Guacamole Dip

I have to say that I am very grateful that we have avocados to enjoy! They have a nutty, buttery flavor that is delicious in so many dishes. Some people shy away from making homemade Guacamole, but it is quite easy to prepare. Start with ripe avocados. Push your thumb against the skin and if the fruit "gives" a little, it's ripe. If it gives too much, it may be too ripe to use. Also, it's easy to alter this dip to your own liking. I use less onion in Guacamole than I used to back in the 70's when a friend gave me this recipe. Boy,does that make me sound old! Anyway this recipe originally called for 1 medium onion and that's too much for me now, unless Vadalia onions are in season. Vadalia onions are sweeter and very easy on the digestive tract. Today, I used just 4 tablespoons of diced red onion, so I have cut down. Just make it how you like it!

Guacamole Dip
2 ripe avocados, pitted and peeled
4 Tbs. finely diced red onion
1 or 2 diced jalapenos, Serrano's, or chili peppers ( I used 1 small chili)
1 or 2 ripe Roma tomatoes, seeded and finely diced ( I used 1)
1 Tbs. fresh lime juice ( or lemon juice)
1 finely minced garlic clove, if desired
1/2 tsp. sea salt
dash of black pepper
2 Tbs. or more of chopped cilantro

To cut an avocado, cut it length wise all the way around and pull it in half. It will have a large seed inside. If the seed doesn't release from the fruit easily, cut that half of avocado length wise again and pull apart. The seed will come out now. With a spoon scoop out the pulp into a bowl and mash well with a fork. Add the diced onion, peppers and tomato. Add the rest of ingredients and mix well. It's best if chilled for the flavors to develop. Put into a serving bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place the wrap right on the Guacamole to keep the air out. The air is what turns Guacamole brown. When ready, serve with your favorite tortilla chips. If you have much of a crowd, you may need to double the recipe! Enjoy!

Vegetable Saute; Dinner Alone

A few days ago I went to a nearby town to do some shopping and just to enjoy the warmer weather we've had the past week. I had a wonderful afternoon of browsing and topped it off with my favorite Starbucks drink on the way home! I knew I would be home alone for dinner and that doesn't bother me, but I wanted something good and didn't want to make a mess! So, rummaging through the fridge I came up with this veggie saute, a one pan meal with stuff just hanging out in the crisper! Here's what I used this time. 1 small zucchini squash, diced
1 baby Yukon Gold potato, that had already been cooked, sliced
some chopped onion
1/2 chopped bell pepper
5-6 baby cut carrots, quartered
1 egg, scrambled
In a small skillet in about 1 tbs. olive oil I sauteed the squash, onion, bell pepper and carrots for about 5 min., then added the sliced potato and cooked until veggies were tender crisp and potato was browned. I pushed the vegetables to the side of the pan and added a bit more oil and poured in the egg. Stir it around till done and then stir it in with the veggies. I added kosher salt, pepper and a pinch of thyme. Voila! Dinner for one is served! It really was good, would have been even better with asparagus, but I didn't have any. I had some crusty bread to top it off and my tummy was happy! Are there times when you eat alone? What do you eat? Salad, sandwich, or something that no one else in your family will eat? Your comments are very appreciated!

Almond Streusel Coffee Cake

While going through my Mother's recipes, I found this one for Almond Streusel Coffee Cake, written on a sheet of paper, probably from one of her friends. It sounded really good and I decided to make it as written instead of changing it around any. Sometimes I can get in trouble changing a cake recipe before I have even tried it! I'm glad that I didn't change it because this is a wonderful coffee cake with an orange flavor that isn't overpowering and the cake is light and not too sweet. The streusel is sweet and nutty, but it balances out with the citrus flavor of the cake. It's a keeper for me! Make the streusel first so that you'll have it ready. Next you'll mix the batter in a bowl. The batter will be thick, but easy to spread. Half of the batter is spread in a tube pan and topped by half the streusel; then repeated. It'll look like the picture below. In fact it'll probably look better than my picture! Let's get started; I want another piece of cake!

STREUSEL

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup sliced almonds, or nut of your choice

1/4 cup flour

3 Tbs. melted butter

1 tsp. grated orange zest

In a bowl mix together the brown sugar, nuts and flour. Stir in the butter and zest and set aside.

