I want a midnight snack!

It's just after midnight here, and I'm craving something crunchy, maybe a bit salty...so I raided the fridge...not much there...

BUT...I did find 3 beautiful cucumbers and a half an onion...so it's time for Cucumber and Onion Salad.  This can be made once, and as long as you keep adding cucumbers and onion you can keep this salad going all summer long!  So I'm going to make some for snacking on tomorrow!

Gather your cucumbers and onion, I'll be adding more onion tomorrow but for now I only have a half of one.

I am a lucky owner (thanks mom and dad) of a mandolin.  Makes slicing stuff SOOOOOOO much easier.  And safer for my fingers too!

Once it's all sliced, cucumbers and onion plop them in your container (with lid).

In a large measuring cup add 1 cup white vinegar, 2 cups water, and 1/2 cup sugar stir it up!
                                                                                                          
Sprinkle 1 tablespoon pepper and a dash of salt over your cucumber and onions then pour the liquid on top!

Pop that lid on, and carefully turn it to mix it all up. You might want to do this over the sink as my container wasn't totally leak proof.


I also made a second more spicy batch for my DH using Turmeric and Crushed Red Pepper.  There was enough liquid left after I filled the first container to fill the second smaller container.

Refrigerate overnight and ENJOY!  Keep adding Cucumber and Onion as the "supply" gets eaten!

Multipurpose

I've been working on a new project.  I have the opportunity to do a pro bono project, turning an old church, into a useful multipurpose building for youth group, a contemporary service, and a coffee and snack area.  The church has owned this building for a number of years, and it is currently largely unused.

The decor needed to be geared towards young adults, in the 20-30 year range.  The color pallet I chose is elegant and modern.

I gave the church two options for the coffee and snack area.

The first option kept the small two piece bath that is currently there.  Flipping the sink from the main room into the office and adding cabinets on the back wall for more storage.  Opening up the window, and adding a small 10" counter for setting coffee pots and other items on.

The second option would be a bit more expensive as it would mean taking down the walls to the bathroom, capping the toilet and using the plumbing for the sink for the plumbing for the new kitchen sink.  The cabinetry would extend on two sides of the room giving more storage space and more prep space.

The main space would be visually divided by the furniture in the room.  The church requested pub height tables and chairs.

At the opposite end of the space is the baptismal.  It is currently blocked off and not working, but the plans are to fix it, and revamp it so it can be part of the decor.  My plans are to remove the current orange painted paneling and to drywall the entire wall, painting it off white so it can be used with projectors.  The paneling in the baptismal area is to be replaced with faux barn wood. And finished with a Styrofoam cross created by the youth group.

The current ceiling fans need to be replaced, and new carpeting throughout!  I am excited to hear back from the presenter to hear which option the church chooses, and to hopefully be involved in the remodel process!

I scream, you scream, but this is dog ice cream!

As hot as it's been it is only fair that my 4-legged children get some cool treats too.  They love the pop-ice, but those really have no nutritional value.

My youngest also loves a simple block of ice to lick on when it's hot.  

Years ago I was introduced to "Frosty Paws" dog ice cream.  But at $5 for 8 small cups...it's just a bit expensive.  So I went researching, and found a homemade alternative, found on doggy loot

The basic recipe:

32 oz. plain yogurt1 mashed ripe banana2 tablespoons peanut butter2 tablespoons honey

Mix all of the ingredients in a blender and put in ice cube trays to freeze. Microwave for a few seconds before serving.

I don't have the banana, or rather I do, but the two bananas I have will be used tomorrow in a future post on banana bread. So my ingredient list looks like this

Yogurt, peaches (will be peeled and pitted of course), peanut butter and molasses.

Instead of ice cube trays, I have some 2oz mini cups with lids perfect for smaller pooches!!

Fill those up, pop the lids on, and put them in the freezer!

The pups really enjoyed "helping" me taste and clean the drops up!  And I'm sure you noted that the ingredients, are all human food.  So you can also make these for kids, just change up the flavor combinations.  If you don't have bananas, you can also use a jar of baby food.  So you can in fact make "meat" ice cream for you pooch!

Pasta, chicken and sauce! Oh MY!

There is always more than one way to make a dish.  If you have the time you can create some faboo sauces from scratch, or you can buy some pre-made sauces.  Tonight I'm making cheesy garlic chicken pasta.  And I have a great recipe for the sauce.  Or you can do as I'm doing, and just get Ragu's Cheesy Roasted Garlic Parmesan sauce.

Decide on what type of pasta you want to make with this, and get your pot of water boiling and your pasta cooking!

