WHAT'S FOR DINNER? PHILLY SAUSAGE STROMBOLI

Philly Sausage Stromboli

serves 2-4

1 lb (size of a grapefruit) any non sweet homemade bread dough or a refrigerated bread dough

½ C canned Italian style chopped tomatoes, well drained

1 sweet or hot Italian sausage, grilled and cut into 1/8” thick slices

10 basil leaves, torn or cut into thin ribbons

½ lb sliced mozzarella cheese

olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place an empty broiler tray on the bottom shelf.

Dust surface of dough with flour. Quickly shape into a ball by stretching surface around the bottom on all four sides, rotating ball a quarter turn as you go.

Flatten dough with your hands and roll out on a lightly floured wooden board to produce a 1/8” thick large round, dusting lightly with flour as needed.

Cover half with tomato, sausage, basil and cheese leaving a 1 inch border at edge.

Wet border with water. Fold bare side over the cheese and seal border by pinching closed with your fingers. Do not slit or slash the dough; Stromboli is meant to puff.

Brush top brush with olive oil.

No resting or rising time needed.

Put onto your pizza stone or greased sheet.

Pour 1 C hot tap water into a broiler pan and quickly close the oven door.

Bake about 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.


PS I forgot to set the timer and burned mine a little too much to post a picture. It tasted really good though!

Memorial Day weekend

I pray you all have a very safe and happy holiday weekend. I'll be spending it with family and friends and making many fun and delicious things that I'll share with you when I return in a week or more.

TIP #47: Get those deodorant streaks off my shirt!

Even though I wear the clear deodorant gel, it inevitably will streak my blouse or shirt when putting it on. I used to get frustrated and take it right back off and stand in front of my closet for 5 minutes searching for another shirt to wear.

When Canaan was born over 2 years ago, one time this had happened shortly after and I grabbed a baby wipe since I was in a hurry. 

Simply wipe the streaks in a rubbing fashion with a fresh clean baby wipe. I've learned that since I found out by mistake that I'm not the only one who found this out by accident but wanted to share it with you. 

Using this method might also save you the heartache of having to search for another shirt especially when you're in a hurry!

WHAT'S FOR BREAKFAST? MAGIC MUFFINS with Malt O Meal

My mother used to make these for us and now I make them for Canaan...maybe a couple for me too.

This recipe is on the side of the box of Malt O Meal but I've given you a few healthier choices to sub in for original ingredients.

MAGIC MUFFINS

1 1/4 C flour

1 C Malt O Meal (original, Maple & Brown Sugar or Chocolate flavored Malt O Meal)

1/3 C sugar or powdered stevia

3/4 C milk

1/4 C vegetable oil or apple sauce

1 egg or 1/4 C egg beaters

1 T baking powder

1/2 t salt

1 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine all ingredients until moistened. Pour batter into greased or paper lined muffin pans about 3/4 full. Bake 18-20 minutes. 

Box says it makes 12 but it made 18 for us. Maybe I should have filled them a little fuller.

FOR all my VEGAN friends:

1 1/4 C flour

1 C Malt O Meal (original, Maple & Brown Sugar or Chocolate flavored Malt O Meal)

1/3 C sugar or powdered stevia

3/4 C soy or almond milk

1/2 C vegetable oil or apple sauce

1 T baking powder

1/2 t salt

1 t vanilla

WHAT'S FOR DINNER? BLT SALAD & HOMEMADE DRESSING

If you know me, then you know I really don't enjoy eating salad. I loved eating this one so much that I ate the whole thing. 

TIP: If you have left over dressing, sub in a couple of tablespoons of dressing for the mayo & mustard in your tuna or egg salad the next day. Canaan & I loved it!

BLT SALAD &  HOMEMADE DRESSING

serves 2

salad greens

1 C sprouts

1 diced tomato

1/2 cucumber, sliced

4 slices cooked NSA bacon

1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese

Layer ingredients in a large bowl.

To make the dressing, whisk together:

1/3 C NSA mayonnaise

1/4 C milk

1 T mustard

1/2 t garlic powder

pepper to taste

Drizzle over salad or serve it on the side and serve immediately.

