Chicken Pesto Pasta

Last week, we used up some leftover grilled meats and had this delish Pesto Pasta, from Eating, Etc.  This was the second time I've made this, and we loved it both times.  The first time, I used leftover cedar-planked grilled chicken.  Oh wow- that was so good!!  This time around, we had some leftover plain grilled chicken, and some smoked, grilled pork chops that we threw in.  It would probably even be good with leftover grilled steak.  I used a bit of extra pesto and feta, and left out the wine (but used about 1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar).  I used fresh basil instead of oregano, because I had it on hand.  The kids liked this, although some of them were picky about the veggies. 

Chicken Pesto Pasta
from Eating, Etc.

1/2lb (or less) penne pasta
olive oil
4 fresh garlic cloves, minced
2T (or so) chardonnay, optional
juice from 1 lemon
1 orange or red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 tub (about 2c) grape tomatoes, sliced
1-2 grilled or baked chicken breasts (or other grilled meat), thinly sliced
1/4c fresh oregano or basil, chopped
salt & pepper, to taste
1/4c pesto (or more if you like!)
1c mozzarella cheese, shredded
3/4c parmesan cheese, shredded
1/4c feta cheese, crumbled

1) In large pot, cook pasta to al dente (about 10-11 minutes).

2) In large, deep skillet, over medium heat, sauté garlic in olive oil.

3) Add wine & lemon juice.

4) Add peppers, tomatoes, chicken, oregano, salt & pepper, and sauté until tomatoes slightly soften.

5) Remove from heat, add pesto & cheeses, and toss until well-distributed.

6) Serve immediately.

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Good Bread

This is my mom's recipe for bread.  It's very versatile- you can use whatever kind of flour you want, and add things in (oatmeal, granola, dry milk, wheat germ, etc). It's a simple and easy recipe, too.  I made this the other day, and wanted to use my Kitchenaid for kneading the dough.  I have a smaller Kitchenaid, and too much dough taxes the motor, so I cut the recipe in half and only made one loaf.  Well, that loaf didn't have a very long life..... should have made two!  Here is the original recipe, which makes two loaves.  She's been using this recipe for years and I have fond memories of it. :)

Note: I used half white, half whole-wheat flour for this bread, and also added 1/2 cup of rolled oats.

Good Bread

from my Mom

3 cups warm water

2 packages yeast (4- 1/2 teaspoons)

1/3 cup honey

1 tablespoon salt

1/4 cup oil

8 cups flour, divided

1.  Put the first 3 ingredients in a bowl (I used my stand mixer).  Stir until dissolved.  Add the salt, oil, and five cups flour of your choice.  Stir 100 times with a wooden spoon.  Add three cups more flour.  Mix and then turn onto floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes.  (Or, knead in stand mixer about 5 minutes, or until smooth and elastic). 

2.  Put into a greased bowl, turning dough once to grease all sides.  Cover and let rise until double (60-90 minutes).  Punch down.  Put into 2 greased bread pans.  Let rise about an hour, loosely covered.  Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Bake for 35-50 minutes, until bread is done.  Brush crust with butter as soon as you remove bread from oven. 

Variations- Use any type of flour, half white/half wheat, cracked wheat, oatmeal, raisins, granola, dry milk, wheat germ, etc.  This is a very forgiving recipe and most anything will work! 

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Fresh Grilled Sardines!!

My quest to get some fresh-grilled sardines finally came about on Saturday!  It was just a coincidence how I got it, too.  We drove to a park with some friends to have a little barbecue.  It was rainy, so we took cover under the shelter in the park.  A group of Portuguese men were there, grilling up these fresh sardines.  Our friends set up thier grill right next to the Portuguese men's grill, and we grilled our shisk-ka-bobs and hotdogs while they grilled thier sardines and a few other things.  They were very generous, and offered us many of the grilled sardines.  (They had a large tub full of fresh sardines).  They also offered us some pork they grilled, as well as grilled sweet potatoes and onions.  We shared some of our food with them, as well.  They gave us each sardine on a piece of typical Portuguese bread.  My husband asked the Portuguese griller if he was a fisherman.  He said he was, but these sardines were from Spain, because the local ones here are way too small.  The sardines were good- he grilled them sprinkled with some coarse salt, and poured whatever he was drinking at the time (beer, wine) onto them when there was any grill flare-ups.  :)  We ate the skin and the meat. 

