Watermelon Salad with Feta and Mint for #CrazyIngredientChallenge

Our crazy ingredients for this month's CIC are Watermelon and Goat Cheese.

SAY WHAT???!!!

I know, I know, not too crazy but that is what the group chose.  See each month our fearless leader, Kelly of Passion Kneaded, puts out two lists.  Each list contains 3 items and the members of this group each choose 1 item from each list.  It's a democracy so the item with the most votes in each group wins, hence Watermelon and Goat Cheese for today.

I decided to make a salad....I know, it's a cop out but cut me some slack.  I am in the middle of buying a new house, selling the old , packing up and vacationing during this month so a salad it was.

Watermelon Salad with Feta and Mint

Juice from half a lemon

2 T. honey

1 T. olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

6 c. watermelon, cubed

handful of mint, finely chopped

1/2 c. crumbled goat cheese (I used Feta)

Place the lemon juice, honey, olive oil, salt and pepper in a small jar with a lid.  Seal and shake until well combined.

Place the watermelon, mint and feta in a large bowl.  Add the dressing and toss gently to combine. Chill until ready to serve.  Print Recipe

More Watermelon and Goat Cheese Creations

An InLinkz Link-up

Grilled Salmon Burgers with Caper Mayo for #FishFridayFoodies

Happy Friday everyone.  This is the third Friday of the month. Do you know what that means? You're right.  It's Fish Friday Foodies time.

FFF is a little group I started at the beginning of the year in an attempt to add more fish/seafood meals to my menus. I asked some of my blogging friends if they would like to join and they did! They also invited some of their friends and now we are up to 27 members.  Not all members post every month and our rules are pretty simple.  Each month one of us chooses a theme and lets the others know about it on our facebook page.  This month, Heather of All Roads Lead to the Kitchen chose Fish and Seafood Burgers.   Should you choose to participate you just make your dish; blog about it, including the recipe; schedule it to go live on the third friday of the month and link up to the other posts.  We also post what we are making as a courtesy to the host and others.

Would you like to join Fish Friday Foodies? We post and share new seafood/fish recipes on the third Friday of the month. To join our group please email Wendy at wendyklik1517@gmail.com.Visit our Facebook page and Pinterest page for more wonderful fish and seafood recipe ideas.

I found a perfect recipe for this event in my latest issue of Cuisine at Home.  It was easily adaptable to fit Phase 3 of my new eating plan. The only problem was that I am in the middle of selling, buying and moving households and my food processor is packed in the far back section of a filled pod.  This left me mincing and dicing everything by hand.  The recipe warned not to dice the salmon too small so I ended up dicing it too large.  The end result were messy burgers that stuck to the grill and fell apart but tasted absolutely divine.  Even my husband, who is not a salmon lover and had the nerve to ask if we couldn't just "get McDonalds", enjoyed it.  The Caper Mayo was sublime and, in my humble opinion, made the burger special.

As you can see, the burger kind of fell apart.

That didn't stop it from being utterly delicious.

I enjoyed mine sans bun so that it would fit into my eating plan.

It worked out swimmingly.

See what I did there?  Salmon...Swimmingly?

Ah....never mind.

Make sure you stop by and see all the other wonderful fish and seafood burgers that were created. Thanks Heather for this intriguing challenge!

Grilled Salmon Burgers with Caper Mayo

adapted from Cuisine at Home, Issue #118

Mayo:

1/4 c. safflower oil mayonnaise

1 T. fresh lemon juice

1 T. small capers

1/2 T. sweet relish

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.  Set Aside.

