Cucumber Boats

This summer has been hot. Not normal summer hot, like 50 Shades of Hell hot. When it's this unbearable, I like to have food that is refreshing and cool. That's where these cucumber boats come in.

There's nothing really special about these, you could just slice up a cucumber and throw some cottage cheese on top, but the boats look more appetizing and you MUST add basil and cilantro to the cottage cheese. 

What You Need:

• 1 cucumber, peeled, halved and seeds scooped out
• 3/4 cup cottage cheese
• 2 tablespoons basil, chopped
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
• Salt and Pepper - to taste

What You Do:

1. Peel a cucumber - I don't mind the skin, so I just peel off the parts that aren't good.  Slice it in half and using a spoon scoop out all the seeds.  Sprinkle a little salt on the cucumber.

2. Mix together the cottage cheese, basil, salt and cilantro and fill the hollowed out area.

3. Sprinkle with cracked black pepper.

4. Chow down.

Homemade Granola

We love granola.  Unfortunately granola cereal isn't cheap.  So I decided I was going to make my own.  It turned out great and was a lot cheaper than buying boxes of it from the store! 

What You Need:

• 4 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts and almonds)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/3 cup water

What You Do:
Preheat oven to 300º.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the oats, nuts, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the oil, honey, and water. Toss the mixture until the ingredients are well combined, then spread it evenly on a cookie sheet.

Bake the granola for 40 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring every 10 minutes to keep the mixture from sticking.

After it is cooled, you can stir in dried cranberries.  I would have done this except for the fact that Monkey loves cranberries and has eaten every last one in the house.

Eat as a cereal, sprinkle over yogurt, or throw in a ziploc bag and munch on as a snack.  Delicious.

Pumpkin Apple Butter

Who doesn't love a little apple butter on a piece of toast or biscuit in the morning?  The problem with apple butter is that it takes a lot of care and quite a while to make it.  But alas, there is an easier method... the crockpot, of course!  And since I still have pumpkin puree coming out my ears, I made pumpkin apple butter this time.

What You'll Need:

• 8 apples
• 2 cups pumpkin puree
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 cups apple juice
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon

What You Do:

Peel, core and slice the apples. 

And now here comes the easy part, dump all ingredients into the crock pot and cook on low for 14 hours. 

Divide in 2 cup portions, put one in the fridge for immediate use and the rest in the freezer or give to friends.  They'll love you for it!

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

If you had to choose between sweet and savory, which would you choose? 

I would pick savory 99% of the time.  That's why when I make recipes using fresh pumpkin I always save the seeds and roast them up.  They are a perfect little snack and with three ingredients, they couldn't be any easier to make.

What You'll Need:

Fresh pumpkin seeds, rinsed with cold water

EVOO

Sea Salt

What You Do:

Generously drizzle a baking sheet with EVOO.  Place the seeds in a single layer on the sheet, stirring to coat. 

Generously sprinkle with sea salt and bake at 325 degrees for about 25 minutes.  Stir half-way through.

And that's it, let cool and snack away! 

**Expect some sweet pumpkin recipes coming... I've been trying out some new things!

Onion Rings

Onion rings.  For some crazy reason, they seem to be one of the few dishes that elude me.  Every time I try making them, they just don't turn out right.  They are either soggy or the breading itself isn't that great.  I had resigned myself to giving up on them and only eating them at my favorite tavern.  That was until I saw this recipe.  The chips intrigued me, surely they wouldn't get soggy, right?  Right!  They were perfect.  This will be the go-to recipe for onion rings in the future.  And the best part about it is that they are baked, not fried, so they aren't that terrible for you!

What You'll Need:

• Onion, cut into 1/2 inch rings
• 1/2 cup flour, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 whole egg
• 1-1/2 cup crushed potato chips
• 3 tablespoons EVOO

What You Do:

Prehat oven to 450 degrees.

Combine 1/4 cup flour, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper in a bowl.

