Strawberry-Watermelon Slushie





2 cups cubed seedless watermelon
1 pint fresh strawberries, halved (I actually used a little less than a pint.  Maybe 3/4 of it)
1/3 C sugar
1/3 C fresh lemon juice
2-4 C ice cubes

In a blender, combine the watermelon, strawberries, sugar and lemon juice; cover and process on high until smooth. With blender running, gradually add ice cubes until desired consistency is reached.  Pour into chilled glasses and serve immediately.

Yield: 5-7 cups

Sausage & Pasta with Basil

This is a yummy twist on traditional spaghetti.  Sorry no picture.

1 pound ground sausage
1 large  onion, chopped (I use about half an onion)
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14.5 oz) chopped tomatoes
12 oz spaghetti
2 to 3 tablespoons dry basil
1 to 2 tablespoons dry parsley
3/4 to 1 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil


- Cook sausage until it begins to brown.  Add onion and bell pepper; continue to cook, stirring until onion is soft but not brown.  Stir in garlic, then tomatoes and their liquid.  Bring to boil; reduce heat and boil gently, uncovered, stirring often, until slightly thickened.

- Meanwhile, cook spaghetti according to package directions.  Drain well.

- In large serving bowl, combine basil, parsley, 1/2 cup of the cheese and oil.  Add spaghetti and mix lightly.  Top with sausage-tomato sauce.  Serve with remaining cheese.

Speedy Spelt Drop Biscuits

2 cups Spelt flour
1TBS Baking Powder
½ tsp Salt
2 cups Buttermilk (or 2 cups milk + 2 TBS vinegar)
(Use only ½ of the milk to start, that is usually about right, if you use it all it will be too runny)

*Add whatever extras you want.  Some cheddar cheese is delicious (a handful or so).  If you want a garlicky flavor, add ~1tsp of garlic powder per batch I also really enjoy some basil in it.

bake on 400 for 12-15 min

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

A friend of ours made this when we came over for dinner the other night. They were so good. Josh ate like eight of them. So fantastic!

Recipe by OurBestBites.com

Ingredients:
1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 C green salsa
1T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t granulated garlic
3 T chopped cilantro
2 T sliced green onions

2 C shredded cooked chicken
1 C grated pepperjack cheese

small corn tortillas
kosher salt
cooking spray

Directions:
Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.

Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or come unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.

Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges.

Then roll it up as tight as you can.

Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

Dip 'em in salsa, sour cream, guacamole, or this dressing.

Zucchini Bread

I tried a new recipe today. Here it is. 

Ingredients:

3 cups whole grain flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil (you could cut this back for sure; I used olive oil but I probably won't next time-- wrong flavor)
1 cup honey
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini (I'll add more next time-- maybe another half cup)
1 cup chopped walnuts



Directions:

Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and honey together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake for 40 to 60 minutes (it was closer to 40), or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool-- soooo much better once it has been in the fridge for a couple hours!

Tasty Butter Milk Pancakes

This is super easy because every thing is 2 of something.

2 cups Buttermilk
(If you don't have butter milk use 2 cups milk and 2TBS of vinegar. This will work for any buttermilk recipe)
 2 TBS Honey
2 TBS Olive Oil
2 eggs (Yolks in the batter, save the whites out to whip up and add later)

2 cups whole grain flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Whip egg whites till stiff and set aside. Mix liquids.  Add dry ingredients. Fold in egg whites

Cook on a griddle at 350.

Enjoy!!

I made some of the strawberry sauce for topping

Simple Nectarine Pie

Okay so this is great because you don't have to peel or boil or anything. The nectarine peels just go soft when you bake it. So quick and so yummy. I adapted it from this recipe at food.com.

food.com

Ingredients:
pastry for a double-crust 9-inch pie
5 cups nectarines, sliced
1 cup sugar (I've done it with honey and I would recommend a bit more than 1/2 cup)
1/3-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons sugar (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash, and slice nectarines. Mix together all ingredients. Put it in the pie crust. Sprinkle top with 2 tablespoons of sugar (optional). Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through the slits in the crust.

Note: you may want to cover the edges with foil to prevent burning.