Please don't egg my house

I'm having growing concerns that one day I'll wake up to find my 4-year old's bed empty, and in place of his sleeping body will be a ransom note that says:

"Give us more Foodie and the boy will be returned to you, unharmed."

I've been asked about a handful of times when I was going to start blogging again. I figured I better git off my lazy arse before people start resorting to drastic measures. I'll spare you all the blah details of my life and throw out a couple seasonal recipes that yielded fresh, flavorful, summery results. Ya better hurry, though, if you want to prepare these dishes cause autumn will be rearing its lovely head soon.

Sweet Corn and Summer Squash Soup

I love it when I see that a recipe only has a minimal amount of ingredients. And this soup is a perfect example of the fact that good quality recipes need not contain insane amounts of ingredients you can't pronounce. Sometimes simplicity produces the best results. I maintained the simplicity of the dish by serving it with rustic french rolls (from Trader Joe's, no less!) and tossed green salad. (Found in Cooking Light.)

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 cups chopped onion (about 1 large)
• 4 cups fresh corn kernels (about 7 ears)
• 3 cups water
• 2 cups chopped yellow squash
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add onion to pan; cover and cook 10 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add corn and next 4 ingredients (through pepper); bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Cool slightly. Place half of corn mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Strain corn mixture through a sieve into a large bowl; discard solids. (I chose not to strain the soup...too much work, plus the soup tasted great without being strained.)Repeat procedure with remaining corn mixture. Serve immediately.

Grilled Vegetable Salad

Something magical happens to vegetables when they're grilled. It's as if their best flavor molecules are suddenly released and kick up good veggies to stellar veggies. I'm a total sucker for grilled veggies and in addition to eating them as a side dish with dinner, here are 2 other ways I love to utilize leftovers. First--all those magical properties of grilled veggies are the secret ingredient for an intensely flavorful omelet. Just chop up the leftovers and throw into your omelet while cooking it. Second, I love to add leftover grilled veggies to my typical lunch salad. Mmmm, I'm getting a little giddy just thinking about it. I have to admit that this recipe did involve quite a bit of prep work, but it was totally worth it in the end. This picture is shown before I added the goat cheese. (Also found in Cooking Light.)

Vinaigrette:

• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Salad:

• 8 ounces asparagus, trimmed
• 2 (4-inch) portobello mushroom caps (I used 6 oz. of sliced baby portobello mushrooms)
• 1 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1 yellow squash, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1 small red onion, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1 red bell pepper, halved and seeded
• Cooking spray (I chose to use brush all the veggies with olive oil, in place of the cooking spray)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 6 tablespoons crumbled queso fresco (I substituted crumbled goat cheese)

Prepare grill to medium-high heat. To prepare vinaigrette, combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl; set aside.

To prepare salad, coat asparagus, mushrooms, zucchini, squash, onion, and bell pepper with cooking spray (or brush with olive oil). Place vegetables on grill rack; grill 4 minutes on each side or until slightly blackened. Remove vegetables from grill; cool slightly. Cut vegetables into 1-inch pieces. Add vegetables, basil, chives, and parsley to vinaigrette; toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with cheese.

My Latest Food Adventure

A couple months ago, my friend Emily called me to ask if I'd be interested in heading up the meal for the VBS Volunteer Luncheon (to serve 50-70 people). Now I haven't known Emily for very long, but obviously long for her to figure out what a crazy foodie I am. I was so very flattered and honored that she would put her confidence in me and it didn't take long for me to tell her a resounding "yes." I was giddy with excitement; this was exactly the kind of foodie challenge that I was up for: planning and preparing a meal from beginning to end with no constraints on my creativity. My giddiness even kept me up that night, as my I poured through my mental recipe file, searching for the perfect combination of dishes.

