Saturday, April 11, 2015

Life is back to normal (kinda) and the Weekly Menu

It is a new week and new life is springing forth.....my daffodils and tulips are breaking through the ground.  The ducks and geese are back in our ponds.  The rains are coming almost daily but the winds dry things out quickly.  The weather is staying above freezing.  I think it is safe to say that Spring has finally sprung here in my little neck of the woods.

Image result for spring has sprung

I went and got my hair cut this morning, yahoooooooo I can see again.  We will be going to Mass this afternoon and then we are going to Mom Klik's for dinner.

Tomorrow, Amy and I are taking Mom Klik to Bingo.  This is my birthday gift to her, I had put a coupon for bingo in her card when we celebrated her big day.  Frank has his annual flight review. Yesterday I put together some Chicken Noodle Soup with the carcass from Friday night's roast chicken so that will be dinner.

Monday, Frank is scheduled for some minor, outpatient surgery so I will be with him at the hospital most of the day.  I think we will be having breakfast for dinner.

The rest of the week is typical around here.  I have a meeting at the church on Tuesday, Food Pantry on Wednesday, choir on Thursday and if Frank is healed up we are going to have a date night on Friday.

Stop by each day for photos and recipes.  I will, as always, be linking up with MPM, where you will find tons of wonderful menu ideas.

Saturday
Dinner at Mom Klik's

Sunday
Chicken Noodle Soup

Meatless Monday
Poached Eggs on Toast
Fresh Fruit

Tuesday
Greek Meatballs
Rice Pilaf
Steamed Brocolli

Wednesday
Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

Thursday
Chicken Shwarma Sandwiches
Salad

Friday
Date night



Spring Flavors with Hungarian Pinot Grigio for #WinePW

It is time for our Wine and Food Pairing Weekend, hosted this month by yours truly.  Yep, that's right, I was in charge of the theme for this month's #WinePW.  I chose Spring Flavors.   I explain why I chose this theme in my introduction post.

I was excited to have so many people want to join in and attend my party.  I wrote about that in my preview post.

Then I got to work deciding what Spring Flavors I would create and what Wine I should choose to serve with my meal.  I chose to make a Spring Vegetable Risotto topped with Salmon with White Wine Sauce.


Spring flavors are difficult for me to pair with wines.  Asparagus, especially, causes me problems but I find that if I meld all the flavors together into one dish it helps with the decision of which wine I will serve for dinner.  


We had been gifted a bottle of 2011 Companula Pinot Grigio from Hungary.  I had never tried this bottle before but I was familiar with Pinot Grigio which is normally a wine associated with Italy.  A good rule of thumb is to serve wines and food from the same regions so I thought a Pinot Grigio would pair well with the risotto.

It was not a great pairing but it was a decent pairing.  I think the risotto could have used a heavier wine.  This bottle of Pinot Grigio was light and acidic with flavors of green apples.  We did eat all of our dinner and drink the entire bottle of wine along with it so I can't call it a failure but I can see where a heavier wine, perhaps a buttery Chardonnay, would have been better suited to the richness of the risotto.

Just take a look at what this wonderful group has planned to meet my challenge to them.  We may never find ourselves in this dilemma again!!



Spring-Kissed Seafood Chowder with Pelerin 2011 Les Tournesols by Cooking Adventures with Camilla
Wine and Dine: Las Lilas Vinho Verde 2013 and Chilled Cucumber with Mint Soup by Grape Experiences.
Creamy Mushroom Pasta with Spring Peas and Westrey Pinot Noir by Pull That Cork
Red Wine with Asparagus and Mushrooms by Cooking Chat
Spring Hopes: Asparagus and Rosé by Food Wine Click
Leap into Spring with Pasta Primavera by Vino Travels
Spring Fling with Greek Pizza and Wine by Confessions of a Culinary Diva
Spring Flavors with Hungarian Pinot Grigio by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Welcoming Spring with #WinePW by Rockin Red Blog
Winter's Hill Pinot Blanc and Warm Arugula, Bacon and Asparagus Salad by Tasting Pour
Roasted Halibut with Potatoes and Lemon and a Tablas Creek Cotes de Tablas by Enofylz Wine Blog
Beets and Wine Pairing by Girls Gotta Drink


If you are catching this post early enough, you can join our live Twitter Chat on Saturday, April 11, at 11 a.m. ET, via the Twitter hashtag #winePW. If you’ve come to us after April 11, consider joining us for #winePW 12 on Saturday, May 9.

Friday, April 10, 2015

Spring Pea and Mint Salad

Frank's brother, Dan, and his wife, Rebecca, joined us for dinner this evening.  We always enjoy spending time with them but we aren't going to fool ourselves into thinking that we were the reason they came by tonight.  Nope, not at all........