WHAT'S FOR DESSERT? HOMEMADE ICE CREAM IN A ZIPLOC BAG

I of course thought it would have been great weather up at our family's cabin in the middle of May to make ice cream with my 2 year old...but it ended up starting to snow! So we just went back in side and ate our ice cream by the roaring fireplace (after I took a few pictures).

Last summer at church Family Camp in the Jemez Mountains, I had the kids make ice cream in a Ziploc bag. It was a big hit!

It's a great way to spend some time with your kids this summer making something they'll love to eat. It's also a great way to teach them patience.

 HOMEMADE ICE CREAM IN A ZIPLOC BAG

serves 1

There are all kinds of recipes to make homemade ice cream, I have many recipes as well but this is what I used this time:

1/2 C milk

1/2 C heavy whipping cream

1/4 C sugar or powdered stevia

1/2 t vanilla

quart size Ziploc

gallon size Ziploc

approx 2 C ice

1/2 C or more rock salt

All all your ingredients in a quart size Ziploc bag. Squeeze out air & seal tightly.

Put ice and rock salt in a gallon size Ziploc bag. Then add your quart size bag. Squeeze our most air and seal gallon size tightly. 

Gently rock the bag back and forth and from side to side. Use gloves or a kitchen towel to prevent your hands from getting too cold. Canaan & I used oven hot padded gloves. Continue to rock for 10-15 minutes or until the contents have solidified into ice cream.

Remove the quart size bag and wash the ice & rock salt off with cold water because it will damage your hands. (We washed it off in the cold stream in front of the cabin.)

Open bag and serve as is or with toppings. 

WHAT'S FOR DESSERT? CANTALOUPE ICE CREAM

Canaan & I love ice cream in the summer at the cabin. Being from Texas, I love cantaloupe! This is perfect on a hot summer evening...or for breakfast...


Too bad it was snowing off and on up at the cabin in the middle of May!

CANTALOUPE ICE CREAM

Makes approx 1/2 quart

2 C diced cantaloupe (about 1 cantaloupe) - make sure it's ripe, smell it; if it smells delicious and sweet, it's ripe.

1 C heavy whipping cream

1 C milk

2 eggs

3/4 C sugar or powdered stevia

1 t vanilla 

2-4 T fresh lime or lemon juice

1/2 t ground ginger

1/2 t salt

In a blender, puree the cantaloupe with 1/2 C milk.

Cook the cantaloupe puree with the cream and remaining milk & heavy cream on medium heat until warm. Do not let it come to a boil! Turn off the heat.

Beat the eggs with the sugar, vanilla, juice, ginger and salt. Stir into the eggs 1/2 C of the warm liquid and then pour egg and cream mixture into the pot.

On medium low, heat mixture, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or until it gets slightly thick. You’ll know it’s ready when it coats the back of your spoon. Cool in the refrigerator for four hours.

Freeze and churn according to your ice-cream maker’s instructions or use portions in the Ziploc bag method.

Note: If you prefer some cantaloupe chunks in your ice cream, reserve 1 cup of the diced fruit and mix that in with the ice cream a few minutes before it’s done churning which is what we did but will only make approx 1/4 quart or so.

Ryan's new radio talk show BREAK THE CHAIN website

Ryan has a new website for his radio talk show "Break the Chain" that our bil Noel Green with Park East (www.parkeastinc.com) built for him. You can listen to Ryan's radio show live on Saturdays from 3-4pm MST and also listen to archived shows. 

http://breakthechain.info/

Also listen live at www.1550kiva.com

WHAT'S FOR DESSERT? MEXICAN CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE

MEXICAN CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE

8 servings

274 calories per slice with stevia sweetened whipped cream

309 calories per slice with sugar sweetened whipped cream

1 graham cracker crust (I used Honeymaid.)

1/2 C sugar

2 T cornstarch

1 T unsweetened cocoa

1/4 t instant espresso powder

1/8 t salt

1/8 t ground red pepper

1 large egg

 1 large egg yolk

1 3/4 C 2% milk

2 oz dark chocolate (2 Ghiradelli squares)

1 1/2 - 2 C sweetened whipped cream (heavy whipping cream, whipped with sugar or powdered stevia)

Combine sugar, cornstarch, cocoa, espresso, salt, red pepper & eggs in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk.

