Shockingly Quick Macaroons

Without the chocolate, these are shockingly quick and easy (20ish minutes including prep). They are still easy with the chocolate, but just not as quick. You have to wait for the chocolate to set. I would NEVER make these without the chocolate however. They are nowhere near as good without the chocolate. The original recipe called for semi sweet chocolate. I highly recommend very dark chocolate. It is the prefect pairing with the sweet chewy cookie. The cookie is like a mounds bar, but the coconut is toasted (bonus). The recipe also called for a half dipped cookie. I hate wasting leftover dipping chocolate. (It wouldn't actually got to waste. I'd sit down and eat it all with a spoon) So, in order to use chocolate more efficiently, I only dipped the bottoms. When I was nearly out of chocolate, I spread the remaining melted chocolate on the final cookies with a knife. This recipe is from Cooks Illustrated The Quick Recipe.

Shockingly Quick Macaroons
yield 10 cookies
Can be doubled

INGREDIENTS
1 large egg white
1/3 c sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/4 c coconut
2 T cornstarch
4 oz semi sweet chocolate chips or most of a Hershey's 60% dark chocolate bar.


1. Adjust oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly spray the parchment with a nonstick cooking spray.
2. Whisk together the egg white, sugar, and salt in a small bowl. Toss the coconut with the cornstarch in a medium bowl. Be sure to coat the coconut thoroughly. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula until evenly moistened.
3. Drop heaping tablespoons of batter onto the parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing about 1 inch apart.
4. Bake until light golden brown, 12-14 minutes, rotating the baking sheet from front to back halfway through the cooking time. Cool the macaroons on the baking sheet 2 minutes. Us a spatula to transfer the macaroons onto a cooling rack. Cool 10 minutes. You can stop here if you wish.
5. The original recipe says to melt 3/4 semi sweet chocolate in a microwave on half power. Start at 1 1/2 minutes, stir, and add 30 seconds at a time as needed. Add the remaining chocolate and stir until smooth. Dip the macaroons halfway into the chocolate mixture. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheet in the refrigerator until the chocolate is set.
I melted the dark chocolate in the microwave in a ramekin barely bigger then the cookies. I dipped and twisted only the bottoms of the cookies. Then I placed them on a parchment lined cookie sheet and put them in the fridge.

Bulgur and Mushroom Pilaf

If you like to cook a meat, a vegetable, and a starch, this recipe could help shake things up a bit in the starch section of your plate. It's a pretty quick recipe. When I made this I just skipped the porcini mushrooms. I'm sure they would be good. I didn't have them, so I didn't bother. I just skipped ahead to step 2 and added 1 c water where it called for soaking liquid. Bonus. Bulgur is a whole grain. Make sure you get bulgur wheat and not cracked wheat. They look the same, but aren't. This recipe is from the cookbook "The Quick Recipe from the Editor's of Cook's Illustrated Magazine".

BULGUR AND MUSHROOM PILAF

Serves 4 to 6

INGREDIENTS

½ oz Dried porcini mushrooms

3 T unsalted butter

1 medium onion, chopped fine

1/4 tsp salt

8 oz cremini (preferably) or white button mushrooms, stem ends trimmed, quartered (or cut into 6 pieces if large)

2 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 tsp)

1 ½ c bulgur, preferably medium-grain

1 3/4 c canned low-sodium chicken broth

1 ½ tsp soy sauce

1/4 c chopped fresh parsley

ground black pepper

1. Mix the dried porcini mushrooms with ½ cup hot tap water in a small microwave-safe bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, cut several steam vents with a paring knife, and microwave on high power for 30 seconds. Let stand until the mushrooms soften, about 5 minutes. Lift the mushrooms from the liquid with a fork and mince. Pour the liquid through a small strainer lined with a single layer of paper towel and placed over a measuring cup. Add enough water to the soaking liquid to total 1 cup and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the foaming subsides, add the onion and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally until the onion has softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the fresh mushrooms and cook until reduced in volume and beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in bulgur, broth, soy sauce, and reserved mushroom soaking liquid and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the bulgur is tender, about 15 minutes. Using a fork, stir in the parsley and fluff the bulgur. Adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Pisole