It was these little guys that got them to come over and join us for dinner on a Friday night.  It's okay though.  We are happy to share our little guys with the family. We were also happy to share dinner with them.  I served  Roasted Chicken, Potato Galette, Glazed Carrots and this delicious Spring Pea and Mint Salad that I am sharing with you tonight.  Rebecca brought a delicious Chocolate/Raspberry Cake for dessert.  It was a lovely evening.


Spring Pea and Mint Salad

1 pkg. Frozen Baby Peas, thawed
1/2 of a small red onion, diced small
1/2 of a bunch of mint, leaves removed from stems and roughly chopped
2 T. olive oil
1 T. red wine vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste
Place peas, onion and mint into a med bowl.  In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil and vinegar, season with salt and pepper.  Pour over pea mixture and toss to combine.  Let set at room temperature for at least an hour before serving.  Print Recipe



The Sponsor Gifts are arriving for #BrunchWeek2015

The next big exciting event in which I will be participating is Brunch Week 2015 hosted by Terri of Love and Confections, taking place May 4-9.  That's right, an entire week's worth of Brunch offerings!!

This is my first year participating in this event and I can't wait!  Terri has worked extremely hard and has gotten us some great sponsors.  I will be sharing all of their information with you as I get it and you can play chopped with us and think of what you would make with the given ingredient.

My first package arrived yesterday and I couldn't wait to open it.  It was filled with 4 wonderful cheddar cheeses from Cabot Creamery and a cheese slicer.


Included in the package was Farmhouse Reserve, Seriously Sharp Cheddar,
 Alpine Cheddar and a White Oak Cheddar.


I was intrigued with the White Oak Cheddar and opened it right away.
The slicer went through the cheese like it was butter, giving me a perfectly bite sized portion.


Wow!!  I had never heard of Cabot Cheese prior to receiving this package, even though it is offered locally at any large grocer in my area.  The White Oak was creamy and melted in your mouth with just a hint of smokiness. I cannot wait to use this cheese in a recipe...that is if I can stop picking at it and leave some for a recipe.

You can find Cabot Creamery at the link above and also on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and Google.  I think after trying this wonderful product I will be spending some time on their sites.





Wednesday, April 8, 2015

The end of the Leftovers....

Thanks be to God for the Easter Resurrection and for the end of these endless leftovers.  Well, other than what I put in the freezer to be used for later LOL.

I used the bones from the prime rib roast to make the broth for my soup.  You can find that recipe here or you can use your favorite recipe or pre packaged broth.   We still had a full bowl of Spinach/Strawberry Salad that had never been dressed so we pulled that out as well as the dressing that was left.  Finally, for the main course, I made a casserole using the leftover cheese from a cheese platter and some more of the leftover ham.  You can use the cheese of your choice and packaged diced ham if you want.


Vegetable Beef Barley Soup

8 c. Beef Broth
1 leek, white and green parts, sliced in half lengthwise and then sliced into moons
3 c. vegetables of your choice (I used leftover baby carrots, halved; leftover corn and leftover green beans)
1 1/2  c. leftover beef roast, diced
1 c. pearl barley
salt and pepper to taste

Prepare barley by soaking overnight or by placing in a large pot and covering with water, bring to a boil for 2 minutes, remove from heat and set aside for 1 hr.

Place broth in large soup pot.  Add leek, vegetables, beef and prepared barley.  Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until barley is tender.  Taste and season with salt and pepper before serving.



Ham Tetrazinni Casserole

1/4 c. butter
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 oz. mushrooms, sliced
1/4 c. flour
salt and pepper to taste
1 c. chicken broth
1 c. half and half 
1 c. shredded cheese (I used a mixture of Colby, Pepper Jack and Cheddar)
1 c. diced ham
6 oz. pasta of choice (I used bow ties)
8 spears of asparagus, woody ends snapped off, cut crosswise into thirds
Bread crumbs for topping

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Add pasta and cook according to package directions.  Add the asparagus pieces during the last 2 minutes of cooking.  

While pasta is cooking melt butterr in a large sauce pan.  Add onions and garlic and cook until softened and fragrant.  Add mushrooms and cook until softened and liquid is released.  Stir in flour and cook until brown and nutty smelling.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the chicken broth and stir until smooth and thickened.  Gradually whisk in the cream and cheese until smooth and bubbly. Stir in ham, pasta and asparagus.  Turn into a casserole that has been treated with cooking spray. Sprinkle bread crumbs over the top of the mixture.  Bake in a preheated 350* oven for half an hour until hot and bubbly.  Print Recipe






Still working on those Easter Leftovers....

Here are how conversations between Frank and I go in my household when I am having a party.....

