Summer Supper #4

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I am experimenting with some of the apps we "spoke" about in my last post, and I'll let you know what I think of them in a few days. In the meantime...

...today's summer supper recipe was a really big hit with my entire family (except Peach who said it was spicy -- and it was), but I really loved it the most. I could have eaten it until it came out my ears. Luckily, it's low in fat so I practically did! This is not really a summer supper in that it's not made on the grill, nor needs seasonal ingredients, but it is very light and I just know my family would leave the table unsatisfied in the winter when you just feel like you need a stouter fare. Paired with some yummy Asian Broccoli, this meal was very satisfying on a summer night, and I can't wait to have it again.

The recipe came from Taste of Home Cooking and the only change I made was to use all white turkey instead of chicken. It was very tasty. If you have little ones who don't like it spicy, like Peach, you can cut back on the Sriracha, or prepare a small quantity in a separate pan without the Sriracha.

Spicy Asian Lettuce Wraps

serves 4 to 6

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2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons ginger root, peeled and grated
1 1/2 lbs. ground chicken (or turkey)
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Sriracha
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 small can water chestnuts, chopped
1/3 cup chopped peanuts
1-2 heads butter lettuce

Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan, add onion and saute about 2 minutes, then add garlic and ginger root and saute another minute. Add ground chicken (turkey) to frying pan and break apart, then add soy sauce and Sriracha. Cook until the chicken (turkey) is brown and crumbling apart about 5 minutes.

While chicken (turkey) cooks, wash and chop cilantro. Remove the core end from lettuce and separate leaves. Chop peanuts and put in small bowl to serve at the table. When turkey is done, add chopped water chestnuts and chopped cilantro and cook 1-2 minutes more.

To serve: place turkey mixture on lettuce leaf, sprinkle with peanuts, and fold the leaf closed to make it easy to grab and eat. 

Source: Taste of Home Cooking

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Kitchen Apps

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My husband gave me a new iPhone for my birthday. I really wasn't sure it would be worth it for me to have one, I don't play games and I thought maybe it would be a little bit of a waste of money. I have found it to be handy during down times, like sitting in an doctor's office, or riding as a passenger on the freeway -- I can check email and Google Reader and generally fool around (something I usually avoid doing).

What I didn't realize until just a few days ago is that there are recipe apps, and grocery list apps, and cooking iBooks that I can access from my phone. I also never realized how often I print recipes -- it's so much easier to just find the recipe on the internet and read it on my phone. It's very handy that way.

Anyway, I downloaded a free grocery list app last night, but then realized that if I wanted to use it the way I wanted to use it, I would have to spend a couple bucks to buy it. I don't mind doing that -- imagine all the paper I would save -- but I want to get a good one if I'm going to buy one.

So, my post today is a bleg -- do you use any cooking apps? Grocery list apps? Would you share your preferences either in the comm box or email me?

Thanks, friends!

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Summer Bulgur Salad

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This is the kind of food that I could eat all summer long, every single day. Simple food, simple and healthy ingredients. I love bulgur, and it's high and fiber and low in fat. It cooks quickly and adds a nutty flavor and great texture to this sunny salad -- bright with lemon, parsley and mint, tomato and cucumber. Yum.

Summer Bulgur Salad

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2 cups bulgur, cooked according to directions
zest of one lemon
juice of one lemon or 1/4 cup
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup sliced green onions
4 diced Roma tomatoes
1 cup peeled and chopped cucumbers (more or less to taste -- I probably used 1/2 English cucumber and didn't measure)
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Cook bulgur according to package directions. When done cooking, dump in a large bowl.

While the bulgur cooks, mix lemon juice, minced garlic, and olive oil. 

Add dressing to cooked bulgur and zest lemon directly into bulgur.

When bulgur has cooled somewhat -- almost to room temp., add parsley, mint, onions, tomatoes and  cucumber. Season to taste with salt and fresh ground black pepper and serve at room temp.

