From the Garden: Fresh Lettuce Dressing

We have planted a garden every year since we moved into our house five years ago. It didn't look like much at the time, but Paul put a lot of effort into getting it to look how it does now. Which still isn't very big compared to either of our parents', but it suits our family just fine for right now! Over the years, we've tried quite a few different things, and I think we've finally figured out what grows the best for us here. Our garden is right next to a row of evergreen trees, and somehow, when the needles fall off, they change the pH level of the dirt. (Or something like that?) But basically, we have a hard time growing anything like radishes and onions. Potatoes, tomatoes and lettuce seem to do the best. This year we have two hills of cucumbers, one hill of zucchini, (too many) tomatoes (I'll be canning up a storm later this summer), four rows of potatoes, peas, green beans, and lettuce. We also have an ever-expanding raspberry bush on the other side of the yard. Every year it gets bigger! Which is great!

Here are a few pics of our garden, currently!

I risked getting eaten alive and acquiring West Nile Virus to get these pictures. Darn mosquitoes are horrible this year! Ack!

All this jabber about our garden is leading up to a recipe I'm going to share. I saw on Donya Luana's blog that she was doing a series of 20 recipes from her garden, and thought it was a really neat idea! I'm not going to promise 20 recipes, but I'm hoping to share a few here and there as we harvest our fruits and veggies!

We've already had a couple cuttings of lettuce. That is one of the great things about leaf lettuce, that you get several cuttings before it starts to get bitter when it grows back.

As soon as he brought the first of it inside, Paul whipped up a jar of our favorite dressing to use on the tender leaves. This simple dressing has been our go-to for the past couple years for our fresh garden lettuce. It's similar to one Paul's mom made when he was growing up. We love it!

Fresh Lettuce Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp vinegar
Milk, to taste
Salt, to taste

Mix together, adding milk to get desired consistency. It works great to put everything into a jar and shake it up! Serve on fresh garden lettuce.

What I ate + my favorite Chicken Salad recipe!

I have been waiting until I had enough pictures to do another What I Ate post. I haven't made anything too exciting lately, otherwise I have forgotten to take a photo. These pictures were all probably taken a couple weeks apart. Yeah, it's been awhile!

My version of a super easy fish taco: fish sticks, coleslaw mix and lime juice on a whole wheat tortilla. And I added some cilantro because I had some in the fridge.

Muffaletta Portobello Burger. Basically a tomato and some green olives chopped up with some salt and pepper on top of a portobello mushroom that I sauteed, then put it on a bun with some lettuce, mayo, and provolone cheese. The recipe was from Simple and Delicious magazine I believe.

This is Skinnytaste's Zesty Lime Shrimp and Avocado Salad. I thought it was really good, but it made a lot, and I was the only one eating it, so if I made it again I'd half the recipe.

Avocado and Mango Chicken Salad. This was SOOOOO good! I just ate it straight out of the bowl, but if I would have had lettuce, I would have had it as lettuce wraps. Definitely plan on making this again! YUM!!

I guess I kind of have a thing for chicken salad! This is a recipe that I have been making a lot lately, and sort of modified it a little to suit my tastes and what I had on hand. I love this one on lettuce wraps, too. Usually I use Butterhead lettuce, but all I had on this day was iceberg. I thought I'd share the recipe for this one with you since I don't have a link to it!

Savory and Sweet Chicken Salad

2 cups diced chicken (I usually use rotisserie chicken, and use half of the meat)
1 cup seedless red grapes, each cut in half
1/4-1/2 cup slivered almonds (I usually just pour some in and guess)
1 small apple, diced (I use braeburn since that's what I usually buy, but any sweet apple would work!)
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise (again, I just scoop a dollop in. You can use less, or more if needed)
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 tsp dill weed (or 1 tsp chopped fresh dill)
S & P to taste

Mix everything together and enjoy!

Linking up with Peas & Crayons!

My favorite, super-easy, fruit dip

It might seem weird that I'm sharing a fruit dip recipe now that summer is over. But it's apple season, and apples are my favorite dipper for this yummy fruit dip. More specifically, honeycrisp apples! Of course, it's delicious with any fruit. We've been making this dip in my family for as long as I can remember. And it doesn't get much easier! Only two ingredients! It's also really good eaten with a spoon or your finger...just sayin'...

