Red, White & Blueberry Salad (Watermelon, Blueberry, Feta)
Posted: July 3, 2012 Filed under: Fruit Dishes, Salads, Sides, Uncategorized, Vegetarian | Tags: blueberry, feta, fourth of july salad, July 4th, red white and blueberry salad, watermelon, watermelon blueberry feta salad, watermelon salad 4 Comments
Red, White & Blueberry Salad
(From Becky, the Butter Lovin’ Mama)
I’m going to post this recipe early– for tonight and in the morning, again, to give everyone time to scoot to the store — if needed — and haul back the ingredients for this simple, amazing, knock-out Red, White and Blueberry Watermelon Salad. Because if you put it together for your 4th of July Celebration, you will be crowned the Queen Cook of Independence Day. And I would not want you to miss that honor.
Last week I had a little minor surgery (although it is only really “minor” when if it is happening to someone else) and to my delight, my friend Lindsey O’Connor brought over a feast so good I’d almost go under the knife again to repeat the meal. It included grilled chicken, humus, homemade tzatziki sauce, pita chips, Naan bread and a gorgeous watermelon-mint-feta salad. I’m sharing my 4th of July version of her watermelon salad today, but she promises me the original recipes for the rest of the meal soon! (Which I will share with you.)
This was printed from: We Laugh, We Cry, We Cook
The site URL: http://welaughwecrywecook.com
The Title: Red, White & Blueberry Salad
The URL: http://wp.me/p1UwM9-uB
© Copyright 2012 – All Rights Reserved
I love to bring meals to my friends who have been ill or had a new baby. Truly pure joy. As opposed to, say, helping someone move or dog sit for them. When I plan to bring a meal to someone, I usually start cooking in the mid-afternoon and just double whatever Greg and I are having for dinner. I have a cabinet where I save disposable containers for this purpose, and a system where I wrap the hot stuff in a big towel and put it in one box, the cold stuff (with a bag of ice if needed) in another box and off Greg and I go to deliver some love disguised as a good meal.
I am so rarely sick, and my youngest baby is in his mid-twenties; so I had forgotten what a pampered, soothing experience it is to enjoy a great meal that has been lovingly home-made and delivered. Somewhere around midnight I got up, padded to the fridge, and finished every last bite of Lindsey’s cold crisp sweet-salty watermelon salad before going back to bed. With each bite, I thought of Lindsey with gratitude. It is true that food, made with love, somehow tastes better.
So if you don’t make this salad for July 4, save it in your recipe file under “Great Dish to Bring to a Friend in Need.” It’s easy, nutritious, beautiful and delicious.
Becky’s Red, White and Blueberry Salad
Red, White & Blueberry Salad (Watermelon, Feta and Blueberry)
Ingredients
2 cups diced watermelon (about the size of dice)
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
2 T. crumbled feta cheese
1 T. fresh lime juice
Dash sea salt
2 t. chopped fresh mint
2 t. honey or agave nectar
Directions
In a glass bowl, layer the watermelon, blueberries and feta, in that order. Just before serving add the rest of the ingredients and toss very gently again. Serve. Note: If you are using frozen blueberries this dish is best served just a few minutes after the berries start to thaw, so they are still a little bit icy and hold their shape. In fact, I would just toss the frozen blueberries in last, and they should be ready for eating by the time people serve themselves and sit down to eat.
Orange Glazed Carrots
Posted: July 2, 2012 Filed under: Sides, Uncategorized, Vegan, Vegetarian, Veggies | Tags: carrots, glazed carrots, orange, orange glazed carrots 1 Comment
Orange Glazed Carrots
Is anyone old enough or blessed enough to remember going to a grandma’s house after church on Sunday for a roast chicken or roast beef, usually served with glazed carrots, mashed potatoes and gravy, her homemade rolls, sliced tomatoes from the garden, and cold cucumbers served in a sweet-sour vinegar? Perhaps a little relish tray with olives or miniature sweet pickles. Maybe followed up with nana puddin’ or peach cobbler. (Or is this just a figment of our collective nostalgic imaginations?)
As tired as I am after church on Sunday, I feel like Super Woman if I can just get some sandwiches on a plate for the two of us before I lapse into a nap. I am amazed that there were women who used to pull this big dinner feat off, and some of them did it weekly!
In Glen Rose, Texas there was a wonderful place called Two Grannies. I wish we had one here in Colorado. When you walked into the old-time dining room, you were greeted by two grandmotherly sisters in flower print dresses who owned the restaurant. Nobody got in or out of the place without a hug. And you didn’t say “no” because one of the grannies was a big as a middle linebacker. Someone was always at the piano playing old show tunes or hymns. And there was one old fellow who would come in now and again, dressed in striped overalls, who would astound the kids by whistling exactly like an old train. The whole place was just like going to grandmas house on Sunday, families greeting each other and chatting from table to table. I believe one of the grannies finally moved on to Glory, but the two of them left a lot of love and sweet memories — living out their golden years giving people hugs and a good home-cooked meal. Can’t get much better than that.