We were using charcoal to grill our food, but our Portuguese friends had two grills going- one big, stone outdoor one (built-in) where they were burning small logs and big sticks down to embers.  Then, they'd transport the embers to the portable grill they had to actually cook the food.  The result was a wonderful wood-smoked flavor.  (That got into our hair, and clothes.... lol.  My hair still smelled like wood smoke the next day, even after showering!  I smelled kinda like smoked paprika.  I didn't wash the jacket I was wearing right away- I wore it to church yesterday.  My daughter sniffed the air loudly and said "What is that campfire smell?"  I had to lose the jacket.  Ha ha!). 

The stone fire-pit where they would make their "coals" out of wood.  We borrowed it for marshmallow roasting when our grill got too cold.

Grilled sardines (and some kind of pork, marinated in wine and garlic) on the right... our shisk-ka-bobs on the left.

The forest surrounding the shelter where we cooked and ate.  This is one (rare) place on the island where we actually couldn't see the ocean!

We had a great time- we got to know our friends better, and we had the oppurtunity to talk to these extremely friendly Portuguese fishermen, sampling some of the local food, and culture. 

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Buttermilk Waffles

I wanted to try a different waffle recipe, and specifically one with buttermilk, so I tried this recipe from Allrecipes.  They were kind a pain to make, as in I had to use 3 separate bowls, but the waffles were really good- tender, light, and crisp on the outside.  We had these for dinner the other night, and everyone enjoyed them very much.  I included some whole wheat pastry flour and they still had a great texture.

Buttermilk Waffles
adapted from Allrecipes.com

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 egg yolks
2 cups buttermilk
3 egg whites

1.Preheat waffle iron. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.

2.In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks. Blend in flour mixture alternately with buttermilk.

3.In a large glass or metal mixing bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the whites into the batter, then quickly fold in remaining whites until no streaks remain.

4.Spray waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray, or lightly brush with oil. Ladle the batter onto preheated waffle iron. Cook the waffles until golden and crisp. Serve immediately.

 

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Butterfinger Ice Cream

Here is another ice cream recipe I thought up.  I actually had to make it twice; the first time, I put too much milk in and it was icy instead of creamy.  The second time, it was perfect.  :)  I included some brown sugar in the ice cream base for a richer flavor. 

Butterfinger Ice Cream

by What a Dish!

1 1/2 cups whole milk

2 cups heavy cream

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons white sugar

pinch salt

4 egg yolks

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

10 fun-size Butterfinger candy bars, coarsley chopped

1.  In a heavy saucepan, stir the milk, cream, brown sugar, pinch salt, and honey together.  Cook over medium heat, whisking often, until the milk is heated (not boiling) and sugar is dissolved. 

2.  Beat the egg yolks with the white sugar until thick and pale-colored.  (I use my stand mixer for this- then I can whisk the eggs and cook the milk at the same time.)

3.  Mix about a cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture, stirring or whisking the egg mixture constantly.  (You are tempering the eggs... you don't want to scramble them).  Pour all of the egg mixture back into the saucepan, and whisk constantly over low heat until slightly thickened.  If you have a digital meat, or candy thermometer, the mixture should be around 160-170 degrees. 