In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, egg, and 1/4 cup flour.  Whisk until a smooth batter is formed.

Place crushed chips into another bowl.

Set up assembly line starting with seasoned flour, then the batter, and finish with the crushed chips.

Dip an onion slice into each bowl consecutively.  Repeat with all rings.

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Drizzle with 3 tablespoons oil then pop it into the hot oven for a few minutes. 

Remove from oven and quickly place the onion rings on the baking sheet, then return to the oven.  Bake for 8 minutes then flip each ring and bake for another 8 minutes.

Lime Pickles

Way back in January I made a promise.  I am a keeper of promises.

This one though, I kind of forgot about 'til recently.  I was over at my parents' helping snap green beans and canning pickles, when it struck me; I promised to share a lime pickle recipe with my lovely blog readers before the summer and I hadn't done it yet!  Never fear, it's not too late for you to enjoy some delectable lime pickles in your chili, on ham and cheese sandwiches, in chicken salad, or even all by themselves!  I will give you a forewarning that it does take a while to make them, but it is well worth the effort.  You won't be sorry!

What You'll Need:

• 7 lbs. cucumbers (Sliced)
• 1 cup MRS. WAGES Pickling Lime
• 2 gallons water
• 8 cups distilled white vinegar, 5% acidity
• 8 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt (optional)
• 2 teaspoons MRS. WAGES Mixed Pickling Spices

What You Do:

Soak clean cucumbers in water and lime mixture in crockery for 2 hours or overnight. Do not use aluminum ware.

Remove sliced cucumbers from lime water. Discard lime water. Rinse 3 times in fresh cold water. Soak 3 hours in fresh cold water.

Combine vinegar, sugar, salt and mixed pickling spices in a large pot. Bring to a low boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove syrup from heat and add sliced cucumbers. Soak 5-6 hours or overnight.

Boil slices in the syrup 35 minutes. Fill sterilized jars with hot slices. Pour hot syrup over the slices, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Cap each jar when filled.

Process pints for 10 minutes, quarts for 15 minutes, in a boiling water bath canner.

Test jars for airtight seals according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Store jars in a cool, dry place. Refigerate after opening.

Spicy Southwest Pretzels

I've been addicted to this snack the last few weeks.  In fact, I am polishing off the last of the third batch as I type this.  Luckily, I have another bag of pretzels at home patiently waiting for me to doctor them up and then devour them.  What snack foods are you addicted to right now?

What You'll Need:

• ¾ c. canola oil
• 1 ½ t. lemon pepper
• ½- 1 t. cayenne pepper (to taste)
• 1 ½ t. garlic powder or salt
• few dashes Chipotle Tabasco sauce
• 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
• 1 packet of ranch dressing dry seasoning mix
• 1 pound bag of pretzels

What You Do:

Mix all ingredients except the pretzels together into a gallon Ziploc baggie. Squish together to mix well.

Pour in a one-pound bag of pretzels. Close baggie and shake until seasoning and oil is over all pretzels.

Let pretzels marinate for at least 2 hours before serving.  The pretzels will soak up the marinade.

Grilled Stuffed Roasted Red Peppers

I made these little pockets of love for the first time the other day and I thought I was going to die.  Or be constipated after eating so many of them.  I couldn't keep my grubby hands away from them!  Lucky for me, neither of those things happened. 

What did happen though was that I forced my little sister Bonnie to try one.  She hates almost all vegetables and I wanted her to try a bite so badly because I just knew she would like them.  It only took me wrestling her to the ground, hog-tying her, holding her nose shut until she had to open her mouth to breath, and then shoving a bite in there to accomplish my mission.  But I came out the victor!  And I was rewarded by her saying, "Oh, those aren't so bad afterall!"  Yep, mission complete. 

What You'll Need:

• 4 large roasted red peppers, drained well and dried
• 4 slabs of mozzarella or provolone cheese, about an inch wide
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• A handful finely chopped cilantro
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• Kitchen twine or toothpicks, soaked in water

What You Do:

Slice the peppers open, remove all seeds, blot dry and reserve.