I have discovered, on those rare Sundays when I feel my “Inner Granny” coming on and invite family or company over after church, that a roast chicken and roast beef are the two easiest things to make for a crowd. (Recipe for my garlic roast chicken coming up later this week.) Nothing simpler than plopping an easily seasoned roast or chicken in the oven, then heading off to church and returning to your main dish already cooked and scenting the air as you walk in the door. One of my favorite side dishes to serve with a savory juicy roast chicken is sweet, buttery orange glazed carrots. Just carrots plus three ingredients, but it is so good you may decide to skip the nana puddin’ and eat a bowl of carrots for dessert instead.
Orange Glazed Carrots
Becky’s Orange Glazed Carrots
Ingredients
2 c. diced or mini carrots plus 1 T. water
1/2 c. orange juice
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 T. butter (vegans use Earth Balance)
sea salt to taste
Directions
Put the carrots and a tablespoon of water in a tightly covered microwave proof dish and nuke for about 12 minutes or until just tender. (You can also steam them if you prefer.)
While the carrots are cooking, put orange juice, brown sugar and butter into a pan on the stove top. Turn burner on high until it reaches a boil, then turn down to a simmer and simmer for about six minutes or until the mixture reduces and starts to get syrupy. Add the cooked carrots to the orange syrup and simmer just a minute or two more until carrots are coated with thick buttery syrup, and taste like heaven.
Cook until syrupy and tender carrots are well coated.
Sprinkle with a little sea salt and serve.
Glazed carrots: a colorful, sweet-savory side dish fit for any Granny Meal.
Better-than-Restaurant Chicken Tenders
Posted: June 29, 2012 Filed under: Chicken, Main Dishes, Salads, Uncategorized, Vegan Options | Tags: best ever chicken fingers, Buffalo chicken fingers, Buffalo Chicken Salad, Buffalo chicken tenders, Buffalo Ranch Dressing, celery, chicken fingers, Frank's Red Hot Sauce, homemade chicken fingers, Honey Mustard Dressing, Paula Deen 1 Comment
In a couple of weeks we’re headed to family beach vacation in Neskowin, Oregon. I’m truly looking forward to it; however, this is one of those vacations where there will be lots of family rooming in close quarters. This is fun for a short run, but usually after the third day of this, people began longing for their own space and some start to get a wee bit cranky. It’s a challenge for humans to stay gracious when they lose their normal personal space. One of my friends, author Charlene Baumbich, confessed after three days of being cooped up with a bunch of women on a retreat: “I’m running out of nice.”
I was visiting on the phone with my daughter Rachel about this subject yesterday. She is heading to a week of family vacation to a Florida beach –with all the joys and challenges of being in close quarters for a week with lots of people. And an active baby.
“Just in case you start feeling closed-in, I’ll share how I handled it our last vacation to Neskowin,” I told her. “ I knew I was about to get cranky. I’d been cooking and cleaning and babysitting nonstop, and was getting exhausted from all this ‘vacationing.’ And I was PMSing. So I went to the tippy top floor, which was three stories high, stepped out on the deck and took a deep breath. I looked out at the ocean and breathed and prayed until I felt calm. Then I turned to go back inside because the air was turning quite chilly. And that is when I realized I’d accidentally locked the door behind me.”
“What did you do?” Rachel asked.
“Well, I hollered and screamed but to no avail. Everyone was in the living room watching a movie, on the first floor. So I gingerly stepped over the banister and jumped to the roof below. Then I reached back and grabbed a plastic lawn chair and tossed it off the roof in front of the picture window in the living room, hoping someone would notice.”
“Did they?”
“Well, it took two deck chairs and one lounge chair, but eventually someone noticed it was raining lawn furniture and came to my rescue.”
“So what you are saying, Mom, is that the moral of this story is that if I should start to feel cranky or closed in, I should simply climb on the roof and start throwing lawn furniture off of it.”
“Yes. Pretty much. Trust me, it helps.”
I’m so glad I can be there to give seasoned wisdom to my daughter based on my many years of hard-earned experience.
In addition to that piece of advice that you are also now free to use at will on your family summer vacation, I will also share a recipe that is Greg’s all-time favorite vacation food: chicken fingers. He thinks mine are better than any restaurant version and I know they are at least slightly healthier. I use one of Paula Deen’s secrets to the best fried chicken in the south: dipping the chicken in a mixture of eggs and Hot Buffalo Sauce. You’d think the tenders would turn out fire engine hot, but they aren’t hot at all, just amazingly flavorful and tender.
I like to serve these crunchy chicken fingers atop a salad to beef up the nutrition and add some fiber. Vegans, like Rachel, can do follow same method using firm tofu, omitting the eggs. Tofu takes on a whole new yummy crunch when battered and pan fried. (Of course, so do rubber bands and shoe leather.)
And if this dish doesn’t turn out well for you, you can always climb on the roof and throw it out on the lawn. It is a marvelous stress reliever. I guarantee it.
