Hummus Dish

 I have found a new love in hummus.  Until attending summer camp with my scout troop and spending most of my afternoons in the kitchen help out the staff, I never really liked hummus.  The chef at the camp made a snack for the volunteers, I plate of hummus with all kinds of goodies on it.  So here is my take on what he did.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup plan hummus ( store bought or your own recipe) 

1 teaspoon of homemade garlic oil (Recipe below)

3-4 grape tomatoes cut into rounds

1/2 shallot dice small

1-2 Tablespoons of crumbled fetta cheese

1/4 cup mix of baby arugula and baby spinach torn into smaller pieces 

salt and pepper to taste

1 Tablespoon of balsamic glaze

Chips or any other thing you like dipped in hummus 

Step 1: Smear hummus onto a plate, add salt and pepper to taste

Step 2: Add the garlic oil

Step 3: Top with tomatoes and shallots:

Step 4: Top with fetta cheese, arugula and baby spinach :

Step 5: Drizzle the Balsamic Glaze:

Homemade garlic oil:

2 cups olive oil

8 cloves of crushes garlic

heat oil in a pan with the garlic for 15 to 20 minutes.  Do not over cook or the garlic will become bitter. Strain the garlic oil into and air tight container. You can keep the garlic cloves but they mush be used within a day or two.  Store in an air tight container in the fridge for a week.  

You can use garlic oil when cooking things like eggs, pizza crust, or for sautéing veggies.

Enjoy trying something new. Until next time!

Pitters

Chicken and Bread Cheese Salad

Ingredients:
1Lb Bread Cheese or Grilling Cheese
1Lb Chicken Tenders unbreaded
1Lb Baby Spinach
1Lb Baby Arugula
1 Lemon
1/2cup,plus some for drizzling
 Olive oil
1Pint Grape Tomatoes
1-2 Zucchini
2-3 peeled Sweet potatoes
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 medium size red onion
1-2 avocado depends on size
1 clove garlic minced
Salt and pepper

1. Pre heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.  Wash, peel and cube up sweet potatoes. Wash and chunk zucchini. Chunk the red onion.  Place on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 25 minutes or until veggie are soft.

2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, grill on a grill pan. Use a drizzle of olive oil for cooking.

3. Zest the lemon and juice.  Chop the cilantro, and mince the garlic. Mix the lemon zest, juice, cilantro, garlic, cumin, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

4. Sliced the bread cheese in 1/2 in thick and 2 inch long chunks. Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan and lightly brown the cheese on both sides.  Drain on a paper towel.

5. Mix the spinach and arugula in a large bowl. Cut the grape tomatoes in half and place in a separate bowl.

6. Plate: place spinach and arugula mix on a plate. Place all the other ingredients on the plate and top with the chimichurri dressing. Enjoy!

Starting a New Adventure!!

     In May of 2019 I started feeling pulled of deciding what extra curricular activity my daughter would be doing in the fall.  She has been in American Heritage Girls for 6 years and we enjoyed the program.  We felt that she had gotten out of the program what she could. So we started praying about if she should continue.
   
     So in June we got our answer,  we found out that the Cub Scout Pack our boys had been apart of for many years was changing to a family pack.  What that means is that they were welcoming girls into the pack. We found us being pulled to help start a girls troop, a linked troop with our current boy troop.   In 2018 Boy Scouts of America announced they adding girls to all the programs.  Girls have been apart of BSA since the 1970's in Venturing Crews and Sea Scouts.  In Fall 2018 the Cub Scout Program added girls and in February of 2019 the program welcomed girls into the older scouting program, know as Boy Scouts.  With this new addition to the program the name changed to Scouts BSA.

     Now let me explain the program how it looks.  A family pack has both boys and girls.  They do opening flags, announcements, Pack meetings, and "field trips" together.  During regular meeting nights the boys dens and girls dens meet separately.  The older Scouts BSA program is different in that boys troops and girls troops are two separate troops.  We have linked troops in our group.  What that means is, we share the same charter organzation.  We can share some adult leadership, except for Scoutmaster.

     So back to June of 2019, I talked with my husband and told him what I felt we were being pulled to do.  We decided that we would talk with our daughter and our boys to see what they thought.  We also prayed for away to bring up what we thought to the troop families.  Many of the Cub Scout families already voted to add the girls to the pack and many had daughters that could not wait to start.  Later the same day I received a text from one of the scout moms.  She did not intend for me to recive the text.  This was because a year earlier we had expressed we did not like the fact that girls were being added to Boy Scouts, mostly from lack of information of how the program would look.  The text was about the fact they had reviced names of families  that would like to know if we would be starting a girls troop.  So in July we started the process of getting the approval to start a girls troop.  By mid July we had enough girls to start a troop.  The first week in August we had all our paperwork in and started meeting.

