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Cheesy Stuffed Meatloaf

Posted on August 10, 2011 by amydeline

Let me preface this by saying that my father is an excellent cook. I have just as many fond memories from my childhood of my father’s cooking as of my mother’s. Even now, it is my father who is eager to fill the house with our favorite meals when we take a trip home. He’s got an instinct for delicious comfort food which can satisfy both the belly and the soul.

That being said, there was once a meatloaf that he will never live down; the meatloaf that even the raccoons wouldn’t eat. I can’t even remember what was wrong with it. I remember tomatoes and bacon. My father insisted it was delicious, but the decision was otherwise unanimous. The meatloaf was awful. So awful that even my frugal family decided to put the leftovers on the porch for whatever fuzzy woodland creature was looking for a meal. Sure enough, the meatloaf was still sitting on the porch in the morning; undeniable proof that the meatloaf was truly inedible.

The memory of that particular meatloaf made a strong case against meatloaf in my mind. For that reason, it’s a dish I rarely make. But, having found myself with a freezer full of ground beef (part of my attempt at trimming our grocery bill), I decided a meatloaf was in order. In my rendition, I added a bit of sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan cheese, and melty provolone. Drizzle with fresh basil pesto and serve aside smashed potatoes and roasted asparagus for a delicious, satisfying meal.

Sorry raccoons…there aren’t going to be any leftovers for you this time!!

Cheesy Stuffed Meatloaf

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds ground beef
  • 1 egg
  • 3/4 cup bread crumbs
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
  • 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
  • 1 small onion, finely diced
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4-5 slices provolone cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, onion, and salt until well blended. (Get your hands in there to really blend it!) Then, form the mixture into a thick rectangle (about 8×10 inches). Place the slices of provolone cheese in a thin layer on the rectangle, leaving about a 1″ edge around the cheese on all sides. Roll the meat into a log, around the cheese. Then, thoroughly seal all of the edges and form the meat into a rectangular loaf. Bake for about 50-55 minutes, until the center has reached 165 degrees, as measured with an instant-read meat thermometer.

Serve with fresh basil pesto (click here for the recipe) and roasted asparagus (click here for the recipe).

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Apple Pie A La Mode Smoothie and a FREE coupon!

Posted on August 5, 2011 by amydeline

As you know, I love food. Food is so much more to me than just sustenance and nutrition. It’s more than just putting a meal on the table and feeding my family. It’s an experience. It’s a pleasure-inducing event. It satisfies me in a manner much deeper than just quenching my hunger. But this love of food comes at a great cost, not only to our waistlines, but also to our piggybanks.

I admit that, in the past, I have never been very conscious of shopping grocery sales or monitoring the prices of individual ingredients. I typically plan our grocery trips based on what we feel like eating or what looks fresh and delicious in the store, rather than basing our meals on sales or what we have in the pantry. This approach is deliciously satisfying, but puts our normal grocery spending off the charts. Lately though, I’ve been trying to become more conscious about our grocery spending; buying meats in bulk, planning a few less expensive meals each week, and even using coupons!

Now, couponing is something I’ve attempted in the past and never had much success with. I’d diligently clip my coupons, only to arrive at the store with a stack of savings on things I wouldn’t normally purchase anyway or things which would end up costing me more than other similar items, even after the coupon was applied. But, this time has been different. This time, I’ve started following a few couponing blogs, which have made things so much clearer. I get it now. Not sure why I didn’t get it before, but I get it now!

My Coupon Binder

I’ve learned about sale cycles, stocking up on items at their lowest prices, and matching up manufacturer coupons with store coupons and sales to get things for mere pennies or even for free. Yes, free! Why in the world have I been paying full price for toothpaste and toothbrushes when stores are giving away my preferred brands for free almost every week???  Silly, silly me!

I’ve become a little obsessed. I’ve even set up a binder to neatly organize my coupon collection. I refuse to sacrifice the quality of the foods we eat for savings, but why wouldn’t I try to save money on the things I’d normally buy anyway…money which I can put in my vacation fund for some grand, luxurious trip to a tropical locale, where I’ll overindulge in food, drink, and naps. I’ve already picked the place.

So, when I was contacted recently, by Foodie Blogroll (in partnership with Halogen Network), inviting me to help promote some new products from Dannon Activia Selects, with the opportunity to invite my readers to receive a coupon for free yogurt, I was immediately intrigued. When it comes to coupons, it doesn’t get much better than FREE!

