Rbubarb & Strawberry Ice Cream

From Erin Hill

3 cups sliced rhubarb (fresh or unthawed frozen)
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
3 cups miniature marshmallows
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 cups whipped cream

Combine rhubarb, sugar, water and strawberries. Bring to boil; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, 10-15 minutes or until fruit is very tender, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat. Add marshmallows and lemon juice. Cook and stir until marshmallows are melted. Transfer to a very large mixing bowl. Cover and chill 4 hours or overnight.

In a chilled mixing bowl beat whipping cream until soft peaks form. Fold cream into fruit mixture.

Freeze in ice cream maker. Transfer to freezer container, cover and freeze about 4 hours until firm.

Makes approx. 10 cups.

Blueberry Corn Salad

This one isn't my creation. Believe it comes from Better Homes and Gardens magazine - but don't quote me one that.

6 cups corn
1 cup blueberries
1 cucumber
1/4 cup red onion
1 jalepeno
2 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp oil
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt

Mix, chill and eat. Yummy!

Meat Loaf

As made tonight. Will cut back on the cayenne next time - a bit too much spice for meatloaf - not burn your mouth but just not quite right for comfort food.

2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 1/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
3/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
1 1/2 Tbsp Worchestershire
1/3 cup red onion
3 slices bread crumbled
1 egg
2 lbs extra lean ground beef
1/4 cup ketchup

Topping:
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp ground mustard powder

Mix ingredients together and place in pan. Bake at 375 for 1 hour. Pour topping over and bake for 10 minutes then serve.

Notes for next time. Less cayenne. Add some garlic.

Slow cooking yumminess

I adapted a recipe for what was called "Welsh Honey Lamb" to the slowcooker and it turned out absolutely delicious. Even Andy said "This is good and I don't like lamb".

The recipe went something like this.

Take one lamb roast. Rub all over with pepper, salt, rosemary and ginger. Place in slow cooker. Pour over one cup of honey. Pour in 1 1/2 cups apple juice. Turn to low and cook for most of day. Add more juice if needed. Thicken sauce prior to serving.

We shredded the lamb and served it over slices of toast with a side of hot mixed veggies.

Yummy!

Jumbo Shrimp with Sorrel Pesto Pasta

MMMMMmmmmmm good.

Last night I decided to use a little of my garden goodness. Raided the herb bed and stripped down my sorrel plant to make a fresh pesto. So here it goes.

2 cups sorrel leaves, washed and minced
1 Tbsp fresh crushed garlic
2 Tbsp orange juice (or use lemon for an ultra lemony flavour)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup parmesan cheese (or other hard cheese)
1/4 cup toasted pinenuts (or other nut)
1/2 tsp sea salt

Mix above ingredients together in bowl you are going to use to serve the pasta in. This size batch will coat roughly a 4 person serving of pasta.

Boil water and cook desired pasta - I used a whole grain rotini as this pesto can stand up to the stronger flavour of a whole wheat pasta. Add raw prepped jumbo shrimp to pasta roughly 3 minutes before pasta is completed cooking. Drain and toss with pesto. Voila! Serve with fresh bread & butter and veggies & dip for a quick and easy summertime dinner.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Sometimes life is just about trying things even if they aren't good for you. Spaghetti alla carbonara is one of those examples. The sauce consists of bacon, bacon fat, butter, egg yolks, cream and parmesan cheese. The only good thing in the sauce is some garlic. The thing of it is I have always wanted to try it. I had heard about it but never tried it - plus the added challenge of not scrambling the eggs but instead creating a creamy rich sauce using egg yolks.

It turns out there wasn't really any challenge to it at all. The entire dish is actually extremely easy. The sauce was rich indeed - almost too much so given how rarely one eats such a food these days. And the funniest thing was Andy said it was good but he would much prefer "regular" spaghetti. I guess the good old meat and tomato sauce wins again.

The Roasted Vegetable

So I am currently reading through a cookbook called The Roasted Vegetable (see list of good reads).

