Food For Friday: Fresh Squeezed Lemonade

Summer has arrived in Colorado and put me in the mood for fresh squeezed lemonade.  We've enjoyed many evenings lately sipping this ice cold treat on the back patio, surrounded by the sweet scent of lilacs drifting in on the summer breeze.  I think this recipe from Paula Deen has just the right amount of sugar, making it sweet, but leaving a hint of tartness and plenty of lemony goodness.  I thought it was the perfect recipe to share with you this holiday weekend!

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Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup hot water
1 cup fresh lemon juice (5 lemons)
7 cups cold water

In a pitcher, place sugar & hot water, and stir until sugar dissolves.  Add lemon juice and cold water.  Stir until mixed well.  Add a handful of ice and refrigerate until chilled.  Toss in a few lemon slices and stir before serving.  Enjoy!

Food For Friday: Amber's Original Spinach, Bacon & Chicken Mac & Cheese

We have been in the mood for decadent mac & cheese ever since our visit to S'Mac in NYC.  Especially my husband.  We joke that in our house, food is a 6th love language.  I have a great recipe for a simple mac & cheese that is a perfect BBQ side dish, but we were craving something richer, heartier, and main dish worthy.
I set out to create my own original homemade macaroni & cheese recipe, inspired by the delicious dishes we had at S'Mac.  We were quite happy with the flavorful and creamy result!

Ingredients:
3 cups uncooked whole wheat bowtie pasta (I used Barilla Plus Farfalle)
large handful fresh baby spinach
2-3 chicken breasts, chopped
4-5 slices bacon, chopped (you can substitute turkey bacon)
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons whole wheat flour (can also use all purpose, but I like the added nutty flavor of whole wheat)
3 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon paprika
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
2 cups sharp shredded cheddar (separated)
1 cup shredded fresh parmesan
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (I used homemade)

Boil a pot of salted water and add uncooked pasta.  Boil for 10 minutes or until tender.  Add spinach and boil for an additional 2 minutes.  Drain.

Meanwhile, chop chicken breasts into bite size pieces.  Spray a deep skillet with olive oil and saute chicken over medium heat until lightly browned and cooked through.  Set aside in a bowl.  Add the chopped bacon to the skillet and saute until brown & crispy.  Drain grease and put bacon on a couple of paper towels to soak up the rest of the grease.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add chopped onion to the skillet and saute for about 2 minutes.  Add butter and stir until melted, then saute onions in the butter for an additional 2 minutes or until onions are tender.  Add the whole wheat flour and whisk until fully mixed into the onions and butter.  Stir for about 1 minute, then slowly add the milk, whisking constantly over medium heat until thickened.  Remove from heat.  Whisk in the cayenne pepper, paprika and salt and pepper.  (I used a sea salt and pepper grinder and used about 3 turns of each.)  Add 1 1/2 cups of sharp shredded cheddar and 1 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese and whisk until melted and well blended.  Mix in the chicken breast and bacon pieces, then add the cooked pasta and spinach.  Mix well until thoroughly coated.

Coat a large casserole dish with olive oil or cooking spray, and put pasta mixture into the dish.  Sprinkle remaining shredded cheddar on top, and sprinkle with breadcrumbs.  Cover and bake for 15 minutes.  Uncover and bake for an additional 5-7 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and the breadcrumbs are lightly browned.

A Sister Visit!

Last week, Truman's sister, Carita, flew in from Texas to visit us for a long weekend!  There were lots of late night talks catching up on life and time spent hanging out around the dinner table, but we also visited a few fun areas around the city.

After church on Sunday, we had a delicious brunch at the Coral Room in Highlands Square, and checked out a few of the shops around this charming, historic area.

We enjoyed a beautiful afternoon at Cherry Creek and had gelato on the sunny cafe patio.  Spring was in bloom, even in the city.

Carita surprised Truman with a mold to make Spam Musubi, a popular snack in Hawaii that they enjoyed often during two summers they spent with students on mission trips in Hawaii.  After a stop at the Asian market down the street for ingredients, she taught him how to make Spam Musubi, so now he has to the needed supplies and skills to make it at home. 

