Fruit Soup

I like to plan my weekly menu every Sunday night before I go shopping Monday, but I've been in a bit of a recipe-idea slump lately. So I enlisted my family's help. Everyone -my three oldest kids (5, 7 and 10) and my husband- thinks up one dinner idea each week and then I fill in the gaps. They have actually come up with some good ideas- fish tacos, ribs, eggs & bacon, etc. But sometimes I have to tweak the kids' ideas a bit. My 5 year old wanted soup and grilled cheese for his dinner, so I adapted that to a summer version, and we had croissant sandwiches and this delicious fruit soup. I had seen the idea on the Sister's Cafe and adapted it to suit our tastes (it called for canned peaches and orange juice concentrate, neither of which I ever buy, so I changed those). It was so fruity, cool and refreshing- I could've eaten the whole thing myself!

Fruit Soup
3/4 c. sugar
1 c. water
1 c. orange juice
3 Tb tapioca (be sure to use the “minute brand” quick cooking tapioca)
2 1/4 c. additional orange juice
2 cans mandarin oranges (with or without juice)
1 bag frozen mixed berries (or an equivalent amount of fresh)
2 c. fresh strawberries, sliced, just before serving
2 bananas, just before serving

Bring sugar, water, orange juice and tapioca to a boil. Continue boiling on medium high for about 10 minutes, stirring often. Some tapioca will be clear and other granules will have a white center. Take off heat. Let sit for 30 minutes. (This is when the tapioca will become more clear.) Add 2 1/4 c. orange juice. Chill for several hours or overnight. Add mandarin oranges and mixed berries. Before serving add strawberries and bananas.

Chef Salad

It seems silly to post a recipe for this salad, but it is so good I decided to post it anyway- it's a great dinner idea when it's too hot to cook or you don't have much time. During the summer we have some kind of main dish salad for dinner just about weekly. Those warm days are coming soon- right?!

Here's what you need:


A nice large, crispy head of lettuce- I prefer romaine or green leaf for this salad.


One cucumber, peeled and sliced.

4-6 hard-boiled eggs (about an egg per person), peeled and sliced. Yes, I know there are 7 here. Thanks for checking my counting skills, though!

About a cup each grated cheese, diced deli ham, and diced deli turkey.

Chef Salad

1 head green leafy lettuce

1 cucumber, peeled and sliced

4-6 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled & sliced

1 c. shredded cheese

1 c. diced deli ham

1 c. diced deli turkey

favorite dressing (we like Ranch or Green Goddess, bleu cheese is good too)

Wash, drain, and tear lettuce into bite-sized pieces. Divide among plates. Top with cucumber, sliced eggs, cheese, ham and turkey. Drizzle with your favorite dressing. This should serve 4-6 as a main course. And it's great for families with kids, because the ones that don't love salad can have just a little lettuce on the bottom with lots of the good stuff on top.

Spicy-Honey Chicken & Salad w/ Honey-Citrus Vinaigrette

I got this recipe from the Our Best Bites blog, and it was great! We tried both the salad and the chicken by itself, and liked both. However, when I made the chicken alone I used breasts and it wasn't as good, so I'd definitely recommend following the recipe and using thighs. BTW, if you are worried about the "spicy" part, it's really not!
Spicy-Honey Chicken
2 tsp vegetable oil
Rub:2 tsp granulated garlic
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp coriander (I didn't have this, so I left it out)
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp cumin
8 boneless skinless chicken thighs (I only used 4 large ones)
Glaze:
1/2 C Honey
1 Tb Cider Vinegar

Use kitchen shears (or a pair of clean scissors) to trim off any excess fat from the chicken pieces. Pat dry. Drizzle oil over chicken and rub in with your hands to lightly coat all the pieces. Then toss chicken with the spice rub to coat all sides well. Use your hands and get in there! Grill chicken a few minutes on each side, until cooked through (I cooked it in a hot covered greased skillet for about 6 minutes per side).
While chicken is cooking, warm honey in the microwave so it's not so thick. Add the vinegar and combine well. Reserve 2T honey glaze for later. Take the rest and brush on chicken (both sides) in the final moments of grilling.
Drizzle extra couple tablespoons of glaze on top of chicken.
I often just cook the chicken in the oven at 425 for 25 minutes, slice it and toss it with the glaze.