     Our girls troop has eight girls in it.  Since starting we have camped 3 times, done a handful of service projects, and gone on a 5 mile hike.  The girls have all earned a rank and are working hard for their next one.  The girls have taught me so much and have pushed me to challenge myself.  They inspire me to better myself every day, and I hope that I can in turn inspire them to reach their full potential.  I am looking forward to all the adventures I am going to have with our troop.  I am glad I can help my daughter and the other girls forge new paths for girls in Scouts BSA.

Ushering at the Nebraska Cornhusker Football Game, with Scouts BSA

Summer Time Salad

Caprese Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

1lb Asparagus

1 package pearl size mozzorella

1 package grape or cherry tomatoes

1 box radiator pasta or a small shaped pasta

10-12 Basil Leaves

1/4 cup Olive oil, Plus some for drizling

1/4 cup balsamic vinager

Salt and pepper ( both black and white pepper) to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F degrees.  Wash the Asparagus, break off the "woody" end, and cut into small bite size pieces.  Drizzle with Olive oil and lightly season with salt and pepper.  Bake for 10 min.

2. Cook the pasta according to the package directions.

3. Wash the tomatoes and cut in half. place the tomatoes, basil and mozzarella in a large mixing bowl.

4. Put the balsamic vinegar in a small sauce pan and reduce by half.

5.  Let the pasta, vinegar, and asparagus cool.

6. Place all ingredients into the mixing bowl and mix together.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Freezer Meal Day Part 2

                                                          Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients

1lb bag of elbow macaroni noodles
8oz of shredded cheddar cheese
4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
8oz heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste (I like to use a mix of white and black pepper)
4 tablespoons of flour

1. Boil the noodles until al dente. Don't forget to salt you water.
2. Melt you butter in a sauce pan.  Add flour and cook for about 3 minutes.
3. Add the heavy cream. bring to a simmer.
4. Add the shredded cheese and whisk until smooth.
5. Save about 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Then drain the noodles.
6. Mix noodles and cheese sauce together. Add a little of the pasta water to the macaroni and cheese. Mix well.
7. Let cool and then package then into freezer safe packaging.
8. Thaw and reheat in the oven at 350 for 20-30 min. Or until heated through.

Freezer Meal Cooking Day Part 1

So last month was a crazy busy month for us.  I decided that knowing how busy the next few weeks re going to be that I should make some freezer meals.  That also included breakfast.    

Breakfast burritos.

Recipe:
Ingredients:
2 lbs. little red patatoes
2 table spoon of Olive Oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 dozen large eggs
24 taco size flour tortilla
2 cups of shredded cheese
1 bell pepper (small diced)
1 lb. bacon

1. Wash and quarter the potatoes. Toss the potatoes in the olive oil and salt and pepper. Bake @350 for 20-30 minutes or until fork tender and golden brown.
2. Wisk all the eggs in a bowl and add 1 cup of cheese, the diced bell pepper, salt and pepper. Scramble the eggs.
3. you can either Back the bacon or fry the bacon your choice. I cut them in half so they would fit better in the taco size tortillas
4. Mix eggs and potatoes together.
5. Place egg mixture, a slice of bacon and a little shredded cheese into the middle of the tortilla.
6. Fold in the side of the tortilla and roll.
7. wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag.
8. to reheat place on microwave safe plate and heat for 2-3 minutes. until heated through.

Homemade Kolaches

     I am about 1/4 Polish, 1/4 Bohemian, and 1/8 Czechoslovakian for a long time I have wanted to learn how to make Kolaches.  Although I have learned the sweet variation of this pastry I have yet to make a savory one.  So I searched today for a recipe for a savory variation.  I found one that I am making for dinner tonight.  With the size army, I mean family I have to feed I am doubling this recipe.  Many of the recipes I found used store bought dough.  I am not saying that is wrong, but I want authentic kolaches.  I finally found one and so far I am happy with how the dough is turning out.  I am right now waiting until the dough doubles in size.


Recipe for the Kolache Dough

Ingredients:
1 3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 cup warm milk (105 to 115 degrees F)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
6 Tablespoons Sugar
1 teaspoon table salt
about 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

   1. In a small bowl dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup milk.
   2. In a large bowl combine the yeast mixture, with the remaining milk that has been warmed, butter, eggs, sugar, salt, and 1 1/2 cups flour.
   3. Gradually add enough of the remaining flour to make a workable dough.
   4. In a mixer with a dough hook, kneed dough until smooth and springy, about 5 minutes.
   5. Place in an oiled bowl and turn to coat.
   6. Cover with a kitchen towel or loosely with plastic wrap.  Let dough rise for 2 to 3 hours or until the dough doubles in size, in a warm, draft free area.
   7. Punch down the dough, kneed briefly, cover, and let rise in a warm, draft free place until nearly doubled in size, about 1 1/4 hours
   8.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Punch down the dough knead briefly, divide in half, form balls and let stand for 10 min.
   9. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough 1/2in thick.  Cut into 2 1/2 in rounds. Reroll and cut out the scraps.
  10. Put in a tablespoon or 2 into in middle of the round.  fold the side around the filling and place seem side down.  Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper , about one inch apart.  Cover with a towel or plastic wrap loosely and let rise for about an hour.
  11. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake for 12 minuets or until golden brown.