Better-Than-Restaurant Chicken Tenders (Over a Salad with Buffalo Ranch Dressing)
Better-than-Restaurant Chicken Tenders
Pre-heat Oven to 300 degrees
Ingredients
1 to 1.25 pounds chicken tenders (or chicken breasts, sliced in “fingers”)
1/4 cup Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Sauce
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1 t. Cajun seasoning (I like Tony Cachere’s brand) or other seasoned salt that has paprika or chili pepper
1 t. grill or steak seasoning (or 1/2 t. salt and 1/2 t. pepper)
Healthy oil of your choice to make 1/4 inch deep in your favorite skillet (I use a combination of olive oil and coconut oil)
Directions:
Heat oil over medium high heat or flame.
In a low shallow bowl mix hot sauce and eggs.
Mix together eggs and Frank’s Red Hot Sauce — Paula Deen’s secret to her famous fried chicken
In another similar bowl, mix flour with seasonings. Using tongs, dip the chicken tenders, a few a time, first in hot sauce/eggs, then roll in seasoned flour.
Dip tenders first in mixture of hot sauce and eggs, then in flour seasoned with Cajun Seasoning and Grill Seasoning
Place tenders in oil and when golden brown on one side, flip to cook the other side. Place first batch on a cookie sheet and keep warm in oven while you finish pan-frying the rest of the tenders. I only put 4 to 5 tenders in the skillet at one time.
Only pan fry 4 or 5 tenders at a time.
Put pan-fried tenders on baking sheet and keep in warm oven until you’ve cooked all the batches.
Taste one as soon as they are cool enough to touch. If it needs more salt, sprinkle them lightly with a bit more Cajun seasoning. (If you love hot hot tenders you can also sprinkle them with more red hot sauce at this point.)
These are awesome just as they are served with your favorite dipping sauce or sauces. I typically serve them atop a salad with one of the following quick dressings:
Buffalo Ranch: 2 parts Ranch dressing with 1 part Buffalo Sauce. (For one big salad, I mix about 1/4 cup light Ranch dressing with 2 T. buffalo sauce)
Honey Mustard Ranch: Two parts Ranch Dressing with 1 part mustard and 1 part honey. (For one big salad I mix 1/4 cup light Ranch dressing with 1 T. mustard and 1 T. honey.)
Variation: If I have leftover chicken tenders, I like to heat them up for lunch the next day, then cut them in small pieces, toss them in a little Buffalo sauce, and serve with a bed of chopped celery, sprinkled with a bit of crumbled blue cheese or feta, and top with Buffalo Ranch Dressing. It’s like eating chicken wings…. with a fork! Really good with a little side of watermelon to cut the heat.
Leftover chicken tenders cut in bite-size pieces, tossed in buffalo sauce, served over a bed of celery with feta cheese crumbles and buffalo ranch dressing. Mmmm, mmmmm spicy, crunchy, yummy lunch!
Veganize It: Substitute slices of firm tofu, and omit the eggs. Proceed with recipe.
Mama’s Feel Good Blueberry Smoothie
Posted: June 27, 2012 Filed under: Beverages and Smoothies, Breakfast Foods, Uncategorized | Tags: blueberry, blueberry smoothie, brain berries, Dr. Daniel Amen, feel good blueberry smoothie, fish oil, Green Vibrance, health drink, l-carnitine 1 Comment
Mama’s Feel Good Blueberry Smoothie
(Becky, the Butter Lovin’ Mama)
“Mom, my throat hurts, can you make me that blueberry smoothie for me?”
“Honey, I’m feeling tired, do you have time to make one of your blueberry smoothies?”
“I feel a cold coming on, Becky, what is that recipe for the Feel Better Smoothie?”
“I’m in a hurry, can you whip up that blueberry smoothie for a breakfast-to- go?”
I have made or given my “Feel Good Blueberry Smoothie” out to more loved ones than I can remember over the past few years. The reason? It seems to work wonders in helping you feel better if you are run down. And if you feel good, it will help you feel great. Not only is it good for you, but it tastes delicious, soothing the throat as it goes down. Seriously, I should probably bottle this stuff and sell it on QVC.
Dr. Daniel Amen is best-selling author, speaker, public TV teacher, psychiatrist, and brain researcher who is also a good friend. He has done an incredible service encouraging people to pay attention to their brain health. For as long as I’ve known Dr. Amen, he has called blueberries, “brain berries” and has recommended that people eat a cup a day to protect and nourish their brain. Research continues to back this up. For example:
1) Strong scientific evidence exists that eating blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and other berry fruits has beneficial effects on the brain and may help prevent age-related memory loss and other changes. (March 7, 2012, Science Daily)
2) New research shows that blueberries may inhibit fat cells (April 10, 2011 Science Daily)
3) “The high concentration of antioxidants in blueberries strengthens your immune system, which may protect you from cancer cell growth, cardiovascular disease and urinary tract infections. Studies suggest that blueberries may also reduce your risk of developing Parkinson’s disease,” says a report from Live Strong, March 7, 2012
I could go on and on! (But that is just because I’m so energized by my smoothie.) One cup of fresh blueberries has only 83 calories but packs a lot of nutrition including 21 g of carbohydrates, 9 mg of calcium and magnesium, 17 mg of phosphorus, 112 mg of potassium, 14 mg of vitamin C, 78 IU of vitamin A and many other micronutrients.
