shuck - too much time involved. But, I used canned corn and it was still delicious.



Ingredients for Avocado-Cucumber Soup
1 English cucumber, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
2 avocados, pitted and peeled
1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 minced small jalapeno chile (seeds and ribs removed for less heat, if desired)
1/3 cup sliced scallions
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil
12 medium shrimp (about 6 ounces), peeled and deveined

Directions
1.In a blender, combine half the cucumber and 1 avocado with the yogurt, lime juice, jalapeno, scallions, 1 tablespoon cilantro, 1 cup ice water, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Puree until completely smooth. Transfer to a large bowl.
2.Cut remaining avocado into 1/4-inch cubes. Stir avocado and remaining cucumber into soup. Thin with 1/2 to 1 cup ice water, as desired. Season again with salt and pepper. Chill, about 1 hour.
3.In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook shrimp, turning once, until opaque throughout, 2 to 3 minutes. Ladle soup into bowls; garnish with shrimp and remaining tablespoon cilantro.

Southwestern Turkey Club
8 slices bacon (8 ounces)
4 turkey cutlets
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 ripe avocado, pitted and peeled
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapeno chiles
12 slices whole-wheat sandwich bread, lightly toasted
1 tomato, thinly sliced

Directions
1.Working in two batches if necessary, cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until brown and crisp, 6 to 8 minutes per side; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons rendered fat from skillet.
2.Season turkey generously with salt and pepper. Add to skillet, and cook over medium heat until opaque throughout, 2 to 3 minutes per side; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain.
3.In a small bowl, mash avocado, lime juice, and chiles with a fork; season with salt and pepper.
4.Spread avocado mixture on one side of each slice of toast. Layer turkey, bacon, tomato, and toast to form four triple-decker sandwiches. To serve, skewer with toothpicks; slice in half with a serrated knife.
**I used deli turkey instead of cutlets, and the sandwiches were wonderful.

It was a little chilly....

but Bax always loves the boat!

The afternoon was beautiful, but instead of subjecting ourselves to the cold just for the boat's sake, we moved to the house to stay out of the chilly breeze!

We had a great afternoon laughing with our friends and family - Abbye and Asa, Hollie, Amanda, Katie and Nathan, Trent, Alyssa and Layna, Wade and Kate, and Renee!   

A "wow" dessert with little effort!

By request from my dear Meghan...the most delicious, simplest dessert!

 

Ingredients:

2 cups fruit sorbet

2 cups Prosecco, champagne or sparkling wine

Directions:

Using an ice cream scoop, spoon 1/2 cup sorbet into 4 glasses. Top each with 1/2 cup sparkling wine, or more if desired. Make it kid-friendly by substituting sparkling grape juice for the wine.

ski snacks

On our recent trip to Wyoming, our gracious friends did most of the planning...reservations, accomodations - they really did so much and David and I were so appreciative! My measly contribution was a few recipes for us to cook at night. We needed fuel for our ski time and warm food to eat while the snow was falling outside! Its no secret that I love to cook, so I was happy to help feed the troops!

Everything we made was a hit, so I wanted to share these meals with you all too!

Lauren Jollay was sweet enough to prepare two of these casseroles to eat while we soaked in the finale of The Bachelor. She added rotisserie chickens to them which made them even more filling! The boys loved this. 

Baked Pasta with Spinach, Lemon, and Cheese from Cooking Light

10 ounces fusilli

5 ounces fresh baby spinach

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 cups chopped onions

1 1/8 ounces flour, about a 1/4 cup

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 1/2 cups 1% low-fat milk

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, divided

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon grated lemon rind

1/2 teaspoon pepper

3/4 cup panko, divided

Directions:

Prep Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 1 1/4 hr

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2 Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 minutes or until almost al dente, omitting salt and fat.

3 Remove from heat; stir in spinach. Let stand for 2 minutes or until spinach wilts. Drain pasta mixture well.

4 Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion; cook 15 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently.

5 Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Add flour and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly with a whisk.

6 Gradually add milk and wine; cook 8 minutes or until sauce boils and thickens, stirring constantly.

7 Stir in 3/4 cup of cheese, salt and rind. Remove from heat; stir in pepper.

8 Add pasta mixture, and toss gently to coat.

9 Spoon pasta mixture into a 13x9 inch-glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray.

10 Sprinkle half of panko breadcrumbs over pasta, and top evenly with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.