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Muffins that Taste Like Donuts

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I really try to make a special breakfast on Sunday morning -- something that is a treat for my family like Cinnamon Buns or Bun Bread or Scones. Usually I start the night before -- at least when I am making dough -- so that minimal effort is required on Sunday morning. Of course, that doesn't always happen. Recently I woke up on Sunday morning and realized I had failed to start dough the night before, but I remembered the recipe for these little muffins on my list of recipes to try and decided to give them a whirl.

These are yummy little gems and they really do taste like an old-fashioned donut. While old-fashioned is not my kids' favorite flavor (they actually all have their own favorite flavor), this plate of muffins disappeared in absolutely no time. Note to self: double the recipe next time.

The recipe came from Cheat Day Cafe and I made them exactly as written. There really were no specific directions for dunking the baked donuts in cinnamon sugar so I only dunked the tops. If you would like to dunk the entire muffin you'll need more butter and cinnamon sugar. I did rewrite the recipe just a tad for clarity.

Muffins that Taste Like Donuts

makes 12

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1¾ cup flour

1½ t. baking powder 

½ t. salt

½ t. nutmeg

½ t. cinnamon

⅓ cups oil

¾ cups sugar

1 egg

¾ cups milk

¼ cups butter

⅓ cups sugar

1 T. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease 12 muffin tin cups. 

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.

Combine oil, sugar, egg and milk. Add dry ingredients and stir only to combine.

Fill muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a bowl. Combine the white sugar with the cinnamon in another bowl.

Remove muffins from tins while still hot. Dip muffins in butter, then into the sugar/cinnamon mix.

Source: modified from Cheat Day Cafe

Red Velvet Cupcakes

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Last week a dear reader, who also happens to be my oldest son's former sixth grade language arts teacher, left a comment saying she had made this recipe for Sour Cream Chocolate Cupcakes with a Red Velvet cake mix and enjoyed them. Hmmm. It just so happens that my oldest son, Geoffrey, always asks me for Red Velvet cake, but I have never made one. I can't get past all that red food color. But, with a doctored-up cake mix, I wouldn't need to know how much red food color is in it. Right?

I thought about it for about five minutes and decided I definitely needed to try it out. After a quick text "consultation" with Geoffrey, asking chocolate ganache or traditional Red Velvet Cream Cheese Frosting, I decided to make these babies for Father's Day with the traditional Cream Cheese Frosting. They were very popular and I heard nary a negative comment among the whole family. I can't say I have ever had Red Velvet cake (at least that I remember), so I had nothing to compare it too, but I thought they were delish. And the frosting...divine!

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
24 -28 cupcakes

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1 pkg Red Velvet cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)
2 T. unsweetened cocoa
1 cup sour cream
½ cup oil
½ cup water
3 eggs
1 t. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line cupcake pans with 24 cupcake liners (I do one pan at a time, so you can just use one pan if you want). Set pans aside.

Place cake mix, cocoa powder, sour cream, oil, water, eggs and vanilla in large mixing bowl. Blend on low for 1 minute. Scrape down sides and beat 2 minutes longer. Pour batter into cupcake lined pans two-thirds full. Bake until cupcakes spring back lightly when touched, 20-26 minutes. Cool on racks for 5 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on rack until completely cool. Frost with cream cheese frosting and refrigerate if it's very warm in the house. Refrigerate the leftovers.




Cream Cheese Frosting


16 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla


Whip cream cheese and butter until creamy. Slowly add powdered sugar, then add vanilla. Whip until smooth and of spreading consistency. Add more powdered sugar or a little bit of milk if necessary to get frosting to the right consistency. Place in decorator bag and pipe onto cupcakes, or spread with a knife.


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Cupcakes for a Little Cupcake Shower

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Double post today (first time ever, I think!). You may have already seen this bit of news at Praying for Grace, but I couldn't pass up the chance to shower my dear friend Charlotte with more good wishes, and give you the opportunity to wish her well (as well as the chance to win something neat).

