Dinner Party

I hosted my first dinner party this past week. I served a roasted butternut squash soup, roasted asparagus, and toasted olive/labneh bread.

The soup was inspired by a recipe that I found in "The Lebanese Kitchen." The recipe calls for apples, but as I hate sweet and savory tastes mixed together, I used a lovely red pepper, instead. I also added in a fresh lemon and garlic, and I didn't measure anything. I kind of hate following recipes. ;) The soup was garnished with slivered, toasted almonds.

The asparagus was washed, spread on a baking sheet, drizzled with olive oil and salt, and roasted for approximately 12 minutes at 375 degrees.

The bread was a loaf of focaccia that I sliced into 1 inch slices. I brushed the tops with jalepeno flavored olive oil and broiled the bread until it was toasted to perfection. I spread labneh on top of the bread, and topped them with sliced olives.

Delicious.

  

Strawberry Lemon Coconut Cake

I made this cake for our Easter meal. I basically followed this recipe, though I substituted the raspberry jam with strawberry.

Reese's Peanut Butter Bars

I whipped up these delicious bars yesterday- they tasted even better today, after they had been refrigerated all day. The recipe is from here, and they are super easy!

Hasselback Potatoes

Hasselback Potatoes

Slice potatoes thinly, not slicing the entire way through. Place on baking sheet. Place thin garlic slices between potato "slits", drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake at 425 degrees for 40 minutes or until done.

Strawberry Banana Kefir Ice Cream

Strawberry Banana Kefir Ice Cream

1 quart of plain kefir

2 ripe bananas

1/4 c. honey

1/2 c. heavy whipping cream

12 oz. strawberries

Mix together in blender. You can either freeze in ice cream maker, or pour into a large container, stirring it every hour.

(I used the latter method- I believe I'll make popsicles next time so I don't have to worry about stirring!)

Enjoy!

Fresh Lemon Balm

Kefir Smoothie

I've been making my own kefir for less than a week. Tonight, I made a smoothie, and it turned out quite well!

Easy Kefir Smoothie

1 cup of plain kefir

1 very ripe banana

1/4 cup blueberries

1/4 cup blackberries

Blend and serve!

I love green smoothies, so I believe that I'll add spinach to mine next time. It won't be as pretty, but it will have extra nutrients!

Balsamic Rosemary Pork Chops

• 20 oz Pork Loin Chop
• 3/4 cup Chicken Broth Sodium
• 3 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
• Olive Oil Cooking Spray
• 1/8 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Pepper, Black
• 2 tbsp fresh rosemary

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Sprinkle chops with rosemary, salt and pepper. Spray skillet with non-stick spray over medium heat. Add pork chops and cook till done about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to Plate. Add broth and vinegar to skillet, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan. Boil mixture until slightly thickened.Add pork chops to mixture and cook again- about 1 minute per side.

Traditional Irish Soda Bread

Traditional Irish Soda Bread

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350F and grease a cookie sheet.
In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients and stir together. Add buttermilk and mix with a large spoon (or with your hands!) until the dough comes together- it will feel like biscuit dough. The dough should be moist, but not sticky and hard to handle.
Form into a round and place on greased cookie sheet. Slice an X into the top with a sharp knife and bake for about 40 minutes, until dark golden. Rub top with butter while still warm.

Irish Potato Carrot Soup

5 tbsp. butter
1 med. onion, diced
5 clove garlic, crushed
3 stalks celery, chopped
5 carrots, sliced
6 med. potatoes, chopped
16 oz. chicken broth
1 1/2 to milk
1/2 tsp. each: salt, thyme
1/4 tsp. pepper

Cook onion, garlic, celery and carrots and potatoes in butter in large saucepan about 5 minutes. Stir in chicken broth and thyme. Simmer 30-40 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Puree. Return to pan. Add milk, salt and pepper stir until heated.

Yum!

Plesniak (Polish Moldy Cake)

No, it's not moldy! In fact, it is quite tasty! I recently made this for a fellowship meal, and not a single piece was left. I used cherry pie filling, but this can also be made with apple or prune filling.

Makes 8-12 servings or 1 (13x9-inch) Polish Moldy Cake - Plesniak

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 cup sugar, divided
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 9 ounces (1 stick + 2 tablespoons) room-temperature butter
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 4 large egg whites
• 3 (12- to 14-ounce) cans prune or cherry pie filling

Preparation:

1. To make the dough: In a medium bowl, beat together egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar until thick and lemon-colored. In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, butter and vanilla. Then add the egg-yolk mixture and mix thoroughly.
   
   
2. Divide dough into 3 pieces. Mix 1 portion of dough with cocoa powder until well blended. Wrap each piece of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours.
   
   
3. To assemble the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. Take out one piece of dough and roll it to fit the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread the prune or cherry filling evenly over the base of the cake.
   
   
4. Remove the cocoa-flavored dough from the refrigerator and grate it on top of the fruit filling.
   
   
5. In a medium bowl, beat egg whites with remaining 1/2 cup sugar until stiff peaks form, and spread on top of the grated cocoa dough.
   
