#568: Green Machine Fruit Smoothie

Not only was the green smoothie yummy, it was full of great fruits and vegetables, AND my girls asked for more of it and for me to make it again!  SCORE!  Thank you parenting.com!  Healthy breakfast for mommy, sneaking in veggies for the kids!

1 c chopped spinach
3/4 c apple or orange juice (I used diluted cranberry-pomegranate)
1/2 banana
1/2 apple, peeled and sliced
3 ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth (it won't get completely smooth though b/c of the spinach).

DELICIOUS!   The girls want me to make more to eat with their lunch.  I'd say this was a 5 star recipe!

#567: Fruit Flavored Water

So far, this is my favorite summer recipe!  No these aren't the prettiest pictures but they sure do taste yummy and are helping me get more water in.  Who wouldn't want to drink one of these?!?! 
These flavored waters are completely customizable to whatever you like and whatever you have on hand.  I had extra raspberries, so I made raspberry water (my personal favorite!).  The possibilities are endless with this.
There are so many great combinations listed on this website, so go check it out and find out how to make YOUR desired combination. 

#566: Zucchini Apple Salad

This recipe is a great way to use up some fresh summer veggies like zucchini.  This recipe was so easy to make and overall tasted good.  However, I am not a huge fan of zucchini.  I'll eat it, and I cook with it, but it's not my favorite vegetable.  So this was a little much for me.

2 medium red apples, chopped

2 small zucchini, chopped

1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

2/3 cup Italian salad dressing

In a large bowl, combine the apples, zucchini and walnuts. Add salad dressing; toss to coat. Yield: 6 servings.

#565: Three Pea Salad

I think I've had this recipe bookmarked since last summer.  I finally got around to making it and I am SO glad I did, because I loved this recipe!  This makes a huge bowl (at least in my opinion it does), and since I'm the only one who will eat this, I definitely had to make a single serving portion.  It was so good, I'll be making it again tomorrow for lunch or dinner.

Salad:

Salt

8 ounces snow peas, trimmed

8 ounces snap peas, trimmed

10 ounce fresh English peas

1 1/2 cups thinly sliced radishes (about 9 medium radishes)

4 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled (I used feta)

Dressing:

1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper

Make salad: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add all peas and blanch for 3 minutes. Drain and plunge into a large bowl of ice water. When peas are cold, drain and pat dry. Place in a large bowl with radishes.

Make dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together lemon zest and juice, mustard, tarragon and olive oil until well combined; season with salt and pepper. Pour over salad and toss well. Sprinkle with goat cheese.

#564: Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken

I was very afraid to make this recipe.  It calls for cooking it in the oven at 500 degrees with brown sugar.  I was afraid the brown sugar would burn and I'd be eating burned, caramelized chicken.  Happily, that did not happen.  I did make a change to the recipe though, as I pan fried for a few minutes on each side to start the cooking process and to brown the sides a little bit. 

We all really enjoyed this, and I would definitely make it again.  It's a little sweet so it would be great over right or in some sort of Asian inspired dish.  Allison loved this! Definitely a kid pleaser.

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used chicken breast tenders)

4 garlic cloves, minced

4 tablespoons brown sugar

3 teaspoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 500°F and lightly grease a casserole dish.

In small sauté pan, sauté garlic with the oil until tender.  Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar.  Place chicken breasts in a prepared baking dish and cover with the garlic and brown sugar mixture.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Bake uncovered for 15-30 minutes. (I only baked for about15 minutes because it was pan fried first).

#563: Sausage and Pepper Sliders

It's grilling season...you know what that means?  Italian Sausage!  This recipe called for the sausages to be pan fried and steamed, but how could you possibly not grill these?  So that's exactly what I did.  I grilled the sausages, then cut them up.  I made the peppers and onions as directed though. 

These were delicious.  The peppers and onions were sweet, but not too sweet, and the sausages fit great on mini rolls.  Yummy!

4 uncooked Mild Italian Sausage links

1/3 cup water (I omitted since I grilled)

2 teaspoons canola oil

2 large sweet red peppers, thinly sliced

2 large red onions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon pepper

8 dinner rolls, split

In a large skillet, brown sausages on all sides, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; add water. Cover and cook 10-15 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160°. Remove from pan; keep warm.
In the same pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add peppers and onions; cook and stir until tender. Add brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and pepper; cook 5 minutes longer or until vegetables are coated.
Cut each sausage lengthwise in half, then crosswise in half. Serve in rolls with pepper mixture. Yield: 4 servings.

#562: Triple Bean Bake with Bacon

Holy cow, these beans are FANTASTIC!  No, these are outstanding!  I LOVED these.  A LOT!  These are easy to make, and my dad loved them.  He enjoyed them so much in fact, that he proclaimed that "Tracy can cook."  That's huge in my book!

