Twisted Coleslaw

Well...it's hot again!  SUPER hot!  We got about a day of relief.  I really like the fall here in Iowa because the weather is nice and it isn't super humid like it is in the summer.  The good thing about this heat is that it usually produces big thunderstorms at night.  That is one thing I actually like about living in the midwest and that is the big thunderstorms.  
Tonight I made a really yummy salad that I am calling Twisted Coleslaw. We had an abundance of cabbage from Abbe Hills from both this week and last week, so I needed to find something to do with it.  I put my thinking cap on and came up with this creative salad.  It was REALLY yummy and I am almost positive it will be even better tomorrow!  I made so much of it I dropped by the neighbors with a gift of salad.  Yum!


Twisted Coleslaw

• 16 ounces uncooked long fusilli (corkscrew) pasta 
• 1 small head green cabbage, finely chopped
• 1 small head savoy cabbage or red cabbage, finely chopped
• 1 unpeeled medium granny smith apple, chopped (1 cup)
• 1 cucumber, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup coleslaw dressing (homemade or store bought)
• 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 pkg. crunchy garlic and ginger flavored wontons
• 2 cups shredded carrots
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• Cook pasta and drain according to package directions.  Allow to cool.  Once the pasta is cool, toss all the ingredients together.  Place in the refrigerator to chill before serving for at least one hour if desired.  
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• Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

Tangy Steak Pasta Salad

Well, I am not sure how it happened, but I it is actually hotter today than it was yesterday!  It is just miserable outside.  Poor Daniel wants to go out and play so badly, but one step outside and you can hardly breathe.  I definitely think it is time to hop on the plane back to Seattle!  

Anyway, in my effort to make "heat friendly" fare (that which requires little to no cooking), I came up with this pasta salad, inspired by a recipe I got from Hy-Vee.  Give it a try, it is quite yummy, and great for a hot evening!

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• Tangy Steak Pasta Salad
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1 1/2 lbs sirloin steak cut 1 inch thick

• 4 cups uncooked tricolor rotini
• 1 cup cooked broccoli florets, chopped
• 1 large bell pepper cut into julienne strips and diced
• 1 can sliced olives
• 2 tbsp. thinly sliced fresh basil
• 1/4 cup homemade or store bought Italian dressing
• 1/4 cup crumbled parmesan cheese

Cook Pasta according to package directions, drain, and allow to cool.  Grill steak over medium high heat until desired doneness is reached (160 degrees for medium), turning once, let stand for 10 minutes.
Trim fat from steak. Cut steak lengthwise in half and then crosswise into thin slices, and then into cubes.
In large bowl, combine beef pasta, broccoli, bell pepper, basil, olives, cheese, and Italian dressing.  Yum!

It's too Hot to Cook!!!

Happy Summer everyone!  I hope you are all enjoying the lovely weather (if you have it where you are).  Here it is just too darned hot to cook.  Yesterday I made the tequila lime chicken, but substituted rum for the tequila because I was out of tequila.  I served it over salad.  Usually I do this recipe on the grill but our grill died, so I used my indoor grill.  It was still quite yummy though!  Give it a try!

Budget Friendly Meal- Caprese Salad and Chicken Pesto Panini

This is a meal that, when in season, is extremely budget friendly.  I make it a lot during the summer when tomatoes are in abundance, and if you grow your own tomatoes, it's even more economical!  Tomato plants are so cheap and you really can't go wrong when growing them, they are so super easy!  I used to plant them in a pot on my deck when I lived in an apartment and I got so many tomatoes I hardly knew what to do with them!  Basil is the same way.  It can be expensive at the grocery store, but a basil plant costs next to nothing and grows like a weed.  In no time whatsoever it will take over your garden if you let it (as will mint).  You can even grow basil indoors in the wintertime by planting it in a pot and placing it in the window.   Again, you can't go wrong.  
I love Caprese Salad.  The very essence of it screams late summer!  If you have never had Caprese Salad, it is a flavorful trio of beautiful, ripe red tomatoes, gorgeous and fragrant green basil, and mild fresh mozzarella.  I round it out with a simple dressing of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  YUM!


