Memorial Weekend Extravaganza

So this post will have to be cleaned up later, but before all links get deleted off the iPad tonight, food with our friends rocked. Here's just a whole pile of recipes from the weekend:

Saturday: homemade pizza with the sauce from the vegetarian lasagna on this site.

Sunday: Swanson family flank steak, spinach salad with poppyseed dressing, herb roasted potatoes, chocolate cake to die for

Monday:
breakfast: overnight French toast (http://www.ourbestbites.com/2012/12/overnight-baked-french-toast/)
Fresh berries, maple syrup
Lunch: watermelon, peanut butter/apple sandwiches, chips and one-minute salsa 
(http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2010/06/one-minute-salsa.html)
Dinner: kale salad
grilled pineapple (http://www.skinnytaste.com/2008/05/grilled-pineapple-2-pts.html
Grilled portobello burgers 
(http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/portobello-mushroom-burger-recipe/index.html
(The aioli was great for both the portobello burger and beef burger)
Grilled corn on the cob with lime butter sauce 
(lime zest and juice and salt mixed into butter at room temp then chilled)
Grilled burgers with Montreal steak seasoning, fresh onions, avocado, tomatoes, aioli 
(but how cool would all these sauce concoctions be?? 
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes-and-cooking/50-condiments/page-2.html)
Watermelon (because you have to have it every day of the summer)
Apple pie with crumb topping (http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/11/crumb-topped-apple-pie/)
Cherry pie (http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/06/sweet-cherry-pie/)

Tuesday: 
breakfast: crepes with topping choices of fresh fruit, nutella, cinnamon, some biscotti spread that 
was part ambrosia, leftover pie
Lunch: corn, edamame, tomato salad, kale salad
Dinner: spaghetti (http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2009/10/homemade-spaghetti-sauce-perfected.html)

Food, friends, and fun. It was a great weekend!

Classic Pesto

Tonight I threw together a dinner of random stuff in the fridge and it was really good. I sauteed zucchini and squash in a tablespoon of coconut oil, then added a handful of halved cherry tomatoes off the heat. Then I made this pesto I found on Cooks Country and it was so good. It may be on the salty side, so I'd start with 1/4 t salt and go up from there next time. 

Serving size: 3/4 c pesto (enough for 1 lb pasta)

• 3garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 1/4cup pine nuts
• 2cups fresh basil leaves
• 7tablespoons EVOO
• 1/4cup grated Parmesan cheese
•  Salt and pepper

1. Toast garlic in 10-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and skins are just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add pine nuts and continue to cook until garlic is spotty brown and nuts are golden, 2 to 3 minutes. When it is cool enough to handle, peel garlic.

• 2. Process garlic, nuts, basil, oil, Parmesan, and 1/4 teaspoon salt (add more as needed) in food processor until smooth, scraping down bowl as needed, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (Pesto can be covered with 1 tablespoon oil and refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 1 month.

Poppy Seed Dressing

We make this at home all the time. It's great with a quick salad of spinach, fresh strawberries, red onions, and feta (and candied sliced almonds or pecans).

1/2 c sugar
1.5 t ground mustard
1/3 c red wine vinegar
1/2 t salt
1/8 c chopped white onion
1 c canola oil
1 t poppy seeds

Combine all in a blender EXCEPT poppy seeds. Stir in poppy seeds after.

Coconut Cilantro Rice

Tonight I made baked tilapia with ginger and cilantro from Mel's Kitchen and paired it with this rice recipe. It was great and the boys kept going back for more. Will make again.

11oz coconut milk
2 t salt
About 2 inches ginger sliced thin then pressed the flat end of knife to release juices
2 c brown jasmine or basmati rice
1/2 c cilantro

Bring coconut milk, 2.5 c water, and ginger to a rolling boil in pot with tight fitting lid.  Pour in rice and stir well. Bring to a boil again and then reduce to low. Cover with paper towel and lid and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in cilantro and serve.

Chocolate Pudding Cake (Slow Cooker)

1 c (5oz) all-purpose flour
1 c (7oz) sugar
1/2 c (1.5oz) Dutch-processed coca
2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1/2 c whole milk
4 T unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg yolk
2 t vanilla extract
1/2 c (3oz) semisweet chocolate chips
1 c boiling water

1. Line slow cooker with aluminum foil collar and spray with vegetable oil spray.

2. Whisk flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa, baking powder, and salt together in large bowl. In separate bowl, whisk together milk, melted butter, egg yolk, and vanilla. Add milk mixture to flour mixture, stirring until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips (batter will be stiff). Scrape butter into prepared slow cooker and spread to edges.

3. Mix remaining 1/2 c sugar with remaining 1/4 c cocoa, then sprinkle over batter. Slowly pour boiling water on top. Do not stir. Cover and cook until top of cake looks cracked, sauce is bubbling, and toothpick inserted into cakey area comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 1.5 hours on high.

4. Remove foil collar and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Cherry Cobbler (Slow Cooker)

Since I was a kid eating Mrs. Smith's cherry pies at Christmas time, I love a good cherry pie. So here's a yummy slow cooker cherry cobbler recipe from America's Test Kitchen magazine.

Cherry Filling
4 (15oz) cans sweet cherries in syrup, drained
1/4 c (1.75oz) sugar
1/4 c dry red wine
1T instant tapioca
1/4 t almond extract

Biscuits
1 c (5oz) all-purpose flour
1/4 c (1.75oz)
2 t sugar
2 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/3 c buttermilk
4 T unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 t vanilla extract
1/8 t ground cinnamon

1. For the cherry filling: combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover and cook until cherries are soft, about 4 hours on low.

2. For the biscuits: adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

3. Whisk flour, 1/4 c sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in large bowl. In separate bowl, whisk buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla together. Gently stir buttermilk mixture into flour mixture until dough is just combined.

4. Divide dough into 6 equal pieces, round gently into biscuits, and space them 1.5 inches apart on prepared baking sheet. In small bowl, mix remaining 2 teaspoons sugar with cinnamon and sprinkle on top of biscuits. Bake until biscuits are golden and cooked through, 15-20 minutes. (Biscuits can be made 4 to 6 hours ahead.)

5. Spoon cherry filling into individual serving bowls and top each with biscuit. Serve.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Rotisserie chicken is so great for so many things - chicken salad, chicken enchiladas, chicken noodle soup. And this is a Cooks Country recipe that is so easy. We love it on weeknights in the winter. 

3 T butter

1 onion, chopped

1 celery rib, sliced thin

2 carrots, peeled and sliced into thin rounds

2 t minced fresh thyme

salt and pepper

8 c low-sodium chicken broth (prefer Swanson's Organic Broth)

4 oz egg noodles (prefer Light and Fluffy)

1 rotisserie chicken, skin discarded, meat shredded into bite-sized pieces (about 3 cups)

1 c frozen peas

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1. Melt butter in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook onion, celery, carrots, thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon salt until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in broth and simmer, covered, until vegetables are softened, 10 to 15 minutes.
• 2. Add noodles to pot and simmer, uncovered, until tender, about 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in chicken and peas until heated through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.