Pesto Pasta and Salmon

This is a recipe is a new one in our household! We wanted something different and my fiance found this recipe and decided to make it for us. I couldn't decide between wanting pasta or salmon so he combined the two! I turned my nose up when he said it was pesto because I knew that was green! However, I like most of the ingredients so it had to be good and it WAS! Here is the source. I'm not sure where he got the salmon recipe, he basically fried in in butter with pepper and white wine. It was then added to the pasta and was amazing! Also we halved this recipe for just enough for the two of us.

Ingredients

3 cloves garlic, crushed

2 cups fresh basil leaves

3 tablespoons pine nuts (pignolia)

1 dash salt and pepper

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated

Directions

The recipe calls for using a food processor but we used our blender. Add the basil leaves, pine nuts, and a dash of salt and pepper to the blender, crush the garlic using a garlic press and add to blender. Slowly drizzle in olive oil into the blender until all the ingredients are pureed.

Now add Parmesan cheese and mix it into the rest of the mixture. If the pesto is too thick, add a tablespoon of water.

Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to use it. This should keep for 2 - 3 days in the fridge but freezes well if you want to keep it longer. 

Here was our dessert, homemade apple pie!!

Homemade Playdough

I made this for the kids at Sunday school. I thought the kids would love this! I plan to make this for future gifts as it is super easy and not expensive.

4 cups of flour
1 cup of salt
2 heaping tbsps of Cream of Tarter
2 tbsp - 1/4 cup of oil
2-4 drops of food coloring
4 cups of boiling water

Add oil and food coloring to boiling water, then add to dry mix. Knead as soon as you can stand it, I used rubber gloves which helped! Keep kneading until it cools enough to solidify. Keep in an air tight container or plastic bag for up to 2 weeks, I think.

Ginger Beef Stir-Fry

My first time making this and it was a hit!! Yay! I enjoyed it too! Normally I pick my cooking apart and think it's awful! I did follow a recipe but I am still taking some credit! I didn't have some of their ingredients so I used some different things such as zucchini. Note to self, do not put in until the very end which I didn't do. Here is the source.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 1/2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger root, divided
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil, divided
• 1 small head broccoli, cut into florets
• 1/2 cup snow peas (didn't use)
• 3/4 cup julienned carrots
• 1/2 cup halved green beans
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 1/2 tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 tablespoon salt

Directions

1. In a large bowl, blend cornstarch, garlic, 1 teaspoon ginger, and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil until cornstarch is dissolved. Mix in broccoli, snow peas, carrots, and green beans, tossing to lightly coat.
2. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Cook vegetables in oil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Stir in soy sauce and water. Mix in onion, salt, and remaining 1 teaspoon ginger. Cook until vegetables are tender but still crisp.

Cheese, Bacon and Bread -What could go wrong?

This is a recipe I asked a friend's friend for after having it at her bachelorette party. It was AMAZING!! I do not like most of the ingredients separately but LOVE them together.

Cheesy Sourdough Bread Dip

1 pkg. light sour cream
1 pkg. light cream cheese
1/2 bunch of green onions
1/2 small pkg of bacon bits
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 sourdough loaf

Cut the top out of the bread and pull out all the insides without damaging the crust. After mixing all ingredients together, put inside the bread (like below) and place the top back on. Cover in two layers of tin foil and bake in the oven at 350 for about an hour. Break apart the pieces of bread from the inside and set aside covered.

Stuffed Zucchini and Parmesan Tomatoes

So this is a recipe that my fiance created! It's stuffed zucchini and I'll try my best to tell you what he did! There is no recipe exactly just putting a bunch of things in zucchini.

He cut a zucchini into four spears and scooped out the insides and cooked for about 10 minutes on 350. He chopped the filling up sauteed with minced garlic. Then add finely chopped tomatoes (he wanted red peppers but we had none so he tried tomatoes instead) He mixed all of this with a very small amount of cooked rice and stuffed the zucchini pieces. Garnish with pepper, oregano and mozzarella cheese. Bake on broil for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

We haven't eaten these yet so they may taste like garbage but I will update!

UPDATE: These were ok tasting, we'd make some adjustments next time.