11 Sprinkle the remaining half of panko breadcrumbs over cheese.

12 Bake at 350 for 50 minutes

Another night earlier in the weekend we prepared Mexican Mac and Cheese; a recipe I found in Better Homes and Gardens. This was delicious!

Ingredients

12 oz. dried mostaccioli or rigatoni pasta (3 cups)

1 lb. bulk pork sausage

1 cup chopped onion

1 16-oz. jar green medium-hot salsa

2 8-oz. pkg. shredded Monterey Jack cheese (4 cups)

Tomato wedges, sliced jalapeño peppers, and chopped fresh cilantro

Salsa (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 3-quart rectangular baking dish; set aside. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; set aside.

2. Meanwhile, in large skillet cook sausage and onion until meat is browned and onion is tender. Drain fat, Return sausage and onion to skillet. Stir in green salsa.

3. Bake, uncovered, for 35 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes. Top with tomato, jalapeño, and cilantro. If desired, serve with additional salsa. Makes 12 servings.

Healthy and delicious!

Its no secret my affection for my favorite kitchen utensil - my handy dandy Magic Bullet mixer. I've had so many people ask "What all can you make with it?" Well, add this one to your list with homemade guacamole, pesto, and salad dressing...mashed cauliflower. Yep, cauliflower to take the place of your beloved mashed potatoes. I know I am not the only one out there who tries to eat healthy, so this is a great substitute for those carb cravings. And, a diet rich in cruciferous vegetables like kale, collards, broccoli, cabbage and brussel sprouts is essential. David and I eat a really low carb diet (save for those occasional frozen yogurts and bread in the restaurant basket! Oh, and does wine count? :/ ), so this was a nice alternative to mashed potatoes that can have up to 18 grams of carbs per serving! Yikes! The healthy cauliflower only has 2-3 grams of carbs! Now that's my kind of substitute!

I mean, do these mashed potatoes and gravy not look divine?

But these mashed cauliflower with chives look equally as good!

My ingredients: sauteed tomatoes with basil; reduced fat milk; Smart Balance; cauliflower; and my Magic Bullet.

After adding all the solids into the bullet mixing cup, I filled it with milk to create a creamier texture.

They look great!

And placed on the plate with grilled salmon, grilled asparagus, and sauteed spinach, they were wonderful!

Cookin' it up

My hubbs is headed on his annual boy's river trip this afternoon and I am in Statesboro visiting baby sis. So, on Wednesday night I got in the kitchen and made the guys some munchies and made Abs some things for her freezer. I know what its like to be in college, and quick food is always nice especially when its healthy and a little taste of home. For the boys I made Mark Wahlberg's brother's macaroni salad. I pulled the recipe from a People magazine a few months ago and had been wanting to try it. I also sent the boys with my tried-and-true black bean dip. I told David that he and Brince didn't even have to share. Shhh! Since they're on a boat together, I wanted to make sure the hubbs and baby bro had something to eat!
The soups I made for Abs turned out great and David and I enjoyed the gumbo for dinner on Wednesday night. Wanted to share!

Alma’s Macaroni Salad
10 to 12 Servings; Total: 25 min

1 pound elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon celery salt
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup finely diced green bell pepper
1/2 cup finely diced celery
3 tablespoons diced red onion (optional)
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the macaroni until al dente. Drain, then rinse the macaroni until cool. Drain very well. 2. In a large bowl, toss the macaroni with the oil. Add the garlic powder, celery salt and mayonnaise and toss to coat. Stir in the green pepper, celery, onion and parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill before serving.

It was delicious! Would be great for a summer picnic!

One of my favorites to make...always wonderful! Here is the recipe.

For Abbye, I made two soups out of my Weight Watchers cookbook. I've been wanting to try them, and I wanted to take her something to put in her freezer. David and I enjoyed the gumbo for dinner on Wednesday!