4.  Have ready a fine-mesh metal strainer positioned over a clean bowl.  Pour the cooked ice cream mixture through the strainer and into the bowl.  Stir in the vanilla extract.  Chill overnight in the fridge.  The next day, freeze in your ice-cream maker according to manufacturer's directions.  When the ice cream is thickened in the machine, near the end of mixing, add the chopped Butterfingers in.  Another option is to wait until the ice cream is fully done, and then mix the Butterfinger pieces in with a spoon.  Store in an airtight container in the freezer until firm. 

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Tri-Colore Orzo

Thanks to a cooking friend for bringing this recipe to my attention!  We had this the other day with some grilled meat, and sliced veggies on the side.  This orzo was light, and yummy, and easy to prepare.  The dried cherries add something different to the mix (and scared away my kids- but they still ate it, just minus the cherries.)  This is a Giada deLaurentiis recipe, and I really love all of her pasta dishes that I've tried.  I cut the recipe in half, and it still made a large amount.  Also, I can't get arugala here, so I omitted that and added a lot more basil.  I also used dried cherry-flavored cranberries instead of dried cherries.

Tri-Colore Orzo

adapted from Giada

1/2 pound orzo pasta

1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus 2 Tablespoons

2 cups fresh arugula (about 3 ounces)  (optinonal- I didn't have this)
1/2 cup crumbled or feta cheese
1/4 cup dried cherries
1/2 ounces fresh basil leaves, torn (add more or less to taste)
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta and put the pasta on a large cookie sheet. Drizzle the pasta with 1 tablespoon olive oil, toss, spread out, and set aside to cool.

2.  Once the orzo is cool, transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss gently to combine. Serve.

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White Chicken Chili

I finally made the White Chicken Chili, from Eating Etc's blog, that I've been wanting to make for 2 years now!!  It's delish and so easy to throw together.  To make it even easier on myself (as I like to do whenever possible), I threw this soup in the crockpot (with frozen chicken, even) to cook all day.  I just shredded the chicken with two forks right before we ate.  This would have been so much better-looking if I had some fresh cilantro to add, but sadly, I didn't.  Just imagine a garnish of vivid green.  :)  This soup was very popular with the kids, too- they each had at least 2 servings.  We served with extra Monterey Jack Cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips.  I'll include directions for both the stovetop method and crockpot method.

White Chicken Chili

From Eating, Etc.

Serves 3-4

1 T olive oil
1 large onion, chopped (about 1c or more)
2 fresh garlic cloves, minced
1 4-oz can diced jalapenos
1 4-oz can chopped green chiles (I used mild)
2 tsps ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 14.5-oz can chicken broth
3 cups chicken breast, chopped
3 15-oz cans white beans
1 cup Monterey jack cheese, grated
crushed tortilla chips (optional)
chopped cilantro (optional)
sour cream (optional)

Stovetop Directions:
1) Sauté onion, in olive oil in large skillet over medium heat, until tender.

2) Stir in garlic, jalapeno, green chiles, cumin, & oregano.

3) Add chicken broth, chicken, & white beans. Cook at full simmer, stirring occasionally, on low for 20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.

4) Remove from heat and stir in grated cheese until well-mixed.

5) Serve with crushed nacho chips and chopped cilantro as garnish.

Crockpot Directions:
Dump everything into the crockpot, except the cheese, tortilla chips, and cilantro.  :)  (Olive oil is optional for this method- I left it in for some flavor.  I only used about 1/2 teaspoon though).  Cover, and cook on High for 4-6 hours, or on Low for about 8 hours.  Shred the chicken with 2 forks.  Turn off the heat, and stir in the Monterey Jack cheese.  Serve with tortilla chips, cilantro, and sour cream, if desired.

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Spring Cupcakes!

