This is my season!

Rob has hunting season & various sports seasons; I have gardening & cooking seasons. I love this season! Here's a little bit of what's being eaten around here from the garden goodies:

These are the much anticipated Indiana tomatoes. Thank you, Jones family!

We've had the best BLT sandwiches ever, and salsa is in the plans for many of these, but here's my other favorite way to eat fresh tomatoes:


with mozzarella, fresh basil, & a drizzle of olive oil

Cooper & I picked this container of blackberries in about 10 minutes time or less! The bushes are absolutely LOADED with berries.

This batch of berries turned into Blackberry Lemon Crisp.

I roughly followed this recipe from a neat cooking blog (Pinch my Salt), and she adapted her recipe from "Taste of Home." It is basically sugar, lemon zest, and a little flour mixed in with the berries, topped with a traditional crisp of oatmeal, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, & butter.
Delicious with vanilla ice cream, of course!

It did NOT last long around here. Notice my special blackberry pie plate - painted by Rob's mom specifically for us and our blackberries.

Some yellow squash & zucchini found a great home in this sausage casserole.

Brown the sausage first (I had some random sausage in the freezer so some of this was spicy). Chop an onion, and a few small squash & or zucchini. Cook all together, covering to help steam the vegetables until they are tender.

Add a can of cream of mushroom soup (depending on how much squash/sausage I have, I don't always use the whole can -- I don't want the creamy soup to overpower the squash). Optional ingredients: sour cream (about 1/3 cup), or shredded cheese (depends on my mood & what I have on hand). Pour into a baking dish & cover with crushed crackers & pepper. For a heartier, alternate topping, I've used prepared Stove Top stuffing. This is very good a variety of ways!

Easy dip recipe

Sun-dried Tomato & Chive Dip

Mix together:

• 1 bar of Cream Cheese (softened)
• a handful of fresh chopped chives
• approx. 1/4 cup of chopped Sun Dried Tomatoes (I like the kind in a jar with olive oil & herbs)
• 1 clove of garlic, very finely chopped or put through a garlic press
  
  Use more or less of any ingredients to suite your taste. Make it at least a few hours before serving (it gets more flavorful the longer the ingredients hang out together). This is great on crackers, vegetables, crusty bread, or bagels! Bon Appetit!

Flank steak & the best carrots ever

(click picture to enlarge)

I'm on a cooking kick (This is what I do while I hibernate during the winter).

So, here's a recipe for a marinated flank steak with red wine, balsamic vinegar, mushrooms & bacon, and a side dish of maple glazed carrots with walnuts that knocks our socks off!

Ingredient list:
Flank Steak
Balsamic Vinegar
Red Wine
Olive oil
2 cloves garlic
Pepper/Salt
Sliced Mushrooms
3 - 4 slices of thick bacon, chopped
1 Tablespoon butter

Baby carrots
Walnuts
Catalina salad dressing
Real maple syrup or brown sugar (either works)

Step 1.
In a plastic bag, marinade the flank steak with equal parts balsamic vinegar & red wine, 2 cloves crushed garlic, a splash of olive oil and ground pepper. It doesn't take a lot, use just enough to surround the meat in the bag. Let marinade for 3- 4 hours, all day, or overnight if you want!

Step 2. Before you start to grill the steak, prepare all the other pieces of the meal. Start the carrots cooking in a small amount of water, slice some mushrooms, cut up 4 pieces of bacon. (I served mashed potatoes with this meal too)

The meat & glaze is fast cooking so I get everything ready to go.

Step 3. All of this is going on at once:

Steak:
Remove from marinade. Salt/pepper. Grill for about 5 - 6 minutes on each side. I usually use my indoor grill pan, but outside grilling is great too. After 5 - 6 minutes per side (if you like rare or medium rare), put the steak on a plate & cover with foil.

Glaze for Steak:
While the steak is grilling -- In a skillet, saute the chopped bacon, add the mushrooms. When finished, let them drain on a paper towel (There shouldn't be a lot of grease from the bacon, but if there was, I would remove most of the grease from the skillet). In the skillet, add about 1/3 cup of the red wine, 3 - 4 Tablespoons of the balsamic vinegar and 1 Tablespoon butter (honestly, I never measure, but just pour in the liquids until it looks like enough - you don't need a lot of this glaze - it is rich!). Bring to a bubble, scraping up any browned bits from the skillet; it will reduce quickly. You can add a little more wine, or pour the juice from the steak plate in the skillet as well. Pour into a gravy boat or small dish that you can pour it out of.

Carrots: When the carrots are almost done, add a squeeze of the Catalina dressing(a light Tablespoon) & about a Tablespoon of maple syrup (I've made this with maple syrup or brown sugar - either turns out well- a little sweet, a little tangy). Bring to a boil & add a handful of walnuts just before serving and stir until the walnuts are glazed and warm.

Step 4. Get it all to the table:
Slice the steak in thin strips across the grain of the meat. Top with bacon & mushrooms. I fix plates before drizzling with the red wine glaze (because the boys don't like as much of it as I do). Salt & pepper as desired.

I'm not sure that my rambling explanation & recipe conveys how easy & quick it is for a really delicious meal !! If it appeals to you, I hope you'll try it!

Something like Chicken Piccata

Chicken Piccata - the capers, + a creamier sauce & mushrooms

I love a nice lemony chicken piccata with capers, but none of the boys in my house like capers, and I knew they would enjoy a little bit thicker sauce more than a traditional chicken piccata.

