Mint Watermelon Salad

I haven't posted in forever; the computer crashed and we moved. I've still been cooking, though. I have lots of fun recipes to post. Now, I just have to find where I packed my camera... Notice the quality of this picture (it was taken with my iphone).

Here is a fun appetizer that is so easy and refreshing. I got the idea from the Beauty Shop in Memphis that serves this delicious appetizer.

Slice watermelon, sprinkle with feta, olive oil, and crushed mint.

**I accidentally got peppercorn and I think I would stick to the plain feta.
Enjoy!

Summer Tomato Pie- Southern Living Style

Southern Living has always done comfort food well and this pie is just that. Growing up in the south, I have tried quite a few tomato pies. Tomato Pies have always been something I thought I should like (judging by the way they smell when they are in the oven), but I have never really been a huge fan of them until I met this recipe. I am a texture person and something about this pie and salting the tomatoes before you use them makes all the difference. 

I slightly adapted this recipe from Southern Living.

• 3 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and sliced
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 Frozen deep dish pie crust (believe it or not my favorite is the Walmart brand).
• 4 bacon slices
• 2 medium-size red onions, halved and thinly sliced (SL called for 3 but I thought that was overkill).
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons fine, dry breadcrumbs

** I added a dash of hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce too. 

• Place tomato slices on paper towels, and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Allow the tomatoes stand for 30 minutes. This makes all the difference!
• Defrost Pie Crust
• Bake at 425° for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove pie weights and foil.
• Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp; remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving 1 teaspoon drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon, and set aside.
• Sauté onion in hot drippings in skillet over medium-high heat 8 to 10 minutes or until tender. Spoon onion over prepared piecrust, and top with tomato slices.


• Stir together Cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, pepper, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Spread mixture over tomato slices. Combine Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs; sprinkle over top.





• Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until golden. Let the pie cool for 5 minutes so that it can firm up. Sprinkle with bacon. I recommend serving this with a salad since the pie is pretty rich.

Taco Pizza Night

When I told Bill I was going to try a recipe for Taco Pizza, he kept asking me what  night was going to be Taco Pizza Night. So as you can guess Taco Pizza became a pretty big deal around here. I mean you are combining two favorites: Pizza and Tacos. How could it not be a winner? Like most of my recipes, I found it and adapted it. This one is from Pioneer Woman (love her!). 

 

(Please pardon the non-rotated photo...technical difficulties!)

Taco Pizza


⅓ cups Olive Oil
1 can (14 Ounce) Black Beans
3 teaspoon Taco Seasoning 
5 whole Corn Tortillas, Sliced Into Thin Strips
½ cups Canola Oil, For Frying
1 1/2  cup Grated Sharp Cheddar, I combined with Kraft's Taco Blend
1 head Green Leaf Lettuce, shredded 
2 whole  Tomatoes, Diced
1 can of Diced Black Olive¼ cups Sour Cream
3 Tablespoons Hot Sauce 

1 teaspoon of cumin
Pizza Dough (I buy mine in the freezer section at Walmart. It is excellent. You can also buy it fresh at Earth Fare or make it yourself :) ).


Pour the black beans into a sauce pan and add teaspoon of cumin and taco seasoning. Heat beans over medium heat. Use a potato masher to mash the beans. Cook on medium low (don't forget to stir every once and a while) until the bean mixture thickens.


In a frying pan heat oil over medium heat. When oil is hot, drop in the tortilla strips. Fry until golden and crispy. It shouldn't take long! Place fried strips on plate with a paper towel.


Preheat the oven to what the directions of the dough you are using dictates.

Roll dough out and use flour or cornmeal. I have really enjoyed using my pizza stone and recommend using one for pizzas.


I added on olive oil and kosher salt along the sides of the pizza (where the crust is) but this isn't necessary. Top pizza with black beans (make sure they are the consistency of refried beans and/or not too runny) and cheese.


Cook for 8-10 minutes. 


Mix sour cream, hot sauce, and taco seasoning. You want enough hot sauce to make the mixture thin enough to use as a sauce. 

When the cheese is melted and the crust is golden, remove pizza. Cover with shredded lettuce, olives, and tomatoes. Drizzle hot sour cream sauce on top. Enjoy immediately. 