This vegetarian soup is quick, easy, good, and healthy. What more could you want? It does have a bit of spicy heat, so it's not ideal for most kids. The ingredient list makes this soup look daunting, but there is only a small amount of chopping, a quick saute, lots of opening cans, and dumping. The original recipe included pork. If you want pork, coat some pork pieces in flour and saute then in oil before you add them to the soup. This was my recipe originally, but my sister Julie has probably made pisole 50 times more then I have. So, maybe it's Julie's recipe now? This soup freezes well. Hominy is sold in the Mexican food section of the supermarket. There is yellow and white hominy. I've never noticed a difference in taste. I usually get one can of each to make the soup more fancier. I serve this with whole grain cornbread muffins. I don't speak Spanish, and this may or may not be misspelled.

PISOLE

INGREDIENTS

¼ c vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 c)

1/4 c carrots, chopped

1/4 c celery, chopped

1 clove garlic, pressed through a garlic press

1 T chili powder

2 cups cooked pinto beans (or just use one can)

2 15 oz cans hominy, drained

¼ c chopped greed chilies or green pepper (or just use one can)
1 15 oz can chopped tomatoes

4 c vegetable (or chicken) broth

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

1 ½ tsp dried oregano leaves

1 small onion chopped (about 1/4 c)

¼ c snipped cilantro

Saute 1/2 c onion, 1/4 c carrot, and 1/4 c celery until tender. About a minute before the onion/carrot/celery mixture is done, add the garlic and chili powder. Saute one minute. Add all the remaining ingredients except onion and cilantro. Heat to a boil, reducing heat . Cover and simmer 30 to 40 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 c chopped onion and cilantro.

Honey Mustard Chicken

O.K. Ready for the recipe?
1 part honey
1 part mustard
Pretty complicated. Mix equal parts of honey and mustard. You can use Dijon mustard if you want. I used Sandwich Pal brand horseradish mustard. I've used other flavors of sandwich pal mustard to make this too. Whatever you like. You can mix in some fresh dill if you like also. Then season and grill your chicken. Brush on the honey mustard toward the end of the grilling. If you put it on in the beginning the honey will burn. Easy, quick, and good. The honey mustard sauce is also a good dip for pretzels.

Bleu Cheese Steak

I honestly don't cook that many steaks. I'm a bit intimidated by the many cuts of steak and I don't have the strong steak craving that most men seem to have. When I do make steaks, this is the only way I cook them. They are is sooooo good this way. The first time I made it I was just grilling for myself. I found myself gesturing toward the steak and making Mmmmmm noises to myself. I use chives in this recipe because I grow them in my herb garden. Either chives or green onion tops are fine.

BLEU CHEESE STEAK

4 steaks

4 oz bleu cheese, crumbled

¼ cup sliced green onion tops (or chives)

Mix bleu cheese and green onions (chives). Season steak with salt and pepper steak. Grill one side and flip. Spread cheese and onion mixture on steak and close lid. This chart has the total cooking time for both sides.

Listed in this order: medium-rare (145 degrees), medium (160 degrees) ,well-done (170 degrees)

1-inch thick steaks: 6-7 minutes ,7-9 minutes, 9-11 minutes

1 1/2-inch thick steaks: 10-12 minutes, 12-15 minutes, 15-19 minutes

2-inch thick steaks: 15-17 minutes, 17-19 minutes, 19-22 minutes

Cornmeal Crusted Fish on the Grill

O.K. so I have a fish phobia. I have this belief that I don't know how to cook fish. I actually not that bad. I'm still a bit afraid of it though. I'm trying to cook and eat more fish, because I don't eat enough. I have a big box of pollock in my freezer for inspiration. This isn't the most impressive fish recipe ever, but it's quick and easy and I seem to make it quite often. I also recommend coming to terms with the fact that the fish might not be whole when you serve it off the grill and that's O.K. Fish can get hard to flip,especially if it's really thin like this fish. By the way, there is not less calories in cooking spray then oil. Cooking spray is just oil and propellants. There is only less calories if you use less then you would if you were using oil. It makes more sense in this recipe to spray the fish with oil then to try to brush it on.

