Spinach

I think I planted this spinach in late October or early November.  You can see the spinach just poking through the ground.  The larger plant is basil and it didn't make it but you can see how good the spinach has been.  When the temperature is around freezing it stunts the growth a bit for a couple of days but takes off once again when it warms up. We have had such a warm winter I can't harvest it enough.  I'm going to plant my lettuce and arugula in the next couple of days. 

Spinach is a great addition to all salads, soups, wonderful sauted with garlic and great for juicing.

Orange Walnut Salad

Sorry for the side view.  I got this recipe from my sister years ago.  This time of the year when navel oranges are so sweet and good, it's a wonderful time to make it.  It is easy and it is a delicious salad.

1 Bibb lettuce or lettuce of your choice (tear into bite size pieces)
1 pound fresh spinach (tear into bite size pieces)
2 oranges, peel and section and cut into chunks
1/2 large sweet onion, slice and separate into rings
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons butter

Put first four ingredients into a large bowl.  Saute walnuts into butter until lightly browned.  Add to lettuce mixture and toss with dressing.

Dressing:
1 cup olive oil
1.2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion

Mix sugar, vinegar, dry mustard, salt, celery seed, paprika together and whisk until combined.  Then slowly add olive oil until thick.  Stir in finely chopped onions.

Veggie Skillet Biscuits

I will give the original recipe but I will change these up a bit next time I make them.  I made these biscuits with a home made vegetable soup and they were great.  These are a great accompaniment to any soup!

1/2 small zucchini
1 small stalk broccoli, stem trimmed and peeled, florets broken apart
1 small carrot
2 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
flaked sea salt

I love broccoli cooked and raw but my husband doesn't.  I will make these again and I will omit the broccoli and use yellow squash and red bell pepper. 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Use a box grater to shred zucchini, broccoli stem and carrot onto a cutting board.  Using a chef's knife, give the shredded vegetables and broccoli florets a quick chop.  You should have about 2 cups total.  Toss vegetables in 1/4 cup of flour set aside.

In a large bowl stir together the remaining flour, the baking powder and baking soda, 1 tsp.  salt and 1/2 tsp. black pepper. With a pastry blender, cut in the butter until pieces resemble crumbs.  Fold in the vegetable mixture and the cheese.  Gently stir in the yogurt until the mixture is moistened.  In the bowl gently knead until it comes together as a dough.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface.  Pat the dough to a 1 1/4 in. thickness.  Using a 2 1/2 inch diameter cookie cutter, cut dough into rounds.  Repeat with scraps. Arrange biscuits in a 12-inch cast iron skillet.  Bake 15-18 minutes or until golden.  Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sea salt.

Wonderful Chicken Pasta Dish

My husband was a great sport a couple of nights ago.  This was dinner and he's not a great Italian fan.  He will eat Italian food but it's definitely not his favorite.  He tried this and said he liked it but I want to say it is wonderful and it also has made great leftovers.

1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon paprika
5 Roma tomatoes cut into medium cubes
2 cups fresh spinach
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
6  strips bacon, fried, drained and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 cups half and half
1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese
10 oz penne pasta
1/2 cup parmesan cheese for garnish

Season chicken on both sides and fry in the olive oil and butter.  After chicken is cooked drain on paper towel and fry bacon.  Drain the bacon also.  Then cut chicken into thin strips and the bacon into 1/2 inch pieces and set aside.  The pan that the chicken was cooked in, remove all the olive oil except for 2 tablespoons and add one tablespoon of bacon drippings to this.  Now add the tomatoes, garlic, red pepper flakes, spinach. Stir this several times and let it saute for several minutes then add the chicken and Parmesan cheese and the half and half and continue to stir until everything is incorporated well.  Simmer on low until the sauce starts to thicken.  At this time, taste and add salt according to your taste and sprinkle the bacon and stir several times.  Add cooked pasta and stir until all the pasta is covered with sauce. When you serve garnish with Parmesan cheese.

