Entries Tagged 'Recipe' ↓

Thanks to Heidi:

• Canned Sweet Corn, drained (I used one can.)
• Canned Black Beans, rinsed and drained (I used one can.)
• Avocado, chopped (I used one.)
• Cilantro, chopped (I used one bunch.)
• Garlic Cloves, chopped (I used one head.)
• Jalapenos (as many as you want for as spicy as you want), seeds and veins removed and diced small (I used two.)
• Tabasco Sauce
• Lime Juice
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Salt and Pepper (I actually didn’t use either of these—it was seasoned perfectly with everything else!)

Mix to taste—personal preference!

Thanks to Rachel Ray:

White Bean and Barley Risotto

Ingredients

• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 2-1/2 cups beef broth
• 1/2 cup pearl barley
• One 15-ounce can small white beans
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 6 minutes.
2. Stir in the broth and barley and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer until the barley is tender, 30 to 40 minutes.
3. Stir in the white beans and simmer for 5 minutes. Season with pepper, stir in the parsley and serve.

And thanks to Karyn and Bryan for shiny, new-to-me pots and pans!

Over the weekend, I went to a Spam-themed party hosted by Bertine and Zach.

We ate Spam burgers, Spam pâté, Spam cake, Spam kebabs and I brought Hawaiian Spam Loaf.

Ingredients:

• 1 can SPAM (or a 10-ounce small uncut ham)
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 12 whole cloves
• 2 rings canned pineapple, drained
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice
• ¼ teaspoon dry mustard powder
• 1 tablespoon honey

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Cutting a little more than halfway through, cut the SPAM loaf into 8 sections. Make sure you don’t cut all the way through the loaf. You just want sections that you can spread apart with your fingers. Spread some of the mustard in every cut.
2. Cut the pineapple rings in half to form four half-circles. Stick three whole cloves in the rounded edge of each pineapple ring half. Tuck the pineapple ring halves into every other cut, rounded sides up.
3. In small bowl, combine brown sugar, allspice, dry mustard powder, and honey; spoon over loaf.
4. Bake for 20 minutes until sugar is melted and SPAM is heated through.
5. To serve, slice through the loaf at every other cut so the pineapple is in the middle of each serving. Make sure you don’t eat the
   cloves! Serves 4

I decided to serve 8 people instead of 4, so I doubled the recipe.

Thankfully no one tried to make a drink with Spam.

I wanted to try the hot & spicy Spam, but that can didn’t get opened for this party. Next time (maybe)!

The Spam Cake was like something one might serve for brunch—apples, brown sugar and Spam. I admit that I ate a second helping.

Last night I brought the fixin’s for the Pioneer Woman’s favorite burger ever over to Karyn and Bryan’s house. It was a little bit of work, but Bryan was a good helper!

My verdict? Delicious, but I might just be craving grilling season in Minnesota. I didn’t follow the Pioneer’s Woman’s measurements exactly, I had never caramelized onions before, and I used Smoked Tabasco instead of regular so I’m not sure the burger had the spicy kick it was supposed to have. Also, we made four ½ pound patties instead of two 1 pound patties—they were still huge!

Next time: more/better onions and more blue cheese! And more spice, too!

Tonight’s dinner was snagged from Eat Better America.

• 6 medium red potatoes (2 lbs), unpeeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 carton (32 oz) Progresso^® reduced-sodium chicken broth (4 cups)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 bag (12 oz) Green Giant^® Valley Fresh Steamers™ frozen broccoli cuts
• 1/3 cup Gold Medal^® all-purpose flour
• 1 cup fat-free (skim) milk
• 8 oz brick 2% milk reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded (2 cups)
• 1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
• 4 medium green onions, chopped (1/4 cup)

1. In 5-quart Dutch oven, place potatoes; add just enough water to cover. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until potatoes are very tender. Drain. Reserve 1 cup potatoes; return remaining potatoes to saucepan. In small bowl, mash reserved potatoes with fork; return to saucepan.
2. Stir in broth, salt and pepper. (Naturally, I also added a bunch of red pepper flakes… and some crushed garlic I had in the fridge.) Heat to boiling. Add broccoli. Return to boiling; cook uncovered 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium.
3. In small bowl with wire whisk, stir flour into milk until well mixed. Add milk mixture to potato mixture, stirring constantly. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens and boils. Stir in cheese until melted and smooth. Stir in sour cream and green onions; cook until thoroughly heated.
4. To serve, ladle soup into bowls.

My chowder seem remarkably cheddar-y in color, but tastes super delicious! There was chopping and boiling, but this whole recipe was easy and flowed very well (I have a tendency to be easily distracted). I will definitely be making this again! I think it might be awesome with peppers, snow peas, and other yummy greens.

Lynn shared this little secret with me, and it is genius:

1 constant comment teabag
1 ginger tea teabag (yogi tea is good)
1 packet of sugar in the raw (best stolen by the handful from coffeeshop)
VERY VANILLA silk soymilk

overbrew the teabags a little bit in a mug & add other stuff. it’s a reasonable facsimile and way cheap. you can get all the ingredients for about the cost of two starbucks chais.