You can eat this as is with some side dishes, or you can use it in this fabulous salad:

Spicy-Honey Chicken Salad
1 large head red leaf or romaine lettuce, torn
1 recipe spicy-honey chicken, cut in strips
2 diced avocadoes
2 diced mangos
Honey-citrus vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Pile lettuce, avocado, mango and chicken on a plate. Drizzle with vinaigrette. Serves 4-6 as a main dish or lots more as a side. Oh, this salad was SO good. I think it's my new fave!

Honey-Citrus Vinaigrette
1/2 C fresh orange juice
3 T fresh lime juice
1 T honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 C olive or canola oil

Place all ingredients in a tightly sealed jar and shake your bootie (and the jar) vigorously. Store in the fridge, and shake before dressing salad.

Sticky Coconut Chicken with Coconut Rice

This is another great recipe from Melanie over at My Kitchen Cafe. I served sauteed garlic sugar-snap peas on the side.
Sticky Coconut Chicken
6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 can coconut milk, divided
1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1 tsp. red pepper flakes (I only used 1/2 tsp)

Marinade chicken in 1 c. coconut milk, ginger, pepper and red pepper flakes at least one hour. Grill on barbecue (I actually baked mine at 425 for about 25 minutes, because my grill is broken, and it was great!).

Glaze:
3/4 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. red pepper flakes (again, I used 1/2 tsp)

While the chicken is grilling, bring above ingredients to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until mixture is reduced and thickened, about 8-10 minutes. Be patient because it takes a little while. But once it starts getting really thick, immediately take it off the heat! Glaze both sides of chicken the last few minutes of grilling and serve chicken over rice.

To make the rice, use the remaining coconut milk to replace part of the water when you cook your rice. Serve rice with toasted coconut on top. Mmmm!

Colcannon {Potatoes, Cabbage, & Onions}

I ended up finding this recipe the day before St. Patrick's on the Sister's Cafe blog, and decided to give it a try. It was a hit! Creamy potatoes, sweet caramelized onions and cabbage, and lots of butter make this a winner. Try it!

Colcannon
6 large potatoes, peeled (I used red and didn't peel them)
4-6 Tb half-and-half (I used milk)
1 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 onions, finely chopped
6 Tb butter, divided (I used 8 tb.)
1/2 of a small head of cabbage, sliced thinly (I used a whole one, but it was tiny)

1. Chop potatoes and place in pot. Fill with enough water to cover and boil for 20 minutes, or until soft. While the potatoes are cooking, melt 4 Tb butter in large saucepan. Add minced onion and stir to coat with butter. Add cabbage over onions. Cover saucepan and cook over med-low to medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until cabbage is soft.

2. Drain potatoes and add half-and-half (or milk) and salt (I added an extra 2 tb. butter to the potatoes). Mash with electric mixer. Stir together onion and cabbage mixture with mashed potatoes. Spoon into an oven safe dish and place under broiler until top is browned. Traditionally colcannon is served with a deep well in the center filled with melted butter... so place 2 more Tb of butter on top before broiling and let it melt into colcannon.

Corned Beef, Cabbage & New Potatoes

Want to celebrate St. Patrick's Day right? Make this meal for dinner on March 17th. It is really easy, delicious, and festive. Every time I make it, I wonder why I only make it for St. Patrick's Day- we like it that much! This is a picture of our meal from a few years ago (since I haven't made it this year, yet!). Here's a shopping list, if you want it:

• 1 corned beef brisket
• 1 head green cabbage
• New potatoes/ baby red potatoes
• Butter
• Dill (I use dry dill weed), salt & pepper