Homemade Meat Sauce for Spaghetti

Homemade spaghetti sauce does not have to be hard to make.  I made a homemade sauce in under 20 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 Lb. Meat
2- 15oz cans tomato sauce
2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste (I use the brand Cento in a tube)
2 Tablespoons Italian Seasoning
1 small onion diced small
1 bell pepper any color diced small
3 cloves of garlic finely diced


1. In a deep sided frying pan cook the meat all the way through.
2. Add the garlic, onions, and bell pepper. Cook until tender.
3. Add the tomato paste and Italian seasoning. Stir for a couple minuets.
4. Add the tomato sauce and stir to combine.  Let simmer for about 8 minutes.
5. Add sauce to your favorite pasta and enjoy.

Let me know if you try this or any of the recipes I share.

All Things Fall -Part 2

   So one thing I enjoy in the fall is braking out the soup recipes.  This week has gotten colder, and will not get to warm again until Spring.  So on our menu for the next two week I have a lot of soups planed out.

   So on Tuesday night I made carrot soup and lemon pepper chicken nuggets.  I will share the carrot soup recipe I use.  It is from The Pioneer Woman with my own little twist.

Carrot Soup: about 8 Servings

3lbs of baby carrots
2 quarts of chicken or veggie stock
2 sprigs of Thyme
1/3 cup honey or if you are out of honey you can use 1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream ( sometimes use up to a cup)
4 oz.  of cream cheese


1. Put carrots, Thyme, and Stock in a stock pot.  Bring to a boil and hen let is simmer for 45min to 1 hour.

2. Take the stems of the thyme out.  Use an emergen blender to blend the carrots smooth.  If you don't have one you can do this with a blender in to batches.  It will be very hot, do be cautious.

3. Once smooth add in the cream cheese and heavy cream stir until the cream cheese has melted.  Taste and add slat and pepper if needed.

For the Lemon Pepper Chicken Nuggets:

2-3 chicken breast.  I cube them up
lemon pepper seasoning

1. I put all the pieces of chicken into a gallon size baggie.
2. Add the seasoning, and close the bag.
3. move the chicken around in the bag until the coated.
4. cook the chicken in a frying pan, I like cast iron skillets

Homemade Mac & Cheese

For dinner tonight I made homemade mac & cheese with chicken strips and a side salad.  I am going to share the mac & cheese recipe with you.

Ingredients:

2 boxes of Cellentani Noodles

16 oz of white cheddar cheese ( shredded)

2 cups heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup milk

4 table spoons butter

4 table spoons flour

1 small onion finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic finely chopped

Directions

1. Cook the noodles according to package directions.

2.  In a medium sized sauce pan melt the butter and add the onions and garlic. Cook until they  are translucent and tender. About 3-5 minutes

3. Add the flour and cook another 1-2 minutes. Until fragrant.

4. Add the heavy cream and milk to the pan and stir on low. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.

5. Add the cheese to the sauce pan and stir until combined.

6. Before draining the water skim off about a cup of the pasta water and set aside.  Drain the noodles and return them to the pan.

7. add the cheese sauce and the cup of pasta water to the pan with he noodles.  Mix everything together. 

8. Enjoy!!!

Spiced Beef with Couscous

 

So I found a recipe in the Food Network Magazine from July/August 2016. I like to basic concept of the recipe but I tweaked it a little.  I share with you my tweaked recipe.

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients:

2 carrots finely shredded

3 tablespoon of extra- virgin olive oil

3 cups couscous

2 cup plain yogurt

3 teaspoons of sweet paprika

4lbs. ground hamburger

8 chopped green onions

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 cups water

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon dill

salt and pepper to taste

1. combine the ground beef with 1 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder.  Mix together and form 8-10 paddies. If you need to adjust the amount of hamburger for larger paddies do so.  Cook on the grill or in a grill pan to your desired doneness.

2. Meanwhile place 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a heated pan.  Place the dry couscous in the pan and cook until you smell a nutting smell. about 2-4 minutes.  Add in the 3 cups of water, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, salt and pepper to taste and carrots, cover and cook for 8-10 minuets. Stir the couscous a couple times during the cooking process.  Add 3 of the chopped green onions and fluff with a fork before serving.

3. the yogurt sauce: mix together 2 cups plain yogurt, 1 teaspoon dill, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and salt and pepper to taste.  You can adjust the dill, cumin, paprika as needed for your taste.  When I plated our food I added a little bit of the remaining green onions on top.

Serve and enjoy!!

We added Pita bread to our meal and ate with our hands for a fun change.