Garden Sitting

We have been garden sitting for the past week 

and it has had many tasty rewards - tomatoes, zucchini, squash, peppers, chard and even some blackberries.

We have been enjoying many wonderful meals, but the yellow squash has really challenged me.  I usually just grill or saute squash, but you can only have that so often before there is some rebellion.  Plus there were some really large squash which wouldn't be very tasty just grilled, so I decided to try some stuffed squash and I am happy to say it was very well received.

It is one of my favorite types of recipes - very easy and very versatile.  Simply choose a grain and a protein and you have a meal.   I opted for rice and beef, because that is what was in the fridge.  I kept it simple, but the recipe can be enhanced with some veggies.  The options are endless!

Since we still have lots of squash I am definitely going to continue experimenting with this dish.  I think next I am going to try a lighter filling.  Maybe a cold quinoa or couscous salad and add the filling to squash that has already been cooked.  I will keep you posted.

Stuffed Squash

1 lb ground beef

1 onion, finely chopped

1 cup diced tomatoes

1 cup rice

2 cups vegetable broth

1 tsp finely chopped oregano

1 tsp finely chopped basil

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup ricotta cheese

1/2 cup parmigiana cheese

4 large yellow squash, halved lengthwise seeds remove

Preheat oven to 375.

Over medium high, heat large saute pan.  Add ground beef, cook until brown.  Pour out excess fat, add onions.  Cook until onions are soft, then add tomatoes. Cook for 2-3 minutes then add rice and vegetable broth.  Cover and cook until rice is soft.  Stir in ricotta and seasonings.  Evenly divide filling between squash halves, sprinkle with parmigiana cheese and bake for 20-30 minutes or until squash is tender.  

Cherry Ice Cream

We are big fans of our cherry chomper.

He is cute and easy to use - the kids love him. He is often in demand by a couple of people at once, which of course results in fighting - my kids are professional petty squabblers.  When OXO offered to send me one of their cherry pitters I jumped at the chance. Not only because it looks super easy to use, but I  thought adding another pitter to the collection would eliminate at least once source of household fighting.


When the pitter arrived OXO was very generous and also sent along an ice cream scoop.  I saw the two items together knew immediately what to make - Cherry Chocolate ice cream.

I only had one helper around, so the two of us got to work pitting the cherries.  Maggie wanted to try the new pitter, it was a little big for her hands so kept switching between the two.

 I found it super easy to use and we went through the two pounds of cherries very quickly.

I used about two cups of cherries for the ice cream. Half a cup was chopped up and thrown into the freezer. the remaining cup and a half was added to some cream, cooked until soft,

then pureed into a beautiful pink cream.  The cream was chilled for a bit and then put into the ice cream machine.  

Just as it was finished mixing the remaining half cup of chopped and frozen cherries was added to the ice cream, along with chunks of chocolate. The result was a wonderfully creamy chunky ice cream perfect for a hot summer day.  

Cherry Chocolate Ice Cream


1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
2 cups sweet cherries, pitted
1/2 cup roughly chopped, bittersweet chocolate

In saucepan combine heavy cream, sugar and 1 1/2 cups cherries.  Over medium high heat bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until cherries are soft.  Let mixture cool slightly, pour into blender and puree.  Pour into bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, can be left overnight.

While mixture is cooling roughly chop remaining 1/2 cup of cherries, place in freezer along with chocolate chunks.  Once mixture has cooled place into ice machine, mix following manufactures instructions.  Just before ice cream is done mixing add frozen cherries and chocolate.  Mix until combined.  




In case you were wondering it doesn't appear as if adding another pitter will eliminate any fights, it just adds to the things to fight over. Now they fight over who uses which pitter.

Texas Caviar

I am not sure when I will learn that procastination is not a good thing.  Every month I get my SRC assignment choose 2 or 3 recipes that look really good and am determined to make them right away.  Yet every month it seems as if I am scrambling to make something a few days before the posting deadline.

This month I knew I had to make something early in the month because of travel plans.  I gave myself a deadline of June 28th, but did I have anything made by then - no.  I was still ok though, I had a few days before we left on vacation and I had all the ingredients to make one of Noelle's Green Monster Smoothies, in Popsicle form.  I knew we had some super hot days coming up and couldn't wait to have a Cherry Bom Bom waiting in the freezer.

Then the power went out for two days, making our refrigerator look like this.

One good thing about an outage is that your fridge gets a really good cleaning.

 I knew the produce wouldn't last while we were gone so I passed it on to neighbors and decided to get back to An Opera Singer in the Kitchen when I returned from vacation.  I knew there were a lot of great recipes I could choose from and would definitely be able to find something to make, even if I only had a day to do it.

Since our weather was still unbearably hot I decided to go for something light and easy - Texas Caviar Salad.

This was the perfect dish for a hot summer night.  We made a meal out of it by serving it with some tortilla chips and avocado slices, but it also makes a great side dish.  I made it early in the morning, allowing all the flavors to meld together. I didn't need to turn the stove on during the heat of the day and we came home to a delicious and belly filling meal after an afternoon at the pool.  

I modified Noelle's recipe slightly - using canned beans instead of dry and reducing proportions.  Be sure to go visit An Opera Singer in the Kitchen. she has a lot of great vegan recipes on her site, so be sure to go check them out.

Texas Caviar


1 can black eyed-peas, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup corn (canned, frozen or fresh)
2 cups tomatoes, diced
1 cup cilantro, finely diced
1/2 cup red onion, finely diced
1/2 cup Italian dressing

Combine all ingredients, mix well.  Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.
Enjoy!

Fruit Smoothie Popsicle

Like many, we have been on a huge Popsicle kick this summer.