As Lisa had given us some carrots and a patty pan squash I decided to try roasting on the bbq. The carrots were done in olive oil and butter with salt, pepper and a couple of thyme sprigs. The squash was olive oil with garlic cloves, basil and parsley. I have to say I prefer the oil/butter combo over straight oil and will keep that in mind in future.

Not sure if Andy was to impressed with the garlic breath but I just love roasted garlic cloves so you know where they all went - tee hee.

Sage Cream Cheese

Ingredients:
1/4 cup fresh sage
1 clove garlic
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 Tbsp frozen lemonade concentrate

Directions:
Finely chop sage and garlic. Blend together with cream cheese and lemonade concentrate. Chill atleast overnight for best flavour. Can also be done in food processor to chop the sage finer and make a greener spread.

Had this with the sage cornmeal biscuits. Very good - love the garlic zip. I'm thinking it would be really good stuffed into chicken breasts with some mushrooms.

Sage Cornmeal Biscuits

Makes 1 dozen

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups
all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
3 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp fresh sage
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup shortening
3/4 cup milk

Directions:
Combine first five ingredients. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in milk just until moistened. On floured surface roll until 3/4" and cut into 2" pieces. Place on ungreased sheet and bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Serve immediately.

MMmm yummy. I had these for my Sunday lunch topped with sage cream cheese. Need I say more.

Remington's Chicken Salad Maison

Servings: 6

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp oj concentrate
4 Tbsp mayo
salt
white pepper
4 cups cooked, diced chicken
2 ribs diced celery
1/2 medium diced onion
1 clove minced garlic
1 head shredded lettuce
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
1 cup toasted cashews
Grapes, strawberries or other fresh fruit for garnish

Directions:

Blend oj and mayo in bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add in chicken, celery, onion, garlic.

Divide lettuce among plates. Place chicken mixture on top. Top with oranges and cashews. Garnish with desired fruit(s).

This was last night's dinner. Thankful it is an easy meal to make as in the middle of mixing together the oj and mayo my glass bowl exploded. After mopping up the entire kitchen and thanking my lucky stars that I wasn't hurt I quickly mixed up another batch and we were ready to eat in less then 10. The garlic definately makes all the difference in this sauce so don't skip it or it will be too bland.

Granola

Servings: 28

Ingredients:

6 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup wheat germ
1 cup sesame seeds
1 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup flax seed
1 cup cashew pieces
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup coconut
1 cup rye flakes
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups honey
1 Tbsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 225F
Mix all dry ingredients together in large bowl.
Heat honey and oil until warm, remove from heat and add vanilla.
Pour liquids over dry and mix thoroughly until evenly coated.
Spread onto baking sheets and baking for 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 1/2 hour
Allow to cool completely, add dried fruits such as raisins, cranberries, banana chips if desired.
Store in airtight container.

Granola, summer's yummiest breakfast. Add some yogurt and some fresh sliced fruit and you have a fast, nutritious and delicious meal.

I made this last night as I was making dinner. So simple and so much better then store bought. I think I am going to try adding some spices next time. Cinnamon, poudre douce or maybe even something different like allspice. I think I'll play with some of the different variations - less oat flakes and add in some other options - kamut, barley, etc. I might try decreasing the honey slightly and try adding in a little brown sugar just to see what that does to the flavour. Although I think I like the idea of using honey for my sweetener - have to think about that one. I also have heard of decreasing the honey by 1/2 cup and using some apple or orange juice - I think I'll try that one.

BBQ Shrimp Pizza

Servings 4

1 - 10 oz can pizza dough
1/2 cup honey flavoured bbq sauce
1/2 lb shrimp, cooked and peeled
2 Tbsp sliced black olives
2 Tbsp purple onion, chopped
1 cup cheddar cheese

Pat pizza dough into pan. Bake at 425 for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and spread with bbq sauce. Top with shrimp, olives, onion, cheese. Return to oven and bake 8-10 minutes.

