Shoppin' Amish

If you don't already know, I live in "Amishland". In Indiana there are Amish communities scattered here and there, just like in Ohio and Pennsylvania. I live just on the edge of several of these communities. The benefit is terrific produce stands (no pestisides! good soil! great prices!), wonderful cheese, brown eggs from free-range chickens, hand-crafted furniture...and..."dented can" stores! Yesterday, Regan and I hit both a produce stand and a "dented can" (aka discount grocery) store. Regan always likes checking out the "barn cats" and horses (and buggies and horse carts, too!). I like how super friendly and helpful the Amish "entrepreneurs" are. Oh, and the prices are always low (another plus)!

Despite the name, "dented can" stores usually don't have products in dented cans (or crushed packaging), or foods past their expiration date, but sometimes you do run into both dented cans and salad dressing dated three months ago. What I like is spending $25-$30 for a box full of pantry items! The stores also have fresh produce,baked goods (the one I go to has a whole Pepperidge Farm section), a frozen food section, and sometimes, a deli with meat and cheese. One of the quirks of these stores is that you never know what's going to be on the shelves. Sometimes I go back to get more of an item, and it has disappeared.

Sometimes, you hit gold, like these great items I found yesterday! Starbucks ground coffee for $2.99! I only bought four bags this time, and threw them in the freezer. The Snapple green tea  was 50 cents a can, so I bought quite a few. The coolest thing I found was the "veggie" Kraft macaroni and cheese (69 cents a box). According to the package, the pasta is made with cauliflower - I can't wait to try it out!

The other great thing about driving out to these Amish businesses is the exposure to other ways of living that my daughter is getting. She sees kids riding horses and swimming in ponds. She can tell the difference between cornfields, soybean fields and wheat fields.  She has watched men bale hay and plow with a horse team. And she loves to see baby animals, like calves, colts and piglets. And how proud am I of her when she picks out her own canteloupe from a farm stand and lovingly carries it back to the car as she urges me to hurry home so she can eat it!

Last night was my turn to host Girls Night, so you know what that means: new recipes! I've been wanting to make "white sangria" for some time now, and yesterday's 90-something temps were perfect for a cold, fruity and alcoholic beverage! I skimmed several recipes online and came up with this combo:

1 bottle sauvignon blanc

1 bottle prosecco or champagne

2 peaches, pitted, peeled and sliced

1 kiwi, peeled and sliced

a large "handful" red raspberries

2-3 Tbl. sugar

Mix all ingredients together in a pitcher and refrigerate for at least an hour to let the flavors combine. I really tasted the raspberries a lot, and one of my girlfriends said she could really taste the peaches...either way, it was wonderful! We drank the pitcher rather quickly and ate the fruit too!

While we were sipping our sangria, I set out jarred peach/mango salsa and some multigrain tortilla chips. For the "main event" I made something I just saw on Pinterest this week: Corn and Zucchini Quesadillas. They were pretty simple/easy to make, and super tasty! I am sooooo making them again! I can always use new recipes for zucchini; my garden is popping them out like crazy already!

 Corn and Zucchini Quesadillas (thanks to www.ezrapoundcake.com)

olive oil
one onion, chopped
salt
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium zucchini (about a pound), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
1 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
6 or 8-inch flour tortillas
2 cups shredded cheese (like Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onion and some salt.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.  Stir in garlic and cook for one minute more.  Add zucchini and frozen corn.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until zucchini is soft and corn is tender, about 6 minutes.  Remove from heat; stir in cilantro.  Place two or three tortillas on a baking sheet.  Spoon filling onto each tortilla  and then sprinkle with cheese.  Top each with another tortilla and press down gently with spatula to seal.  Bake until cheese has melted and tortillas start to brown, turning once, about ten minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool slightly. To serve, cut eat quesadilla into wedges.

*You can also brush the outsides of the tortillas with olive oil, for a crispier texture.  