CAKE

1/2 cup softened butter

1/2 sugar

3 large eggs

1 tsp. orange zest

1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

2/3 cup orange juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a tube pan. In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Add eggs in 1 at a time, beating well. Beat in zest and vanilla. In another bowl mix together flour, baking powder and baking soda. With the mixer on low, beat flour mixture and orange juice alternately into egg mixture. Spoon half of cake batter into prepared tube pan; top with half of streusel mixture. Top this with rest of batter; add batter in dollops and gently smooth over the streusel. Then add the last layer of streusel. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cake on a wire rack. To remove cake from the pan, I took a thin knife and drug it between the pan and the cake in case it had stuck anywhere. Since I used a angel food cake pan, I also ran my knife between the bottom of the pan and the cake to loosen it. The next time I make this, I may try using a spring form pan, as I was a little worried that I might crack the cake getting it onto the serving plate. But I made it! Slide the cake onto the serving plate and drizzle lightly with the glaze. I actually forgot the glaze and didn't notice it until I posted these pictures! But with, or without the glaze, this is a delicious coffee cake.

GLAZE

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 1/2 tsp. orange juice- mix these two together and drizzle over cooled cake( try not to forget this part!)

Cake's ready to eat! Why don't you drop by for coffee and cake and help calm me down! So, tell me, have you ever forgotten an ingredient in a dish that you served to someone? Was it something that was really missed, or was it like my glaze, just a topping? I'd love to hear about your goofs!

Minestrone Soup

I make lots of soup during the cold months of the year. It's warming, comforting, easy on the budget, plus, I can send it in a thermos with my husband to work! Whats not to like! In fact, the only thing I have liked about winter the last few years is the SOUP! Sorry, I'm just looking forward to spring so much. It's warming up some this week, so I know spring is around the corner! But back to the Minestrone Soup. My daughter and I have been experimenting with making Minestrone this winter. She, because she's trying to replicate one at a favorite restaurant; me, because I end up using whats on hand. I went to the store to buy kale for the soup, but it was not fresh, so I ended up using some frozen spinach I had in the freezer that needed to be used. In fact, I was supposed to be posting about pork roast, but my pictures didn't turn out well, so, back to the Minestrone Soup! First, we'll chop our veggies;

1 large carrot, 1 large stalk of celery, 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic, and 1/4 pound of fresh green beans. In a soup pot, over medium high heat, add 2 Tbs olive oil and add veggies to pot.

Stir and let veggies brown a little , 15 minutes or so. Then you need to add 6 cups water or broth( I used both, 3 cups water and 3 cups broth).Add salt and pepper and canned tomatoes and simmer about 20 min . Add the chopped zucchini and rest of ingredients and simmer another 10 min. This recipe is adapted from an old Good Housekeeping cookbook.

Minestrone Soup

2 Tbs. olive oil

1large carrot, diced

1 large rib celery,thinly sliced

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 pound fresh green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces

6 cups water or broth

1 1/2 tsp. salt (I used sea salt)

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. dried oregano, or 1 Tbs.of fresh oregano, chopped

1/2 tsp.dried thyme, optional

1 zucchini, diced

1 can diced tomatoes, 15 oz.

about 5 oz. chopped frozen or fresh spinach ( or use kale)

1 can of cannellini beans (white kidney beans), or 1 can of red kidney beans

1/2 cup macaroni or other pasta of choice

1 cooked chicken breast, cubed (optional)

grated Parmesan cheese, for topping

In a soup pot over medium high heat, cook carrot, celery , onion, green beans and garlic in olive oil until soft and lightly browned, about 15 min. Add water or broth, salt and pepper,oregano and canned tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered,for about 20 min. Stir in spinach, macaroni, beans and chicken, if using, and cook for another 10 minutes until pasta is done.

Ladle into bowls and top with Parmesan cheese, if desired. This is such a flavorful soup, especially if you can use fresh oregano, but dried works well too. And it is great without chicken, but my husband the carnivore, likes meat in his soup! So, make a pot of soup to enjoy while we wait out the end of winter and look forward to all those spring recipes!

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

I have been cleaning out the fridge and freezer the last day or two and discovering items I forgot I had. Some were good, like blueberries, some, were not so good. After contemplating what to do with my treasure of berries, I decided to make Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes. I love them! They are so light and delicious with a burst of blueberry flavor. If you haven't made homemade pancakes before, you should try these, as they are so much better than using a mix. Plus they are very easy! When my kids were younger, my 2 boys were very picky and wanted plain pancakes, but my more adventurous daughter liked blueberry. So, I began adding blueberries to the batter after I had poured it on the griddle so I could make half blueberry and half plain pancakes! Just pour the batter on the grill, ( and yes, the batter should be lumpy), and then

immediately add however many blueberries you want to the cakes. Push the berries down into the batter a little. You can even cover the berries with some batter if you want.

When the edge of the cakes looks dry and there are bubbles on top, just flip them over and cook until done. You may hear a little sizzling from the berries, but that's just normal. You may keep them warm in a 175 degree oven while you finish cooking the rest.