I serve it with milk (dyed green w/ food coloring- I know, gross, but my kids love it!). Here are the recipes:
Corned Beef BrisketPlace corned beef brisket in crock-pot. Sprinkle on spices in included spice packet. Pour in a few cups water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Slice and serve. Yep, that's it- did you really need a recipe for that? Now, on to the cabbage and potatoes:
Steamed Cabbage
Wash head of cabbage. Cut into 4-6 wedges (4 if you have a small head of cabbage, 6 if it is large) and cut out the core. Place wedges in a large saucepan with a few inches of water. Cover, bring to a boil, and steam for about 15 minutes, or until cabbage is crisp-tender. Drain water out and toss with a few tablespoons of butter and some salt to taste.
Dilled New PotatoesCut potatoes in half (if they are baby reds) or fourths (if larger reds). Place in pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until fork-tender. Drain water out and toss with a few tablespoons butter, a sprinkle of dill, and some salt and pepper to taste (sorry, I never measure).
I am going to serve my own version of Winger's Asphalt Pie for dessert, I'll post the recipe below and add a picture after I make it. Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Cafe Rio Pork Salad, Cilantro-Lime Dressing & Guacamole

For those of you who don't have a Cafe Rio, it is a chain of Mexican grill restaurants. They have great salads, burritos, and quesadillas, homemade tortillas, and the best cilantro-lime dressing. Here is a copycat recipe for the Pork Salad. Try it, and let me know what you think! I found the recipe for the dressing and salad ideas at Our Best Bites.

Cafe Rio Pork Salad

6 homemade tortillas (recipe follows)(serve without tortillas for wheat-free)

1 recipe lime-cilantro rice (recipe follows)

1 recipe brown sugar-salsa pork (recipe follows, you'll have extra)

1 recipe cilantro-lime dressing (recipe follows, again you'll have extra)

1 can black beans, rinsed & drained

romaine lettuce

crispy tortilla strips

guacamole (recipe follows)

On a large plate, layer a tortilla, a scoop of rice, a scoop of beans, some lettuce, a scoop of pork (you can also use chicken or steak), and some tortilla strips. Drizzle w/ dressing and top w/ a big spoonful of guacamole. Yum!

Flour Tortillas

2 1/2 c. flour

1 c. very hot water

1 tsp. Kosher salt

1/4 c. shortening

Mix flour and salt. Cut in shortening until resembles coarse crumbs. Mix in water (I had to add a little extra flour b/c it was too sticky). Divide into 6 portions, roll each into a circle about 8-10" across. Cook in a very hot skillet until large bubbles form and light brown spots appear, turn and cook on other side (this only takes about a minute per side).

Lime-Cilantro Rice
1 c. uncooked long grain rice, plus water according to directions
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
1 tb. lime juice
1 chicken boiullon cube, or 1 tsp. granules
salt to taste, if needed

Mix all ingredients except salt. Cook rice according to package directions, salt to taste.

Brown Sugar-Salsa Pork
1 pork roast (about 2 pounds)
1 c. brown sugar
2 c. medium salsa

Place pork in crock-pot. Sprinkle brown sugar on top, then pour on salsa. Cook on low 8 hours. Shred with fork and add back to crock-pot to soak up juices. This is SO good, we loved it! It would be great on sandwiches, too, or just by itself.

Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing
1 pack (1oz) Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix (regular or buttermilk, and ignore directions on the packet)
1C mayo
1/2 C milk (or buttermilk depending on which packet you buy)
1 lime
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 C roughly chopped cilantro
1/4 C green salsa hot sauce (La Costena is good, Herdez is really hot)

Place milk, mayo, and ranch mix in a blender. Juice the lime in there too, you should get about 2T juice. Toss in the garlic, cilantro and green salsa. Blend 'er up. Sample it and add hot sauce to taste. Make it several hours ahead of time to allow it to thicken.

Guacamole
3 very ripe avocados
splash of lime juice
sprinkle of garlic salt
few drops of Tabasco

Peel, seed and mash avocados w/ a fork. Mix in other ingredients (a little Tabasco goes a long way, so be careful). Serve on this salad, or with chips, on burgers or enchiladas, or just eat w/ a
spoon! If you have leftovers, store them with the pit in the middle and plastic wrap pressed right on top- this will help keep it from turning brown!