Charlotte is expecting. Maybe you heard. ;-) And her family is calling their little darling "Cupcake," which I think is very sweet and very apropros. After all, what is a cupcake except a tiny bundle of yummy sweetness? Yup. Just like a baby.

Because I'm such a cupcake lover I knew I had to play along when Jessica posted news about a Cupcake Decorating Contest at the Virtual Baby Shower. But when I tried to think up something cute I just kept coming back to cupcake... cupcake... cupcake. Hmmm.

So cupcake it is...Cupcake themed Cupcakes (I wonder how many times I can type the word cupcake in one post). I made cupcake lollies with white and milk chocolate and popped them into the yummy vanilla cupcakes. Creative they really are not, but cute? I sheepishly admit they are -- all creamy and pink and sweet, just like a baby. And I don't mess around with cupcakes -- the best thing about these is the flavor, which I really wish I could share with my dear friend, Charlotte (Vanilla cupcake with Vanilla Buttercream frosting, dear C.).

If you haven't been to Jessica's blog to vote on the cutest cupcake or to decide which baby face belongs to which Catholic Cuisine contributor please go. (Did you find me? I'll give you a hint -- I'm old enough that my picture is black and white...and the picture was taken on my first birthday... in June...outdoors...big enough hint?) You'll find door prizes and a baby pool, and lots and lots of love.

God bless that little cupcake, Charlotte. We can't wait to meet her!

Summer Supper #4

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The grill is getting quite a workout so far this summer, and with delicious results. Note to self: get a propane back-up -- nothing worse than running out of gas halfway through the cookout.

This recipe was a huge hit again with the menfolk. I enjoyed it, but I'm not really a dark meat eater, so though I ate my share, I ate in moderation (always a good thing!). I think the next time I make it I'll prepare a few boneless breasts, even though I have a feeling they won't soak up the marinade quite as well as the thighs did. The recipe for the chicken came from Christy at The Girl Who Ate Everything. I pretty much followed the recipe exactly except, knowing that the marinade gets discarded after the chicken soaks, I just couldn't "waste" 2 cups of soy sauce -- that's like more than a whole bottle. Besides, I could see my little pile of chicken thighs and I knew that I didn't need all that liquid. As it turned out, exactly half the marinade quantity was enough to completely submerge all the chicken -- any more than that would have been a waste. Thus, I have halved the recipe for posting here. In order to not waste the extra coconut milk (most cans are 14 oz.), substitute it for some of your cooking water for the rice -- it adds some creaminess that you'll enjoy.

For the grilled veggies and pineapple, just cut some veggies (I used red onion, red peppers and zucchini as well as fresh pineapple) into 1 inch pieces, or 1/2 inch slices for the zucchini and wedges for onion, skewer them and grill them right next to the chicken. It helps to spray the skewers with olive oil to keep them from sticking.

Grilled Hawaiian Chicken

serves 6 to 8

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3 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs

1 cup low sodium soy sauce

1 cup water

3/4 cup brown sugar
4 green onions, chopped
2 T. finely chopped white onion
1 clove garlic, minced or crushed
1 t. sesame oil
6 oz. ounces coconut milk

Trim chicken thighs of any visible fat. Mix soy sauce, water, brown sugar, onions, garlic, sesame oil, and coconut milk in a large bowl. Marinade chicken for at least 4 hours or overnight to make sure the flavor gets infused.

Grill chicken at a low heat so that the marinade does not burn for 5-7 minutes per side or until done. (put the veggies on the same time as the meat).

Serve with grilled veggies and pineapple over a platter of coconut rice and garnish with green onions.

Source: modified from The Girl Who Ate Everything 

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Summer Supper #3

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Today's Summer Supper is really not a true summer supper because it was prepared indoors, but it was simple and easy to eat, so I count it as a summer supper.

I admit I actually was not completely gaga over this dish. It was very tasty, don't get me wrong, but I'm not sure I'm really a cheesesteak kinda girl. My husband and sons, however, really liked it a lot. Faith and I split a sandwich and we were all happy.