Add the cheese to a dish and sprinkle with the red pepper flakes, cilantro, a little lemon zest, lemon juice and a liberal drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Toss to coat the cheese chunks in the marinade.  You can either immediately go to the next step, or let the cheese marinate in the fridge for a few hours.

Wrap each chunk in a roasted pepper and tie with twine or stick a few toothpicks thru to secure it.

Heat grill to medium, and grill the bundles until the peppers are evenly charred and cheese is browning at edges, about 8 to10 minutes.

Creamy Pesto Dip

This dip is to die for.  If you would've told me that I'd ever go to bat for a pesto dip, I would've said that that's crazy talk. 

Of course, maybe I am....

I've never been a huge pesto fan, but this dip has converted me.  I now use pesto in many different ways and I love it.

What You'll Need:

• 1 block cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons zesty italian dressing
• 1/2 jar of basil pesto
• diced fresh tomatoes, as many as you wish

What You Do:

Mix cream cheese, sour cream and dressing until smooth.

Pour pesto over cream cheese mixture.
Add a good amount of diced tomatoes over the pesto.
Refrigerate for one hour and serve with crackers.
Fall in love.

Citrus Salsa

This may sound like a really odd combination, but trust me... try it.  You'll love it!  I can't remember exactly where I found the recipe, but I think it was on the back of a Triscuit box.  I made a few changes and it's been an instant hit. 

What You'll Need:

•1 cup tomatoes, chopped (about 3)
•1 can mandarin oranges, drained (11 Oz)
•¼ cup red onion, chopped
•A handful of chopped fresh cilantro
•1 tablespoon zesty italian dressing

What You Do:

Combine all ingredients.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Serve w/ crackers.  My favorites are Triscuits Rosemary & Olive Oil or Cracked Pepper & Olive Oil. Any kind will do though.

I Scream, You Scream....

How many of you vowed to lose weight this year?  How many of you still find yourself going to the freezer after the kids are in bed for a little nip of ice cream? 

Yeah, your not the only one!  I actually didn't make a resolution to lose weight, but I would like to stay where I am and not gain any.... ice cream doesn't help that cause. 

I've found an amazing and simple way to fix the problem, yet still enjoy your ice cream! 

It's something called One Ingredient Ice Cream (but, I don't just stick to one ingredient, I'm crazy that way).

And that one ingredient?  It's Bananas!

This is what you do....

Start with some ripe bananas.  Not banana bread ripe, but ripe.

Then peel them and freeze.  You can slice them or freeze whole.  I find they blend faster if they are cut up. 

After freezing, throw in a food processor and start processing.

At first they will crumble up and not really blend, looking something like this.

But keep going.  It'll start looking like soft serve ice cream.

Now you can stop here and enjoy or you can mix it up more and add other ingredients.  I think it's just a little too banana-y if you stop here. 

Is banana-y a word?

So I tried a few different things. 

I added vanilla....

                            

And blueberries...

                             

And strawberries....

Blueberries AND strawberries....

                           

Chocolote syrup....

                            

Peanut butter...

                           

And Nutella.....

                            

Once you have it the way you want, you can eat it.  It will be the consistancy of soft serve ice cream.  If you throw it into a freezer-safe container and freeze it again though, it will turn into harder ice cream.  It is so good!

                           

One thing I noticed though, was if I added fruit, the excess water made it more of a smoothie consistancy rather than icecream.  While it was still good, I thought it should just be used for a breakfast smoothie.  Two birds one stone, right?

I threw a few scoops of the frozen mixture into the processor again and mixed it up.  I then poured in maybe 1/2 cup of orange juice.

                           

And poured it right into a cup for a nice cold smoothie.

                            

Try it and let me know what other concoctions work for you.

Oh yeah, please excuse any messiness you see... I had a little helper in the kitchen that day.