The Business of Disease

http://thebusinessofdisease.com/

I hope you will take the time to watch this.  It is information that everyone needs to know about.

Wisconsin Cauliflower Cheddar Soup

My daughter mentioned to me that she had made a good cauliflower soup several months ago.  I was having a dear friend down for dinner and was trying to think of something good for our meal and I remembered her soup.  I got the recipe from her and I cannot tell you how wonderful this soup taste. 

It is one of the best soups I've  tasted in a while.  It is easy to make and doesn't take long.  I thought it tasted good before I ever added the cheese.  This soup is a winner.

2 tablespoons butter

1 white onion, diced

2 minced garlic cloves

1/4 cup flour

2 cups milk

3 cups of chicken broth or vegetable broth

2 teaspoons salt

1 head of cauliflower, broken into florets

1 cup shredded pepperjack cheese

2 cups shredded sharp white cheddar

one roasted jalapeno, skinned and seeded

Melt butter in a large pot.  Add garlic and onion and saute until onions are tender.  Add flour and stir until mixture clumps up.  Then gradually add milk and broth stirring until mixture is smooth.  Next add cauliflower, jalapeno and salt.  Simmer for 15 minutes or until cauliflower is tender.  Put the soup in the blender in batches and blend until smooth (be care because it is hot, don't fill blender to the top just half way and hold a dish towel over the top of the blender). Return mixture to soup pot and on low heat add the cheeses and stir until melted and well combined. 

The jalapeno is optional.  My daughter just added it the first time she made the soup.  She thought it sounded good. It is not part of the original recipe.  It adds a little heat and I think it makes the recipe.

Veggie Wrap

This is a recipe from the Pioneer Woman.  This is fast, easy and very tasty.  I changed mine up a little from her original recipe.

Spinach tortilla
hummus
sautéed onions
sundried tomatoes
canned artichoke hearts
mixed greens, dressed with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar
feta cheese

I sautéed a red bell pepper with the onions instead of using sundried tomatoes.  What I really like about these are that they really taste good, they are healthy and it takes no time to prepare them.

California Chopped Salad

This salad is wonderful!  It is one of Giada's recipes (from Food Network) and as I was looking through my salad recipes I ran across it.  I had forgotten about it.  I told my husband recently that I was tired of fixing the same old thing and to get ready because most nights are going to be a surprise.  All those recipes I have torn out of magazines and forgotten recipes (like this one) are going to be on the table.  If you are like me, I have piles of recipes from different places.  I'm tired of moving the piles from one place to another so I'm trying them or they are going in the trash. 

This salad is so light and fresh.  We love it!  It helps to have a grill pan or you can grill the vegetables on your outdoor grill.
1Romaine lettuce
1 ear of corn (after you grill cut corn from the cob)
1zucchini
cherry tomatoes
2 avocado
12 jumbo shrimp

Dressing
juice of one lemon
salt and pepper to taste
a couple of squirts of agave nectar
slowing whisk in olive oil until it slightly thickens

Cut Romaine in half and put on grill until you have some grill marks.  Don't leave it too long you don't want it to wilt.  I didn't do this, I just chopped up one head red leaf lettuce.
There is not any fresh corn this time of the year so I bought a small bag of frozen corn and let it unthaw then  put a cup of it on the grill after I cooked everything else. I let it get some grill marks and then removed it.  Cut the zucchini in fourths. I rub some olive oil over each piece and salt and pepper to taste.  Put on the grill and grill all sides (crisp tender).  Then remove from grill and cut into chunks. Drizzle the shrimp with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.  Then put the shrimp on the grill and cook turning once.  When the shrimp start to turn pink they are cooked. I make a bed of lettuce on a plate and put the corn of first, then the zucchini, shrimp and top with sliced cherry tomatoes and an avocado sliced in chunks.
Drizzle dressing over top.