The recipe called for making a cheese sauce, but I drew the line at that. I like the creamy, stringy texture of melted provolone, so I placed a slice on each sandwich and it melted perfectly. I say don't bother with cheese sauce. I also upped the steak sauce per the original recipe from Rachael Ray. I like the addition of the peppers, however (what's a cheese steak without peppers?) so my recipe is a combination of both recipes. Recipe below modified to my taste. You can Google the recipe to find Rachael Ray's original.

Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes
4 to 6 servings

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1 T. olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 green pepper, chopped
1/4 cup A-1 steak sauce
1 cup beef stock
Salt and ground black pepper
4-6 dinner rolls (meat mixture is enough for 6 rolls, so use enough rolls for your family -- I used this recipe to make roundish sort of sub buns)
4-6 slices provolone

In large skillet over medium-high heat add the oil and then brown the ground beef, about 5-6 minutes. Turn off flame and drain off fat (or use paper towels to sop it up -- my method). Add the onion and green pepper and cook another 3-4 minutes, until the vegetables start to get tender. Stir in the steak sauce and beef stock, season with salt and pepper, bring up to a bubble and cook about 10 minutes, until veggies are soft and liquid is thickened.

Split open rolls and toast briefly for a little color and texture. (Or don't -- up to you)

To serve, place a scoopful of the meat mixture onto the bottom of the rolls. Top with a slice of cheese.

Serve with sliced watermelon and cole slaw for an easy summer meal.

Source: modified from Taste of Home Cooking

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Chocolatey...so very chocolatey... Gelato

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My husband likes chocolate. At our favorite local ice cream store he always gets Chocolate Chocolate Chip, sometimes with bittersweet chocolate topping. There's just no such thing as too chocolatey for him. He almost died and went to heaven last night when he ate this Chocolate Gelato. I made it for St. Anthony's feast day, and had every intention of making pizzelle cones, but since I was churning the ice cream as dinner cooked, the cones didn't happen. Luckily we had sugar cones in the pantry. And he ate two -- with big scoops.

It was good, I'll give him that (though I am more of a Strawberry Gelato girl). The kids loved it, too. So, I guess we'll make it again. I found the recipe here, but when I went to make it, I just couldn't imagine not using cream, so I did -- one cup of cream and two cups of milk. I know it's more fattening, but it's dairy fat, not like partially hydrogenated shortening fat. So, the recipe below is modified to my taste (and need for cream). Another note:  I started mine the day of and not the night before, so don't let a little lack-of-planning stop you. Place your mixture in a bowl inside a bowl of ice for 30 minutes before you refrigerate it to give it a head start. I use this ice cream freezer and I love it!

So Very Chocolatey Gelato

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2 cups milk (I used 2%)

1 cup cream
3⁄4 cup sugar
2 T. cornstarch
3⁄4 cup unsweetened cocoa

Bring 2 cups milk to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat, then remove from heat. Combine remaining 1 cup cream, sugar, cornstarch, and cocoa in a bowl, add to hot milk, and cook until sugar and cocoa dissolve.

Set aside to let cool, then cover and refrigerate overnight (see my note above). Process mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions (mine was not quite perfect after churning so I froze it for an hour -- then it was perfect).


Modified from Saveur

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Summer Supper #2

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My second summer supper of the season is Chicken Fajitas and Peppercorn. Chicken Fajitas are a favorite in our house, but they always seem to require a lot of work. Like with tacos, I always feel obliged to offer a huge array of toppings, plus a side of rice and refritos, and then, suddenly, it's a big deal. For this meal, I simplified my toppings and sides, and every one was happy with them just the way I served them. I started the meat marinating in the afternoon, but my chicken breasts were frozen, so they thawed in the marinade on the counter. The marinade is really only a few ingredients, so it was not a big deal to get them started. The Peppercorn is a quick and easy side for grilled meat, but was wonderful on top of the meat inside a warm corn (or flour) tortilla. Topped with sour cream, a little jarred salsa and paired with some fresh fruit -- it was a completely satisfying and easy summer supper.