1/2 pound bacon strips, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2/3 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium)

1 can (15-1/2 ounces) great northern beans, undrained

1 can (16 ounces) butter beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (16 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon prepared horseradish (I omitted)

1 tablespoon yellow mustard (I used spicy brown mustard)

In a Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels with a slotted spoon; drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings. Add onion to drippings; cook and stir over medium heat until tender.

Stir in the remaining ingredients; return bacon to pan. Transfer to a greased 2-qt. baking dish. Cover and bake at 325° for 30-35 minutes or until heated through. Uncover and bake until desired consistency. Yield: 8 servings

#561: Saucy Grilled Pork Chops

The only way I like (and will eat) my thinly sliced, grilled pork chops is slathered in BBQ sauce.  When I came across this recipe I assumed it was made with some sort of home-made BBQ sauce.  The title is "saucy grilled pork chops" after all.  Well, this is NOT a BBQ based pork chop recipe.  And when I saw it was going to be lemon-y I assumed it would be a flop with my extended family.  Happily, I was proven wrong. These are really good.  So good in fact, that not only did Chloe eat this, but she ate the leftovers for lunch the next day.  That's a very good sign!

1/2 cup butter, cubed

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup lemon juice

8 bone-in pork loin chops (3/4 inch thick)

In a microwave-safe dish, microwave butter, covered, until melted; add brown sugar and lemon juice, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reserve 2/3 cup for drizzling.

Moisten a paper towel with cooking oil; using long-handled tongs, lightly coat the grill rack. Brush pork chops with remaining sauce. Grill, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from the heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until a thermometer reads 145°. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Stir sauce to combine and gently rewarm if necessary; drizzle over pork chops.

#560: Citrus Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

I know, this is not a pretty picture.  It's probably not something you are going to look at and remember seeing.  It is good though, so don't discount this one because of the photo.  I was going to take a picture of the salad, but I thought that might be misleading, so here's a photo of just the salad dressing.  :)

As far as salad dressings go I like this one, but I don't love it.  Would I make it again, for sure!  Would I make it again tomorrow, probably not.  Although because this can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge, I might make a double batch of this and just leave it in the fridge to easily eat with salads for the week.  In fact, that's a great idea and I'm going to do just that!

1/4 cup orange juice

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons honey

1-1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon olive oil

Place all ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid; shake well. Chill until serving. Just before serving, shake dressing and drizzle over salad. Yield: 1/2 cup.

#559: Herbed Veggie Mix-Up

I absolutely love fresh green beans (most of the time that is).  This recipe is a great way to use up those fresh green beans you can get in the stores this time of year for a great price.  This was very easy to make, especially since I bought the pre-julienned sliced carrots.  It was a huge hit with my extended family and I will definitely make this again. 

1/2 pound fresh green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 medium carrots, julienned

1/4 cup butter, cubed

1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms

1 medium onion, sliced

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

Place beans and carrots in a steamer basket; place in a large saucepan over 1 in. of water. Bring to a boil; cover and steam for 7-10 minutes or until crisp-tender.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt butter. Add mushrooms and onion; saute until tender. Stir in the parsley, salt, oregano, basil, pepper, green beans and carrots; heat through. Yield: 5 servings.

#558: Parmesan Potato Rounds

This is the EASIEST potato recipe to make for a large gathering.  We made two pans of these, one with onions and one without.  Definitely make them WITH onions.  You can't even tell they are in there, but it gives the potatoes great flavor. 

4 medium red potatoes, thinly sliced

1 small onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Place half of the potatoes in a greased 2-qt. or 11-in. x 7-in. baking dish. Top with onion and remaining potatoes; drizzle with butter. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Bake, uncovered, at 450° for 25-30 minutes or until the potatoes are golden brown and tender. Yield: 4 servings.

#557: Corn with Lemon-Basil Parmesan Butter

My summer issue of Kraft Foods magazine came this past week and I pulled out a ton of new recipes. This was one of them that I made for my family over Memorial Day weekend. It was super easy to make (I actually made the butter mixture ahead of time and then just reheated and poured over all of our corn) and it was really, really yummy! I loved the basil and the parmesan the most! The only difference I would make is to add MORE basil. :)

 

4 hot cooked ears corn on the cob

2 Tbsp. butter, melted
4 fresh basil leaves, chopped
½ tsp. lemon zest
¼ cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

Brush corn with combined butter, basil and zest. Sprinkle with cheese.