They are super easy to make and a wonderful way to use all the fresh fruit that is available this time of year.  

We make two three batches a week and have yet to repeat a flavor combination.  Our favorite combination so far has been mango blueberry banana.

Our basic recipe is to just blend some fruit together with a little juice. Sometimes we add yogurt.  We have layered the flavors trying to make a pretty Popsicle, but the longer wait time has caused some frustration and grumpiness, so we usually just mix it all together.


Primarily we have been making them in our Popsicle mold.  It's nothing fancy, I have been debating getting one of the super fancy shaped ones - making bomb pops would be so much fun - but there is something very satisfying about a plain looking pop.  We also like using little paper cups.  Great for making larger batches and they have an old school feel.    

The best thing about homemade Popsicle is they make a fabulous breakfast treat.  My kids feel like they are being super sneaky and getting away with something when I say yes to a Popsicle for breakfast and I am happy they are starting the day filled up with lots of fruit.

Fruit Smoothie Popsicle


1 mango
1 cup blueberries
2 bananas
1/2 cup orange juice

Place all ingredients in blender.  Puree until smooth.  Pour into Popsicle molds, place in freeze until frozen.
Enjoy!

Happy Trifle

Yesterday Maggie was having one of those sad, lonely, frustrating type days.  She wanted, needed, something she could do by herself - all by herself.  After going through the pantry, fridge and the freezer we came up with the ingredients for trifle.

This is a wonderful dish for kids to make.  It is super easy to make and a great confidence booster.  They can choose the components and make a dish that is uniquely their own.  Providing some guidance in flavor selection is helpful, but if you provide a couple of options to choose between you can have a dish that is yummy, but they still having the feeling it was their creation.  


Maggie decided to make a chocolate cherry trifle.  She used some white chocolate cake, yellow cake, chocolate pudding and cherries - she chose the cherries because she likes using the cherry chomper.  


I usually have cake scraps in my freezer, but if you don't you can easily run to the store and pick-up a pound cake.  


I also make sure I always have instant pudding on hand.  My kids like pudding, but they like making it even more, again because they can do it all on their own.

It took Maggie about half an hour to cut the cake - cake is a great way for kids to practice those knife skills, make the pudding - using those reading skills and chomp the cherries - great for getting out built up frustration.

Squirting canned whipped cream and adding lots of sprinkles brings on extra smiles.  

In the end we had a yummy dessert and a happy 5 year old.  

Chicken Parm Burrittos

I saw this recipe on last month's Secret Recipe Club and as soon as I saw the title I had one of those duh moments.  Such a simple, obvious and brilliant idea, yet it never occurred to me.  

I thought we had stuffed tortillas with everything imaginable, yet for some reason I never imagined turning tortillas Italian.  Two of my favorite foods combined.  

Like many of my other favorite recipes that use tortillas, these are great at the end of the week when you have some leftovers to use up, or if you just need a super quick meal.  You can make everything from scratch or you can stop by the grocery store and pick-up a jar of sauce and a rotisserie chicken.

The recipe is from The Yummy Life, who got it from Connor's Cooking.





Chicken Parmesan Tortillas

4 cups cooked chicken, shredded
2 cups Marinara sauce
8 tortillas/wraps, warmed slightly
2 cups Mozzarella cheese
½ cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350.
In a large bowl combine the chicken, 1 cup of sauce, ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese and ½ cup of Mozzarella cheese, stir until combined.  Spoon ½ cup of mixture along one side of tortilla.  Roll tortilla lengthwise, folding in ends as you roll.  Place in a lightly oiled baking dish, seam side down.  Repeat with each tortilla.  Spoon remaining cup of sauce over tortillas, sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and light golden brown.

Serve with remaining parmesan cheese.

Black Bean Sweet Potato Quesadilla

My family loves quesadillas, I make them for dinner a few times a month and pack them for lunches at least once a week.  We usually keep the fillings pretty basic - chicken, beef, black beans, cheese - and serve them with sour cream, salsa and avocado.  They are always tasty and filling, we enjoy them, but having the same thing over and over can get a little tiresome, so this week I decided to mix things up.

Black bean and Sweet Potato Quesadillas.

These aren't a crazy flavor change, the base flavoring are basically the same as our typical quesadillas, but the sweet potato flavor is a nice change.  Plus we love cooking with sweet potatoes because it gives us a chance to sing the Sweet Potato song from this fun book - if you don't know it you have to go read it.  

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Quesadilla

printer ready

Sweet Potato filling
2 large sweet potato
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven 375°
Peel and cut sweet potatoes into thin rounds.  Place in bowl drizzle with olive oil and add seasoning.  Toss until thoroughly coated.  Arrange potatoes in a single layer on baking sheet.   Bake for 25-30 minutes or until potatoes are soft and slightly brown.  

Black Bean Filling
1 large can black beans
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. taco seasoning mix
½ cup salsa

Drain and rinse beans.  In a skillet add a drizzle of olive oil and warm pan over medium heat, add garlic cook for 3-5 minutes.  Add beans, seasoning mix and salsa cook until warm.

Quesadilla assembly
Tortillas
Sweet potato filling
Black bean filling
Salsa
Monterey cheese, shredded

Over a medium heat, in a skillet lightly coated with oil, warm both sides of one tortilla, just until light golden brown.  Remove from pan and add second tortilla, again lightly browning both sides.  When browning second side add a spoonful of each filling, salsa and a handful of cheese.  Top with the first tortilla, cover with a lid that will press the tortilla down.   Cook until cheese begins to melt.

Keep warm in 200° oven, while assembling additional quesadillas.  

Serve with salsa, avocado or sour cream