(For those of you who are wondering, Spam Musubi is made of sushi rice, teriyaki grilled Spam, and seasonings wrapped in seaweed sheets.) 

Before Carita flew back to Austin, we had brunch at one of our favorite Denver breakfast spots, retro inspired Snooze.

We had a lot of fun having Carita in Denver and enjoyed that she had a chance to get a glimpse of our life and home here.  Thanks for coming to visit us, Carita!  We hope you come back sooner than later!

Food For Friday: Homemade Bread Machine Wheat Buns

I came across this recipe for whole wheat buns here on Mom Advice and added them to my list of recipes to try.  I have shared in recent posts how I am trying to make more and more of our staples, partially so I know exactly what chemicals aren't in them, and I've brought my bread maker out of semi-retirement in the process.

We used these buns for the Chicken Parmesan Burgers I posted last week.  This recipe seemed easy and looked delicious and I've made the homemade buns twice now.  They are indeed both easy and delicious, and well worth the little bit of extra effort in my opinion.  They are lightly browned & toasted on the outside, but nice and soft on the inside, and not at all doughy....a perfect consistency.  They don't have a heavy wheat flavor and aren't dense, but the wheat flour does add a little extra flavor.  They make your house smell divine while they are baking.  The dough only takes a little over 2 hours in the breadmaker, so you can make them start to finish in less than 3 1/2 hours.  The ingredient list is simple and all of the items are things I already keep on hand.  Even if I don't decide until the afternoon that we want to grill out, they can still be warm & fresh for dinner.  They are now a staple in our house, especially during spring and summer grilling season!

The recipe says you can make both hotdog and hamburger buns, but I have not perfected the hotdog buns.  They seem trickier to me to get the shape right, and they want to break into 2 pieces when I slice them to put the hotdog or brat in.  The hamburger buns are no-fail though!

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup shortening (can substitute with canola oil instead)
1/4 cup sugar
3 teaspoons yeast (I use Fleischmann's Bread Machine Yeast)

Directions:
Place all ingredients in bread machine pan, select Dough setting, Wheat setting, Large loaf setting, and press start.  When dough is ready, the machine will beep.  Preheat oven to 150 degrees, then turn off.  Remove bread pan, and turn out dough onto a floured countertop.

Gently roll and shape the dough into a 12-inch rope.  With a sharp knife, divide dough into 8 pieces for hamburger buns or 12 pieces for hot dog buns.  (For my last batch, I divided the dough in half and used half for 5 hamburger buns and half for 6 hot dog buns.)  I scored the dough to get the pieces even, then slid a cutting board under the dough to cut them.

Grease a baking sheet or use a Silpat mat like I did.  Roll pieces of dough into balls and flatten for hamburger buns or shape into 6-inch rolls for hot dog buns.  Place on prepared baking sheet.

Cover with a towel and let rise in warm oven 10 to 15 minutes until almost doubled.  Remove from oven and preheat oven to 400° degrees.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown.  Remove from oven and cool on racks.

When ready to use, split buns horizontally with a serrated knife.

*Extras will keep for several days in a Ziploc bag.  These will also keep in a Ziploc Freezer bag in the freezer for 3 to 4 weeks.

Bar Stool Toile

Our house has 2 large kitchen peninsulas, and one of them has an overhang counter made for bar stools.  I really liked this feature and envisioned menu planning while dinner cooks, friends hanging out while I'm in the kitchen, and someday, kids drawing or doing homework at that counter while I make dinner.  Our previous home didn't have a spot for bar stools, so when we moved to this home, I started scouring Craigslist for two affordable additions to our kitchen.  After several months of hunting, I came across this set for a good price:

I was drawn in by the shape and the black wood, but the fabric absolutely did not go with our decor.  I decided to give them a makeover with some cream and black toile.  I pulled out a screwdriver to pry out the staples that were holding the fabric in place and used our staple gun to attach the new print.  Here they are after:

I think they look great in their new home and am so happy with how they turned out.  I added a piece of 2 inch high density foam to each seat before recovering them, which added a lot of extra cushion.  I traced the wooden seat base onto the foam and then used an electric knife to cut it out.  It glides easily through the foam making a smooth cut.  They are extra comfortable now and a great spot to work or hang out in the kitchen!

