Quick Panzanella (Italian Bread Salad)

Too hot to cook?  I've got a solution for you.  Panzanella!  It's an Italian bread salad that is bursting with flavor.  Plus, its simple to put together.  Let it marinate in the fridge for a few hours and you're good to go!

Purdum's, Western Idaho's favorite vegetable stand, is finally open.  I picked up some pickling cukes there and used them in the salad.  Yum!  So happy the veggie stands are finally starting to pop up again.  So head to your local farmers market or veggie stand and get started!

Quick Panzanella
1/3 of a sourdough baguette, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 lg tomato, chopped
1/2 cucumber, peeled and chopped
2 Tbsp fresh basil, slivered
2 Tbsp Olive oil
2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar (reduced to a syrup, then measured)
salt and pepper to taste

-Combine all ingredients in a bowl, toss well, cover with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator for a few hours.  Stir well again and serve.

Have you seen 'Extra Virgin' on the cooking channel?  I love it!  Actress Debi Mazar cooks with her Italian husband, Gabriele Corcos.  The two are hilarious!  She has the New York accent and he has an Italian accent.  Highly entertaining and the food looks wonderful.  They made Panzanella a bit differently by rinsing the bread in water and squeezing it out, adding onions, etc.  They also never use sourdough bread, but I like the flavor it brings to the salad.  Plus, its what I had in the house.  There you go!

Summer is in full swing and many people are camping.  A coworker brought a little creature back from the fire pit of the campground.  Someone obviously was extremely bored in the woods.  Check this out...

What is it?  A potato mouse?  Who knows.  Just watch out when you're in the woods.  There are some very strange individuals out there!

Dilly Potato Salad

Have you ever eaten at Gandalfo's?  For those of you that haven't, its a New York style deli with about a million different sandwiches.  Fun names like 'Knuckle Sandwich'!  And some HUGE dill pickles. You know me and pickles. ;-)

Gandalfo's also has a really amazing potato salad.  Its a sour cream base with fresh dill.  Here is my version.  The salad will seem very wet at first but as it cools, the potatoes will absorb some of the excess liquid. This is enough to feed 4-6 people, but the recipe can easily be doubled.

Dilly Potato Salad
2 lbs potatoes (I use redskin, whiteskin or gold skin, not russets)
1/2 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1-1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill

1.  Chop potatoes into 1" chunks and place in a large pot with cool water.  Make sure the water level is about an inch above the potato chunks.  Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 20 minutes.  Drain well and rinse with cool water.  Allow to drain for about 10 minutes.

2.  Mix remaining ingredients in a medium bowl.  Fold in the potatoes.  Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.  Be sure to fold in the potatoes to avoid too much breakage.

Serve with your favorite BBQ foods-- like smoked sausage and a green salad.

Don't forget to give your patio buddies some luvs!  Mocha has found a new comfy spot under the patio table.

Veggie Grill Night! Lemon Thyme Mushrooms and Grilled Caprese

What a weekend!  After traveling to the east coast for work, I traveled to Idaho Falls for a visit.  By the time I got home last night, I was pooped.  I wanted something that was good, but fast!  Yeah for grilling!

I love mushrooms-- especially when they are grilled in a foil packet on the grill.  No pan to clean!  Mushrooms are savory enough to satisfy a meat craving and tender enough to melt in your mouth.  Especially when you pair them with a bit of butter and some fresh Lemon Thyme! 

Have you ever had tomatoes on the grill?  They are absolutely delightful.  The grill adds a smokey flavor that goes very well with a tomato's sweet acidity.  Top it with fresh basil leaves and mozzarella cheese and you've got dinner!

Lemon Thyme Grilled Mushrooms

8 oz. mushrooms, cut in half or in quarters, depending on size
4 sprigs fresh lemon thyme
1 Tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
salt and pepper to taste
2 large sheets aluminum foil

1.  Divide mushrooms between the two sheets of foil.
2.  Sprinkle with half the butter, half the lemon thyme sprigs, and salt and pepper.
3.  Fold over one side of the foil.

