Roasted Potatoes, Turkey Sausage & Peppers

 This was a delicious meal.  I heard about it from Domestic Creativity and bookmarked it to make later.  I'm so glad I did- this was a lot better than I thought it would be!!  And it was soooo easy, too.  Just add a simple veggie or salad and you've got dinner! 

I bought local turkey sausages that were delicious.  I also used both red and yellow peppers.  I used tiny, baby red potatoes and left the skin on.  My daughter loved this too, but not my picky boys.  Oh well- there was more for us! 

Roasted Potatoes, Turkey Sausage & Peppers
adapted from SkinnyTaste

1.5 lb potatoes, red or new
1 medium onion, peeled and quartered, layers separated
2 red (or yellow) bell peppers, seeds removed and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
1 tsp fave herbs- fresh or dry
1/2 tsp garlic powder
olive oil spray (Misto)
1 lb (or so) chicken or turkey sausage, each link cut into 4-6 slices*

1.  Preheat oven to 375°.  Cut the potatoes into small 1" x 1/2 inch pieces.  Spray one large non-stick baking sheet, or two small ones with olive oil spray to prevent the potatoes from sticking.
2.  Place potatoes, onions, peppers, olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary and garlic powder in baking sheet and mix to combine. Mix well to be sure everything is coated with oil and seasoned evenly.  Place in the center of the oven; bake for 15 minutes.  Toss with spatula. 

3.  Add the sausage to the baking sheet with the potatoes and vegetables and bake, tossing once or twice for 25-35 minutes, or until your potatoes and sausages are cooked through. Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of your potatoes and sausage, keep an eye so they don't burn. (If your sausages are pre-cooked, they may not need as much time.  Mine were raw.)

*Note:  For easier cutting of the raw sausage, use kitchen scissors to cut them.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/**

Washington State

We had a fine view of Mt. Rainier both flying into and out of Seattle.  It was so close to us- way closer than it looks here.  We stayed the longest in Washington State, this summer, going for a few days to Oregon and then eventually leaving to come home to our island. 

My baby turned one here!!  I made a half-recipe of Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Chocolate Glaze.  I put most of the batter into a loaf pan and baked him his own little smash cake in a bowl. Then I put a bit of glaze on that.  When he was presented with it, he did a face-plant into his little cake!  It was so cute. 

We stayed at my Aunt's house on the "dry" side of the State (meaning farms and sagebrush, not ocean and green forests).  They have a wonderful garden, and we ate from it almost everyday- tomatoes, corn on the cob, potatoes (even some purple ones!), strawberries, and zucchini.  We loved it.  Especially tomato sandwiches! 

Before flying home, we stayed overnight in Tacoma. We went to the Point Defiance Zoo and Trader Joe's!! I was able to get some stuff to take home with me, and some snacks for the plane.  I enjoyed these Chile Spiced Dried Mango pieces all to myself since nobody else wanted them, lol!!  After my mouth got too spicy-hot I cooled it down with some TJ's Fleur de Sel Caramels.  I love Trader Joe's!!

Driving alongside the Columbia River.  There are a ton of fruit tree orchards here.

Sunflowers before harvest.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/**

Simple Strawberry Ice Cream

 I made this recipe a few days after I saw it.  It was too easy not to!  ;)  Plus homemade ice cream always gets eaten up pretty quickly in my fam.  There is no cooking, or egg yolks involved in this recipe.  I chose to strain the seeds out of my strawberries but I don't think it was necessary.  I used half fresh and half frozen (thawed) strawberries for this- only a tiny bit of fresh berries were to be found here.  :(  We all loved this! 

Simple Strawberry Ice Cream
adapted from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

1 pint fresh strawberries (about 2 cups)
½ cup whole milk
1 cup granulated sugar
pinch salt
2 cups heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
seeds from one vanilla bean, optional

1.  Put the strawberries into a blender and puree.  You can strain if you do not want the seeds.  Set aside.  I used my immersion blender.

2.  In a medium bowl, use a whisk to combine the milk, sugar and salt until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla.  Stir in reserved strawberries with all juices.  Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours, or overnight.

3.  Freeze ice cream according to manufacturer's directions.  The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture when done. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

Oregon

After leaving Missouri, we flew into Washington State.  We stayed there the longest, but visited Oregon during that trip, so I'll share those pics now.  The photo above was taken as we drove from Washington to Oregon along the Columbia River- I love that area. 