F  -Do you think we have enough ham?
W  -Yes, we are also having kielbasa and prime rib.
F  -I know but there are going to be a lot of people here.
W  - Yes, but we are having soup, salad, 4 different kinds of vegetables, potatoes, bread and the Greens, Lents', Pyryts and Bendas are bringing dishes.
F  -This isn't a very big ham.
W  -I think it will be fine
F  -I would rather have too much than too little
W  -Fine, I will pull out another ham

Let me tell you folks......we have ham coming out of our ears.  We have had Ham and Eggs.  We have had Ham Sandwiches.  We have had Ham Slices and Leftover Cheesy Potatoes.  We have 2 ham bones in the freezer to be turned into soup.  Today, for lunch we had Ham Salad Sandwiches.  I am going to put out the rest of  that ham salad and crackers this evening as an appetizer when Nicki and Pierre come for dinner.  Then we are going to serve up leftover Spinach/Strawberry Salad, Beef Barley Soup and a Ham Tetrazzini Casserole.  I will be posting those recipes for you later this evening or tomorrow morning.  Any ham that is left after tonight's meal is going in the freezer and not seeing the light of day for at least a month because we are hammed out!!!


Ham Salad

1/2 lb baked ham
2/3 c. miracle whip or mayo
3 heaping T. sweet relish

Throw it all in the food processor and pulse to combine.  Serve with crackers or on bread as sandwiches. Print Recipe



Celebrating Spring with Blogger CLUE Society

April's theme for Blogger CLUE Society is Spring Vegetables.  What is Blogger CLUE Society?  It is a fun group of bloggers that get together each month to Cook, Learn, Undertake, and Eat.  Each month we are assigned a member of the group and a theme.  Then we stalk check out the member we are assigned.  Learn about them, go through their recipe files, follow their new posts and find a dish to recreate that fits into the theme for the month.


This month I was fortunate to be assigned Liz, the host of this party and the author  of That Skinny Chick Can Bake.  Now as the title proclaims, Liz's specialty is baked goods....OMG....you have never seen such luscious looking baked goods in your life...Cakes, Pastries, Pies, Chocolate, Cookies......OMG.  Did I already say that???

So naturally I wanted to bake something....I mean what is the sense of being assigned Liz's blog if you aren't going to bake.  I am sure that she thought it was hilarious for me to be assigned her blog when the theme was vegetables....funny, Liz, very funny!!  I could have made a quiche but meh...There were some delicious desserts using zucchini (could I push it and say it was spring squash instead of summer squash??).  Then I was inspired "hey" I said to myself  "rhubarb is a spring vegetable".  I was sooooooooo excited.  I jumped back into Liz's recipe file and went through page, after page, after page, after.....well you get the idea.  I saw not one recipe using rhubarb....Don't like rhubarb Liz??  

"Fahgeddaboudit" I said to myself and started looking at salads and sides.  There were beautiful salads and sides.  Some that I fully intend to go back and make but I would be danged if I was going to be assigned Liz's blog and not bake something!!

So I held my breath and jumped back into the archives....specifically pies this time....perhaps there was a berry pie that included some rhubarb?  If there was, I didn't find it. What I did find was a recipe for Rustic Berry Turnovers that sounded scrumptious!!!  Perfect, I thought, I will just change out some of the berries for rhubarb and I am golden.



I was golden!  And so were the tarts, golden, beautiful and delicious.  Thank you for this wonderful recipe Liz. I just have a teensy little request; a search button on your recipe page because going through your pages and pages of archives made me VERY hungry and caused me to drool all over my computer....WHAT A MESS!!



Other than adding the rhubarb the other adaptations I made were to add more sugar to the filling to offset the tartness of the rhubarb and instead of sprinkling the tarts with sugar before baking I decided to drizzle them with a glaze. YUM!



Raspberry and Rhubarb Rustic Tarts
adapted from That Skinny Chick Can Bake

2 c. flour
14 T. butter, each tablespoon cut in half
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 T. sugar
1 T. cream
2 t. fresh lemon juice
1 t. salt
1 pt. raspberries
1 stalk rhubarb, cut in small dice (about 3/4 c.)
3 T. sugar
1 T. flour
1/2 t. cinnamon
Milk to brush on pastry and seal edges
1/4 c. powdered sugar, sifted
2 T. heavy cream

In food processor, combine flour, butter, egg, sugar, cream, lemon juice and salt.  Pulse until dough starts to clump together.  Remove to counter and gather dough together.  Flatten into two disks and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 20 minutes.

Toss raspberries and rhubarb with the sugar, flour and cinnamon and allow to macerate while the dough chills.

Roll out one of the pastry disks on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8" thickness. Cut out six 4" rounds with a biscuit cutter.  Using a spatula, remove the rounds, one at a time to a parchment lined baking sheet.  Place 1 T. of filling on one side of the round.  Brush edges with milk, fold the other half over the filling and press to seal. Repeat with the rest of the rounds.  Place prepared turnovers in the refrigerator while the oven preheats to 300*.

Brush the tops of the tarts with milk and bake for 30 minutes.  Allow to cool on a rack before icing.

Place the powdered sugar and cream into a small bowl and mix to combine.  Drizzle over cooled tarts.  Print Recipe

Check out all these great Springtime Recipes!!