Maple Syrup

Do you know how easy it is to make your own syrup? My friend Tammy introduced me to this a couple of summers ago and now I have it on hand regularly. No we don't go out and tap the Maple trees, however we come up with something dark, rich, and delicious. My kids love it and so do I. Here's the recipe:

Maple Syrup

From Tammy

 1 cup water

2 cups sugar

2 cups of Karo syrup

2 T. Mapleine (found on the baking isle of your grocery store)

Place water, sugar, and Karo syrup in a sauce pan. Bring it all to a boil

Remove from heat and add  Mapleine

Make some this summer for your kidlets. I'm sure they will love it!

Ginger

Chicken Parmesan Subs

Here is another idea for the Chicken Imperials from last week. They make an excellent chicken parmesan sandwich; great for a quick weeknight dinner. I served mine along side this Caesar Salad. (minus the chicken)  Here's what I did:

Slather some sub rolls with a bit of marinara sauce. jarred works fine too....

Add one and 1/2 chicken tenders. Cover with provolone or mozzarella. Place under the broiler until cheese is melted. Fold top back over and slice in half. Enjoy!

Yours truly.
Ginger

P.S. Please share if you find other ways to use up your chicken; would love to hear!

Pesto

Homemade pesto is one of the first "fancy" things I learned to make from scratch. Pesto make you feel fancy doesn't it? It's so pretty and delicious. There are so many things you can do with pesto; a few of my favorites: mix with mayo and use in on your next sandwich, add a tablespoon to Marinara for a new twist with your pasta, use it on your next pizza instead of red sauce, or mix with whole milk or cream for another rich, decadent pasta dish. I have used Martha Stewart's recipe from the start, I usually double it because it freezes well. I have always been happy with the results. So as the fresh basil begins to show up at the Farmer's Markets around town try this recipe.

The ingredients are simple. Two types of cheese, pine nuts, fresh basil, garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil.

This is what it looks like after I've blended it in the food processor but before the olive oil is drizzled in. Make sure to smell it at this point....heaven! You don't need a food processor to make it, you can also use your blender; that is how I used to do it.

Pesto

Martha Stewart

2 T. pine nuts ( I use heaping tablespoons)

1 garlic clove, minced

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

1 1/4 cups fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1/4 cup Pecorino cheese, grated

1/2 cup olive oil

Place pine nuts, garlic, salt and pepper, basil and the cheeses in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to chop the basil. With machine running, add the oil gradually and process until creamy and smooth. Pour into jars, ice cube trays, or small Ziplocs. Freeze until ready to use.

Angel Food Cake with Chocolate Fluff

This here is a family treasure. It comes from my Grandma Ringer who was also a treasure. She was the kind of Grandma kids dream of, sweet as pie, fun to hang out with, and ALWAYS had a freezer full of goodies! We are talking, Ding Dongs, Twinkies, Milano chocolate cookies, ice cream, you name it, it was in there AND we could have some whenever we wanted, Imagine!Grandma had a pool and we spent lots of time swimming in it or running around the outside of it, or being driven into it when your brother cuts you off on your big wheel!!! Remember those? When we'd get tired we'd come in the nice air conditioned house open up the freezer, get all sugared up and then go back out.  THEN when it was your turn to go and stay for a sleepover we'd make chocolate pudding on top of all that or we'd go to Marie Calender's for lunch and  she'd let me order a piece of strawberry pie; I'd only eat the strawberries and whip cream and she'd eat the crust! Now that's a Grandma for you! I have such fond memories of holidays, parties, and family hang times over there. Grandma Ringer was an original gourmet in every sense of the word. The food she created was amazing, her tables were always set beautifully; she was a class act through and through.

Here is a photo of Grandma Ringer. She is the one in the pretty purple dress, you can even tell by her dress that she was fun! Classic 70's wear, purple and orange! Gotta love it. This picture was taken in front of their house in North Hollywood. My mom is in the white dress, great uncle Don is holding cute little me, how about those red shoes??? My brother is there on his bike. This was probably one of the family gatherings held at their home.

 I think my love for all things chocolate and culinary has come from her. This angel food cake is what my dad  requests for his birthday each year. His birthday is at the end of August so something light, fluffy, and chocolaty  usually sounds good. This is one of the simplest yet most decadent treats you can make for your next gathering. It is a hit with kids and grown up alike.

Angel Food Cake with Chocolate Fluff

Grandma Ringer

1 Angel food cake (found in bakery section of your grocery store)

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup Cocoa

1/8 tsp. salt

3 cups heavy cream

Place sugar, cocoa, and salt in the bottom of mixing bowl stir to combine. Add heavy cream and mix again with spatula. Using beaters, whip the cream until soft peaks form and it it spreadable. Taste, say hmmmm! Cut angel food cake into thirds using a serrated knife. Place bottom layer on serving tray put some sheets of wax/parchment paper just under lip of cake to protect serving platter. Top layer with chocolate fluff, add next layer of angel food cake, again top with fluff. Put final layer on and lavish the fluff on because that's what Grandma would do. Carefully remove parchment/wax paper from under the edge of serving plate, and ooh and goo about how amazing it looks.  If you still have some fluff left put it in bowls and give immediately to your children to eat with a spoon, because that's what grandma would want. Talk about how much you loved grandma as you all eat yourself silly. You will be glad you did and so will Grandma!