CORNMEAL CRUSTED FISH ON THE GRILL

Fish (I used pollock that was maybe 1/4 inch thick)

Seasoning Mix (I used Penzey's Northwoods Fire but I also like Cajun seasoning or Old Bay seasoning. Anything you like on fish.)

Salt (if there's none in your seasoning mix)

Cornmeal

Cooking Spray

Pat fish dry with paper towels or a kitchen towel if it's really wet like mine was. Season fish with seasoning and salt (if using). Bread fish with cornmeal. Heat the grill with the flat grill pan on the grill. Spray the fish liberally with cooking spray. I cooked my thin fish for 3 minutes per side. Cook for the correct time for the thickness of your fish.

Cauliflower with Lemon, Capers, and Hard Boiled Egg

This dish can be served hot or cold. If you serve it hot, add toasted panko breadcrumbs to the top. If you serve it cold along side your grilled food, skip the bread crumbs, because they'll get soggy. Don't add any bread crumbs to the hot version if you think you might have leftovers. Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top of the individual servings instead.

A word about panko bread crumbs. They're freekin' awesome. You should never use another kind of bread crumb. They're crispy and magnificent. They are great for breading a pork chop or topping a casserole. A Japanese product, they were all the rage on Iron Chef (a cooking competition show on the food network) a few years ago. Now they have them in supermarkets everywhere. What is panko?

CAULIFLOWER WITH LEMON, CAPERS, AND HARD BOILED EGG

INGREDIENTS

1 head cauliflower, cut into pieces

1 1/2 T lemon juice

1 hard boiled egg, chopped

2 T capers

2 T parsley

salt and pepper

butter

panko bread crumbs

Steam the cauliflower. Mix in the rest of the ingredients (except panko and butter). *Optional*Top with panko that you cooked in butter in a skillet until browned.

MICROWAVE METHOD

Place cauliflower and lemon juice in a covered, microwave safe bowl. Microwave until the cauliflower until it is cooked through. Start with 5 minutes and check. Add one minute and check again. Repeat until your cauliflower is done. (Mine takes 9 minutes in my slow microwave.) All microwaves cook differently. Write down your time so you know how long to cook it next time. Mix in remaining ingredients (except panko and butter). *Optional*Top with panko that you cooked in butter in a skillet until browned.

Strawberry (or Peach or Pineapple)Yogurt Smoothie

You can also make smoothies from blueberries, peaches, blackberries (I usually use frozen berries), mixed berries, or peaches.

STRAWBERRY YOGURT SMOOTHIE

yield two smoothies (or one if you want a big breakfast)

INGREDIENTS

4 strawberries

1/2 banana

1 C plain yogurt

2 tsp sugar or to taste

1 T flax seeds (ground)(optional)

a few fresh mint leaves (optional)

a drop of vanilla extract (optional)

Combine all ingredients either in a blender (add a few ice cubes) or blend with an immersion blender (no ice cubes). If you make this with an immersion blender, add a few ice cubes to the glass you serve it in. You can store the extra smoothie in the refrigerator and have it for breakfast tomorrow. You can put the extra 1/2 banana in the freezer.

PEACH SMOOTHIE

Substitute 1/2 peach or nectarine for the strawberries. The nectarines were small today, so I used a whole one. I also really like mint leaves in my peach smoothie.

Pineapple Smoothie

INGREDIENTS

1/2 c pineapple

1/2 a banana

1 c plain yogurt

1 T flax seed

1 T coconut

1 tsp sugar

Combine all ingredients either in a blender (add a few ice cubes) or blend with an immersion blender (no ice cubes). If you make this with an immersion blender, add a few ice cubes to the glass you serve it in. You can store the extra smoothie in the refrigerator and have it for breakfast tomorrow. You can put the extra 1/2 banana in the freezer.

