Summer Eating // Antipasto Recipe

This is a new-to-us dish this summer. I've tried antipasto in the past, and to be honest it really didn't appeal to me a whole lot. But my husband had a hankering for antipasto, so I set out to do something about that.

Antipasto Recipe

INGREDIENTS

1 pound of pasta nuggets 
10 oz. summer sausage (I use turkey- it's a bit sweeter)
8 oz. horseradish cheese (or any hard or semi-hard cheese of your preference)
1 jar of sliced green olives (5.75 oz)
1 oz (or good handful) of sun dried tomatoes
1 sweet red bell pepper
2-4 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
Italian dressing  

Cook pasta according to package directions. Slice the red pepper, and then saute until just tender (or leave it raw if you prefer). While waiting for the pasta to cook, cube the summer sausage and cheese, and thinly slice the sun dried tomatoes.

When the pasta has cooked, remove it from the heat, drain, and then run cold water over the pasta to cool it. Put all of the ingredients in a large bowl and toss with balsamic vinegar to keep it from becoming too dry. I don't add Italian dressing directly to the bowl in case there are left-overs to refrigerate, instead we add it to each bowl as we eat it. Also, if you don't want it to be too pasta-heavy you can add the pasta last to get a good ratio.

I'm super bad at settings servings for my recipes, but this should feed 6 as a main dish, or 8-10 as a side dish. Enjoy!

Summer Eating // Shrimp Summer Salad

Can you believe I've never lived in a house with central air in my entire life? Mostly I don't mind it. But it definitely means that I have to get creative with preparing meals that don't require the stove to be used often, or the oven to be used ever during stretches of 100 degree weather. This salad is pretty simple; it gets a punch of protein and flavor from shrimp and hard boiled eggs. I didn't add quantities to the list of ingredients: it's easy to make the salad as big or small as you would like.

SHRIMP SUMMER SALAD

INGREDIENTS

lettuce of choice, I use simple leaf lettuce

shrimp, fresh or thawed, tails removed

hard boiled egg(s)

sweet red pepper

mozzarella cheese 

scallions

celery

croutons (optional)

Just chop everything up and toss it into a bowl! Feel free to leave the shrimp whole. I wanted a creamy dressing, so I drizzled sweet vidalia onion dressing over my portion of the salad. Whatever dressing you choose, I hope you enjoy it!

Birthday Food.

We don't have a lot of traditions in my family. But it seems to me that we have food traditions. There are certain things we eat on certain holidays (turkey on Thanksgiving, ham on Christmas, lasagna or stuffed shells on Easter), but aside from that we tend to go a little crazy with side dishes. Yep. Apparently we like variety. This past weekend we celebrated that my husband and I both turned a year older (we share a February 4th birthday); this dinner was also in honor of my Dad whose birthday was just a week ago. Two of my sister's live out of town right now, so it's not quite the same anymore as it seems one of them is always missing.

As far as food though, this year certainly didn't disappoint. My mom always works so hard making food for our family, and my sister rounded out the menu quite nicely. My sister Bethany loves food, and manages to find time to put together some really delectable treats!

The main course was  chicken enchiladas and steak fajitas. For appetizers we had guacamole and salsa, spinach and artichoke humus, sliced mango, candied grapefruit peel, fig and goat cheese spread. Believe it or not, I feel like there are things missing from that list. You can find the recipe for the fig spread on my sister's blog. I'm telling you, that stuff is SO good I could eat it all day long. Seriously.

In lieu of cake, we had cookies and biscotti for dessert. The pink cookies on the top of the tray were new this year, and were definitely my favorite; they were kind of like a thumbprint cookie with rhubarb in them. My mom wasn't thrilled with the recipe so she added a black raspberry icing. I thought they were delicious, and could totally forgo the sweetness of the icing so that the tart rhubarb could come through a little more. Bethany made her yummy coconut chocolate chip biscotti. She also canned grapefruit in mint syrup. Oh my. I'm a grapefruit lover, but this brought grapefruit to a whole new level for me. I almost shed a tear when it was gone.

Guest Posting on GingiberSnap.

I'm honored to be guest posting on the GingiberSnap blog while Stacie takes some time to enjoy her brand new little girl. Pop on by for a super-duper simple Monte Cristo Sandwich Recipe. While you're there be sure to follow Stacie's blog if you don't already!

Sugared and Spiced Walnut Recipe.

These walnuts are a perfect snack when you need something sweet! And because of the protein in the walnuts, you certainly make better use of your calories than you would eating cake. This recipe is very simple and very quick! Keep walnuts in the pantry for when you have unexpected guests pop in, especially during the holiday season, so you can whip up these sugary treats lickety split.

(This recipe has been adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.)

Sugared + Spiced Walnuts.

INGREDIENTS.

