Skinny? Who cares?

Cheesy corn goodness on pizza?

Amazing!  I wasn't sure quite what to expect when we tried this recipe for Grilled Pizza with Cheesy Corn from Martha Stewart magazine, but really...it's pizza.  How bad could it be?

Turns out it was awesome.  I'm not kidding either.  I did start with corn sliced right off the cob, but I've seen online that some others have used frozen corn and thought it still turned out great.  Good to know for the winter months ahead!  I used a piece of naan flatbread as the crust instead of making my own.  It's still summer: I needed to cut at least a few corners!

Pecan crusted salmon

Salmon is probably my favorite fish.  That or trout anyway.  And since I don't get trout unless I go catch it, we have a lot more salmon ;-)

I found this recipe for a pecan crust in the May-June issue of Fresh magazine.  I used a steamer instead of the microwave to cook the fish and pressed on the coating when it was finished.  I also left out the lemon pepper and substituted fresh lemon juice for the water.  Mike and I both agreed that even as easy as this dish is, it is worthy to be served to guests.   

Spicy gazpacho

Since we've been on a roll recently with delicious cold soups, I decided to revisit our Spicy Gazpacho Soup.  Yup.  We still like it!

Cucumber wasabi soup

After enjoying Gazpacho Blanco a few weeks ago, we ended up craving Cucumber Wasabi soup, just for the extra spice and creaminess!

Love to Bake carnival

The 3nd edition of the Love to Bake Global Carnival has been posted over at The Family Feed!  I really want to try making those Toffee Cupcakes that The Vagabond Baker shared.

Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh is one of my favorite summer salads from way back in my hippy days.  My methods haven't changed much over the years, but when I saw the suggestion from Cook's Illustrated to cut up the tomatoes first and use the drained juice to soften up the bulgur, I scratched my head.  Why didn't I think of that before?

My new food processor

After beating up my original Cuisinart food processor for 28 years (yes, you read that right), the bowl is starting to get some crazing in it that I'm afraid might at some point become a full-blown foodisaster.  Most likely when some very important meal is being prepared.  I suppose I could just get a new bowl, but honestly, I sort of think I deserve a new one.  Here's what I chose:

 

Cuisinart DLC-8S 11-Cup Pro Food Processor

The one I have now is a 7-cup classic style, so all the discs I already own should work with this new one.  I do use a lot of them, so that's my main reason for not going with one of the other Cuisinart lines, but for sticking with the classic series.  I'll let you know what I think when I get it!

Mango chicken stir fry

 
I found a recipe for Mango Pork and Asparagus Stir Fry, but I didn't have pork or asparagus.  What I had was chicken thighs and mixed baby cooking greens.  Well, why not?  It was delicious.  Just make the appropriate substitutions to suit your own refrigerator...

Kale and sunflower seed pesto

I told you a few weeks ago that we had been experimenting with various pesto recipes that are alternatives to basil.  Not that we don't also LOVE basil.  I found this Kale and Sunflower Seed Pesto mixture at Cook's Illustrated along with some of the others that we tried.  I passed it by at first because I thought it looked kind of weird.  I should someday learn not to eat quite so much with my eyes!  It was delicious.



Image: Stock.echng, J Wilsher

Love to Bake carnival

The 2nd edition of the Love to Bake Global Carnival has been posted over at The Family Feed!  Check out all the scrumptious recipes...how about grilled peach pound cake???

Coffee

Corn and edamame succotash

I have never liked succotash.  What's to like?  Lima beans make my head shake.  The corn is always waterlogged and gross.  And what the heck are those disgusting red things anyway? 

Then I found Martha Stewart's recipe for skillet corn, edamame, and tomatoes with basil oil.  I didn't even realize at first that it was basically succotash until I read the caption by the picture.  Too late!  I had already tried it and we liked it :-)

Mike agrees with me about lima beans, by the way, but he likes this dish too!  I added some browned meat to it in order to make it a one-dish meal.  Can't wait to try it the "right" way and have it as a side!

Grilled venison

We don't have the chance to eat venison very often, but when we do, we want to make sure that it's cooked properly.  No reason to ruin perfectly good venison steaks when they are really so easy to cook.  One of the most important tips I can give you is to make sure you brine it overnight before cooking, no matter what method of cooking you choose.  Make a basic brine, but don't worry too much about added herbs unless you want to add some of the rosemary that I'll recommend for a sauce.

When you're ready to grill the meat, get your grill hot hot hot.  Did I mention hot?  Oil the grill and also oil the steaks lightly.  Plan to turn them only once, and add a little oil to the flip side as well.  Cook for a few minutes per side and aim for an internal temperature between 130 and 135.

Here's a tasty sauce to add to the meat for the last minute on each side:
Italian dressing (very basic)
A sprinkle of garlic powder
A sprinkle of dry mustard
Fresh rosemary, crushed

Chai-pistachio sugar cookies

My favorite cookie (for the moment) is a perfect vanilla sugar cookie.  Huge, chewy, and sweet.  My friend Beth asked me to make a cookie that had chai spices and pistachios, so I started with my sugar cookie base.  Cut back the vanilla by half, and to the the sugar mixture add 1/2 t cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and 1/4 t allspice.  Stir in a cup or so of chopped pistachios before forming into balls.

Lasagna

How many different ways are there to make lasagna?  I totally love The New Lasagna Cookbook by Maria Bruscino Sanchez, but after cooking up several of her inventive variations, I'm always longing to revisit my old favorite.  And here it is!

Lasagna

1 lb lasagna noodles (oven ready)
2 lbs ground meat (l lb beef, 1 lb sausage)
1 onion, chopped
30 oz spaghetti sauce

1/2 c water
30 oz ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1 lb shredded mozzarella cheese
10 oz shredded asiago cheese
Nutmeg, salt and pepper

Place the noodles in a sink of hot water to soak.

Preheat the oven to 375.  Spray oil your lasagna pan.

In a large saucepan or dutch oven, brown the meat, draining off the excess fat.  Add the onion just before the meat is finished and cook until softened.  Stir in most of the sauce, and the water, and bring all to a boil.  Reserve about 3/4 c of sauce.  Remove mixture from the heat.

In a large bowl, mix the ricotta, eggs, mozzarella, and about a 1/2 c of asiago cheese.  Add a sprinkle of nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

Layer as follows: 
Reserved sauce
Lasagna noodles
1/3 cheese mixture
Sprinkle with asiago

1/3 sauce mixture
Lasagna noodles
1/3 cheese mixture
Sprinkle with asiago

1/3 sauce mixture
Lasagna noodles
1/3 cheese mixture
1/3 sauce mixture
Top with asiago

Bake at 375, covered with foil, for 1 hour.  Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes.  Let stand before serving to firm up.