Salmon Burgers

1 slice sprouted grain bread (I used Ezekiel)

1 stalk celery

2 scallions

1 egg white

1/2 T. hot sauce (I used True Foods Veracha Sauce)

2 t. lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 lb skinless salmon, diced

2 hamburger buns, toasted

Shredded lettuce

Sliced tomato

Place bread, celery, scallions, egg white and hot sauce in a food processor and pulse until minced. Add the salmon and pulse briefly.  Salmon chunks should still be visible.  Form mixture into 2 patties and place on a plate lined with parchment.  Coat both sides with cooking spray to prevent the burgers from sticking to the grill.  Grill over med high heat for 4 minutes per side.  Serve on toasted buns, topped with half the mayo, lettuce and tomato.  Print Recipe

An InLinkz Link-up

Apple Almond Coffee Cake with Honey Glaze for #BundtBakers

Good Morning and Happy #BundtBakers Day.

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about BundtBakers, can be found on our home page.

This month I am hosting....YAY and of course I chose the theme of Apples.  August is my birthday month and it is also prime harvesting month for apples here in Michigan.  When I was a kid, my parents had a small orchard containing, apple, pear and plum trees.  Each year for my birthday my Mom would make me this apple cake.  I am not much for frosting so this cake was perfect, topped with cinnamon sugar.

As an adult my tastes have changed a lot...but I am still not a frosting fan, hence my love of Bundt Cakes that normally just have a drizzle of glaze on them.  For today's event I am sharing my adaptation of a recipe by the Deen Family.  They call theirs Uncle Bob's Fresh Apple Cake.   I switched out the walnuts for almonds and changed the procedure a little bit but basically stuck to the recipe as written.

I served this up first as dessert when we had friends for dinner and then with coffee in the morning to Frank's students who were attending his CPL class.  It was a hit both times and kept very well, wrapped in the refrigerator, as promised by Paula Deen.

You will find the rest of the #BundtBakers apple cake contributions following the recipe.  I cannot wait to check them all out!!

Apple Almond Coffee Cake with Honey Glaze
adapted from The Deen Family; Food Network.com

Glaze:

1 c. powdered sugar
2 T. honey
2 T. milk

Add all ingredients to a small bowl and stir until smooth.  Set aside

Cake:

2 apples, diced (I used Organic All Fresh Michigan Apples)
1 c. sliced almonds
2 t. cinnamon
3 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
2 c. sugar
1 1/4 c. canola oil
3 eggs

Place apples and almonds in a small bowl and toss with the cinnamon and 1 T. of the flour (taken from the 3 cups).  Set aside.

Combine the remaining flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl.  Set aside

In the large bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar, oil and eggs. Turn the speed to low and add the flour mixture. When incorporated, turn the speed to med and beat until completely combined.  Fold in the apples and nuts.  Batter will be thick and stiff.  Scrape the batter into a bundt pan that has been treated liberally with baking spray.  Bake in a preheated 325* oven for 90 minutes or until a skewer inserted removes cleanly.

Allow cake to cool completely in the pan, about 1 hr.  Turn out onto a plate and drizzle with the glaze. Print Recipe

More Awesome Apple Bundts

• Apple & Peanut Butter Bundt Cake by Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Apple Almond Coffee Cake with Honey Glaze by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Apple and Toasted Pecan Bundt Cake with Rum Syrup by Patty's Cake 
• Apple Crumble Bundt by Jane's Adventure in Dinner
• Apple French Cruller Bundt Cake by All That's Left Are The Crumbs 
• Apple Honey Blossom Bundt by Living the Gourmet
• Apple Sharlotka Bundt Cake by Spiceroots
• Apple Spice Bundt with Salted Caramel Sauce by kidsandchic
• Apple Streusel Bundt Cake by The Freshman Cook 
• Apple~Cream Cheese Bundt Cake by The Queen of Scones
• Chocolate Chip Apple Cake by Making Miracles
• Cinnamon Apple Streusel Cake  by Tea and Scones
• Cinnamon Pecan Applesauce Bundt Cake by Magnolia Days
• Clotted Cream & Apple Spice Bundt by Baking in Pyjamas
• Double Caramel Apple Bundt by The Crumby Cupcake
• Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy Apple Bundt by Food Lust People Love
• Jewish Apple Cake by I love Bundt Cakes
• Jewish Praline Pecan Apple Cake by  Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice 
• Lighter Jewish Apple Cake by Cookaholic Wife

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme.  Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on the BundtBakers home page.