This delicious smoothie also has protein from Greek yogurt, almond milk and walnuts; vitamin C from orange juice; sweetness and fiber from dates (or 1/2 banana), along with a super green food powder that is loaded with nutrients and probiotics. To supercharge it, I also add two optional but tasty nutritious ingredients: liquid fish oil and L-carnitine. The brands I use pack a big punch of nutrition for the buck and taste amazingly yummy, like sweet oranges. (No fishy taste at all!)
It’s a fabulous way to start your day, a great pick me up in the afternoon, and an immunity boost for anyone feeling under the weather. Kids and teens also love this.
I totally need to do a Feel Good Blueberry Smoothie infomercial. But for now, this post will have to do.
Feel Better Blueberry Smoothies
Mama Becky’s Feel Good Blueberry Smoothie
Makes 1 large or 2 smaller smoothies
Ingredients
1 c. frozen blueberries
1 c. orange juice
3 dates (or 1/2 banana, fresh or frozen)
1 T. walnuts (or any nuts you have on hand or Hemp Seeds )
1/2 c. unsweetened almond milk (or coconut or soy or dairy milk)
1 heaping Tablespoon plain Greek Yogurt (vegans may want to substitute a rice-based protein powder)
1/2 c. ice
1 t. to 1 T. super green food powder (I like Green Vibrance which I get at Whole Foods. Expensive but lasts a long time!)
Ingredients for Becky’s Feel Better Smoothie: Blueberries, OJ, Almond milk, yogurt, dates (or sub 1/2 banana) walnuts
(Optional Ingredients: NOW brand L-Carnitine Citrus Flavored Liquid and Carlson’s Orange Flavored Fish Oil. I find these at Vitamin Cottage but have linked to Amazon to give you more info.)
Citrus Flavored L-Carnitine (NOW) and Orange Flavored Fish Oil (Carlson) Nutritional supplements that are good for you and actually taste great. Perfect for adding to smoothies.
Directions:
Put all ingredients into a blender. Start the blender low and move to high until it is smooth. Top with an orange slice. (More than for garnish, a little squeeze of fresh orange floating atop the smoothie is very tasty.)
This was printed from: We Laugh, We Cry, We Cook
The site URL: http://welaughwecrywecook.com
The Title: Mama’s Feel Better Blueberry Smoothie
The URL: http://wp.me/p1UwM9-sK
© Copyright 2012 – All Rights Reserved
Avocado Mango Salad “Cocktail” in Jicama Nests
Posted: June 25, 2012 Filed under: Appetizers, Gluten Free, Mexican Dishes, Salads, Uncategorized, Vegan, Vegetarian, Veggies | Tags: avocado, honey, honey lime dressing, jicama, jicama avocado mango salad, jicama salad, lime dressing, mango, summer salad, tomato Leave a comment
Avocado Mango Jicama “Cocktail” Salad
What would you do if given the gift of one uninterrupted day, a day where your kids, your husband, your friends and your boss gave your their blessing to walk away and create your own perfect 12 hours? A day to refill your soul?
Some seasons of my life are busier than others and the last two months has been filled to overflowing with people, appointments and a list of “to-dos” that seemed endless. Seeing his wife was in a state of overwhelm, Greg hugged me on Friday night and said, “Honey, tomorrow I want you to take the whole Saturday just do anything you want at any given minute, all day long. Don’t worry about a thing. I’ll even make my own meals.”
It may have been the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard anyone say. (True to his word, Greg made his own lunch: two pieces of leftover corn on the cob, a piece of leftover blueberry pie and some leftover salad. Yes, he missed the protein food group, but it was a great improvement over his usual “bachelor diet” when I am away: potato chips, chocolate chip cookies and cereal.)
Saturday dawned with the song “Saturday in the Park” playing in my mind, and the line, “I’ve been waiting such a long time, for Sat-ur-day” echoing again and again. The feeling of unencumbered space stretched out for the next 12 hours left me near euphoric.
I spent the day writing on our new book in uninterrupted bliss at Denver’s famous Tattered Cover Bookstore, then lunched and wrote some more at The Corner Bakery, over-looking a gorgeous outline of the Rocky Mountains. When I walked in the house that evening there was a vase of sunny yellow flowers and a loving card from Greg, “Just because.” I wrote in my Facebook status: I feel like a wilted flower that has been put in the fresh water of creative work, healing solitude, and the benevolent blessing of a good man who wants little in this life but for me to be happy. I may yet live!
After I opened the card, Greg and I went to the back porch for our Summertime Happy Hour, a ritual we started in early June to make sure we have a little time to connect before dinner. One of the things that centenarians the world over have in common is “joyful rituals.” This has become one of our favorites. I made us clementine mojitos using the mint from my herb garden, perfectly refreshing.