For you Grandma, because you LAVISHED us always with so much love.

Ginger

P.S. You could also put any leftover fluff into the frig with plastic wrap on it. Just in case your kids are at school, or already asleep, or off at college....

Roasted Rutabega, Parsnips, & Turnips

Raise your hand if you've ever turned you nose at the idea of eating rutabagas, parsnips, or turnips? Or maybe even at the thought of eating any of those??? Well, I am here to report they are wonderful! I had never tried any of them before myself so this week I decided to go for it! I was encouraged by a friend at the gym the were indeed sweet and delicious roasted. He was correct! WOW! They could easily take the place of a potato for me. I am coming to believe that really anything roasted in the oven become delicious.

I picked up one of each at the grocery store along with some Yukon Potatoes, just in case, I peeled and diced them. It was interesting too, as I peeled each had their own unique scent! You can see by the photo, I was not sold on how "good" these were going to be so I kept the potatoes and root veggies separate on the tray....I drizzled some olive oil, salt, and pepper. Pop them in a 400 degree oven until fork tender. Prepare yourself for some goodness! I wonder if part of the problem with these veggies is their names? Maybe we need work on that...

To trying something new this week! Cheers!
Ginger

Sauteed Italian Kale

So my friend Deana from Bughollow Farms liked my picture of her eggs so much she gave me this beautiful Italian Kale to see what I could do with it. This is my artistic try.

This is my going to prep and eat it soon photo. Have you tried cooking Kale yet? You know it's s Super Food? I think it can feel a little intimidating, like, what do I do with that? Does it taste like lettuce or cabbage or what? I'm here to report it's absolutely delicious. Once cooked, it has a chewy texture and earthy flavor. Cook anything up with a little butter, shallot, and garlic, and why wouldn't it be good right? Here's what I did:

First you prep the kale by removing the leaf from the stem, not sure if that is the accurate term but hopefully you get what I mean. With a big knife chop it up into manageable pieces remembering that it is does wilt down significantly.

Get out your skillet and over medium heat add a tablespoon of butter and 1 teaspoon of olive oil. When the butter is melted add in your diced shallot, which is a member of the onion family with a milder flavor. When your shallot is translucent pop in a clove of minced garlic, as soon as the garlic is fragrant add all your diced kale.

The bright green color, the toasty shallot and garlic, they are a picture of health! Enjoy some of this with your dinner. It's something to feel good about.

To Super Foods!
Ginger

Chicken Imperial

The original recipe for these chicken tenders was given to me by my mother-in-law. It's called Chicken Imperial and I remember eating it for the first time on a picnic with them at the Oregon Coast. We were checking out the Aquarium and Sea Lion caves and visiting friends of theirs. I loved this chicken from the start! We enjoyed it at a picnic table in the sun! I know it also went along with a ton of other amazing goodies because my mother in law is like that. She always out does herself when we go down. It's nice to be a grown up and still get spoiled like that. Back to the chicken....it is perfect for a picnic or a weeknight dinner; totally delicious warm or cold. This is also one of my kids favorites, I think that's because it resembles a chicken nugget but tastes FAR better and is WAY healthier. My son always asks, "Are we having my favorite chicken mom?" In the summer I like to make two trays at a time and keep them in the frig. They are also a great addition to a salad!

To make Chicken Imperial I use chicken tenders but you could use chicken breasts, the thin cut ones would be great too. Olive oil, bread crumbs mixed with Parmesan cheese, and a little S & P are all you need to whip up a batch.

Simply take a chicken tender dip in olive oil then bread crumbs line them up on your baking sheet and bake. One tip, keep one hand for dipping in the olive oil (wet) and one for coating with the bread crumbs (dry). You end up with far less mess that way. Here they are all lined up and read for the oven. I put them on parchment paper which makes for super easy clean up.

Your house will smell amazing! The tenders cook quickly, like 20 minutes and come out with all the flavors of good old comfort food. Chicken + cheese +  bread = YUM!

Chicken Imperial

Inspired by: Sue Barr

12 -18 chicken tenders

1/2 cup olive oil

1 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Salt & Pepper if you choose.

Preheat oven to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with Pam. On a small plate, combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese, Taking one chicken tender at a time, dip in olive oil and then bread crumb mixture. Be sure to coat thoroughly. Place on baking sheet. Bake 20 to 30 minutes, until cooked through.

