Blog Me Meme

My buddy Shannon over at I Need To Vent (her VERY funny blog) tagged me for the Blog Me meme hosted by BlogHer. I always love a good meme, so here we go...

1. What can I learn about you in under 5 minutes?

I can't sit still at home for 5 minutes without getting up to throw in a load of laundry, I snack all day long, I'm great at multi-tasking.

2. How do you use blogging to build friendships?

I haven't spent much time on Blogher lately but love the concept and hopefully will find time to visit more in the future.

3. Who do you read every day, rain or shine?

My Bible... and I have all my favorite blog feeds sent to my Google Reader and try to read them daily.

4. How would you describe your writing style?

It depends on my mood. Usually a bit too formal and too short.

5. If you could spend time with one person who would it be?

Jesus. There's never been anyone I wanted to meet more.

6. What don't you write about? Anything considered a no-no in your book?

Anything too intimate or personal.

7. What is your favorite thing that you wrote?

No particular favorite.

8. Are you and your blogging persona the same person?

Yep! I'm a what you see is what you get kind of person. No fake blogger here :)

9. Have you ever anonymously posted on a site to flame them?

No. If I don't like something I will either be honest or just keep my opinion to myself.

10. If you had a super power, what would it be?

To be able to read people's minds. It always bugs me when I wonder what someone is thinking then ask them and can just tell they aren't being quite honest with me.

11. Why did you choose to share that piece of yourself in a photograph?

My camera is packed away so no pics today.

12. Where do you live?

Arizona. And let me tell you, it's HOT here.

13. What do you do for a living?

Homeschool my girls and take great care of them, my husband and our home.

14. What are some things you can't live without?

God, my family, a computer, my crock pot, lots of pillows, cheese.

Who do I tag next....

1. Biker Momma
2. My Mother's Fault
3. Cookin' With Cyndi
4. Messy Cucina
5. Nika's Culinaria

Enjoy!

Moving!

I apologize for the lack of posts last week but it was for a good reason! :) We are going to be moving! I'm very excited and haven't been cooking much since we have been busy sorting and starting to pack. Our moving date will be on August 7th. This is a huge blessing for us because we have been wanting to have more space for the kids and a yard for them to play and now that is exactly what we will have. I probably won't be posting very much until after the move but I promise it will be as soon as possible. Here's a pic of our new dwelling place. :)

Sourdough Bread

Well my starter was finally ready for use a couple days ago so I decided to make a simple sourdough bread recipe I found in The Complete Tightwad Gazette. I have made this bread in the past and was always happy with the results. This recipe is very easy although it does take quite a long time. It's well worth the wait though.

A note: Homemade sourdough bread does not taste quite as sour as store bought. If you want that extremely tangy taste you can add 1 Tb of vinegar or 1 tsp. of citric acid (sour salt) to the water for added "tang".

Sourdough Bread
(from The Complete Tightwad Gazette)

5 1/2 c. bread flour
2 c. sourdough starter
1 Tbsp. salt
1 c. water

Dissolve the salt in the water. Add the starter then stir in the flour. Knead until the dough is smooth and form into a ball. Put in an oiled bowl and cover and let rise overnight (it should be doubled in bulk when done). (Note: I let mine rise 4 hours and it was way past doubled in bulk so it will depend on the temp. in your house as to how long it will need to rise. I started my dough in the morning). Punch dough down and divide into two pieces. Form into balls and cut an "X" shape on top if desired. Place on a greased baking sheet and allow to rise about 4 hours or until double in bulk. Place a pan of water on the bottom rack of your oven and heat to 400 degrees. Bake loaves for 35 minutes. If they begin to brown too quickly then cover with a sheet of foil . If you like a soft crust, open the oven a couple times during cooking and spritz the oven walls with water, then cover the loaves when they cool. Allow them to cool completely on a rack before cutting.