Pasta with Fennel, Tomatoes, and Capers

I threw this together today. It's basic and easy. Kristy used to make something like this. Neither of us could remember the exact recipe. Luckily it is a recipe that you can't goof up. It's a good way to try fennel if you haven't tried it before. You can leave out the capers if you want, but I like 'em.

PASTA WITH FENNEL, TOMATOES, AND CAPERS

INGREDIENTS

1/2 lb of pasta

1/2 onion, chopped

1 fennel bulb sliced in half lengthwise and then sliced width wise

1 clove garlic, crushed

olive oil

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

28 oz can tomatoes, chopped

1/2 c white wine

1/2 T capers, rough chopped

1/2 tsp sugar

1 T parsley, chopped

1 T fennel fronds, chopped (the stuff that looks like dill on the fennel bulb. Dill looks like a feathery stick like plant. You'll figure it out)

Cook the pasta as directed. While you are doing that, saute onions in olive oil with medium heat in a large skillet for (I'm guessing) one to two minutes. Add the chopped garlic. Saute 30 seconds to one minute. Add the fennel bulb, salt and red pepper. Saute until the fennel begins to cook through. I didn't time this, but this took a while, 5 minutes maybe. Add the chopped tomatoes and the juice from the can. Add the capers, white wine, and sugar. Simmer until the sauce has thickened. Approximately 15 minutes. (I did time this.) Toss with the cooked pasta and cook a minute or two. Garnish with parsley, fennel fronds, and Parmesan cheese.

Broccoli, ham, and cheese

When I was a kid, people used to joke about how much kids hated broccoli. I always thought it was strange because I absolutely loved broccoli. My love of broccoli began with this recipe. It crack me up now because the prevailing thinking now is "If your kids won't eat veggies, at least you can always fall back on broccoli. All kids like that." My mother got this recipe form a Pillsbury bake off in (probably) the late 60's or early 70's. If you want to make this recipe extra "fancy", you can add the crescent rolls. They are arranged to form a wreath shape. I very rarely use the crescent rolls, although, it does make a nice presentation. I like to use fresh broccoli and the microwave method. At our house this is a one dish meal (serves 2-3), but normal people will probably want to serve this as a side dish.

MOM'S BROCCOLI HAM AND CHEESE

Regular method:

INGREDIENTS

1 package broccoli or 1 bunch fresh

1/2 cup cut small or grated cheese (Colby or cheddar)

1/4 cup cubed ham or Canadian bacon

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 T onion, chopped fine

1 T chopped fresh parsley

1/2 tsp Mustard, I used sandwich pal, but Dijon or plain yellow also work

salt and pepper (easy on the salt because of the ham)

Cook the broccoli according to package directions. Whisk together the lemon juice and mustard. When the broccoli is cooked, mix all of the ingredients together.

"Fancy" presentation oven method.

INGREDIENTS

1 package broccoli or1 bunch fresh

1/2 cup cut small or grated cheese (Colby or cheddar)

1/4 cup cubed ham or Canadian bacon

2 Tbsp lemon juice

2-3 T chopped onion

1 T chopped fresh parsley

1/2 tsp mustard, I use sandwich pal, but Dijon or plain yellow also work

salt and pepper (easy on the salt because of the ham)

Crescent dinner rolls

Cook broccoli according to package directions. Combine lemon juice and mustard. When the broccoli is finished, combine all ingredients. Place crescent rolls on pizza pan, with the short sides of the crescent rolls pressed together forming a circle. The long points of the crescent rolls will be facing outward, like a many pointed star. Place the broccoli on the crescent rolls to form a wreath shape. Turn the points of the crescent rolls over the filling and attach them to the inside edge or the crescent roll. I don't have anything written that says how to bake it. I'd assume that you bake it according to the directions on the crescent rolls. That should work since the broccoli filling is already warm and all you need to do is bake the crescent rolls.

