Spaghetti Squash

Okay. This one left me a little speechless. It was delicious and all I could think is that actual spaghetti was someone's poor attempt to recreate this elusive dish, this magical vegetable, and failed completely.

Spaghetti Squash

1. Boil for 30 min., cut in half, scoop out seeds, remove peel, done.
2. Cut in half, roast 375 for 30 min, scoop out seeds, remove peel, done.

The flesh of this squash when cooked separates into individual strands, very small angel hair like strands. They have a little crunch to them, but I think that means we made them aldente', and additional cooking would change that. But it was good, very good.

We sauteed ours with olive oil, onions, mushrooms, and garlic. Then served it as a side dish.

I am growing these. And will grow many, many more next year. They seem to have a short season, but can be frozen cooked for year round enjoyment.

P.S. All of this we talk is because I managed to scald myself removing the squash from the boiling water and Chris had to finish making dinner. so. WARNING Use caution when handling and removing squash from boiling water.

Most Delicious Hummus

I am getting new and exciting recipes from the south beach diet, which features quite a few gluten free yummies. It also seems to present a fairly balanced diet nutritionally, which is nice since I frankly don't know what to eat most of the time. I like having a menu to follow, even if I am not exactly following it. Just guidelines.

Hummus

2 c cooked, soaked, rinsed chickpeas
2 T fresh lemon juice
1/2 c tahini
1/4 chopped onion
1-2 cloves garlic
2 t olive oil
2 t ground cumin
1/2 t salt

Puree all, add water to thin, approx. 1/2 c water.
Use as dip for sliced peppers and cucumber.
Try not to eat it by the spoonful.

Blueberry Blue

So due to our deep freeze failing, thawing almost everything, there will be a surplus of food and cooking the next couple of days. This is the only appliance we didn't buy from brandsmart, but lowe's so far has an awesome service department.

Blueberry Sorbet

1 bag thawed wild organic blueberries
2 c water
1/2c sugar
splash lemon juice

Boil ALL ingredients until blueberries have further mushed and sugar has dissolved. 10 minutes to be on the safe side. Puree. Cool overnight or as long as you are willing to wait. Add to icecream maker.

Boiled Beef Tacos

Cowboy Beans
(not good, needs work)

1 lb beans, soak overnight
1 onion diced
1 lb ground lamb
1 T worchesterhsire sauce
2 T chili powder
2 t salt
1 t dry mustard
1/2 t pepper
1 can rotel, or chopped fresh tomatoes
1-2 T apple cider vinegar
7 c water

Drain beans, add to slow cooker. Brown meat and onions. Add all to cooker, stir, cook low 8-10 hrs or high for 6. Add more worcestershire or vinegar to taste.

Grilled Chicken Quarters/ Gillespie Chicken

Grilled Steak and Zuchinni

Roasted Whole Chicken

BeerCan Chicken

Pumpkin Pie?

The goal was to make GF pumpkin bread. I had eaten this delicious GF pumpkin bread a while back and the directions were use GF pancake mix and find an online recipe for pumpkin bread. So I read up on pumpkin bread recipes, got GF cake mix, leftout sugar, milk, and butter--but added an egg AND WAY TOO MUCH pumpkin puree, and lots of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves. And 1 hour later on a 25 minute cake got a cake like exterior and pumpkin pie interior. Everyone else had creamcheese frosting on theirs. It was eaten but there were no request for seconds.

Maybe my standards are too high, but I count success as requests for seconds and no leftovers.

Watermelon Sorbet

Yummy. This ended up being even better than mango sorbet!

Watermelon Sorbet

1/2 large watermelon, cubed
1 lemon
1 lime
1/2 sugar
1 c water

Make simple syrup, juice citrus, and to watermelon, puree, and 1/2 to ice cream maker and freeze other 1/2 as is for later. An extra large 8 cup measuring cup and a stick blender work really well for this.

Delicious. And something I could probably eat large quantities of, 2 bowls so far, where as I have only split a bowl of mango sorbet.

Mango Sorbet

Just in case you were thinking of skipping out on game night--

Mango Sorbet

8 mangoes
4 limes
1 c water
1/2 c sugar

Squeeze limes, make simple syrup, puree mangoes, combine and put HALF (4 c) in your 2qt ice cream maker. Repeat. AND eat at game night.