Parmesan Tomatoes

Super easy and yummy!! Cut a tomato in half, my fiance made them fancy last night, bake for about 15 minutes at 350 or until nearly cooked. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and oregano and bake until cheese is melted! YUMMY!

 

Freebies!!

Everybody likes free stuff, right? Well I sure do! Since we moved here in January I have accumulated a lot of free things! Some things I received when I signed up for our wedding registry, some through promotions, and others were in store freebies! I decided to take a photo of all of my goodies to show everyone just how great it is getting free things! Some things like cereal have not been included because I already ate them! I am getting a free box of Chocolate Cheerios on June 21st though, it's a one day only coupon!

Strawberry Lemonade

I got the idea from my friend Alison @ Hospitality Haven to make a lemonade with berries! She uses blackberries but I really love strawberry lemonade! I had a struggle at the beginning to get the tart taste to go away but I eventually got it! :D

1 cup frozen strawberries, blended (ice crush)
1 cup lemon juice
1.5 L water (approximate)
1/2 cup sugar

Mix altogether and enjoy in the sun! I will have to tweak this recipe next time but this is close enough to what I did.

Recipe Exchange

Check out Merissa's recipe exchange at Little House Living

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

YUMMY!! This is great on a warm sunny day! My absolute favorite and they are so easy to make.

Chose strawberries that look healthy. Wash and dry well. Place on cookie sheet with paper towel to dry. After dried, melt some semi sweet chocolate and dip the strawberries. Place each strawberry on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper. Chill for an hour or more, Enjoy!

Strawberry Smoothie

This is my very own recipe for a strawberry smoothie

14 frozen strawberries
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup peach yogurt
1/2 frozen banana
1/2 cup frozen pineapple (optional but tasty!)

Blend together and enjoy! Serve immediately!

Homemade Salsa

This is an edited version of my soon to be Mother-in-law's. Her recipe calls for vinegar but we didn't like the taste of it when we first made it. Now we use lemon juice instead. In order to peel the tomatoes, place in boiling water for a few seconds until the peel looks cracked. Let cool and then the peel will come off easily.

Ingredients

6 tomatoes, peeled and chopped

1.5 red pepper, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 onion, chopped

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup + 1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp dried oregano

Pinch or two of crushed red chillies (I used one at first then added more after tasting)

Directions

Coarsely chop tomatoes and lightly drain. Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Boil over medium to low heat for 20 minutes (I left it much longer so there wasn't so much liquid). Put into hot mason jars. Seal jars. Put in hot water bath for 20 minutes, and then cool. (I just put it in a clean salsa jar and in the fridge. My version makes one large jar of salsa and we'll finish that soon!

Three Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta Bake

This is a Kraft recipe that I have altered. I decided not to add the canned tomatoes. This is a very yummy and simple meal to make up. We didn't have much time last night to make this but we had it made and eaten in about an hour. We paired it with a Caesar salad and garlic bread. Very yummy! It makes enough for about 6-8 people depending on if you have other sides with it.

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups multigrain penne pasta, uncooked

1 pkg. (283 g) fresh baby spinach leaves (I only used about 1/4 of the pkg)

1 lb. (450 g) boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

1 tsp. dried basil leaves (Next time I will use fresh basil leaves)

1-1/2 cups (1/2 of 700-mL jar) pasta sauce( I used organic tomato basil)

1-2/3 cups (1/2 of 796-mL can) diced tomatoes, drained (I didn't use)

1/4 cup Light Cream Cheese Spread

1 cup Part Skim Mozzarella Shredded Cheese, divided

2 Tbsp. Parmesan Light Grated Cheese

 

Directions 

 

Heat oven to 375ºF. Cook pasta as directed on package, adding spinach to the boiling water for the last 1 min.
Meanwhile, heat large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat. Add chicken and basil; cook 3 min. or until chicken is no longer pink, stirring frequently. Add pasta sauce; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer 3 min. or until chicken is cooked through. Stir in cream cheese spread until melted.
Drain pasta and spinach; return to same saucepan. Add chicken mixture; mix lightly. Stir in 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Spoon into 2-L or 8-inch square baking dish.
Bake 20 min. or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan cheese. Bake 3 min. or until cheese is melted.