Happy Spring, everyone!  :)  I made more of my mini-cupcakes, using my tried and true recipe.  To frost them, I used this simple butter frosting recipe on that same recipe.  It made too much for my little mini's, so I used the rest to make graham cracker sandwiches.  I was able to make about 10 or 11 of them with the rest of the frosting!  Here is the frosting recipe again:

Classic Butter Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 package (16 ounces) confectioner's sugar

4-6 tablespoons milk, half-and-half, or cream

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

pink or red food coloring, optional

In large bowl, with mixer at medium-low speed, beat butter, sugar, 3 tablespoons milk or cream, and vanilla until smooth and blended. Beat in additional milk as needed for easy spreading consistency. Increase speed to medium-high; beat frosting until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

My graham cracker sandwiches. 

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Spoon Tacos

This is an simple, family fave meal.  It's also easy, pretty filling, and is great for kids and adults alike.  This is a dish that my mom has been making forever, and many of my Aunts have been making forever, as well.  It's a family favorite around my house.  The original recipe has you placing corn chips on the bottom of a casserole dish, and topping with a ground beef/refried bean mixture, and then the rest of the ingredients.  That way is good, but a few years ago, one of my Aunts served this dish with the corn chips on the side, for dipping.  That way, the chips don't get soggy if there are leftovers, and it's more fun for the kids to eat this way.  I've made it the "new" way ever since. 

Another thing I like to do is place chopped tomatoes on the dish before baking.  This is yummy, but sometimes, too much water is rendered during baking, making the whole thing watery.  So lately, I've started just garnishing individual plates with fresh chopped tomatoes.

To increase servings, I usually leave the meat amount the same and just double the refried beans.  I've used light sour cream in this, but it separates a little after baking (the photo above was taken with light). 

*Note: If you wish to make this the original way, with the corn chips as the bottom layer of the casserole, just throw a layer of them on the bottom of your casserole dish, and top them with the meat/refried bean mixture, then the sour cream and cheese, and bake as the recipe directs.

Spoon Tacos (My Way)

1 pound extra-lean (93/7) ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 can (16 oz.) refried beans (I use fat-free)
2 teaspoons taco seasoning
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 -2/3 cup sour cream
1 cup (or more) shredded cheese (cheddar, or Mexican blend)

fresh chopped tomatoes, for serving
Fritos Scoops, for serving

1.  Preheat oven to 350 F (about 175 C).  Grease a baking dish (9x9, or a deep-dish casserole dish, about 10x5 or similar sized). 

2.  In a large skillet over medium heat, crumble & brown ground beef and cook onions at the same time.  When the beef and onions are fully cooked, turn the heat down to low and add the refried beans, taco seasoning, and black pepper.  Stir to combine well.

3.  Transfer the meat/bean mixture to the prepared baking dish.  Spread sour cream over the top, and top that with shredded cheese.  Bake 15-20 minutes, or until heated through and starting to bubble at the edges.  Serve with chopped tomatoes and Fritos Scoops, for dipping.
*Make sure your taco seasoning and chips are gluten-free, if applicable.

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Basic Overnight French Toast

This is an ugly-looking, but wonderful-tasting, dish.  It's Overnight French Toast, and I've been making different recipes for years- I love Overnight French Toast.  It's been a while since I've actually made it, so when I set off to make it last weekend, I wasn't sure which recipe to use.  I found one that seemed easy enough.  The original recipe called for pecans (which I forgot) and blueberries (which I didn't have- even my frozen blueberries were in a sad, solid block of blueberry ice).  So, it was a very plain, basic overnight french toast, which is a good place to start, especially if you've never had a dish like this before. 

(BTW, one of my fave Overnight French Toast recipes bakes in its own caramel sauce, and then you ladel more caramel sauce over the top at serving time.  That one is SO good, but I figured I needed a recipe with less sugar and butter at this time in my life, lol!  Hopefully one day I will be able to share that one with you, though.)  This is the best way I know to use up leftover French or Italian (or Portuguese!) bread; although usually, I buy a loaf the day before just to use it in overnight French toast.  I ate my french toast with a little bit of soft butter, and a tiny drizzle of real maple syrup.