My family goes through yogurt like it’s nobody’s business and Dannon is a brand I’ve loved since childhood. I was initially a bit hesitant about using this site to promote new products, but Dannon is a brand I can stand behind and this particular promotion gives me the opportunity to share my love for yogurt, coupons, and delicious smoothie recipes, so I agreed.

Dannon Activia, a yogurt with the added benefit of helping to regulate your digestive system, has recently introduced two new lines of yogurt. The first is a collection of smooth and silky French-style yogurts, which come in cherry, mango, blackberry, and cherry flavors. They’re also offering the French-style yogurt with fruit on the bottom in strawberry and mixed berry flavors. I’ve got to say, I’ve always been a big fan of Dannon’s Fruit on the Bottom yogurts, so I’m really excited to try these products.

The second is a line of thick and creamy Greek-style yogurts, which come in vanilla, blueberry, strawberry, and pomegranate berry. Greek yogurts are all the rage these days, and for good reason! They’re thick, smooth, and packed with protein. I haven’t had the opportunity to sample these yogurts yet, but the new Greek-style yogurts are top on my list to try!

You can try these new yogurts too! Simply enter a few pieces of information on the Dannon Activia website or Visit the Activia Selects Facebook page to get your FREE coupon now!

Now…you know I couldn’t let this post go without a recipe! One of my family’s favorite ways to enjoy yogurt, aside from straight out of the container, is mixed into smoothies. And this smoothie is a good one! So, use your free coupon to pick up some of this new yogurt and then give it a try in this fantastic smoothie which has the taste of a delicious slice of apple pie a la mode! (Dannon Activia’s Greek-style vanilla yogurt would work perfectly in this recipe!)

Apple Pie A La Mode Smoothie

Ingredients

  • 4 granny smith apples
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 cups vanilla yogurt
  • 1/4 cup apple juice
  • 2 teaspoons brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ginger

Directions

Peel and core the apples. Cut the apples into small pieces, then toss in the lemon juice. Freeze for a few hours in a covered container. To prepare the smoothie, blend the frozen apple pieces with all other ingredients until smooth. Garnish with a fresh slice of apple and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

This sponsorship is brought to you by Activia Selects who we have partnered with for this promotion.

FREE coupon offer good 8/3 /11 – 8/15/11, up to 1 million coupons, on any Activia Selects Single Serve, up to $3.00. One coupon per household. Offer valid in the U.S only. VOID IN LA, NJ, CA. Coupon valid until 8/15/11.

Residents of LA, NJ, CA will be given a ‘$1 off 3 Activia Selects’ coupon.

I’d love to hear your thoughts about this post! Would you enjoy future opportunities to hear about new products and potentially receive free coupons or samples? Or should I just stick to the recipes and leave the advertising elsewhere?

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Spicy Chipotle Corn

Posted on August 2, 2011 by amydeline

Hard to believe that it’s August already. This summer is going way too fast and we’ve been shamefully remiss in using our grill. Shame on us! But, this is part of my dilemma with our choice of grills.

In most regards, I prefer a simple charcoal grill, with coals lit in a chimney starter. The result is delicious, smoky grilled flavor without any lingering hint of gas or lighter-fluid. To me, it just feels like the way grilling should be done.

The big downside of the charcoal grill is the length of time it takes to prepare; waiting for the coals to light and to reach their ideal temperature. It makes grilling a couple of hot dogs feel like a bit of a production. And with a newborn in my arms and two active little boys running laps around me, I don’t have time for any more productions. The ease of simply turning a knob on a gas grill sounds so appealing.

I was very close to purchasing a gas grill this summer and partly regret that I never did. Seems too late at this point, since it will be snowing before we know it. Maybe next year…

On one of the few occasions that we did fire up the grill this summer, we threw on a few locally-made Hoffman’s hot dogs. I don’t eat hot dogs frequently, but sometimes it just feels like the perfect summer food. On the side, we enjoyed salt potatoes and this spicy chipotle corn. Is there anything more summery than sweet corn??

A little chipotle goes a long way when it comes to the spice factor in this dish, so if you prefer a milder result, you may want to reduce the chipotle by half!

