Family Vacation

Since my husband and I moved to Idaho a few years back there have been many changes in our family. One of these changes is our niece and her family living on the other side of the world due to military service. One of the great blessings in my husbands life is the fact that one of our niece's daughters was born on my husbands birthday. Last year when we were all together for our summer mini-family reunion my husband invited this little niece out for an ice cream date to celebrate their mutual birthdays. They had such a good time together that he is hoping to repeat the celebration when we go home this time. These precious times together are the things that childhood memories and traditions are made of and, as we get older, we treasure them as much as the children do, if not more. We will be away building more family memories over the next 10 days. I'll be back to my "post" in about two weeks. Blessings...

Zucchini Ribbons

My sister-in-law recently posted her recipe idea for zucchini in our recipe group and I gave it a try this week. As anyone who has ever had a garden knows, zucchini   quickly gets to "bumper crop" proportions and any helpful ideas for its use can be greatly appreciated, so I thought I would share her idea with you. My hubby and I enjoyed the dish, and he is not a zucchini lover at all. He is, however, a very supportive man when it comes to new food ideas. I appreciate him greatly. Blessings...

Recipe:

1 green zucchini, 6-8 inches long

1 yellow zucchini, 6-8 inches long

Olive oil and butter for the saute' pan

salt, pepper and ground ginger to taste

1. Wash and cut the ends off the zucchini. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the zucchini down to the seeds. (I saved the interior of the squash for the soup pot today)

2. Heat the butter and oil in the saute' pan over medium heat; add the zucchini ribbons and season. Stir fry until the zucchini is desired tenderness. The skin is tougher than the interior so it needs a bit more time. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Yield: 2 servings

Note: I used Shallot salt rather than sea salt for a bit more flavor. Be careful of the amount of ginger as it can get very strong. It's better to add a bit more after the dish is done then to over power the mild squash.

Blueberry Sauced Waffles

Waffles are wonderful with butter and maple syrup, but they become really special when they are topped with a fruit topping like this blueberry topping and mounds of whipped cream. This is the kind of fare that is served on the brunch buffet at nice restaurants but, prepared at home, is a fraction of the expense and is not difficult to make at all. For this recipe either fresh or frozen berries can be used. This recipe comes from Sunset Ideas and Recipes for Breakfast and Brunch, a wonderful cookbook full of an excellent variety of recipes to help start your day off right. I can't imagine any kid not finding this breakfast very kid-friendly, at least it wouldn't be a problem in our family. The waffle recipe was posted on 4/23/2010. Blessings...

Recipe: 

1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
2 cups fresh or frozen, thawed blueberries
2 tbsps. fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup water

1. In a saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch; add the blueberries, lemon juice and water.
2. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until mixture is thickened. Serve warm or cold, but for warm waffles set the sauce aside at room temperature while the waffles are being prepared. This sauce would also be wonderful as a topping on ice cream or other desserts.

Yield: about 2 cups

Chicken and Black Bean Salad

The recipe for this tasty southwestern-flavored main dish salad is another one that comes via a reader contribution to a Taste of Home Magazine from many years ago. I am so thankful that I keep all of these old magazines with my notes from the times when I first tried the recipe. I have been rediscovering many recipes that I haven't made in years, and the rediscovery process has been fun.

I remember when we moved my mom and dad from one home to another many years ago and I came across boxes of old magazines that mom had saved, some going back to my teen years. I'm not there. I'll never forget mom telling my very irritated father that someday she just might want one of those recipes. You know, you just never do know. Some of the old recipes are the absolute best in all the world, especially for making memories around good old-fashioned comfort food. Blessings...

Recipe:

1/3 cup olive or vegetable oil
2 tbsps. fresh lime juice
2 tbsps. chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
1-1/2 tsps. sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (11 oz.) Mexicorn, drained
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
1/3 cup sliced green onions
1-1/2 cups cooked chicken strips (Southwestern-flavored chicken strips are wonderful in this dish, if you don't want to cook your own).
torn romaine lettuce

1. In a small bowl, mix lime juice, cilantro, sugar, garlic, chili powder, salt and pepper. Allow to sit while you prepare the remainder of the salad as this will allow for the sugar and salt to dissolve in the lime juice.
2. In a large salad bowl, combine the beans, corn, red pepper, green onions and chicken pieces.
3. Slowly drizzle the oil into the lime juice and spices while whisking to blend completely.
4. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix thoroughly.
5. Place torn romaine lettuce on dinner plates and top with salad. By doing it this way, if you have leftovers you won't have wilted lettuce in the salad. Cover the leftover salad and store in the refrigerator for another meal. Simple and delicious!