Rosemary and Garlic Brined Pork Chops #ImprovChallenge

Hello out there in blog land.  As you read this post I am travelling from my son's home in Portsmouth Virginia to the Outer Banks of North Carolina for a dive trip.  Aaaaah, the beauty of the internet and scheduling programs on your blog.

This is my second time participating in a group I joined called The Improv Cooking Challenge.  This is much like another group I am in called Crazy Ingredient Challenge.  Both groups give the members two food items that may or may not be normally paired together and challenge us to come up with a great recipe to share containing said ingredients.

This month's ingredients are garlic and rosemary.  I make some killer roasted red skin potatoes with garlic and rosemary so, of course, that was my first thought.  However, when I was making this dish I was still on my new eating plan and potatoes were not on it.  I am taking a break from the plan while vacationing but hopping right back on board again in September.

I thought about some garlic and rosemary dinner rolls.  Doesn't that sound absolutely to die for?  I thought so too but......well see my paragraph above.

I was making this recipe on a Wednesday which is a Phase 2 day of the eating plan.  During Phase 2 you mainly concentrate on eating protein and green leafy vegetables.  Read meat and salad in this household LOL.  I had just gotten a whole hog that I had ordered from my friend, Vicki's, farm and my freezer is bursting with pork.  I decided to season some chops with garlic and rosemary.  Just for the heck of it, I added some sage because I love rosemary and sage together.  Okay, admit it, you are now singing in your head "parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme".  Don't you just love that song...okay if you are younger than me maybe your not singing that song but say "rosemary and sage" to your mom and she will be.

I wanted the chops to be flavored by the rosemary and garlic. Normally I would have made a paste of olive oil, minced rosemary, minced garlic, salt and pepper. That is outside the realm of the eating plan so I decided to brine them instead.  I put all the ingredients into a zipper lock bag and then let it refrigerate for a couple of hours before grilling.  The flavor was there but very subtle.  Next time I will chop the rosemary to release more of it's flavor.

Once the chops are brined this is a very simple meal.  Grill over med high heat with the lid closed for about 3-5 minutes per side, depending on the thickness.  They are done when reaching an internal temperature of 160*.

I served this up with Rosemary and Garlic Sauteed Cabbage in keeping with the theme.  You can find that recipe on my other blog, A Day in the Life on My Quest for Fitness.

Make sure you check out all the other Rosemary and Garlic creations following the recipe.

Rosemary, Garlic and Sage Pork Chops

3 c. water
2 c. ice
1/4 c. salt
1/4 c. agave syrup

3 cloves garlic, smashed

2 stems rosemary

4 pork loin chops

Combine the water, garlic, rosemary, salt and agave in a zipper lock bag, shake to combine well.  Add the pork chops, seal the bag and refrigerate for at least 2 hrs but no more than 6 hrs. (you may want to place the bag in a bowl in case of leaks)  Preheat a gas grill to med high heat.  Grill the chops for 4-5 minutes per side with lid closed until cooked through with an internal temp of 160*.  Let rest a few minutes before serving.  Print Recipe

An InLinkz Link-up

Leg 2 of our Road Trip

We arrived at Chuck's late last night, had a glass of wine and went to bed.  Chuck had to be up bright and early to report for duty.  We will be spending this evening with him and he has tomorrow off so we will get to spend time with him until we leave for North Carolina in the afternoon.

Frank and I went out and grabbed some breakfast and then headed over to the Naval Museum and the Nauticus which includes a tour of the battleship, USS Wisconsin.  We were there for about 6 hrs. There is a lot to see and do.  We found it very interesting and I'm glad we took the time to see it.