The day of rest and writing left me infused with creative energy as I cooked supper a little later. I grabbed a crisp jicama, a vine-ripe tomato, an avocado and a mango out of the crisper. In my mind’s eye I saw this recipe appear: a pretty salad of orange, green and red nestled in a bed of white grated jicama, drizzled with a fresh lime dressing and served in margarita glasses. It would be our “salad course.” Let me tell you, it was every bit as tasty as it is beautiful! So cold and refreshing after a 100 degree summer day.
I am delighted to share this recipe with you, along with encouragement to take time out for “Fill the Well Day” for your body, mind and soul as soon as you can!
Becky’s Avocado Mango Jicima “Cocktail” Salad
Avocado Mango Salad “Cocktail” in Jicama Nests
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 cups peeled, grated fresh jicama
1 avocado
1 fresh tomato
1 fresh mango
1 T. chopped cilantro or parsley or mint
2 T. chopped green onion
Juice of 2 limes
1/2 t. salt
4 t. honey
4 T. crushed corn or tortilla chips
Cajun seasoning or Tajin chili-lime seasoning to sprinkle on top
Lime slices for garnish
Tajin seasoning: a delightful blend of lime, salt, and chili pepper. Wonderful on this dish!
The flavors of jicama, tomato, mango, green onion and lime blend beautifully
Directions:
Place 1/2 cup grated jicama in each of 4 margarita glasses or pretty glass bowls to create a white “nest.” Mix avocado, tomato, mango, herb of your choice and green onion together in a bowl and gently toss. Place this mixture on top of the grated jicama, dividing evenly in to the four glasses. In a small bowl mix the dressing of lime juice, salt and honey. Drizzle evenly over each of the salads. Top each salad with 1 T. crushed chips and a nice sprinkling of Cajun or Tajin seasoning. Serve with long teaspoons if you have them and put a slice of lime on each rim. Have guests stir and toss their salads once they are served to make sure everything gets coated with the lime dressing.
BBQ Guacamole Tacos
Posted: June 22, 2012 Filed under: Main Dishes, Mexican Dishes, Uncategorized, Vegan Options | Tags: bbq quacamole tacos, bbq tacos, guacamole, guacamole tacos, tacos 2 Comments
Becky’s BBQ Guacamole Taco
(Becky, the Butter Lovin’ Mama)
“Taste memory” occurs when you take a bite of a food that transports you instantly to a time and place from your past. The experience can be positive or negative, depending on the memory around it.
My husband cannot abide green beans. He picked beans in the summer like every good boy growing up in Oregon, then he spent his spent late teens working at a green bean cannery. You know those clinics where they make you smoke cigarettes until you are sick as a dog so you’ll never smoke again? Well, Greg went through the same sort of green bean aversion training. To this day he will not eat, or even smoke, a green bean without protest.
On the other hand he adores blueberries. Never tires of them. As it turns out, his mother-in-law used to bake a special blueberry pie just for him. Blueberries are forever wrapped with the message that “somebody thinks I’m special.”
One of my favorite food memories as girl was a now 50-year-old restaurant in Arlington,Texas called The Candlelite Inn. (I understand it recently closed but new ownership plans to resurrect it.) It was a curious place, an Italian-themed eatery with red-checked tablecloths that was somehow known for its amazing Mexican food. Thinking back on it now, that seems odd, but at the time it just was what it was. We went to the Italian joint to eat great Mexican fare.
This photo of Candlelite Inn is courtesy of TripAdvisor
On special occasions we kids got to choose a restaurant to eat at, and if given my choice of where to go out for my birthday, I picked The Candlelite Inn. I always ordered their famous guacamole tacos. (A friend reminded me today that they served their tortilla chips with a big ball of butter! Paula Deen would have been proud.)
For some reason I thought about those tacos the other day, and could somehow remember the exact taste of the guacamole even though it has been at least twenty-five years since I’ve tasted them. Suddenly I knew exactly what was in that guac that made it taste so amazing. The secret ingredient was Italian dressing! (Apparently the chefs here were creating Italian-Tex Mex “fusion” before ethnic fusion cooking was cool.) The tacos were filled at least half way with guacamole and for someone who loves avocados as much as I do, this was bliss.
I made my own version of Candlelight Inn tacos this week and at first crunchy creamy bite, I was transported back to a darkened red and white checked table in Arlington,Texas, my family around me laughing and celebrating by the glow of …yes.. candlelight. Since I’m trying to cut back on meat and expand the veggies and fiber, the filling is made from half ground beef, half beans with my favorite “Becky BBQ Style” seasoning.
What are some of your favorite Taste Memories?
Becky’s BBQ Guacamole Tacos
Ingredients:
12 corn taco shells, warmed according to package directions
1 lb ground beef
1 can chili beans, drained (I like an organic three bean combination as pictured below)
1/2 c. picante sauce or salsa
1/2 c. bbq sauce
1 t. cumin
1 t. smoked paprika
1/2 t. grill seasoning (or salt and pepper to taste)
Guacamole from recipe below
½ cup grated cheese
1 tomato, slice in twelve pieces
Directions:
In a skillet, brown the beef and add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer until flavors have mixed and the sauce has thickened.