A couple of weeks later, as I strolled through Sam's Club with Emily, I started feeling a little overwhelmed. My behemoth-sized grocery cart was filled to the max with food and I couldn't help but think,"Holy Crap! Can I really do this?" Thankfully, I was reassured knowing that I had a handful of wonderful women who graciously teamed up with me to get the job done. I am especially grateful to Jillian, who worked for 6 hours in the church kitchen with me the day before the luncheon, sweating with me and keeping me sane! She's quite a foodie herself, plus she has way more catering-type experience than I do, so her input and hard work was invaluable. Without all of these gals, I absolutely could NOT have pulled this off! Here are the 5 of us finishing up on Sunday morning (from left- Anna, Liz, Jillian, Sabrina and me):

Everything went off (mostly) without a hitch and it was a joy to help serve all the VBS workers in this way. So without further adieu, here are the recipes:

VBS Volunteer Luncheon Menu

Slow-Cooked Mediterranean Chicken

Emerial LaGasse's Mediterranean Pasta Salad

Tossed Salad

Fresh Fruit Saladp>

No-Bake Peanut Bars

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Slow-Cooked Mediterranean Chicken

Originally found in Cooking Light, this slow-cooker recipe quickly became one of my favorites. I adore Greek food, so I figured, what's not to love about it?! The original recipe calls for turkey breast, but I have easily substituted chicken many times. For the luncheon, I opted to cut down on the cooking time, since I wouldn't be able to use a slow-cooker. Instead, I basically marinated the chicken breast in all the other ingredients for 24 hours, then roasted them in the oven at about 300 degrees for 2 hours. It worked really well in lieu of the slow-cooker, however, to get the full effect of this dish, I would always opt for the slow-cooker over the oven.

• 2 cups chopped onion (about 1 large)
• 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
• 1/2 cup julienne-cut drained oil-packed sun-dried tomato halves
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon Greek seasoning mix (such as McCormick's)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (4-pound) boneless turkey breast, trimmed (or 6-8 large, boneless chicken breasts)
• 1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Combine first 9 ingredients in an electric slow cooker. Add 1/4 cup chicken broth. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours.

Combine remaining 1/4 cup broth and flour in a small bowl; stir with a whisk until smooth. Add broth mixture to slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes. Cut turkey into slices.

Yield: About 8 servings

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Emeril LaGasse's Mediterranean Style Pasta Salad

Oh. My. Gosh. Holy cow, this is the most phenomenal pasta salad known to man. You've never tasted pasta salad till you've tried this one. Even for people who normally don't care for pasta salad, this will bring new light that ho-hum, mayo-based pasta salad so popular at potlucks. One of the facets that makes this recipe so fantastic is the roasted garlic vinaigrette. Don't be scared of using an entire bulb of garlic; when garlic is roasted, its flavor becomes very mellow. Plus, the smell of garlic roasting in the oven will make your home smell so inviting. Then, when you're ready to take your first bite, make sure you're sitting down cause this bad boy just might knock you off your feet! Thanks to Emeril and the Food Network for this recipe..."Bam!"

• 1/2 pound fresh angel hair pasta (I substituted rotini)
• 10 roasted cloves of garlic (about one whole bulb, see note below on how to roast garlic)
• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Juice of one lemon
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 4 roma or plum tomatoes, cored, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup fresh sweet peas, blanched (I always omit peas cause I don't care for them)
• 1/2 cup Greek black olives, pitted and halved
• 4 ounces Feta cheese, crumbled (herb-seasoned feta is wonderful in this dish)

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Drain and place the pasta in a bowl of ice water. Stir the pasta a couple of times to separate the pasta. Drain very well; Season with salt and pepper. In a mixing bowl, add the garlic. Using the back of a fork, mash the cloves until smooth. Stir in the lemon juice and mustard. Whisk in the extra virgin olive oil slowly. Whisk until the mixture is slightly thick. Season with salt and black pepper. In a large mixing bowl, add the onions, tomatoes, and peas. Season with salt and pepper. Add the pasta, olives and cheese. Toss the salad with the dressing. Serve either cold or at room temperature.

**How to roast garlic: This is pretty darn simple, but you'll want to do this ahead of time so that the garlic is roasted and cooled before you prepare the pasta salad. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Loosely wrap the garlic bulb in foil and place in preheated oven. Roast for about 1 hour, checking periodically to make sure it doesn't burn. You'll know it's done when the bulb is very soft and the cloves are a lovely golden brown. Multiple bulbs of garlic can be roasted at one time, too.

