A Feast for the 4th

We had an excellent feast for the 4th of July.  Some friends came up for the weekend and we ate our hearts out (most likely literally...or rather now our arteries are major clogged).  I really wasn't in the creative mood, so I turned to who other than (yes, you guessed right I'm sure) the Pioneer Woman.  She is just the best (if you can find me someone better, let me know).  Here's what was on the menu:

Jalapeno Poppers (I'm SO addicted!)

• fresh jalapenos
• cream cheese, softened
• bacon, sliced in 1/2 or 1/3 depending on size of bacon & jalapenos

Cut jalapenos in half, length-wise.  With a spoon, remove seeds and membranes (if you want it a little hotter, leave a little in).  Smear softened cream cheese into each jalapeno half.  Wrap jalapeno with bacon piece.  Stick toothpick through the middle.  Bake on a pan with a rack in a 375° oven for 20-25 minutes.  You don't want the bacon to shrink too much, but after 20 minutes if the bacon isn't brown enough, turn on the broiler for a couple minutes to finish it off.  

PW's Potato Salad

• 5 pounds potatoes (she uses russet, I used red)
  
• 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
  
• 4 Tbsp prepared mustard
  
• 5 green onions, sliced
  
• 8 small pickles (she uses sweet, I used dill)
  
• 1 tsp salt
  
• 1/2 tsp paprika
  
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
  
• 4 hard boiled eggs, coarsely chopped

Cut potatoes in halves or thirds, then boil until fork tender. Drain. Mash potatoes or run them through a ricer or food mill to make them extra fluffy.  Fold potatoes together with mayo, mustard, green onions, salt, pepper.  Fold in pickles and eggs, then taste for seasonings, adding more salt, mustard, or mayo as needed.  If need more moisture, can add a little pickle juice from the jar.

PW's Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad

Dressing:

• 1 (7 oz) jar sun-dried tomatoes, drained
• 4 cloves garlic
• 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt
• pepper

Salad

• 16 oz corkscrew pasta
• 1 jar olives (she used Kalamata, I used plain ol' sliced black olives)
• 1 pint ripe cherry tomatoes, halved
• Several basil leaves, chopped or julienne
• 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Prepare dressing by blending sundried tomatoes, garlic, salt, pepper, and vinegar until tomatoes are chopped.  Blend while drizzling in olive oil; continue blending until mixed together.  Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, and rinse with cold water until no longer hot.  Pour 2/3 of the dressing over the pasta, add olives, and toss together.  Add remaining ingredients, tossing together and adding more dressing until the salad is coated to your liking.  Serve on a big platter with an extra sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

and these Tasty Burgers of My Husbands Own Creation

I really can't tell you exactly what was in the patty.  Basically into the ground beef he mixed in chopped bacon, goat cheese, Worcestershire, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, cayenne, salt, and pepper (he's the mixing king!).  Then grilled them on up on the bar-b.  I topped mine with sliced avocado, fresh tomato, and caramelized onions.  Oh baby, it was tasty!

Another Delicious Sandwich

Pioneer Woman has done it again!  She has created a most wonderful meal that the entire family enjoyed and has my husband left in awe.  I made this sandwich tonight (knowing perfectly well it was right up my hubby's alley) and, ya know, he said something along the lines of "wow Julie, you have really become such an incredible cook!  I mean, I'm speechless."  Gee-wiz!  Tuning into the Pioneer Woman has certainly not been good for my caloric intake or my arteries, but it has most definitely done wonders for my marriage :)  This really is a delicious sandwich (not for those on diets though)!

(Photo from PW Cooks)

Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwich

Spiral Stromboli

I don't know if I've posted a stromboli recipe before (and I'm too lazy to check), but I made this tasty meal (from Taste of Home) the other night and man was it a hit! My son (again) asked if I could make this every day. It was a hit with my other 2 boys as well (yeah, I'm on a roll lately!). It didn't turn out very big, so next time I'll probably make 2, but it was yummy. I think the peppers made it! If you want you can serve it with a side of marinara sauce. These are great for parties, baby showers, etc. My sister-in-law is like the queen of stromboli. She fills them with all sorts of stuff. For example you can go traditional pizza with pepperoni, sauce, and mozzarella or you can use pesto and turkey slices with cheese and spinach. You can even make a veggy one with spinach, peppers, mushrooms, etc. There are so many possibilities!