Fill taco shells ½ way full with bean/meat mixture and ½ with guacamole from recipe below. Sprinkle with little grated cheese and top with slice of tomato.
Variation: For Vegan Version, omit beef and use extra can of drained beans or crumbled meat substitute instead. Skip cheese or use vegan cheese substitute.
Meat Lovers: You can add more ground beef and skip the beans!
“Candlelight Inn” Memories Guacamole
3 ripe avocados, mashed
1 clove garlic, minced
½ fresh lime juice (1 Tablespoon juice)
1 t. sugar
1/3 cup Italian dressing (I love Olive Garden’s new bottled dressing)
1/2 t salt (or to taste)
Peel and mash the avocados. Add the rest of the ingredients and continue mashing and mixing to desired consistency.
Storing Hint: Put leftover guac in a sandwich bag, push out as much air as you can. It won’t turn brown! Then the next time you use it, just snip a corner of the bag and squeeze out what you need.
Store any leftover guacamole in Ziploc sandwich bag
Snip corner of sandwich bag when ready to use leftover guacamole and simply squirt the amount you want to use.
This was printed from: We Laugh, We Cry, We Cook
The site URL: http://welaughwecrywecook.com
The Title: BBQ Guacamole Tacos
The URL: http://wp.me/p1UwM9-rW
Blueberry Pie with a Lemon Twist
Posted: June 20, 2012 Filed under: Desserts, Fruit Dishes, Vegan, Vegan Options, Vegetarian | Tags: blueberries, blueberry lemon pie, blueberry pie, fruit pie Leave a comment
Becky’s Blueberry Pie with a Lemon Twist
(Becky, the Butter Lovin’ Mama)
“A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie.” Tenneva Jordan
I’ve always loved the above quote with its sentimental statement about the selfless love of mothers. But, to be perfectly honest, I am the type of mother who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly bakes another pie so she can have at least two pieces for herself.
I’m not proud of this, but it is sadly true. In fact, I did it yesterday.
Let me explain. I made a beautiful blueberry pie, Greg’s favorite, for Father’s Day dinner. I honestly thought the family had eaten the whole thing.
But yesterday while my husband was away on errands, I woke from a nap feeling suddenly famished. Scrounging around in the fridge I discovered – a ha! – one leftover piece of blueberry pie! I immediately said to myself, “Now, that is Greg’s favorite pie. Don’t you want to save that one last piece for your him?” But my Self completely ignored “I” and ate the pie. It was delicious.
Then the guilt set in. Thankfully, I had exactly four cups of blueberries left, and an extra two rolls of Pillsbury pie crust. Before Greg returned, a new pie was in the oven and I looked like a culinary hero, making him TWO pies in two days. That is, until he pressed the issue asking, “So there wasn’t even a single slice of pie leftover from Father’s day, eh?” I started to lie, but could not do it. I ‘fessed up, and he gave me a pious “just as I thought” look before taking a bite of warm blueberries wrapped in flaky pastry.
Alas, we humans like to think we are better people than we are. But I would not trust even the likes of Mother Teresa to avoid the temptation of the last piece of this sumptuous blueberry pie with just the right twist of lemon. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and I doubt even the Pope could resist.
Let me just add this: if you have to make a pie in a hurry to assuage any sort of guilt, I know of no pie as fast and easy to throw together as blueberry pie. No fruit to cut, you just toss those berries in a bowl, add a few ingredients, dump it into the crust. Feel free to make your own crust, but if you only have a few minutes to cover your tracks, I’d reach for the Pillsbury refrigerated versions!
Becky’s Blueberry Pie with a Lemon Twist
Serves Six
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1 t. fresh lemon zest
1/4 t. salt
4 T. cornstarch
1 T. butter, cut in tiny pieces
Two unbaked pie crusts
Directions:
In a large bowl, gently toss the blueberries with the next five ingredients until thoroughly mixed. Line a 9 inch Pyrex pie pan (I prefer the simple Pyrex pans with about 1/2 inch lip) with bottom unbaked pastry shell. Fill with blueberry mixture. Dot with butter. Top with other pie crust, fluting the edges. Using a sharp paring knife cut a pattern. I always like flowers!
Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until golden brown. If edges begin to brown before pie is cooked, carefully and lightly crimp strips of aluminum foil around edges to keep it from getting too dark. I double test for “done-ness” by sticking a fork into an open slit. If it comes out coated, as if with syrup, it is probably ready. If the fork emerges dripping thin juice, it probably needs a few more minutes for the cornstarch and blueberry juice to combine and thicken.
Variation: If you are making a deep dish pie, add another cup of blueberries, another 1/4 cup sugar and another tablespoon cornstarch. You can substitute a teaspoon of cinnamon or vanilla for the lemon if you prefer. Vegans will want to use a pie crust that does not use lard or butter.
