California Taco Chili Bake

This is one of those meals that is so simple and quick, but looks like it took awhile to make. This is one of those waiting for payday meals and it is delicious!! The whole family loved it!

California Taco Chili Bake
from Bettycrocker.com
2 (15 oz.) cans chili with beans
3 cups Bisquick mix
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheese
shredded lettuce
2 medium tomatoes, diced (about 1 to 1 1/2 cups)
additional shredded cheese

Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix Bisquick mix and milk with a whisk until a soft dough forms. Spread half the dough into a lightly greased 9 x13 pan.  Top with the chili and sprinkle with the cheese.  Drop the remaining dough on the top.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until the topping is light brown.  Top with lettuce, tomatoes and additional cheese.

Enjoy!!

*This would be a great way to use up leftover chili!!

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Corn & Cucumber Salad with Fresh Blueberries ♥

Today's summer salad recipe: An intriguing blend of corn (for sweetness), cucumber (for bulk) and blueberries (for tart) in a vinaigrette spiked with a little cumin, which adds just the right amount of underlying smokiness. Not just vegan, "Vegan Done Real".

What a difference a single ingredient can make! I made this salad a few weeks back, making what I thought was a "safe substitute": inexpensive blackberries for expensive blueberries. The texture was right, the size was right, the color was right but with blackberries? The salad underwhelms.

Then, laden with more blackberries and peaches than was prudent for someone leaving on vacation in a few days, I was chatting up a woman in the pay-up line out at Wind Ridge Farm not far outside St. Louis. She'd arrived early and clutched several quarts of blueberries. Masking my blueberry-envy, I asked her plans for them. First, she said, she'd make her favorite corn and blueberry salad, then ticked off all the ingredients you see here.
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White Chocolate Cherry Bliss Bars

I love fresh fruit seasons and cherries are no exception.  It is one of those that we get a little indulgence of for what seems like a short period of time here.  Usually we eat them so quick, but this time I actually got to them first and after eating my fair share created this beauty. 

White Chocolate Cherry Bliss Bars 
from First magazine
1 cup chopped almonds (I used slivered almonds and chopped them a bit.)
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 3/4 cup (about 20) fresh cherries, pitted and quartered
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a bowl mix almonds,flour,coconut, butter and sugar until crumbs form. Press 2 cups of this mixture in the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 pan.

Bake for 10 minutes

Top with the cherries, white chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk.

Sprinkle the top with the remaining crumb mixture.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until topping is light golden brown.

Let cool and Enjoy!

DELICIOUS!!

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Experiencing New Flavors + New Experiences With Girard's Dressings.

About a month ago I was contacted about helping to create a new dressing flavor for Girard's Dressings.  Already a big fan of their products I jumped at the chance.  I got the opportunity to be on my very first video conference call, where I got to interact with the Girard's team plus meet a couple of amazing bloggers: Catherine of Living the Gourmet and Leslie of Leslie Loves Veggies. Together we compiled some dressing flavor ideas we thought would be good.  Then Girard's went to work.  On Friday I received this package:

Eight new flavors to try out!!

Mediterranean Vinaigrette with Hummus

Blackberry Chipotle

Red Thai Curry

Sweet Mango Chili

Garlic Honey Pepper

Sweet Citrus Vinaigrette

Artichoke Sundried Tomato

Expresso Balsamic

We made a HUGE bowl of salad and the family sat down and we tried them all out!!

Some we liked and others we didn't care for.

The one flavor the whole family loved was the Artichoke Sundried Tomato.

Tomorrow I get the chance to meet with the group again. 

 I'm excited to see what everyone else thought!

So which one of those flavors would you like to try?

I was given the dressings from Girard's free to try out.  I was not paid for this and all opinions are my own.

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Cooler Corn: How to Cook Corn in a Beer Cooler ♥

How to cook fresh summer sweet corn in a cooler – and more importantly, why you want to cook those gorgeous ears of corn in one, whether you're camping or not.

Now let me confess right off, I got some grief for cooking corn in a beer cooler. "You might as well cook that corn in the dishwasher," was the less-than-excited response. But a real veggie evangelist will press on even under pressure, ever on the hunt for new and interesting – and always, useful – ways to cook vegetables.

Besides, I was pretty sure my dear Auntie Karen was onto something when she sent me the "recipe" awhile back. (Ha! Is something this easy a recipe? Yes, if it's life-changing, you bet.)

It felt like a good idea for cooking corn outside, camping, say, or for a shore lunch when fishing.
It felt like a good way to cook a whole mess of corn for a crowd with practically zero fuss and muss.

