Tomato Watermelon Salad

I like to eat lighter in the summer and use as many fresh vegetables as I can since they are now all in season. If your looking for something quick, easy and fresh to eat tonight for dinner you may want to try my tomato watermelon salad!

Ingredients:

1 Medium Tomato, chopped
1 Cup Watermelon, chopped (I use the seedless black diamond watermelon)
Mixed Spring Greens
Olive Oil
Balsamic
Salt & Pepper
Feta Cheese
Slivered Almonds

Directions:

When I make this, I'm usually making it for just myself. If your feeding it to a family you will need to adjust the amounts. Simply double or triple the recipe.

Take the chopped tomato and chopped watermelon and mix together in a bowl. You may want to make this an hour ahead of time just so the juices can mix a little. Place spring greens on a plate. The amount is entirely to you, it depends on how much of them you want to eat. Next take the tomato and watermelon mix and place on top of greens. Drizzle olive oil and balsamic over salad. Add a dash of sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Sprinkle feta cheese and slivered almonds and toss. You can even add diced grilled chicken to this salad if you wanted to add some protein.

This summer salad is really easy to make and is packed with flavor! Hope you enjoy!

Pineapple Zucchini Bread

Since zucchini is in abundance right now, I thought I'd post another zucchini recipe. This is the first time I've ever made this bread, but thought it sounded good since it wasn't your typical zucchini bread recipe. I thought it would be nice to use my mini loaf pan instead of your typical loaf pan so I can give it to friends and family as a gift. I baked the bread this morning, took it out of the pan and had all six of my mini loaves cooling on a rack. While they were cooling I decided to go upstairs and do some work. I went upstairs, received a phone call, and proceeded to talk. Out of the corner of my eye, I see my little dog walking with something in his mouth. Mind you I have two well mannered dogs, one is 12 lbs. and the other is 20 lbs. Both are small and by no means can reach the top of a kitchen counter. I have no idea how they got one of the loaves. I seriously think one stood on the others back. One was the look out, and the other one was the thief. It remains a mystery! In all of the years I've lived in this house, this has never happened before! I have left all kinds of food on the counter, and they have never managed to steal anything! I thought to myself, this bread must smell so damn good that it literally was driving the dogs crazy and they just had to have some. At least they shared and split a loaf! Since it was irresistible to them, I thought for sure this was going to be irresistible to others!

Ingredients:

3 Eggs
1 C Oil
2 t Vanilla
2 C Shredded Zucchini
8 oz. Can Crushed Pineapple (drained)
3 C Flour
2 t Baking Soda
1/4 t Baking Powder
1 t Salt
1 t Cinnamon
3/4 t Nutmeg

Directions:

Beat eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla until thick. Add zucchini and pineapple. Once combined add the remainder of the ingredients to the mix. Pour into 2 greased loaf pans and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Notes:
***I added raisins and chopped pecans to the mix. If you use mini loaf pans like I did, this recipe will make six.
***I also took some powdered sugar a little warm water and some vanilla to add a drizzle to the top of each loaf.


This recipe comes from cooks.com.

Fresh Guacamole

What goes better with salsa, margaritas and Mexican food then guacamole?! I admit, when I was younger I could not stand avocados. One trip to Mexico, when I graduated college, changed all of that! The great thing about Mexico, is everywhere you go, they give you a bowl of chips, salsa and guacamole. This was perfect for me since I had a college graduate's budget and the salsa and guacamole was free! I still was a little unsure of the whole liking avocado thing, but it was something that did eventually grow on me. It seemed like the more I ate it, the more I liked it. Which made me wonder "What's in this stuff?" A friend of our family is from Mexico and can make the best guacamole ever! After a couple of years of wondering how he does it, I finally got my hands on the recipe!