I served the quesadillas with Cilantro Lime Rice (see 6/3/12 post for recipe), which got rave reviews! It's just so LIME-Y! I finished up the meal with zesty lemon sorbet (refreshing!)

 Oh, how I love fresh, tasty summer cooking!

Simple Supper Salad

Having "overdone it" today by eating a huge Mexican lunch (shredded pork enchiladas with mole sauce) after a long day at the zoo with a 3-year-old, the last thing I wanted for supper was a big filling meal. Not to mention, I was a little too tired to cook anything complicated either! What I threw together was Salad Nicoise-inspired, minus the potatoes, green beans and anchovies....

What I threw together was: bagged romaine salad "mix"
                                            one hard-boiled egg, diced
                                            half an avocado, diced
                                            half a can light tuna, drained

I topped it with a dressing made by whisking together some olive oil, lemon juice and salt.  Simple, light, tasty, and even a little bit "summery", if I do say so myself! Now, off to watch The Vow in bed with a glass of wine...life is good!

                                          

Have a toddler/pre-schooler? Do they LOVE ranch dressing? Did you know it's SUPER SIMPLE to make? My daughter dips practically everything in ranch dressing, so much so, that I buy the giant, almost restaurant-sized containers. I saw a few recipes online and just HAD to try it! It was so simple, my 3-year-old did most of the mixing (and tasting!)...

Homemade Ranch Dressing (borrowed from http://www.foodess.com)

1/3 cup mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip)
1/2 cup sour cream, plain yogurt or buttermilk (I used buttermilk)
1 large clove garlic, minced (I used dried minced)
1 Tbl. minced fresh dill (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
1 Tbl. minced fresh parsley (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
1/2 tsp. salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Whisk all ingredients together and store in a glass jar or other sealed container in the fridge for up to a week.

I doubled the recipe so I had enough to fill a "standard size" canning jar. This tastes SO MUCH like the store-bought version it seems crazy that I haven't made it before! Yum!

So, while I was whipping up batches of ranch dressing, I thought I'd try my hand at the fairly exotic Green Goddess dressing too...my supermarket had a sale on avocados, so....

Green Goddess Dressing (this recipe is a combination of several found online)

1 avocado, peeled, pitted and cut into chunks
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup chopped herbs (tarragon, parsley, garlic and chives)
1-2 Tbl. rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
a dash lemon juice

Toss all ingredients into a blender and puree until smooth. Eat within a day or so,  as it starts to brown quickly.

I was not as pleased with the green goddess dressing as with the ranch dressing.  I think it needed some more "oomph". Maybe I'll just add avocado to the ranch mixture next time....

Got Strawberries?

So, my daughter, mother and I picked MORE strawberries yesterday; it's been a super LONG growing season here this year - hooray! This morning, I searched my pantry for a box of Bisquick mix to make shortcake with...but discovered I was out. What to do...what to do...search the Internet, of course! I found a slightly more decadent and only slightly more difficult recipe for shortcake, and it turned out great! The "biscuits" have a lot more flavor than the Bisquick version, but they were not as quick and simple to make...still, breakfast was saved! Try it out when you have half an hour or so! Or, when you don't have any Bisquick mix...

                                     please excuse my stained 10-year-old airbake cookie sheets...

Classic Shortcake (adapted from www.preparedpantry.com)

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup cold butter cut in pieces
2 large eggs whisked with 3 tablespoons of cold milk

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry knife or two sharp knives. Keep cutting until the mixture looks like coarse meal (I used my food processor, which was MUCH quicker!).  Add the egg and milk mixture. Stir until the dry ingredients are moistened but not smooth. Drop by tablespoons onto an ungreased baking sheet.  Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until the tops begin to turn brown.   

What else can you do with an extra 6 pounds of strawberries? Make kabobs, of course!

They're GREAT for picnics with a pre-schooler!

