Quinoa, apple and kale salad- fancy!

I love apples. I love kale. I love quinoa. Why not put them in a salad?!?

I do love kale I have made kale chips and I have made pasta with kale. But what about just raw kale? Yup, that's good too?

Friday I made fish tacos. I wanted something to go with them and I had just purchased some kale earlier in the week to make some more kale chips. So I went to Google. (What on earth did we do before Google?)

I found a great recipe for Quinoa, apple and kale salad. But I also had a cucumber I needed so use and some Feta cheese and my husband isn't crazy about lemon juice dressing, so I needed to make it my own.

The great thing about this salad is it is pretty healthy. Quinoa is a complete protein and very filling. Kale is believed to be an anti cancer vegetable and is loaded with calcium and vitamin k and vitamin c.

What you'll need:

2 cups cooked quinoa (1 cup uncooked quinoa cooked with two cups water)

4 cups kale, washed and pulled from stem

1/2 a large apple, cored and chopped

1 large cucumber, chopped (you can peel if you so desire)

1/2 cup feta cheese

1/4 cup low fat balsamic vinegar dressing.

Cook your quinoa according to the package instructions and let cool in the fridge for a couple hours.

In a bowl combine your kale, apple, cucumber and quinoa. Then drizzle with dressing and stir a little.

Sprinkle with your feta cheese and you are done.

Three ingredient energy bar

I love Larabars. I love, love, love them. But I don't love paying for them. On a good day they are $1 a piece and I am just too cheap for that.

I scoured the internet looking for recipes and I found several. But some of them turned out too sticky and some of them turned out too crumby. So I just kept playing till I found a take on a recipe I liked.

What I love about this recipe is that there is nothing in this that will hurt you. No sugar, nothing processed, nothing you can't pronounce. And even better it only cost me about $3.00 to make 10 bars!

What you'll need:

1 cup almonds

10 oz. pitted dates

1/4 cup cherries

1/4 cup flax seed (OPTIONAL!)

Food processor or blender.

Throw the almonds (and flaxseed if you're using it) in your blender and process them in to small pieces. 

Next drop in your cherries and dates and blend them all together.

Then dump them in a pan and grab a handful and make a little ball.

Flatten and shape that ball into a rectangle. This should yield 10. Should- depending on how big or small you make them.

Store in fridge. Or you can even freeze them for later. Just wrap them all indiviudally in plastic wrap.

Two ingredient peach frozen yogurt

The peaches are here! The peaches are here! Alabama's glorious plump peaches have finally arrived.

I lived in Georgia for six years, and while it is known as the peach state, have you ever had a Chilton County peach? I think Alabama is edging you out Georgia!

The Chilton County peaches came rolling in to town this week. Baby boy and I went to the farmer's market and loaded up.

Last night I pealed them, pitted them and put them in the blender to make two ingredient frozen yogurt!

What you'll need:

About two cups pealed peaches (you can use frozen or canned)

Two cups vanilla yogurt. I used Stonyfield.

Put your peaches in the blender or food processor until they are liquid like.

Add your yogurt. Then blend some more.

Place in a freezer safe container and let chill for about two hours.

It is so good. I ate it for breakfast!

Chicken mac and cheese- it's that good

What do we all, and I mean we ALL, love more than mac n cheese? Nothing. Can you think of many things you love more? I'll wait for you to make a list...

that didn't take long.

I make this. On rare occasions. It is always delicious. It hits the belly in a way that lets the person consuming it know they will be alright.

This recipe is another way to use all that leftover chicken from roasted chicken or rotisserie. Or, you can cook a couple chicken breasts and you're good to go.

What you'll need:

4 cups Rotini
8 Tablespoons Unsalted butter
1  Medium Onions cut into thin strips
2 cups cooked chicken
1/4 cup All-purpose Flour
2 cups skim milk
 2 eggs
1 1/2 cups cheese, any cheese.

1 cup bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a casserole. Cook your pasta al dente. Very al dente. Like for only 4 or 5 minutes, al dente.

Melt half your butter in a skillet over a low heat and add your onions to cook. You will want to cook them until they are golden.

Remove the onions and put the remaining butter in your skillet. Once melted, whisk in your flour. Once smooth add your milk. Add in your eggs.You will want to temper them first. - To temper crack the eggs into a separate bowl, whisk and then add a little bit of the milk and flour mixture. Add the eggs into the skillet.

Then add your cheese and stir until it all melts in together smoothly.

Put your noodles in your greased dish. Cover in cheese mixture. Add your chicken and onions. Mix ALL of this together and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake for 20 minutes.

Unbutton the top button of your pants and enjoy.

What's for Dinner?