#556: Italian Chopped Salad

This salad was a huge hit with my family, but especially with my dad.  He loved it and so did I.  I will definitely make this again.  It would be a perfect recipe to make as a salad-in-a-jar kit.  This would have totally been good the next day except the lettuce was super soggy. 

 

 

6 cups chopped romaine lettuce

2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (I omitted)
1 medium yellow or green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 medium unpeeled cucumber, chopped
3 plum (Roma) tomatoes, chopped
2 oz Genoa salami, chopped (1/3 cup)
1 can (15 oz) chick peas, drained, rinsed
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved (I omitted)
1/4 cup very thinly sliced red onion
1/2 cup torn fresh basil leaves
1 oz Parmesan cheese, shaved

Dressing

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, finely chopped

In large bowl, toss all salad ingredients except cheese.
In small bowl, beat dressing ingredients with wire whisk until blended. Pour dressing over salad mixture; toss to coat. Top with cheese.

#555: Mexican Pasta Salad

Of all of the meals and recipes I made this Memorial Day weekend, I'll admit, this was my least favorite.  It wasn't bad, I just didn't love it.  It was very easy to prepare and throw together though.  It makes a lot too.  We ate it for 3 meals...which to me is not a huge winner.  It never should have had that many leftovers in my opinion. 

2 cups small shell pasta
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup fresh or chunky salsa (medium or hot)
½ red bell pepper, finely chopped
3 plum tomatoes, finely chopped
1 cup pitted black olives, coarsely chopped
1 can (15 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (5 ounces) canned green chilies, drained
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro or parsley (I omitted because I didn't have any on hand)

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain.
Meanwhile, put the lime juice in a large serving bowl. Whisk in the oil in a slow steady stream until incorporated. Stir in the garlic, salt, pepper, and salsa.


Add the hot pasta to bowl and stir to combine. Stir in the bell pepper, tomatoes, olives, beans, chilies, and cilantro or parsley. Refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

#554: Two-Chip Chocolate Chippers

Here's another yummy chocolate chip cookie recipe!  The worst part of this recipe is trying not to eat the supper yummy batter before making them into actual cookies.  I made these for Brian to take to a work cookout, he was very glad that this makes so many cookies (5 dozen) because we had some extras that he could eat.  :)  

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup stick margarine, softened

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 package (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix

1 teaspoon baking soda

1-1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1-1/2 cups milk chocolate chips

1-1/2 cups chopped pecans, optional (I omitted)

In a large bowl, cream the butter, margarine and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, pudding mix and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans if desired.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 1 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets; flatten slightly with a glass. (I did NOT flatten them...they were still really good!)  Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks.

#553: Country Blueberry Dessert

This is the perfect recipe to use up some of those leftover blueberries from last summer.  (Since we'll be getting more this summer...got to make room in the freezer). I was a little worried and had to put out an APB to my book club group before I made this.  The recipe says to put the flour mixture in the baking dish then top with blueberries.  How are you supposed to have a nice flour-y crust when you put the blueberries on top?!  Don't worry though, the blueberries are dense and drop to the bottom for the most part. 

I loved this.  I ate it with a little bit of cool whip on top, but it would be good with ice cream too.  In fact, this is so yummy, I ate the little bit of leftovers for breakfast the next morning.  I will definitely make this again.  I hope I have a bunch of frozen blueberries I'll have to use up again!

1 cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup skim milk
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter, melted
16 oz. frozen organic blueberries
2 teaspoons finely chopped crystallized ginger, if desired (I omitted)

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 8-inch square (2-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In large bowl, stir flour, sugar, milk, baking powder and salt until well blended. Stir in melted butter. Pour into baking dish.

Pour frozen blueberries over batter; sprinkle with ginger.

Bake uncovered 1 hour to 1 hour 5 minutes or until edges are golden brown and center is set. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. Serve warm.

Product Review: Private Selections Cherry Pie

That looks yummy doesn't it?  Who doesn't like pie (besides my husband that is!?)  I was able to try the Private Selections brand of Pies available at Kroger thanks to a recent Taste of Summer BzzCampaign I was enrolled in at Bzzagent.com.  When I went to go purchase my pie, I was able to choose between apple or cherry.  I'll admit, I was greedy and hoping less people would like cherry so I wouldn't have to share with as many people.  :)  I brought it with me to my family's house over Memorial Day. 

Here's the Pro's:
This pie is the perfect size for a small group of people.  We were able to get 5 really nice size pieces out of this.
It's pre-made and ready to eat!  No baking required, so in this heat, you don't have to turn on your oven!
LOTS of cherries!  They were nice and full cherries too.  They were much better than canned pie filling you would get in the grocery stores.
Super crispy crust.  No, not crispy like a pizza, but a really nice pie crust.