Basic Overnight French Toast

adapted from Allrecipes.com

12 thick slices day-old French bread
5 eggs
2 1/2 cups milk
1 cup packed brown sugar, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (optional- I didn't have any)

1.Arrange bread in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. In a bowl, combine the eggs, milk, 3/4 cup brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon; pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

2.Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Sprinkle optional pecans over egg mixture. Combine butter and remaining sugar; drizzle over the top. Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with blueberries, optional.  Bake 10 minutes longer or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.  (If not using the blueberries, bake for 25-30 minutes, and then check it.  May take up to 40 minutes.  In my oven, it was done in just under 30.)

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Mint Ice Cream Dessert

I saw this recipe a few weeks ago on Taste of Home's website and knew I would like to make it for St. Patrick's day.  The original recipe makes 2, 9x13 pans of the dessert, which is probably good for a family reunion or something, but way too much for us.  I cut the recipe in half and we'll still have a ton leftover, but I figure it will keep well in the freezer. 

When I was making the chocolate sauce, it looked really funky and almost un-appetizing at first, but I just kept simmering it away, and it turned out very well, and is totally delish.  I chose to protect my reputation and use real whipped cream instead of CoolWhip for this recipe.  (ha ha).  The only whipping cream I had on hand was a few boxes of this wierd European (but good) shelf-stable cream I buy here.  One box is about 2/3 cup.  I whipped that up first, and it wasn't enough to cover the dish, so I whipped another box.  I figure a good amount to use would be 1 1/2 cups whipping cream- whipped. 

The recipe also called for a 14-oz package of chocolate sandwich cookies.  A package or Oreos is over 1 pound, but I just measured out 14 oz. using my kitchen scale.  Next time, I would just throw in the whole pacakge, to make the crust thicker, and not to have a few lonely Oreos hanging around the cupboards.  I just used a regular package of mint chocolate chip ice cream- 1.5 quarts, I think.  This would be good with homemade ice cream!! 

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!!

Mint Ice Cream Dessert

adapted from Taste of Home

1 packages (14 ounces or larger) cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 can (5 ounces) evaporated milk + one ounce regular milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1.5 quarts mint chocolate chip ice cream, softened
1-1/2 cups whipping cream, whipped with 4 tablespoons sugar (I used vanilla sugar)
shaved chocolate, optional

1.  In a large bowl, combine the cookie crumbs and butter (I crushed the Oreos in my food processor first, and then added the melted butter and pulsed it all together). Press into a 13-in. x 9-in. dish. Freeze for 15-30 minutes.

2.  Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the milk, sugar, butter and chocolate. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, about 12 minutes. Remove from the heat; cool completely.

3.  Spread ice cream over the crust. Spoon cooled chocolate sauce over top; evenly spread to cover. Freeze until firm. Spread with whipped cream. Dessert may be frozen for up to 2 months. Remove from freezer 10 minutes before cutting. Garnish with shaved chocolate. Yield: 15-18 servings.

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Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

My son recieves a cute magazine subscription from one set of Grandparents- National Geographic Little Kid's Magazine.  He absolutely LOVES it, and every issue has great animal pictures, stories, games, science experiments, and a recipe!  This issue's recipe was for a "Shamrock Smoothie", using green ingredients to make a yummy green smoothie.  Our smoothie would have been even greener, had we had some fresh baby spinach like the recipe called for.  We made it as stated, just leaving our the spinach.  (Fresh spinach is almost impossible for me to find here- there are many other greens, but not tender baby spinach).  The kids LOVED it as an after-school snack today.  They also loved helping me to make it.

This is just the first of many green foods we will eat today- for dinner we will have this Artichoke Pesto Pasta, with our fave Lemon-Garlic broccoli, and I have a green dessert lined up too.  :)  Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Shamrock Smoothie
from National Geographic

1 peeled banana, sliced and frozen
1 cup frozen green grapes
1 peeled kiwi
1 cup washed baby spinach, optional
8 oz. lime yogurt (we used kiwi yogurt)
1/4 cup limeade

Put the frozen ingredients and kiwi and spinach into the bledner.  Add the yogurt and limeade.  Blend until smooth.  Pour the smoothie into glasses and serve immediately.  Makes 3 child-sized servings.