Easy 2-ingredient Fruit Dip

1-8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened (I always use the 1/3 less fat neufchatel cheese)
1-8 oz container marshmallow fluff

Combine both ingredients in a mixing bowl, and beat together until smooth. That's it!

Enjoy!

Fudge Revel Bars

I was in the mood for baking the other day, and craving some chocolate (what's new). So I scrounged through my collection of trusty church cookbooks looking for something that a) fit into the category above to curb my craving, and b) I had all the ingredients for (or thought I did). I have had these bars many times before but had never made them myself. I got started while Levi napped, and as I gathered the ingredients for the next step in the recipe, I realized that I didn't have a can of sweetened condensed milk in the cupboard like I thought I did. Whoops. Thank goodness that it was Sunday and Paul was home, he (being the wonderful husband he is) ran up to the convenience store and got some for me. I did a couple things differently that I will make note of following the recipe, but I wanted to give the recipe in it's original form. They turned out great and satisfied my chocolate craving! :)

Fudge Revel Bars

1 cup margarine or butter, softened
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp soda
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups quick oatmeal
1 (12 oz) pkg milk chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 Tbsp margarine or butter
2 tsp vanilla

Cream together 1 cup margarine and 2 cups brown sugar. Add the beaten eggs and vanilla, mix. Add the soda, salt, flour and oatmeal. Mix well and spread 2/3 into jelly roll pan. Melt together chocolate chips, condensed milk, margarine and vanilla. Stir until melted. Pour over crust in pan. With fingers crumble remaining crust on top and spread over chocolate mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Notes:
- I used a 9x13 pan because I wanted them to be thicker, and because of that I needed to add about 10 minutes to the baking time.
- I used semi-sweet chocolate chips just because I like them better.
- I found out the hard way that these should cool completely before digging in, otherwise they are pretty melty.
  
Hope you enjoy them! 

'Toddler' Mini Muffins

I thought I would share a recipe today. At first my plan was to wait until Monday and use it as a Pinspiration post, since the recipe (surprise!) comes from Pinterest, but I decided to just go with it.

Let me start by saying that Levi is not a fan of vegetables. I have no clue why, but since he switched from baby food to finger foods last year, he won't touch them. He ate his baby food good, so I'm wondering if it's a texture thing. There have been a few instances where he'll try something, but usually he won't even look at anything green, orange or any other bright color unless it is fruit. He LOVES his fruit, so that is a plus at least. And he does eat well for the most part.

So in other words, I need to get better at 'hiding' them in his meals. I've put chopped/grated carrots and broccoli (and other miscellaneous veggies) into things like meatloaf and bbq's, which he will usually eat, but then I get the complaining from the other end... Yep. This tastes different...What did you put in this?...yada yada yada. (I am talking about Paul if you didn't figure that out. :) But a lot of the time I just don't think of it, and keep hoping one day he'll just decide he likes carrots or broccoli or anything veggie, really.

Which leads me to this recipe. I saw it on Pinterest and thought I would give it a try. There isn't a lot of sugar, and it has lots of good-for-you things in it. After I made the muffins and let them cool, I gave one to Levi, not sure what to expect. Sure enough, he loved them. So much that he had like five of them. And he had a few for breakfast this morning too. So I guess they are a success! And the fact that he is getting some vitamins and minerals from the carrots, squash and bananas that are hidden in them is a bonus! These might be something that I keep in the freezer for a quick snack or breakfast.

Toddler Muffins

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar, or to taste
2 large bananas, mashed
1 (4.5 oz) jar baby food squash
2 carrots, grated
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup oat bran
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 24 mini muffin cups or 12 standard muffin cups.

2. In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until smooth. Mix in the mashed bananas, squash, carrots, and eggs. Stir in the flour, oat bran, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt until just combined. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups.

3. Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 15-20 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack. Store at room temperature for up to two days, or freeze.

Notes:
- I got 24 mini muffins, plus 7 regular size muffins.
- I set the timer for 15 minutes with the mini muffins and that was about right. The regular size muffins needed a few more minutes.  
- The bottoms of my muffins did get a little dark, but I think that was mainly because I have a dark nonstick muffin pan.

Original recipe from Allrecipes HERE 
Original pin is HERE  

Hope you enjoy! And just because, here is a pic of Levi having one yesterday. He was ignoring my camera as you can see..