With a few variations on the traditional recipe, here is what we had for dinner:
Step 1. Butterfly 2 chicken breasts (slice down the middle,but don't cut all the way through, and flip open - they'll cook quickly this way, and be less pieces to deal with).
2. Dredge the chicken in flour (I seasoned the flour very lightly with oregano powder & ground pepper).
3. Melt 2 Tblsp butter with 2 Tblsp olive oil in a large skillet.
4. When the butter/oil is sizzling, add the chicken. Salt & Pepper chicken. Cook for approx 4 minutes until browned before flipping.
5. A minute or two after flipping the chicken, add sliced mushrooms (as many as you like, or skip if you don't like mushrooms, but remember, "don't crowd the mushrooms" - name that movie!)
6. When chicken is browned, remove to a plate.
7. To the skillet add approx. 1/4 cup white wine, 1/2 cup chicken broth, juice of one lemon. Bring to a boil, scraping up all the yummy bits from the pan.
Now, here's where I really went away from the traditional recipe:
8. For a nice creamy sauce, add about 1/2 can of cream of chicken soup (I removed any pieces of chicken). Whisk together with lemon/wine/broth sauce.
9. When bubbling, add chicken back into skillet.
10. Add 1 - 2 Tblsp of Parsley (dried was fine), let it bubble all together for about a minute.

Serve over rice. It was a hit with the boys & pretty quick to make from start to finish!

Chicken Sausage White Bean Soup

I made a white bean soup this weekend that turned out pretty yummy. It got all thumbs up from the 3 boys in the house plus me, so I thought I'd share it with you.

Here's the cast of characters (+ chicken broth & parmesan cheese not pictured):

• Chicken Sausage (Spicy Jalapeno - I stumbled on this brand after Grandpa sent me a coupon - a good find for sure). I sliced 3 of them & browned them in the pot first.
• 1 medium sized chopped onion
• approx. 1 1/2 cups of chopped zucchini (seeded if using a larger one) (I would've used a carrot instead...... if I hadn't run out of carrots, and it probably would've made it prettier, but I love zucchini in soups & I have a few hanging around.... so zucchini it is)
• 1 small, finely chopped clove of garlic
• 1 can chicken broth
• 2 cans of white beans drained (I used butter beans & cannellini)
• Black pepper
• Parmesan cheese or sour cream, as desired

After browning the sausage, move the sausage to the side and add the onion & zucchini. I put the lid on to let it steam & soften a little before adding the garlic. Add the garlic and saute all for another minute or two. Drain the beans. Mix all together in the pot. Add the chicken broth, and fresh ground black pepper. Simmer on low heat .......for as long as you like (I did for about an hour). I thought it was good with parmesan cheese on top, but Cooper liked it with a little sour cream (to cut some of the spicy).

I can't say it is the most photogenic soup, but the spicy jalapeno sausage gives it a really nice flavor. It was easy and it really hit the spot!
Bon appetit !!

Salmon Success

A few simple and delicious smoked salmon creations that were so satisfying that I can't resist sharing...

This is my favorite, mostly because of the capers. The version the boys ate skipped the capers.

Start with this crusty Italian toast.

Mix 1/2 package of cream cheese with about 2 teaspoons of dill until it looks about like this:Spread cream cheese on toasts. Then top with salmon & capers. I used a smoked, cajun salmon for these. This is the salmon I've been buying:

Very similar and even more successful with the boys, was this smoked salmon "pizza"....

Start by rolling out and baking one roll of crescent dough (I like to bake it on parchment paper so I can easily move it onto a cutting board). Using the same cream cheese/dill mixture as above (1/2 package of cream cheese was just enough for one package of crescent dough), spread cream cheese over slightly warm, baked crescent dough. Top with smoked salmon and cooked, semi-cooled peas.

By the time I thought of taking a picture, there was only one lonely piece left. It didn't last much longer after this.

Grocery items (for both):
1 package Italian toast (Panetini brand)

1 package of cream cheese (1/2 package each recipe)

4 teaspoons dill weed (2 each recipe)

Two 4 oz packages of smoked salmon
1 jar capers

1 package of crescent dough

1/4 to 1/2 bag of frozen peas

Interviewing the Chef

We tried out a new recipe tonight from the Kraft Food & Fun magazine. The recipe is a baked egg dish with a crescent roll crust. It was easy & yummy! With only a little assistance, Cooper made most of it! He pressed out the crescent dough, cracked and mixed the eggs and milk, spread the ham, poured the eggs over the top, and sprinkled the cheese. As you'll see in this little video, he liked being our chef for the evening. Don't miss Brady undressing in the background.

If you're looking for a quick and easy dinner or breakfast, here is the recipe:
1 can crescent rolls (seams pinched together spread in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan)
6 eggs mixed with a ½ cup milk and ½ teaspoon pepper
Ham slices cut up or cubes (the recipe calls for 8 ounces, but we just put what looked good, I did have cubed ham from the deli)
Spread the ham evenly over the crescent dough & then pour the eggs/milk over the ham
Then sprinkle shredded cheese (we mixed cheddar and mozzarella) over the top and bake for 25 minutes.
I ended up broiling the top just a few minutes at the end to brown the top a little more.
I also snuck a few peppers & onions on one end for me. It was really pretty good, and reminds me a little of the delicious egg casserole that Grandma G always makes on holidays using toast or english muffins instead of crescent dough.