Grilled Pork Chops & Fresh Summer Peaches

There are so many recipes I want to post, but here is an excellent easy summer dish. It would be the perfect 4th of July weekend meal. This recipe is from Cooking Light except I think the pork is much better marinated and grilled on the grill. I tried both ways and was much happier with the grilled version.

Another tip: I've had more luck with buying pork loin and asking the butcher to cut them into pork chops, instead of buying the precut kind. I am not sure why this is but the pork chops seem to be more tender this way. It's also a good way to save money. Buy the pork loin when it goes on sale. Freeze half for a roast and use the the other half for a pork chop dish!

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil
4 (4-ounce) center-cut boneless pork loin chops, trimmed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced onion
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme ( I used basil because that's what I had on hand).
2 peaches, each cut into 8 wedges
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup  chicken broth
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons butter
Marinate and/or spice rub (whatever you typically use when you grill). 

 1.Marinade your pork chops and grill. I am not an expertise when it comes to grilling. My experience only goes so far. It typically looks something like, "Hey, Bill I have a new recipe I want to try, but it calls for grilled pork chops. Can you grill tonight?" All that to say- I can't really instruct you on how to grill these pork chops...

2. While your husband/ friend/ or very talented you are grilling your  pork chops, begin making the peach sauce. Heat olive oil in a grill pain on medium high. Add onions, thyme, and peaches to pan; cook for 2 minutes. Stir in wine and bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 1/3 cup for about 2 minutes. Stir in broth and honey; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 1/3 cup for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in butter. Spoon sauce over chops. 

I served mine over a bed of couscous with fresh corn! This is such an easy flavorful dish.

Shepherd’s Pie That Will Make Your Man Cry

I adapted this recipe from Rachel Ray’s “Meat and Potatoes.” This is a must try! A very inexpensive recipe that is full of flavor! Bill loved it. He literally said, “this is sooooo good” at least ten times during the meal. This is the kind of “man food” I can enjoy too.

Ingredients:

2 large Russet baking potatoes peeled and cubed

1 tablespoon of butter

Splash of milk or half and half

1 egg beaten

Salt

Black pepper

Dash of Grill Seasoning  (optional)

2 pounds of ground chuck

2 tablespoons of Worstershire sauce

2 tablespoons of minced onion

1 tablespoon of minced garlic

¾ cup flat leaf parsley leaves finely chopped

4 wheat Bolillo French rolls found in the deli section (Rachel uses Kaiser but I prefer the wheat).

2 tablespoons of Olive Oil

Dash of dried chives (or fresh if you have it).

Place potatoes in a sauce pan and cover the potatoes with water by an inch. Bring to boil over high heat. Cook potatoes until tender for about twelve minutes. Then drain the potatoes and let sit for a minute. Next, add butter and a splash of milk.  Add a slightly beaten egg, salt, pepper, and a dash of dried chives. Mash with a masher.

While potatoes are cooking, combine the ground chuck, Worstershire, onion, garlic, grill seasoning, salt, pepper, and parsley in a bowl.  Make patties by dividing meat mixture into four even portions. Press an indention in each hamburger so the meat cooks more evenly. Heat oil in grill pan and wait for oil to heat up on medium high heat.

Cook burgers about  11 minutes on each side for medium burgers.

Cut rolls in half. After the burgers are done, leave heat on and quickly place the bread in the pan until toasted (about a minute). Place burger on roll and top with mashed potatoes. I served mine with steamed snap peas.



Strawberry Cake and Quick Summer Meals Ideas

I had care group snacks last week and wanted to make something pretty and summery. Also Sam's had a huge container of beautiful strawberries on sale, so I wanted  to make something with strawberries.

So I made this:

I just wish you could smell it. Obviously, since I brought it to care group we didn't eat it warm, but next time I definitely want to try it warm. I found this recipe on Smitten Kitchen and as always she knows her stuff. I can't wait for her cookbook to come out.



6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature,e
1 1/2 cups  all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon  vanilla extract
1 pound  strawberries, hulled and halved
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan (I used this, but you could probably just use a cake pan too.)

Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, beat butter and 1 cup sugar until  fluffy with an electric mixer, about 3 minutes. Mix in egg, milk and vanilla until just combined. Add dry mixture gradually, mixing until barely smooth.
Pour into greased pie plate. Arrange strawberries, cut side down, on top of batter, as closely as possible in a single layer (it's okay to overlap a bit). Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over berries. I'm underlining this because it's an easy step to forget since the pie looks oven ready.
Bake cake for 10 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 325°F and bake cake until golden brown and a tester comes out clean about 50 minutes to 60 minutes. (The strawberries may be gooey on the tester but that's just how you want them!) Let cool in pan on a rack. Cut into wedges. Serve with whipped cream. I bought some because I thought it would be more portable but I want to make it next time. Enjoy!

Oh, and I promised easy summer meal Ideas:

Here are two:

1) Grill smoked sausage (not dishes to clean up in the kitchen) and sprinkle chili pepper on it after. My cousin, Natalie, served these as appetizers at her wedding and they were incredible. Serve with Jenn's Amazing Blackeyed Pea Salsa. Find this recipe at the bottom of my Fiesta collection: http://sophie-flourchild.blogspot.com/2011/05/mexican-fiesta.html Note: Don't use cilantro if you plan on having left overs.

2) 4 Cheese Avocado Turkey Sandwiches. We really liked these, plus they were easy. I used the pesto I had on hand from my Pesto Béchamel and had a coupon for Sarah Lee deli turkey. 

This makes for a healthy-ish lunch.

Ingredients:

Makes 2 Sandwiches

1 Avocado

Mayo (I use the olive oil kind)

Cheddar Cheese (I used sharp)

Kraft Romano & Asiago, and Parmesan  cheese blend

Pepper and sea salt

Wheat Bread

1 teaspoon of pesto

Butter for the pan 

On a grill pan I melted a generous amount of butter and flipped both sides. Then I spread the mayonnaise on pieces of the sandwich. On one side I put cheddar and salt and pepper and on the other I created a pesto mayo blend and added the parmesan. Top with turkey. Cook until it melts and add your avocado. I served mine with oven roasted zucchini. Cheap and fast! Make your own version!

Pesto Béchamel Pasta

I made this up because I was craving Italian and wanted to make a nice dinner for Bill. It's a definite remake. The béchamel sauce makes it creamy but not too rich.

1 box of angel hair pasta ( I like the protein noodles to make it healthier)
Pesto in a jar ( mine had pine nuts)
Cherry tomatoes
Olive oil
One tablespoon of red wine
Sea salt
Minced garlic fresh or from a jar
1 1/2 tablespoon of flour
1 bouillon cube
Pepper
1 teaspoon Basil
1/2 tsp Cinnamon

Okay so you can't go wrong with these ingredients. I am going to give you the basic framework but you may want to double it.

Make angel hair pasta.
Meanwhile wash and thinly slice the tomatoes. Next heat about 3 tbs of olive oil in a frying pan on medium high. When oil is hot, throw in tomatoes.  Careful not to burn yourself from the oil :) Leave on medium high heat for one more minute and add wine. Sprinkle sea salt on tomatoes. Next, drain pasta and add pesto (look on jar for proportions.) Add 1 Tablespoon of garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a sauce pan on medium heat. Whisk 1 tablespoon of flour in until all the lumps are out. Next, pour in 1/2 cup of milk whisking continually. Add bouillon cube and spices.

Serve the béchamel sauce in the middle of the bed of pesto noodles with the sautéed tomatoes on top.

Homemade Yellow Cake with Dulce de Leche Icing

Bill’s birthday was Thursday and since it’s our first married birthday,I just had to make a good cake. Not an okay cake, but a really good. Fortunately, earlier in the week I bought the most recent issue of Real Simple and would you believe it, they had a whole section on how to make the best cakes. This recipe has it dialed in! Seriously, I even called Bill over to look at the batter because it was a creamy whip. I know, who talks about what batter looks like? Just make this cake and you will know what I am talking about.

I didn't think to take a picture of the cake itself, but here is a picture from Bill's Birthday dinner.

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature,

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, leveled

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup whole milk ( I combined 2% and half and half because that’s what I had)

Directions

   1. Heat oven to 350°F. Butter the and flour pan(s) well.

If you don’t have good non-stick pans, I would recommend lining the bottoms with parchment, butter again, and dust with flour, tapping out the excess. (For cupcakes, there is no need for parchment or rebuttering.) In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

   2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla, then the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

   3. Reduce mixer speed to low. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions and the milk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix just until combined (do not overmix).