Caprese Salad

• 2-3 ripe roma or hothouse tomatoes, sliced
• 1 (8 oz) ball fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
• 10-20 basil leaves
• 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1/4 tsp. italian herbs
• salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Arrange the salad by placing sliced tomatoes, then basil, then cheese in kind of a circle fanned out on a plate, or in lines.  In a small bowl, mix together the vinegar, olive oil, herbs, salt and pepper.  Drizzle over tomatoes, cheese and basil.  Enjoy, it's really yummy!

Panini is like a fancy grilled cheese sandwich.  You can add whatever you like and you don't even need a panini press to make it.  I used to have one of those fancy panini presses, but cleaning it was a pain, and after awhile it broke.  I just make panini in my grill pan and place a heavy pot on top of the sandwiches to smoosh them down.  I made a nice pesto aioli and piled these sandwiches with thin slices of chicken breast, tomatoes, and provolone cheese.  Yummmm!


Chicken Pesto Panini (this is for one sandwich)

• 2-3 slices thinly sliced chicken breast (I go to the deli counter and ask them to thinly slice some chicken breast for me, I ask them to do it fresh and not take it from the stuff that has already been out because I fear deli meat)
• 2 thin slices of fresh tomato
• 1 tsp. pesto aioli (see recipe below)
• 2 slices provolone cheese
• 2 slices good bread (I like to us a fresh sourdough or last night I used homemade brioche).

Spread aioli thinly over both slices of bread.  Place a slice of cheese on each slice of bread.  Pile on the rest of the ingredients on one slice of bread and top with the other slice of bread and cheese.  Grill using a panini press or a grill pan and pressed down with a large, heavy pot for about 3 minutes on each side or until the cheese is sufficiently melted.  Enjoy!

Pesto Aioli

• 1/2 cup homemade or store bought mayonnaise (I use homemade)
• 1/4 cup homemade or store bought pesto sauce (I also use homemade for this)

Mix the two ingredients together until well incorporated.  Spread on sandwiches, use as a dipping sauce for chicken strips, or as a dip for veggies.

I hope you enjoy these budget friendly recipes!  Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

The Famous Cabbage Chicken Salad

Happy 4th of July to all my American readers out there!  To celebrate, I bring you the absolute most delicious salad in the entire universe!  For as long as I can remember, this salad has been made in my family.  In fact, I don't remember a summer where this wasn't made at least 10 times.  I am sure there are many variations on it out there, but I am not sure where the recipe originated.  This was my father's favorite summer salad, and when I first made it for my husband seven years ago, he was skeptical.  You have to understand that when I met David, he was somewhat of a picky eater.  He pretty much lived on fast food and anything he could dump out of a box before he met me.  Oh how that has changed!  Anyway, he was skeptical, "cabbage? Yuck!"  It didn't take much after he tried it though for the Cabbage Chicken Salad to become his summer favorite as well!  This recipe makes A TON of salad, but trust me it won't last long.  Also this is one that tastes even better the next day, and by day three it is the best it could ever be!  Plus, this recipe is super easy, so that is a bonus!  We call this The Famous Cabbage Chicken Salad in our family because whenever it is made, it disappears, and people always request it for picnics, potlucks, and such.


The Famous Cabbage Chicken Salad

• 1 large or 2 small heads green cabbage, washed and chopped
• 2 packages crunchy Chinese noodles broken up(like Top Ramen, however I do not use Top Ramen because of all the horrible ingredients from which it is made.  I have found another brand, although I cannot recall it off the top of my head that has only three ingredients.  You can use Ramen, that is what was always used when I was a kid.  Just look around the Ramen noodles, there are other choices and pick what you like).  Discard the seasoning packet.
• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 3 tbsp. sesame seeds
• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup oil (I use olive oil or vegetable oil)
• 2 tbsp. hot and sweet mustard
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. sesame oil