Easy Chicken Fajitas and Peppercorn

serves 4 

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Fajitas:

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lime juice
2 cloves garlic minced
1-2 t. cumin
2 T. fresh minced cilantro, if desired
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
4  boneless, skinless chicken breasts
corn or flour tortillas
sour cream
your favorite jarred salsa




Mix together olive oil, lime juice and spices. Place chicken breasts in plastic zipper bag and pour marinade over. Seal and let marinade for several hours (in the fridge unless chicken is frozen).

At dinner time, preheat grill. Drain off marinade and discard. Grill chicken until done. Let sit for 5 minutes and then slice thinly crosswise. Keep warm until ready to serve.


Serve on warm corn or flour tortillas with sour cream, peppercorn and salsa, if desired.




Peppercorn


1 T. olive or canola oil
12 oz. bag frozen corn
1 red or orange pepper, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
6 green onions, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 t. cumin
salt and pepper to taste
Lime (optional)

Heat large skillet over medium high heat. Heat oil in skillet. Add corn and peppers and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until corn is hot and peppers are tender. Add green onions, garlic and cumin and stir, cooking until corn is cooked through. Salt and pepper to taste. Squeeze a half a lime over corn (if desired) and serve.


Serve this meal with some orange wedges, fresh berries or sliced watermelon for an easy and healthy summer supper.

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Chocolate Cupcakes

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I have another summer supper to post here, but I need more than a few moments to gather my recipes and post them. In the meantime, I'll post this absolutely scrumptious recipe for Chocolate Cupcakes. You can make them in almost the time it takes to say Chocolate Cupcakes three times. Maybe a little longer ;-) but they are really easy.

I combined two really yummy cupcakes to come up with them. I made this recipe from Tasty Kitchen a few months ago but I really was not gaga over the cake. You know me and cake. So for my son's grad party, I took my favorite, super easy cupcake recipe and combined it with the truly delicious ganache frosting from the other recipe. The cupcake is so soft and moist and perfect, and the ganache gets a little bit firm (unless left in the heat -- don't do that!). It's delightful to break through the topping to get to the soft cupcake. It's very, um, Hostessesque, but so much better. I modified the ganache recipe for ease in measuring and for a little bit more ganache.

Sour Cream Chocolate Cupcakes with Ganache
24 cupcakes

 

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1 pkg plain devil's food cake mix
2 T unsweetened cocoa
1 cup sour cream
½ cup oil
½ cup water
3 eggs
1 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line cupcake pans with 24 cupcake liners (I do one pan at a time, so youu can just use one pan if you want). Set pans aside.

Place cake mix, cocoa powder, sour cream, oil, water, eggs and vanilla in large mixing bowl. Blend on low for 1 minute. Scrape down sides and beat 2 minutes longer. Pour batter into cupcake lined pans two-thirds full. Bake until cupcakes spring back lightly when touched, 20-26 minutes. Cool on racks for 5 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on rack until completely cool. Frost with ganache and refrigerate if it's very warm in the house.

½ cups heavy cream

 ½ cups butter 

2 cups good quality semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat the heavy cream and 1/2 cup butter in the microwave until it is steaming. Remove and add the  chocolate. Let it sit for a few minutes (really -- just let it sit, don't fuss) then stir until smooth. If necessary, heat again very briefly until chocolate is completely melted.

Let it sit for at least an hour or until it becomes ‘spreadable’. You may have to put it in the fridge in summer months in order to help it along. Spread on cool cupcakes. 

Irish Soda Scones

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Yummy, yum. You know I love scones (just click on "scones" in my sidebar), and I really love Soda Bread. So, I knew when I saw this recipe for Irish Soda Scones I would love them, it just took me a while to get around to making them. But this morning I did, bright and early before it got too hot. The oven doesn't have to be on all that long, so it did not warm things up much at all. And these little yummies were more than worth any heat they generated. Little Irish Soda Bread loaves is what they are -- soft and slightly sweet, with raisins and caraway, just the way I think soda bread should be.