Now we are back at Chuck's.  When he gets home we are going out for dinner and will have some time to reconnect.  

Have a Wonderful Wednesday all.

Road Trip and Book Reviews

We left bright and early Monday morning for the first leg of our road trip.  We arrived at our first stop, our friends, the Sawyers, in Mifflinburg, PA about 4 pm.  While en route we listened to The One in a Million Boy.

We also:

Spotted the Wiener Mobile at a rest stop.

Got off the expressway and fell into a Charles Wysocki painting.

and

Took a drive through Amish Country.

When we arrived a Kim and Keith's we were greeted with hugs, drinks and a buffet of snacks....from guacamole, to cheese dip, to fruit and veggies.  We spent a couple of hours catching up on each other's lives.  It had been over a year since we were last together.  We have vowed not to let it go that long this time and are making plans for a Vegas trip this fall.

We were then invited downstairs to the patio where Keith entertained us with a fantastic Seafood Boil.  OH MY YUM....I felt like I had died and went to heaven.  We visited some more, ate some more and drank some more until we just couldn't keep our eyes open.  

In the morning Kim served up a wonderful breakfast of fresh fruit, baked oatmeal and a breakfast casserole. It was a morning of shared memories and dreams.  Of future hopes for our kids and ourselves.  For catching up and for promising not to wait so long between get togethers.  We went into the neighboring town for pizza before they left on errands and we left for the 8 hr ride to our son's in Portsmouth, VA.

During the drive to Chuck's house, I finished The Bookseller by Cynthia Swanson.  I can't remember why this novel ended up on my nook.  It was either recommended by someone or, perhaps, it was a promotion by B&N who often offer up books free or very inexpensively to introduce you to authors.

Whatever the reason, I am very glad that it was downloaded and that I decided to open it up during the ride.  It is a story of  a woman living in parallel worlds, one in which she is Katharyn....a married mother of triplets, one of whom is autistic....and one in which she is Kitty....a single woman who owns a struggling bookstore with her oldest and dearest childhood friend.  Katharyn/Kitty alternates between both worlds knowing that one of these is not true but only a dream.....which could it be?

I enjoyed the book and I am happy to recommend it.  I finished this novel before we went into have dinner when we came out it was getting dark and we still had 2 1/2 hrs before arriving at Chuck's.  I had brought a couple of "real" books to read but since it was getting dark I opened another on my nook, which is backlit.  This novel Unravel by Calia Read is another that I am not sure why I downloaded but so far, so good.  Stay tuned folks.

The One in a Million Boy; An Audible Book Review

My friend, Paula of Smidgens Snippets & Bits, recommended the audible book, The One in a Million Boy by Monica Wood.  I ordered it up and we listened to it during the first leg of our road trip. This novel was narrated by Chris Ciulla, who did an excellent job.

I smiled when I wrote that because it sounded so much like what The One in a Million Boy might say himself...if he were alive.  But he's not.  The book starts with his death and follows his parents as they try to learn how to cope with this death.  

The boy was an odd little fellow in the following ways:

1. He liked lists....he listed and numbered everything.
2. He liked everything, from his lists to his belongings, in excrements of 10.
3. He is obsessed with the Guinness Book of World Records
4. He liked order, showing signs of OCD and perhaps autism.
5. He takes his responsibilities very seriously.
6. He is a boy scout.
7. He is assigned to help an elderly woman named Ona.
8. Ona is 104 yrs old.
9. He and Ona become fast friends.
10. He and Ona decide to get her into the Guinness Book of World Records.

The boy's father shows up on Ona's doorstep to finish the obligation his son had started. This leads to much soul searching for the father, Quinn, the boy's mother, Belle and for Ona as they continue to learn the lessons that the boy left behind.

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this book and how it touched me.  The book was well written, yes, but I think Mr. Ciulla deserves most of the credit for my love of this story.