Vegetable Beef Lasanga

I've been wanting to make lasanga for a while now but just hadn't gotten around to it. The recipe I normally use, Lasanga Maria, is not the most health conscious so I kept putting it off. I'm REALLY trying to stick to my diet. I finally figured that I should develop a new recipe so that we can enjoy lasanga more often without all the guilt. This is a recipe I created today pretty much off the top of my head to use up what we have on hand and to get some much needed veggies into my kids diet. They helped me make it so I know they will enjoy eating it as well. ;)

Vegetable Beef Lasanga

1 10 oz. package lasanga noodles (9 noodles)
1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce (I used a large can of Hunt's Onion and Garlic that we had on hand)
1 lb. ground beef
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
8 oz. low fat ricotta cheese (1/2 of the average size container)
1/2 c. fat free cottage cheese
1 egg (you can use 2 egg whites instead for a healthier version)
1/4 c. plain yogurt (fat free sour cream would work as well)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 onion, sliced thin
2 zucchini, peeled and sliced thin
2 carrots, peeled, sliced then and blanched for 5 minutes
1/2 bag frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained
1/2 red bell pepper, roasted and peeled
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 pkg. fresh grated parmesan cheese (ziploc type package, not the stuff in the green can)
a few slices of pepperoni
salt
pepper

Cook lasanga noodles for 10 minutes, drain and lay on an baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Cover with a kitchen towel and set aside. Brown ground beef in a skillet with the Italian seasoning and a little salt and pepper. Drain and set aside. Combine the ricotta, egg, cottage cheese, yogurt, garlic powder, parsley, red pepper flakes and a little salt and pepper; set aside.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a 9 x 13 in pan spread about 3 Tbsp. of the sauce. On top of the sauce, layer the ingredients as follows: 3 noodles, 1/3 of the ricotta mixture (spread over noodles with a spoon), 1/3 of the onions, 1/3 of the zucchini, 1/3 of the broccoli, 1/3 of the carrots, 1/3 of the ground beef, 1/3 of the mozzarella, 1/3 of the parmesan, 1/3 of the sauce. Repeat. For the last round, after adding the ground beef, layer the sauce before the cheese and place the pepperoni and red bell peppers on top. (You might need to press the entire thing with the back of a spatula to get it to fit into the dish so that the cheese won't stick to the foil when you cover it.)

Bake, covered with foil, for 45 minutes then uncover and bake another 20 minutes. Allow to set about 15 minutes before cutting.... if you can wait that long ;)

The Six O'Clock Scramble

I receive a lot of emails about new food related websites and resources on-line. There are many out there but it is not often that you find one that is not only new and fresh but also totally useful and makes your life easier! That was my first impression when I visited The Six O'Clock Scramble. This website is dedicated to helping families get dinner on the table on weeknights in a quick, hassle free manner. The originator of this website, Aviva Goldfarb, is a busy mom of two that obviously realizes the importance of healthy meals that don't take all day to prepare. Here's how the website works...

You purchase a subscription to The Six O'clock Scramble newsletter and once a week you receive 5 quick and easy dinner menus (main dishes with suggestions for simple side dishes) as well as a grocery list. Once you shop for all the items on your list, you have everything you need to prepare a week's worth of healthy and tasty dishes for your family. Most recipes take about 30 minutes or less to prepare. I love this concept! The subscription to the newsletter is $4.95/month, $26.50 for months or $47.50 for one year. You can view a sample newsletter on the site or purchase back issues for $1.50 each.

There is also a Six O'Clock Scramble cookbook available for purchase. I received my copy a couple of days ago and it's already made it to my stack of favorite cookbooks. The first recipe I tried from the book is called Three Cheese, Spinach Orzo Bake. It was simple to put together and delicious. I really like this cookbook because it includes lots of option for meals. There are meat dishes, seafood dishes and meatless meals. Most of the meat dishes offer vegetarian options as well. This is a great book for out family because the recipes include plenty of vegetables and grains and things that are healthy while still maintaining a kid friendly approach too preparing them. There are also lots of great tips throughout the book such as how to choose safer produce for our children and ideas for feeding babies and toddlers.

If you want to save money eating out when you are in a hurry, give this site and cookbook a try! I think you'll be glad you did. :)

Sourdough Starter

I have been in love with sourdough bread ever since I was a little girl. My dad used to work next door to a bakery called "La Boulangerie" (French for "The Baker") and he would bring home fresh bread almost every day. I could (and still can) easily eat an entire loaf by myself!

When my husband and I got married I found a recipe for sourdough starter and sourdough bread in The Complete Tightwad Gazette and then began my journey as a sourdough bread baker. Making sourdough starter is not only frugal but it is very easy. And by putting in a few minutes you will yield a delicious base for bread, waffles, pancakes, pizza crust and so much more.

My last starter was thrown out when we moved to our current residence. I thought it was about time for me to begin a new batch. This recipe was modified from the Tightwad version with a slight variation from the King Arthur Flour website.