4 tsp. olive oil
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
6 scallions, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (14.5 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup trimmed sliced fresh or thawed frozen okra
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/8-1/4 tsp. cayenne
1/2 cup regular long grain rice
1/2 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 lb. skinless boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/2 in. pieces
1 (2-inch) piece kielbasa, but into 8 slices

1. In a large nonstick saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil. Saute the bell pepper, celery, scallions and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in tomatoes, broth, okra, thyme, bay leaf and cayenne; bring to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, 15 minutes.
3. Stir in the rice and simmer, covered, 15 minutes.
4. Add the shrimp, chicken, and kielbasa; simmer, covered, until the shrimp is pink, the chicken is cooked through, and rice is tender, about 5 minutes longer.

Summer Squash Soup recipe found here.

Crab tarts

I made these cute little crab puffs a few weeks ago for a Super Bowl party. Instead of the phyllo pastry, I  used puff pastry shells. I let them puff up for a few minutes in the oven, then finished baking them with the crab mixture inside. They're an easy party treat and a great filler. 

3 (2.1 ounce) packages frozen miniature phyllo tart shells

1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese

2 eggs

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup half-and-half cream

1 green onion, finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground mustard

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 (6 ounce) can crabmeat - drained, flaked and cartilage removed

1.Place tart shells on an ungreased baking sheet. Sprinkle Swiss cheese into each shell. In a mixing bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Spoon a teaspoonful of crab mixture into each tart shell. Bake at 375 degrees F for 18-20 minutes or until pastry is browned. Serve warm. 

More Veggies in the New Year

Like many of you I'm sure, we've all have broad declarations of "I'm going to be healthier in 2011!" over the past month. I'm happy to say, David and I are off to a pretty decent start. I cook almost every night.....basic stuff like steamed vegetables, a salad, and David will grill whichever meat or fish we're having. I try to plan meals at the beginning of the week when we know just which nights we are going to be at home. Sometimes, we'll sneak in a Breakfast-for-dinner supper too. :) I mostly use my Gena Knox Gourmet Made Simple cookbook and my Weight Watchers cookbook. But, when we have company or a weekend meal, Ina Garten never fails me and neither does Martha's Original Classics tome. Here are some of our favorites so far in 2011! Here's to happy, healthy eating!

We like to use chicken tenders on the grill sometimes instead of the traditional chicken breast. They don't take as long to cook, and they are very tender. Here, I prepared a sauteed zucchini and red bell pepper dish with the delicious asparagus.

Asparagus via Jamie Oliver:
This is a great combination. Parmesan, olive oil and lemon are wonderful with asparagus. Heat a large griddle pan and dry-griddle the asparagus spears on both sides until nicely marked. As soon as they're ready, put them on to four plates and dress with a good squeeze of lemon juice and three times as much olive oil. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, then take a block of Parmesan to the table and either grate or shave some over the asparagus with a peeler.

On this night, we prepared a panko crusted fish, Brussels sprouts and sauteed spinach. It was all tasty!

Brussels sprouts via Rachel Ray:
3 slices bacon, chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
1 shallot, chopped
1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed, small spouts left whole, larger spouts halved
Salt and pepper, to your taste
1 cup chicken broth

Brown bacon in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Remove bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Add extra-virgin olive oil to the pan, 1 turn. Add shallots to the pan and saute 1 to 2 minutes. Add Brussels spouts and coat in oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cook Brussels sprouts 2 to 3 minutes to begin to soften, then add broth. Bring broth to a bubble, cover and reduce heat to medium low. Cook 10 minutes, until tender. Transfer sprouts to a serving dish with a slotted spoon and top with cooked bacon bits.

Sauteed Spinach via Maggie:
5 to 6 tablespoons golden or dark raisins
2 packages (each 10 ounces) fresh spinach or 2 medium-size bunches fresh spinach, tough stems discarded
3 to 4 tablespoons fragrant extra-virgin olive oil
6 to 8 whole small peeled garlic cloves, lightly smashed
5 tablespoons pine nuts
Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper

Place the raisins in a small bowl, add very hot water to cover, and soak until plump, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain well and pat dry with paper towels, then set aside.
Rinse but do not drain the spinach. Place the spinach in a large saucepan over medium heat and cover the pan. Cook the spinach until wilted, 4 to 5 minutes, stirring a few times. Transfer the spinach to a colander, and squeeze out the excess moisture by pressing on the spinach with the back of a spoon. Chop the spinach coarsely. (The spinach can be prepared a few hours ahead up to this point.)
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or wok over low heat. Add the garlic, pine nuts, and soaked raisins, and cook until the nuts and the garlic are light golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Increase the heat to medium, add the chopped spinach, and cook for about 1 minute, stirring to combine evenly. Season with salt and pepper to taste, transfer to a serving bowl, and serve.


