Campfire Breakfast

One morning this summer we woke up to find Jeremy made us breakfast on the campfire in our backyard.  As we were preparing to eat on the picnic table, it started raining so we had to move our breakfast inside.  As you will see the girls were grumpy about that, but after a bite of the nice, hot meal they got over it!

My New Favorite Hotdog

I found the instructions on how to make a Chicago style hotdog in my Martha Stewart Living magazine this summer.  Once we tried it we were hooked!  These are so good and one is a meal in and of itself.  For our relish we use our picalilli that we canned a couple of years ago when our garden got the blight.  We had so many green tomatoes we didn't know what else to do with them.  Therefore, we have a lifetime supply of it and it is amazing!!! 

A Good Start

As the girls' first day of school with early mornings approached I wracked my brain to come up with a good breakfast that was high in protein. 

It also needed to be able to be made ahead.  That became a slight challenge until I ran across this recipe for mini vegetable frittatas.   As always, I made it my own in that I used a few more veggies and also used what I had on hand.  These were so good and the girls really enjoyed them. 

Their brains had a good start and I felt a great sense of accomplishment!

Leaning Tower of Panini

Jeremy loves this panini sandwich from our local store, but lately they haven't kept to their original recipe.  He hasn't been too impressed, so I went out and bought a bunch of Italian deli meats and cheeses and made my own.  He is seriously impressed with mine now and I don't think they'll ever be able to measure up! 

First I chop up pepperoncini into tiny bits with my food chopper.  You could also use a food processor for this.  I then mix that with mayonnaise and spread it on panini bread. 

Next layer provolone and mozzerella on top of the pepperoncini spread.  Then add your meats.  I used 2 slices each of hard salami, sandwich pepperoni, capicola, and proscuitto. Alternate them so you get a good medley of them in each bite.  Finally top it with your cheeses again.  Spray the outer sides of the bread with Olive Oil and place in a warmed pan over medium heat or use a George Foreman type grill (which I no longer own).  You want to put it over medium heat so that the bread doesn't burn, but so the cheese and meat can warm through.  It takes a little while per side, but make sure not to leave it to burn.

Enjoy!!!

Putting Up Peaches

Our local Farm Market had the BEST peaches this year.  Every time I got one, it was perfect!  I had to keep them for the rest of the year.  I consulted my good friend, Mandy, and she told me how to freeze peaches without using syrups or additives.  It worked wonderfully. 

The first step is to clean out a shelf in the freezer.  Then I placed a large cookie sheet lined with parchment or aluminum foil on the shelf.  I then place my cooling rack on the large sheet and placed a smaller cookie sheet on top of the cooling rack.  This gave me 2 surfaces to work with. 

The next step was blanching, bathing, peeling, slicing, and freezing the peaches.  I brought a pot of water to a boil.  Put the peaches in it for about 30 seconds, removed them from the boiling water and directly put them into an ice water bath. 

 Now you need to start working quickly.  As soon as I peeled off the skin, which comes off really easy, I quickly pitted and sliced them onto a plate an immediately placed the slices onto my prepared cookie sheets in the freezer. 

Try to keep them as separated as possible.  Working quickly at this and doing them one at a time reduced the time for oxidation and discoloration.

I let them freeze for a good hour or so and then placed the frozen slices in zippered freezer bags.  They're beautiful and set to last all year! (We'll see how long they last.  My girls are still begging for them!)

Move Aside Paula Deen... (Guest Post by Bethany Rose)

...there's a new gourmet in the South!  I asked my friend, Bethany Rose, to be a guest writer today.  Here's what she has to say:

I am so honored that Andrea asked me to be a guest writer on her blog! She always cooks up fabulous meals so for her to notice a meal like mine makes me feel, well special.

I should start by saying that I am not a cook by any means. If you put me into a kitchen with 1,000 ingredients, I would probably make pasta and sauce. I do not know which spices compliment each other or know if chicken is done, just by “looking at it.” No, I am not an expert at all, but it is nice to know that anyone can make a good meal just by doing a little research and by being willing to try anything.

So here it goes…

Last night, I made Arugula and Prosciutto Pizza. To be honest with you, in the grocery store, I had to Google, “what is arugula?” I now know what it is. ;) It was a ridiculously easy recipe that I am sure I will make again. Plus, my hubby loved it, even though it was healthy and wasn’t topped with all those fatty meats like bacon and sausage.