Sourdough Starter

2 c. all-purpose flour (I used bread flour)
2 c. water
1 pkg. yeast
1 Tbsp. honey or sugar (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a large (6 or more cup capacity) glass or stoneware jar or crock. Stir well with a non-metal spoon. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Allow to sit on the counter top for about 5 days. The mixture will begin to bubble right away but for it to properly ferment and get the nice sour taste you need to allow the 5 days. Stir well and store in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap.

When you use some of this mixture for a recipe you will then need to "feed it" so you will always have some on hand. Do this by adding 1 1/2 c. water and 1 1/2 c. flour to the container and stirring well. Then return it to the refrigerator. You should use your starter at least once or twice a week or it may not work as well after at time. If it gets a layer or clearish-yellowish liquid on top that is ok, just stir it well and proceed with your baking. If it turns a funny color, like pink, black or orange, throw it out!

One Year Old!

I was just looking back at some of my old blog posts and couldn't believe today is the one year anniversary of my very first blog post! Wow, time sure does fly! I'm hoping to fill the next 12 months with just as many fun and tasty recipes and lots more great advice for keeping your food budget under control. Thanks to all my loyal readers! :)

Orange-Coriander Muffins

Over the past year I have really stocked up on lots of herbs and spices that are new to us. One of my absolute favorites is coriander. When I first opened the jar I was overtaken with the bright, lemony scent. I knew that although I had purchased it for a couple of savory dishes I had in mind, it would also be perfect for sweet baked goods as well. This morning I decided to give it a try in muffins. They turned out really good! Nice and light and fluffy on the inside, golden and crisp on top. absoutely delicious!

Orange-Coriander Muffins

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons baking powder
3/4 cup milk
1/4 c. plain yogurt
1/3 vegetable oil
1 tsp. orange extract or orange zest
1/2 tsp. coriander

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder coriander and salt. Add egg, milk, yogurt and oil to dry ingredients. Stir until just moistened. Do not over mix. Grease or line muffin tins with paper baking cups. Fill about 2/3 full. Bake at 400 degrees F about 20-25 minutes. Makes 10-12 muffins.

New Pics!

I've been preparing a lot of our old favorites lately so therefore the lack of new posts. However, I did add a better pic of the Cuban Bread and a new pic to the Cuban Cravings (Cuban Black Beans and Ropa Vieja) post last night. These are some of my absolute favorite recipes, if you haven't tried them already please do and let me know what you think!

Also, just a quick note, if you're a Safeway.com shopper, the newest coupon code is for free delivery, use the code JUICY at checkout. ($50 minimum purchase expires 8-15-06)

Enjoy your day!

Indian Food Adventure

I have been wanting to make a "real" Indian meal ever since I ventured out of my culinary comfort zone and tried making a simple Chicken Curry some time ago. I fell in love with the flavor of curry and wanted to prepare something else that was new and exotic to us. I decided to seek out a main dish, a side dish and a veggie dish for this endeavor. It took me a while because there are so many great recipes out there and they all sound delicious. I had never really eaten Indian food before but just the sound of the recipes with all the fragrant spices got my mouth watering so I had to give it a try.

I found the main dish recipe at My Dhaba. I had seen recipes for Tandoori Chicken before but this one sounded so good and it was very easy. I was glad it was able to be prepared on my George Foreman Grill (you all know how much I LOVE my grill!!) :) Here's the recipe...

My Dhaba'’s Tandoori Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:
Chicken 2 full leg pieces, skinned (I used boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins)
Ginger 1 inch size, finely chopped (I used powdered ginger... in all the recipes)
Garlic 3 cloves, finely chopped
Onion 1, medium size, finely chopped
Cloves 2
Cinnamon ¼- inch stick
Lemon juice 1 tablespoon
Salt 1 teaspoon
Yogurt/curd 2 tablespoons, low-fat, non-salted; alternatively you may use 2 teaspoon soy sauce, teriyaki, or oriental sauce for getting totally different flavors
Vinegar 1 teaspoon
Red chilli powder 1 teaspoon or as needed to make it more hot
Cummin powder 1 teaspoon
Black pepper powder ½ teaspoon
Coriander powder 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder ¼ teaspoon
Nutmeg powder ¼ teaspoon (optional)
Paprika powder 1 teaspoon (optional)

