Real World Wednesday - Avocado & Cucumber Salad

Remember those Quesaninis I made a while back that were inspired by a friend? Well she struck gold again with this delicious salad she made for dinner on the night of our choir practice. I ended up making a dressing out of pureed avocados, which while quite yummy, didn't quite pair as well with this particular salad as the simple vinaigrette that my friend used. Experiment with a dressing of your choice, I promise you won't be disappointed!

Ingredients

Avocados, sliced

cucumbers, sliced

dressing of choice

Directions

Toss all ingredients together and serve!

Source

A friend

Real World Wednesday - Bacon & Spinach Beans

This is a delicious side dish that my grandma used to make. I wasn't sure if it would be too spicy for Michaela, but at a friends house earlier that week she had become addicted to salsa so I thought it was worth a try. Apparently she takes after her mama because she loved it!

Ingredients

4 c Pinto Beans, cooked

1/2 c Onions, diced

1/2 package Bacon

2 c Spinach, steamed

1 T Red Chile Powder

Directions

Fry the bacon until crispy, then drain it, crumble it and set aside. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the drippings. Saute the onion in the drippings, then add spinach, chile, and beans, mixing together. Sprinkle the top with bacon and serve.

Source

Family Recipe

Blackberry & Strawberry Cobbler

I had my sister over for dinner last week and had wanted to make an apple pie or cobbler for dessert. I didn't have any apples and didn't have time to go to the store so I used the fruit I already had in my refrigerator. I topped it off with homemade whipped cream, but this would be great with ice cream too. This was super quick to make and so amazingly delicious! I ended up taking the leftovers to my Picnic themed Cooking Club the next day, otherwise I knew I would have finished off the whole thing myself!

Ingredients

1 c flour

2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 c sugar

1 c milk

1 stick butter (1/2 c)

1 c blackberries

1 c strawberries, sliced

Directions

Put the stick of butter in a 8x8 baking dish or a 10 inch pie plate. Put the dish in a 350 degree oven until melted. Meanwhile mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and milk to create a slightly lumpy batter. Pour the batter over the melted butter and top with berries. Return dish to oven and bake for 30-45 minutes or until the top is browned and the edges are started to pull away from the dish.

Source

Adapted from Mommy's Kitchen

Lemon & Sun Dried Tomato Pasta

This is a light pasta dish, perfect for summer. It would pair well with chicken or steak and a light side salad. This is quite lemony, so if you want a more subtle flavor, add the lemon juice to taste (or none at all).

Ingredients
1/4 c garlic, lemon and basil infused olive oil
1/2 box spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
1/2 c sun dried tomatoes, julienned
juice from 1 lemon (optional)
parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions
Combine all ingredients and serve.

Source
Inspired by The Entertaining Kitchen

Lemon, Garlic, and Basil Infused Olive Oil

This is a wonderful way to add an extra depth of flavor to olive oil. I have so many variations on this recipe tumbling around in my head!

Ingredients
1 c oil
4 cloves garlic
1 lemon skin
handfull of basil

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over high heat. Once it starts boiling, turn heat off and let sit for 1 hour. At this point it is ready to be used or stored.

Source
The Entertaining Kitchen

Chicken Piccata

I've been wanting to experiment with the "classic" Italian methods of cooking chicken, and I figured this would be a good one to start with. It's simple, quick, and the light breading makes it look like chicken nuggets, which never hurts when you are trying to get kids to eat.

Ingredients

2-4 Chicken breast cutlets
2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 c flour
salt & pepper
4 Tablespoons olive oil
4 Tablespoons butter, divided
1/2 cup white wine (can substitute chicken broth)
3 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup brined capers
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Directions
If cutlets are too thick, place them between 2 layers of plastic wrap and pound with meat hammer (or rolling pin in my case) until they reach 1/4 inch thickness. Dredge chicken in a bowl filled with the combined flour, Parmesan, and salt and pepper. Prepare a skillet by heating olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium high heat. When thoroughly heated add the chicken and cook until browned, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the chicken and add wine, lemon juice and capers to the pan, scraping up the brown bits from the chicken. Reduce the sauce by half, then whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Serve the sauce over the chicken and top with chopped parsley.

Source
Simply Recipes

Strawberry Nutella Crepe Stackers

I had never had Nutella until about a year ago. Some good friends invited us over for dinner and dessert was warm french bread spread with some Nutella. I was instantly smitten. In fact I may have consumed an entire jar and loaf of french bread the following week. I've learned to temper my addiction since then, but there is always a jar in my pantry, and when I see a Nutella inspired recipe my heart beats just a little bit faster.

This was my dish for this month's cooking club. The theme this month was strawberries, and this was a real winner! I wanted something that was small enough to eat without utensils, and while this was good, I think next time I might try to bake the cooked crepes in a muffin tin to make sturdy little cups. I also think that I would toast the hazelnut before grinding next time so that it brings out the flavor a little more.

Strawberry Nutella Crepes

1/2 c flour

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1 tablespoon ground hazelnuts (use a food processor)

1 tablespoon pureed strawberries

1 egg

3/4 c milk

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon butter, melted

Mix everything together & pour batter in small 1 inch rounds on a skillet heated on medium. Cook on both sides until lightly browned.

Strawberry sauce

1 c strawberries

1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon orange juice

1/2 teaspoon corn starch

Puree everything together in a small food processor. Pour into a small saucepan and cook on medium heat until sauce is bubbling and has thickened.

Strawberry Nutella Crepe Stackers

Strawberry Nutella Crepes

Strawberry sauce

sliced strawberries

Nutella

ground hazelnuts

Place a strawberry slice on each crepe. Top with a dollop of Nutella. Pour a bit of strawberry sauce over it. Top with a tiny sprinkle of ground hazelnuts.

Source

Inspired by Closet Cooking