Take a look at that batter!

   4. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto rack to cool completely.

   5. Real Simple’sBaking times: For two 8-inch rounds: 25 to 30 minutes. For two 9-inch rounds: 22 to 25 minutes. For one 9-by-13-inch rectangle: 25 to 30 minutes. For 24 cupcakes: 15 to 20 minutes.

***My 8 –inch rounds took longer to cook

Serves 12 people or makes 24 cupcakes.

Carmel Frosting :

Ingredients

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 pound confectioners’ sugar (about 3 3/4 cups), sifted

1/2 cup prepared dulce de leche (found in the baking aisle or in Mexican food aisle)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

pinch kosher salt

Directions

   1. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter on high until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low. Gradually add the sugar, then the dulce de leche, vanilla, and salt, and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

***If you are making a round cake: I’d recommend putting a dab of the icing under your first layer of cake, so it doesn’t wobble.

Paula Dean's Brie en Croute

My friend, Gwen, made this for one of my wedding showers and I loved it. When it was my turn to host a shower, I decided to make it too. I took this recipe from www.foodnetwork.com and I've tweaked it just a tiny bit.

Ingredients
1 sheet frozen puff pastry (comes with 2 sheets- so you can just make this twice!)
1 tablespoon of butter
1/4 cup of chopped pecans
1 8- ounce wheel of Brie
1/2 cup of Raspberry Jam
1 egg beaten (her recipe calls for two eggs, but that was way too much when I made it.)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Unfold and defrost 1 sheet of puff pastry for 15 -20 minutes.  Next, melt your butter in a frying pan and over medium heat. Saute the nuts in the butter for about five minutes. Place nuts on top of the Brie and spread jam on top of nuts. Carefully roll the pasty with a rolling pin to add about 1-2 inches on each side. Brush both side of the sheet with egg. Place the Brie in the center of the pastry sheet and bring all the corners above the brie and twist. Here Paula recommends for you to tie it with a cooking string. However, since I am not even sure what cooking string is, I just made sure the pastry sheet was totally covering the Brie. That worked good enough for me! Bake on an ungreased cooking sheet for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with nice crackers.

Enjoy!! It was a hit at my shower and it really is very simple. Now, that I've made it once, it will be even easier.

Allison's Amazing Banana Bread

This cold-ish weather made me want to bake today! And this recipe is seriously fantastic. My friend, Allison, made this banana bread in muffins for our class during finals. Of course I had to get the recipe!

Allison's Amazing Banana Bread
2 cups of mashed bananas ( I used four bananas)
3/4 cups of oil
2 cups of sugar

3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla ( I probably used 1 tablespoon...don't judge me. Vanilla makes everything better.)
2 cups self-rising flour
1 box banana cream instand pudding (I just used the Kroger brand.)
Add nuts to taste if desired

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mash bananas in small bowl. Set aside. Combine all other ingreidents (except nuts) in a seperate bowl mixing well. Add bannnanas and nuts. Pour into 2 lightly greased and floured loaf pans. Sprinkle tops lightly with sugar. Bake for one hour. Check the middle of the bread and make sure toothpick comes out clean.

Mine turned out super yummy. However, for one for the loafs I tried to dump it out too early and it cracked. I didn't use the right kind of pan for it, though. If you are entertaining, it may be easier to make muffins.

Mexican Fiesta!

As some of you may know, Bill really likes loves  Mexican food, so I make it a lot....and of course I enjoy it too!
In fact, we even decided to have our rehearsal dinner at a Mexican restaurant! 

I have so many good and fun variations of tacos, enchiladas, and salsa that I thought I would just make one big post about some of my favorites. The great thing about Mexican food is that once you find flavors you like, you can switch it around. My dad always said it's just the same ingredients packaged differently, but I  am not sure if that's exactly true. However, I do like the concept!