Microwave Method:

INGREDIENTS

1 package broccoli or1 bunch fresh

1/2 cup cut small or grated cheese (Colby or cheddar)

1/4 cup cubed ham or Canadian bacon

2 Tbsp lemon juice

2-3 T chopped onion

1 T chopped fresh parsley

1/2 tsp mustard, I use sandwich pal, but Dijon or plain yellow also work

salt and pepper (easy on the salt because of the ham)

Mix the lemon juice and mustard together in a microwave safe bowl. Add all of the remaining ingredients except for the cheese. Cover with plastic wrap and cook in the microwave for 7or 8 minutes, checking after 5 minutes. Mix in the cheese when you think you're one minute from being done.

Keep broccoli covered when serving. Broccoli cools quickly.

*Note- all microwaves cook differently. If this is your first time making broccoli in your microwave, start checking early. My microwave is slow so your broccoli might be done much earlier.

Homemade Yogurt

This was my breakfast today. Aren't you jealous? You should be. It's homemade yogurt with homemade granola and strawberries. I think I'm channeling Martha Stewert, or at least a hippy version of Martha Stewart. I've been flirting with the idea of making my own yogurt for years now. (Or is is decades? Who keeps track.) I got a step closer when I saw Alton brown make yogurt on the food network with a heating pad. Then I recently saw this post and had a conversation with Kristy about making yogurt. (Kristy's been threatening for years too.) Making yogurt is not hard. It is a kind or weird scifi voodoo cloning experiment. Since I eat smoothies for breakfast almost every day in the summer, I thought it would be worth it to figure it out. We'll have to see if I want to keep making it or not. If I do decide to keep making it I plan to buy a yogurt maker, which aren't expensive. When I made it yesterday, I just wrapped a heating pad around a quart jar. I did a dry run the day before. I put 100 degree water in a heating pad wrapped quart jar and then took the water temperature a few hours later. Still 100ish degrees, so I was cleared for voodoo yogurt cloning. Here are a few notes on Yogurt making. You need to start with good yogurt so you have good cultures. Your yogurt absolutely must have active live cultures or it won't work. I used low fat Stonyfield farms. They also sell yogurt starters online. Yogurt will only clone itself a few times before you have to get a new yogurt starter. According to Cooking the Hard way, if you want to make yogurt with skim milk you will have to add powdered milk. I used 2 % milk for my yogurt. It's a good idea to sterilize your jars. Running them through a rinse cycle in the dishwasher will do it. I plan to update this post after I have made yogurt a few times and can add my voice of experience.

HOMEMADE YOGURT

INGREDIENTS

3 1/2 c milk (I used 2 %)

1/2 c yogurt ( used low fat Stonyfield farms)

Heat milk to 170 degrees. I tried heating the milk slowly, stirring occasionally avoid getting a milk skin. This took forever and I still got a milk skin. I' plan on heating it faster next time. Then you let it cool until it's 100-110 degrees, this took me 20 minutes. Make sure the milk is under 110 or the yogurt cultures will die and it won't work, err on the cool side. Whisk some of the milk into your 1/2 cup yogurt. Whisk the yogurt-milk mixture into the remaining milk. Pour that into a sterilized quart jar. Allow to sit for 8 hours kept at 110 degrees. My yogurt actually set up much quicker then 8 hours. I let it keep going because I wasn't sure if it was really set or not and if you let your yogurt go longer, you get a more tart flavor. There will be a ton of whey (the watery stuff in yogurt). Just pour it off. Don't forget to give the whey to your yogurt loving dog who would really appreciate it. Bad owner. Bad owner.

*second attempt- I warmed the 2 % milk on my simmer burner set to medium to 170 degrees, stirring every few minutes. This took 21 minutes. I stirred the milk every few minutes as it waswarming and cooling (16-18minutes). There was no milk "skin" this time. I think stirring as it cools does it. The yogurt set up somewhere between 3 and 4 3/4 hours. I still let it go for 8 hours so it would be more tart. It made 1 3/4 c yogurt cheese. I drained it overnight and got at least a cup of whey. Based on this, I'd recommend always draining homemade yogurt overnight. I made frozen yogurt and it froze pretty hard. I will either make it again with whole milk or make yogurt Popsicles next time.