**How to get the roasted garlic out!! Okay, so you've roasted your garlic...now what? Allow the garlic to cool so that you can easily handle it. Then, insert the tip of a paring knife at the edge of the stem on the bottom of the bulb. You should be able to easily pry up the stem and pull it off. Now, holding it over a small bowl, squeeze several times at the top of the bulb and all the roasted goodness will squirt out the bottom. I should warn you, though, that it can be a little messy at times and roasted garlic is quite sticky on hands. But don't dismay, it's totally worth it! Now you're ready to use the your roasted garlic.

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No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Okay, so I have to admit, these bars are the one part of my meal that was a total, last-minute decision. I just had no clue what to make for dessert, but I knew it had to be simple. So I asked my husband, an expert dessert-taster, what I should make for dessert: cake? cookies? bars? etc. His response was, "Hmmm...bars really say 'VBS Luncheon' to me." So bars it was! I found this recipe on an ad for Nestle Toll House and as I've mentioned before, the chocolate/pb combo can never be beat in my book. The results were quite astounding and indeed, the recipe was super-simple to prepare. Although the Nestle employee who wrote the recipe must've been smokin' crack because it said that it yielded 60 bars!! Unless I cut those bars into 1 inch squares, there's no way to get 60 bars from one pan. Besides, when it comes to dessert, more is always better. :)

• 2 cups peanut butter, divided
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided

GREASE 13 x 9-inch baking pan. BEAT 1 1/4 cups peanut butter and butter in large mixer bowl until creamy. Gradually beat in 1 cup powdered sugar. With hands or wooden spoon, work in remaining powdered sugar, graham cracker crumbs and 1/2 cup morsels. Press evenly into prepared baking pan. Smooth top with spatula. MELT remaining peanut butter and remaining morsels in medium, heavy-duty saucepan over lowest possible heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Spread over graham cracker crust in pan. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until chocolate is firm; cut into bars. Store in refrigerator.

Because they asked for it...

In my very first blog post, I said that one of the reasons I wanted to start a food blog is because I often get asked for my recipes. So in order to simplify my life and avoid giving out numerous copies of the same recipe, it seemed reasonable to just post a frequently-asked-for recipe here. Then when someone said to me, "Hey Foodie, I just adored your (insert a delicious dish here). Could I get the recipe?" And with great relief, I could say, "But, of course! Do you have internet access?" Saves me time and everyone is happy.

Last week I was asked about a handful of times for the recipes from our church's Wednesday Night Dinner, which I planned and helped prepare. Ahh, at least I know my blog is getting good use! Here you go!

Menu

Chicken Fajita Rice Bowls

Tortilla Chips

Texas Two-Step Coleslaw

Fresh Fruit

Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Bars

*For the "Chicken Fajita Rice Bowl" recipe, click here

*For the "Texas Two-Step Coleslaw" recipe, click here

Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Bars

• 2 pkgs. (18 oz. each) refrigerated peanut butter cookie dough
• 1 (12 oz.) pkg. semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 (8 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese, softened
• 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 2-3 cups chopped peanut butter cups (about 15 large)

Press both tubes of cookie dough into a 15x10-in. jelly roll pan. (It works easiest if the cookie dough is about room temperature.) Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool completely in the pan.

Melt chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl for 2 minutes at 50% power, stirring halfway through cooking time (you may need to microwave slightly longer, as microwave powers may differ.) When chips are fully melted and smooth, spread over cooled cookie. Place in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes for chocolate to harden.

Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, brown sugar, and vanilla until creamy. Spread over the chocolate. Sprinkle with peanut butter cups. Chill until ready to serve. Cut into bars; refrigerate leftovers.

Yield: 20-24 servings

Garlic Roasted Salmon (with addendum added)

I have three, all-time favorite salmon recipes. And last night, I prepared one of those recipes. (Also noteworthy: the fact that I'm posting less than 24 hours after I prepared the recipe!!)