Get out thawed chicken, mushrooms, and cherry tomatoes.  Slice the chicken into strips.  And then slice your mushrooms unless they came pre-sliced. 

And of course, use separate cutting boards and knives, and wash your hands with hot water and soap after you touch the chicken! 

Toss these together in a nice pan with some hot olive oil.

Make sure the chicken is totally cooked!  Then remove the chicken and mushrooms from the pan, and set aside.  At this point is when you would make the sauce from scratch if you wanted.  OR you can just dump the sauce into the pan and heat over medium until it is heated through!

Now you can take the cherry tomatoes and quarter them.

Put the chicken and mushrooms into the sauce, and make sure everything is thoroughly heated and mixed.  Serve over the noodles!

Enjoy!

When in doubt, add bacon!

The 4th of July means it's time for friends, family and fireworks.  And of course this means get-togethers and lots of food!  Tomorrow I am taking Red Potato Salad to once such event.  So today, I am making said potato salad so the flavors can rest and meld overnight.  Yes this is important...

You need about two pounds of red potatoes, and then you need to boil them....which gets the kitchen nice and hot and steamy...but it needs to be done.

After they are tender but not falling apart drain them and stick them in the fridge to cool COMPLETELY...it's easier handling a cold potato rather than burning your fingers on a hot one, and they tend to be easier to cut.

While the potatoes are cooling it's time to brown up some bacon (like you are surprised that I'm using bacon)

and boil the eggs                                           takes 20 minutes

Once the eggs are done, and peeled, put them in the fridge too, on top of the potatoes is just fine...less dishes

As soon as everything is cool, cube the potatoes, slice the eggs (I have a handy multi-slicer for my eggs) and chop up the bacon, green onion and celery.  Throw this all back into the original chilling bowl...less dishes this way.

In a separate bowl, mix up the mayo, sour cream and pepper.  If you are feeling a bit frisky, like I am, you can also add a few tablespoons of the bacon drippings to the mix for that extra bacony taste!

Combine the dressing with the potatoes eggs and bacon...stir to mix then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve!  Just remember this has eggs and mayo, so don't leave it out in the hot sun all day!

Soup?!? In the summer?

Oh yes, tonight's fare is all about soup!  Cold soup.  Definitely not hot!  Vichyssoise is one of my favorite soups!  And the only one I can think of that is served cold.  Recipes abound on various websites, just pick what sounds good based on the ingredient list!  My soup has a bacon base, of course! Click here for the recipe.  This can be made to be a vegetarian dish, just omit the bacon and substitute another 2 Tablespoons of butter instead, and use vegetable broth.

Bacon is first, chop into pieces, inch to two inch, as you will be crumbling this later.  Drop it into a stock pot with the butter and brown that bacon!  Once it is crispy remove it with a slotted spoon.

Toss the Leeks and Onion in the bacon butter and saute until golden!  It will be a bit brown because of the bacon drippings.  Just make sure the onion and leeks are cooked all the way through.  You can add the garlic near the end so you don't burn it.

Add the potatoes (I used yellow and red potatoes, peeled) and stock. Don't forget the pepper and Spice Agent Smoked Salt!  Bring to a boil, and cook for 20 minutes.

I have a handy Hamilton Beach stick blender so this is what I use to to blend everything together until creamy!  It's a lot easier than doing it in batches in a regular blender.

Once it is a perfect consistency, taste to confirm the spices then put in the fridge to cool if serving cold.  Before serving add the milk and stir.  This can be made ahead and frozen in serving portions, just don't add the milk until you are ready to eat it!

Garnish with the crumbled bacon, some shredded cheese and some chopped green onion!

Happy Eating!

Oh what to do with Zucchini?

Summer is in full swing, and gardens are popping out loads of fresh vegetables and TONS of zucchini and yellow squash.  So what to do with it all.  Some like it raw, or you can microwave it.  You can even shred zucchini and put it into your baked goods (chocolate cake especially) and you can't taste it at all!

This weekend while at my parent's house we decided to grill up some steak for Sunday Dinner, and for a side I decided to try to grill the zucchini and squash so I sliced it into rounds, nice and thick, put it in a ziplock bag with some Italian dressing (although you can use olive oil and any seasonings you want) and using a straw suck out all the air (seriously)

Sucking out the air helps force the flavors into the veggies...unless you have a professional vacuum sealer...ah a girl can dream right?

Allow the rounds to marinate for a hour, or overnight, then throw them on the grill, turning several times to get those lovely grill marks!

It takes about 10-12 minutes total, to get them just right!

Then serve them up as a meal, or as a side.  It's your call!