Spicy Chipotle Corn

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
  • 1 chipotle pepper, very finely diced (from a can of chipotles in adobo)
  • 3-4 scallions, chopped
  • 2 cups cooked corn kernels or 1 bag frozen corn, defrosted
  • Salt

Directions

Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the garlic, chipotle pepper, and scallions. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until tender. Add the corn. Stir until the corn is heated through and well coated in the spicy butter sauce. Salt as desired.

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Polish Pie Pierogi Bake

Posted on July 29, 2011 by amydeline

I considered opening this post with a Polish joke. You know, something along the lines of An Irishman, a German, and a Polish man walk into a bar… But, comedy is not my strong suit and I can never quite remember the punchline to jokes. Or, I remember only the punchline, but haven’t the foggiest idea of how to get there. Watching me try to tell a joke is often the funniest part of the joke I’m trying to tell. Either way, it’s probably better that I stick to the food and leaves the jokes to the jokers.

My Polish Pie is not really a pie at all, no more so than a shepherd’s pie or a cottage pie qualifies as pie. But the name just seems to fit. The idea first struck me a few weekends ago, when we drove past a local Polish festival. As we waited at the stoplight, tapping our feet to the catchy tunes of a live polka band, the distinct aroma of kielbasa flooded our car. My husband made some quip about pierogies and kielbasa.

Mmmmmm… Pierogies!!

And in that moment, an idea began to take shape. Why couldn’t I create a baked pierogi dish, starting with frozen pierogies, in the same way that people make baked ravioli casseroles? Seemed like it should work. And it seemed only logical that the dish should include slices of kielbasa. I decided on sweet, caramelized onions and a rich cheddar cheese sauce to complete the dish.

This is not a pretty dish. It’s got that sort of sloppy, mixed up appearance that most casseroles end up having. (I think I’m going to skip the photo I took of it spooned onto my dinner plate.) But, what it lacks in appearance, it more than makes up for with flavor. Best yet, you can use leftover kielbasa and caramelized onions to make the most fantastic frittata!

Polish Pie Pierogi Bake

Ingredients

  • 1 box frozen potato and cheddar pierogies
  • 1/2 Polish kielbasa, halved and sliced
  • 1 onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 1 1/4 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1/4-1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spray the inside of a baking dish (9×13 or smaller) with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the dish with the frozen pierogies.

To prepare the onions, heat one tablespoon of butter in pan over medium heat. Add the onions. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are tender, sweet, and golden brown. Scatter the onions over the frozen pierogies.

Scatter the kielbasa slices over the onions.

To prepare the sauce, melt the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in a pan over medium heat. Stir in the flour until well-blended. Cook for a minute or two. (This is your roux, which will help to thicken the sauce.) Gradually add the milk, whisking until smooth. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes until it begins to thicken. Reduce the heat to low and add the cheddar cheese. Stir until melted. Season with a touch of salt and pepper. (Be careful not to over-salt the sauce, since the kielbasa will add a good amount of salty flavor to the finished dish.)

Pour the sauce over the mixture in the baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

Bake for about 40 minutes.

Kielbasa and Caramelized Onion Frittata

Bonus recipe for leftover kielbasa and caramelized onions:

Kielbasa and Onion Frittata

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly beat 7-8 eggs in a bowl with about 1/4 cup milk. Season with salt and pepper. Heat a tablespoon of butter in an oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Swirl the pan so that the butter coats the bottom and sides. Add the eggs to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes, until the bottom begins to set. The top should still be quite loose. Scatter leftover slices of kielbasa and caramelized onions into the egg mixture. Place the pan in the oven and bake until the eggs have completely set and the top is golden brown, about 10-15 minutes.

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Asian-Style Fish Tacos

Posted on July 18, 2011 by amydeline

We’re having the windows in the entire house replaced this week, turning a couple of windows into doors, installing new shutters; the works. We’re ecstatic.This project has been long awaited and will be a huge improvement to our home. But due to the age of our house and New York state laws regarding the presence of lead in the paints used around the old windows, I’m required to keep the kids out of the house while the work is being done. Makes sense, but leaves me in a bit of a pickle; semi-homeless for the week with a four year old, two year old, and a two month old in tow. Oh dear!

Oh, and did I mention that we’ve got a houseful of weekend guests arriving on the last day of the window installation?? This ought to be an interesting week.