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Soft Yogurt Rolls

Last Friday, for our little Friday night party with the kids, we had tiny little burgers (sliders) on homemade buns.  I've done these before, using the same rolls- Soft Yogurt Rolls, from Baking Bites.  The sliders were so good on these yogurt rolls- and the rolls are simple to make.  These rolls would be good on thier own, too, or to accompany soup, or made into a sandwich.  I used some white whole wheat flour, and put my homemade yogurt in these!  :)  I also brushed them with butter when they came out of the oven.

Note: I was able to make about 20 tiny slider rolls with this recipe, and 8-10 regular (dinner-sized) rolls.  The photo is of the dinner rolls.

Soft Yogurt Rolls

adapted from Baking Bites

1 cup white whole wheat flour

2 1/2 - 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tbsp active dry yeast
3 tbsp honey
1 cup water, warm (100-110F)
1 cup plain yogurt
1 tbsp canola oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
butter, optional, for brushing

1.  In a large mixing bowl, combine 1/2 cup flour, the active dry yeast, the honey and the warm water. Stir well and let sit for 10 minutes, until slightly foamy.

2.  Stir in yogurt, vegetable oil, salt and 2 cups of the remaining flour. Gradually stir in more flour until you have a soft dough that sticks together pulls away from the sides of the bowl (This can all be done in a stand mixer with the dough-hook attached, as well).

3.  Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding additional flour if necessary to prevent sticking, until dough is smooth and elastic, or about 5 minutes. Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

4.  Preheat oven to 375F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

5.  Turn risen dough out of bowl and onto a lightly floured surface. Gently deflate.  Divide dough into even pieces (a little smaller than walnut-sized for slider buns). Shape each piece into a round roll. To do this, take all the corners of one of the squarish pieces you just cut and pull them together, pinching them to create a seal. This will pull the rest of the dough “tight” across the top of your roll, giving you a smooth top. Place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.

6.  Once all rolls have been formed, press down firmly on each one to flatten (if desired- I skipped that part.). Cover with a clean dish towel and let rise for 25 minutes.

Bake for about 12-20 minutes, until rolls are deep golden on the top and the bottom.  If desired, brush with butter after removing from oven.  Cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.

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Old House

There are many old, abandoned houses here.  In the early 1980's, a large earthquake struck the Azores, and many of the old, broken-down homes you see today were ruined in that earthquake.  There are certain laws here, I've heard, that say one can't tear down a building unless it's past a certain age.  That would explain why there are so many of these abandoned houses still standing.  Well, sort of standing.  This is one of the "earthquake houses", as we call them, that is actually still in pretty good condition.  You can see it's right next to newer houses.  Many times, an old, crumbling house will share a common wall with a newer one.  There are at least a few I see every day.... I'll have to take pictures of some of those ones sometime.  Many times, the roofs are completely gone and there are trees, etc, growing out of the roof and pigeons nesting in them.  (Another interesting thing- the cars in this picture all have the old Portuguese black-and-white license plates- usually you only see the newer, European Union License plates these days. 

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Happy Pi Day!!

We had a fun Pi Day here- we celebrated with good ol' Pizza Pie and Key Lime Pie!!  My math-nerd husband carefully carved the Pi sign into the pie above.  Happy Pi Day, everyone!!!

We had this key lime pie.

And we had our old standby- Pizza Hut style pan pizza (I had to let the dough rise for a couple hours this time because of church, and I'm happy to report that it worked out very well!) 

