4th of July Recipes

We had Tim's family in town for the 4th of July weekend and since the weather was nice and I am supposed to be "resting", I decided to make some easy sides and let Tim do the grilling. Saturday night we had Grilled Boneless, Skinless, Chicken thighs. Nothing to these, just marinated in BBQ sauce over night and grilled them. Sunday night we had burgers with a variety of yummy toppings and they were delicious! My mother-in-law Carol brought her yummy blueberry and peach cobbler and my sister-in-law Lauren brought the most delicious cookies ever from her home-town bakery - The Jasper Bakery.

These two side dishes turned out great. I made the Down Home Beans to go with the Chicken thighs and the Orzo Salad to go with the burgers! Both were a big hit! I changed up the Orzo salad quite a bit - it originally called for flat-leaf parsley as the fresh herb, but I wanted something with more of a kick, so I decided to substitute cilantro and I am glad I did. The only thing I changed with the beans, was to reduce the amount of brown sugar. The original recipe called for 2 cups of brown sugar, but all of the reviews said that 1 cup was plenty!


Orzo, Corn, and Roasted Bell Pepper Salad

Ingredients

2 red bell peppers
1 box uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
4 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil, divided
3 ears shucked corn
1 medium red onion, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
Cooking spray
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons of cilantro paste
6 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced

Preparation

Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain. Place orzo in a large bowl; drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil. Cool slightly.
Place corn, red onion and peppers on grill rack or in grill basket coated with cooking spray; grill 5 - 10 minutes or until lightly browned, turning occasionally. Cut kernels from ears of corn; chop red onion and peppers. In a small bowl mix the 3 tablespoons oil, cilantro, cilantro paste and remaining ingredients. When mixed through, combine dressing, grilled vegetables and orzo. Chill before serving.

Adapted from the recipe of Joanne Weir, Cooking Light JULY 2005



Down Home Baked Beans

Ingredients

1 pound bacon
2 (28 ounce) cans baked beans (I bought Bush's Homestyle Beans - 2 of the big cans)
8 ounces of chili sauce (I bought Heinz 12 oz bottle)
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 cups packed brown sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
In a large bowl combine beans, chili sauce, onion, brown sugar and bacon. Pour into a 9x13 inch casserole dish.
Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Adapted from MEANJEANNE, allrecipes.com

Pizza Pasta Salad

I made this for a party at Angelo and Ariel's house a few weeks ago. I think it was a big hit with the kids because of the pepperoni's and cheese. I found the best time-saver for this - Hormel makes mini pepperoni slices. They were perfect to use instead of chopping up a bigger piece of pepperoni. I also put the sun-dried tomatoes, basil, oregano and artichokes into the food processor for a few seconds to "chop" vs. rough chopping them by hand. Next time I think I will add black olives - just because I like them!

Ingredients

Salt and pepper
1 pound short pasta such as bow ties, shells or penne
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
3/4 cup sliced marinated artichoke hearts
8 ounces bocconcini (small fresh mozzarella nuggets), halved (about 18 pieces)
4 ounces pepperoni or salami, diced
1/2 cup shredded fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

Preparation

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain well and spread on an oiled baking sheet to cool. (Don't worry if pasta sticks together. It will come apart when mixed with oil.)
2. Transfer cooled pasta to a large bowl and stir in oil. Add vinegar, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, bocconcini, pepperoni, basil and oregano. Toss well and season with salt and pepper.

From - All You MAY 2010

Panzanella

My friends and I recently went out to The Wine Guy wine bar for dinner. Christie had Panzanella salad and it looked so good! Full of my favorite things, so I knew I had to try it at home. The below recipe is adapted from a Barefoot Contessa recipe I found. It turned out great and was a big hit served with burgers at a recent cookout. The bread is the best part!

Ingredients
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 small French bread cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large, ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 hothouse cucumber unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/2-inch thick
1/2 red onion, cut in 1/2 and thinly sliced
16 ozs of Fresh Mozzarella balls, quartered
20 large basil leaves, coarsely chopped

For the vinaigrette:
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons White Balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Heat the oil in a large saute pan. Add the bread and salt; cook over low to medium heat, tossing frequently, for 10 minutes, or until nicely browned. Add more oil as needed.
For the vinaigrette, whisk all the ingredients together.
In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, basil, and mozzarella. Add the bread cubes and toss with the vinaigrette. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Serve, or allow the salad to sit for about half an hour for the flavors to blend.

