Korean Cucumber Pickle

I enjoy Korean food. When I found this recipe I knew I had to give it a try. Bought the cucumbers at the flea market- three for a dollar.
 
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons soy sauce(used light soy sauce)
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper
3 Israeli or Kirby cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced (about 2 cups)(used regular cucumbers)
1 scallion, white and light green parts, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled

 Whisk  the soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, salt, and cayenne. Add the cucumber, scallion, and garlic. Stir to combine. Press down and spread out cucumbers in dish. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour but up to 2 days.

recipe adapted from Here

MM 32 Weeks

                                                                      Helping Out

                          Max wanted to know what took Gregory so long to come home!

It was so cute. Gregory got back to the house after 10 pm and we were asleep.  Max came back in our bedroom to let us know his "buddy" was home. Happy little pup that the family was back together.

Inside the Devil Ginnie Springs Cave video

4 Avocado Recipes!

I usually don't buy avocados.  Winn- Dixie had them for 77 cents each. I'm such a sucker for sales and I picked up a few. I also picked up a bag of grapefruit on sale the week before for 2.50 and wondered if there was something different I could do with them.

Thanks to Marc from Nu Recipes I found This

This is the first of the recipes I adapted.

Grapefruit Guacamole
 
1/4 small red onion minced
1 grapefruit each segment peeled
2 avocados make sure they're ripe, roughly chopped( I used one)
2 tablespoons cilantro minced ( I used 3 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon salt( Didn't use)
hotsauce to taste( I love Chili Garlic Sauce by Huy Fong Foods- which I seasoned to taste)

I added the minced onion to my one chooped avocado. Added my cilantro and Chili Garlic Sauce to taste. To that I added the segmented grapefruit. Mixed and enjoyed every bite!



The next recipe is from my cousin. She was so sweet to share this with me.

Avacado Hummus
1 can of Chick Peas, drained and rinsed
1 avocado, cubed
juice from 1/2 of a lime
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of olive oil (a lower fat option: substitute oil for juice from the beans)(didn't use any oil)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt( didn't use any salt)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper( added 1 TB. Chili Garlic Sauce)
Add everything to the cuisinart and pulse.
Chick peas are one of my favorites and with the avocado, a great healthy treat.

The next recipe is

Guacamole Deviled Eggs

6 hard boiled eggs ( I used three)

1 avocado

3/4 Tbs. red or white onion ( used a red onion)

Cilantro to taste

Lime juice to taste

Sprinkle of garlic powder or finely minced garlic (didn't add)

My addition was a few shakes of Tony Chachere's

Peel the boiled eggs, cut in half and take the yokes out.

The recipe called to add the yokes but I didn't. I tossed them and combined the avocado,onion,cilantro,lime and Tony Chachere's.

Add to the egg white halves and you have a tasty healthy treat.

recipe adapted from here

Mango and Avocado- a match made in heaven! This was so good!

Mango Guacamole

 

recipe adapted from Here

 

1 teaspoon olive oil ( used olive oil spray)
1 whole jalapeño pepper
1/2 mango, pitted, peeled and diced
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro ( added 1 Tble. cilantro)
1/2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1-1/2 tablespoons finely minced onion
2 avocados, halved, pitted, peeled and mashed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper(didn't add salt)
Assorted raw vegetables or pita chips for dipping

Heat the olive oil in a small pan. Add the whole jalapeño and cook,  until the skin is blistered . Cool, then toss the stem end and finely chop the pepper. (If you want less heat, remove the seeds too.)

Place the chopped jalapeños in a medium bowl. Add the mango, cilantro, lime juice and onion. Stir in the avocado. Season with salt and pepper, then serve with raw vegetables or pita chips.

Cauliflower "Breadsticks"

This was another of those recipes that once I took a bite, it was gone! Boy, did I love these. Simple to make and an added bonus, good for you!

 1/2 head Cauliflower

 grated 1 whole egg,plus one egg white, lightly beaten

1/4 cup 2% shredded mozzaralla cheese

dried basil, oregano and parsley( I used a few shakes of Italian seasonings)

1 tsp. Olive oil(used Pam Olive Oil Spray)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix all ingredients together (except oil) in a large bowl until evenly distributed.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and use olive oil to grease the parchment paper.(sprayed the parchment paper with olive oil PAM)
4. Spread and flatten the cauliflower mixture on the parchment paper evenly - about 1 inch thick. Square off the edges so it looks like a rectangle or square.
5. Bake for 40 minutes until slightly dried out, browning, and firm to the touch.
6. Remove from oven and using a spatula carefully peel away from parchment paper. Flip over and return to oven for 10 more minutes. Serve with dipping sauce if you want.( I didn't flip it over. I cooked it for the 40 minutes and took it out when it was brown on the edges, if you want it crisp put it in the oven for the additional 10 min.)

I've made this a few times and I omitted the italian seasoning and sprinkled with Tony Chachere's after I took it out of the oven.

Recipe adapted from Here 

MM 31 Weeks

                             We have a very head strong 7 month old on our hands!

There are two rooms Max is not allowed in Gregory's and the treadmill room. He's not really interested in the TM room but leave Gregory's door open a crack and he's in there faster than lightening.

He's found a nice new water bowl- the toilet. Lid is now permanently down . Forget about taking a shower. The bathroom door has to be closed.

He also decided to bark not when he has to go out, but when he wants to play. He sits next to Gabe and barks. Mean Mommy is NOT going to put up with a puppy controlling our life so I pull him in our bedroom and close the door. Max's time out.

Saved the best for last. He's about 63 pounds. Gregory has a fenced in back yard. He runs like a wild boy and if I'm standing and not paying attention he takes his body and body slams me!
The first time he did it he almost knocked me over. Now I know when he's zooming around the yard to pay attention.

 ANY food - he wants some. He eats everything. I gave him a tiny bit of cucumber and he ate it and did he like quinoa!

                                                  

Lego Clock

Spiced Strawberry Soup

I posted this recipe a very long time ago on the Taste Of Home recipe board. I also have it printed out and it's somewhere in my pile of recipes. I finally made it and I smack myself for not making it sooner.

I wanted to make something without tons of sugar. This calls for 1/2 cup but I didn't use it. I added about 10 of those tiny packs of equal. Next time I'll try honey.

I didn't use black pepper, I added 1/4 tsp of cayenne.

The title to this recipe is-Spiced Strawberry Soup with Mint Cream and Choco-Nut Crisps.Recipe adapted from HERE

I need to plant some mint in our Florida yard and I didn't want to make the Choco- Nut Crisps. Once you get me started on nuts or chocolate I would of eaten more than I should so I didn't make them. Next time.

2 lbs. strawberries, hulled, 1.5 pounds coarsely chopped, 1/2 pound chopped
1/2 cup sugar( I used 10 packages of equal)
1 Cinnamon Stick
1/4 Teaspoon Nutmeg
Black Pepper (more or less to taste, I had mine kind of spicy)( I added 1/4 tsp of cayenne)
1 Teaspoon Orange zest
1/2 Teaspoon grated Fresh Ginger
1/2 Cup Orange Juice( the only oranges I had were blood oranges and squeezed 1/2 C from them)
1 Cup Water


4 Tablespoons chopped Fresh Mint Leaves.
1/2 Cup Almonds, Toasted & Roughly Crushed
1/2 Cup Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

I put 1/2 pound of chopped strawberries to the side.

Combined the 1.5 strawberries with the orange juice,  water, cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper, sugar, orange zest, ginger & the mint leaves in a pan.( didn't add the mint)

Put the  pan on the stove & simmer the strawberry mixture for about 25 minutes, till the strawberry releases  the juice. The mix will get slightly thick, the strawberries will be limp. The liquid should not get thick & syrupy.

Make an ice bath for the mixture in the pot. Chill and stir for about 10 minutes. Strain and remove the cinnamon stick.

It should  have a nice consistency

Prepare the Cream:

1. Process the Sugar & the Mint Leaves to form something like a thick, coarse paste. I used a rolling pin & crushed everything together.. It was easy & took only a couple of minutes.
2. Add this to the Yogurt, & whisk till it combines well & the yogurt is creamy & smooth. Chill.

Prepare the Crisps:

In a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave (or on a water bath if you prefer). Stir in all the roughly crushed Almonds, but about 11/2 Tablespoons.

Put a sheet of parchment paper on a plate. Spread out thinly the Chocolate & the Nut mix. I spread it out in a rough uneven circle, like a very thin cookie. Sprinkle the rest of the crushed Almonds on this & lightly press with the back of the spoon. Put it in the refrigerator till the chocolate hardens..

This is so good and will now be on the top of my to make strawberry recipes.

Featured 7/15/16  on Pieced Pastimes





 

Gluten-Free Quinoa Pizza Bites

I worked in a library for a few years and food programs were always on the schedule. A co-worker did a quinoa program and made a huge pot. When we cooked for a program we had to make enough to serve about 70 people. Not many people heard of quinoa at the time and only 15 people showed up. We got to take what was left over home and mine was gone before I got there!

Quinoa is a ancient grain. It's a cousin of Amaranth. It was one of the staple foods of the Incas. Has the highest % of protein of all the grains. Has more calcium than milk and it's a great source of iron,vitamin A and E.

 You want to rinse the quinoa in a strainer to get rid of the bitter saponins,then cook 1 cup in about 2 cups water for about 15-20 mins.I like to cook mine in chicken broth.


The recipe is adapted from Jenny Sugar

1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 large eggs
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped or 2 tablespoons dried
1/2 cup Cherry Tomatoes, diced(didn't use)
1/2 teaspoon salt(didn't use)
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano(subbed Italian seasoning)
Pizza sauce for dipping

1. Place the quinoa and two cups of water(I cooked mine in chicken broth) in a covered pot. Bring to boil and then simmer for 20 minutes or until quinoa is tender.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Mix together all ingredients, except pizza sauce, in a medium mixing bowl.
4. Distribute mixture into a greased mini muffin tin, filling each cup to the top (one heaping tablespoon each), and press down gently to compact.
5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Serve warm with sauce for dipping.

MM 30 Weeks

Mr. Max is 7 months old today! Where does the time go? From not quite 11 pounds to over 60 pounds, he certainly has grown.

Someone told me you always get the dog you need. Gabe has his little buddy, Max is spoiled rotten and he's such a little goof ball that everyday is a new experience.

 

 

Kid's Got Game

Smoky Sweet Potato Soup

I adapted this recipe, and as you will see I changed quite a few things.

 Since this came out so good, I will inform  you  that I will not be buying Traders Joe's Sweet Potato Bisque again! This soup is EXCELLENT!

I omitted quite a few things. The first was the sea salt, I don't use salt. The second was the liquid amino's, which Winn- Dixie does have but did not buy. I have liquid smoke back in NY but I hardly use it and did not want to buy something that I know I'm not going to use.


1 1/2 c   Chopped Red Onion( I had 1 medium onion,which I chopped )

2 cups Chopped Carrots( I love organic carrots and try to use them in all my recipes)

4 cups Chopped Sweet potatoes( I had 3 sweet potatoes which I added and did not measure. Chopped  and added)

Whole 4  Cloves of Garlic( minced the garlic)

1 1/2.Tbsp olive oil( when the carrots, sweet potato, onion, garlic were on the pan I sprayed with olive oil)

Smoked 1/3.tsp Sea salt( didn't use)

1/4.tsp Black pepper( used the pepper mill and did a few turns)

3 cups Vegetable broth( used chicken broth, homemade)

1 cup water ( didn't use, added more broth)

1 tbsp.Braggs Liquid Amino's ( didn't add)

1Tbsp.Maple syrup( didn't add)

1/2.Tbsp Liquid Smoke( didn't add)

Dried1tsp. Cilantro( added  1 Tbsp)

1/2tsp.Smoked paprika( added a pinch)

Flakes1/4.tsp Chipotle Pepper( I substituted chili garlic paste for the chipotle and cayenne)

1/8tsp,cayenne pepper( Didn't use)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

I peeled the carrots and sweet potato and placed them on  a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. I also cut up the onion which I added to the carrot/sweet potatoes. I minced the garlic and dabbed it over the above.I then took my can of Pam and sprayed the vegetable mixture,gave them a toss and sprayed again.

Place the sweet potatoes/carrots/onion/garlic in a single layer and bake for 30 mins. or  until the sweet potatoes/carrots are soft and brown.

I added my broth to the pot, and when the vegetables were done into the pot they went. I let it simmer for about 15 minutes and used my  immersion blender to puree the soup or blend a little at a time if you are going to use a food processor.
When it was to a consistency I wanted I added the black pepper,cilantro, and the chili garlic sauce. I like spicy so I added about 1 tbsp of the garlic sauce.

 

Beneath The Sea

                                                      All the photos were taken by our son, Gregory.

                                                                            Clown Fish

I really like these, they are Christmas Tree Worms. Any motion of water they shrink back into the coral.

                                                                              Peacock Flounder

This was taken in 2006. This was the last time I was in the water. We were in  Bonaire and Gregory was able to join us.

 My orange diving cap has screaming jelly fish on it. The large yellow circle is a ring on my weight harness. I don't like weight belts and the harness works really well for me. The end of the yellow coil is my second stage regulator. When diving if anyone runs out of air you share the air in your tank with the person in distress. My dive computer is hooked to my buoyancy control vest and my regulator is next to my fins. My tank had 3,000 psi and I was NOT an air hog. I would do an hour dive and come back with about 1,000 psi.

Pizza

There are quite a few things about any area that you really like or dislike.

In New York I love the pizza. There's a pizza place about 5 mins. up the road from us but out favorite is La Capannina which is in Wainscott. One of favorites is Primavera with lots of garlic, broccoli, spinach, mushroom and eggplant. My favorite is the Calamari pie. Gabe never had to worry where to take me for my birthday, it was calamari pie time!

Florida has the typical pizza chains. I personally do not like or eat the pizza from those places. A few local pizza restaurants opened in the area, and yuck. Fuhgeddaboudit ( AKA- forget about it).

We are going to move to this area and how can I live in a place without a decent pie?

I found the place- La Linda's! I made the above with sausage and pepper and my honey loved it. He said- KEEP THAT RECIPE!

My secret, a friend I met on the TOH recipe board. Carol's recipes never fail. I've made quite a few and wish you could see the photographs her husband Bob takes of her creations.

Myself and two other ladies asked for help on the TOH recipe board because we felt we are "yeast" challenged. Found many good tips but it was time to -JUST DO IT.

The below recipe is Carol's. I usually adapt a recipe, it's just the way I cook and bake but I didn't change a thing except kneading the bread which I did in the kitchen aid with the dough hook.


HOMEMADE PIZZA DOUGH
(Source: adapted from Country Living)

2-2 1/2 c. bread flour
1 Tbsp. instant, quick rise or bread machine yeast ( I used rapid yeast)
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 c. water, heated to 115-125 degrees ( I have a candy thermometer at home and now I have one here, better safe then sorry!)
1/2 c. milk, heated to 115-125 degrees
1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
Cornmeal

I measured the 2 cups of flour and added to my kitchen aid bowl. To the flour I added the sugar, salt and yes- THE YEAST .

While the above was in the bowl my biggest issue was the temp. of the water and milk. I bought a candy thermometer which helped.

I added the water,milk and evoo to the flour mixture and beat with the paddle attachment for 2 mins.

Carol kneads by hand and maybe one day I'll do the same but I have the kitchen aid which has a dough hook so I let that kneed the dough which I added the last 1/2 cup of the flour.I kneeded it for about 8 mins.

Gregory has a oven with a warming drawer and I put the dough in a greased bowl for an hour to rise.

Once the hour was up I pushed it down and rolled it out. I don't have a rolling pin in florida so I used a 2 liter bottle of soda. A wine bottle would work well also.

Onto the pan, all dressed up into a 375 oven it went.

Like Mr. Food would say- OH- SO GOOD!

 

MM 29 Weeks

Happy to inform you that Max's leg is better,not healed but it's better than it was a few weeks ago.

                        I really like this one, his personality beams for all to see.

The Beach

Max had so much fun! I needed to feel the sand on my feet and we enjoyed being back at the ocean.

 

 

 

Honey Roasted Potatoes

Potatoes are a staple in our home. We can be out of milk, but OMG if I don't have potatoes it's a major problem!

Last year before we left for Florida, Gabe picked up a 50 pound bag of potatoes to bring with us. There wasn't room for my plants but plenty of room for that 50 pound bag!

I saw this Recipe . I might of mentioned this, I don't care for potatoes. I eat them but they have never been a favorite but potatoes with honey, well that's a different story.

Easy recipe. Gabe liked them so it's on my make again list.

1 pound potatoes, cut into 1 inch chunks ( I used small Yukon golds)

2 tablespoons diced onion ( I added about 3 Tablespoons)

4 tablespoon butter, melted

2 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons dry mustard

salt to taste

ground black pepper to taste

Heat oven to 375 degrees

Spray a 11 x 7 baking dish with  non stick cooking spray ( I used Pam Butter Spray)

I placed my cut up potatoes in a bowl and mixed the melted butter, honey, dry mustard, salt and pepper in another bowl and poured over the cubed potatoes.

Place the potatoes that were in the bowl and now covered with the butter/honey mixture in a single layer in your prepared dish.

I sprinkled the onions on the potato layer.

Bake in  preheated 375 degree oven for about 40 minutes, stirring a few times.