 

Zucchini Coconut Bread

I know that zucchini season is pretty much over, but I still wanted to share this recipe. For awhile earlier this summer we had zucchini coming out of our ears, and I was trying to find recipes to use it all up. I came across this one, from Two Peas and Their Pod, on Pinterest and thought it looked yummy! It's on the healthy side, too, with whole wheat flour, coconut oil, Greek yogurt, and less white sugar. I knew Paul wouldn't eat it anyway, because he is not a fan of anything coconut, so I figured I could eat it for breakfast and have it all to myself! It was SO good! Definitely a keeper!

Zucchini Coconut Bread

3/4 cup all-purpose Gold Medal flour
3/4 cup whole wheat Gold Medal flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (squeezed and drained)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, at room temp.
1 large egg, at room temp.
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a separate large bowl, combine shredded zucchini, sugars, coconut oil, yogurt, egg, and vanilla extract.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until moistened. Stir in the shredded coconut.

Pour the batter into prepared pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let zucchini bread cool in pan for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the bread from the pan and cool completely before slicing.

Enjoy!

Original recipe can be found here: Two Peas and Their Pod

Fresh Pineapple Salsa

This is one of my favorite things to make in the summer. It has the perfect mix of sweet and savory. We usually eat it with tortilla chips (the hint of lime ones are really good), but I think it would be good with grilled chicken or fish, too. As with most fresh salsas like this, it's best the first day or so after you make it, then it just gets sort of watery, although still yummy.

Fresh Pineapple Salsa

2 plum tomatoes
1/2 small red onion
1 4-in. piece seedless cucumber
1/2 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves
1 jalapeno pepper
1/2 medium pineapple
1 lime
1/2 tsp salt
Tortilla chips

Hull and remove seeds from tomatoes. Dice tomatoes, onion and cucumber. Chop cilantro. Combine tomatoes, onion, cucumber and cilantro in a large bowl. Remove seeds from jalapeno pepper and chop finely. Add to bowl. Core and peel the pineapple, then chop and add to the bowl. Juice the lime and add to the bowl along with the salt. Mix thoroughly until combined. Serve with tortilla chips.

BLT Bites

I made these little BLT Bites for a Thirty-One party I had last week. The recipe actually comes from a little cookbook my mom got for free at Crafts Direct. They were a hit! They were a teeny bit more work than I thought they were going to be, but so worth it! If I would have had one of those spoons with the pointed ends it would have been much easier to clean the insides of the tomatoes out. It also took a little time to cook the bacon. You could probably use bacon bits, but I like the real stuff in this recipe.

BLT Bites

16-20 cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup mayo or salad dressing (I used Miracle Whip)
3 Tbsp parmesan cheese
1 lb bacon, cooked & crumbled (I chopped it)
1/3 c green onion, chopped
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Cut a small slice off of each tomato. Scoop out and discard pulp. Invert the tomatoes onto a paper towel to drain. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; mix well. Spoon into tomatoes. Refrigerate for several hours. Enjoy!

strawberry-rhubarb jam

...or jelly as we always called it. Technically though, I think it is considered jam since it has pieces of fruit in it. Anyway, whatever it is, it's YUMMY. This is my mom's recipe, and for as long as I can remember there has always been multiple jars of this in the freezer, a staple at our house. If we used the last of the jar in the fridge, it was just a given to go grab another jar from the freezer. It's super-duper easy to make too, which is always a bonus in my book!

 

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

Makes 3 pints or 6 half-pints

4 c. rhubarb
2 3/4 c. sugar
1 sm. box frozen sliced strawberries
1 3oz box strawberry jell-o

Mix sugar and rhubarb, let sit until sugar dissolves, usually a couple hours. Stirring occasionally helps this process along. Bring to a boil. Boil for 15 minutes, stirring often. If a lot of green foam forms on top, skim it off. Add strawberries and boil another minute or so. Remove from heat and stir in jell-o. Pour into jars and freeze. 


Notes:
- No need to let them cool off or anything, the jars can go straight into the freezer.
- If doubling the recipe, use 3 boxes of jell-o.
- Can also use this same recipe with frozen raspberries and raspberry jell-o.

rhubarb bread

When we first moved to our house in town here, I was super excited to see that there was a small rhubarb patch. As long as I can remember, my mom has been making strawberry-rhubarb jelly (posting that recipe soon!) and yummy rhubarb desserts. Paul has also grown up with the same traditions, so I was happy that I can continue to make some of those yummy recipes along with some new ones, like this recipe for rhubarb bread. This quick bread recipe comes from a church cookbook that I have. I've made it a couple times now, and we both really like it. It as a brown sugar cinnamon topping that I think really adds to it. Enjoy!