One note to make: I used shortening because I was low on butter, but I did brush the tops with melted butter after they came out of the oven. Serve them with jam or butter or on the side of a plate of eggs -- anyway is good, just serve them!

Recipe modified just a tad from the Brown-eyed Baker.

Irish Soda Bread Scones

makes 12

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3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
1½ t. baking soda
1½ t. cream of tartar
1 t. salt
4 T. unsalted butter, softened
1¼ cups buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup currants or raisins
1 T. caraway seeds (optional)
2 T. butter, melted (for brushing)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and position rack in upper-middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat (or lightly grease).

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Work the softened butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry blender or a fork or your hands until the flour mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Add the buttermilk, egg, raisins and caraway seeds and stir with a fork just until the dough begins to come together. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead gently just until the dough is cohesive. It should be bumpy – overworking it will cause the resulting scones to be tough instead of tender and flaky.

Divide the dough evenly into two pieces and pat each into a round shape. Using a sharp knife, each round into six triangular scones. Place on baking sheet in the rounds, but separating scones so they are not touching. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. The scones should be golden brown and a thin knife or skewer should come out clean. Remove from the oven and immediately brush with the melted butter. Allow to cool to room temperature.

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Summer Supper #1

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After my recent post about summer cooking I decided to take a look at the dishes I prepare in the summer, and find a way to make over the dishes we enjoy, making them simple to prepare on these hot summer days. I will share with you all the (successful) meals I makeover and hopefully we'll all have a cool, laborless summer of good eats.

It's just the first week of June and already the temps are in the mid 90s, so I not only don't feel like cooking, but I hardly feel like eating. I had a recipe for a Balsamic Steak I wanted to try, however, and I chose some other simple sides that made a quick and yummy meal. I altered the steak recipe to throw it on the grill and added a simple salad and Camp Potatoes for a yummy, super simple supper . Everything that is cooked goes on the grill and it took no longer than five minutes to prep any item.

Though I have listed exact ingredients and preparation methods, these are such simple recipes they can be enjoyed the way you like them. Add some other veggies to the salad if you like, or some Blue Cheese sprinkles for a little extra tang, or some croutons for crunch. And add whatever spices you like to the potatoes -- paprika is nice and mild, cayenne gives them a nice kick, or thyme is wonderful to go with some grilled chicken.

The skirt steak is a very tender cut -- I really prefer it over flank, but my grocer only had flat iron when I was there -- also a really great tender cut.

Balsamic Steak and Salad with Camp Potatoes

serves 4-6

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Steak:

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

 1 T. Worcestershire sauce

 2 t. dark brown sugar

 1 garlic clove, minced

 1-2 pound skirt steak (I used a 1.5 pound flat iron)

 1/2 t. kosher salt

1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper

 

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add steak, turning to coat; seal and marinate at room temperature 25 minutes, turning once (or for several hours in the fridge). Remove steak from bag; discard marinade.

Preheat grill. Sprinkle both sides of steak with salt and pepper. Add steak to grill and turn down to medium low; cook 6 to 8 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove steak from pan and cover with foil; let stand 5 minutes. Cut steak diagonally across the grain into thin slices and serve next to or on top of salad.

Salad:

2 heads romaine lettuce, cut and washed

several thin slices red onion, quartered

2 Roma tomatoes washed and halved and sliced thinly

Dressing
1 clove garlic, minced
½ t. kosher salt
3 T. white balsamic vinegar
3 T. olive oil oil
1/8 t. black pepper

Place lettuce, tomatoes and onion in a salad bowl.
Mix all dressing ingredients in a jar.
Shake for a minute to completely blend. Toss salad just before serving.

Camp Potatoes 

serves 4-6

4 to 5 large Idaho potatoes, washed and sliced thin

1/4 red or Vidalia onion, sliced thin and quartered

salt and pepper

vegetable oil

several teaspoons of melted butter (optional)

sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (optional)

Preheat grill.