Yield: 6 cups salad

Update on Orzo Pasta Salad with Feta Cheese

As I mentioned in my post yesterday on the Orzo Pasta Salad, I cooked a chicken breast to add to the leftover salad for our dinner last evening. After the chicken cooled and I chopped it into bite-sized pieces, I added some of the salad dressing to the pieces, covered the container, and chilled the mixture for a few hours. I was concerned about the chicken not having enough flavor if it was added directly to the salad that was already two days old. At dinner time I stirred the chicken pieces into the salad and dinner was ready. The chicken did need the extra dressing which helped make the flavor of the salad fresh tasting. We thought it was very good.

My husband and I eat a lot of leftovers since it is only two of us and I do a lot of cooking. My hubby is a real trooper when it comes to our dinner hour as he is never quite sure what I will be asking him to eat on any given day. So, when something new works out, it is a blessing, indeed. Of course, it also helps when he is having one of his favorite chocolate cakes for dessert! Blessings...

Orzo Pasta Salad with Feta Cheese

The recipe for this very tasty salad comes via the post of a friend in our recipe group. It is one of the most unusual pasta salads that I have ever made in that it has fresh spinach added to the hot pasta so that the spinach wilts. The combination of Feta cheese and sun-dried tomatoes with the pasta and spinach almost make it a main dish salad. In fact, because my husband and I have eaten this salad twice in the last two days, I cooked a chicken breast this morning, chopped it up and tossed it with the last of the salad for dinner tonight. We'll see how that goes in a few hours. I'll report back tomorrow. Blessings...

Recipe:

1 lb. orzo pasta
1 cup Girard's Olde Venice Italian Dressing
1 6-oz. pkg. baby spinach
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and diced
4 oz. Feta cheese
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts (I used toasted pecan pieces, very good)
3 tbsps. fresh chopped chives

1. Cook orzo according to pkg. directions.
2. Drain pasta and combine with the spinach leaves to wilt the spinach.
3. In a large salad bowl, combine all of the ingredients and toss. Serve.

Yield: 8-10 servings
Note: The flavor was still good the next day although the pecans had softened some. We didn't mind the texture at all. As with most salad recipes, I cut the recipe in half for two of us.

Flock of Geese Chicken Salad

This recipe is another from Taste of Home Magazine that goes back a number of years and that I have only gotten around to trying this week. Better-late-than-never applies here as this is a delicious salad. The lady that contributed the recipe to the magazine stated that the salad was named after a time-honored quilt pattern, one which I have never heard of. I wish my grandmother was still alive so I could ask her about the name; she was an avid quilter and may have known the origin of the name. Anyway, this salad is full of cashews, grapes and chicken in a very simple dressing so as not to detract from the flavors of the salad ingredients. We loved it; maybe you and your family will, as well. Blessings...

Recipe:

2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cooked and cubed
2 cups seedless red grapes, halved
2 cups salted cashew halves
2 celery ribs, sliced
3/4 cup mayonnaise (I used light successfully)
1/2 cup sour cream (again, I used light)
1 tbsp. tarragon or white wine vinegar (I used white wine vinegar. The vinegar gives just a hint of flavor)

1. In a large bowl, combine the first four ingredients; set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream and vinegar; stir until dressing ingredients are well-combined and smooth. Pour over chicken mixture; toss to coat.
3. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to blend flavors.

Yield: 8 or more servings, depending on appetites
Note: I cut the recipe in half for the two of us. The half recipe made about 4-1/2 cups which will serve us for two meals as I serve other salads alongside. If you do the same, take out what you will need for one meal and add half of the cashews saving the remainder of the cashews to add the next evening. Cashews are a soft nut that will lose all of their crunch if left overnight in the dressing.