As a result of our temporary displacement, I don’t expect to be cooking or writing very much this week. We’ll be living off of the BBQ Beef Chili, Sweet Honey Cornbread, Sausage, Rapini, and Bean Ragout, and Chicken Tikka Masala I’ve got stocked in the freezer. We’ll be back to cooking once I’m allowed back into my home. In the mean time, here’s a tasty twist on fish tacos; pan-seared tilapia fillets, combined with a crisp broccoli slaw and a spicy hoisin-peanut sauce. Enjoy!

Asian-style Fish Tacos with Broccoli Slaw and Hoisin-Peanut Sauce

Ingredients

For the Broccoli Slaw:

  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 3 cups broccoli slaw mix (julienned broccoli, carrots, and red cabbage)

For the Hoisin-Peanut Sauce:

  • 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
  • 1/8 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon red curry paste (or Cayenne Pepper)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

For the Fish:

  • 4 tilapia fillets
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • Vegetable Oil
  • 4 small flour tortillas

Directions

For the slaw: Combine mayonnaise, rice vinegar, sugar, garlic, salt, and cayenne until well blended. Add the broccoli slaw mix. Stir until combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour, stirring occasionally to distribute the dressing.

For the sauce: Whisk together all ingredients until smooth. If preparing ahead of time, refrigerate until serving. The sauce will become thick when cooled. Warm for a few seconds in the microwave to loosen up the sauce before serving.

For the fish: Combine the flour, salt, and cayenne pepper on a plate. Press both sides of the fish fillets into the flour mixture. Shake off any excess. Heat a few tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place the fish fillets into the hot oil. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side, until the outside is golden brown and the inside is fully cooked. Place on a paper towel to remove excess oil.

To assemble the tacos: Warm the flour tortillas for a few seconds in the microwave or a warm oven. Place a mound of the broccoli slaw on one half of each tortilla. Place a fish fillet into each tortilla. Drizzle with the hoisin-peanut sauce.

Makes 4 fish tacos

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Strawberry Spinach Smoothies

Posted on July 15, 2011 by amydeline

Obsession, thy name is Strawberry Spinach Smoothies.

I honestly can’t quantify the amount of fresh baby spinach my family has consumed over the past two weeks. We are a family obsessed. It would probably behoove Popeye to snatch up whatever remaining spinach he can get his hands on, before my family calls dibs on every last green leaf. I suppose there are worse things to be obsessed with.

It all started with the Strawberry Basil Smoothie recipe I recently shared. While adding the bright green basil, it occurred to me that a bit of spinach might be a nice match to the ripe summer strawberries.

So, as soon as I was able to get my hands on some spinach, I set about making my first ever strawberry spinach smoothie. I started with just a small handful of spinach. A quick taste led to another handful. Another taste, another handful. Turns out that these smoothies can easily handle a full bag of fresh baby spinach without sacrificing any of the sweet strawberry flavor.

Now, admittedly, adding vegetables to a smoothie is not an insanely novel idea, but it’s one I hadn’t tried before and I just had to share the recipe with you! These smoothies are so insanely nutritious and delicious, you won’t be able to stop smiling. You’ll smile even wider while watching your young picky eaters happily gulp down massive quantities of fresh, spinachy goodness.

Strawberry Spinach Smoothies

Ingredients

  • 3-4 cups frozen strawberries
  • 6-8 cups baby spinach
  • 1 cup Greek yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1/2 cup apple juice, milk or water

Directions

Blend all ingredients until smooth and frosty. Enjoy!

**Tips**

Buy and freeze plenty of strawberries now, while they’re in season and priced low.

Freeze your strawberries on a baking sheet before placing in a container to help prevent them from sticking together.

Chop large strawberries before freezing to make things easier on your blender.

Freeze leftover smoothie mixture in ice cube trays. Blend your frozen smoothie cubes with a splash of juice when you’re ready to enjoy!

This recipe is fully customizable. Have fun playing around with different combinations of fruits and vegetables!

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Carrot Cake Cookies

Posted on July 12, 2011 by amydeline

Yowzers! It’s sure been tough to find the time to write lately. Busy summer days with very busy little boys!

I’ve got an ever-growing backlog of recipes hanging out in the queue. They’ve all been taste-tested and photographed. Ingredients, quantities, and procedures have been drafted. Now if only I could find a moment to form a few semi-coherent thoughts to complete the posts. Coherent thoughts are hard to come by these days.