And, last, but not least, strawberries are practically PERFECT for a girls night salad like I made last week...(I forgot to take photos, so here's a "glamour shot" from Pinterest)

Strawberry Spinach Salad (adapted from www.luxefinds.com)

Spinach (I get the organic pre washed spinach in a bag)
goat cheese "crumbles"
sliced strawberries
sugared/candied pecans
poppy seed dressing (I found a strawberry poppy seed dressing at my supermarket!)

Directions:

I didn’t really measure anything out – I just eyeballed everything. Combine everything together and toss with the dressing. Bon appetit!

Mmm...lemony!

Last week, I was craving something lemony, so I tried a new twist on zucchini bread: Lemon-Zucchini Loaf with Lemon Glaze! It was super moist and the glaze is amazing! It was a great way to use up some of the shredded zucchini I STILL have in my freezer from last year. And, of course, I found this recipe on Pinterest!

Lemon-Zucchini Loaf with Lemon Glaze

 (thanks to http://nancycreative.com)

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup buttermilk

juice of one lemon (or 2 Tbl. lemon juice)

zest of one lemon

1 cup grated zucchini (you don't need to peel the zucchini before grating it)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a 9X5-inch loaf pan; set aside.  In a  large bowl, blend flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.  In a medium bowl, beat two eggs well, then add oil and sugar, and blend well.  Add the buttermilk, lemon juice and lemon zest. Blend until everything is evenly distributed in mixture.  Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and blend together. Add zucchini. Mix, but don't over mix.  Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool in pan 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack and cook completely.  While the loaf is cooling, you can make the glaze...

Lemon Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

juice of one lemon (or 1-2 Tbl. lemon juice)

In a small bowl, mix powdered sugar and lemon juice until well blended.  Spoon glaze over cooled loaf. Let glaze set, then serve.

This ain't your grandma's grilled cheese! I found some great ideas on Pinterest recently, including a sort of "green goddess" grilled cheese sandwich. Today, in my awesome-can't possibly live without it-use it all the time-panini press, I made a "green" sandwich of pesto, spinach, avocado and mozzarella cheese on Italian sandwich bread. It was total awesomeness! Do I over-use the word awesome? I need to find a more interesting/obscure expression of my excitement...

A south of the border supper...

The other night, we had a Mexican-inspired meal of Chilaquiles (an old favorite at my house) and a tasty new side-dish I found on Pinterest (of course!): Cilantro Lime Rice! Even my husband, the picky eater, liked it!

I've been making Chiaquiles for about a decade. The dish is super simple and super quick, and can be served with sour cream, guacamole and salsa.

Chilaquiles (adapted from Real Simple Magazine)

1/2 roasted chicken, store bought, or 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cooked in microwave or grilled

2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped into small pieces (totalling about 1 1/2 cups)

1/2 yellow onion, chopped into small pieces (totalling 1 cup)

2 Tbl. chopped fresh Cilantro

salt and pepper

28-ounce can enchilada sauce

15-ounce bag corn tortilla chips

2 1/4 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Pull skin off chicken and shred breast and thigh meat.  In a bowl, combine chicken, tomatoes, onion and Cilantro.  Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.  Spread 2-3 Tablespoons of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 3-quart baking dish.  On top, place half the tortilla chips, then half the chicken mixture and half the remaining sauce.  Repeat layering and top with cheese.  Bake just until the cheese melts; about 10 minutes.

Now for the AWESOME Cilantro Lime Rice...hooray for Pinterest; it's an incredible resource for new recipes!

Cilantro Lime Rice (a special thanks to www.twopeasandtheirpod.com)

1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice

1 tsp. butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. fresh squeezed lime juice

15-ounces vegetable or chicken stock

1 cup water

1 Tbl. fresh squeezed lime juice

4 Tbl. fresh chopped Cilantro

In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, 2 teaspoons lime juice, broth and water.  Bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low for 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender.  Remove from heat.  In a small bowl, whisk together 1 Tablespoon lime juice and Cilantro.  Pour over hot cooked rice and mix in as you fluff the rice.  Serve warm.

I rounded out the meal with a warmed-up can of "Mexi-corn"; what a colorful and tasty supper! Ole!