And for this past Monday Night Girl's Dinner, we dined at Lauren and Renee's apartment in Atlanta. Lauren made this amazing coconut soup with rice and beans, roasted Brussels sprouts and cauliflower, Hollie brought a salad, and I made Roasted Vegetable Crostini via Weight Watchers. I love using my WW cookbook for easy, quick, healthy recipes. It uses a ton of healthy proteins and vegetables and makes use of many spices.

1 small eggplant (about 3/4 pound)
1 medium zucchini
1 medium red onion
2 medium red bell pepper
2 plum tomatoes, seeded
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 loaf french bread, whole wheat
Grated reggiano cheese to taste in the vegetable mix, and a bit for garnish

1.Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray nonstick baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
2.Trim ends from eggplant and zucchini; discard. Cut all vegetables into 1/4-inch pieces; place in large bowl. Add garlic, oil, rosemary and black pepper; toss to coat evenly. Transfer to ungreased nonstick 15X10X1-inch jelly-roll pan.
3.Bake 45 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring every 15 minutes.
4.Trim and discard ends from bread. Cut bread into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange slices in single layer on prepared baking sheet. Bake 3 minutes on each side or until crisp and lightly browned on both sides.
5.Spoon vegetable mixture evenly onto toasted bread slices; sprinkle evenly with cheese. Continue baking 5 minutes or until mixture is heated through and cheese is melted. Transfer to serving plates.

Farm food

For the weekend with friends, us girls all bring plenty of snacks and food to cook - with a group of 16, we sure need it! This time, I brought my traditional sausage and English muffins for breakfast - I doubled the recipe and it worked great for two mornings' worth. I also brought plenty of salad for the two dinners we cooked at the house. Little trick to try - for a flavorful salad, add fresh herbs to the greens...I added a pack of basil and mint to this one. Its a nice flavor punch in an otherwise ordinary salad with tomatoes and bacon crumbles. In addition, I made a loaf of Trader Joe's Beer Bread - wonderful! It was really good with jelly in the mornings, but would be great with spaghetti with a little garlic sprinkled in. As a snack for this large group, I made my sis-in-law's recipe for delicious candied nuts...I doubled the batch but think that I should have quadrupled it for this bunch- they were a hit!

For Trader Joe's Beer Bread mix, all you need is butter and a beer!

Man, it sure did look good in the oven!

While the bread was cooling, my walnut, almond and pecan nuts were cooking.
Here's how to make some yourself!
Grease a cookie sheet with butter. Beat one egg white per bunch (I did two) until frothy and coat nuts in it. Mix with 1 cup of sugar, a little cinnamon to taste and 1 tablespoon of salt. Mix well with nuts, coating evenly. Spread on sheet and bake at 350 for 10 minutes, stir and bake 10 minutes more.

And here is the finished product...yum!

Christmas Company

I had the pleasure of hosting my sweet sis Abbye and her fabulous friends Ally and Stacey for a few nights this week while they're on Christmas break. They supervised my cooking on Monday night, sampled the cheese platter and hot buttered rum, and got ready to welcome the Smithsons when they arrived. Colby and Jamie were in town for the evening too while Colby is on a break from grad school. I was so happy to have some of my very favorite people and friends here for the night to share in a festive dinner to celebrate the holiday season.

The rum drink was absolutely delish!

Bax was super excited to have some extra attention for a few days!

Me and my sweet Colby Jane!

This picture cracks me up and I just had to include it...clearly it was taken before we were "ready"

That's better

And then it was their turn....handsome boys!

????

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU!