We always head to the Oregon coast via Banks and Tillamook Oregon, stopping at Gordon's Acres to pick some delicious blueberries.  We were lucky enough to get there on the very last day of U-picking for this season, yay!  I would have been SO sad if we had missed it- it's been 3 years since we've been there. 

We headed to Tillamook Cheese Factory next.  We sampled the cheese, looked at the factory, and got ice cream cones, of course.  We also bought some stuff to take with us.

Then we headed to the beach.  We stayed overnight in Seaside and loved it!  We've been there often but have never stayed overnight.  There were signs along the beaches about watching out for tsunami debris (click to make larger).  We did not see anything interesting, though.

I've always wanted to eat at Norma's in Seaside so we finally did it this summer.  All I wanted was some clam chowder and I got it.  It was very good!  My husband got a delicious crab melt that I'm going to try to re-create sometime soon.  My daughter also got the clam chowder, and my boys just got boring pasta.  (But it was beautiful too!)  Everything was really, really good. 

I love the Oregon coast and look forward to next time.  It was so cold there we had to buy sweatshirts for all the kids!  ;)  It was only 60 F the second day we were there.  It was a nice break from the central Washington heat!

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

Chocolate Frosty

I'm taking a break from the States pics to post a little recipe.

Before we left on our vacation to the US, I tried this recipe for a homemade chocolate Frosty, like they serve at Wendy's fast food chains.  It was very good, but very, very sweet.  It was fun to make, but after tasting a real one again, this summer, I realized the "real" ones are a little bit more creamy.  I've bookmarked another recipe to try for later, but thought I'd put this one out there too, as it was pretty good.  To cut back on the sweetness next time, I'd sub one cup of chocolate milk for plain milk.  This recipe is super easy!

Chocolate Frosty
adapted from The Country Cook

1 quart (4 cups) chocolate milk (try switching out one cup to white milk)
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk

1.  Whisk ingredients together and freeze in your ice-cream maker according to manufacturer's directions.  Consume right away!  :) 

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

Missouri

After leaving Massachusetts, we traveled to Missouri to visit my husband's parents.  We all went to Branson, Missouri together, stayed in some cabins and went to Silver Dollar City, and also to a show down there.  It was really hot in Missouri- over 100 F every day (I think it got to 111 F once!) but we went out on a walk one evening after it had "cooled down" to 88 F or so.  We took these pics then.  Branson was really beautiful, with the green Ozarks all around. 

The kids loved visiting with their grandparents and did not want to leave!  They also had fun at Silver Dollar City and staying in the cabins- the pool was almost right by us. 

Silver Dollar City

We saw a Krispy Kreme and wanted to stop in since it's been probably 8 or so years since we've been to one, and some of our kids have never been!  Our kids got to watch the hot donuts come out of the oil and of course, get a free sample of one.  My five-year old is newly picky and refused to eat one, but maybe it's better that way.  Lol.  He didn't turn down a chocolate one dipped in sprinkles, though!

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

Massachusetts

We had a great time in Massachusetts.  We only really had one full day and did mostly kid-friendly things, saving the more historical sights for another visit.  We went to a butterfly arboretum, a children's museum, blueberry picking, saw the Louisa May Alcott (Little Women) house, and ate a delicious lobster dinner with wonderful and gracious friends. 

We'd love to go back and spend some time in Boston itself (besides our long airport layover- our plane was delayed almost 24 hours!) and see some of the sights there.  We didn't plan well enough this time, but next time, we'll know better!

Our blueberry picking haul.  They were so good that we ate these in a few minutes and headed back to the fields to pick more!!  This farm also makes homemade blueberry donuts (you can watch them being made!) so of course we had to sample some.  These blueberries were the perfect mix of sweet and tart.

The cooked lobsters and my plate of lobster dinner!  It was so fun watching the live lobsters go in.  The kids were a little scared to try them but the older two did.  The adults sure ate our fill that night!  I loved it- so good! 

The Louisa May Alcott house.  This was perfect timing for my daughter, as she was right in the middle of reading Little Women!  This is in Concord, Mass, and there is a ton of history right in that town. 

My 5-year old was just terrified of the butterflies, weirdly enough.  So my husband and I took turns staying out with him while the other went in with the other children.  There were definitely some beautiful ones there, but we only really got good pics of the blue ones. 

