Great Summer Night Meal

I have a confession...not life-altering but just the same...I love sesame oil/seeds...anything sesame "says me" (cheesy)! Anyway, with that off my chest, I made us a sesame pasta chicken salad for dinner the other evening, and it was delightful! Seeing that the weather is hot! hot! hot! I decided to go with something lighter and chilled! So, I chose this off my Pinterest and went to work on our dinner! Here is how you make this exceptional salad...

First you're going to start with a small pan/skillet and heat it up over medium/high heat. Add 1/4 cup of sesame seeds and roast them in the pan. (You won't need oil, water or anything like that). Remember to stir them frequently so they don't burn. After you have "browned" the seeds, remove them from the heat completely and set aside. Now, you are going to cook one package of bow tie pasta in salted water. While you have the pasta cooking you are going to combine the following in an air tight jar (I just whisked mine in a bowl) and mix very well; 1/2 cup of vegetable oil, 1/3 cup of light soy sauce, 1/3 cup of rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, 3 tablespoons of sugar, the browned sesame seeds, 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger, and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Mix this dressing well.

Sorry, this is the only pic I got. (It's the dressing) The camera died right after this! But believe me, it doesn't need a picture to show you how delicious it is. Just read the ingredients and allow your taste buds do the rest of the talking :)

Once the pasta is finished, drain the water and run cold water over the pasta to cool it off. Pour the dressing over the pasta along with 3 cups of shredded and cooked chicken, 1/3 cup of cilantro, and 1/3 cup of chopped green onion and mix well. Voila! You have a fast, easy, super delicious, cool dinner on a hot summer day! I found this recipe at Trickschefs.com. Here is the run down and directions one more time


Sesame Pasta Chicken Salad
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 (16 ounce) package bow tie pasta
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup light soy sauce
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 cups shredded, cooked chicken breast meat
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup chopped green onion

Heat skillet on med/high heat. Add sesame seeds--cook, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and set aside.

Bring salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook about 8-10 minutes or as package directs. Drain the pasta and rinse with cold water then transfer to a large bowl. 

In a jar (or bowl) combine the vegetable oil, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, sesame seeds, giner and pepper. Mix well.

Pour dressing over pasta and toss. Gently mix in chicken, cilantro, and green onions

~Happy Eating~

slow roasted tomatoes

Summer makes everything so simple. Corn, tomatoes, peaches, berries…just a few things that are abundant this time of year and are nearly perfect all by themselves. Each weekend when I unload my sack of fresh fruits and veggies my brain and taste buds are singing a little something like this:

As Ms. Wanda Jackson says, "Let’s have a party! Whew!" I know...I'm a goof.  

Something I love to make in the summer is roasted tomatoes. I talked about roasting peaches here and roasting tomatoes does the same thing---brings out natural sweetness. Plus, they are very versatile---so I hear. I eat them like candy.

Slice a quart of cherry or grape tomatoes in half.  

Sprinkle with some olive oil and a little salt. Then put them in a 275 degree oven for two to three hours. I check them at about two hours but low and slow is the game. Use that time to do some laundry, run an errand, take a nap or play outside.

When finished, they should look something like this---starting to crisp on the edges, caramelize, yet the centers stay juicy and sweet. 

So what can you do with them? Here’s a few ideas:

Add to sandwiches, a wrap or a burger
Use as a topping for crostini
Blend in with a homemade tomato soup
Stir into pasta
Use as a pizza topping

This time I used them as a topping for chicken Milanese, a GP recipe and basically a breaded chicken cutlet. Milk and Mode blog shows you how to make it here. With a salad on the side this was a perfect, light summer dinner.  

photo via My Father's Daughter cookbook

Strawberries filled with Oh My Goodness!!

I think always and forever strawberries will be one of my favorite foods! They are just enough sweet, juicy, crunchy, and delicious! There are many ways to fix strawberries. My all time favorite go to is to clean them, and put a dollop of sour cream on a plate and a dollop of brown sugar and use both as a dip! My mouth is watering just thinking about it! I saw this recipe the other day and decided to make a plate and let me tell you folks we devoured these bad boys in about two minutes! Sadly, we didn't even put them in the fridge to chill because we both wanted to "try one" and then just couldn't stop ourselves! So for a fun and easy afternoon snack (or you can make a whole bunch of them for a cookout party or family get together) here is what you're going to do...

First off clean the strawberries in a strainer and pat dry. Next slice the top of each strawberry so that it has a nice flat surface and place them on a hard surface. Now you're going to take your knife and cut an "x" in the top (which is literally the bottom) of the strawberry. Don't cut all the way through just enough so you can open it up to make a "pit" to fill up!

