Key Lime Slush

I made Key Lime Pound cake with Key Lime curd for my Valentines party today. I really wanted more of the key lime flavor so I though something I can drink. I didnt want it to be a full on milk shake though.

I would have used all key lime juice if I had enough but after adding all that was left of the bottle I had it still needed a little more citrus flavor.

Make sure you use real key lime juice, regular lime is not the same thing. Though it would still be good, it wouldn't be as good.

2/3 c. Key Lime juice
1 1/2 c. white sugar
1/3 c. lemon juice
10 ice cubes
1 c. water
1 c. vanilla ice cream

Blend all until smooth. Enjoy

Valentines Candy Roses

- 1 bag candy - Hershey kisses and rolos work great
- Red, pink, or purple cellophane
- Stiff wire, not super thin or they will be hard to wrap, clipped coat hangers work great
- Artificial leaves
- Green florist tape

Cut cellophane in 12 (5 inch) squares. Put 1 Hershey kiss and 1 rolo so the flat sides are touching. Place top of the hershey kiss in the middle of the cellophane square and twist around the bottom. Take a wire and put it tight up against the candy, there should be about 1 inch where the wire and the cellophane overlap. Wrap tightly with florist tape, add leaves if you want and continue wrapping with tape until the entire wire is covered.

A couple tips: make sure the squares or cellophane at pretty big and leave a large tail so you really have something to attach to the stem and make sure when you wrap with the florist tape you pull it really tight


This close up picture gives you a better idea what I am talking about and what they are supposed to look like

Though I think I personally would rather have these:

Pina Coladas and Saag

I have gotten hooked on saag. I have a friend that made me some and it was wonderful (Thank you Cheryl for introducing me to this wonderful dish!) Saag is an Indian spiced spinach curry that you can puree and eat with naan, or in my case soft fluffy pitas. But I only had a little spinach so I could only make a half batch, leaving me with a half can of coconut milk.


So I made pina coladas.


It needed more coconut milk though so I still have a half a can of coconut milk leftover. It's just a different half can than I had with the saag.

I'll post pictures as soon as my computer and cell phone figure out how to bluetooth again.

Pina Coladas
1 (20 oz) can pineapple, undrained
1 can coconut milk
20 ice cubes
1 scoop vanilla ice cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. coconut extract
1 - 2 Tbsp. agave

Put all in a blender and blend until ice is crushed and drink is mixed throughout.
Since it was 10 in the morning and I don't drink this is (obviously) a virgin pina colada


Saag
Splash Olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 - 6 cloves garlic
3 inch piece of ginger
1 1/4 c. water, divided
1 Tbsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. turmeric
1 lb. spinach
1 can coconut milk
1 tsp. vegetable bouillon (I used Superior Touch Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base)

Peel and chop the ginger a bit. Blend the ginger and 1/4 c. water until chopped pretty fine. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a pretty large skillet. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant. Add the ginger water and simmer until most of the liquid is gone.

Add the spinach, seasonings, remaining water and vegetable soup base. Let that simmer, stirring, until the spinach cooks down and is dark.

Pour into a blender and puree until smooth and, then add the coconut milk and puree until combined. Taste and season with salt to taste.

A family member had cooked turkey over rice and poured this on top. All the while commenting on the radioactive green color.

Herb Chicken and Pasta

Someone asked me if they could serve this over rice. And you could but I prefer the pasta for three reasons

1) I LOVE pasta

2) Pasta cooks faster

3) I can can send it to Presto Pasta Night!
(Being hosted next week at Once Upon a Feast)

You can add more mushrooms if you want or just slice them. I chop them fine because I love the flavor they add but can't stand the texture of cooked mushrooms.

6 cloves garlic
4 large breast boneless-skinless chicken breasts
1 large onion, sliced paper thin
6 button mushrooms, chopped
1/2 apple, peeled and cored
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. marjoram
Generous sprinkle Freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp. granulated garlic
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp. white sugar
6 c. chicken stock
1/3 c. flour
Olive oil

Toss the garlic with the olive oil. Roast at 400 for 40 minutes or until golden. mash or chop and set aside.

Slice the chicken horizontal so it is about 1/2 inch thick. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Cook on both sides, until golden broth. Remove from pan and keep warm.

In the pan add the mushrooms and cook a few minutes until dark. Add the onion and cook about 3 minutes longer. Add the apple and then the chicken stock stirring to lift the browned bit from the bottom of the pan. Add the oregano, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, black peppers, granulated garlic, soy sauce, sugar and roasted garlic. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Combine the flour and enough water to make a thin paste. Stir into pan and cook until thick. Taste and adjust the salt with chicken bouillon instead of plain salt.