Here’s what you will need…

·                                 1 pound prepared pizza dough, preferably whole-wheat

·                                 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

·                                 1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced

·                                 2 ounces very thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into thin strips (about 1/2 cup)**

·                                 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper**

·                                 1 cup shredded fontina or part-skim mozzarella cheese

·                                 2 cups packed coarsely chopped arugula

·                                 1 cup chopped tomato

** They say strips but I would say bite- sized pieces. Prosciutto is very salty and I could not handle large pieces of it.

** I also would have used fresh red pepper to give it more of a kick

1.                                1-Position oven rack in the lowest position; preheat to 450°F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

2.                                Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to about the size of the baking sheet. Transfer to the baking sheet. Bake until puffed and lightly crisped on the bottom, 8 to 10 minutes.

3.                                Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion, prosciutto and crushed red pepper and cook, stirring, until the onion is beginning to brown, about 3 minutes.

4.                                Spread the onion mixture evenly over the crust and top with cheese. Bake until crispy and golden and the cheese is melted, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with arugula and tomato. (Personally, I topped it with arugula and tomato and popped it back into the oven for 1 minute just to have warm tomatoes.)

It was absolutely delicious. The onion flavor came out just enough in the pizza without over powering the pizza, which is what I was afraid of. It was a great meal for me. And now I know that I can cook something new even if I do not know what all the ingredients are!

Happy Eating!

Peanut Butter Pie for Mikey

I first heard about making a Peanut Butter Pie for Mikey on The Food Librarian's blog.

Two weeks ago I read about another food blogger, Jennie, who's husband, Mikey, suddenly died of a heart attack leaving her and their two young girls behind.  She asked that in his memory everyone make a "peanut butter pie this Friday and share it with someone you love. Then hug them like there's no tomorrow because today is the only guarantee we can count on."    You can read her blog here: In Jennie's Kitchen

This sad event really spoke to me as I constantly put myself in other's shoes when thinking about things like this.  I tearfully thought about how I would feel in that same position and suddenly got very overwhelmed with grief for her.  Then, as in all situations when I get feeling this way, I turned to The Only One Who can help in these situations and I prayed to the LORD for this little family who I don't know.   I really hope all of you will too.  Pray for mending of their broken hearts, and that they will find Christ if they don't already know Him.

Well, I didn't immediately go out and make a pie and it wasn't on a Friday, but the point was still there - to share it with those you love.  So, our dear friends came over and we shared a delicious chocolate peanut butter pie, had a bon fire and enjoyed our children playing together in the yard.

My brother-in-law shared this recipe with me that he found online from a cookbook called The Thrill of the Grill by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby. It's absolutely amazing.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

For the graham cracker crust
¾ cup graham cracker crumbs
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons butter, melted

For the filling
1½ cups heavy cream
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
¾ cup sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon vanilla

For the chocolate sauce
¾ cup heavy cream
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, grated

1. Make the crust: In a food processor or blender, blend the dry ingredients
well. Drizzle in the melted butter and process or blend
until the dry ingredients are well moistened. Press the mixture firmly
into a 9-inch pie pan, pressing another pan on top to distribute the
mixture evenly. Freeze for at least 1 hour, or until ready for use.

2. Make the filling: Whip the heavy cream until it holds soft peaks.
Set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add
the sugar and mix well. Add the peanut butter and vanilla and mix
well, scraping the sides of the bowl. Fold in the whipped cream.

4. Place the batter into the frozen pie shell and put it back in the
freezer for 1 hour.

5. Make the chocolate sauce: In a heavy saucepan, slowly bring the
heavy cream to a boil. Turn off the heat, add the chocolate, and
cover the saucepan, leaving it on the stove. After 10 minutes, stir
the mixture until the chocolate is completely melted. Cool slightly
(room temperature is best).

6. Pour the chocolate sauce on top of the pie, place it in the refrigerator
for 30 minutes, and serve chilled.

Enjoy your loved ones - every second you can!

Here are some other loved ones that we had fun memories with this summer:

Lucy's bath time in the kitchen sink with Mommy!

 We met Aunt Sue at the park and she put Lucy to sleep by swinging.

Jeremy surprised us all by getting up early and making the girls breakfast over a bonfire in the backyard. He's such a great dad!  (and husband too!)

Grandma Bessie getting to meet Lucy and seeing her first time to pull herself up to a standing position in her crib.