Method: Blend ginger, garlic, onions, cinnamon, salt, and cloves to a smooth wet paste and keep aside. Mix all the spice powders - red chilli, cummin, black pepper, coriander, turmeric, nutmeg, and paprika. Heat a pan, pour in the spice mix and roast for a minute on high heat. Combine the wet and roasted spice mixtures and spread all over the chicken pieces. Spinkle the vinegar and pour over the yogurt. Marinate the chicken pieces in this marinade covered for a minimum of 2 hours in a refrigerator, the more the better for a delicious flavor (if possible marinate it covered overnight). If marinating overnight, take the chicken pieces from the refrigerator an hour before cooking to bring it to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 375 degree F, place the chicken on the low rack, and cook for 20-25 minutes. Then, turn over and cook for 10 more minutes or till the chicken pieces are completely roasted and get a golden brown color. Adjust the timings accordingly as needed. If chicken pieces are getting dry, you may baste it with a little butter or ghee. Alternatively you may also broil the marinated chicken pieces over an electric or charcoal grill.

Garnish the tandoori chicken with sliced onion rings, tomatoes, lemon wedges, and/or finely chopped coriander leaves and serve it immediately hot-hot. Enjoy!

The second recipe is for Indian Rice and Potatos and I found it on 28 Cooks. This recipe is delicious! Even if you are not a fan of highly spiced foods, give this one a try. The flavor is bright and buttery and so good. Here's that recipe.

Indian Rice and Potatoes
From 28 Cooks

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into sticks
3 tbsp yogurt
2 tbsp minced fresh cilantro
1 tsp ginger, peeled and minced
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 c dried coconut*
6 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
3 tbsp oil
1 cup rice
3/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp light brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp lime juice
2 cups water
1/2 c frozen peas
1 tbsp butter

Combine yogurt, cilantro, ginger, garlic, cayenne pepper, and coconut. Add potatoes, stir well, and allow to marinate for a few minutes. Heat oil in large pan, and add cloves, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, and cumin seeds. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until cumin turns brown. Add potato and yogurt mixture, and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once potatoes are nicely browned, add rice, and cook for another minute or two. Add turmeric, brown sugar, salt, lime juice, and water. Bring to a boil, cover with lid, and lower heat to a simmer. Cook, undisturbed, for 15 minutes. Add peas to pot, and do not stir in. Cover with lid and cook an additional 5 minutes. Remove lid, and fluff with fork. Remove from heat, and stir in butter. Serve and enjoy!

Finally, I made Curried Vegetables based on a recipe for Curried Cauliflower I found over at Delicious Living. This one had a bit too much citrus for my taste but it was still good and went well with the other two recipes. This is the recipe.

Curried Cauliflower
From Delicious Living
(Serves 4)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
4 cups cauliflower florets, washed and dried
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 cup light coconut milk
1/4 cup vegetable broth or water
Sea salt, to taste (optional)

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and saute onion, garlic, and ginger for about 3 minutes. Add curry powder, cumin, and mustard seeds and saute for an additional 3 minutes, until fragrant.
2. Add cauliflower and lime juice and stir-fry on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Reduce heat, add coconut milk and broth or water, cover partially, and simmer on low heat for about 5 more minutes, until cauliflower is crisp-tender. Add sea salt to taste, if desired.

If you're new to Indian food or used to eating it often, give these recipes a try they are wonderful!

My 6 year old gave the Tandoori Chicken a thumbs up. In her words "Next time just add a little more salt, a little less pepper and it will be off the hook." I will take that as the highest praise :)

Confessions in Groups of 5 Meme

One of my favorite food bloggers, Deetsa, tagged me for a meme. Since there hasn't been much new cooking in the kitchen here lately, I thought this would be fun to share today :)

5 items in the freezer

1. boneless skinless chicken breasts and thighs (easy to prepare and so much you can do with them)
2. popcicles (gotta keep the kids happy right?)
3. peeled bananas (smoothies, bread, muffins, pancakes...)
4. lots of veggies!
5. bread crumbs

5 items in my closet

1. shoes
2. dresses
3. confiscated toys
4. Christmas decorations
5. winter coats

5 items in my (our) car (van)

1. car seats (3)
2. *lost* toys
3. jumper cables
4. CD's
5. a bag of pink styrofoam peanuts

5 items in my purse

1. an extra diaper
2. lip gloss
3. a couple pens
4. hand cream
5. wallet

5 Bloggers I tag for this meme

1. Fiber from 28 Cooks
2. Erin from Erin Eats
3. Heather from Eating For One
4. Erika from Tummy Treasure
5. Paz from The Cooking Adventures of Chef Paz

Thanks Deetsa, that was fun :)

Oatmeal Raisin Scones

I adapted this recipe from The Complete Tightwad Gazette. These scones are very heavy and dense and are great for breakfast with honey on top.