4.  Fold over the opposite side, making sure they overlap.

5.  Fold in the sides to the middle.

6.  Crimp to be sure the juices won't escape.

7.  Grill over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, turning every 5 minutes.

8.  Remove packet from grill, let cool for about 5 minutes, then carefully open the packet.  Yumminess!

Grilled Caprese
1 Large Tomato, cut into 1" thick slabs
6 fresh basil leaves
3 Tbsp shredded mozzarella

1.  Place tomato slab on the grill.  Top with basil and mozzarella.
2.  Close the lid and cook over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

3.  Serve with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.  This one needs a knife and fork!

Have a great week!

Artichokes with Parmesan Garlic Butter

One of the things we got last weekend in the Bountiful Basket was artichokes.  I love artichoke hearts!  I love them in pasta, on pizza, in salads, on sandwiches...but I have to admit.  I was intimidated by this alien looking vegetable.  I've never made them at home.  Well, time to change that!

I know most people dip their artichokes in melted butter or mayo, but I decided to kick things up a bit by making a garlic-Parmesan butter dip for my artichokes.  And let me tell you-- this stuff was soooooo gooooood!!!  I think I'll serve it over asparagus or green beans next.  YUM!

Some websites said to clip the tops off of all the leaves to remove thorns.  Well, I must have had a different variety of artichoke.  No thorns here!  Here's how I steamed Mr.  Artichoke.

Steamed Artichokes with Garlic Parmesan Butter
1 artichoke
1/2 lemon
1 tsp Parmesan cheese
3 Tbsp butter, melted
 2 cloves garlic, minced, divided

1.  Cut Artichoke into quarters.  Rub each cut side with the cut side of the 1/2 lemon.  Slice lemon.  Place lemon and 1 minced garlic clove in the bottom of a medium pot.  Fill pot with about 3/4" water.  Place steamer basket in the pot and put the cut up artichoke in the basket.  Cover, bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer.  Simmer/ steam for about 30 minutes.

2.  Remove artichoke from pot.  Use a spoon to scoop out the fuzzy choke.

3.  Place the butter and Parmesan in a microwave safe bowl.  Microwave for 20 to 30 seconds, or until butter is melted.  Stir in the garlic.*

4.  Serve melted butter with artichokes.  Take each leaf, dip in the butter, and scrape out the 'meat' with your teeth.  Don't forget to eat the heart-- its the best part!

*Note:  I learned the hard way NOT to add the garlic before microwaving.  It will turn brown and burn before the butter is completely melted.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Since that Artisan Bread makes the CUTEST bread bowl for soup, I thought I'd include a really really good soup recipe.

Broccoli Cheese Soup sounds simple enough, but its really not.  It can easily come out as a glop of cheese swimming in a sea of curdled milk.  Oh yes, it happened.  Not this time-- this time was much better!

It all began with my Bountiful Basket.  Don't know what a Bountiful Basket is?  Go here: http://www.bountifulbaskets.org/ and check it out.  The week before last, we got a ton of Broccoli.  A TON!!  six small heads of the stuff.  Broccoli is great, but you can have it steamed only so many days in a row.  Then you start crinkling your nose and uttering things like 'Broccoli AGAIN?!'.  Until you make this soup.  Then you'll be hoarding it away in little plastic containers in your fridge-- with labels for each day of the week.  Yes, that happened too!  But don't worry.  I shared with the people at work!

Here is my lovely recipe for Broccoli Cheese Soup (adapted from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Excellent-Broccoli-Cheese-Soup/Detail.aspx).

Broccoli Cheese Soup
1/2 medium onion, chopped fine
3/4 cup butter (the REAL stuff)
3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 quarts chicken stock
1/2 gallon 2% milk
1 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp white pepper
6 cups chopped broccoli*
2 carrots, peeled and shredded
1-1/2 lbs Velveeta, cut into little cubes
3 cups Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

1.  Melt butter in the bottom of a very large pot.  Add onion.  Saute until onion is soft and translucent, but not browned (about 5 minutes).

2.  Sprinkle in the flour and whisk.  Cook about 2 minutes to get the raw flour taste out.  Keep it moving so it doesn't burn. 