Place milk in medium saucepan over medium high heat and cook until milk reaches 180 degrees or until tiny bubbles form around edge - DO NOT BOIL.

Gradually add hot milk to egg mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. 

Return to pan and cook over medium heat for 6-10 minutes or until thick and bubbly, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and stir until smooth.

Place pan in a large ice & water filled bowl for 10 minutes., stirring occasionally. Spoon filling into crust and cover surface of filling with plastic wrap. Chill for 3 hours. Remove plastic. Spread whipped cream over filling. If desired, sprinkle some graham cracker crumbs on top.

WHAT ARE WE MUNCH'N ON? ARTICHOKE, SPINACH & WHITE BEAN DIP

 ARTICHOKE, SPINACH & WHITE BEAN DIP

12 servings

approx 87 calories per serving

This took me about 30 minutes from start to finish.

1/4 C grated Romano cheese

1/4 C mayonnaise

1 t fresh lemon juice

1/4 t salt

1/4 t pepper

1/8 t ground red pepper

2 minced garlic cloves

1 - 15 oz can rinsed and drained white beans

1 - 14 oz can drained and quartered artichoke hearts

1 9 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry

1/2 C shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place Romano cheese, mayonnaise, juice, salt, pepper, red pepper, garlic and beans in a food processor until smooth. 

Spoon into bowl. Stir in artichokes and spinach. Spoon into 1 quart glass or ceramic baking dish coated with non stick spray. Sprinkle with mozzarella. 

Bake 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until bubbly and brown.

Serve with tortilla chips or crackers.

WHAT'S FOR DINNER? KENTUCKY HOT BROWN TART

So I'm a little late...

KENTUCKY HOT BROWN TART

serves 6

2 refrigerated or homemade piecrusts

1 1/2 C cooked chopped turkey breast

2 C shredded white cheddar cheese (I like Cabot's.)

1/4 C finely chopped fresh chives

6 cooked & crumbed bacon slices

1 1/2 C 1/2 &1/2

4 large eggs

1/2 t salt

1/4 t pepper

2 medium tomatoes (roma or vine), 1/4" slices

1/2 C shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Roll out piecrust and stack together on lightly greased surface to form one thick crust.

(Now I did not do this as I was making dinner for some dear friends and didn't have time to make more piecrusts. It could have definitely used the stacked piecrusts.)

Fit piecrust into a 10" pie plate or tart pan. Press into edges. Trim off excess if necessary.

Line piecrust with foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights or in my case, dried beans.

Place pan on foil lined baking sheet and bake 12 minutes. Remove weights or beans and foil/parchment. Bake 8 more minutes. Cool completely on wire rack for about 15 minutes. 

Reduce temp to 350 degrees.

Layer turkey, cheddar, chives and bacon in shell.

Whisk 1/2 & 1/2, eggs, salt & pepper together. Pour over ingredients in the pie shell.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. 

Place tomatoes in a single layer on paper towels: press tomatoes lightly with paper towels to rid of excess water. Arrange over top of tart and sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake 10-15 minutes. 

Cool on wire rack for 15 minutes. 

This took me not quite 2 hours to make.

WHAT'S FOR DINNER? No Tortilla Enchiladas

Since losing 25 lbs since March, I've been searching and coming up with how to take some of my favorite foods and change them into a new recipe that's much healthier. Don't expect it to taste just like the enchiladas you grew up eating, but this way, I'm still losing weight and still eating good...It's just different.

I've heard that some of you don't like the sound of some of my recipes and others don't like a certain recipe or another. That's ok! We all have our opinions. I don't expect everyone to like everything I make. I'm just throwing out recipes that I make and that we like. 

FYI 

I try out every single recipe before I post it. If I don't like it, it's not posted. If Ryan doesn't like it, it's not posted. 

