Perfect summer dinner party

This Kin Eats YouTube video

is amazing!

I have watched is several times and

have made the salad,
(super yummy), the chicken,
and the cous cous w/ snap peas.
Want to try the dessert too.
So far each dish has been

D-E-L-I-S-H!

You should watch directly on

YouTube so you can watch on

full screen.

Watch here if you like.

ENJOY!

~

Happy 100th Birthday
Julia Child!
~

Recipe to try

Lemon Cornmeal Pancakes

They remind me of the cornmeal

pancakes Kim and I had in Napa.
mmmmm....

Don't they look delicious?!

Topped with fresh raspberries

or blueberries - Yummy!

Perfect weekend breakfast.

Recipe here.

Pink grapefruit

Made this delicious
Pink Grapefruit
salad the other night.
Arugula, shaved fennel,
pink grapefruit, sliced avocado,
salt & pepper
Drizzled with a light vinaigrette
4 T. olive oil
2 T. white wine vinegar
1 t. Dijon mustard
salt & pepper
Yum!
(will definetly make again)
~

Dinner last night

Just Logan and I for dinner last night.

I made mac and cheese for him (his request)
and
tomato mozzarella
for me - delish!

Earlier in the day we went to the 3 dollar

theatre to see "African Cats"

great way to spend a hot afternoon.
~

Fried goodness

Fried Zucchini
(before....)

(after...)
and only about 5 minutes later....
I think it was a hit - very crispy
and delicious!
I used the recipe from here.
(only I did not use olive oil for frying,
I used vegetable oil)

I love crab cakes
** ** ** *** **

Made crab cakes last night for dinner.

They were scrumptious! I got the recipe from

my "I Love Crab Cakes" book that I picked

up in Seattle while on our Grizwald RV trip.

Darryl and I were in Crab cake heaven!

Here is the recipe that I used.

~

Steve's Perfect Crab Cakes

1 lb. crab meat, drained, and picked

of shell and lightly squeezed if wet

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 Tbl. grated lemon zest

2 Tbl. fresh dill, minced

2 Tbl. chives, diced

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup panko, plus 1 cup more

for dredging

5 Tbls. butter

~

Put crab, mayo, lemon zest, dill, chives, salt

and pepper in a large bowl. Mix everything

together gently. Add 1/2 cup panko and mix again.

Pour remaining panko into a shallow bowl.

Form the crab mixture into approx. 8 patties.

Pat them gently into shape without pressing them

too much. Drop the patties into the panko and turn

them to coat both sides, patting to shake off the

excess. If you have time, cover them with plastic

wrap and chill in the fridge for 1 hour or more..

I did not...

In a large saute pan, heat butter (I added a bit

of olive oil too) cook crab for approx. 6 min. on

ea. side, till golden brown and crispy.

I served with a squeeze of lemon and a bit of

tarter sauce - and a side spring mix salad.

~

Enjoy!

Making sweet treats with Chloe

Chloe and I made Carmel Apples today.

The green apples look so pretty drapped

in caramel...mmmm

Even better drizzled with chocolate,
double yum!

They tasted even better than

they look!

Pizza dough

I am constantly looking for and trying new pizza

dough recipes. I found one that I really like

and it has come out great, or even better, each

time I have made it.

It's from "Family Meals" by Maria Helm Sinskey.

I love the entire cookbook and have made many

of her family friendly recipes. Beautiful photos,

and stories to accompany each recipe - love that.

~

Pizza Dough

1/1/2 tsp. active dry yeast

1 1/4 cups warm water

1 tsp. sugar

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. salt

2 Tbl. extra-virgin olive oil

Makes enough dough for 2 large pizzas.

~

In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over

1/2 cup of the warm water, allow to bloom for

a few min., then whisk until smooth. Whisk in

the sugar, and then whisk in 1/2 cup of the flour.

Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm spot

until the mixture bubbles, about 15 min.