These are cut you just can't see it very well

 Just trying to show you how you open them up once they are cut

In a small bowl you are going to mix 11 ounces of softened cream cheese, 1/2 of a cup of confectioners sugar (powdered sugar), and 1/4 of a teaspoon of almond extract. You are going to beat this mixture until it becomes nice and fluffy! After you have it mixed, spoon it into a small Ziploc bag and cut the corner of the bag off to make a piping tool! (This part is much easier if you have two people working on it). Have one person open up the strawberry like in the photo above. The other person is going to "pipe" the cream cheese mixture into the middle of each strawberry and once you have the amount you want close the strawberry and it will ooze out the sides and the top. 

Once you have all the strawberries filled you are going to take a block of your favorite chocolate (we used semi-sweet although dark chocolate would be divine) and grate the chocolate over the strawberries to give them a nice chocolatey dusting!

Once you have all the strawberries filled and sprinkled you will want to stick them in the fridge to chill BEFORE you try one and eat them all up and then take them out about an hour later or when you're ready to serve them up! Your mouth, friends and family will thank you for these delicious delights! (You can add your own flavor of extract like orange or whatever tickles your fancy).

I got this recipe off of TasteofHome.com and my Pinterest page! Here is the run-down of these delicious summery snacks...
~Happy Eating~

3 dozen large fresh strawberries
2 packages (one 8 ounces, one 3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar 
1/4 teaspoon almond extract 
Grated chocolate

Cut the stems and tops off each strawberry and to make a flat bottomed strawberry and place on plate. Cut a "x" in the tops of each strawberry, being careful not to cut all the way through. 

In a small bowl combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and almond extract until fluffy. Pipe the cream cheese mixture into each strawberry then grate the chocolate over the tops for a light dusting!

Chill and enjoy!

Photo courtesy of walldesk.net

Mexican Elote - corn + mayo + cheese = yum!

The super talented ladies of Prairie Hive have done it again! Their quarterly online magazine is always full of beautiful things from interior design to clothing to party planning tips. Each issue not only creates a world I’d like to fall in to---they show you how to do it over on their daily blog!

The recent issue had a Spanish summer vibe featuring an easy to recreate taco party with margarita mix bar. Isn't this pretty?

Picture via Prairie Hive

The issue features shrimp tacos, chicken flautas, strawberry balsamic salsa and a pineapple salsa I can’t wait to print and make myself. Check out this post on creating a margarita bar with jalapeño, watermelon and grapefruit mix ins.

Picture via Prairie Hive

Something I think would go great with this party is Mexican elote. While I’ve never had authentic elote, I’m a big fan of the American adaptations I’ve tried. The easiest, and my current favorite, comes from the On a Stick book I talked about recently.

All you need is fresh corn, some mayonnaise and parmesan cheese.

It’s great with just those three things but sprinkling on a bit of cumin, cayenne and a squeeze of lime really makes it perfection.

Instead of slathering your corn with butter this summer, give these toppings a try.

Mexican Elote

Slightly adapted from On a Stick

Ingredients
Fresh corn on the cob, shucked and cleaned – however many ears you need

Mayonnaise – 1 tablespoon per ear of corn

Parmesan cheese – 1 tablespoon per ear of corn

Chili powder – ½ tsp teaspoon per ear of corn

Cayenne pepper – ¼ tsp per ear of corn (or adjust per your preferred heat level)

Cumin – ¼  teaspoon per ear of corn

Lime wedge – 1 per ear of corn

Directions

Shuck and clean the corn. Cook in boiling water for five minutes or prepare the corn your favorite way—I know some people like grilling.

In a bowl, measure out the amount of mayonnaise you will need.

In a separate bowl measure the amount of Parmesan cheese you will need.

In a third bowl, combine the chili powder, cayenne pepper and cumin you’ll need. Keep cayenne separate if you have someone who doesn’t like heat.

Spread about one tablespoon of the mayonnaise over an ear of corn. Using your hands is easiest or you could brush it on with a pastry brush.

Sprinkle the cheese mix over the corn pressing lightly to adhere to the mayo.

Sprinkle your spice mix over the corn.

Recipe round up - a few new dishes for you to try

Warmer weather tends to lighten up our dinners like sandwiches and salads with lots of fresh veggies. Here are a few things we've liked at our house in the past few weeks:

These are the toppings for a tasty fried fish sandwich. Gwyneth Paltrow (aka GP) has a great recipe for a fried sole sandwich with spicy mayo in her cookbook My Father's Daughter. I bought thick, flaky cod fillets instead of sole and subbed hot dog buns for the baguette. With bread and butter pickles, spicy arugula, a squeeze of lemon and the kicky mayo--delish! Here's a link to the recipe.