Ingredients:

6 Avocados
5 Tomatoes
1 White Onion
4 T Chopped Cilantro
4 Serrano Peppers
1 Quarter of a lime
2 T Olive Oil
2 T Sugar
1/4 t Oregano
1/4 t Black Pepper
1/4 t Onion Powder
1/4 t Cinnamon
1/4 t Italian Seasoning
Pinch of Salt

Direction:

Chop tomatoes, onions and peppers (remove seeds from peppers). Place ingredients in a bowl and add cilantro. Next break avocados into small pieces. Do not chop or smash. Add the remainder of the ingredients and mix everything breaking the avocados up more. The mixture should be chunky, and not entirely smashed. Leave 2-3 avocado pits in guacamole to keep the fresh color.

Notes:
***This guacamole is spicy. It's not flaming hot, but it does have a kick, which I think is nice. If you do not want it real spicy cut down on the amount of Serrano peppers or use a jalapeno which is a little more mild then a Serrano.
***If you decide to use Serrano peppers you may want to wear rubber gloves when dicing. If you have any cuts on your fingers, you will be feeling the sting from the oil of the pepper for hours! I know from experience!

Now make a margarita, grab some chips, and enjoy this great summer time snack! Thanks Daniel for the recipe!

Leek Quiche With Potato Crust

I just made this recipe today, and it is a perfect summer dish! Real simple to make and a great use of leeks! I of course added additional ingredients because I like a lot of flavor. The nice thing about this recipe is that there are not a lot of ingredients, they are probably things you all ready have in your fridge. Why not try this one out tonight?!

Crust:

3 Cups Potatoes, grated
3 T Oil

Grate potatoes, and squeeze out excess water. Mix potatoes with oil. I used an infused garlic and basil olive oil. All though the recipe does not call for it, I added sea salt, pepper, garlic powder and about a 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese. Once potatoes have mixed with oil, place in a 9 inch pie pan pressing along the sides and bottom. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes. While that is baking, make the filling.

Filling:

1 Cup Leeks, chopped
1 Cup Cheese, grated
3 Eggs
1 Cup Evaporated Milk
Sea Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper

Thoroughly wash the leek. They do tend to have a lot of sand in them. Once clean and dried, chop one cup (about one leek). Grate cheese. I used two different types of cheese to add some contrast, white cheddar and baby swiss. Layer the leeks and then the cheese on top of the crust. In a bowl whisk eggs, evaporated milk, salt & pepper. Pour mixture over leeks and cheese and bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 for another 25-30 minutes. Bake until top is nice and browned.

My oven allows me to bake convection, if you have this setting on your stove this dish would benefit from it. The convection setting allows everything to cook very even, with nice browning from top to bottom. Hope you enjoy this great dish as much as I did!

Thanks Shawna for the recipe! shawnaskitchen.blogspot.com

Candied Sweet Pickles

There are pickles everywhere you go! They're dirt cheap, and are being sold buy the bucket. I enjoy fresh pickles that are nice and green and that aren't a weird shade of neon yellow like you see in the jars at the stores. Those aren't pickles to me, those are science experiments! I went to a local farm, and bought literally a bucket of pickles yesterday! I decided to make refrigerator pickles that my grandma used to make. They are simple to make, and require no cooking. This recipe makes a ton, and can be stored in the frig for weeks. Actually the longer they sit, the better they taste! They're great to bring to picnics, and a nice homemade gift to give to friends and family!

Ingredients:

1 Gallon Jug full of sliced fresh pickles
3 Cups Apple Cider Vinegar
4 Cups Sugar
Pickling Spice 3oz. (can get at grocery store)
Dill (optional)
2 Cups Water

Directions:

Slice all pickles and place in a gallon container. (I use a mandolin for even slicing.) In a bowl, non metal, mix apple cider vinegar, sugar and pickling spice. Use a whisk until sugar dissolves. Pour mixture in container, and add just enough water to cover pickles not exceeding 2 cups. Add additional dill to taste and mix. Cover container, and place in refrigerator. Stir occasionally. Let pickles sit for 5 days before using.