Food For Friday: Chicken Parmesan Burgers

I am always on the lookout for fresh and healthy, delicious recipes to try for dinner. One ingredient that I haven't used much in my cooking but wanted to try was ground chicken.  What meats do I use in my cooking?  Ground beef, yes.  Ground turkey, sometimes.  Chicken breasts, definitely.  But, ground chicken?  I can't think of a recipe I've made using this low fat ground alternative.  When I saw this recipe, I knew it had to be added to my binder of priority recipes to try.

On one of the beautiful nights we had while my mom was visiting, we made these Chicken Parmesan Burgers on the grill and they were excellent!  They had a great texture, fresh Italian flavor, and were easy to prepare.  I would definitely recommend grilling the burgers, though in cold weather, I will try broiling them instead.  We really enjoyed the added grilled flavor.  We served them on homemade whole wheat buns, which I promise to share the recipe for on an upcoming Food For Friday because they were perfectly soft, light, and delicious...and oh so easy!  Baked sweet potato fries were the perfect side.

Ingredients:

For the burgers:
1 lb. ground chicken
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
3 tbsp. chopped flat leaf Italian parsley
2 cloves garlic, pressed
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

For serving:
Pasta sauce
Sliced Mozzarella or Provolone cheese
Sautéed mushrooms (optional)
4 hamburger buns

In a medium bowl combine all of the ingredients for the burgers.  Mix well until thoroughly combined.  Wrap ball of seasoned meat in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to mingle.  Form the mixture into 4 patties. 

Preheat the grill to medium heat.  Grill the burgers for approximately 6 minutes on one side, then flip and grill for 4-6 more minutes on the other side until fully browned and cooked through.  Check the internal temperature of the burger with a meat or grilling thermometer to make sure that the center is done.  It is important to fully cook ground chicken through to prevent food borne illness.  (Alternatively, cook the burgers under your oven broiler.  Spray the broiler pan with cooking spray. )

When the burgers are almost done, add a generous layer of pasta sauce to each bun.  Bake at 350 until buns are lightly browned and sauce is hot.  Saute the mushrooms while the buns heat if you want to add mushrooms.  Add the chicken burgers to each bun, top with a slice of cheese, and add the sautéed mushrooms if desired, before adding the top bun. 

These burgers are definitely going to be added to the regular rotation at our house, especially during grilling season!

Spring in Bloom: Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day!

One of the fun surprises of the first spring in a new home is what pops up in the yard that you didn't know was there!  In the last week, three trees in our backyard that I didn't know were flowering trees, have begun bursting with absolutely beautiful pink spring buds. 

After a spring shower this afternoon, I wanted to capture our yard in bloom against the bright blue sky that came after the rain. I thought they were the perfect to share in celebration of Earth Day today, and the beautiful creation the Lord blessed us with!

I also adore these grape hyacinths that have popped up beneath the flowering tree.  There are more buds and more things getting ready to bloom, and I am excited to see what other spring surprises our yard has in store.

I have also decided that I am going to add a new regular feature to my blog.  Earth Day seems like the perfect day to announce Live Green Tuesdays!  Each week, I am going to post a quick tip of easy ways to live greener and healthier.  An eco-friendly life doesn't have to be difficult or expensive (in face, it can help you save money!)  I hope that these tips and tricks will help you to make choices, without a lot of hassle, that will protect the beautiful earth that God has entrusted to us and help to keep it beautiful for years to come...so our children and grandchildren can enjoy it too.  We've been trying to make greener, healthier choices in our home, and I'd love to share some ideas I've found with you.

Watch for the first tip on Tuesday!

And coming tomorrow on Food for Friday, Chicken Parmesan Burgers...