Oatmeal Raisin Scones

1 1/2 c flour
1 c uncooked oatmeal
1/4 c. flax seed meal (optional)
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c softened margarine
1/2 c rasins
3/4 c sour milk (milk with 2 tsp vinegar)
1 egg, beaten



Instructions

1. Preaheat oven to 400. Mix dry ingredients; cut in margarine and rasins.
2. Stir in enough sour milk just to moisten. Divide dough in half.
3. Flour hands and pat dough into 2 circles on a greased cookie sheet about 1/2 inch thick.
4. Cut into quarters . Bake for 10 minutes. Brush on egg and then bake until golden brown.
5. Serve with honey, margarine, or jam.

Safeway.com New coupon code

I don't know about where you are but it's HOT here and going out to grocery shop is not fun when it's hot. I got a couple of emails from Safeway.com this week and thought I'd share... they have some great deals right now for the summer. If you have a Safeway in your local area take advantage of having your groceries delivered, you'll be glad you did :)

Use the code SUMMER to get your order delivered for free. If you are a new customer you can still take advantage of the $20 off $100 order offer as well.

Shopping Tips:

SHOP FASTER:

Express List - Use this feature if you like shopping from a list. Type your list into our virtual notepad and find all of your items with just a few quick clicks.

Shopping History - Shop directly from a list of your regularly purchased items. View your history by department, and be one click away from filling your cart.

CLUB CARD SAVINGS

Same prices and Club Card savings as your local store.

SCHEDULE YOUR DELIVERY:

Delivery 7 days a week, from 10:00AM - 9:00PM (varies by store, see web site for details).

Delivery Fees - As low as $4.95!

Drivers do not accept tips, but a smile is always appreciated.

Save $5.00 when you spend $150 or more, OR, save $2.00 by choosing a 4 hour delivery window.

Tres Leches Cake

I had been wanting to make Tres Leches Cake for some time now and back when I found that Tres Leches Cake Mix, I've been waiting for a special occasion to try it... (I figured a mix would make it easier the first time trying to make it). Yesterday we had our monthly church luncheon so I figured I would give it a try. Well.... it was quite an experience!

I was a bit skeptical when I read on the package that the cake is a single layer baked in a 9 inch pan and is supposed to soak up over 3 cups of liquid. The directions said to bake the cake, cool it then take it out of the pan. At the point you are to prepare the milk syrup, poke holes in the cake and pour the syrup over the cake.

Well, let's just say we went through a lot of paper towels with this project. My cake keeper does not have any type of edge around it which would catch any spilling liquid so all the excess liquid spilled everywhere! I only ended up using 3/4 of the liquid on the cake so hopefully it will be moist enough. I *think* the best way to approach a cake like this would be to bake it in a square pan and then leave it in the pan to cool then pour the liquid on it right in the pan. But, back to the story...

So once I got the cake cleaned up I took some canned crushed pineapple along with the liquid an and whisked in 2 Tbsp.. water mixed with 1 Tbsp. corn starch. I cooked that until thick and then spread it on the cake. The cake then went into the fridge to set. After a couple of hours I whipped 1/4 pint of heavy cream mixed with 1 Tbsp. Confectioners sugar and spread that over the entire cake. Finally I garnished with some coconut I had toasted and sliced strawberries. Sorry for not having a picture to share but we were running late and I didn't have time to find my camera!

Spring Cleaning

Actually by the feel of the weather outside I should say Summer Cleaning :)

Actually, I was feeling a bit bogged down by all the things on my main blog page so I catagorized things and created a Blog Catagories list at the top left for easier navigation. I feel so much more organized now :) Hope it's easier for you all to read as well!

Great Food Day!

Yesterday is what I like to call a "great food day". Now because we ate at a great restaurant or anything like that but because we got a lot of great deals! :)

First we made the trek (I say "trek" because it's a 45+ minute drive) out to Trader Joe's. I try to make it over there every month or so if I can to stock up on some things that we really like, such as Jasmine Rice, Thompson's raisins and organic tomato sauce. These items may sound like simple things you can find at any store but TJ's just taste better. While we were there I realized I had nothing planned for dinner that wouldn't take a long time to prepare so we needed something quick to prepare once we got back home. Usually to me quick food = expensive food so I took my time looking to see what we could get for a good price (considering we'd probably eat out if I didn't grab something). I finally settled on an item I had heard people raving about - Mandarin Orange Chicken. This chicken is frozen little breaded chicken pieces with a sauce you microwave and pour over it when it's finished cooking. From the looks of it, it reminded me of the Orange Chicken we love to eat at Panda Express so I figured it would be a hit. I also grabbed some frozen Pot Stickers to go with it. Upon arriving home I put the chicken in the oven to bake while starting a pot of Jasmine rice and the pot stickers. I also prepared some broccoli that we had in the freezer.