June 1 Menu Plan

This is my proposed menu, in no particular order since it involves going to the grocery store, where I may or may not buy the ingredients, depending on whether they are on sale or not. I'm just that stubborn. or frugal. or something.

As for the dried apricots I still haven't found any with out preservatives. I may end up just drying my own, they are in season now. But that is ridiculous. I could just eat fresh apricots, instead of dried apricot cookies.

Crockpot Asian Shredded Pork

4 pounds boneless beef or pork roast
1/2 cup gluten free soy sauce
1/2 cup gluten free hoisin sauce
6 tablespoons ketchup
6 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons Chinese 5-spice powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder (or 6 cloves, minced)

Put meat in cooker. Sprinkle the dried spices directly onto the meat, and top with the ketchup and honey. Pour in the soy and hoisin sauces. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours, or until meat shreds easily with a fork.

Serve over white or brown basmati rice, or over raw shredded cabbage.

Bolognese

1 1/2 cups grated carrots
1 large red onion, diced
1/2 cup olive oil
2 pounds ground beef
2 tablespoons oregano
2 tablespoons dried basil
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 to 2 cups red wine
2 tablespoons Worcestershire
salt pepper
2 28-ounce cans whole tomatoes
1 cup milk

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or skillet over medium heat. Add grated carrots and onions and cook for a few minutes. Make a well in the center of the mixture, then add in the ground beef. Cook for a few minutes until brown, gradually stirring it into the carrot mixture. Throw in oregano and basil. When the meat is browned and combined with other ingredients, make another well. Add tomato paste and let it heat. Add garlic and stir to combine. Make a well in the center of the mixture and add red wine. Stir together. Add Worcestershire and stir. Add canned tomatoes. Finally, pour in milk, stir, and let simmer for 30 minutes to 2 hours—however long you need.

Sesame Snap Cookies

Makes 10 cookies

1 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup shelled pistachios
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1 teaspoon lemon extract or lemon juice
1 teaspoon agave syrup

Place the apricots in the food processor and process into a paste. Add the pistachios, sesame seeds, lemon extract, and agave syrup and process to mix well.

Scoop the dough by 1 1/2 teaspoons onto a sheet tray lines with parchment and flatten into cookies.

Will keep for a week in the fridge or for several weeks in the freezer (thaw before eating).

Variations:
If you love herbs, try adding 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme or tarragon to the dough. Or add 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger for zing.

Chicken with Shallot-Apricot Sauce
serves 4

For the chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup chicken broth

For the sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
5 medium shallots, peeled and sliced thin
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 heaping tablespoons apricot jam or preserves
salt and pepper

Season each chicken breast with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Cook the chicken breasts for about 3-4 minutes on each side, until they develop a golden brown crust. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low, and cook for about 5 more minutes, or until the chicken is just cooked through.

When the chicken is finished cooking, remove from the pan, set on a plate, and cover with foil to keep warm. Return the heat to high and add the 1/4 cup of chicken broth, de-glazing the pan and scraping the brown bits from the bottom.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the sauce. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium to large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the shallots, season with salt and pepper, and cook for about 5 minutes, until they begin to get soft and the bottom of the pan begins to brown.

Add the 1/2 cup chicken broth to the shallots, scraping the brown bits off the bottom of the pan while the broth reduces. Add the balsamic vinegar, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for about 5 more minutes. Add the apricot jam and stir to combine. The sauce will thicken but should still be easily stirred.

To serve, slice the chicken, drizzle with the pan juices, and top with the shallot-apricot mixture.

Irish Meat Loaf

Boiled Beef Tacos

2 lb ground chuck
1 t salt
2 T chili powder
2 cloves minced garlic
1 t cumin
2 T paprika

Put in pot, just cover with water. Bring to boil. Stir and mash to break up clumps every 15 min, cook for 1 hour.

Add chopped onion, cook for 20 more minutes. Briefly stir with hand blender. Drain with fine mesh colander return to pot. Some liquid can be reserved and fat allowed to separate in refrigerator. Combine this with cornstarch and add back to meat for a saucier meat.