Dinner Tonight: Must LOVE Bourbon

Today, I didn't want to spend hours in the kitchen, but wanted something yummy, so I decided to do Pulled Pork in the Slow Cooker, with a Bourbon BBQ sauce, topped with Blue Cheese Cole Slaw with a side of Brussel Sprouts.

The pork was easy - 4lb pork tenderloin, spice rub, broth to cover the bottom of the pot, 10 hours (6 hours on high, 4 hours on low) in the crock pot. Take out the pork, shred it with a fork. Drain the remaining juices from crock pot. Put the meat back in the crock pot and pour the below BBQ sauce in, stir to cover the meat. Let it simmer on high another 30 min to an hour. Delicious. I made an extra batch of the sauce to pour over our open faced sandwiches.

I just knew I would love this sauce because it had bourbon in it... I must warn those people that just kinda like Bourbon - this sauce will be too strong for you! Even after cooking it down, you can taste the Bourbon. Love it!!! NOTE: Just use the part of the recipe to make the sauce, the ribs look good too though..

Bourbon BBQ Babyback Ribs

To serve the pulled pork, I split a slider bun, topped with meat, then this Blue Cheese Cole Slaw, and more Bourbon BBQ sauce.

For the side tonight, I made these Brussell sprouts. My friend Mindy was telling me that the recipe was out on the web and I had to try them. They are from a very high-scale recipe here in Cincinnati (BOCA) and are awesome. Well worth the wait (they take about 3 hours to cook). If you are looking for something healthy, it won't be these... There are only three ingredients, the sprouts, butter and salt.

Chicken Salad Contessa

I am obsessed with chicken salad, always have been and I am also recently obsessed with Tarragon - I think because when you sprinkle on any kind of food, it reminds me of steak Oscar. Anyway, this is a recipe from Ina Garten, of Barefoot Contessa. She used to make this and sell it at her store. I will say I altered it a little bit by doing the following: I cooked 4 good size chicken tenders in a crockpot on low for like 8 hours (just a little broth in the bottom, salt, pepper, some dried tarragon). I also didn't have any pecans or walnuts, so I used sliced almonds and they were a fine substitute. I used reduced fat mayo and reduced fat sour cream and I used dried, not fresh tarragon. Also, her recipe calls for two tsps of Kosher salt and apparently if you don't use Kosher salt and use regular or sea salt - it is too salty, according to the reviews. I put a little over 1 tsp and I will still cut back on the salt next time, but if you pay attention to this one detail - this is excellent. I will probably make it again this weekend :)

Ingredients

2 split (1 whole) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on (1 1/2 pounds)
Good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup pecan halves
1/2 cup walnuts halves
1/2 cup good mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon leaves, divided
1 cup green grapes, cut in 1/2
Lettuce leaves, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the chicken breasts, skin side up, on a baking sheet and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Set aside until cool. When the chicken is cool, remove meat from the bones and discard the skin and bones. Cut the chicken into a 3/4-inch dice. Meanwhile, place the pecans and walnuts on a separate sheet pan and toast in the oven for 7 to 8 minutes until golden. Set aside to cool. For the dressing, mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Fold in half the chopped tarragon leaves. Place the diced chicken in a bowl, add the pecans, walnuts and grapes. Pour the dressing over the chicken and toss well. Sprinkle the remaining chopped tarragon leaves on top, and serve on a bed of lettuce leaves.

2007, Ina Garten, All Rights Reserved

Thanksgiving Recipes

I haven't posted in awhile - we have all been busy! These are some recipes from our Thanksgiving meal at Krista's house - all were really good!

Sausage, Apple, and Fennel Corn Bread Dressing

Yield: 10 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup)

Ingredients

Corn bread:

1 cup all-purpose flour (about 4 1/2 ounces)
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup fat-free milk
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Cooking spray

Stuffing:
2 teaspoons olive oil
6 ounces lean, low-sodium smoked turkey sausage, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
2 cups finely chopped onion
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups diced Granny Smith apple (about 1 large)
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced fennel bulb
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°.