Rhubarb Bread
Makes 1 loaf

1/2 c. shortening
2 eggs
1/2 c. milk
1 c. sugar
2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 c. rhubarb, diced
2 T. brown sugar or honey
1 tsp. cinnamon

Mix together shortening, eggs, sugar, milk and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in rhubarb. Pour into a 5x9x2 inch loaf pan. Mix together brown sugar or honey and cinnamon. Sprinkle on top of bread before putting into the oven. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. 

Chicken Supreme

I have made this dish a few times, and we really love it. It's another recipe from one of the local church cookbooks. Love those church cookbooks!! There are actually several variations of this recipe in that particular book, and this is the one I have used. Most of the time I end up putting the chicken in frozen, and it's always done after the 50-60 minutes. I do use somewhat thin breasts though, so if yours are very thick it might take a bit longer. You can use any type of cheese, really. I really like this with swiss cheese, and I recently made it with some havarti that I had leftover from something else that was delish too! But you can use cheddar, mozzarella or American too! If using American slices, put 2 slices on each breast. The stuffing mix I use is Stovetop, and I use the whole box instead of just half and I like how it turns out that way. One last thing I do differently, I use milk to dilute the soup and I just add until I like the consistency. It usually ends up to be more than half a cup. Please excuse the horrible picture, it was kind of an after thought!

Chicken Supreme

4 to 6 chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz. shredded cheese
1/2 box stuffing mix
1/4 c. butter, melted (optional)

In a greased 9x13-inch pan, place chicken breasts. Dilute cream of chicken soup with 1/2 cup water. Pour over chicken breasts. Next, sprinkle cheese and the stuffing mix. Last, take the melted butter if using and drizzle over the top. No need to cover. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars with Streusel Topping

I made these last weekend for a family get together and they were a hit! SO GOOD! I never thought to take a picture, but just wanted to share the link to where I found the recipe.  Get it HERE.
You definitely won't be disappointed.

kansas cucumber salad

This is our new favorite way to make creamy cucumbers! I've been making it for a few months, but finally remembered to take a picture when I made it for dinner this afternoon. I'd been trying to find the perfect combination for quite awhile, since Paul loves creamy cucumbers, but we could never get it perfect. Then I saw this recipe in one of the church cookbooks I have (LOVE those!) and thought I'd try it. I wasn't sure, since Paul isn't always crazy about dill, but in this salad, it's what makes it stand out! Usually I don't peel the cucumbers when I get one at the store, since I usually get the seedless English kind, but these are garden fresh (yummy!) and the skin is a little thicker so I decided to peel them. Either way it's great!

Kansas Cucumber Salad

1 c Miracle Whip
1/4 c sugar
4 tsp vinegar
Sliced or chopped onion
1/2 tsp dill weed
1/2 tsp salt
4 to 8 med. cucumbers, sliced thin (or 1-2 English cucumbers)

Mix all ingredients, except cucumbers and onions. Add cukes and onion; toss. Chill at least one hour.

Tangy Olive Egg Salad

Thought I would sneak in a quick recipe post while Levi is content! I was planning on posting this one before I had him, but obviously didn't get around to it! :) I'm a big fan of egg salad, and this is one of my favorites. Usually my go-to! The green olives add just the right zip.

Tangy Olive Egg Salad

3 Tbsp Miracle Whip
2 tsp Dijon mustard
4 hard cooked eggs, roughly chopped
15 stuffed green olives, chopped

 Mix dressing and mustard. Stir in eggs & olives.

Doesn't get much easier than that! Most of the time I just guestimate the amounts and go by what I like. I don't remember where I got this recipe, but I have been making it for awhile now. 
 

Tri-Color Pasta Salad

I love pasta salad, so I'm always on the lookout for new and delicious variations. When I came across this one on Mel's Kitchen Cafe, I knew I had to try it. As if I had any doubts, it was great! Paul even likes it, so bonus points there! We've made it a couple times now, and I know I'll be making it much more. We found that we like it better warm (although it is also good cold!), so I try to make it close to when we'll be eating it. I like to bring it for lunch at work too, and then I just stick it in the microwave for a minute. The picture was kind of an after thought, so it's not real fancy. And honestly, this is how we end up eating it a lot of the time...strait out of the mixing bowl! Ha! I also didn't have any fresh basil or pine nuts so those are missing this time, and I usually leave out the onions b/c raw onions don't agree with Paul's stomach most of the time...so I just shake in a little onion powder.