But, busy is good. Busy means happy, healthy, curious kids. Busy makes me tired, but busy is definitely good!

Hanging out alongside a tasty recipe for corn and bacon fritters and two separate grilled shrimp recipes were these cookies…carrot cake cookies. They’re sort of a cross between a chewy oatmeal raisin cookie and a slice of moist, delicious carrot cake. And they’re good! I made the first batch as a thank you gift for the midwives I saw throughout my pregnancy and a second batch for my son’s nursery school teachers. Who doesn’t love to receive homemade cookies as a gift?? And somewhere in between those two batches, I ate at least a dozen of these tender, sweet and spicy cookies myself. Mhmm…they’re yummy indeed!

Carrot Cake Cookies

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 sticks salted butter, softened
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups Quaker oats
  • 1 1/2 cups carrots, finely grated
  • 1 1/4 cup golden raisins
  • Confectioner’s sugar and water, for icing (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside. In another large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until creamy. Add the vanilla and eggs to the butter mixture. Blend until well combined. Gradually add the flour mixture to the bowl and blend. Stir in the oats, carrots, and raisins. Drop rounded spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet which has been lightly greased with cooking spray. Bake for 12-14 minutes on the middle rack. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

For the icing (optional): Combine about a cup of confectioner’s sugar with a few spoonfuls of water to form an icing. Add the water slowly. It won’t need much. The icing should be thin enough to drizzle, but thick enough to maintain it’s shape. You can add more sugar or water, as necessary, to achieve the desired consistency. Use a spoon to drizzle the icing over the cookies. Allow the icing to harden at room temperature.

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Battlestar Ambrosia Salad

Posted on July 5, 2011 by amydeline

A few months ago, my husband and I embarked on a venture we hadn’t prepared for, a venture which will come to its inevitable end this evening. It began when we decided to watch the first two-part miniseries of Battlestar Galactica. We never really expected to like it. We thought we’d just give it a try and move on with our lives. Seventy-five episodes later, we will watch the final episode tonight.

On the surface, everything about Battlestar Galactica seems to go against my normal television preferences. A Sci-Fi show about a bunch of people living on a battlestar, jumping through space and fighting against cylons?? Yeah, I think I’ll skip that one.

But, we decided to watch that first two-part miniseries. It was just sitting there in our Netflix queue begging to be watched. Well, those two episodes were enough to get us to watch the third and then the fourth. Before we knew it, we were 50 episodes into the series and heavily invested in the fate of the characters. Somehow, the show managed to make us forget we were watching something set in a distant star system, where half of the main characters were machines. Or are they people? The story is engaging, gripping, and relatable.

We could have watched the final episode last night, but I wasn’t ready. I needed the day to prepare to say good-bye to the well-written and wonderfully acted characters we’ve come to love; so multi-dimensional and complex, so very real. At this moment, I’m sitting here with the mixed emotions of both eager anticipation and devastation that you feel as you approach the final chapter of a really good book. Do you plow ahead to find out what happens or close the book to delay the inevitable end; to hold onto the story and the characters for a little while longer?

Even if the total premise of Battlestar Galactica turns you off, I encourage you to give the show a chance. You may be as surprised as I was. It is not really a sci-fi story about outer space, battlestars and cylons. It is a story about people. It’s about relationships, love, and values. It’s about dreams, courage and hope. It’s about a will to thrive and the perseverance to build a better future when faced with the worst of conditions. It’s about life and the things that make life worth living. Tonight’s final episode of Battlestar will be bittersweet indeed.

This recipe, on the other hand, is nothing but sweet. Onboard the Battlestar Galactica one of the beverages of choice is known as ambrosia. Their ambrosia is a bright green liquor of sorts, reminiscent of absinthe. The ambrosia I know and love is a “salad” of marshmallows, pineapple, oranges, and coconut. For me, ambrosia brings back vivid memories of summer days spent running around my cousins’ backyard, culminating with a delicious meal cooked by my aunt, usually composed of kielbasa, rice pilaf, salad in a slightly sweet vinaigrette, and our favorite part; ambrosia salad. Such a treat! This super-simple, super-sweet salad makes a great summertime, grill-season side dish!