Rustic Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Did you know the peel is the healthiest part of the potato? It is for this reason, and not laziness, that I rarely peel potatoes. No, really! If I am making a large batch of mashed potatoes I do peel them halfway (because that many peels get a little overwhelming). Try it!

Rustic Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Potatoes, scrubbed and diced

Butter

Milk or cream

Garlic salt

Black pepper

Parsley flakes

Place diced potatoes in a large pan with enough water to cover. Bring to boil and reduce heat. Simmer potatoes about 15-20 minutes, until fork-tender. Drain water out. Add butter (about a tablespoon per 2 large potatoes) and milk and mash with a potato masher, adding milk to reach desired consistency. Season to taste with garlic salt, pepper and parsley.

New Year's Eve- Party Food!

According to my Southern ancestors' tradition, black-eyed peas were always eaten on New Year's Eve. This supposedly brought you luck for the coming year. My mom always made us eat at least a spoonful, though we all hated them, in keeping with tradition. When I tried this yummy chip dip at a friend's party several year's ago, I was so excited- now I could eat black-eyed peas and actually enjoy them! So we now eat this dip- dubbed "Mexican Caviar"- every New Year's Eve. It's easy to make and tastes great! This year we had an "appetizer dinner", so we also had fancy cheeses paired with crackers and pears, and spinach artichoke dip.

Mexican Caviar

1 can black-eyed peas, undrained

1 can black olives, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

2 avocados, peeled, seeded and chopped

2 small tomatoes, chopped

1 packet dry Italian dressing mix

Mix all together, chill for several hours to combine flavors. Serve with tortilla chips.

We are lately becoming cheese-tasters, trying to decide our favorites (so when we someday get a milk cow we'll know which ones we want to try to make with all that extra milk). Look for our cheese-taster's table to come soon as we sample all kinds and share our thoughts and reviews.)

Y'all in Mississippi Now!

Don't even ask about the title of this post- you had to be there! Anyway, this is a tribute to my southern relatives- a true southern down-home meal that even Paula Deen would be proud of. It consisted of Buttermilk Baked Chicken (a recipe I got off another foodie blog, I can't remember which one), Fried Okra (awesome, if you've never tried it you just have to. Incidentally it's the only way to properly eat okra in my opinion. We grew some in our garden a few years back and tried alternate recipes, and trust me, don't bother- it's slimy and disgusting prepared any other way), Super-sweet Cornbread, and some fabulous heirloom tomatoes we got at the farmer's market (ummm- ok, I made this in the summer, obviously there are no tomatoes now. Sorry I'm a little slow on the posting!). YUMMY!

Buttermilk Baked Chicken

8 slices bread, processed into coarse crumbs

1 c. buttermilk (I use milk + 1 tb. lemon juice, let it sit a minute)

1 tsp. Tabasco

salt and pepper

3/4 c. Parmesan cheese

1 tsp. dried thyme

4 lbs. dark chicken parts (I used 2 lbs. boneless skinless breasts instead)

In 1 bowl, mix buttermilk, tabasco, salt and pepper. Place chicken parts in bowl, turning to coat (I let it sit in the fridge for a few hours to marinate, but you don't have to). In 2nd bowl, mix breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and thyme. Remove each piece of chicken from the buttermilk mixture and dredge in the breadcrumb mixture. Place on a well-greased baking sheet or large pan, making sure they don't touch. Bake at 400 degrees until chicken is golden brown and done in the center, about 35 minutes.

Fried Okra

1 bag frozen sliced okra (or fresh if you can find it)

flour

salt and pepper

egg

milk

vegetable or canola oil, for frying

Heat about 2 inches of oil in a large pan to 350. Mix an egg or two with a little milk in one bowl, and the flour with a little salt and pepper in another. Dip okra slices first in egg, then in flour. Fry until golden brown, drain on paper towels. Mmm, delish!

Super-sweet Cornbread

I'm not a fan of the really grainy cornbread, so this recipe really suits me- it has equal parts flour and cornmeal, and lots of sugar. Really more like a cupcake than a corn muffin! Delish!