Place chicken in a large saucepan and fill with water or chicken stock just to cover the chicken.  Poach the chicken for about 15-20 minutes over medium heat until it is cooked through.  Remove the chicken from the poaching liquid and chop or shred.  Place in the refrigerator to cool.  Heat your oven to 400 degrees and spray a cookie sheet generously with cooking spray.  Spread out the noodles, the almonds, and the sesame seeds.  Cook in the oven for about 5 minutes or until browned and toasted.  Remove from oven and let stand to cool.  Place the cabbage in a VERY LARGE bowl (I am not kidding, VERY LARGE).  Add the cooled chicken and crunchies to the cabbage.  In a smaller bowl, mix together the vinegars, the mustard and the sugar, whisk vigorously while streaming in the oils.  Pour over the salad and mix well until combined.  This is SOOOOO good.  If desired, serve with hot and crusty bread.  Yummmy!

And just because he is so darned cute, here is a picture of my little man getting ready to go on a bike ride!

Crispy Oven Fried Fishwiches and My Mommy's Broccoli Salad

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Happy Tuesday Everyone!
Welcome to all my new followers from the Monday and Tuesday Blog Hops!  I am so glad you stopped by!
I have been craving fish, which is very hard to come by here in the Midwest.  I am a fish snob from the beautiful Pacific Northwest so when it comes to fresh fish I don't buy anything that comes from a fish farm.  I only spend my money on wild fish, preferably from the Pacific Ocean but in this part of the country I am lucky to get fresh fish from the Atlantic side, so I usually take what I can get.  Last week I was really excited to find some wild Sockeye at the store, something that is VERY hard to find here.  Unfortunately, when I got it home, it had such a terrible fish odor that I nearly vomited and had to throw it away.  Some of you who are not from my neck of the woods might be saying to yourself "but Elizabeth, it is SALMON and salmon is a FISH so it should smell like fish!"  No...no.  Good salmon, especially Wild Pacific Sockeye should NEVER have a fishy odor.  In fact, it should have no odor whatsoever.  If it smells like fish, then it has gone bad and you should not eat it. So there you have it, since moving to the Midwest my diet has gone from eating fish once or twice a week to barely even being able to eat anything but canned tuna more than once a month, if that.   This is the plight of a poor Northwestern girl who got uprooted to the Midwest.  So, I thought I would try again, seeing as my craving for fish keeps getting worse and worse and it was not satisfied, sadly, with the stinky salmon.  I was trying to decide what I could make that did not involve canned tuna, because lets face it, there is only so much you can do with canned tuna and when that is the only fish you have available to you it gets tiring pretty fast.  The store had wild Atlantic Cod on sale today, so I decided maybe that would be a little safer.  I happen to make this recipe a lot as fish sticks, but today I decided to fancy it up by making it into sandwiches.   Back home I used to make the fish sticks out of Halibut - oh how I miss Halibut.  Halibut is my favorite fish.  Second only to Salmon.  Fresh, wild Pacific Salmon - not Atlantic Salmon which is TOTALLY different.  Anyway, if you want to make this into fish sticks, just follow all of the instructions, except when you get to the part where you form them into patties, form them into long sticks instead, or nuggets.  Easy Peasy!  They can be frozen too!  I served these sandwiches up with my mom's broccoli salad which is SOOOOOOOO good!  Try it, you will LOVE it!  We are a broccoli loving family so it is no surprise that this is one of our favorite summer sides!  My mom puts chopped raw red onion in it.  I leave the onion out because raw onion literally makes me sick, but feel free to add it if you like!  During nap time I also threw together some buns in the bread machine and baked them off right before dinner.  I topped the sandwiches with cheddar cheese and homemade tartar sauce.  So yummy!