Ambrosia Salad

Ingredients

  • 1 ( 10 ounce) bag miniature marshmallows
  • 1 cup pineapple tidbits, drained
  • 1 cup mandarin orange segments, drained
  • 1 cup shredded coconut
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • Marashino cherries, for garnish

Directions

Combine all ingredients (except cherries) in a large container. Stir. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight before serving. Garnish with cherries. Serve cold.

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Independence Day Menu Ideas

Posted on June 29, 2011 by amydeline

It’s almost time to celebrate America’s birthday; America’s number one holiday for backyard barbecues and launching brightly colored explosives into the sky.

Many of us will spend the day with friends and family, gathered around a hot grill, enjoying good summer food and cheering to independence. Check out these ideas for making your Independence Day menu extra delicious! (Click on the titles for a link to each recipe.)

And if you’re wondering how to make that tasty American flag cake pictured above, click here for a step-by-step guide.

Grilled Ribeye and Corn on the Cob with Chipotle Butter – Including lots of tips for grilling a delicious, juicy steak!

The Mona Lisa Burger – A juicy beef patty with gorgonzola, roasted garlic aioli, olives, prosciutto, onions, and sun-dried tomatoes

Grilled Honey-Garlic Baby Lamb Chops– A simple and elegant grilled alternative to burgers!

The Hangover Burger (aka The Heart Attack on a Bun) – Beef patty with bacon, chili, and spicy cheese sauce, topped with a slightly runny fried egg. Heavenly delicious!

Greek-style Lamb Burger with Tzatziki Sauce– My husband’s most favorite dish in the whole world, hands down.

Turkey Burger with Fresh Tomato Salsa– Slightly cheesy and perfectly delicious!

Barbecue Beef Chili – Pulled barbecue beef meets spicy chili in this super-satisfying dish. Totally worth the time it takes to put together. Make a huge batch and freeze the leftovers!

Baked Potato Salad – A flavorful potato salad alternative for those with an aversion to mayonnaise (like myself)!

Mediterranean Cous Cous – Simple and flavorful side dish which can be made ahead and served chilled.

Tomato-Cucumber Salad– Fresh summer tomatoes and crisp cucumber in a tangy vinaigrette.

Barley and Bean Salad – Bursting with nutrition and bright flavors!

Grilled Fingerling Potatoes– Throw them in a foil packet and pop them on the grill. Sprinkle with a bit of gorgonzola, if desired!

Dinosaur Barbecue Macaroni Salad – The only macaroni salad I’ve ever loved!

Orzo with Salmon and Cucumber – A fresh and satisfying side dish or main course on a hot summer day!

Tomato and Mozzarella Caprese – Classic and delicious!

Fresh Ginger Lemonade– A hint of infused ginger root with freshly squeezed lemons gives this lemonade that extra something special!

Mixed Berry Mousse– Pair it with a layer of vanilla bean panna cotta for an extra special treat!

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Posted in Beef, Beverages, Burgers, Cakes, Desserts, Food, Lamb, Main Course, Potato, Poultry, Recipes, Sandwiches, Side Dishes, Vegetable and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Strawberry Basil Smoothie

Posted on June 21, 2011 by amydeline

It takes a while for strawberry season to peak this far north. When it does, we like to take the little men out to the fields for some berry-picking family fun. Ideally, we would put all of their little hands to work at picking a bulk quantity of sweet, ripe berries. The reality was that my husband ended up picking 10 pounds of strawberries while the boys wandered the fields dining on an all-you-can-eat buffet of fresh-picked berries. It’s a good thing my husband enjoys picking berries!

I promptly washed and froze half of our berry loot for one of my sons’ favorite treats in whole world…smoothies! They go absolutely bonkers over smoothies. I’m thinking about sneaking some veggies in the next time; perhaps making a strawberry spinach smoothie. But, for today, we’re just going to accent our sweet berries with a touch of fresh, summery basil!

When it comes to making smoothies, I prefer to skip the ice. I don’t care for the texture or the watered-down taste. To achieve an equally thick, frosty smoothie without the ice, simply freeze your fruit. Combine your frozen fruit with a bit of creamy Greek yogurt, a touch of honey, and a few leaves of fresh basil for a delicious and nutritious treat!

Strawberry Basil Smoothies

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, frozen
  • 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 5-6 large basil leaves
Directions
Blend all ingredients until smooth. Easy as that.

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Beauty Awaits

The Gourmand Mom

Good food, seasoned with a dash of life