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The Title: Blueberry Pie with a Lemon Twist
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© Copyright 2012 – All Rights Reserved
No Stress Sangrias
Posted: June 18, 2012 Filed under: Cocktails, Fruit Dishes, Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian | Tags: easy sangria, instant sangria, refreshing cocktail, sangria, wine cocktails, wine spritzer 6 Comments
Instant sangria! Two ingredients plus citrus slices
(Becky, the Butter Lovin’ Mama)
For the past two weeks I’ve been keeping my 5 year old grandson. This has been humbling for a person with ADD who spends a crazy amount of time finding and losing her own purse/keys/phone/sunglasses. Add to this routine, keeping up with a five year old’s needs: shoes, sunscreen, snacks, water bottles, favorite toys and books. At one point, sleep deprived and on my 7th trip from car to house to retrieve a lost item, I tearfully told my husband, “A person who cannot keep up with her keys should not be trusted to care for a small child!” But I somehow got my Temporary Mom Groove on, with a few routines and the help of my husband and family.
Last week my son Gabe invited me and my grandson over for lunch. It was so nice not to have to cook or eat out of a box or bucket. In addition to a yummy salad, roast potatoes and steak, Gabe served the most refreshing Sangrias to the adults. They were perfectly balanced, not too sweet.
“How did you make this?” I asked. He told me that at the restaurant where he and his girlfriend wait tables, there is a man who always orders the same drink: Merlot and Sprite over ice, with a lime. An “instant sangria,” of sorts. The wait staff finally tried it themselves, and loved it.
Gabe gave me the recipe along with some steak and roast potatoes to take home and share with Greg. Greg found the steak and potatoes under my car seat today, six days old and beyond redemption. Thankfully I had the ingredients on hand to make him a sangria to help soothe the loss.
No Stress Sangria
No Stress Sangria
Ingredients
1 part chilled lemon-lime or grapefruit soda
1 part chilled Merlot or Cabernet
Slices of citrus
Ice
Directions
In a glass or pitcher, mix equal parts soda and red wine. Mix with ice and any slices of citrus you like. That’s it! Now find a nice place to sit and sip it, preferably to celebrate the kids having gone to bed! (Or off to college.)
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The Title: No Stress Sangrias
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Worms & Apples with Mud Sauce (Fun Healthy Snack for Kids)
Posted: June 15, 2012 Filed under: Appetizers, Fruit Dishes, Uncategorized, Vegetarian | Tags: apples, caramel, carmamel apples, fruit and cheese, fruit snacks, fun food for kids, healthy snacks for children, healthy snacks for kids, kid snacks, string cheese, worms, worms and apples Leave a comment
Grandson Georgie chowing down on Worms & Apples with Mud Sauce
(Becky, the Butter Lovin’ Mama)
Twenty-something years ago now, my youngest son Gabe was around three and a half years old. One hot day I walked into the kitchen and downed a perfectly delicious glass of iced tea. Then I saw something wiggling among the ice cubes and almost gagged. Gabe was watching me, smiling sweetly. “I gave you a present!” he said, grinning proudly. “Aren’t they cute?”
My eyes still wide with surprise, Gabe walked to my side and pointed at his wiggly friends. “See how much they love each other?” he asked. “They are all just hugging and hugging!”
My son Gabe as little tyke. He LOVED any critters (worms, turtles, lizards) more than toys.
This story was told and retold in our family, until it eventually evolved into the title of a book of humor for moms called Worms in My Tea, and a spin-off children’s book called The Worm Surprise. I would eventually write a series of four books in the “Gabe & Critters” series.
Today that worm-loving boy is a handsome young man with a college degree, a good job, a home, and lovely girlfriend of six years. (And he still loves nature and all God’s critters.)
Gabe, all grown up, with the love of his life, Aleks
However, Gabe no longer digs up worms in the backyard (though he has a very nice vegetable garden), nor does he drop them into the glasses belonging to unsuspecting relatives.
What I love, though, is that he has a whole room dedicated to boy toys: a foosball table, a place for playing video games, his home computer, and various other game tables. My son has never lost his child-heart for play! A vintage pinball machine sits in one corner, and to my delight, on display above it were two of the books I wrote based Gabe in the “Gabe and Critter” Series so many years ago.
I took my grandson George over to play at his Uncle Gabe’s house yesterday.
Georgie getting his game face on to play a video game with his Uncle Gabe
Possibly inspired by the Gabe & Critters books, when Georgie asked me for a snack later that afternoon, I had worms on the brain.
“Would you like Nonny to make you some worms and apples?” I asked.
George giggled and said, “You are teasing me, Nonny.”
“No really,” I said. “You will love them. Pull up a bar stool to the kitchen counter and we’ll make them together.”
Georgie reaching for Worms & Apples with Mud Sauce
Worms & Apples (With Mud Sauce)
I took string cheese and tore it into four strips, microwaving them for about 20 seconds just until they were wiggly, wormy, and melty.