   
6. Remove the last portion of dough from the refrigerator and grate it on top of the egg whites. Bake 40-60 minutes or until egg whites are set and top is golden brown. Let cool completely in the pan before slicing and serving.

Originally published here.

Chłopski Posiłek (Peasants' Meal)

Chłopski Posiłek (Peasants' Meal)

'Peasants' Meal' might not sound very tasty, but this traditional Polish dish is delicious! This is one of those recipes that you can 'fudge.' Have fun experimenting with it.

2 1/2 cups water

2		medium cabbages, chopped
2		lbs. Polish Kielbasa, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices.
1		large onion, diced
4		cloves garlic, minced (optional)
		Throw all ingredients in the crock pot! I cooked mine overnight on low, and it was delicious!

Chocolate Banana Cake

This cake is fabulous warm AND refrigerated!

Originally posted here.

Chocolate Banana Cake: 2 cups (400 grams) granulated white sugar 1 3/4cups (245 grams) all-purpose flour 3/4 cup (75 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder (regular or Dutch-processed) 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 large eggs 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 medium sized bananas) 1 cup (240 ml) warm water 1/2 cup (120 ml) milk 1/2 cup (120 ml) corn, safflower or canola oil(or other flavorless oil) 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract Chocolate GanacheFrosting: 8 ounces (227 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces 3/4 cup (180 ml) heavy whipping cream 1tablespoon(14 grams) unsalted butter Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place rack in the center of the oven. Butter, or spray with a non stick vegetable spray, a 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33 cm) pan. Set aside. In a large bowl whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder,baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In another large bowl, whisk together the eggs, mashed bananas, water, milk, oil, and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir, or whisk, until combined. You will notice that the batter is quite thin. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. When completely cooled, frost with the Ganache. Ganache:Place the chopped chocolate in a medium sized stainless steel, or heatproof bowl. Set aside. Heat the cream and butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat (can also be heated in the microwave). Bring just to a boil. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. When Ganache has completely cooled, beat until soft and fluffy (I use a wire whisk). Then spread the frosting on top of the cake. Can garnish with dried banana chips.

Tangy Glazed Salmon

Tangy Glazed Salmon

1 T. mayonnaise

3 T. balsamic vinegar (I used kombucha)

1 T. olive oil

1/2 t. dried rosemary

1/2 t. dried oregano

2 T. dark brown sugar

Mix all ingredients together. Marinate 3 salmon fillets in mixture for 30 minutes. Place marinated fillets in baking dish and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Glaze fillets with remaining sauce and bake for 4 minutes.

Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

• One box Devil's Food cake mix
• 16 oz. pumpkin- canned or fresh
• 6 oz. fat-free cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 T milk
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix and pumpkin. Stir until completely blended (the mixture will remain very thick). Spread batter into greased 9X13 baking dish and set aside. Combine softened cream cheese with sugar, milk, and vanilla Mix together until lump free. Spoon dots of cheesecake mixture over the brownie batter, and use a knife or skewer ( I used a chopstick!) to swirl it in. It doesn't have to be perfect- your brownies will have a nice marbled look! Bake for 25-30 minutes, until inserted knife comes out clean.

These taste best after they have been refrigerated for a day.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 package of chocolate cake mix

2 eggs

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1 c. chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients together. Roll dough into balls and place onto un-greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Let sit on cookie sheet for 1 minute before transferring to cooling racks.

Zucchini Bacon Quiche

Zucchini Bacon Quiche

• 1 tube 8 oz. crescent rolls
• 2 tsp. prepared mustard
• 6 bacon strips, diced
• 3 cups thinly sliced zucchini
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 T. parsley
• 1/2 t. pepper
• 1/4 t. garlic powder
• 1/4 t. oregano
• 1/4 t. basil

Separate crescent rolls into triangles, and place in bottom of pan, with tips pointing to the center of pan. Spread mustard on top.

Cook bacon until crisp. Remove from heat. Cook zucchini and onions in grease until tender.

Mix eggs, cheese, zucchini mixture, and spices together. Pour over crust.

Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Fruit Leather

Our family recently bought a dehydrator. One fun experiment was making fruit leather. Or fruit jerky, as my neighbor calls it.

We didn't use a strict recipe. Basically, we cooked some pears, pureed them, and added various spices and fruits. Each flavor is quite delicious.

Any real recipes would be appreciated.

Summer Squash Casserole

6 cups squash (sliced thin)

4 eggs, beaten

2 cup cheese

6 T. chopped onion

2 cup cracker crumbs

Mix all ingredients together and spread into greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Garlic Shrimp Pasta

• Garlic Shrimp Pasta
• 1 (12 ounce) package pasta- I used spaghetti
• 2 1/2 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3 teaspoons lemon thyme
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 large dash Worcestershire sauce
• 1 large dash hot sauce
• 1 lb. of fresh broccoli florets
• 1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 
  
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions.
• 
  
• Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook until smooth. Slowly stir in milk and cream; simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir in lemon thyme, parsley, garlic, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer
• 
  
• Meanwhile, steam broccoli until done.
• 
  
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet. Saute shrimp and garlic until done.
• 
  
• Toss everything together and serve. Enjoy!