Inspired by a few other blogs, I have decided to start posting our weekly menu. This is something I have been doing for years now. I go through the Sunday ads, find what's on sale at my local grocer and plan my menu accordingly.

Once a month, when Winn-Dixie, has their good meat deal, I load up on chicken, ground beef and a roast or two.

So here is our weeknight dinner menu:

Monday: French onion beef roast, trio fruit salad (recipe below)

Tuesday: Chicken casserole

Wednesday: Leftovers pizza using left over cheese, sauce and pepperoni from making this recipe. I will also use some sweet red peppers.

Thursday: Spinach, cheese quiche - I will post this recipe Friday

Friday: Fish Tacos

Trio Fruit Salad:

You don't need a recipe.

But I used

Two small apples

Two small navel oranges

1 container of strawberries, cup tup with the stems removed.

Dice your apple and move the seeds, etc. Peel your oranges and cut into small slices. Squeeze extra juice over apples. Add your strawberries and mix it all together. Chill.

Spinach and Bacon Ziti

Want a quick meal? Yeah, me too. We all do. Sometimes coming up with dinner, cooking that dinner and getting it on the table is exhausting. How many times have you stood at your refrigerator's open door at 5:30 p.m. just waiting for dinner to materialize? 

This recipe is easy and fast and you probably have most of the ingredients. 

What you'll need:

One package bacon rendered in the oven (cook for 10 minutes at 400)
Two cups cooked whole wheat Penne
2 - 4 diced tomatoes
1 bag baby spinach 
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups mozzarella cheese 
some grated parmesan cheese
A smidge olive oil
1 package baby bella mushrooms

Heat up your electric skillet to 350 and warm the olive oil. Add your tomatoes and mushrooms and garlic. Let them cook for a few minutes. Add your bacon and then your pasta and basil. Add your spinach and cheese, cover and let cook for 10 minutes. 

If you don't have an electric skillet use a skillet on the stove, then before you add your cheese transfer to a baking dish, add cheese and bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Stretching Ingredients Part II: Beefy(ish) Cheesy Cornbread

Yesterday we talked about stretching our ingredients out to make a package of ground beef last and last.

One of my husband's favorite meals is cheesy cornbread with some sort of meat in it. The problem is it's usually very unhealthy. So I cut way back on the meat, used far less oil and only used half the cheese. And guess what? He didn't know the difference. (Note, he probably did know the difference, he is just nicer than I am.)

Also, like yesterday you can make 2 and freeze them.

What you'll need:

1/3 pound ground beef

2 cups self rising corn meal mix

2 eggs

1 tbsp vinegar

3 tbs conolia oil

1 cup milk - maybe more

1 -16 oz can of tomatoes or 2 stewed tomatoes diced

1/2 onion

1/2 cup cheese

I used a cast iron Dutch oven. It's the best way to make cornbread, if you don't have one then you will need to grease a pan and preheat your oven to 350. I am assuming you don't have a Dutch oven, so I am going to give you instructions based on that assumption.

Heat a skillet over a medium heat and brown your beef. Then add your onion and tomatoes. Let it all cook for a few minutes, you want well cooked onions.

Next, in a bowl combine your cornmeal, milk, eggs, vinegar and oil. Mix well. You made need more milk to thin out the mix, it should be the consistency of pancake batter.

Add your beef mixture and stir well. Add in your cheese and miz.

Transfer all of the contents to your grease pan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

My husband likes to top this with salsa and sour cream. But, it's good on its own. If you feel guilty about all the carbs, serve with a salad. Or, don't feel guilty. ;)

For freezing, make sure the pan is tightly covered in aluminum foil. When ready to thaw let sit in fridge over night and bake for 45 minutes at 350.

Stretching ingredients: Mushroom baked ziti

I love pasta. And mushrooms. And cheese. Why not put them all together!?

What you'll need:

1/3 Pound Ground Beef 

1 cup chopped mushrooms

1 16 oz can of diced tomatoes, or 2 stewed and chopped tomatoes 

half jar tomato sauce 

4 cloves garlic

4 cups cooked penne pasta (I used a mix of regular and whole wheat)

1 cup shredded cheese  

1/2 onion

Olive oil or cooking spray

Preheat your oven to 350 and get a greased pan ready. 

In a skillet heat your garlic and your onions. 

Once your onions have cooked for a few minutes add your ground beef, brown.  Then add your mushrooms. 

Once all that has cooked down a bit add your sauce and tomatoes. You won't want to overcook your tomatoes since you will bake all of this in the oven. 

Dump your noodles in your greased pan and add your beef mixture. Stir it all together so that the sauce coats the noodles. Sprinkle with cheese. 

You will bake for about 10 -15 minutes. Just enough to make the cheese melt. 