(I use my laundry room, which is always hot at this

time of the year...no a/c vent in there)

In a bowl of a stand mixer, stir together 2 1/2

cups of the flour and the salt. Add the yeast mixture,

the remaining 3/4 cup water, and the oil. Fit the

mixer with the dough hook and knead on med. speed,

adding as much of the remaining 1/2 cup flour as

needed to reduce wetness, until the dough is

elastic, pliable, and moist but not sticky, about

10 min. (I have always needed all of the 1/2 cup

of flour, if not a bit more..)

Shape the dough into a ball, place in a lightly

oiled bowl, turn the ball to coat with the oil,

cover with plastic wrap, and let the dough

rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 2 hrs.

(Or, re-fridge overnight and bring to room temp.

before continuing)

Punch down the dough, and divide into 2 equal pieces.

Place the balls on a lightly floured plate,

cover with plastic wrap, and let rest for 15 min.

till ready to roll out.

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.

Position the oven rack in the lower 1/3 of the

oven. Lightly drizzle your pans with olive oil,

and a dust of corn meal.

Roll out the dough and place on the sheets and

top with your favorite ingredients.

Bake till crust is golden and the cheese is

bubbling. Remove from oven and let

cool for about 5 min.

Slice into wedges and enjoy!

Delish

Tomato Bruschetta

Sweet cherry tomatoes - sliced and tossed with

extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar,

fresh basil,

a bit of crushed garlic and salt and pepper.

I grilled the breads in frying

pan in a bit of olive oil till brown on both sides,

extra crunchy and delicious.

~

Busy getting the kids ready for school these past

few days - clothes, school supplies,

goodies for lunches,

meet the teacher, etc.

School starts tomorrow....

I am relieved - !

Dinner with Mom

Love this table cloth. Purchased at

Domestic Bliss last summer.

Dinner Menu:
Shrimp scampi over linguine,
Salad with sliced apple, sugared pecans,
and goat cheese (made by Mom) and garlic
bread. No pictures - too busy getting the food
on the table. The shrimp scampi was from Costco, in
the freezer section - really good!
*
Super simple appetizer - block of cream cheese
with raspberry chipotle sauce poured on top,
served with wheat thins.
*
Raspberry tart from Trader Joe's,
with vanilla ice cream on top.
We had the blueberry tart a few weeks ago,
the raspberry one is delicious too.
Perfect for the summer
when you don't want to heat up the
house by baking.

More summer inspiration...
*

Blueberry ice cream - love the color!

Lavender Honey

Lemon Basil - must try this one!
(recipe: wholefoods.com)

I am thinking about purchasing

one of these.. Costco for $39.99.

I think it would be fun for the summer,

and we do love ice cream in this house.

Might be bad for the waistline though...
(ice cream recipes: countryliving.com)

Summer cooking inspiration

* When it gets hot here - and it is...

I get in a bit of a cooking slump.

Just feels too hot to cook anything - and who

wants to heat up the house by using the oven?

NOT ME - !

*

I found tons of inspiration for summer

cooking at bhg.com, cookinglight.com

and wholefoods.com
These are just a few...

I am feeling a bit more inspired...

Recipe to try

This salmon looks delicious!

It makes my mouth water just looking at

it. I found the recipe here.

Pizza Pizza

A little pizza making with Logan.

Lunch today...

Salmon Burger Salad

I bought some frozen Salmon Burgers at Costco.

They are really good - I have bought fresh ones

at Trader Joe's before, but sometimes they are

really fishy - these are delicious!

I made up a little tarter sauce to put on top.

Delicious!

Chicken Stock

One of my favorite things about the cooler

weather, is that I can make & enjoy more soup.

Nothing better than big pot of chicken stock

simmering away on the stove, in my favorite green

Le Creuset pot. I almost always pick up a

roasted chicken when I go to Costco and the

leftover chicken & bones make great stock. I just

add whatever vegetables I have - usually carrots,

celery, onion, garlic, peppercorns, dill,

basil and this time I used the herbs from

my herb pot, oregano, thyme, & rosemary.

Put them all in the pot, and cover

with water. After it simmers on the stove

for several hours, I strain it, place in

containers to use or I freeze it. It will last

for months in the freezer and I can normally

make several pots of soup with each batch.

The homemade stock makes any soup taste so

much better than store bought.