The meal was wonderful! My husband was shocked that frozen food could taste so much like the takeout we love. I paid $8 for everything we needed for that meal and if we had bought the same food at Panda I think the price would have been around $20 for the 5 of us. Not bad for "psudo-takeout" :)

Once dinner was done, kitchen cleaned and kids in bed, I realized I needed to complete an order I had started on Safeway.com for the rest of our grocery items. I still have two free deliveries left from a coupon I had last month so onto the computer I went to finish my order. Before I began I noticed I had an email from Safeway saying that they have two new coupon offers:

Use the code LASAGNA to get a free family size frozen lasagna with your order ($150 or more)
Use the code ORGANICS to get a free box of organic frozen blackberry/chocolate ice cream bars with your order. ($125 or more)

As you can imagine, I used both of those codes as well! So tomorrow, when I could be taking my kiddos out to fight the 100+ degree weather to shop for food, we will be here at home awaiting the "grocery man" as my girls like to call him :) I even ordered all my paper products and bottled water as well. Can you tell I don't enjoy shopping in heat? :)

Cucumber Salad

I got this recipe from a message board buddy and wow is it good! I added a few ingredients to suite my family's tastes. I think I could make a meal of this salad by itself!


Cucumber Salad

4 large cucumbers, peeled, quartered and sliced
2 scallions, diced
1/2 pint heavy cream (you may only need to use 1/2 of it)
white vinegar (or cider vinegar... whatever you have on hand)
salt
pepper
garlic powder
dill

In a bowl layer as follows:
1 cucumber, a sprinkle of scallions, a drizzle of cream, a drizzle of vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic and dill to taste. Repeat with remaining cucumbers. Refrigerate at least one hour to allow flavors to develop.

A new poll, finally!

I was having problems logging in to create a new poll last week but now I have one ready for you :) Here are the results from our last poll:

What kitchen appliance do you use most? 45% said coffee or tea maker... we have a lot of coffee drinkers here! ;) I personally would have to say I use my sandwich maker or crock pot the most. I may have said my food processor but I killed it trying to make bread dough... yikes! So that is at the top of my list of things to buy right now.

Vote in the new poll and tell me about your kitchen :)

Mini Quiche

Once or twice a month we take treats to church with us to share. Usually I bake some kind of bread or muffins but this time I wanted to do something different. I just bought a couple of mini muffin pans so I figured this would be a great time to try them out. I did make some muffins and little brownie bites in the pans to take but I also wanted a savory item so I make these mini quiche. They look and smell great, can't wait to get a bite :) Here's the recipe, it makes 48 bite size quiche:

Mini Quiche

1 package Pillsbury ready made pie crusts (or you can make your own pastry, make enough for a two crust pie)
4 eggs
1 and 1/2 c. milk or heavy creme
1 c. shredded cheese (cheddar, swiss or similar type)
1/2 lb. diced ham
1/4 c. diced scallions
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
dash nutmeg

In a bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Use a 2 inch circle as a guide (I used a plastic kids size snack cup) and cut out 48 circles from the pie crust (roll it extra thin but not transparent). Re-roll scraps to make enough so you have 48 circles total. Fit each circle into a well of a mini muffin pan, lightly crimp edges with your fingers. Into well put a pinch each of cheese, meat and onions. Pour in enough egg mixture to reach the top edge of each well. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until golden and center is set. (You can test the center by using a toothpick).

Cute Kitchen Goodies

Normally I just chat about recipes and kitchen tips here but I have something really cute I wanted to share today. My friend Patty has some really adorable kitchen stationary sets available for sale! I don't know about you but I am addicted to cute recipe cards and little note pads to write down my grocery lists and other things as I move about the kitchen. Here's what some of her products look like.

She has an apple set, a strawberry set (my fave!) and a watermelon set. Each kit includes (4x6) recipe cards, (4x6) recipe card dividers, grocery list sheets, weekly menu planner, 5 recipe page-keepers for your cookbooks and cooking magazines, 30 freezer labels. Pieces are ready to print. cool thing is when you purchase these you print them right from your computer (no waiting for the UPS guy to arrive!). They start at only $9.99. You can find more info here.