If you are freezing skip the baking part and just sprinkle with cheese, cover and let cool. Then freeze. 

When you are ready to cook let it thaw for a few hours and bake for 30 minutes at 350. 

Shrimp with oven roasted tomatoes and sweet corn

We live on the Alabama Gulf Coast. That means miles of beaches. That means mild winters. That means we can drive in any direction and in a few short minutes we hit water. It really is a good life.

That means fresh seafood. Again, it really is a good life. And field after field of farmland where diligent farmers are busy growing plump juicy tomatoes and beautiful sweet corn. 

The shrimping industry along the Gulf Coast took a hit after the 2010 BP oil spill. The tar balls and oil slick brought shrimping boats to dock, meaning a loss of revenue and livelihood to our local shrimpers. The fear of possible contamination meant, even after the seafood had been declared safe, people didn't want to touch it. 

Even months later 4,200 square miles of the Gulf were closed to shrimping. It was sad. But now it's safe. I guarantee you it is safe. And it is a joyous thing. 

I want to consider myself a locavore. I don't have anything against the super market, but if my neighbor can grow it, make it, catch it and sell it why shouldn't I support them? That includes shrimp. 

We love shrimp at this house. I often get a hankering for some shrimp. And on one particular afternoon I felt the need to combine Baldwin County's finest. I had just picked up some tomatoes from the farmers market. So I decided to combine all our favorite foods in this house (minus chocolate, cubed steak and bacon) and make Shrimp with Oven Roasted Tomatoes and Sweet Corn served over Rice.

What you'll need:

1 lb shrimp

4 ears sweet corn

2 large, plump tomatoes

2 cups rice cooked

Garlic salt

Dried Cilantro

Kosher salt or seasoned salt

Cooking Spray.

Preheat your oven to 350.

Clean each ear of corn and spray with cooking spray. Sprinkle with kosher salt or seasoned salt. Wrap each ear in a piece of aluminum foil and place in oven for 30 minutes.

Next, slice your tomatoes in halves and spray with cooking spray, then sprinkle with garlic salt. You will also roast for 30 minutes. This makes them even sweeter. You will be so happy.

Next, peel and clean your shrimp if you didn't buy them peeled. Place the shrimp in a casserole dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle with cilantro. You will roast them in the oven for 20 minutes.

Once your corn has finished cooking you will cut it off the ear. Slice your fully roasted tomatoes and mix your cooked rice, corn and tomatoes together in a big bowl. Serve with the shrimp on top.

It's so good.

Top 10 fixes for cooking disasters

Wednesday I bought a new measuring cup.
Then I accidentally melted it in the microwave. Sigh.

My grandmother once told me a really funny story about a time when she was young and a new cook. She made so much rice that in order to conceal her embarrassment from my grandfather, she buried the rice in the back yard.

Cooking disasters are not uncommon. They are much like the disasters that happen in our own lives, often when we are ill prepared it leads to an outcome that is unpleasant.

I myself have been the victim of one too many cooking disaster. It usually leads to shouting and tears. I  am not a keep calm and carry on girl. I am a when in doubt run in cirlces scream and shout girl.

This, like many cooking disasters had an easy fix. If the recipe had called for buttermilk and all I had was regular skim, I could have just added a teaspoon of white vinegar. Had my grandmother known that she could freeze the rice, and then perk it up later with a quarter cup of chicken broth, the ceremonial burial would not have been necessary.

 Cooking disasters are the one of the few things in life that can be easily remedied.

 Lydia’s top ten cooking disasters fixed: 

1. Home made mac and cheese is runny – just ad flour to the mixture while it is still simmering, add two table spoons at a time.
2. If a beef stew or vegetable soup is too salty add some potatoes.
3. If you find yourself one egg short add one teaspoon cornstarch and one table spoon water.
4. Not many people keep corn syrup handy, so one part water and two parts granulated sugar will fill in nicely.
5. If you burn a pound cake make a pot of coffee, pour about a cup of coffee over the cake and then add a little powdered sugar.
6. If a layer cake slides, or one layer breaks cut it into squares, put it in a glass pan, melt the icing and then pour over the cake. It isn’t as pretty, but it will taste delicious. If you are really feeling creative, make a torte.
7. If you are making candy like Martha Washington’s or Buck Eye Balls and you are running low on chocolate, put the candy itself in muffin cups and pour over the top.
8. If your pasta is a little al dente (under cooked) turn it into a casserole, cover in sauce, sprinkle it with cheese and stick in the oven for 15 minutes. Cheese covers a multitude of sins.
   
9. If melting chocolate becomes hard, add a teaspoon of shortening or oil per ounce of chocolate.
10. When all else fails, smile. Most mistakes can be eaten, buried in the back yard, or laughed about years later.