Basic Chicken Enchiladas (with green sauce)
This recipe is adapted from Real Simple 

Ingredients: 

• 1 Rotisserie Chicken cut up(or two boneless chicken breasts cooked and shredded)
• 1 16-ounce jar mild salsa verde
• 1 onion (white) chopped (sometimes I just use the chopped onions from the freezer, if I am limited on time).
• 3/4 teaspoon of cumin
• 1 cup of half and half
• kosher salt and black pepper
• Flour tortillas ( also good with corn tortillas)
• 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 1/4 cups grated Monterey Jack (5 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons of minced garlic (Again, I just use the fresh garlic in a jar for connivence)
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat olive oil on medium-high in a frying pan. Once oil is hot, cook  your onions. Meanwhile, cut up chicken. Combine chicken, cooked onions, cumin, salt and pepper,  1 cup of cheese and garlic in a bowl. Next, combine half and half, green salsa, and tomatoes in a bowl. Pour 1/2 of your salsa mixture into the chicken bowl. The chicken mixture is your filling for your enchiladas. Place tortillas with filling  in a pyrex dish. I think its best to heat the tortillas in the microwave for 15-30 seconds if you are using flour. Top with the remaining sauce and cheese.  Cooking 15 minutes. 


I served this with Mexican rice with peas and homemade salsa(recipe following) ! Sooo good! 

Simple Homemade salsa ( I think this is my Aunt Terry's recipe.)

This recipe is really not hard and very refreshing! 

1 32 oz can of whole tomatoes, drained

1 tablespoon of sugar

1 tablespoon of vinegar

1 jalapeno pepper

1/2 tablespoon of garlic

1/2 bunch of cilantro (less if you don't love cilantro like we do).

4 teaspoons of olive oil

Seed the jalapeno and cut up. Combine ingredients in the blender. If you want the salsa spicier add the seeds left over. 

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas

1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed

2  large sweet potatoes cooked, peeled and cubed

1 cup of low fat sour cream

1/2 cup of green salsa

1 teaspoon of cumin

1 tablespoon of chili powder 

1 1/2 teaspoon of garlic

1/2 cup of cheddar cheese

1/2 onion chopped (optional)

dash of salt and pepper

Flour Tortillas

Cooking Spray

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook onions  in a frying pan with a tablespoon olive oil. Combine cubed black sweet potatoes and black beans together with seasoning and onions. Combine salsa and sour cream. Add more salsa if you like it spicier. Pour half of the creamy sauce in to the bottom of a square pyrex dish. Fill tortillas with potato and bean mixture and place on top of sauce. 

After placing on the tortillas in the dish, spray the tops with cooking spray (this helps to give them a crunch, not mushy, flavor). Cook for 7-10 minutes. Add remaining sauce and cheese. Cook until bubbly.

Cheese Enchiladas 

Last night I was craving cheese enchiladas, but I didn't have a recipe. This is what I came up with and they were really good. The only only thing I didn't like was the color, but since Bill and I throughly enjoyed them I thought I'd share. Plus, they are supper easy.

1 onion minced

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1/teaspoon of pepper 

1/2 teaspoon of cumin

1 tablespoon of garlic

1 can of tomato sauce

1/2 Salsa Verde (noticing a trend??)

3/4 cup of low fat sour cream

1 cup of cheddar cheese

Corn tortillas

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut up and onion and cook over medium high heat until tender. Combine 1/2 of the can of tomato sauce, cumin, garlic, and chili pepper.

Next fill tortillas with cheese, onions, and tomato mixture. The tortillas will crumble, but that's okay. Spray with cooking spray; I use Crisco. Cook for ten minutes.

Next combine remaining tomato sauce, green salsa, and sour cream. I sprinkled more cheese on the top too.

After cooking for ten minutes cover enchiladas with sauce and cook for 15 more minutes.

Jenn and Shanna's Amazing Black-eyed Pea Salsa (picture above)

My friend Jenn shared this recipe with me and it was amazing. When I made it, I did not have a red onion, so I added fresh lime and sugar. I think I will do that again, but I will definitely put in red onion next time too. I think I will probably use cilantro too. It doesn't need it, though!

1 can black-eyed peas, drained

1 can tomatoes (with jalapeno/chilies)

1 pkg Good seasons Italian dressing (dry)

1/2 cup red onion, chopped fine

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

green peppers, chopped

Mix together and chill.