To prepare corn bread, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Combine milk, canola oil, and 1 egg in a small bowl. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Spoon batter into an 8-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 16 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove from pan; cool completely.
Reduce oven temperature to 375°.

To prepare stuffing, heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Add onion and bay leaf; cook 8 minutes or until onion starts to brown, stirring occasionally. Add apple, celery, and fennel; cook 5 minutes. Add garlic and next 5 ingredients (through black pepper); cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; discard bay leaf. Cool to room temperature.
Crumble corn bread into a large bowl. Add sausage mixture to bowl; toss to combine. Add broth and 2 eggs; toss to combine. Spoon into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 50 minutes or until top is crisp and golden brown.

Laura Martin, Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2006

Mixed Apple Salad over Greens

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup apple mixture and 1 cup greens)

Ingredients

Dressing:

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon olive oil
Dash of salt
Dash of freshly ground black pepper

Salad:
2 cups chopped Granny Smith apple
2 cups chopped Cameo or Braeburn apple
1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled blue cheese
2 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
4 cups mixed salad greens

Preparation

To prepare dressing, combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk.
To prepare salad, combine apples, cheese, and bacon. Drizzle dressing over apple mixture; toss gently to coat. Serve over greens.

Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2002

Two-Cheese Squash Casserole

Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

4 pounds yellow squash, sliced
4 tablespoons butter or margarine, divided
1 large sweet onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 cups soft breadcrumbs, divided
1 1/4 cups shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh chives
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
1 (8-ounce) container sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

Preparation

Cook squash in boiling water to cover in a large skillet 8 to 10 minutes or just until tender. Drain well; gently press between paper towels.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in skillet over medium-high heat; add onion and garlic, and sauté 5 to 6 minutes or until tender. Remove skillet from heat; stir in squash, 1 cup breadcrumbs, 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, and next 7 ingredients. Spoon into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.
Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Stir together melted butter, remaining 1 1/2 cups soft breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and garlic salt. Sprinkle mixture evenly over top of casserole.
Bake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes or until set.

Southern Living, MAY 2004

Apple Slaw

YIELD: 8 servings

Vinaigrette:

1/3 c packed brown sugar
1/3 c cider vinegar
1 1/2 Tbs veg oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp bl pepper

Slaw:

2 1/2 c chopped Pink lady or other sweet apple
1 (12 oz) pkg broccoli slaw
1 (3 oz) pkg dried tart cherries
2 Tbs sunflower seed kernels

1. To prepare vinaigrette, combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk
2. To prepare slaw, combing apple, broc slaw, and dried cherries. Drizzle with vinaigrette; toss well to combine. Sprinkle with sunflower sees (I really dont measure theses just sprinkle them on); chill for up to 3 hours

Bacon and Tomato Salad

Holly said she makes this a lot as a side with burgers (she doesn't do the sauce and bread unless I am serving as an appetizer). They use the leftovers by sauteing them and putting them on top of pasta). Holly has brough this over as an appetizer before and it is amazing! It is a great twist on the traditional bruschetta in my opinion!

Ingredients

3 pounds tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
12 basil leaves, torn
1 small red onion, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3/4 pound sliced bacon
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
3/4 teaspoon Cajun spice mix
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 small garlic clove, minced
Dash of hot sauce and crusty bread, for serving

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 450°. In a bowl, toss the tomatoes, basil, onion, olive oil and vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Let stand for 15 minutes.


• Set a wire rack on a baking sheet and arrange the bacon slices in a single layer on the rack. Bake the bacon in the upper third of the oven for 15 minutes, turning once, until golden and crisp-chewy. Let cool, then break into small pieces.


• In a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise with the mustard, curry powder, Cajun spice mix, lemon juice, garlic and hot sauce.


• Sprinkle the bacon over the tomato salad and serve the mayonnaise and bread on the side.

Recipe by Laurent Tourondel, featured in Food & Wine magazine, June 2005