3.  While constantly stirring, slowly add in the chicken stock.  Keep it moving and add it slow-- this will prevent any lumps from forming.  Once the chicken stock is in, stir in the milk, salt and pepper.  Bring this mixture barely to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes.  Be sure to stir every few minutes to prevent the milk from burning on the bottom.

4.  Meanwhile, place the broccoli and shredded carrot in a large pot with a few inches of water.  Cook until crisp-tender, 5 to 7 minutes.  Drain well and set aside.

5.  Gradually add the Velveeta chunks, a few at a time with stirring, to the milk mixture.  Once all the Velveeta is mixed in, slowly sprinkle in the Sharp Cheddar cheese, stirring constantly.  Stir in the Worcestershire sauce.  Add the drained vegetables to the pot and stir well.  Cook another 5-10 minutes, or until vegetables are warmed through and the soup is hot!

To serve in a bread bowl:
Trim off the top 1/3 of the Artisan Bread Loaf.  Carefully hollow out the bottom of the loaf using a spoon-- be sure to leave at least an inch or so of bread all around.  Ladle in the soup and enjoy!

*I used fresh broccoli here.  I trimmed off the florets, then peeled and chopped the stalk.  You could also use a big bag of frozen chopped broccoli.

Butternut Squash Salad and Soup

Say Hello to Bella! She's one of my parents' new pups. My parents adopted Bella and her sister, Gracie, a couple weekends ago. I haven't EVER seen my Dad giggle so much. :) Ralfie and Tobie had the joy of spending a week at their house while I went on a business trip to Pittsburgh. Ralfie was the best cousin! He was really good with the girls.

Tobie was scared to death of them! He spent most of his time on the couch or ottoman where the girls couldn't get to him.

Here's Mr Ralfie making sure the girls are playing nice. Bella just loves cuddling up in that lion neck pillow that my mom found. Ralfie was a little nervous about the girls playing with his bear or his bone, but other than that he made a very good cousin!

And Mr. Ralfie again after his haircut yesterday. Tried to get a pic of Tobie but it didn't turn out. Darn!

And now on to dinner. I made this Butternut Squash Salad last night. There are a few suggestions I have for making it better. As is, it was ok. I learned something-- Butternut squash is MUCH easier to peel once its cooked!

I served it along side a grilled chicken breast with a bit of blue cheese crumbles.

Interesting flavor combo! Here's the recipe:

Cut a butternut squash in half lengthwise, scoop out all the seeds. Cut the 'Bowl' part off of the top part. Then cut into 1"x1" strips. Put these in a pot and add just enough chicken stock/broth to cover. Add 1/2 of a chopped onion. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove the squash from the liquid (but save the liquid!) and let cool. Once cool enough to handle, peel and cut the squash into bite-size pieces. Save 2 cups for the salad and add the rest back to the broth. The squash should be just underdone.

For the dressing, whisk together 2 Tbsp cider vinegar, 1-1/2 Tbsp apple juice or apple butter, 1 Tbsp canola oil, 1/2 tsp dried parsley or 1 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley and 1/4c chopped red onion. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let stand for about 10 minutes. I used dried parsley but I think fresh chopped parsley would have been much better.

Add the cooked squash pieces and toss. Serve with grilled chicken and blue cheese. Blue cheese would make a GREAT addition to this salad, along with dried cranberries and toasted sliced pecans. Yum!

As for the rest of that squash in the pot, make soup! Let it simmer another 5-7 minutes, then remove from the heat and zip with an immersion blender until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and whatever spices you have around. Curry is nice, fresh rosemary would be good. This makes a silky flavorful soup! I think I'll use a few Tbsp of pumpkin butter in mine. Yum!

Caprese and Roasted Veggies (purple cauliflower)

It's officially September! I can't believe how fast this year is going by. We only have another few weeks of farm stand goodness, so I've been cooking veggies like crazy! Last night, the neighbors and I decided to have a veggie dinner. We started off with Caprese, my favorite summer salad. We also had grilled sweet corn, marinated cukes, cantaloupe and Parmesan zucchini crisps. It was wonderful!