Suggested Menu:

Roasted Garlic Salmon

Angel Hair Pasta w/Garlic Butter

Honey-Glazed Sweet Potatoes and Baby Portabellos

Roasted Garlic Salmon

• 1 lb. or 1-1/2 lbs. fresh salmon, skins removed
• 3 T. butter, melted
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
• salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut salmon into 4-6 portions; place salmon into a greased casserole dish.

In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, garlic, salt and pepper. Brush each salmon portion liberally with garlic-butter mixture (make sure to use it all up, too! You'll want all that savory, buttery goodness). Bake salmon, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes, or until it flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to overcook it...nothing worse than dried out salmon!

Honey-Glazed Sweet Potatoes and Baby Portabellos

I love the flavor of roasted veggies, and have made many variations using lots of different vegetables. I wondered how it would work to use a light, honey glaze, so this what I came up with last night. Although I overcooked it slightly and probably should've stirred it more often, because the sweet potatoes were slightly burned. But they still tasted good! And b/c this is a newly created recipe, the measurements are just approximations, so use your own judgement.

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1-1/2 inch cubes
• 1 (8 oz.) pkg. baby portabello mushrooms, thoroughly washed
• 1-2 T. olive oil
• 1 T. lemon juice
• 1-1/2 T. honey
• salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 4oo degrees. In a medium mixing bowl, toss the potatoes with the olive oil, lemon juice, honey, salt and pepper; place on a greased jelly-roll pan or cookie sheet. Roast in the oven for about 25 minutes, stirring a few times. Then add the mushrooms to the pan, toss again. Roast for an additional 20-30 minutes, stirring a few times during the cooking time. It's done when potatoes are cooked through and slightly crispy.

**Addendum to previous post--In my previous post, I had responded to a comment, asking if my husband and son ate all the different types of foods I cook. I'd like to use this current post as an opportunity to assure all my readers that my child is not consuming liver and brussel sprouts on a daily basis. Like I said, he eats pretty well, but he's also 4 years old. And as many of you know, a 4 year has this delightful tendency to change what they like and dislike on an hourly basis! Just so I don't turn into the kind of parent who's constantly bragging about how brilliant and gifted their kid is...

Case in point: this salmon meal was NOT so well received by Calvin. Despite my darndest efforts of prodding and all my goofy "parental" exclamations ("Oh, salmon is sooo yummy, Calvin!"), he turned his nose up at both the salmon and vegetables. He's been offered salmon before and eaten it happily about half the time. And normally, he loves sweet potatoes and squash, so I'm not sure what the problem was last night...maybe the crispy exterior disguised the sweet potatoes too much, maybe it was the honey glaze, but most likely, it was just a 4-year old being a 4-year old. I digress.

Post-Thanksgiving

The following recipes were my contributions to our Thanksgiving meal with Dave's family:

Ranch Mashed Potatoes

I found this in my most recent Cooking Light magazine, which said of this delicious dish, "This tasty side captures the flavor of ranch potatoes without additional calories, fat, and sodium."

• 4 lbs. red potatoes, cubed (unpeeled)
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 1/4 chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 3 T. butter, softened
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 3/4 tsp. dried basil
• 3/4 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 tsp. dried dill

Place potatoes in a Dutch oven; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until tender; drain. Transfer potatoes to a large bowl. Add sour cream and remaining ingredients; mash with a potato masher to desired consistency.

Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 2/3 cup)

Apple-Cherry-Cranberry Crumble

This is an adaptation of a recipe that was originally "Cranberry-Cherry Crumble." I decided to adapt it to save a little money, since cherries are expensive, and also I increased the quantities to prepare it in a 9x13 pan, instead of an 8x8 pan. The results are quite yummy--a balance of tart and sweet with a flavorful, crunchy streusel topping.