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

Maine

This summer we spent about a month in the US.  We flew into Boston first, but drove right to Maine the next day.  We only spent two days in Maine, and then went on to see other places (including Massachusetts), but I wanted to share some pics of Maine first.  Above is my very first Lobster Roll ever; it was sooo good!!  I also got some Clam Chowder from the same restaurant, but forgot to take a pic of that.  That was some of the best I've ever had.  We had another Lobster Roll the next day that wasn't nearly as good.  This one was devine!  The restaurant was Leavitt & Sons in Falmouth, Maine. 

Another good place to buy specialty foods and kitchen stuff was Stonewall Kitchen in Camden- I don't have any photos of that, and the items we bought are still in the mail, getting sent to us, but they had delicious blueberry jam, dulce de leche, mustards, dessert sauces, etc.  The man working there knew where the Azores was and had even been here before! 

A visit to Maine wouldn't be complete without buying some blueberries fresh off a blueberry farm.  We ate these right away, as we drove, and wished for more! 

We drove through a lot of quaint and picteresque villages like this one.  Actually, we stayed in the beautiful little town of Camden, Maine!  Below is the view we had as we ate our breakfast in Camden State Park, overlooking the town below.  You may want to click on the pic for a larger view- that small view doesn't really do it justice.  (We bought a bunch of berries, cheese, croissants, and milk at a local grocery store on the way). 

Of course, the beaches and ocean are beautiful in Maine.  It was hard to find public beaches though- the photo below is a private beach, I believe.

Basket Island, Maine 

We found a wonderful park- I think it was in Rockport, or maybe it was Rockland; I don't know!  There was nice parking, lots of trees and grass, a big, new playground, picnic tables, and it was right on the water!  So beautiful.  Photo below of the view. 

I loved Maine and can't wait to go back someday- lobster, blueberries, the ocean, forests, and friendly people!  The people in Maine were all super friendly.  I want to live there someday!  :)

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

Chewy M&M Sugar Cookies

We just got back from a month-long trip to the States.  I'll talk a little bit about that later, and right now I'm cleaning out some photos that I've had ready for a while.  I made these yummy cookies about a month and a half ago.  They were easy and quick and everyone loved them!  I get my mini M&M's from Nuts.com

Chewy M&M Sugar Cookies
adapted from Tracey's Culinary Adventures

2 1/4 cups (11 1/4 oz) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 oz) sugar, plus 1/3 cup for rolling
2 oz cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and still warm
1/3 cup vegetable (or canola) oil
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tablespoon milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1 1/4 cups mini M&M's

1.  Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Combine 1 1/2 cups of sugar and cream cheese in a large bowl (no need to stir them together yet). Put the remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a pie plate and set aside. Pour the warm butter over the cream cheese mixture and whisk to combine - the mixture won't be completely smooth yet. Whisk in the oil then the egg, milk and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. Use a rubber spatula to start folding the dry ingredients into the wet. When the dry ingredients are partially incorporated, add 3/4 cup of the M&M's to the dough. Continue mixing until a soft dough comes together.

2.  Portion the dough onto the prepared baking sheets with a cookie scoop, using about 2 tablespoons for each cookie. Working quickly (if you handle the dough too much you're more likely to wind up with flat cookies), roll the dough into a ball with your hands then roll in the sugar set aside in the pie plate previously. Repeat until you've used all of the dough. Use the bottom of a glass to flatten the dough balls into discs that are about 2 inches in diameter. Gently press 2 or 3 more M&M's into the top of each cookie.

3.  Bake the cookies, 1 tray at a time, for about 8-12 minutes, or until the edges are set. The tops will be puffy and slightly cracked. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes then transfer them to the rack to cool completely.  Makes about 24 cookies.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

Stawberry Vanilla Lemonade

This lemonade was delicious- I made it a few weeks ago.  I could really taste the vanilla flavor in this; I thought it would have been covered up by the other flavors but it wasn't.  I loved this!  A friend pinned this on Pinterest a few months ago and I'm so glad I saw it!

Stawberry Vanilla Lemonade
adapted from Hrrthrr

Simple Syrup Recipe
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 vanilla bean (cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed, pod reserved)
8-10 cut strawberries

2-3 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice, from 8-10 lemons (or more)

1.  Place the strawberries and vanilla in a pot along with the water and sugar. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer until the strawberries break down, the sugar dissolves and the sauce thickens slightly (about 5 minutes). Strain out the strawberry chunks and place syrup in the refrigerator to cool.

2.  Squeeze your lemons till you get about 2-3 cups of juice (strained).  Mix up the lemonade: start with 2 cups of lemon juice, 3 cups of water and 1 cup of simple syrup.  Then add more of each to taste.  Depending on how you like your lemonade, you can add additional juice, water, or simple syrup to your liking. Stick in the refrigerator to cool and enjoy over ice!