Earlier this week, I turned on the oven and roasted the veggies I had lying around. I tossed a sweet onion, yellow summer squash, purple bell pepper and purple cauliflower in olive oil. I then spread it out on a pan and baked it at 350°F for 30 minutes. Then I cut up a golden tomato and threw that on top with some garlic and herb seasoning. Returned it to the oven at 400°F for about 20 minutes and it was HEAVEN! This really isn't the best picture in the world, but you get the idea.

Caprese:

Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, sliced

1-2 Tomatoes, sliced thick

Fresh Basil

Balsamic Vinegar

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

1. Put the balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan and reduce by at least half to make a sweet syrup. Set aside to cool.

2. Layer cheese, tomatoes and basil on a platter or plate.

3. Drizzle with balsamic and olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Done!

Marinated Cucumbers:

Peel and slice a cucumber. Place in a bowl with enough seasoned rice vinegar to just cover. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let stand about 10 minutes and serve. Sometimes I also like to add a bit of sweet onion or fresh dill. Yum!

Parmesan Zucchini Crisps (Ellie Krieger, Food Network): Look it up! For some reason, it won't let me cut and paste anything into Blogger. :(

Soup is on the horizon, but not for a few weeks. We'll be in the 90's this Labor Day weekend and that's just too hot for soup! :)

The veggies of Fruitland

Hooray! The veggie stands in Fruitland are FINALLY open! Currently in my fridge: orange cauliflower, fresh broccoli, cucumbers, zuchini, green beans, lettuce greens, patty-hat squash (that's what a little kid called them), corn on the cob, a sweet onion, and a jar of dilly beans. Going to be some good stuff. I also got some Parma Sourdough bread and Chocolate milk. Yum!

Last night, I cut up two small zucchini and sauted them in a pan with canola oil, a little garlic, and some Lawry's seasoning (reduced sodium). When they were almost done, I threw in a tomato I cut up. It was devine! Tonight for dinner, we'll put the Sourdough bread to good use and make some BLT-A's (BLT with Avocado). Can't wait!

I've made some really good friends here that live just down the street. Aimee and Corby are great and their pup, Eddy, loves Ralfie and Tobie. We went on a drive out to Steck Park last night (about 20 miles outside of Weiser, ID). Tobie went directly into the water. He loves to swim! Ralfie doesn't even like to get his feet wet. Here are a few photos.

That's all for now. I'll dig out the camera and post some pics of the produce and dishes I make out of them.

Long time no see! (Greek Salad)

My goodness it's been a while! Things have been great, but really busy. Mom, Dad and Ryan are still with us, but are in the moving stage. Most of their belongings are in the garage of their new home-- just waiting for the hardwood and tiled floors to be sealed one more time before officially moving in. We should be lugging things in this weekend. I'm excited for them, but sad at the same time. It will be very different not having as many people around.

The pets are doing well. We got a surprise the Saturday before last. I took Charlie in for his annual checkup and found out that he had FORLs. That means that his immune system started attacking his teeth and they were rotting from the inside out. He had to go into surgery and have all his teeth removed with the exception of his bottom fangs and the very front teeth on the top and bottom. They gave him a pain patch along with droppers containing pain medication and antibiotics to be administered every 12 hours. We took the pain patch off last night and he is doing very well. He really likes getting canned cat food every day, but isn't so keen on the dropper medicines.

I started a new thing at work-- Ladies Friday Lunch. A group of six of us get together every Friday and we take turns making lunch. The only stipulation we have is that the lunch must be healthy. So far, I've made Greek salad and Lynn made some wonderful corn curry (indian food). I can't wait to see what everyone else will make! Here's the recipe for my greek salad:

1 head romaine, chopped
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 tomato, cored and chopped
10 kalamata olives, halved
6 pepperonchinis, seeded and cut in half
1 small can artichoke hearts in oil, drained with oil reserved
4 oz. fat free feta cheese

Dressing:
3T. oil from artichoke hearts
Juice of half a lemon
1/2t. dried oregano
1/4t. pepper

Directions:
Place dressing ingredients in a jar and shake. Place all salad ingredients in a large bowl and pour the dressing over it. Toss well to coat everything with the dressing and serve immediately.