Today's Brilliant Idea: Oven Tacos!

 

 

 

Thanks once again, Pinterest! What a great idea - these tacos really hold up and don't disintegrate with the first bite! And, baking the ingredients together made for a much more savory and flavorful taco!

 

How to:

 

Brown some ground beef or turkey and add diced tomatoes and a packet of taco seasoning. Spoon into taco shells.  Spread some refried beans on top of the meat, and then top with shredded cheese.  Bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes, until cheese is melted.  Top with lettuce, tomato, sour cream, guacamole, whatever. Enjoy!  

 

 

Today's Brilliant Idea: DIY popsicles!

 

So, remember all those strawberries I've been picking? Well, I keep finding new ways to use them...exhibit A; toss some diced strawberries into a popsicle mold, add some juice and freeze till hard. That's it! My mold is from Ikea, but you can find them EVERYWHERE! Experiment with different fruit and juice combos, and enjoy!

 

Got Strawberries?

 

 

Well, strawberry season is into it's third week, so of course we had to take advantage of the opportunity to go and pick some more berries...16 1/2 pounds on our first outing, and only 8 on our second! And, can you believe I'm all out of fresh berries? I may need to stop at a farm stand today!

One of the things I always make with strawberries in the summer is freezer jam. Thanks to Pinterest, I found a super new version! One disclaimer though; usually, recipes for freezer jam instruct you to let the jarred jam set at room temperature for 24 hours before freezing or eating - to let the jam "set".  This recipe did not say anything about letting the jars set. I put 2 jars in the freezer immediately after making the jam, and put a third jar in the fridge. The one in the fridge did not "set" (thicken). It still tastes AMAZING, but is more like a thick sauce.
 

Strawberry Peach Freezer Jam (adapted from www.cheekykitchen.com)

3 cups fresh strawberries, washed and quartered
5 cups peaches, peeled and chopped (I used canned, because it's not peach season yet!)
juice of 2 lemons, which equals 4-6 tablespoons
5 cups sugar
2 packages (1 3/4 ounce) Sure Jell

Place the fruit, in small batches, into a blender.  Blend into a thick, chunky puree.  Pour into a large bowl.  Stir in lemon juice, sugar and Sure Jell and mix well.  Transfer into jars or plastic freezer containers.  Store in the freezer until ready to use.

 

I will say it again, while it did not "set" like I wanted, this jam tastes AMAZING!

Strawberry Banana Bread...can't you just smell it?

 

Strawberry season is in full-swing in the midwest, so we have been consuming LARGE quantities of berries the past two weeks! I hate to waste a single moment when strawberries are in season; there's so much to make/do before they are no more! Yesterday, I tried a new recipe that is definitely going to go into the "tried and true" category in my recipe notebook: Strawberry Banana Bread. So ridiculously good!

 

Strawberry Banana Bread

(adapted from http://galexicupcakes.blogspot.com)

 

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 banana, divided (mash half and slice the other half into thin slices)

1/4 cup canola/vegetable oil

one egg, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups diced strawberries

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour a 9 X 5 loaf pan. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugars and baking soda.  Add the mashed banana and stir.  Add the oil, beaten  and vanilla.  Stir until just combined.  Gently fold in one cup of the strawberries.  Pour batter into prepared pan and top with the sliced bananas and remaining strawberries, pressing them gently into the batter.  Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  You may need to bake for 40-50 minutes, as the batter is extremely moist.  Allow to cool before removing from pan. Yum, yum, yum!

 

Today's Brilliant Idea: Egg in Toast!

 

I cannot believe I have never made this SUPER SIMPLE twist on fried eggs and toast before; I'd heard of it, in theory, but never tried it out. Best breakfast idea ever....and most importantly; Regan loved it! I made my version a little cuter with a heart-shaped cookie cutter, because breakfast should be fun!

Here's what I did: cut a shape out of the center of a slice of bread and set aside.  Melt some butter or margarine in a frying pan. Place slice of bread in pan. Break egg INTO opening in the center. Season with salt and pepper. Flip and fry other side to your liking. Remove from pan and toss in cute cutout piece of bread. Fry till golden. Serve! See, sooooooo easy! And, just as important; CUTE!

Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts - oh yeah!

 

 Brussels sprouts are all the rage right now, if you didn't know, so I've been looking for different ways to make them tasty and interesting. What really convinced my 4-year-old daughter to try them was an episode of Olivia (the cartoon pig), where Brussels sprouts are really shown in a good light! Thank you Nick Jr..... :)   Anywhoo, I found this gem of a recipe on Pinterest (of course), and while it was amazingly delicious; all savory and salty,  my husband still wouldn't touch the stuff...no surprise...

Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Smokey Bacon
derived from http://thehealthyfoodie.com


a pound, or so, Brussels sprouts
4-5 slices bacon
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced (I used about one TBL dried)
2 Tablespoons whole grain mustard (I used about one TBL mustard powder
2 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon paprika
sea salt
freshly cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Trim the ends off the Brussels sprouts and cut them in half.  Place in a large mixing bowl.  Dice bacon and sprinkle over the sprouts.  In a separate bowl, mix olive oil, garlic, mustard, honey and paprika.  Add salt and pepper to taste, and toss all ingredients until well combined. Spread coated sprouts in a single layer on a shallow baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, turning once or twice, until the sprouts are tender and golden and the bacon is crispy.

And, as described on Olivia, they were deeeeelicious!