Right up there with GP in my "be my bff, please" list is Tyler Florence. His cookbook Family Meal is not only gorgeous to look at, it's full of recipes you'll want to share with your family, friends and neighbors--the point of the book. Though sometimes his recipes can skew a bit more fussy than I prefer, this recipe for angel hair pasta with arugula and lemon is simple, comes together in minutes and tastes like something off a fine dining menu---and yet approachable. I don't know how else to explain it. Red pepper flakes and sliced garlic simmer in olive oil infusing it with a warm spice--but not too hot. The bright, peppery arugula (we need a new adjective for arugula--but peppery is such a good one), lemon and salty Parmesan cheese are perfect together. I served with a simple baked salmon. Shutterbean has a good step by step on her blog here. 

photo from Once Upon a Chef blog 

I can't say enough good things about this Asian slaw with ginger peanut dressing from Once Upon a Chef blog that was floating around on Pinterest. Though the dressing looks a little complicated (several ingredients) it comes together quickly and is SO delicious. It's perfect on this salad but would also be great over hot noodles or as a dipping sauce for spring rolls. Crunchy carrots, cabbage, red peppers and edamame---light but filling for a summer supper. I served with baked fish. 

I'm sure your summer is already full of picnics, birthday parties, family reunions and cook outs. My mother in law made these cutie panda cakes for our recent family get together. These are among the MANY cute ideas on Bakarella's blog. They were a big hit with the kiddos and adults alike. Chocolate chips make up the eyes, nose and ears of these little mini panda cakes. Have fun placing the chocolate sprinkle, well, any way you can, for a mouth. The more random the placement the cuter the expression. Tip--recruit help! Three of us in shifts put together a tray of 80 or so mini cupcakes-ha! Several steps but SO worth the results. 

Have you tried anything worth sharing lately? 

farmers market inspiration - a different kind of menu planning

Leah here. If you haven't guessed already, I like to keep menu planning fairly structured. It helps me feel organized, or at least it gives me the delusion of it, as another hectic week starts to have some semblance of a plan for dinners that week. On Sundays, I hit the (cook)books and make my shopping list. 

But on Saturdays I go wild. Crazy. At least in the morning. No list. No plan. Just a $20 bill. Me and the kiddo walk up and down, up and down again peering in the vendor stalls at the farmers market. Seeing what's fresh. What sounds tasty. We let what looks best (and, ahem, is priced most competitively) fill our bag. This doesn't sound too spontaneous, but for this list maker---oh, it is. It's also a bit liberating and forces my creativity. I'm a slave to recipes and this exercise makes me call upon flavors I like and things I've tried. What do I want to recreate or (gulp) make up? I buy what makes me happy then factor it in to my menu planning on Sunday. I know. Wild woman. 

Here's what our breezy walk got us today:

Last week it was dill, but this week my belly wanted basil. It smells like summer and pizza and bright green (yes, green has a smell). This huge bouquet was $2--a fraction of what those plastic containers cost at the grocery store. I think it will become this pistachio pesto which Andolini's, one of my favorite locally owned pizza parlors, so kindly shared the recipe for. Maybe I'll grill up some pesto based pizzas this week? Pioneer Woman pizza dough is my favorite recipe. This strawberry lemon basil soda from Shutterbean also sounds delicious. 

It's blackberry time! These little jewels don't last long in my presence. (Looks like I'm raising a sneaky little blackberry lover, too.) Truthfully, I think I'll just eat these cold from the fridge. Maybe whip up some unsweetened heavy cream to dip them in? They are perfect, sweet, juicy bursts that don't need any doctoring. That said, I adore Pioneer Woman's version of blackberry cobbler (more like cake to us Okies). And this creamy blackberry frozen yogurt from Kitchen Corners blog will be made some time before berry season is over.

 I'm in charge of a veggie tray for a family gathering this weekend so I grabbed some farm raised cucumbers to chop up for the platter. Things that were grown in your own backyard, or just a few communities away, just taste better I think. This tastes a bit sour. Like grass. Like outside. Instead of like nothing when they come from the super market. I might soak these in a bit of vinegar with some onion slices before I drain and add them to the veggie tray. Did you eat them like that growing up, too?

New potatoes. How I love thee! My Memo (grandma) brought me my first new potatoes of the season. I boiled them then covered them with a little butter, salt and fresh dill like in this Bon Appetit recipe---wow! I snacked on them way past dinner. I love their tiny size and thin skins that make them totally snackable. Plus, they naturally taste a little buttery, I think? Just as is. I'd love to boil these then dip in a little homemade chipotle aioli from Bon Appetit or try this recipe for potato salad with arugula and Dijon vinaigrette from Food52.

I can't wait for tomatoes, corn, melons and all the other delicious summer produce treats. 

Are there any new recipes you'll be trying out this weekend? 

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