Teriyaki Kebabs

Another summer BBQ!

This time I went with teriyaki chicken kebabs!

I wrapped the pieces of chicken in bacon and also put pineapple chunks on the skewers.

Then I just brushed some teriyaki sauce on top and handed the kebabs off to Steve to barbecue.

I thought this sounded like a good idea, and YES it was amazing!

It was a very meaty barbecue!

Steve also barbecued this giant hunk of beef!

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Strawberry Rhubarb! A childhood favorite reminiscent of summer vacations in Minnesota.

Something I have not had in a long time, and something that I have never made before.

Also my first time making pie crust from scratch-It was quite the adventure!

The story begins with rhubarb...

Strategically placed next to the strawberries at my local grocery store.

At check out the cashier had to look up the code for it, "This is rhubarb, right?"

Fruit or vegetable?  Technically it is a vegetable. 

The leaves are poisonous!  The edible part is the stalks.

For the full recipe: http://thefauxmartha.com/2011/06/28/strawberry-rhubarb-pie/

Slice and dice your rhubarb and strawberries. 

Then you add sugar, cornstarch, orange juice, and salt.

Here is the pie crust.  First you make the dough, then refrigerate it for one hour so it is easier to work with.  Roll out the dough and then place into pie plate.

Then add the filling.

Then roll out the second pie crust for the top of the pie.  Seal at the edges and cuts some vents in the top.

I used extra dough and a cookie cutter to make a star for decoration on the top.

Bake the pie according to directions. 

The one setback I had was that there was too much filling and it started to erupt out of the vents and drip down onto the bottom of the oven.  I put the pie plate on some tin foil on a cookie sheet for the last 15 minutes of baking to keep any more filling from spilling out into the oven.

I brought the pie into work to share with my coworkers at the museum!

I was nervous because I didn't try a slice first and it was my first time using rhubarb and making my own crust and all, but it turned out fine.

Strawberry rhubarb pie success!

Cucumber Sandwiches

Cucumber Sandwiches!

These petite open faced sandwiches are light, delicious and oh so classy!

It's one of my go-to potluck recipes.

I got the recipe from my mom, who credits my Aunt Tammy for making this first.

I remember it from family gatherings of the past, but I was not a fan until recently. I think that as a child the rye bread flavor and the lemon pepper turned me off, but now I can't get enough!

Ingredients:

Little squares of Pumpernickel or Rye Breads

Packet of Ranch Dressing Powdered Mix (Not Ranch Dip Mix)

Cream Cheese

Cucumber

Lemon Pepper

To assemble:

Thinly slice the cucumber into rounds.

(Depending on the size of the cucumber, you may want to have a second "back up" cucumber in case your first one isn't enough.)

This time I couldn't find the usual log of small pumpernickel squares so I bought bigger pieces and quartered them.

Mix together Ranch Dressing mix and cream cheese.  Then Spread onto bread squares.  If you spread it on too thickly, you run the risk of running out, so spread somewhat conservatively.

Then cucumber goes on top.

For the final touch sprinkle on some lemon pepper.

This is lemon pepper I got out of the spice bins at Henry's.

In no time at all you will have a small army of cucumber sandwiches!

Bon Appetit!

Strawberry Apple Galette

Made this rustic fruit tart last weekend for my coworkers at the museum.

Ain't she a beauty!

Got the recipe from: http://mansurovs.com/recipes/stawberry-apple-galette-recipe

This galette idea is exciting to me because of the all the endless variations of summer fruits that could be used.

I really enjoyed making this. It was...therapeutic!  The crust was time consuming, just because it has to refrigerate for 1 hour, but otherwise it was a pretty simple recipe. 

And not only did it look great, but it tasted great too!



Peachy Keen Pops

I decided to steer clear of alcoholic popsicles for the moment and focus on a simple pop idea that highlights fresh summer peaches.  I cut and peeled some peaches.  I measured the volume of my popsicle molds and found that they hold about 1 1/2 cups of liquid.  So I use my measuring cup as a guideline to estimate the amount of fruit needed.

Luckily my tiny food processor holds just about 1 1/2 cups.

Blended the peaches up and then added some heavy cream and a packet of splenda.

Put in the molds to freeze!