• 1 tube (11 oz) refrigerated crusty French loaf
• 3/4 to 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 3/4 to 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 lb thinly sliced deli salami
• 1/4 lb thinly sliced salami
• 1/4 cup chopped roasted red peppers or 1 jar (2 oz) pimientos, drained
• 1 Tbsp butter, melted
• 2 to 3 Tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese

Unroll the dough and pat into a 14-in. x 12-in. rectangle. Sprinkle with mozzarella and cheddar cheese to within 1/2 in. of edges; top with meat and red peppers. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a short side; seal seam and tuck ends under. Place seam side down on an ungreased baking sheet. Brush with butter; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Slice with a serrated knife.

Serves 4.

Julie R.

Leftover Steak Sandwich

Leftover steak?  Who has leftover steak? I know, but actually I do. I never can finish a whole steak at a restaurant no matter how small it might be. In this case we went out to eat and my son chose the steak kids meal. He ate one bite and was done, so we doggy bagged it. Next day he didn't want it, so for lunch I had a scrumptious leftover steak sandwich. The pictures are horrible. My camera stinks. In fact both pictures are of the same sandwich, but you wouldn't know it by just looking at it (and the avocado in the first looks like mustard, but it really is avocado).  The Naan was excellent for a sandwich - I'll have to remember to use it more often!  Chalk up another for a really great sandwich!

• Leftover steak
• Avocado
• Naan (Indian bread - I used Whole Wheat Tandori Naan from T.J.'s)
• Mayo
• Mustard

Slice avocados.  Slice steak into thin slices.  Reheat in microwave if desired (I did!).  Cut slice of Naan in half.  Slightly toast.  Spread mayo and mustard as desired on one side of each half of Naan.  Place slices of steak and avocado on one 1/2 of Naan, then place remaining slice over.  Enjoy!

Julie R.

Yummy Sandwich

I have a plethora of fresh avocados right now....my in-laws brought me over a huge box of them off their tree.  They are the BEST avocados...seriously!  They're so rich and creamy and delicious!  So I've been trying to make more then just guacamole with them (although ain't nothin' like fresh guacamole!), so I came up with this delectable dish.  Wow was this sandwich good!

• 2 slices of bread, slightly toasted
• tomato, sliced & slightly salted
• avocado, sliced
• fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
• caramelized sweet onions

Slightly toast slices of bread.  Layer the tomatoes, avocados, mozzarella,  and onions atop one slice of bread.  Top layers with the remaining slice.  If your sandwich seems a little dry, you can drizzle a little olive oil over the layers.  Mmm...enjoy!

Sloppy Joes

Sloppy Joes, sloppy, sloppy joes...do any of you remember that Adam Sandler FNL song?  Classic!  Last night was my lil' sister's b-day, so for dinner my mom made sloppy joes.  Not just ANY sloppy joes, though...the best.  I had a best friend growing up who lived down the street from me.  Both coming from big families, it seemed one of our mom's was always having a baby (ok, I'm exagerating).  So whenever her mom would have a baby, my mom would make them lasagna and whenever my mom had a baby, we'd get sloppy joes.  The funny thing is that they didn't think they were that great, but we LOVED them (and visa versa with the lasagna).  So last year I made a cookbook for my family and I hunted down her recipe, so here it is.

• 2 lbs lean ground beef
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cans tomato sauce
• 1 cup finely chopped celery
• 1 cup grated carrots
• 1 tsp season salt (or to taste)
• 1 tsp pepper (or to taste)
• a "little" garlic powder
• 1 whole bay leaf
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp vinegar
• 1 or 2 Tbsp mustard
• 1 cup ketchup

Brown ground beef with onions and green pepper.  Drain off grease.  Add remaining ingredients.  Simmer for about 1 1/2 hours; stirring frequently.  Remove by leaf.  Seve on hamburger buns.

Makes about 12.

Julie R.