1/2 c. butter

2/3 c. sugar

1 c. cornmeal

1 c. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 c. buttermilk (I use 1 c. milk + 1 tb. lemon juice)

2 eggs

Melt butter. Beat in sugar and eggs. Combine buttermilk and baking soda, stir in. Add cornmeal, flour, and salt. Pour into greased 8 x 8 " pan or 12 muffin cups. Bake at 375 degrees about 30 minutes (20-25 for muffins), or until done in center. You can double the recipe to make a 9 x 13 " pan full.

California Club Croissants & Cucumber Salad

I just love these sandwiches. They are so easy and delicious! I usually make them in the summer, but I needed a change so I made them a few weeks ago. The cucumber salad is really yummy, too, and makes an easy side dish for sandwiches or burgers.

California Club Croissants

4 deli croissants, large size

12 slices deli turkey

4 slices deli cheese (I like muenster, havarti or provolone)

1 avocado, sliced into 12 slices

Cut croissants in half. On bottom of each croissant layer 3 slices turkey, 1 slice cheese, and 3 slices avocado. Top with other half of croissant. Eat cold, or microwave for about 30 seconds each to melt cheese (we like it this way). I serve them with cucumber salad and fresh fruit salad.

Cucumber Salad

1 large cucumber

onion salt

mayonnaise

real bacon bits, optional

Peel cucumber. Slice into thin slices. In bowl, sprinkle with onion salt to taste. Let sit for 1/2 hour or longer (cucumber should soften a bit, and there should be liquid in the bowl). Drain off excess liquid, add enough mayo to coat and bacon bits, if desired. Serve cold. You can add more cucumbers to make enough for a picnic or potluck. You can also add sliced tomatoes if desired, I do this only in the summer when I have good garden tomatoes.

Mandarin Spinach Salad

I love making this salad as a side, but it's also great with meat in it as a full meal. I served it with home-made bread and jam. You can use any meat you like, and whatever fruit is in season. I usually make a home-made fruit viniagrette with jam, olive oil, red-wine vinegar, salt and pepper, but you can also buy a fruity viniagrette in the salad dressing section.

Mandarin Spinach Salad

1 bag baby spinach

1 can mandarin oranges, drained

1 c. chopped apples or pears, sliced strawberries, or whole blueberries or raspberries

1/2 c. glazed almonds, pecans or walnuts

1 c. chopped ham, chicken or turkey

Your choice fruity viniagrette dressing

Mix baby spinach, fruit, meat, and nuts in large bowl. Place on plates and top with dressing. Serve with bread or rolls. For a side dish you can just leave out the meat. It is very yummy!

Cranberry-Orange Sauce

I love whole-berry cranberry sauce, and it's even better home-made! So yummy on turkey sandwiches, too! It only takes about 15 minutes to make.

Cranberry-Orange Sauce

1 bag fresh cranberries

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. orange juice

1/2 c. water

Mix all ingredients in saucepan. Bring to boil , turn heat to low. Simmer 10 minutes, or until most skins are cracked on cranberries, stirring occasionally. Cool, store in refrigerator to set up.

Favorite Avocado Salad

I did help my mom in the kitchen a lot growing up, but I will always remember my time with Mimi, watching her cook, as a special time in my childhood. In fact, as a young teenager I cooked up a plan to someday open a restaurant with Mimi. I told her I'd run the restaurant, and she'd be the head chef (I'm sure she was thrilled about that! She went along, anyway, though). I even named our future restaurant- Mimi's Cafe- yes, I know someone stole the name from us, but this was before there were any Mimi's Cafes around. I don't know if this is actually Mimi's favorite avocado salad, but that's what she called it in the little index book of recipes she gave me when I left for college. If you like avocados, you'll love this!

Favorite Avocado Salad

2 avocados

4 lettuce leaves

3 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

1/2 cup ranch or green goddess dressing

Cut avocados in half, remove pit and carefully scoop each half out of shell. Place lettuce leaves on plates, top with avocado halves. Salt if desired. Mix crumbled bacon and dressing of choice, spoon over avocados. Serves 4. Yum!