**You can use other vegetables besides just pickles for this recipe, remember to not exceed a gallon.
**Pickling spice can be usually found by the fresh pickles in most produce markets or down the spice isle. Since pickles are in season now, I've noticed a lot of stores putting the ingredients near each other, knowing it's a popular thing to do in the summer.
***You can use a sugar substitute, just make sure it's equivalent to 4 cups of regular sugar.

Stuffed Turkey Burgers

It's grilling season! The best time of the year! There's nothing better then having a great grill and doing all my cooking outside! I know...a little strange coming from a female to say how much she loves to grill, but I really do! I put anything and everything on the grill! Easy clean up, and the food always tastes great! I like burgers, but not your ordinary burgers. My burgers are kicked up, packed with flavor, and perfect for the grill!

Ingredients:

2 lbs Ground Turkey
1 Egg
4 Slices of Cheese (I use a Monterrey Jack, Habanero Cheese)
1 Small Red Bell Pepper, roasted, skinned, and diced
1 Sweet Onion, sliced thin
2 Portobella Mushrooms, sliced thin
2 T Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 t Thyme
Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper
2 T Olive Oil
4 Fresh Bakery Buns

Instructions:

Turn grill to high, and roast peppers. About 7-10 minutes per side. Your looking for them to blacken, and blister. You can really use any kind of pepper you like, I always tend to use red because they taste great roasted. Once they are nice and charred take them off the grill and allow them to cool. Once they are cool, peel of the blackened skin and dice.

In a skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and onions. Cook for five minutes and then add mushrooms and diced peppers. Add a little salt and pepper to taste and allow to cook for another 5 minutes. When done, remove from heat and slightly cool.

While vegetables are being sauteed, in a bowl mix ground turkey, egg, Worcestershire, thyme, salt & pepper. You don't really have to use an egg, but I do because it binds the meat better. Once meat has been mixed, form into 8 patties of equal size. A burger press works best for this recipe, it allows the burgers to be formed perfectly.

When all burgers have been formed take a slice of cheese and tear in half. Place cheese on the center of the burger, not allowing it to touch the edges. Take a scoop of the sauteed vegetables and place on top of the cheese. Lastly, take another burger, and place on top of the other. With a fork, crimp the edges of the burger together so filling does not fall out.

Heat grill to a medium heat, lightly season burgers (I use garlic powder, and a general seasoning blend), and grill for 6-8 minutes per side depending on your grill. Just before burgers are done, place buns on grills to lightly toast.

Place cooked burger on a bun and top with your favorite condiments! Enjoy!

Options:
**You can make this burger so many different ways. Use different cheese, different vegetables, anything you like!
***If you do not have a grill, you can do these in your broiler.
***These burgers are great without a burger and drizzled with a Merlot steak sauce.
***You can butter the bun and then toast to make it richer.

Don't Forget The Doggies!

When I came home today, I was greeted by my two crazy dogs who spun in circles, stood on two legs and gave out slobbers to greet me. To think they did all that just because I walked in the door, imagine if I really did something impressive what they'd do! Since I am a dog owner, and I know a lot of my readers are also dog owners, I thought I'd post a recipe my dogs love! It's a simple carob chip and peanut butter biscuit.

Ingredients:

2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1 Cup Natural Peanut Butter
1 Cup Skim Milk
1/2 Cup Carob Chips

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375. Mix peanut butter and milk together. Add the carob chips, and slowly incorporate dry ingredients. Mix until a dough is formed. Turn out dough on a floured surface and knead. Roll dough out to 1/4 inch thick. Cut with cookie cutter (dog bone shape). Place on greased cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Cool on rack and store in an airtight container.

My Thoughts:

My dogs love these biscuits! They're easy to make, and they make a lot. The biscuits store really well in a container, and can last a good amount of time. A good gift idea for other fellow dog owners is to put biscuits in cute little bags from a party store and tie with ribbon. You can even melt some carob chips and dip the ends of the biscuit. What dog doesn't like peanut butter?! Woof!