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Sole with Sliced Almonds

We really loved this fishie dish that I got from Eating, Etc's blog.  My 3-year old's first comment upon tasting it was "Mmmm, yummy!!!"  My package of fish only contained 4 small fillets, and everyone was wishing for more.  I will have to try to get some cod so I can make this the way the original recipe suggests!  It is good with sole, but sole is so thin and small that I only had to bake about 15 minute until it was done.  Eating, Etc's recipe calls for light mayo, but I only had full-fat on hand, so I used that.  It was so good! 

Sole with Sliced Almonds
adapted from Eating, Etc.

1T butter, melted
1 small onion, thinly sliced
4-6oz sole or cod filets
1/4tsp dill weed
1/4tsp ground black pepper
Lawry’s seasoned salt, to taste
1/4 cup parmigiano cheese, grated
1/4 cup Hellman’s Lite Mayonnaise
1T fresh parsley, finely chopped
1T fresh lemon juice
2T sliced almonds, toasted

1) Preheat oven to 400.  While oven is heating, melt butter in baking dish (large enough to hold fish in a single layer).  Tilt to cover bottom with butter. 

2) Place onion slices on top of butter.

3) Arrange fish over onion.

4) Sprinkle with dill, pepper, and desired amount of seasoning salt.

5) In a small bowl, combine parmigiano, mayonnaise, parsley, & lemon juice. Spread over fish.

6) Bake for 15-20 minutes or until fish flakes easily.

7) Sprinkle with toasted almonds.
 

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White Chocolate Pistachio Cookies

I've been wanting to make a White Chocolate Pistachio Cookie for a few years, ever since I saw this flavor in a bakery in Leavenworth, WA.  I just finally got around to it last week.  :)  This was an experiment, and I'm not sure if I added enough flour, because these spread terribly.  The picture above was taken with the best-looking cookies.  Those cookies were baked on a light-colored, aluminum pizza pan (I have to get creative when it comes to fitting baking sheets into my tiny oven).  I baked the rest of the dough on dark-colored sheets, the those cookies were the ones that spread awfully.  Either way, they tasted good.  I think I used too much salt, since my pistachios were already salted, so I'll cut the salt back in my recipe. 

I used Trader Joe's salted, shelled pistachios, and a 4-oz. bar of Ghiradeli white chocolate, chopped..

White Chocolate Pistachio Cookies
by What a Dish!

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup real white chocolate chunks, or 4 oz.
2/3 cup whole, salted, shelled pistachios

Preheat the oven to 350. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt. Beat butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla until fluffy. Gradually add the dry ingredients. Fold in the white chocolate and nuts. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons (use a cookie scoop), 2 inches apart, onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Makes approximately 30 cookies.

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Buttermilk Cornbread

We had company yesterday, and ate chili for dinner.  I wanted cornbread to go with it, and also had some buttermilk to use up, so I found a recipe for Buttermilk Cornbread on Allrecipes that looked good.  I copied my friend, Eating, Etc. and baked it in a pre-heated cast-iron skillet.  It was so, SO good this way!!  I love baking things in my cast-iron skillet.  I seem to use it more for baking things than cooking on the stove top.  (The buttermilk recipe is very similar to Eating, Etc's recipe- just used buttermilk instead of milk, and a few other differences.  Um, this one has more butter.  I've made her recipe before and it's really yummy too.)

This went so well with chili and was very well-recieved by our company.  My kids loved it with honey on top.  (I decreased the sugar by just a tad- probably 1 tablespoon.  So I just used a scant 2/3 cup sugar).  This recipe has you mixing up the batter in a large skillet (the same one you melt the butter in).  After mixing the batter, you pour it into your cast-iron skillet.... don't bake the batter in the same skillet you mixed it.  The original recipe just uses an 8-inch square baking pan, so just use that if you don't have a cast-iron skillet.  You will probably need to bake for a longer amount of time if you do that. 

Buttermilk Cornbread
adapted from Allrecipes

1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C). Pour about a half-teaspoon of oil into a 10-1/2" cast-iron skillet and put it into the oven while it is preheating. 