Tri-Color Pasta Salad
Recipe courtesy of Mel's Kitchen Cafe

12 oz. Pkg. Tri-Colored Rotini, cooked and drained
2/3 c Creamy Caesar Dressing
3 whole Roma tomatoes, chopped (or grape halved grape tomatoes)
1 can Black Olives, drained and sliced
1/4 c Red Onion, finely diced
3/4 c Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
6 whole Fresh Basil Leaves, cut into thin strips
4 Tbsp Basil Pesto
2 tsp equal parts Black Pepper, Salt, and Garlic Powder
1 c Pine Nuts, toasted

Cook pasta and coat with Caesar dressing while warm. Add the rest of the ingredients (minus the pine nuts) and toss. Top with toasted pine nuts.

YUM!! :)

feta-stuffed mushrooms

I made these for myself last night (Paul won't touch mushrooms, and isn't a fan of feta either) after coming across them on a blog and having a super strong craving for mushrooms! I'm blaming on being pregnant... Either way, they were delish! AND low fat, which was a bonus! I spaced out and forgot to take a pic, but I will link back to the original post if you'd like to see. YUM!

Feta-Stuffed Mushrooms

8 medium-sized mushrooms
2 mushroom stems
2 Tbsp reduced-fat feta cheese
1/2 Tbsp fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper, or to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a small baking dish with nonstick spray.

Lightly rinse mushrooms and pat dry with paper towels. Pull off stems and save two. Mince the tender portion of those two mushrooms and place in a small bowl. Place mushrooms, stem-side up, in the prepared baking dish.

Add remaining ingredients to the minced stems in the bowl. Stir to mix well. Divide the mixture between the mushroom caps, using a small spoon, mounding the filling into the center of each mushroom.

Bake 13-15 minutes, or until mushrooms are tender and filling mixture is hot and sizzling. Let mushrooms cool slightly before serving.

Serves: 2 (4 stuffed mushrooms per person)
Calories: 57.5 (per serving)
WW Points: 1

Originally posted at RecipeGirl.com

my favorite chocolate chip cookies

I have been trying out chocolate chip cookie recipes since Paul and I got married, hoping to find a good one. They always tasted good, but were so...flat. Until I discovered this recipe on Tasty Kitchen. OMG. They rock. It all comes down to the vanilla pudding I think. I made them this afternoon and decided I needed to share the recipe. I inhaled one as soon as they cooled off enough, then figured I better have another so I could use it for a picture. YUM.

The Softest Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c butter, softened
1/2 c sugar
3/4 c brown sugar
1 pkg instant vanilla pudding mix
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
chocolate chips

Stir together flour, baking soda and salt. Combine butter, sugars and pudding mix, beat until fluffy. Add vanilla and egg, beat until smooth. Add dry ingredients, mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. The dough will be stiff. Bake and 375* for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

In my oven they always bake for 10 minutes until lightly golden on top. I like them a little gooey in the middle so I don't let them get too dark. SO good! :)
Here is the link to the original recipe: The Softest Chocolate Chip Cookies

crisp cucumber salsa

I have a subscription to Simple and Delicious magazine, and every issue it seems like there are tons of recipes I want to try. Usually I end up just cutting them out and adding them to my binder, but when I saw this one, I knew I wanted to make it asap. It was soooo good! Paul even liked it! I made it yesterday and we've already devoured it. I can't wait until I can make it again using my own vegetables and herbs from my garden! YUM!

Crisp Cucumber Salsa
Yield 2-1/2 cups

2 cups finely chopped seeded peeled cucumber
1/2 cup finely chopped seeded tomato
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and chopped
4-1/2 tsp minced fresh cilantro
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
1/4 c reduced-fat sour cream
1-1/2 tsp lemon juice
1-1/2 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
Tortilla chips

In a small bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. In another bowl, combine the sour cream, lemon juice, lime juice, cumin and seasoned salt. Pour over cucumber mixture and toss gently to coat. Serve immediately with chips.

1/4 cup (w/out chips) equals 16 calories
Recipe from Simple and Delicious magazine