Per serving - 342 cal

Okay so this is a fav in our house - why? - well Andy likes it and I like that - especially as it contains seafood which we don't eat enough of as Andy isn't a huge fan. I keep trying new recipes though and everytime I find one he likes I jump at the chance to make it again. In our house this recipe has changed somewhat and usually looks something like this

bbq sauce (plain or garlic) mixed with honey
shrimp
onion - yellow, red or green
pineapple
peppers - green, red, yellow or orange
black olives - on my third of pizza
cheese - mozza, cheddar or monteray

Last night was a scorcher so we cooked pizza on the bbq. Heat it up to 425 with burners on one side turned off. Throw pizza on the turned off side and cook until hot and bubbly. Yummy! Served with bean salad and a green salad featuring my first mesclun mix pickings of the year. I sure do love how a little bit of greens from the garden can make such a flavour difference to a salad.

Bean Salad

Servings: 10
From: Allrecipes.com


Ingredients:

1 - 14 oz can green beans
1 - 14 oz can wax beans
1 - 15 oz can red kidney beans
1 - 15 oz garbanzo beans
1 - 15 oz can black beans
1 - red onion, chopped
1 - green pepper, chopped
3/4 cup - red wine vinegar
3/4 cup - white sugar
3/4 cup - vegetable oil
3/4 tsp - ground dry mustard
1/2 tsp - dried tarragon
1 1/2 tsp - dried cilantro

Directions:

In a large bowl, layer the beans, onion and green pepper. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, mix the vinegar, sugar, oil, mustard, tarragon and cilantro. Cook and sir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and pour over bean mixture. Stir until all ingredients are coated. This is best if it is left to marinate for a few hours in the refrigerator, and stirred occasionally.

So above is the original recipe. I made it (with a couple of changes) last night to take with us over to our friends (Kathryn and Leif) for dinner. When posting this I discovered a couple of variations I am going to try. Below is my most current favourite version. I am going to try it with corn, celery and green onion added the next time I make it. I think I may also increase the tarragon, decrease the cilantro, delete the romano beans, add a green pepper and allow the dressing to cool before pouring over the beans.

Ingredients

1 can green beans
1 can wax beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can garbanzo beans
1 can romano beans
1 red onion, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow pepper, chopped
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 1/2 tsp fresh tarragon
1 Tbsp fresh cilantro


As a side note I had a wonderful visit with my dear friend Kathryn. We had a favourite and easy meal of burgers, sliced veggies, chips, bean salad and chilled iced tea. It was a great way to finish what otherwise was an extremely long and hot day - there is nothing like catching up with dear friends and seeing how their children have grown and their homes have changed. It is amazing how busy our lives get and how infrequently we seem to get together. Kath and Leif have developed this great sand play area for the boys, it even has a slide that goes from the deck down to the sand area.

I am thankful for wonderful friends like Kathryn and Leif, for a husband that changes his work schedule so we can get together with our friends and for chilled iced tea.

Tabbouleh

Servings: 6

From: The New Family Cookbook for People with Diabetes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup finely cut bulgur

1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 fresh tomato, cored, seeded and chopped

3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

3 Tbsp canola or corn oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Soak the bulgur in 1 cup boiled water for 1/2 hour. Drain well.

Place the bulgur in a large bowl and add the parsley, onion and tomato; mix well.

Combine the lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper. Add to salad; toss lightly to coat the ingredients. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours before serving.

Nutrional: 122 Calories, 7 gram fat, 13 gram carb, 2 gram protein

My little piece: Ahh, the pungent, earthy and fresh taste of this salad is enough to get anyone excited. This is my lunch today - I prepared it last night as I was cooking dinner. I used fresh Italian parsley out of my herb bed (my birthday gift this year from my husband). Todays variance from the recipe was to try lime juice instead of lemon and I often switch out the type of onion used - today it is red onion. I am also using grapeseed oil today for something different.