Comfort food

Lately, David and I have been enjoying the new Gena Knox cookbook - we've joined the Hills and the Kings in trying out some of her new recipes during our weeknight cooking. For three nights, we made something new from Gena's book - the goat cheese and beet salad; the herb crusted salmon; and the roasted trout with okra and tomatoes. And man, it was all wonderful! I especially loved the salmon over cucumber - but I could eat salmon every day! I have included photos of how my dishes turned out as well as the photos in the cookbook. The beet salad was amazing with the homemade buttermilk and goat cheese dressing - my Magic Bullet food processor came in handy again! We paired the salad with a pork tenderloin, squash and zucchini.

{MY VERSION: Goat cheese and beet salad}

{GENA'S VERSION}

{My cute co-chef....this is on salmon night!}

{MY VERSION: Herb crusted salmon, brown sugar carrots, and steamed broccoli.}

{GENA'S VERSION}

{MY VERSION: Oven roasted trout with okra, black eyed peas, and tomatoes.}

GENA'S VERSION

Weeknight hubs dinner

I came home last week to the most delicious meal prepared by my hubs. Its not a secret that he and I love any and all recipes from Gena Knox's first cookbook. All of these recipes are in her Gourmet Made Simple book...pork tenderloin with apples, green beans with pecans, and vegetable salad with feta. David and I were stoked with the way it all turned out, especially the pork, so if you get a chance, try it!

Pork

• 6 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 4 1½- to 2-inch thick pork chops, bone-in
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Apple Stuffing

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 large apples, peeled and diced into ½-inch cubes
• ¼ cup chopped onions
• 1½ teaspoons grated ginger
• ½ cup dried cherries
• ½ cup chopped pecans

You can save time by simply grilling pork tenderloin and using the stuffing as delicious topping and the leftover filling is perfect for topping off baked sweet potatoes.
FIRST To make the stuffing, heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add apples, onion, and ginger; sauté 5 to 7 minutes, until the onions are tender and the apples are golden. Stir in dried cherries and chopped pecans; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
NEXT Preheat oven to 350°F. Using a sharp knife, slice horizontally into sides of the pork chops, almost to the bone, creating pockets for the stuffing. Stuff chops with apple mixture. In a small bowl, combine mustard and vinegar; season with salt and pepper. Coat each side of pork chops with ½ tablespoon of mustard mixture.
LAST Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chops for 3 minutes on each side until browned. Place pork chops in baking dish and transfer to oven for 10-15 minutes until internal temperature reaches 145°. Let chops rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Fourth of July Food

Later this afternoon, David and I are heading to Lake Sinclair to spend the weekend with the Coody side of my family. With all the aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, etc., there will be a lot of hungry people to feed. I wanted to post what I am taking in case any of you need a last minute recipe!

These sausage English muffins are always a HUGE hit...they are filling and the smell is mouthwatering in the mornings. I like to make them ahead of time and freeze them - it lets you get a few more zzzzzzz's but still pull off a delicious breakfast.

Shopping list:
English Muffins split in halves
Jar of Cheez Whiz
Jimmy Dean Sausage
It all depends on what ratio you want your cheese to your sausage; I use 2 tubes of reduced fat sausage and only half of the can of cheese over 2 boxes of whole wheat English muffins. (6 muffins x 2 halves each = 12 breakfast muffins per box)

I like to place the muffins on cookie sheets then freeze them. Afterward, I will divide them into Ziploc freezer bags. When you get ready to eat them, take them out, place back on a cookie sheet, and cook in the oven for about 25-30 minutes on 350!
My next recipe was featured on here a few weeks ago, but I wanted to include pics this time! You can find the recipe here.


I tripled the recipe for the long weekend.

David loves the "As Seen on TV" section, and the last time we were ooohing and aaaahing over the incredible, life changing gadgets, we decided to try the Vidalia Chop Wizard - we are believers now! Look at how neatly it cuts bell pepper!

I think this is the most beautiful dip! My grandmother Baboo always said it was good to have a lot of color in your recipes and on your plate - she would be happy with this.
The last thing I decided to take to the lake was a little variation of the always-popular Italian caprese salad. Its hard to beat, especially when you have the freshest ingredients.
My basil plants are doing so well, and fresh herbs make all the difference when preparing meals.
Little grape tomatoes pack so much flavor, and are a hint sweeter than larger ones. Fresh mozzarella goes a long way when chopped finely, and a little red onion always add a little something extra.
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend celebrating the Fourth of July! Don't forget to wear sunscreen!