1 pound of shelled walnuts

1 egg white
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt


Heat oven to 325. Grease the bottom of a 15x10x1 baking pan; set aside. Be sure to grease it well to discourage the sugar from sticking as the walnuts bake.

In a large bowl whisk the egg white and 1 tsp of water together. Add the walnuts and toss to coat.

In a small bowl stir the sugar, spices, and salt together. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the walnuts and mix to coat.

Spread the walnuts in the prepared baking pan and bake in a 325 oven for 20 minutes.

When the walnuts come out of the oven, spread them on wax paper to cool. They only take a couple of minutes to cool enough to eat them! Break into pieces. Store in an airtight container.

Keep this recipe in mind at Christmas for those to whom you give baked goods; it's a nice change of pace from cookies. These walnuts also make a nice hostess gift when packaged in a pretty container!

Butternut Squash + Bartlett Pear Soup Recipe.

I love comfort food. When the days cool down and the nights are crisp, there's just something about a mug of hot soup. Following is my original recipe for Butternut Squash and Bartlett Pear Soup.

INGREDIENTS. 

large butternut squash (mine was about 6 pounds)
1-2 bartlett pears
2 onions
clove of garlic
1/2 cup of milk or cream (plus extra for pureeing squash)
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 Tbs. parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375. Wash and cut the squash into quarters. Remove the seeds. Place on a baking sheet or bar pan skin side up and bake for 30 minutes. Flip squash, cover with foil, and bake for another 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool until it is cool enough to be handled.

Meanwhile, wash and peel the pear(s) and the onions, and then chop. Mince the garlic. In a large soup pot, saute the pear, onion, and garlic in 1 Tbs. of butter until soft. Turn off the heat. Remove from pot and place in a blender. Blend until pureed. (It may need more fluid to be able to blend smoothly; if so add a bit of milk.) Return to pot.

When the squash is cool enough to be handled, cut away the skin. Chop the squash and put it in the blender to be pureed. Due to the size of the squash it will likely need to be pureed in batches and not all at once. Add a little bit of milk as needed to the blender to help it process the squash.

Add the pureed squash to the pot with the pear and onion. Also add the stock, milk, seasoning, and cheese. Salt and pepper to taste.  

Cook over medium heat until warmed through and the flavors meld. Serve hot! I'm not sure, but my best guess is that this recipe should serve 6-8.

This soup pairs well with crusty bread and apple cider. Happy Autumn!

The Daily Galette.

polenta with sauteed mushrooms and onions. 

Well, it's Friday again! It is promising to be absolutely lovely here in Pennsylvania this weekend. We'll be having some of those wonderful Autumn days where the sun is hot, but there is a slight nip in the breeze and the sun reflects off of the leaves as they begin to turn orange, yellow, and red. 


I wanted to take a minute to introduce you to my sister, Bethany's, brand new food blog, The Daily Galette! She loves to cook (and grocery shop), and if her dog stays out of mischief long enough, she seems to find plenty of time to have fun in the kitchen. So stop by and take a peek. That photo up above is from her last post, and it makes my mouth water every time I see those perfectly  browned mushrooms.


Also, as per the random number generator, the winner of the flower hair clip is Jeanine of The Crafting Fiend! Thanks to everyone who stopped by.


Have a happy weekend!

Sweet Paul Magazine :: Fall 2011

Just in case you haven't heard yet, the Fall issue of Sweet Paul Magazine is now available for viewing online! As always, it is full of pictures and recipes that make your mouth get all watery. Definitely a drool alert! Perhaps for the first look-through you should be sure to find a quiet corner where no one will see you staring with your mouth open. My favorites are John's Pretzel recipe and the Maple Syrup Baked Pears. Both of these recipes are super simple, and that's important around here! There's plenty of other goodness too; more recipes, stories, and tutorials, so be sure to check it out!

In the Fridge :: Butterkase Cheese

This cheese is in my fridge right now. SO delicious, buttery, and smooth. I'm a cheddar girl at heart, so this was my first time trying Butterkase cheese. Wow. If you'll excuse me I think I need to go spend some quality time with my refrigerator. What? Cheese doesn't do that to you?

In the Fridge :: Cheese!

:: source ::

I'm a food lover. With three wee ones running about we don't get much time to go out and sample truly excellent food. I also find it extra difficult to drop big bucks on a gourmet meal when there are projects that I want to do around the house, like paint or purchase a new bedspread. But every once in a while we buy ourselves a special treat. This special treat usually comes in the form of cheese. (Hooray for cheese!) I don't really go for a whole lot of soft or stinky cheeses: what I really love is a good cheddar! Great was my happiness when my husband came home from Sam's Club (of all places) with a very reasonably priced two pound brick of Dubliner Cheddar. So tasty. I think I'll go have some now.