Remove the apple and return the chicken to the pan, heat through.

Serve over pasta with a generous sprinkle of Romano cheese.

Roasted Chicken Soup with Homemade noodles

The broth is a little darker than traditional chicken noodle soup because I deglaze the roasting pan and use the drippings

I'm sending this to Presto Pasta Night being hosted over at Chez Cayenne this week.

Part One:
4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
olive oil
McCormick Fried Chicken Seasoning

Heat oven to 4oo. Remove all the inedible parts from the chicken. Take a really sharp knife and cut the breast in half lengthwise so it is an even thickness all over. Rub with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning on both sides. Place in a glass dish and bake until cooked through, turn once about halfway through cooking, about 30 minutes total?.

Part Two:
2 c. all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 c. cold water

Mi the flour and salt. Beat in the eggs until it forms coarse crumbs. Mix in the water. Then remove the dough from mixer and knead a couple times. Roll really thin and cut into noodles. I use a pizza cutter for this. Separate the noodles and let them dry for about 30 minutes, thats about how long it takes to start the chicken and then the vegetables anyway.

Dont be tempted to speed up the drying by putting them in a low oven. It makes the noodles really tough.

Part Three:

2 stalks celery, sliced
1 onion, chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
olive oil
12 cups water
Enough chicken bouillon to compensate for the water
(the amount depends on the brand you use)
Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 sprigs fresh thyme

Saute the onion, celery and carrots until the onion is tender. Add the fresh herbs, water and bouillon. Simmer until the carrots are tender. Add the noodles and simmer, very gently, until the pasta is tender. Chop the roasted chicken and add it to the soup. Add a ladle full of hot broth to the pan you roasted the chicken in to deglaze, stir until all the tasty browned bits are up and add to the soup pot. Taste and add salt or pepper to taste.



Sauteed vegetables with the fresh herbs



Looking for a simplified version?
1 large can chicken broth
1 can chicken
8 oz pasta
1 c. frozen mixed veggies

Combine all and simmer until pasta is cooked.
Takes about 15 minutes.

Mujadara

Orzo is a rice shaped barley pasta that is perfect in this hearty, tasty, and lightly spiced Middle Eastern dish. It makes a great meal in itself alongside a green vegetable or as a side dish in a Middle Eastern dinner. This dish is lightly seasoned so you really get the right flavor without the spices being so overwhelming you cant taste anything else. As one diner at my table said, "it's not what I was expecting, but its still really good"









While it may look like a long time to be cooking, the onions take almost an hour, its not really active time. Once you add the sugar you leave them to cook, just stirring every 10 minutes or if they start to crackle. It also looks like a LOT of onions, and it is, but they cook down quite a bit.

You can make it with other grains too in place of the orzo, such as barley, quinoa, or brown rice, you just have to adjust the cooking time. In the past when i have used brown rice I just boil the pot of water and then cooked the rice for 20 minutes before adding the lentils to the same pot.

I'm linking up again to Presto Pasta Night being hosted over at Girlichef this week. Check out the round ups, always something (usually most everything) looks delicious





6 - 8 large onions, sliced
3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp Olive oil
1 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cumin
2 cloves fresh minced garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste

1 1/4 c. brown Lentils
1 1/2 c. Orzo

1/4 bundle Fresh Parsley, chopped

Heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onions, and cook over low heat until translucent. Add the sugar and continue to cook over low heat until caramelized, about 45 - 60 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, cook the lentils in 3 cup water until soft enough to eat, immediately drain. Return to pan and add 4 cup of water and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and simmer until tender. Drain and add seasonings and then toss with onions.

Sprinkle chopped fresh parsley over the top and serve.

Banana Muffins

1 stick butter, softened
8 over ripe bananas, peeled
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. agave
3 eggs
2 tsp. real vanilla extract
1 c. whole wheat flour
2 c. all purpose white flour
3/4 c. oats
2 t. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. apple pie spice
1 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

Cream butter until smooth. Add the bananas whole and beat until mostly mashed.

Add the sugars and agave, then the eggs.

Beat in the vanilla, soda, salt, and spice until well mixed.

Add the oats, then the whole wheat, and lastly the white flour.

Fold in the walnuts if using

Let batter sit for 30 minutes. Fill muffin tins and bake at 360 for 20 - 30 minutes.

Makes 3 dozen



These muffins are great by themselves, but even better drizzled with penuche frosting.