Crispy Oven Fried Fishwiches

• 1 lb fresh cod fillets (or other firm white fish- if you are in the PACNW and you have access to Halibut, I HIGHLY recommend using that instead of Cod)
• 1 egg
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup carrots finely chopped
• 2 tsp. dill, divided
• 2 tbsp. dill pickle relish
• 1-2 cups bread crumbs 
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
• 1-2 cups cornmeal
• 2 tbsp. butter, melted or olive oil
• sliced mild cheddar cheese (if desired)

Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray generously with cooking spray, set aside.  Place the cod in your food processor and process about 1 minute.  Scrape fish into a bowl and mix with the egg, green onions, carrots, 1 tsp. dill, the relish, and the mayonnaise.  Add the bread crumbs a little at a time until the mixture is "dry" and holds together.  In a shallow dish, mix together the sour cream, lemon juice, the rest of the dill and the ground pepper.  In a second shallow dish, add the cornmeal.  With slightly wet hands, form the fish mixture into patties and coat with the cornmeal.  Place each patty on the cookie sheet.  Cover the patties with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour (I make these during nap time usually).  Preheat your oven to 450 degrees (yes, your oven needs to be screaming hot).  Remove the patties from the fridge and discard the plastic wrap.  Pour the melted butter or olive oil evenly over the patties- this will help them crisp up in the oven.  Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the edges start to brown.  Turn your broiler on high and broil for about 2 minutes or until the tops are brown and crispy.  BE SURE TO WATCH THEM CLOSELY, they can easily burn.  Add the cheese and broil until melted, if you are using it.  Serve on a crusty roll and top with tartar sauce.  Yummy!

My Mommy's Broccoli Salad

• 1 large head broccoli, cut into florets
• 1/2 cup smokehouse almonds
• 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1/2 cup raisins 
• 1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped (I leave this out but Mommy always puts it in)
• 1/4 cup coleslaw dressing (when I don't make it myself, I use Bolthouse Farms Yogurt dressing, love it, love it, LOVE IT!)

Steam the broccoli until it is just blanched, do not fully cook it. Cool the broccoli in the fridge (or I do it in the freezer, it's faster) Add the rest of the ingredients and stir together.  This is SO yummy, you will be going back for more!

Before I sign off for today, here is a picture of two very lazy dogs.  Very cute, but very lazy.  


Well that's all for now!  Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

Salad Bar Sunday - Chicken Fajita Salad

Tonight I thought I'd change my salad bar up a bit by doing a Chicken Fajita Salad. I love to do themed salad bars, and this one is one of my favorites. I just LOVE chicken fajitas! My fajita marinade is quite yummy, it makes the chicken really moist and tangy. I paired my chicken fajita mixture with a variety of salad bar options, tonight we had:

• Crushed blue corn tortilla chips
• Black Beans
• A cheddar jack cheese blend
• Salad greens from the farm
• Brown rice
• Sour Cream
• Ranch Dressing

If you want chicken fajitas instead of chicken fajita salad, fill flour or corn tortillas with the chicken mixture, top with rice, beans, sour cream, and cheese! Yummy Nummy!


Chicken Fajitas

• 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced against the grain
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 3 tbsp. + 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/8 tsp. chipotle chili powder (or regular chili powder) - note that this stuff is REALLY hot if you use too much so a little bit goes a long way.
• 1 1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 2 tbsp. water
• 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced

Place the chicken in a ziplock or Foodsaver bag. In a small bowl, add the rest of the ingredients, EXCEPT the onion and bell pepper, and whisk together until well blended. Pour over the chicken, and seal the bag. Allow chicken to marinate a minimum of 30 minutes and a maximum of 4 hours in the refrigerator. Heat a deep sided skillet with 1 tbsp. vegetable oil. Add the chicken and saute about 5 minutes or until chicken is almost cooked through. Add the vegetables and saute another 5-10 minutes or until they are tender crisp.

This salad was SO yummy! Daniel really loved helping me wash the salad greens in the sink, and he liked being able to pick out the toppings for his salad!

I hope you will enjoy this recipe too! Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

Tequila Lime Chicken Salad and Broccoli Soup (and veggies from Abbe Hills Farm)

Today was veggie pickup day at Abbe Hills Farm, so Auntie Teri, Daniel, and I went back out there to get our share! We got a TON of salad greens, spinach, arugula, and radishes. Even though it is not Sunday, Auntie Teri and I prepared a tequila lime chicken salad and to go along side, a lovely broccoli soup!


Tequila Lime Chicken

• 2 large or 4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup tequila
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup jalapeno jelly

In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients except the chicken. Place the chicken in a Foodsaver bag or large Ziplock bag and pour the marinade over it. Seal the bag and place in the refrigerator 2-8 hours (I leave mine overnight, the longer it sits in the marinade the more flavorful it will be). Grill the chicken on an indoor or outdoor grill turning at regular intervals and basting with the remaining marinade about 20 minutes or until the chicken has an internal temperature of 180 degrees and is no longer pink in the thickest part.

Tonight, after cooking the chicken, I cubed it and set it out with my salad bar. And OH BOY were those fresh farm veggies YUMMY!

We also made Auntie Teri's lovely broccoli soup, which is a little different from my broccoli soup, but just as good if not better (my aunt is, after all, a professional)!

Auntie Teri's Broccoli Soup

• 2 lbs broccoli fresh (or frozen if fresh is unavailable) broccoli florettes
• 2 small onions, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp flour (we recommend Wondra but all purpose is fine too)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine or dry marsala
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• enough water to just cover the broccoli
• 1 cup pureed cauliflower
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1 tbsp. olive oil

Steam the broccoli in the water until just tender about 10 minutes and drain, reserving water, and set aside broccoli and water. In soup pot, saute onion and garlic in the butter and olive oil until the onion is translucent. Add drained broccoli and combine with onion and garlic. Add the flour and combine. Add the wine and stir, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom. Add enough of the reserved broccoli water to cover the broccoli mixture in the pot. Let cook until broccoli is very tender and falling apart about 20 minutes. Turn off heat and puree the mixture using an immersion blender until smooth. Add the cream and nutmeg mix well with a spoon and heat through. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream or parmesan cheese if desired.

Hope you enjoy these recipes. Happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING.

Barbecue Pineapple Chicken with Potato Salad

Hi All! I hope you are all having an enjoyable weekend.  Tonight I had a lovely BBQ meal on the menu, but severe thunderstorms and a tornado watch ruined my plans for outdoor grilling.  No worries though, I simply adjusted and made this meal inside on the grill pan.  I got this chicken recipe from a friend several years ago, although for the life of me I cannot remember which one gave it to me so if it was you - thanks for this recipe as it has become one of my summer staples!  It is SO easy, it will most likely become one of your summer favorites too!  I can  take credit, however, for the potato salad.  I have also been making this potato salad for several years and it is also one of my summer favorites!


Barbecue Pineapple Chicken

• 2 large (cut in half) or 4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts 
• 1 cup barbecue sauce (for this recipe, I like to use a mustard based sauce like Bessingers, but that can be hard to find in many parts of the country, so you can use your favorite brand)
• 4 pineapple rings
• 4 slices provolone cheese

Marinate the chicken in the barbecue sauce for 1-2 hours (sometimes I forget to do this and that is fine).  

Heat the outdoor or indoor grill to medium high heat.  Grill the chicken, turning at regular intervals, basting with the barbecue sauce each time you turn, until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle and has an internal temperature of 180 degrees.  

Place a pineapple ring on each breast, 

and then a slice of cheese. 

 

Cover the breasts loosely with foil and to allow the cheese to melt.  Enjoy!

Yummy Potato Salad

• 2 lbs yukon gold potatos
• 4-6 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup ranch dressing (I use Bathhouse Yogurt Ranch, Marie's, or Newman's Own as they are free of the yucky  no no ingredients).
• 1/4 cup cold pureed cauliflower
• 1 tbsp. dijon mustard
• 2 hard boiled eggs, finely chopped
• 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 6 slices bacon, crumbled (I use turkey bacon but regular pork bacon will work just fine too)
• salt and pepper to taste

Place the potatoes in a large stock pot.  Pour the chicken broth over the potatoes, just to cover them.  Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are tender but not mushy.  Drain the potatoes and place them in the refrigerator for at least one hour or until completely cooled.  Once cooled, remove the potatoes from the fridge and slice them.  In a large bowl, add the potatoes and the rest of the ingredients.  Mix well.  Salad can be eaten right away or stored in the fridge for up to two days.  