AG, CA

I found this recipe in the Kraft magazine and it has become a family favorite. I do not use my regular grill for this recipe but use my George Foreman grill which makes it end up like a panini. My kids aren't a fan of tomatoes or the oregano so I just make them plain ham & cheese panini's. I usually use the Oscar Mayer Shaved Turkey Breast as well. I like the taste of it better. I also serve this with one of the bagged Ceasar Salads. It is a quick and easy meal. Always a plus! (Note: I have found that you can't use light mayo. It must not have enough oil or something because the bread then sticks to the pan/grill)

Ham & Cheese Grill

photo courtesy of Kraft magazine

Prep Time:
10 min

Total Time:
15 min

Makes:
1 serving

What You Need

2 slices sourdough or Italian bread

1 KRAFT 2% Milk American Singles

2 thin tomato slices

6 slices OSCAR MAYER Shaved Smoked or Brown Sugar Ham

1 Tbsp. KRAFT Real Mayo Mayonnaise

1/4 tsp. dried oregano leaves

Make It

PREHEAT grill to medium heat. Cover 1 of the bread slices with 2% Milk Singles, tomatoes and ham; top with remaining bread slice.

MIX mayo and oregano. Spread outside of sandwich with mayo mixture.

GRILL sandwich 5 min. or until golden brown on both sides, turning once.

Jodi S.
Manassas, VA

Tomatoes, Tomatoes, and More Tomatoes

My father-in-law has the most amazing garden where one of the many things that he grows are the tastiest tomatoes you'll ever have...they're so good that you can eat them like apples.  We don't live too close, so when we see him, he stocks us up with a BIG supply, so we've had to get creative on how to eat them so we don't waste them.  If you don't like tomatoes, then you haven't had a good one!  Here are 5 of our favorite tomato recipes thus far.

Fresh Tomatoes & Cheese on Bread

This is my husband's favorite midnight snack.  The picture doesn't quite do it justice.

• Slice of bread (we like Trader Joe's' par baked Artisan bread, but French bread will do as well)
• Fresh tomatoes, sliced
• Fresh Mozzarella log, sliced
• Olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar
• Sea salt
• Fresh basil, optional

Place slice of bread on plate. Sprinkle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar (or if you're like my husband, you might want to add the olive oil on top of the tomatoes instead).  Layer with tomato slices.  Sprinkle with sea salt.  Layer with mozzarella slices.  If you'd like you can add a leaf or 2 of fresh basil.

Fresh Mozzarella Ball & Tomato Salad

• Fresh small Mozzarella balls, halved (or cubed fresh mozzarella log)
• Grape tomatoes, halved (or if you have Roma tomatoes from your garden, they're great sliced)
• Garlic salt, to taste
• Fresh ground pepper, to taste
• Olive oil, to taste
• Balsamic Vinegar, to taste
• Fresh basil, to taste

Mix all ingredients and serve.

Tomato Sandwich

I had one today and it was SO good!

• Bread, sliced
• Mayonnaise
• Mustard
• Fresh tomatoes, sliced
• Fresh mozzarella, sliced
• Avocado, sliced (optional)
• Fresh basil leaves (optional)
• Armenian cucumbers, sliced (optional, but gives a great crunch!)
• Sea salt
• Olive oil (optional)
• Balsamic vinegar (optional)

Spread mayonnaise and mustard on bread slices.  On one slice of bread, layer with sliced mozzarella.  If desired, layer with avocado, basil, and/or Armenian cucumber slices.  Layer with sliced tomatoes.  Sprinkle with sea salt.  If desired, drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Top with remaining bread slice.  Eat with caution - it's delicious and messy!

Artichoke & Tomato Salad

• 1 can artichoke hearts in water, quartered
• Fresh tomatoes cut into bite size chunks
• Italian salad dressing

Mix all ingredients and enjoy!

Fried Green Tomatoes

These are great at the end of tomato season when the tomatoes just don't quite cut it.  Pick them before they turn red and they are delicious!  I had never heard of them before (just the movie), but my mother-in-law makes them and I could seriously eat an entire plate myself.

• Green tomatoes (unripe tomatoes), sliced
• Seasoned breadcrumbs
• Salt
• Pepper
• Eggs, beaten
• Cooking Oil (I prefer Olive Oil)

Mix breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper in pie dish (or any shallow dish).  In another shallow dish, beat eggs.  Warm up skillet with some oil.  Dip tomato slices in egg, then coat with breadcrumb mix.  Place in skillet.  Cook until both sides are golden brown and tomatoes have softened.  Serve warm.

Julie R.

AG, CA