*Third attempt-I planned to make yogurt from low fat (1%) milk. That was the plan, but some idiot (OK, it was me) came home with fat free milk (Land O' Lakes with calcium). I figured I'd try anyway. I didn't think it would set up, but it did without a problem. The flavor was not as good with no fat milk however. My plan is to use 1 percent in the future.

*Le Groupe M. Vachon yogurt (bright green package) review- It makes yogurt. Not very good yogurt. It lacks a depth of flavor that I was getting using Stoneyfield Farms Lowfat yogurt. Also the second batch of this yogurt (made from first batch) sets up, but just barely. You could never get a third batch. You can get a third batch from Stoneyfield Farms. I don't recommend this yogurt starter.

Breakfast Cookies

I thought these were terrible. Not cutting the sugar in half might have helped them. However, my mom loved these breakfast cookies. So, I'm posting this recipe at her request so she can make them in Alaska. If you want to try them, I think adding all the sugar is a good idea. This recipe is from Everyday Foods.

OATMEAL-ALMOND CRISPS

INGREDIENTS

1/3 C packed brown sugar (I used 2 T + 2 tsp brown sugar)

1/4 C (1/2 stick)butter, melted (I used 2 T oil and 2T melted butter)

1 large egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract (or almond extract)

1 1/2 C rolled oats

1/2 C sliced almonds (or sunflower seeds or a mixture)

nonstick cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, whisk brown sugar, butter, egg and vanilla until smooth. Mix in oats and almonds.

3. Drop mixture by level tablespoons onto prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2-inches apart. Spray the underside of a spatula with cooking spray, and use to flatten cookies into 2 1/2-inch disks.

4. Bake until golden, 14 to 16 minutes. Cool completely on baking sheets. (Handle with care; cookies are fragile.)

Lemon Pasta with Chick peas and spinach

This is a quick, easy, healthy, last minute supper idea. Even healthier if you use whole wheat pasta. I recommend Ronzoni. The lemon sauce won't mask the whole wheat flavor of the pasta the way a spicy Puttanesca sauce will. So, you have to like whole wheat pasta to use it in this recipe. By the way, chick peas and garbanzo beans are different names for the same bean. I was out of chick peas when I made the pasta in the picture, so I substituted black eyed peas.

Lemon pasta with chick peas and spinach

INGREDIENTS
2/3 c dried chick peas

1 bay leaf

1 medium clove garlic

OR 1 can of garbanzo beans

3 crushed cloves garlic

1 ½ LB spinach (or one box, thawed and squeezed)

¼ c olive oil

2 tsp fresh minced thyme (or 2 tsp dried)

1 tsp salt

1/2 LB pasta

3 T lemon juice (fresh is better, I use bottled)

The Original instructions:

1. Soak chick peas overnight covered by 2 inches water. Cook with bay leaf and garlic clove 35-40 minutes. Can be refrigerated up to 2 days.

2. Bring 4 quarts of water to boil for pasta.

3. Stem spinach and wash. Cook in a Dutch oven or deep pot with some water until wilted .(5 minutes) Drain.

4. Heat oil. Add garlic and thyme and sauté over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add chick peas until warm. (1 minute) Add spinach and salt. Heat and mix thoroughly. (2 minutes) Taste for salt and seasoning.

5. Toss with lemon juice and pasta.

My way:

1. Cook the pasta.

2. Heat oil. Add garlic and thyme and sauté over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add chick peas until warm. (1 minute) Add spinach (squeezed and thawed from a box) and salt. Heat and mix thoroughly. (2 minutes)Taste for salt and seasoning.

3. Toss with lemon juice and pasta.

Vegetarian Pasta Puttanesca

This is a vegetarian version of pasta puttanesca . I got this recipe from my vegetarian sister Kristy. Normally puttanesca includes anchovies. Pasta Puttanesca translates to whorehouse pasta. This is a recipe the whores could make this by opening up cans and heating cooking on a hotplate. I have altered the recipe to my liking, adding way more red pepper flakes and garlic. Normal humans might want to use less. Since this recipe is so flavorful it works really well with whole wheat pasta. I like the Ronzonni brand. (they have it at Central Market) This is an easy last minute dish.