Georgie testing the melty string cheese “worms” to see if they are squishy enough for wrapping around fruit yet. They are!
Then once they cooled to the touch, we wrapped the “cheese worms” around apple slices.
Wrapping cheese “worms” around apples
Just for fun, we squiggled some caramel sauce “mud” (caramel ice cream sauce) over the top. (You could also let the kids dip them in small bowls of caramel.)
Obviously, this creation was a great success. Georgie woke up asking for Apples and Worms for breakfast.
With kids home for the summer, begging for snacks, this is a treat you can feel good about giving them and it only takes a minute to make! (Feel free to omit the caramel for a healthier version.)
Variations: For vegans try using strips of vegan-cheese. Wrap cheese around peaches, strawberries, plums, or slices of cantaloupe! Use other kinds of cheese, cutting in strips and melting until just pliable. I must admit, that even as a grown up, I love these snacks for quick pick-me-up in the middle of the day.
Simple ingredients for Worms & Apples with Mud Sauce
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The Title: Worms & Apples with Mud Sauce
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© Copyright 2012 – All Rights Reserved
Fresh Raspberry Rhubarb Sauce (over Rainbow of Sorbets)
Posted: June 13, 2012 Filed under: Desserts, Fruit Dishes, Gluten Free, Uncategorized, Vegan, Vegetarian | Tags: dessert topping, ice cream topping, raspberry rhubarb sauce, raspberry sauce, raspberry strawberry sauce, rhubarb sauce, sorbets Leave a comment
Becky’s Fresh Raspberry Rhubarb Sauce Over a Rainbow of Sorbets
(Becky, the Butter-Lovin’ Mama)
Greg and I have so enjoyed having our five-year-old grandson Georgie visit us for two weeks. He is all any grandparent could wish a grandson to be: kind, funny, empathetic, polite, snuggly, curious, and of course, full of puppy dog energy. (Or, as Georgie calls it, “en-gerny.”)
Our grandson Georgie came for a two week visit! He is all smiles, giggles and noise on two legs. Just a boy should be.
The first week we had lots of fun of course, but I was a walking zombie from the combination of “Becky Brain” and “Temporary Mom Brain.” I had forgotten what it was like to live a life of constant interruptions. Having a preschooler in the house is like having someone turn on a blender in your head about every ten seconds. You immediately lose the luxury of having two consecutive thoughts anymore. Life in a mother’s head is just a series of random bits and pieces of Thoughts Begun, Interrupted and Lost Forever.
Needless to say, while I was getting in my Nonny Groove, trying to acclimate my thinking and sleeping schedule to that of a little boy’s, my Cooking Groove took a backseat for most of the two weeks. I am too embarrassed to confess how many Happy Meals we had this week, thanks to the lure of the playground and the cheap but highly coveted toy-in-a-box.
However, when we had company over, I did find a few minutes to create this lucious tart-sweet summer dessert sauce made from raspberries and rhubarb. It is a cinch make, even for Scrambled Mom-Brains, and looked beautiful served over a variety of sorbets. I just put the sorbets on a tray with scoops, let company serve themselves, and then passed the ruby red fruit sauce to allow for individual dolloping. Easy, refreshing, pretty and divinely delicious.
Fresh Raspberry Rhubarb Sauce Over a Rainbow of Sorbets
Makes 1 1/2 cups sauce
Ingredients:
6 oz. raspberries (fresh or frozen)
6 oz. rhubarb (fresh or frozen)
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. organic sugar (you may want to add more or less sugar, according to your taste)
Dash sea salt
Variety of Sorbets
Variety of Sorbets: I chose pints of pomegranate, mango and lemon
Directions
Put raspberries and rhubarb in medium sauce pan with water, sugar and sea salt. Heat until it bubbles and simmer for one full minute.
Simmer fruit with sugar, water and dash salt for one full minute
Carefully pour cooked fruit and juice into a blender or food processor. (You will want to let it cool down a bit before blending.) Blend until smooth.
Strain into a bowl using a fine mesh strainer. I used a large tea strainer and did this in small batches. Occasionally scrape the strainer with a spatula to help facilitate draining, and also tap it on the side of the bowl to keep the juice pouring out of the strainer.
Straining juice, occasionally scrape bottom of strainer with spatula, and tap it on the side of the bowl to help juices escape more quickly.
This will catch most of the raspberry seeds and create a silky smooth sauce.
Serve warm, room temp or cold over sorbet, ice cream, angel food or pound cake, or fresh fruit.
Fresh raspberry Rhubarb Sauce Over Rainbow of Sorbets
Variations:
You can skip the rhubarb and just double the raspberries for a pure raspberry sauce. You can replace the raspberries with strawberries. Try other fruit and berry combinations. If the fruit is seedless, you may not even have to strain it.
I like to double this recipe so there are plenty of leftovers. Freezes well and makes a great gift-in-a-jar.
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The Title: Rasberry Rhubarb Sauce
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© Copyright 2012 – All Rights Reserved
Becky Johnson
Rachel Randolph
We Laugh, We Cry, We Cook 