Spread a large sheet of aluminum foil on your work space (or smaller sheets for individual servings).

Drizzle with a teaspoon or so of oil.

Place a layer of potatoes (about half) on foil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with half the onions and the remaining potatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and the remaining onions. Drizzle with several teaspoons of oil. Fold up top and sides of foil to make a sealed packet.

Place on grill and cook on low for 40 to 50 minutes. Check potatoes to see if they are fork tender (the ones on the bottom will get a lot of color, but that's o.k.)

Remove from packet (or serve from the packet for really easy clean up). Taste and add salt or pepper as needed. Drizzle with melted butter and/or cheese for extra yum.

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Yummy, Soft White Bread

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I have had a lifelong search for white bread (just a slight exaggeration) -- the perfect, homemade, soft-as-bakery-bread, white bread. Occasionally I find a recipe that I think is the best, and then I try a few more recipes and find another. None have been perfect, but this one today is really almost there.

This recipe was sort of an accident, an experiment you might say. I took a recipe that I had used many times and I subbed bread flour for all-purpose. Oh. my. goodness. What I ended up with was the softest, yummiest white bread I had ever made. The substitution of the bread flour for all-purpose took a loaf that was originally dense and chewy (very tasty and perfect for its purpose) and made it squishably soft.

The first day I baked it I used bread flour because I ran out of all-purpose. It performed exactly the same as the all-purpose dough when I kneaded it and formed the loaves, and when it came out of the oven, it looked and felt identical to the all-purpose loaf. I set it on the rack to cool with no expectations at all, but when I grabbed it later to slice it for dinner -- oh my -- it squished! What I sliced into was so soft it was just like a cloud of white bread.

Maybe you think I am going a little over the top here for a loaf of bread, but homemade bread is so magical anyway that creating a soft delicious bread by accident was just incredible to me.

I now make this bread every week -- using a loaf pan for the traditional shape and for fitting slices into the toaster -- and so far I have not even thought to look for another recipe. We are happy right now, me and my bread.

If you like wheat bread, I'm afraid I can't help you today -- this loaf is all about being soft and white.

Soft White Bread

makes three round loaves or two traditional bread pan loaves

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1 1/2 T. yeast

3 c. warm water

7 c. bread flour (plus more for kneading)

2 t. salt

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

Mix the yeast in the warm water and let sit for 10 minutes. After the yeast sits, add several cups of flour and the salt. Stir in the oil. Add flour until you can no longer stir with a spoon.

Place the dough on a flat surface with some flour sprinkled on it. Knead the dough until it becomes firm and elastic (or use Kitchen Aid mixer with dough hook). Grease the bowl and place the dough in it. Turn the dough so it is greased all over.

Cover the bowl and set in a warm place until the dough has doubled in volume.

Remove the dough and knead it again over a floured tabletop, to remove air pockets and until the dough feels smooth. Return the dough to a covered bowl and let it rest for 15 minutes. Cut the dough as desired to form bars, loafs or balls and place on greased pans. Cut slits in top of bread as desired.

Let bread rise on pans 30 more minutes. Place in a very hot oven (450 degrees F) for 30 to 50 minutes (30 minutes is plenty for three balls, but 40 will be necessary for large loaves, longer if you make one large loaf), or until the tops of the bars become toasted and they sound hollow when knocked on the bottom. Remove the bread from the pans and let cool.

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Corn OFF the Cob Gadget

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It seems every summer for the past few we've had a child in braces. I was thinking about the numbers of kids in braces and figured the odds are pretty good you have one, too. Because corn on the cob is such a favorite in our house, and because kids with braces have to eat their corn OFF the sob, this gadget sure comes in handy in the summer.


My aunt always gifts me a few fun kitchen gadgets at Christmas and this was one I received last year. It sure beats standing the cob in a bundt pan and slicing all the corn off. And if you buy one, you can make this salad in no time. Huge bonus!

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