PASTA ALLA PUTTANESCA

INGREDIENTS

1 28-oz can whole tomatoes, juice discarded

¼ c olive oil

4 medium garlic cloves

½ tsp red pepper flakes

8 large black olives (2-oz)

8 large green olives (2-oz)

2 T drained capers

Salt to taste

1/2 LB pasta

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Meanwhile...

1. Rough chop tomatoes

2. Heat oil over medium heat and add garlic and red pepper until golden. (2 minutes)

3. Add the rest of the ingredients until sauce thickens. (15 minutes) Salt to taste. This needs very little salt however, because olives and capers are high in salt.

4. Toss with pasta and Parmesan.

Fresh Tomato Soup

The reviews for this soup have varied from "I don't like tomatoes, but I really like this soup." to "We made it and we thought it was terrible. We had to really doctor it up." Fresh tomato soup is a staple at my house. Or it was until they closed the local green house that grew fresh tomatoes. I miss you greenhouse. This recipe originally called for a cup of cream added after you blend the soup, and then bringing the soup back to a simmer. I don't think it needs the cream, but feel free to add it if you like. If the soup isn't quite right, try adding more salt. With tomato recipes (like salsa) the fix is usually to add more salt. I like to freeze this soup in single serve Ziploc containers. The soup in the picture was frozen in a Ziploc container. I tried to make the picture fancy by adding cheese to the soup. Turns out cheese does not float.

Fresh Tomato Soup

INGREDIENTS

1 T olive oil

½ medium onion, chopped

¼ tsp pepper

8 tomatoes (2 ½ lbs), chopped

4 c water

1 tsp salt

1. Sauté onions in olive oil in a soup pot.

2. Add the tomatoes and pepper, and cook 20 minutes on low. Add water and salt.

3. Cook 40 minutes uncovered.

4. Blend in batches in a food processor or just blend with an immersion blender.

Key Lime Cheesecake

This is a super easy and a nice summer treat. Buy a gram cracker crust. Mix three ingredients in a mixer. Pour into crust and chill. You can make the whipped cream topping if you feel like it. It's only slightly more complicated, but it's fine if you just stop with the key lime filling. One thing to note is that Key Lime Juice is not lime juice. Key lime is sweeter. Don't bother looking for fresh key limes. (a lemon, a lime and a key lime in link) I doubt they sell them in very many places. Garnish with strawberries.

Key Lime Cheesecake

INGREDIENTS

For filling:

An 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened (low fat & fat free work well)

A 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk (low fat works here also)

1/2 cup fresh or bottled Key lime juice

1 teaspoon vanilla

For the whipped cream topping:

1 cup well-chilled heavy cream

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla-I just use a drop in the cream

Make filling

In a bowl with an electric mixer beat together filling ingredients until smooth and pour into a prepared gram cracker crust. Chill cheesecake at least 1 hour or up to overnight.

For the whipped cream topping:

In another bowl with cleaned beaters beat cream with sugar and vanilla until it holds soft peaks and spread evenly on cheesecake. TIP: If you make the whip cream ahead of time and place it in the refrigerator in a coffee filter lined sieve, the whip cream will not collapse. See my video. It will hold for at least a day and a half, probably more. The most I ever tried is a day and a half.

Also, it's good without the whipped cream.