The first time I made this salad, I did grill the Romaine.  It is good but I was in a hurry when I made this and I didn't want to take the time to grill the Romaine. 

Time

It helps me to think of this quote occasionally.......it puts things in perspective.

"Time is a companion that goes with us on a journey.  It reminds us to cherish each moment, because it will never come again."
Jean Luc Picard

Apple Spice Pancakes with Apple Cider Syrup

These pancakes are wonderful but definitely a brunch item. Although, my daughter thinks they would be great as dessert and they would be with a dollop of real whipping cream on the side.  The apple cider syrup is delicious, not to sweet just perfect!

Apple Cider Syrup

This is the first thing you want to do. 
1 cup apple cider syrup
1 1/2 cups apple jelly
1/8 teaspoon apple pie spice
Bring 1cup of apple cider to boil in a small pan then lower to medium heat.  Let this boil for 12-14 minutes or until it reduces to about 1/4 of a cup.  Then add the jelly and apple pie spice.  Stir well until the jelly dissolves.  When this is mixed well let is simmer briefly over a low heat for 2 minutes and then remove from heat.

Spiced Apples

3 small or 2 large apples of your choice, peeled, cored and sliced.
1/4 cup of sugar
3 tablespoon of butter
1/4 teaspoon of apple pie spice
In a skillet, melt butter and add apples, sugar and spice.  Stir apples until tender.  Let set until you are ready to top on pancake batter.  Pour your pancake batter on a hot griddle and then top with the number of apples you would like.  It needs to be a single layer. When the bottom is ready to flip the apples will stay in place when you turn the pancake over.

Buttermilk Pancake Batter

This has been my pancake recipe for years and it makes great pancakes. 
1 egg
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Beat egg.  Combine flour, baking powder, soda, salt and sugar; add to egg.  Add buttermilk and oil and whisk until mixture is smooth.
For each pancake, use about 1/4 cup of batter.
Yield: 8 (4 inch) pancakes

Killer Fajitas

I've tried several recipes for fajitas and none of them have really been that good.  This recipe is a home run.  Gary loved them and we had company for dinner and everyone loved them.  By the time dinner was served, it smelled like a Mexican restaurant.  I took this picture after we had our first serving.  After I tasted them, I knew I would want to share the recipe.

1 orange, juiced
2 limes, juiced
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
4 chipotle chilies with about 2 tablespoon of adobe sauce
3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
Put all of the above ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  Put marinade into a gallon size zip lock bag and put in your meat.  Close the bag and make sure all the meat is covered.  Put in the frig for 2-4 hours.  The longer the better.
2 pound flank steak and 8 chicken tenders sliced in half

Before you cook your meat.  Prepare the vegetables:
1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 large green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper veggies to taste, drizzle olive oil and squeeze juice of 1/2 lime over veggies, toss and set aside.

Use a grill pan, spray with olive oil and when it is hot lay your meat on the pan and cook about 3-4 minutes on each side. I cook mine longer because I like meat well done.  When the flank steak is done remove it and set on cutting surface.  Let it rest about 5 minutes and then slice into strips.  When all the meat is cooked, spread the veggies over the grill pan and cook until limp. 

You could also cook your meat on an outdoor grill but definitely cook on a grill pan. It does make a difference.   I found a Lodge cast iron grill pan at T.J. Max for $35.00.  I was thrilled!  I had priced them earlier at International Pantry for $75.00. I immediately snatched that up.  :)

Beautiful Ending to a Great Day

The weather was beautiful yesterday.  I worked outside most of the day cutting crepe myrtles and racking leaves.  The weather was perfect, no wind, the sun was warm and I got a lot done. 

All the family came down for dinner and as I was getting the food on the table, I walked by the living room window and saw an amazing red glow coming through the window.  I had to go out and enjoy the beauty.  It was the perfect ending to a perfect day.

So thankful for family, health and life!