 Enjoy!

Ginger

P.S. I'm saying inspired by Sue Barr because I don't know what happened to the actual recipe so I'm not sure if I've stayed true to it. I don't really look at a recipe to make it at this point....I think the original maybe had parsley in it too; which of course you could always add. I buy Italian Style breadcrumbs when I don't make my own which includes parsley. Have fun!







Baked Potato Potato Salad

Doesn't this look delicious? I love a good potato salad. My husband is not a fan of hard boiled eggs so putting them in the potato salad is out of the question. I came up with this number, a little play on the baked potato. It turned out great; crunchy bits of prosciutto, creamy sour cream, a nice big hit of black pepper, and a bit of chives. I used prosciutto (Italian type of bacon.) It can be found in the deli section of most grocery stores. (At mine it's near the different types of cheeses.) I used it instead of regular bacon because honestly I don't like that bacon makes my whole house smell for days....even when I cook it in the oven, my preferred method. The prosciutto cooks up quickly and still gives the same bacon flavor. We are getting to that BBQ potluck time of year! Take this to your next one!

Baked Potato-Potato Salad

Ginger

1 lb. red potatoes

1-2 T. olive oil

8 oz. diced prosciutto

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar

1 bunch chives, chopped

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayo

Red wine vinegar, just enough to loosen up the mayo & sour cream

Salt & Pepper to taste

Place whole red potatoes in big pot of cold water. Boil until fork tender. Remove from water, let them cool so you can handle them and quarter them. In the meantime, heat olive oil over medium high heat and add prosciutto, cook until crispy. Remove from heat and drain on paper towel. In a nice big bowl combine potatoes, prosciutto, chives, and cheese. In a smaller bowl combine sour cream, mayo and a little vinegar mix to make a dressing. Add a pinch of salt and a good bit of pepper. Pour over potatoes and stir to combine. Taste! Adjust salt and pepper as needed.

Let summer begin!

Ginger

Man Food

Father's Day is Sunday, consider yourself reminded. I am here to put a huge stamp approval on the Pioneer Woman's, Marlboro Man sandwich. We have made this recipe several times and absolutely LOVE it. It's total man food, so I thought with Father's Day weekend just around the corner I'd help all you ladies out. Make this and your man will be happy! Mine of course loves it with a nice cold beer. I am not going to bother writing the recipe here I will share the link. The only change I've made is reducing the butter. She, in my opinion, goes a little overboard here and it's not necessary. She calls for 2 sticks of butter I use 1/2 stick of butter. Other than that I do just as she says.... Treat your man this week and make this. Here is the link: The Marlboro Man Sandwich

Adios!
Ginger

Salmon with Brown sugar and Mustard Glaze

I went to Ashland last week and had a FANTASTIC time. You will be able to read about it under my adventures tab soon. One of the meals we fixed while we were there was this salmon. We cooked the salmon on a cedar plank on the grill which worked great, we popped it under the broiler just at the end to set the glaze. You could however cook it on foil on the grill or under the broiler in the oven.  The salmon was a hit, a perfect balance of sweet and savory, as were the veggies which I've done at least 3 more times since my post. They are just real good. We all said we could eat an entire plate of them.

Salmon with Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze

Seattle Times

Ingredients:

1 T olive oil

1  large shallot, minced

1/4 cup red-wine vinegar

1/4 cup whole-grain mustard

1/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 side salmon

Lemon wedges optional for serving

In a small saucepan, heat oil over medium-high. Add shallot and cook, stirring often until softened, about 3 minutes. Add vinegar and cook until slightly evaporated, about 1 minute. Add mustard and brown sugar; stir until warm and combined, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat. ( You could make this a day ahead and store in frig. until ready to use.)

Place salmon on foil, season with salt & pepper. Transfer about 1/2 cup glaze to a small dish, reserve the rest for a later use in the recipe. Brush the 1/2 cup of glaze on top of salmon. Now broil or BBQ salmon until the fish is opaque throughout, about 5 to 10 minutes depending on thickness; brush reserve glaze over salmon. Serve with lemon wedges, if you choose. 

Enjoy some Omega 3's!

Ginger

Zucchini Croutons

This is probably our favorite way to eat zucchini. It is SO simple and delicious, I like to call them zucchini croutons because they are coated with just a little bit of bread crumbs to give them a toasted bread flavor. They are great to have a top pasta or next to grilled chicken, steak, or fish. They make the perfect additon to a summer meal. The zuchini will be coming so you can keep this little number in the back of your mind when you need something to do with them all. Here's what you do:

 Zucchini Croutons

Ginger

Dice up however many zuchini you'd like. I cut them in half and then half again so I get  little triangles. Drizzle with olive oil and mix around so the zucchini have are coated. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and grated parmesan. Toss to coat. Put in an oven proof dish. Bake @ 350 for about 30 minutes. Enjoy!