Here's my con's:
It's a little expensive.  This pie was $3.99 at the store.  For a few dollars more I could have purchased a frozen pie in a larger size.
There are only 2 flavors.  For us pie lovers, I'd like to choose between more than just apple or cherry.
The crust (as good as it is) broke apart as we tried to cut it.  No it isn't crumbly, but the tops and bottoms separated when I cut into it. 
(This may only be a con to me) The cherry filling wasn't sweet enough.  I wish it has a little more flavor. 

Would I buy this again, yes, for sure!  Especially because most of my family doesn't like pie, so this would last me several days and I wouldn't feel like I was eating pie all day long to consume it all before going bad or having to throw it out because it's so big.  It's a fantastic size for a small family or gathering. 

Product Review: Private Selections Potato Chips

In my recent Taste of Summer Bzzkit from Bzzagent.com, I received a free package of Sea Salt and Black Pepper Potato chips.  I'll admit, I was scared (yes scared) to try these.  My first thought was, "who would want to eat black pepper potato chips?"  My sister-in-law was visiting, so she convinced me they would probably be good and we should try them.  I've got to to give Private Selections credit...they are good.  Are they my favorite chip, definitely not.  Would I eat them again, absolutely!  Would I buy Sea Salt and Black Pepper again, probably not.  In fact, when I went to the store, I decided to buy their Sea Salt and Balsamic Vinegar chips instead.  I brought them with my to my mom's for Memorial Day. 

The Sea Salt and Balsamic Vinegar chips (which you can purchase at your local Kroger food store) are wonderful!  Both kinds that I tried were very thick cut, rippled chips.  If you want to use them to eat with a dip, they are perfect as they totally hold up to even the thickest of dips!  There is such a great balance of flavors with the chips too.  Neither the sea salt, black pepper or balsamic vinegar are overpowering flavors.  Everything melds great together.  These would be great any time of year, but definitely during the summer BBQ season...so go get some.  You will NOT be disappointed.  And make sure to save a bag of the Sea Salt and Balsamic Vinegar chips for me.

Product Review: Private Selections Ice Cream

In a recent Private Selections Bzzkit I received, I was able to purchase and try the Chocolate Hazelnut Mascarpone Ice Cream.  These are available at Kroger, so all of my local family members should run out and try this! 

See the picture of the ice cream at the right, it didn't exactly look like this inside.  This is my only negative comment about this product...there wasn't enough hazelnut or chocolate in this for my liking.  I wish it would have had a lot more chocolate ribbons and hazelnut pieces.

Okay, negative comment out of the way.  Let's talk yummy now.  This ice cream is DELICIOUS.  The mascarpone ice cream is so smooth, and creamy and just the right amount of sweetness.  The hazelnut pieces are fantastic.  But I love hazelnuts!!  I thought that the pint was a little small at first and that it wouldn't last long in our house, but the ice cream has such a nice balance of sweetness and creaminess that you don't need much to satisfy your sweet tooth, and this lasted several days in our freezer (that's got to be close to a record in our house!).  I had a hard time sharing this with the girls because I enjoyed it so much.  Okay, let's be honest, I might have hit it in the back of the freezer so they wouldn't see it when I opened the door.  :)

I LOVED this and would definitely buy this ice cream again.  I can't wait to try some of their other flavors.  I think next time I'm going to try the honey baklava and cinnamon chocolate...probably the baklava is next!  :)

Product Review: Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine

I was lucky to receive the Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine shampoo and conditioner in a recent bzzkit from Bzzagent.com.  If you haven't signed up with this company yet, you really need to at least check it out.  I've had the opportunity to try MANY new products, that I may not have necessarily purchased, but do now because of having the opportunity to try and rate the products sent. 

Anyhow, like I said, recently I was able to try out the Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine shampoo and conditioner.  You all know how crazy frizzy my hair can get (no comments from my family please!).  I love the scent of this shampoo/conditioner; it's light and slightly fruity, but not over powering.  I also love how the conditioner dispenses.  I know that sounds silly, but I usually waste so much conditioner because so much squirts out of the bottle.  This one is slightly hard to squeeze out, so I always get exactly the amount that I need.  No more wasting!!

Now, how does it do with my hair?!  I've been using this with my hair curly (not straighting it) because I really wanted it to handle my frizz with or without curly hair.  I have to admit, it is doing a great job of keeping the frizz at bay.  Now I do have to wash/condition my hair every day.  I can't honestly say if it's been keeping the frizz at bay for up to 3 days because my hair would be a big crazy mess if I didn't wash it daily.  But in this high humidity region and time of year, it is doing a very good job!  I would definitely purchase this again for my hair! 

Try it...how did it do for YOUR hair??