Delectable

So this is our most favorite recipe right now. It is meant as a side dish; however, ends up adorning most of my plate. Enjoy!!!

2 tsp. light brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp basil leaves
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. olive oil
8 asparagus spears, ends trimmed
1 med red or yellow bell pepper, cut lenghthwise into 6 strips
1 med zuccini, cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch slices
1 med yellow squash, cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch slices
1 small sweet potato, cut into 1/4 inch rounds
1 small red onion, cut into 1/2 inch rounds

Mix brown sugar, basil, salt, garlic powder, and pepper in small bowl. Drizzle oil over vegetables in large bowl; toss to coat well.
Place veggies in your totally awesome pan from Home Depot.
Grill over medium heat 10-12 minutes or until veggies are tender, turning occassionally!

This pan is available at Home Depot in their grilling section. It's only like $10 and I highly suggest the investment... it's also great for grilling Salmon!

~Ciao

The Sweet Taste of Summer

Summertime. A time to:

Eat
Relaxe
Spend time with Friends
Go Swimming
Play in the Garden
Run
Drive with the windows down
Drink up the sun
Play with bugs
Wear flip flops
Eat watermelon
Sleep outside
Lay under the A/C
Wear sunglasses
Keep your toes painted
Laugh
Slow down
and anything else you can't do in the winter!

We have been enjoying the warmer, and rainier, weather lately. We have been BBQ'ing and making yummy fresh food.

Yesterday we had Pink Pancakes..... DIVINE!!!!! They have beets and apples in them, and lots of cinnamon. They were so good, Noah ate them right up, without knowing he was getting good veggies and fruit! It is now one of our staples!!

Here is the recipe:

3/4 Cup water

1/2 Cup Ricotta cheese

1/4 Cup beet, puree

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 Cup pancake mix

1/4 Cup grated apple

nonstick cooking spray

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

pure mayple syrup (optional)

fresh fruit (optional)

powdered sugar (optional)

1. In a blender or food processor, combine the water, ricotta cheese, beet puree, vanilla and cinnamon.

2. Dump the cheese mixture into a medium b owl, add the pancake mix and apple. Stir until just combined. Do not overmix, you want the batter to be lumpy.

3. Coat a griddle with nonstick spray and heat to medium high. Add 1/2 tsp vegetable oil. Use 1/4 cup of batter at a time and pour out pancakes. When yous ee bubbles start to form, it is time to flip the pancake. If the bottom is too brown, turn the heat down. It should take about 1 to 2 minutes per side.

4. Serve warm, garnish with maple syrup, fresh fruit, and powdered sugar!

Enjoy!

The Art of the Dutch Oven

So thanks to our wonderful neighbors Mr. and Mrs. Walk.... we finally seasoned and used our dutch ovens!!!! After a long awaited 6 years, they have been greased up, cured and baked in. Adam chose to make a lemon apple crisp that was, shall we say, delectable! Shaun made cheesy potatos with bacon and onions and we had burgers, dogs caliente, tuna salad, green salad (provided by the wonderful Mumfords), ice cream, chips with dill dip... it was a shmorgasboard of wonderful things! It was such a great evening. Thanks for the great Memorial Day!

It all started with the prep work:

So the prep work was a lot easier than expected. Just peeling apples and mixing dry ingredients. Why don't I do this more often???

Oh wait, because it takes forever to cook, right, I forgot!

The dutch ovens, potatoes on the left, apple crisp on the right. Shaun, very politely reminding me every 10 minutes to check the progress. I forgot he was doing this for my benefit. Thanks Shaun!!!

It's almost time:

The apple crisp looking mighty tasty! (I hope that's what it is supposed to look like!)

It's all in the presentation folks:

I must say, it looks quite delicious. I was so proud of myself that it actually turned out.

The test:

The kid loved it.... oh wait... he didn't eat any apple crip, just ice cream... oh well!