2.Melt butter in another large (12-inch) skillet. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in pan. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Pour batter into the prepared cast-iron skillet.

3.Bake in the preheated oven for 15-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
 

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A Local Cathedral

We drive by this cathedral quiet often, but I've never been able to get a picture- traffic is always moving too fast in this particular spot.  Last weekend, we drove to this city and parked our car.  Then we walked (and took one bus) around the city to see some of the sights.  We saw the Science museum and ate at a seafood restaurant right on the water.  When we were done, we went to a near-by bus stop so we could take a bus back to where we had parked.  I took these shots from the bus stop- what a great location!  Unfortunately, after waiting for 30 minutes, we found out the buses had stopped for the day (we asked a local who walked by).  Then we had to walk anyway, but it really wasn't as far as we thought. 

I think this cathedral is one of the largest on the islands.  The front doorways are way taller than the average person- if you look closely, (click on the photo to enlarge) you can see two people on the top of the stairs, to kind of get an idea.  In the last picture (below), you can see a view of the street running in front of the cathedral.  The street is cobblestone and the sidewalk has a cool mosaic design. 

I believe most of the large cathedrals here were built long ago, by the Spanish, during the Spanish occupation, but I'm not sure about this particular cathedral.  Next museum on our list is a local history museum, where I'm sure I'll find out more.  :)

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Cheddar and Bacon Pan Pizza

Last Friday night was a pizza night, again, at our house.  I had some things in the fridge that needed using, namely, bacon and cheddar cheese.  I took the crust from the pan pizza that I've made often.  Then I added pizza sauce, a small amount of shredded mozzarella, more shredded cheddar, and cooked bacon pieces.  I made 3 pizzas, and had enough bacon to use 4 pieces on each whole pizza.  (I snipped the bacon with kitchen scissors- it worked very well).  We all enjoyed this pizza while watching one of the old Superman movies.  (And to feel better about myself, we ate some grapes with dinner, too.  Although, I don't mind eating bad-for-you foods in moderation.  Moderation, baby!)

Cheddar and Bacon Pan Pizza

Dough:
1 1/3 cup warm water (110 F)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 pk (or 2 1/4 tsp.) Dry yeast
1/4 cup non−fat dry milk
1/2 teaspoon Salt
4 cups All-Purpose Flour (can use 1 cup bread flour)
2 tablespoons canola oil (for dough)
3-5 tablespoons canola oil (for greasing pans)

Put yeast and sugar in a large bowl (can use Kitchenaid). Add warm water water to dissolve yeast; let sit for 5 minutes or until yeast blooms. Add non-fat dry milk, salt, oil and 2-3 cups of flour and stir until dough forms and flour is absorbed. Turn out on to a flat surface and knead for about 10 minutes, adding as much flour as necessary to make a soft, supple dough that is not too sticky. (I just used my Kitchenaid with the dough hook). Divide dough into three balls. In three 9" cake pans (I used two 9" aluminum cake pans and one 10.25" cast-iron skillet, putting more dough in the skillet) , put 1 tablespoon of oil in each making sure it is spread evenly, and brush it up the sides. (May want to use 1.5 tablespoons oil if using aluminum pans- my crust stuck, but the cast-iron released beautifully). Using a rolling pin, roll out each dough ball to about a 9" circle, or use your hands to press dough into a circle. Place in cake pans. Cover with a plate. Place in warm area and allow to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Toppings:
8 oz. pizza sauce
small handfuls shredded mozzarella
big handfuls shredded cheddar
12 slices of bacon, cooked, cut or broken up

For Each Pizza:
Preheat oven to 425-450F for 15-20 minutes. Spoon 1/3 cup sauce on dough and spread to within 1" of edge. Distribute cheeses evenly.  Top with bacon.  Bake until cheese is bubbling and outer crust is brown, about 15 minutes.

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