NO TORTILLA ENCHILADAS

serves 2-3

2 - 3 C cooked lean ground beef or bison

1 C shredded cheddar cheese

6 - 8 leaves of cabbage

1/4 - 1/2 C sliced olives

2-3 C tomato or pasta sauce

seasoning to taste

salsa

sour cream

Brown meat then mix in olives, cheese & seasoning. Set aside. 

Pull off cabbage leaves and place in microwave safe bowl. Pour in 1/2 C water and microwave for 3-4 minutes until pliable.

Pour 1/2 sauce into greased baking dish. 

Make enchiladas by putting meat mixture into each leaf and rolling like a burrito. Place in pan close to one another. 

Pour rest of sauce over enchiladas.

Cover with foil.

Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes. 

Drizzle with sour cream, salsa, cheese or other. 

RYAN'S "BREAK THE CHAIN" Premieres tomorrow!

My husband Ryan is on 1550 am with Mike & Rudy at 4:30pm MT every second Monday of the month talking about AIBA (Albuquerque Independent Business Alliance) & buying local, something we're both passionate about.

But now he has his own radio talk show! 

BREAK THE CHAIN

host: Ryan Scott

3pm - 4pm MT

Mountain Standard Time

Saturdays

PREMIERES Saturday, May 14th

listen live anywhere at www.1550kiva.com

He'll be talking New Mexico's locally based restaurants and other local food businesses like dairy & honey farms, pumpkin patches, festivals, NM State Fair, factories, best places for ??? (best family atmosphere, best date night, etc.), etc. 


http://breakthechain.info/

WHAT'S FOR DINNER? EGGPLANT PIZZA - approx 46 calories per slice

I made these one night at my parent's house and I was shocked at how much my "macho" brother loved them. Not only did he tell me that night how good they were but when I saw him a couple of days later, he commented on them again! What a compliment!

EGGPLANT PIZZAS

approx 20 individual pizzas for approx 46 calories per pizza for first 4 ingredients. More calories for toppings.

eggplant, peeled & cut into approx 3/8" slices

olive oil

tomato sauce

shredded mozzarella cheese

Toppings: pepperoni, olives, onions, fresh basil, ground beef, sausage, artichoke hearts, corn, broccoli, etc.

Layer ingredients as you desire onto eggplant slices. Preheat oven 400 degrees and bake 20-25 min. 

WHAT'S FOR DINNER? FOUR CHEESE ROASTED EGGPLANT LASAGNA

FOUR CHEESE ROASTED EGGPLANT LASAGNA

6 servings @ approx 210 calories each

1 eggplant, peeled, 1/4" slices

Brush on 1/4 C olive oil onto slices then lightly salt. 

Bake at 425 degrees for 8-10 minutes. 

Then remove and cover with foil. 

Combine:

1/3 C ricotta

1/3 C cottage cheese

1/3 C Parmesan

1T chives

Place 1/2 C tomato sauce in greased baking pan. 

Layer with eggplant and cheese mixture & another 1/2 C tomato sauce. 

Top with 1 C mozzarella.

Bake 425 degrees for 15 minutes.

WHAT WE'RE SNACK'N ON: JALAPENO POPPERS

JALAPENO POPPERS

makes 6

6 jalapenos, seeded

6 slices NSA bacon

(NSA- No Sugar Added) - of course you could use regular bacon too; I've just cut down on my sugar intake dramatically.

6 oz shredded pepper jack cheese

6 oz cream cheese

Wash, dry and seed the jalapenos.

Mix the cheese together and fill the jalapenos.

Wrap with a slice of bacon and skewer it all with a toothpick to hold in place. The only NSA bacon I could find was Gwaltney.

Bake in a preheated oven 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until bacon is cooked through and cheese is starting to melt out. 

Why am I not posting this week?

I've gotten a lot of emails, texts and a couple of calls about why I'm not posting the last few days. I can't tell you how much I appreciate all your support and enthusiasm with my blog!

My grandmother passed away and her funeral was 7 1/2 hours away from our home this past weekend. Now I'm at my parents house (14 hours from my home) to help out my parents and granddad.

I'm still cooking and taking pictures while I'm here. I look forward to sharing some yummy and healthy recipes when I return, Lord willing, next week.

God bless you all in your households, your entertaining and your cooking.
Kimber