Wheat Berry Pilaf

I like to eat this as an alternative to oatmeal. Ya know, you have to mix things up. Wheat berries have satisfyingly chewy texture and wheaty flavor. Wheat berries are a great whole grain. The larger and less processed a grain is, the healthier it is for you. The more work your digestive system is doing, the better. For example the descending order of healthiness would be Whole oats, Irish oats, rolled oats, and instant oats. Wheat berries are what they call the whole kernels of wheat in a health food store. If you're a farmer or like me and have a farmer friend, you don't even have to go to the store. They just show up at your house. Thanks Steve and Karen. If you use wheat berries for other things, Like Lora's Weird Wheat berry Salad, wheat berries, like all (or at least most) whole gains will freeze well after they are cooked. I added a Tablespoon of brown sugar to Kristy's original recipe. She likes this with a little warm milk. I think milk is kind of disgusting, especially warm. So, I just eat mine plain. By the way, it's a cinnamon stick in the picture if you were wondering.

KRISTY’S WHEAT BERRY PILAF

INGREDIENTS

1 c wheat berries

3 c water

pinch sea salt

1 cinnamon stick

1 T dark brown sugar

1/3 c golden raisins

1/3 c dried cranberries

½ c chopped almonds, toasted

½ T butter or olive oil

Soak wheat berries 8 hours or over night. Drain. Place in heavy-bottomed pot with water, sea salt, brown sugar,and cinnamon stick. Cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 1 ½ hours until tender. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and let sit 10 minutes. Drain off any excess liquid and remove cinnamon stick.

Ginger Carrot Soup

Sometimes I make this soup and I think it's the perfect delicious healthy spa style meal. Other times I just think it's just OK. The cashews are good in here even though they seem weird. I've made it without the dried mint before and it still worked. You can serve cornbread with this soup for a healthy lunch.

GINGER CARROT SOUP

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs carrots

4 c water

1 T olive oil

1 ½ c chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 T grated ginger

1 ½ tsp salt

1/4 tsp each:

cumin

ground fennel

cinnamon

all spice

dried mint

3-4 T lemon juice

1 c toasted cashews

1. Cut carrots into 1-inch chunks. Put in a medium sauce pan with water and salt, cover, bring to a boil. Simmer until very tender. (10-15 minutes)

2. Heat the oil in a small skillet. Add onions and saute over medium for about 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, salt, and spices. Turn heat to low and continue to saute 8-10 minutes until well mingled and onions are very soft. Add lemon juice.

3. Puree everything (including cashews) in food processor in batches. Rewarm before serving. Alternatively, blend with an immersion blender in the saucepan off heat. Pass buttermilk for drizzling. (Optional) Cashews only keep for a day or so in the fridge before getting soggy. This soup will not freeze.

Hummus

Hummus is the bean dip you get at Greek restaurants. It is good as a dip for veggies or pita chips. It is also good as a vegetarian meat substitute in a veggie sandwich. Mashing the garlic and salt to a paste helps to distribute the garlic flavor throughout the Hummus. Tahini is a sesame seed butter made from sesame seeds in the same way that peanut butter is made from peanuts. Buy it from a place where you think they have good turnover because it can go rancid (like all things with nut oils). I'd look in the health food section of the supermarket or a heath food store. Tahini is the sauce usually served on a falafel. This recipe is from "The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Three Ancient Cuisines".

HUMMUS

INGREDIENTS

2 large garlic cloves, minced and mashed to a paste with 1/2 tsp salt

A 16 to 19 ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained

1/3 cup well stirred tahini (sesame seed paste)

2 T lemon juice

2 T olive oil

1 tsp ground cumin

3 T water

3 T minced fresh parsley leaves

In a food processor blend together garlic paste, chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, oil, cumin, scraping down sides, until smooth. Add water, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste and pulse until just combined. Makes 2 cups.

Yogurt Chive Sauce

This sauce can be served as a dip to eat with tortilla chips or as a substitute for sour cream when served with Mexican food. This dip has the spice of the Tabasco and has the cooling effect of yogurt in the same bite. You may be interested in my post on homemade yogurt. This recipe comes from the "Mayo Clinic/Williams Senoma Cookbook'.

YOGURT CHIVE SAUCE

INGREDIENTS

1 ½ cups plain yogurt (not vanilla)

¼ c chopped fresh chives

Tabasco to taste

¼ tsp salt

Chopped cilantro (optional)

Mix ingredients and serve with Mexican food or as a dip.