• 2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced into large chunks
• 3 large Golden Delicious apples, peeled and diced into large chunks
• 1-1/4 cup fresh cranberries
• 1 cup sweetened, dried cherries (see note below)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 4 T. flour
• 1-1/2 tsp. cornstarch
• Cooking spray
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• 1/3 cup dry oatmeal
• 1/3 cup whole-wheat flour (may substitute all-purpose flour)
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract
• 4 T. chilled butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine first seven ingredients (through cornstarch) in a large bowl, tossing gently to thoroughly coat fruit. Coat a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and transfer fruit mixture into the pan.

Combine almonds through extract in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle mixture evenly over fruit mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes, or until filling is bubbly and topping is golden brown.

**Tip-You can purchase sweetened, dried Montgomery cherries at Trader Joe's for only $2.99! Go Joe!

Indoor Picnic

As I mentioned in my previous post, I had the privilege of participating in my church's wednesday night dinner program the past year and a half. Last spring, I had a culinary vision of a meal for the upcoming year: An Indoor Picnic. All the traditional picnic-ey fixins', complete with red and white checkered tablecloths and plastic ants (although we discovered that plastic flies were cheaper...more realistic, too, since flies are more problematic at a picnic than ants are!) My vision was brought to fruition in September and here is the menu and recipes:

Giant Sub Sandwiches

Hot Bacon Potato Salad

Assorted Individual Bag of Chips

Tossed Salad

Fresh Fruit Bar

Marbled Peanut Butter Fudge Brownies

Hot Bacon Potato Salad

This has become one of my all time favorite potato salads. Originally found in a Betty Crocker grilling cookbook, you can make it just as easily in the oven, too.

• 2 lbs. unpeeled red potatoes
• 8 slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled
• 3 green onions, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. dry ground mustard
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Heat water to boiling in a 3 or 4 qt. saucepan. Add potatoes. Cover and heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 25 minutes or until almost tender; drain. Allow to cool until easily handled, then cut into large chunks (about 1 1/2 to 2 inch cubes). Place cut potatoes in a baking dish (or a disposable, aluminum pan if grilling).

In a small bowl, whisk together mayo, vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard and pepper until smooth. Add green onions and bacon. Pour dressing over potatoes and toss until combined.

Oven instructions: Cover with foil. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes, stirring once, until heated through.

Grilling instructions: Cover with foil. Grill 4 inches away from medium heat (charcoal or gas) for 20 minutes, stirring once, until heated through.

Yield: 4 - 6 servings

Marbled Peanut Butter Fudge Brownies

I've always been a fan of both chocolate and of peanut butter. Alone, they are, indeed, quite delightful. But combine the 2 together and you've achieved something just short of pure genius. My friend, Linda, knowing what an aficionado I was of the chocolate/pb combo, found this recipe on a jar of Reece's peanut butter many moons ago and typed it out for me. It immediately became one of my all-time favorite brownies. And once you taste them, that is, if you're still alive after tasting them, I'm confident that you'll feel the same way I did. **Note--This is direct cut 'n' paste of the recipe, but be reassured, it is not necessary to us Reese's and Hershey's brands to achieve the same results!

• 2 packages (3 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup REESE'S Creamy Peanut Butter or REESE'S Crunchy Peanut Butter
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine
• 2-1/4 cups sugar, divided
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
• 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup HERSHEY'S Milk Chocolate Chips or 1 cup HERSHEY'S MINI KISSES Brand Milk Chocolates

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

2. Prepare PEANUT BUTTER FILLING by beating cream cheese, peanut butter, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 egg and milk.

3. Melt butter in large microwave-safe bowl at HIGH (100%) 2 to 2-1/2 minutes or until melted. Stir in remaining 2 cups sugar and vanilla. Add remaining 3 eggs, one at a time, beating well with spoon after each addition. Add cocoa; beat until well blended. Add flour, baking powder and salt; beat well. Stir in chocolate chips.

4. Remove 1 cup batter; set aside. Pour remaining batter into prepared pan. Spread PEANUT BUTTER FILLING over surface. Drop reserved chocolate batter by teaspoons over filling. Using knife, gently swirl through top layers for marbled effect.

5. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.