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

Portuguese Pao de Lo Cake

I made this cake back on the 4th of July.  The plan WAS to have strawberries and blueberries for a red, white and blue theme, but I searched for fresh blueberries for a while and found none on the island.  :(  So it was just strawberries, and I didn't rush to post the recipe for a 4th dessert (obviously!  lol). It was fun to make this, but next time I'd just buy a Pao de Lo from the supermarket, as they are cheap and plentiful where I live!  It's a sponge cake, which I've never made before.  (Unless Angel Food counts.)  It kind of reminded me of Angel Food cake but this has both the white and yolk.  It was very good!

I loved the vanilla bean pastry cream, especially.  Although as you can see, I kinda had a pastry cream avalanche.  It wasn't supposed to look like that, but at least it tasted good!

Portuguese Pao de Lo Cake
adapted from Portuguese Girl Cooks

For the cake:

6 eggs, at room temperature and separated

1 1/2 cups (210g) all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of salt

zest of 1 orange (optional)

1 tablespoon orange juice (you may use water also)

Orange juice for soaking sponge, about 1/4 cup

fresh fruit for filling and topping

 

For the Vanilla bean pastry cream:

2 cups (17 fl.oz) milk (I used 1%)

1 vanilla bean scraped and seeded, or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (112g) granulated sugar

1 egg

3 egg yolks

1/4 cup (32g) cornstarch

 

Whipped Cream:

1 1/2 cups (12 fl.oz) heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

 

For the cake:

1. Adjust rack to the middle position, and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan.

 

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites and salt on high speed until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a small bowl.

 

3. Using the same bowl (you don't have to wash), beat the egg yolks, sugar, orange zest, and orange juice, on high speed until light and well combined, about 3 to 4 minutes. On low speed, slowly add the flour mixture, and mix until just combined. By hand, gently fold in the egg whites until fully combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick in the centre comes out clean, about 45 minutes.  Let cake cool in pan.

 

For the Pastry cream:

1. In a medium, heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the milk, vanilla bean seeds and pod. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Once it comes to a boil remove from heat.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole egg, egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch until smooth. Slowly whisk in half of the milk mixture. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan containing the milk, and place over medium heat, whisking constantly.  The pastry cream will begin to thicken, keep cooking until it begins to boil. Once it comes to a low boil, continue to cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. The whole process will take about 10 minutes.

3. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap over the surface of the pastry cream, so a crust does not form. Refrigerate until cool to use immediately, or store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.  If using at a later date, it will likely be stiff, so whip using whisk attachment in stand mixer or by hand until smooth and spreadable.

 

For the whipped cream:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk heavy cream and powdered sugar until medium peaks form, about 4 minutes. Be sure not to over mix or it will become grainy.

 

2. Set aside about 1 cup of the whipped cream. Gently fold the remaining whipped cream into the pastry cream until well combined.

Assembly:

1. Slice cooled cake in half, and brush or drizzle juice on the cake. Spread half of the pastry cream on top and layer with fresh fruit. Place the top of the cake on top, and cover with remaining pastry cream. Using the whipped cream you set aside, dollop and lightly spread some on top of the pastry cream. Top with your favourite fresh fruit.

 

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

Chocolate Dessert Waffles

These were so good- I've been wanting to try a dessert waffle for a long time and finally did so a few weeks ago, when my daughter had a slumber party.  We had these instead of dinner.  :)  Our local store got Blue Bell ice cream in, so we had that on top with homemade caramel sauce and chocolate syrup. 

Chocolate Buttermilk Dessert Waffles
adapted from Alton Brown

7 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 1 1/2 cups

1 3/4 ounces sugar, approximately 3 tablespoons

1.5 ounces cocoa powder, approximately 1/2 cup

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3 whole eggs, beaten

2 ounces unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

16 ounces buttermilk, room temperature

4 ounces chocolate chips, approximately 3/4 cup

Vegetable spray, for waffle iron

1.  Preheat waffle iron according to manufacturer's directions.  In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. In another bowl beat together the eggs and melted butter and vanilla, and then add the buttermilk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir in the chocolate chips just until combined. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.

2.  Ladle the recommended amount of waffle batter onto the center of the iron. Close the iron top and cook until the waffle is crispy on both sides and is easily removed from iron. Serve immediately with ice cream and toppings.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **