Asian BBQ Chicken and Snap Pea and Red Cabbage Slaw

 

As soon as we got back from our vacation, I was ready to cook! A solid week of eating out most meals left me restless, so I plowed into the July issue of Bon Appetit for some fresh ideas to get us out of our burger rut. Andy actually said, "I only want to eat fish and chicken" after our week choc full of red meat.

To my delight, the feature of the July issue is "Grilling Chicken!" I adapted this recipe for the kabobs on the cover, mostly because I was too lazy to cut up the chicken into hunks and too hungry to wait for the bamboo skewers to soak for an hour. The result was fantastic-I can't imagine it being better on the kabobs, and this was way less work.

 

Sambal Chicken Skewers

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup hot chili paste or hot sauce
• 1/4 cup fish sauce
• 1/4 cup Sriracha
• 2 teaspoon finely grated peeled ginger (or dried grated ginger)
• 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch–2-inch pieces (or not, in my case)

Special equipment

• 8 bamboo skewers soaked in water at least 1 hour (again, I skipped this and grilled them whole)

• Ingredient info

  Hot chili paste and fish sauce is available at Asian markets, and in many supermarkets near other Asian foods, usually next to soy sauce on a top shelf. Fish sauce is potent, so buy a small bottle at first as you use very little.

Preparation

• Prepare grill for medium-high heat. Whisk brown sugar, vinegar, chili paste, fish sauce, Sriracha, and ginger in a large bowl. NOTE: it stinks, but trust me it turns out fine. Add chicken and toss to coat. Let marinate 5-10 minutes.  Thread 4 or 5 chicken pieces onto each skewer, and move chicken to a plate until you are ready to grill, and reserve marinade.
• Transfer marinade to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until reduced by half (about 1 cup), 7–10 minutes. NOTE: this also stinks, so crack a window.
• Grill chicken, turning and basting often with reduced marinade, until cooked through, 8–10 minutes.

Read More http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2013/07/sambal-chicken-skewers#ixzz2YUi47hva

 

I served this sticky, sweet & spicy chicken with a fresh and easy slaw of sliced sugar snap peas and red cabbage:

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon honey
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 small red cabbage, thinly sliced
• 8 ounces sugar snap peas, thinly sliced crosswise
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4cup chopped fresh mint or basil (I did mint and it was sublime!)

Preparation

• Whisk oil, lemon juice, and honey in a large bowl; season with salt and pepper. Add cabbage, snap peas, parsley, and mint and toss to combine.
• DO AHEAD: Vegetables can be cut and dressing can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover and chill separately. Toss vegetables and dressing together just before serving.

Read More http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/quick-recipes/2013/07/snap-pea-and-cabbage-slaw#ixzz2YUjQLXkt

 

 

This blog post was brought to you in part my cat Marcelle, who helped me by sitting on my keyboard. She says, "You're welcome." Actually, she said, "r:eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee........................"

An easy DIY Wedding Gift

As I mentioned yesterday, I recently attended my cousin's wedding. It was so beautifully decorated and every detail was thoughtfully planned. I suspect this is what weddings in the "Pinterest era" will be like for a while. My friend got married last November, and it was equally elaborate, with fun details, great ways to make and preserve memories, and details that really spoke to the bride and groom.
As a Pinterest osbsessionista, I was bound to make at least part of my cousin's wedding gift by hand. A few weeks before her wedding, I stumbled onto this idea: http://www.shanty-2-chic.com/2013/05/free-printable.html
That's a free printable that says: "In our Home let love abide, and Bless all those who step inside"
I just thought that was the perfect phrase to have up in your new home as husband and wife, so I got to work. The idea on the website was to frame it in a handmade frame. When I saw the power tools involved, I decided to take an alternate route.
So, here's what I did:
Went to Hobby Lobby and got an unfinished wooden plaque, upolstry tacks, a set of sawtooth picture hangers, and one sheet of white cardstock. Total cost: $7.47 (though I have 44 tacks left, and 2 extra hangers)
Here's what I started with:

Sorry-forgot to take a photo with the hanger that goes on the back, but I'll show you that below.

Let me share my first lesson learned with this project: don't start the day before you need it. I used a special process for staining the unfinished wood where you use vinegar and steel wool. It's easy, and the result was beautiful, but you have to let the vinegar and steel wool soak in a glass jar for 24 hours, which I discovered exactly 24 hours before I needed this project to be done. I had looked at lots of tutorials online to use this steel wool and vinegar technique (too late of course) and theirs all looked pretty brown and muddy after the 24 hours. Mine looked like white vinegar with a glob of steel wool floating in it after 23 hours, so I started to panic. I read one idea where the person had used tea to also stain before using the steel wool, so I made a batch of tea. And prayed. The praying must have worked, as you'll see below.

After I rounded everything else up, I got to work on printing the printable (see website above for your very own). My printer has been misbehaving lately, so printing ONE sheet took about 20 minutes, but it came out perfect! The printed image looks like a chalkboard, which is a sweet effect. So while that was working (or hardly working), I made the tea and started frantically staining the wood with tea. This is what it looked like after 2 coats. So, basically, like I had done nothing.

 

I decided to take my chances with the steel wool even though it looked pretty useless. You can kind of see it in the background below here floating in the mason jar. Lesson number 2: To my total shock, as I rubbed the steel wool directly onto the wood, it stained it! It is a lovely grayish brown that looks aged, rather than simply finished. So, even if the vinegar doesn't turn dark, the steel wool will still stain. This was the first coat:

Lesson number 3: As you can see, I stained the concrete below. Oops! I suppose mostly because I didn't think it was going to work, I neither put down newspaper nor put on gloves:

I would highly recommend both. Fortunately, I was able to cover my nasty stained fingernails with a nice coat of coral nail polish. This was after a second and final coat:

Of note, the stain stinks like vinegar, but I didn't find it unbearable. I worked outside, and since this was a small project (my little plaque was 8 x 10) it only took moments to put on each coat, and each coat dried almost instantly. Next, I attached the picture hanger to the back (sorry for the blurry picture):

Then, I cut down the printed image. Lesson number 4: I did what you should never do: I didn't measure the plaque before I printed the phrase, so I had to mash it down and make it work. If I'd measured, I would have realized the surface was actually 7.5 x 9.5 and I'd have to trim a bit. To attach the photo, I measured a half inch in from the top and side of each corner, then placed an upolstry tack and pressed it as far as I could by hand. I placed all the tacks, checked to see that it looked right, then hammered them gently the rest of the way in.





Here's the finished product:

And, next to the front door (i.e., out of the blaring midday sun)

 

And Lesson number 5: Wait a few days and let the vinegar air out before gifting. You could smell the vinegar through the wrapping paper! Oh, well.

 

Altogether, not including the wait time to "cure" the steel wool in the vinegar, this project took less than an hour, including waiting between coats. I would highly recommend you also check out this post from the same blogger which has additional similar ideas: http://www.shanty-2-chic.com/2013/04/mothers-day-gift-free-printable.html

 





In the swing of summer

It’s summer! I’ve been keeping busy with the usual summer activities: June weddings, summer travel, Independence Day BBQs, and the like. I also decided to devote my summer to training for a triathlon! It sounded crazy when my dear friend suggested we do it together a few weeks ago, but I’ve come to really enjoy the process. That doesn’t quite describe it: I loathe the actual running, I ache all the time, and in places I didn’t know existed, but what is so enjoyable is that despite that, I don’t want to quit.  Even though I feel like garbage while running, I have run more in the last 3 weeks than I’ve ever run in my life. I got on a bicycle for the first time in 9 years, overcoming my near-catatonic fear of crashing again. The other rewarding part is that the swimming part of my training program is so easy for me that I double it. I LOVE the days where I get to swim. Today, I started ramping up to doing two parts in one day, which I’ll do a few times a week at this point. I ran for 25 minutes this morning, then swam for 20 minutes. I was so bushed after doing both that while I was blow-drying my hair, I had to take breaks because my arms were so tired! I’d take a nap, but I finally got my hair all pretty after all that J I view this level of exhaustion, too, as a sign I should keep going and get in shape! Some other benefits of this training regimen are the stellar tan I’m acquiring being outside, and the fact that I ate like every day last week was the 4^th of July, and didn’t gain any weight! The triathlon is September 22, so please keep me in your thoughts as I train.

Andy and I also got to enjoy a little R & R last week on our Great American Midwest Vacation. We went to Nebraska City for my cousin’s wedding, then trekked up to the land of 10,000 lakes to visit family, celebrate Andy’s dad’s “50^th” Birthday, and catch up with some of our old Minnesota friends. On the way back, we got to swing by the lake to spend Independence Day with my Bricker clan for a bit before finally getting home. We were so tired when we got back on July 4th, we decided to just watch the fireworks on PBS!

I have so much more to tell you about, but I’m going to do several posts on the projects and plates I’ve been cooking up, so plan to see more from me this week.

Father's Day Menu: Jucy Lucy Burgers and Ice Cream Cake

 

You may have noticed that this past Sunday was Father's Day. My dad is not a foodie like me. My dad would probably eat cardboard if I sprinkled cheese on it, and the worst complaint I'd probably get is "it would be ok if you didn't make that again." Bottom line: my dad will eat anything. However, every once in a blue moon, my dad surprises me by really liking something we eat. A few years back, by parents came to visit us in Minnesota, and we went out for Jucy Lucys. There a few places in the Twin Cities that claim to have invented the Jucy Lucy, a special burger that has the yummy melted cheese inside the patty. You can read more about it by clicking here. Well, on a whim I decided to take my parents to one of these establishments, the 5-8 Club. I told my dad about the folklore that both the 5-8 Club and Matt's Bar claim to have invented this burger. We ate Jucy Lucys, Dad loved it, and then declared that we would have to go to Matt's Bar the next night to test out their version. So we did! Dad preferred the version at Matt's Bar (a dive by any definition) and we returned when my family was next in town. So, when I scratched my head as to what we should make to eat for Father's Day, I had an epiphany. I had seen an episode of Cook's Country where they made Jucy Lucys from scratch. We did that this weekend, and they came out great! My dad was quite pleased. The recipe for Jucy Lucys that I followed is at the end of this post.

So, do you think I took any pictures of these monster burgers before we ate them all? Of course not. So you'll just have to drool looking at the pictures of the ice cream cake we made! It was a huge hit! My mom is always my sous chef on these little adventures and she was quite inspiring when we did this:

 

Not the best pictures I realize, but this was after we ravaged the cake.

I have made this once before, but we took it to a whole new level this time! My mom had the genius idea to get ice cream with the candy bars in it rather than chop them up. Trust me when I say this is so easy! You simply layer ice cream sandwiches and softened ice cream! So here's more or less what I did:

 

Ice Cream Cake:

1 box square or rectangular ice cream sandwiches (you could really get creative here, but we went with vanilla filled with the traditional chocolate cookie. We actually found a 16-pack of mini-sandwiches that were the perfect size for the pan!)

1 quart (actually a pint would probably suffice) of ice cream of your choice, slightly softened. Our was plenty soft by the time we got home from the grocery store because we had a special, extra-chatty checkout experience. We got a Snickers ice cream because my dad's favorite candy bar is Snickers. The last time I made it I chopped up the candy bars (I think I did Twix). This was WAY easier. Again, you could go to town with any flavor ice cream.

1 12-oz. container of Cool Whip, thawed 

1/2 cup hot fudge, plus additional for serving

1/2 cup caramel sauce for serving

 

Line a loaf pan (the one we used was about 4" x 8") with foil-this makes it easier to get out later. Line up ice cream sandwiches end to end in the bottom, squishing to fit if needed. We used mini-sandwiches, which were about 1.5" x 4" and we got 6 in there. Spread softened ice cream so that you have about an inch of ice cream (probably a cup, but I obviously didn't measure it out.) Then, if your hot fudge is really thick, pop it in the microwave for a few seconds, then spread about 1/2 cup of hot fudge in the loaf pan. Add another layer of ice cream sandwiches, and a final layer of ice cream until you reach the top of the pan. Freeze in loaf pan for 2-3 hours until fairly firm. Remove from freezer and if needed allow to thaw slightly to enable you to get it out of the pan. Invert the loaf pan on a platter or other freezer-safe dish. Remove foil gently. "Frost" the cake with Cool Whip, using a spatula to smooth. You'll use most of the 12 oz. container, making a thick layer of frosting. Return cake to the freezer for at least 2 hours, or over night. Remove about 5 minutes before serving, then cut into 1" slices and serve with extra hot fudge and caramel. Makes about 6-8 slices.



Jucy Lucy Burgers (from Cook's Country by America's Test Kitchen)
Prep time: 60 minutes
Cook time: 10-15 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Minneapolis taverns are famous for serving a sandwich called the Jucy Lucy, a moist beef burger stuffed with American cheese. Replicating the Jucy Lucy recipe seemed easy enough—simply seal a slice of American cheese between two beef patties and throw it on the grill. But our burgers, cooked to well-done to melt the cheese inside, were dry and tough. Or worse, the cheese melted through the meat, leaving an empty cavern where the cheese had been. We wanted to figure out how to keep the Lucy juicy and hold the cheese inside. To keep the cheesy center of our recipe in place, we created a double-sealed pocket by wrapping a chunk of cheese inside a small beef patty and then molding a second patty around the first. Grilling the burgers over medium heat fully cooked the burgers and melted the cheese inside. Adding a panade—a mixture of bread and milk mashed into a paste—to the ground beef kept the burgers moist and juicy.

** Straight from the grill, the cheesy center of the Jucy Lucy will be molten hot. Be sure to let the burgers rest for at least 5 minutes before serving. **

INGREDIENTS

§     2 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into rough pieces

§     1/4 cup milk

§     1 teaspoon garlic powder

§     3/4 teaspoon salt

§     1/2 teaspoon pepper

§     1 1/2 pounds 85 percent lean ground beef

§     4 slices deli American cheese, each slice folded into quarters

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Using potato masher, mash bread, milk, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in large bowl until smooth. Add beef and gently knead until well combined.

2. Divide meat mixture into 4 equal portions. Divide each portion into 2 equal portions. Mold  1 portion of meat around 1 piece of cheese, then mold the second around the mini-patty with the cheese. Transfer patties to plate and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.

3. Grill burgers over medium fire until well browned and cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes per side. Transfer to plate, tent with foil, and let rest 5 minutes. Serve.

STOVETOP JUCY LUCY BURGERS

Prepare Grilled Jucy Lucy Burgers through step 2. Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until just smoking. Add patties and cook until well browned, about 6 minutes. Flip burgers, cover skillet, and continue cooking until well-done, about 6 minutes. Transfer to plate, tent with foil, and let rest 5 minutes. Serve.

FORM A JUCY LUCY

To avoid a burger blowout, it’s essential to completely seal in the cheese. Don’t worry about overworking the meat-adding milk and bread to the ground beef ensures tender, juicy burgers every time.

Now one of these days I'll come up with some clever catch phrase like Paula Deen has ("Love and Best Dishes!") but until then,
All my love,
Kelli

Pretzels and Popsicles!

It has been another lively week here in beautiful Colorado. We've had record high temperatures, and since it was finally deemed hot enough to need the air conditioning, I was permitted to turn it on. For those of you who know me well, I would have had it running full blast since the first time it cracked 75, but reasonable minds differ. I was looking forward to it all morning on Monday, and I turned it on, it pumped (unenthusiastically) cool air...for about 3 minutes. Then, it became clear something was wrong. By 8:00 pm, it was 87 degrees in the kitchen. Gross. We ate BLTs and the 10 minutes of standing over the bacon was misery. Fortunately, our landlord repaired it quickly the next day, and now I can carry on heating up the kitchen with good eats! Today, I tackled an unlikely recipe. I purchased yeast in one of those 3 pack strips, and noticed a recipe on the back for Bran Pretzels. I had recently had some wheat bran donated to me by someone who decided to go gluten-free (may I never be so unlucky). I was just convinced enough by the fact that the recipe claimed to have won a prize for "good fibes" (evidently a fiber-rich recipe contest) to go ahead and try it. Guess what? They are pretty good! I believe pretty much everything would be improved with a cheese dipping sauce, but even plain they were tasty!

Here's the recipe, with my commentary, of course.

Bran Pretzels

1 1/2 c. warm water (100-110 degrees)
1 envelope of dry yeast
1 1/2 c. wheat bran
1 1/4-1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. salt
3/4 c. whole wheat flour
1 egg beaten (add about 1 Tbs. water to make easier to apply)
coarse salt, to taste (I used maybe 1/2 Tbs. total)

Place water in a large bowl, add yeast and stir until dissolved. Add bran  to yeast (stir a bit) and let stand 10 minutes.
Add 1 cup of all purpose flour, sugar, and salt. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed with an electric mixer* (see note below), scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in whole wheat flour, and add all-purpose flour 1/4 cup at a time until a soft dough forms. I added about 1/2 cup, and then added a bit more as I was kneading. Knead on lightly floured surface until dough is smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
Punch dough down; turn out onto lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 13-inch rope, shape into pretzels. Place on greased baking sheet. Brush lightly with beaten egg; sprinkle with coarse salt, as desired.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bake 15-20 minutes (mine were 18) or until browning on tops. Remove from sheet and cool on a wire rack.
*Notes: I will say that the beating for 2 minutes will seem excessive. Everything is totally incorporated after a few seconds. It will look like this:

Here's why you have to do it (and why you have to knead it well, too.) When you work with whole grains, like whole-wheat flour, wheat bran, rye flour, etc., they do not develop gluten the same way that more processed all-purpose flour does. That is, you must develop the gluten more by working the dough, by beating and kneading it. Gluten is the protein strands that make breads rise-think about the difference between a airy angel food cake and a dense rye bread. If you don't work the dough enough, the bread or cake will be tough and dense instead of light and chewy like traditional breads and cakes. It is worth effort to get those whole grains in there because they are good for you (so you can eat more, right?) Just bear in mind that it is a little more labor-intensive than when you work with white flours. I learned that on PBS ladies and gentlemen.
Also of note, gluten has gotten a bad rap of late because many people are experimenting with going gluten-free and they feel great. I'm highly skeptical of this because almost everyone I know who has done it ate total junk before, and now that they can't eat most bread or flour (bye-bye McDonalds and Taco Bell) or anything with gluten in it (i.e., tons of processed foods that have gluten added to thicken them), they feel great because they don't eat garbage anymore. That said, I know people who have celiac disease or have been diagnosed with a gluten intolerance, too. I'm not knocking it if your doctor told you not to eat wheat, I'm just saying that I'm not giving up bread, and permitting a blanket demonizing of gluten, just because someone feels better not eating McDonalds anymore. That's my rant on gluten-free. I'll get off my soapbox now.
I also made something truly spectacular this week, and now I'm addicted to it. A few summers back, I found a recipe for Melon Sherbet, which was mostly cantaloupe and buttermilk combined to make ice cream. It's sublime. The other day, I was reading the best issue of Bon Appetit ever, and I saw a recipe for a strawberry lassi, which you can see here. A lassi is essentially a smoothie. I decided to mash together the best of both worlds by substituting melon for the strawberries. Then I took it up a notch by pouring this concoction into Popsicle molds. The smoothie is divine by itself, but the Popsicles are a nice light treat to satisfy the sweet tooth. I used watermelon because I couldn't find cantaloupe this week, but I am positive that cantaloupe would be as good, or a combo of melons would be tasty, too.

So, here's the recipe: 
Purée 1 1/2 cups halved hulled strawberries (or cubed watermelon to follow my lead), 2/3 cup ice, 1/2 cup buttermilk, 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut milk, and 1 tablespoon sugar in a blender until smooth and frothy.
Makes 2 large smoothies, or pour into Popsicle molds and freeze until set. My molds make 8 small pops (I got the molds for $1.50 at Walmart), and there was about 3/4 c. of smoothie left.
If you have trouble finding coconut milk (check by the Asian foods section) try substituting almond milk or soy milk, or just regular milk.

Read More http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2013/06/strawberry-coconut-lassi#ixzz2W2kv88S2

I hope this finds you enjoying the heck out of the first bites of summer.

Waste not: A pumpkin love story

For those of you who know me, there is no wrong season for pumpkin. There is no occasion for which pumpkin is not an appropriate ingredient. Nonetheless, I usually get all fired up with everyone else around the early fall for the return of all things pumpkin. Today, it is the third day of June. Appropriate time to blog about pumpkin recipes? Yes.
I have a really awesome recipe for Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal Parfaits (I could have sworn I'd shared that recipe on here before, but alas no. You'll have to wait for another day.) The downside is that even though I make a double batch, it still leaves about a cup of leftover pumpkin puree from a 15 oz. can. Not enough to use in the average recipe that calls for pumpkin, yet far too much for all those recipes that call for 3 Tbs. (seriously, who has only 3 Tbs. of pumpkin just lying around?) So, what to do with 1 cup of pumpkin puree (in June)? I found a great resource on this website for small amounts of pumpkin (1/2 cup or less) and decided to venture making a double batch of one, and I had just enough left to make one more recipe! I decided to try Pumpkin Biscotti because I've never made biscotti, but have always wanted to try. Plus, it looked easy if a bit time consuming. My house smells amazing right now! I'm also going to whip up Pumpkin Hummus (see recipe below) this afternoon after I clean up the mountain of dishes left over from dinner last night (busted-my mother would be so horrified that I shared this) and the pumpkin biscotti adventure. That reminds me, I should really post about the dinner I made last night. It is a seriously decked out chicken sandwich that I love so much I've made it four times in the past month. Next time.

Pumpkin Biscotti:
Makes 10-12 cookies.
Ingredients

·         1 large egg

·         ½ cup sugar

·         ½ teaspoon baking powder

·         ¼ cup pumpkin puree

·         ½ teaspoon cinnamon

·         ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

·         pinch of ginger

·         pinch of cloves

·         ⅛ teaspoon salt

·         ½ teaspoon vanilla

·         1¼ cups flour

·         3 tablespoons pepitas, lightly toasted (Pepitas are shelled roasted pumpkin seeds, which I did not have. I was NOT going to the store for this, so I subbed a handful of sunflower seeds and a handful of Craisins)

·         4 ounces real white chocolate, chopped

Instructions

1.     Preheat the oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

2.     In a medium bowl, beat together with a whisk the egg, sugar and baking powder. Beat vigorously until the mixture turns pale yellow and falls back in ribbons on itself when you lift out the whisk.

3.     Next, add the pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, salt and vanilla. Continue whisking, aerating the mixture.

4.     Finally, sprinkle the flour on top and fold it in with a spatula. Fold in the pepitas last.

5.     Shape the dough into a flat log about 3″ wide by 8″ long using wet fingertips (the wet fingertips are important because the dough is very sticky). Bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

6.     Remove from the oven, turn the oven down to 300 and let rest for 15 minutes. Slice into ½” slices, place them back on the baking sheet, sliced side down, and bake another 30 minutes, flipping them half-way through.

7.     Let cool completely on a wire rack. When ready to serve, melt the white chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. Dip half of each biscotti into the white chocolate and let set before serving.

Notes (from original baker)

When making biscotti, the order of ingredients is important: be sure to beat the egg, sugar and baking powder alone before moving on to the next step.

Spicy Pumpkin Hummus:
Makes about 2 ½ cups of hummus

Ingredients:

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons tahini (I subbed 2 Tbs. sesame seeds and 1 Tbs. sesame oil)
1/2 cup canned pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 teaspoon cumin
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Place chickpeas, garlic cloves, lemon juice, water, and tahini in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add pumpkin and seasonings and blend until well incorporated. With the motor running, drizzle in olive oil until blended.

Taste, and adjust any seasonings to your taste (I added a bit more lemon juice, salt, and cayenne).

 

I hope you enjoy (even if you logically decide to wait until September) and that this finds you all well!

Kelli

 

A Tailor-Made Bridal Shower

The bride-to-be, and our cousin and aunt look through our grandma's wedding planning book-it was so sweet!

A couple weeks ago, I helped host a shower for my cousin, D. I went with a tailor-made theme, including lots of little sewing details to go along with the idea that the bride and groom will stitch their lives together soon! I live pretty far from the rest of my family, so it required a lot of helping hands and a little conspiracy to get this shower off at my aunt's house 600 miles away! 
You may remember my last blog post where I showed the coordinating invitations.

I found this metal wire dress form at Hobby Lobby, then dressed her up with some lace I had leftover from another project. It made the perfect centerpiece on the bar with buttons in coordinating colors scattered around.

For the table decorations, I rounded up some of my great-grandmothers old sewing notions, like lace, embroidery thread, bias tape, buttons, and spools of thread, and put them in antique mason jars. Then I used a Cricut to create little scissors, dress forms, and spools of thread to sprinkle around the table in the bride's colors. I also picked up a few sewing kits and specialty Singer notions, like needles and measuring tape, to round out the look. The coup de grace was the five pincushions I handcrafted, with help from my blessed mother, using a sweet fabric with sewing notions on it, and adding fun colored pins. They were a coveted prize for the games we played after lunch.

A close-up of one of the pincushions. So cute right? The red tomato looked like a pincushion, but was actually a timer we used for a game. While the bride opened gifts, we set the timer for about 5 minutes. When the timer went off, the person who gave the gift the bride was opening at that time got to pick a prize! It was really fun!

You had to know the food would be just as thoughtful as the decor. We did a trio of salads: Caesar, Spring Greens with Strawberries, and  Melon and Prosciutto Pasta Salad. We served sliced grilled chicken breast for guests to add to any or all of the three salads. The recipes for the salads are at the end of this post. I made little table tents to label each dish, and decorated them with dress forms and spools of thread. Because many hands helped, I added the name of the person who brought some of the special dishes, like the breadsticks from my grandma, the cheesecakes from my aunt and cousin, and the punch from my aunt.

Melon & Prosciutto Pasta Salad: I adapted this recipe from a recipe that appeared in Bon Appetit last summer
Also, I quadrupled the recipe to serve 16, and we had about two servings leftover when served along the two other salads.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
• 4 ounces orecchiette (ear-shaped pasta) or medium shells
• Kosher salt
• 3 1/2 tablespoonsextra-virgin olive oil
• 2 1/2tablespoons Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar or rice vinegar
• 2 cups 1x1x1/4" pieces peeled melon (I've done a combo of cantaloupe and honeydew, and just cantaloupe)
• 1/3 cupcoarsely chopped fresh mint, divided (for this party I used basil because the store was out of mint)
• 3 tablespoons thinly sliced scallion (about 2 scallions)
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1ounce crumbled feta

 Preparation

• Heat oven to 350°. Arrange prosciutto in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake until brown and crisp, 20–25 minutes. (Alternatively, place prosciutto on folded layers of paper towels on a microwave-proof plate and microwave on high until brown and crisp, about 5 minutes.) Let stand until cool enough to handle, then break into bite-size pieces.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in a medium pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain pasta; run under cold water to cool. Drain and set aside.
• Whisk oil and vinegar in a large bowl. Add half of prosciutto, and all the cooked pasta, melon, half of mint, scallion, and red pepper flakes. Toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle remaining prosciutto and mint over. Garnish with crumbled feta.

 

Spring Greens with Strawberries:

This isn't so much a recipe as a list of what goes with what to make this easy-yet-eye-catching salad.

 

10 oz. Spring Greens mix

1 lb. strawberries, hulled and sliced

4 oz. feta crumbled

1 small can mandarin oranges

4 oz. (about 1/2 cup) sliced almonds

Raspberry vinaigrette (I used a Panera one found refrigerated in the produce section)

 

Place greens in a large salad bowl. Top with sliced strawberries and feta. Serve mandarin oranges and almonds on the side (the oranges can make the salad soggy, and nuts on the side in case of allergies). I also served the dressing on the side.

 

Caesar Salad

Read closely: this is challenging.

 

5 oz. bag chopped romaine, or about 1 head of romaine (washed thoroughly)

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (not from a can)

3/4 cup Caesar dressing-go for broke on the highest quality one you can find

Croutons.

 

Toss all the ingredients. Eat.

 

I hope you enjoyed hearing about this fun, sweet party!