I served this meal with leftover baked beans from our BBQ Ribs meal and I will use the leftover chicken tomorrow for Salad Bar Sunday.  

I hope you enjoy these recipes!  Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

To Die For BBQ Baby Back Ribs with Baked Beans and Coleslaw - Yummy Nummy!

One of David's absolute favorite meals is ribs with baked beans and coleslaw. He grew up in southern Texas, so I can say without hesitation that he is a "barbecue snob." Fortunately for me, I found a barbecue meal that he LOVES!
Because ribs are SO expensive, especially baby backs, I only make them when they go on sale, which is usually right after Memorial Day around here. This meal also takes quite a bit of time to make - even if it happens to be hands off time - so this is a special meal for a weekend or day when my husband is off work. Actually, many times I make this for him for Fathers Day. I cannot take credit for the rib recipe, even though I have been making it forever. These are hands down the BEST ribs I have ever eaten, and many of my friends have said the same thing. It is Dave Lieberman's Baby Back recipe, but I do make a few adjustments:

• I double the bourbon barbecue sauce recipe and use half of the sauce to marinate the ribs overnight. (I use my Foodsaver to help lock in the flavor, but you can use a regular old Ziplock bag).

• I cook the meat in the oven for 2 hours.
• I brush ALL of the sauce on the ribs while grilling, turning them frequently (after you bake the ribs in the oven you grill them on an outdoor grill for about 20 minutes). We like saucy ribs.

Try making these and you will never eat any other ribs ever again, I guarantee you!

I serve these ribs with my yummy baked beans. This recipe I can take credit for, it took lots of experimenting, but I came up with a recipe that David likes better than that of his favorite BBQ joint in Texas! Even though they take a long time to make, it is mostly a hands off recipe, because they are made in the slow cooker! Gotta love that!

Yummy Slow Cooker Baked Beans

• 1 package (16 oz) dry navy beans
• 4 cups water
• 1/2 lb. bacon, diced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 cup pureed sweet potato
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 tbsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
• 1/2 cup dijon mustard
• 1-4 cups chicken broth or stock
• 1/8 cup honey

The night before, in a large bowl, combine the water and the navy beans and allow them to soak overnight or at least 8 hours.

The next day or after 8 hours, place the beans (and any leftover water) in the slow cooker along with the onions and the bacon. In a medium sized bowl whisk the rest of the ingredients together and pour over the beans. Add one cup of the chicken broth. Reserve the rest of the chicken broth in case you need it- you will know if the liquid is absorbed and the beans are not fully cooked, then you will need to add the rest of the broth one cup at a time.

Set the slow cooker on high for 8-10 hours. In this recipe, it is ok to OCCASIONALLY lift the lid to check to see if the beans are getting soft, and add more water if needed. The beans are done when they are soft and syrupy. You can make these ahead of time, put them in the refrigerator, cover them with foil and bake them for 20 minutes at 350 or until heated through.

For the coleslaw I cheated and bought a coleslaw mix. Dole actually has a really nice coleslaw mix that is not laden with ingredients off my yucky no no list.

Here is the perfect summer meal. Mmmm...you know you want to eat that!

One quick announcement before I sign off. Next week we start going to the CSA for this year. CSA is Community Supported Agriculture. We bought a share in Abbe Hills Farm in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Next Wednesday I will be going to the farm to interview the owner, so expect a video blog sometime around Thursday or Friday of next week! Also, you can expect more cooking demonstrations next week because my aunt is coming to visit me and she is bringing me a brand new camera that is HD! Way cool! I am going to be scheduling another web class probably in the next month. So be sure to stay tuned in the coming weeks because there will be a lot of great stuff happening.

Well, that is all for now! Enjoy and until next time, happy and healthy cooking and EATING!