Brunch at Alchemy

It's not every Sunday that I have the day off so I like to savour it.  This Sunday I celebrated my liberation by going to brunch with one of my best friends, Molly.  Originally I wanted to go to Urban Solace's Bluegrass Brunch, but when I tried to make reservations online, they were already booked for Sunday.  So we ended up going to Alchemy ( http://alchemysandiego.com/ ).  I have been next door to Hamilton's Tavern many a time, but have never ventured inside Alchemy.  I have looked at their menu before and have to admit that their squash blossoms stuffed with herb ricotta definitely caught my eye.

Well, it was a nice classy modern looking place with interesting things on the menu, but from my experience I can't say the food was that great.  I was expecting to be wowed, but overall the meal was kind of bland. 

I had the huevos rancheros.  This was a crispy tortilla topped with pinto beans, big chunks of pork meat (hidden under the eggs in this picture), and then two fried eggs.  It had pickled carrots and jalepenos, and salsa on the side.  Like I said overall pretty bland.  The salsa didn't pack much kick either.

Molly went with the BLT...without tomato.  So actually it was more like a BL.  Anyways, she proclaimed her sandwich "disappointing."  The taro chips were pretty to look at though.

I thought that the prices were fair and the servers were nice.  The bathroom had some interesting architectural elements.  I don't know if I'd come back here.  I might make an exception for those squash blossoms though.....

Strawberry Peach Vodka Popsicles

My popsicle obsession can be traced back to the opening of Viva Pops, ( www.ilovevivapops.com/ ) a brightly colored, local pop shop located on Adams Avenue.  I even befriended Viva Pops on Facebook.  My friend Molly and I were texting each other and making plans to meet up within minutes after reading a recent post announcing the release of a small batch of "goat cheese pops."  Anyways they have amazing and unique popsicle flavors like salted caramel, mojito, orange basil and lavender lemonade.  Most of their pops are $2.50.  They even have pops for dogs!

"Let's take this popsicle idea to the next level, and add alcohol!"

The idea has been there for a while, but finally in the heat of this 4th of July weekend I decided to take on the challenge with the help of my trusty assistant Molly Muffinz.  She supplied the peach vodka:

I harvested the strawberries and a peach from my local Pancho Villa Marketplace.

My mom gave me this mini food processor.  Thanks mom.

Pulverize that fruit!

Pour into pop molds.

Into the freezer you go!

The results!:

OK so I have to issue this warning: Be careful how much alcohol you put into your pops!

We put way too much, and it took forever to freeze, and tasted disgusting!  This was just a test run and next time the results will be improved, and hopefully edible!

The End.

Cheese stuffed Chiles

It's summer and it's time for Barbecues! Cheese stuffed Anaheim chiles are a regular at our barbecues.

Made with whatever cheese happens to be on hand, this particular batch had ricotta and cheddar-left over from my Quiche recipe http://lauramanthei.blogspot.com/2011/07/real-men-dont-eat-quiche.html

So in order to stuff the chiles I cut a slit down the middle and then across the top.  I try to clean out most of the seeds and veins as best I can.

I mixed the ricotta and cheddar cheese together. (Just slices to cheddar cheese works too)

Using a spoon I stuffed the cheese mixture into the chiles.

Then wrap the individual peppers tightly in foil.

These can go around the edge of the grill and be left on while you are cooking other things.

Once the chile is softened and cheese is melted, remove from grill to cool down.

Real men don't eat Quiche

"Real Men Don't Eat Quiche, by American Bruce Feirstein, is a bestselling tongue-in-cheek book satirizing stereotypes of masculinity, published in 1982." ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_Men_Don't_Eat_Quiche )

I came across this book in a thrift store one time and the title has stuck with me.

Anyways! I love quiche! Whenever I make quiche I eat at least a quarter of the damn thing as soon as it comes out of the oven.  It's comfort food, versatile, and makes a great lunch to take to work. Nuff said.

This is one of my favorite recipes.  It uses ricotta cheese.

Ingredients

Pie crust

2 cups spinach, cooked

1 cup cream

3 eggs

1 cup ricotta

1 cup cheddar

salt and pepper

Then add additional vegetables of your choice

Poke holes in the uncooked pie crust with a fork.

Saute the spinach.

Arrange the spinach, and in this case artichoke hearts in the bottom of the pie crust.

Then pour the cheese, cream and egg mixture over the vegetables.

Bake in an oven preheated to 375 degrees for 45 minutes.