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

2 cups flour

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

3 Tbs. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

2 large eggs, beaten

3 Tbs. oil or melted butter

2 1/2 cups of buttermilk

1- 1 1/2 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries

1 tsp. vanilla, optional ( I sometimes forget this and they're still good)

In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients. In a smaller bowl add all the wet ingredients and mix together. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and mix well with a whisk or wooden spoon, but batter should be lumpy! Don't over mix or pancakes will not be light and fluffy! Add in blueberries, if using, and mix gently with wooden spoon. Batter will be thick. I use a 1/3 measuring cup to scoop up the batter and pour onto a hot griddle, (about 350-375 degrees if using an electric one). You may have to take a spoon and flatten the batter down a bit, and then let cook until edges are lightly browned and dry looking and there may be a few bubbles appearing on top. Carefully flip the pancake over and cook until done. If the batter gets way too thick, I just add a little regular milk and stir carefully. You may keep pancakes in a warm oven until you're done with all of them, but if your family is like mine, they like them hot off the grill and are standing in line for the freshest ones! This made about 4 inch diameter pancakes. If you want larger cakes use a larger measure. No matter what size they are, these blueberry pancakes are melt in your mouth goodness! Do you make pancake and what do you call them? I've heard them called hot cakes, griddle cakes, flap jacks, pancakes; are there other names you've heard? Let me know!

Parmesan Chicken Breasts

I always have boneless, skinless chicken breasts on hand for quick and easy meals. When they go on sale at the store I buy them and stick them in the freezer and that helps to keep the grocery bill down. They are versatile, quick cooking and have been a life savor for me many times! Normally, I marinate the chicken for a short while, but I didn't this time, and they were still juicy and flavorful! The key to even cooking is to pound the breasts to make them the same thickness. To do this, take a piece of plastic wrap and lay it in your cutting board. Lay 1 breast on it and then cover the chicken with more plastic wrap. Using the blunt end of your meat tenderizer, pound the thickest part of the breast until you get the whole piece about the same thickness. You can also use your rolling pin to do this and it works really well. That's what I used. Repeat with the rest of the chicken. Now you are ready for the coating. This coating is enough for 4 boneless breasts.
PARMESAN CHICKEN BREASTS
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup of dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. sea salt (or any salt you want)
3/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 Tbs. melted butter or olive oil (I used butter this time)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease a baking sheet.
Mix breading ingredients in a pan or bowl. Melt butter in another bowl. If the chicken breasts are wet, dry them with paper towels, lay them between plastic wrap and pound to an even thickness. Taking 1 chicken breast, dip in melted butter, shaking off excess, and then roll in the breading mixture. Place on the baking sheet and repeat with the rest. I topped each breast with 3 or 4 small shavings of cold butter. Bake at 425 for about 15 min. or until juices run clear. Do not over bake! The chicken pieces I used were somewhat large, but after pounding they were 1/2-3/4 in. thick, so they don't need to bake for along time. Chicken should feel firm when done, and when in doubt, I usually make a small cut in one to see if the juice is pink or clear. I served the Parmesan Chicken Breasts with brown rice and steamed broccoli, but they will go with many side dishes dishes. Enjoy!

Fresh Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad

After our oldest son got married almost 6 years ago, he began asking for certain family recipes that he grew up with. I began to see a need to get all of my family recipes organized, as many of the the dishes I make are not written down on paper, but instead written in my memory, and that isn't a safe place! I have so many of my own tried and true , but also those of my Mother's and mother in law's, and piles of untried recipes that I think I'll get around to "one of these days". This blog is really helping me to organize my written recipes. And those that are still in my mind, well, I'm working on them. This Fresh Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad recipe came from my Grandmother. It has been almost 30 years since she made it for the first time. My family had gone to my grandparent's home for Thanksgiving and my Grandmother had made this salad. We all loved it so much, that for many years we had to have it every holiday! I don't make it as often as I used too, as too many new recipes come along. But I made it this week, so I'll share it with you!

FRESH BROCCOLI and CAULIFLOWER SALAD
1 large head of broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
1 head of cauliflower, cut into pieces
2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 onion, chopped ( I use 1/2 of a red onion)
2 celery ribs, sliced ( I didn't use celery)
Combine all the vegetables in a large bowl.
DRESSING
In a small bowl mix together;
8 oz. sour cream ( can use low-fat)
1 cup real mayo
1 envelope dry ranch dressing mix( use the Original mix)
Mix well and fold into the vegetables. Cover and refrigerate at least a couple of hours before serving. It's so good, with the tangy dressing over the fresh, crunchy veggies! However one of these days, I'm going to experiment with the dressing, trying fresh herbs in place of the powdered ranch. But that's for another day.