But here's the thing, why this is my new way to cook corn:
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Crusty Italian Bread

Do you ever picture yourself eating a slice of Italian bread you know the type with the crunchy outside and soft and delicate inside. Well this is the recipe for you and I have found the secret to getting the perfect crust!!

Crusty Italian Bread

makes 2 loaves

1 1/3 cups warm water

2 1/4 teaspoons yeast

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

4 cups flour

Place warm water, yeast and brown sugar in mixing bowl. Stir and let stand for a few minutes until it start to bubble and foam a bit. 

Add olive oil and salt.  Mix and add the flour gradually.  You want to add enough that the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl.  You want to mix it with the dough hook for a few minutes.



Cover and let the dough rise until doubled about 30 minutes.

Punch down dough and divide in two and form into two loaves (I doubled the recipe this time.)

Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Beat together:

1 egg

1 Tablespoon water

Brush the risen loaves with the egg mixture.

Make a single long quick cut down the center of the loaves with a sharp knife.

**Now here's the secret. Place atleast 1 cup hot water in a shallow pan and place it on the rack underneath the bread.  The steam will make the crust turn perfectly.  You may need to add a bit more water during cooking. You do not want it to evaporate.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the loaves turn golden brown and sound hollow when you tap them.

Remove from pan and let cool on racks.  I always like to rub butter over the hot crust!

YUM!

Linked to Trick or Treat Tuesday

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Creamy Feta Mousse with Greek Salads ♥

Some times, a salad isn't as much about the vegetables as what's served on the side, in this case a creamy-tangy "mousse" made with feta cheese. It's almost an excuse to make an extra-special salad, one that's as beautiful as it is appetizing. That said, the creamy feta spread is one of those little "something I cooked up" that's great to have in the fridge. You'll find ways to use it, I promise. And Weight Watchers? While it tastes ever-so-rich, a whole quarter cup is only 3 points.

My friend Cindy loves the feta mousse at the St. Louis restaurant Remy's Kitchen & Wine Bar, but so far, Chef Lisa Slay is loathe to share a recipe with Special Request, my weekly restaurant-recipe request column for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. That's okay, I respect this chef's choice: some recipes, you just want to keep in the family. Well, maybe not bloggers. When we find a recipe we love, we can't wait to share it ...

So somewhere along the way, Cindy found a recipe in Food & Wine that she thought might be close to the feta mousse at Remy's. It called for feta and heavy cream, she found this too rich. I made it with feta and buttermilk and well, honestly, fell in L-O-V-E.

If you love feta, you'll love this "mousse" – though honestly, I'm not sure that mousse is the right name, for this isn't marshmallow-light. It's got that wonderful feta tang, made smooth, made spreadable, made try-not-to-gobble-it-by-the-spoonful.
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Black Forest Parfaits

I love it when someone sends me a great recipe! This comes from my cousin's daughter Amy. Love the flavor combination.  She just had adorable twin boys a few months ago.  Taking care of twins and time to create this beautiful dessert..she is definitely my hero!!

Black Forest Parfaits

by Amy
Ingredients:
chocolate pudding
crushed Oreos
cherry pie filling
whipped topping
maraschino cherries

Start with making some homemade chocolate pudding:
 1/2 cup white sugar
 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
 1/4 cup cornstarch
 1/8 teaspoon salt
 2 3/4 cups milk
 2 tablespoons margarine or butter
 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a saucepan, stir together sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt. Place over medium heat, and stir in milk. Bring to a boil, and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Remove from heat, and stir in margarine and vanilla. Let cool briefly, and serve warm, or chill in refrigerator until serving.
*If you are in a hurry and can't wait for the pudding to cook use a box of instant chocolate pudding.

Layer chocolate pudding, crushed Oreos, and cherry pie filling and repeat the layers. Top with whipped topping and a maraschino cherry.

*Note Amy's husband thought a layer of whipped topping in the middle would of been good!!

Thanks Amy!!

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Cute July 4th Flag Craft

Well I am all moved.  Boxes everywhere though, but atleast I have internet again.  I missed you all!! Since my kitchen is not quite ready for a cooking session yet I thought I would share a little easy festive craft! I made these flags with my preschool kids.  They turned out so cute!!

Supplies:

red, white and blue finger or tempera paint (anything washable will do)

cardstock paper for the flag

small stars

sticks for the flag pole (I used skewers)

The only tricky part is you have to work quickly before the paint dries.

Paint the palm of the hand blue. Alternate the fingers white and red.

Press hand down on the paper with fingers straight and thumb extended. (Thumb should look like the flag pole.) Lift hand straight up.   Let paint dry and glue on the stars and add the pole.

The kids had a hard time getting that thumb straight, but they still turned out so cute.

Quick, easy and so cute!!

Happy 4th of July!!

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