End of Summer Cooler

It's Blue, It's Cool, and It's Pitcher Friendly!

It's the End of Summer Cooler!

Featured above with a watermelon wedge
to add Fourth of July Festiveness!

So I don't know about you but "Blue" drinks are hard to find.  So much of life requires blue: Fourth of July (pictured above), Easter (it's that or pink), Pool Parties (their own holiday), and all blue colored mascot sports parties! Blue also happens to be one of my favorite colors so:

Ingredients:
1 bottle of white wine (Pinot Grigio works great)
3 shots Blue Curacao
1/2 shot Black berry liqueur
2 tbs lemon juice
ICE!

Directions:
Mix all these things into a large pitcher.  Don't forget the garnish!

Quick and Easy Dinner for Two (or more!)

For the work days: A Hearty, Comfort Food, Bake Dish

Potato Casserole

This is one of those meals that can be prepped before hand, even cooked before hand, and the timing is less crucial on.  Meaning:  You throw it in the oven when you first walk in the door and by the time you are actually ready to eat , ( you've read the mail, your changed your work clothes, etc), it's ready... No matter when that is! If you prefer a non-vegetarian version, in between the layers of cheese and the precooked meat of your choice. I strongly recommend some slices of deli cute ham!

Ingredients:
7           redskin potatoes
8-12     slices of white cheese (Mozzarella is great if you want to eat fast)
1/2 cup milk (any kind)
1 tbs     oil (or bacon grease)
seasonings to taste
(deli ham optional)

Prep Time: 30 min
Cook time: variable (10 min to no more than an hour)
Total time: 45 min

Serves: 2*
*If you would like to serve more, just add more potatoes and cheese!

Directions:

1) Boil the washed redskin potatoes in a pan filled with 6 quarts of water.  This can be done the night before, as long as you leave the skin on to protect the potatoes from oxidizing.  An oxidized potato ins't spoiled, but may be less fun of eating them do to it's less slightly appearance.

2) Grease the bottom of your casserole dish with the 1 tbs oil.  Above is a 4X6 Pyrex dish.  The less filled the pan the more crispy the casserole will be.  You can make any size casserole/backing dish work work.

3) Let the potatoes cool to a safe handing temperature.  Cut the potatoes in slices.

4) Layer the casserole dish with a layer of potatoes.  I leave the skins on the potatoes for their appealing red skin color and for extra fiber.

5) Pour just enough milk over the potatoes to cover the surface.  You should not "cover" the potatoes in milk, just "wet" them.  This should take less than 1/4 of a cup of milk.

6) Add a layer of cheese slices.  If you are adding meat, you should do so on top of the "wet" potatoes and before the cheese.

7) Lay another layer of potatoes.  "Wet" with milk again, using less than 1/4 of a cup.  Cover this layer with cheese.*

8) Repeat Steps 6-7 until your casserole dish is full, you run out of an ingredient, or you decide you want to be done.

9) Bake the casserole (uncovered) at 325 degrees for 10 min to an hour.  (The longer you think you will back it the 'harder' the cheese should be.  Feel free to see prior posts on Jarlsberg being a great and cheap hard cheese to back with. Also, if you plan on baking this casserole an hour, add an extra 1/4 cup of milk evenly over the top before you put the dish in.

* I usually add a "pinch" of seasonings to each layer.  A "pinch" begin a light dusting of say black pepper and Italian seasoning.

10) Serve hot and with a cold beverage to finish out your day!

Cost:
redskin potatoes        $2
white cheese              $2
milk                           $0.50
oil                              $0.10
seasonings to taste     $0.15
(deli ham optional)    ($2)                                  
Total:                        $4.75 (or $6.75 with meat)
Cost per person:     $2.37!

Pumpkin Ravioli in Home-Made Cheese-Potato Sauce with Broccoli Florets

 Just in time for fall! This is a quick and colorful meal that also happens to be well balanced :)

Ingredients:
1  package pumpkin ravioli (available at Costco)
1/2 bag frozen broccoli
1 cup hard white cheese of choice ( recommend: Jarlsberg) grated
3 red potatoes
2 tbs oil ( or bacon grease if so inclined)
1/4 cup milk (reduced milk works better than non-fat milk)

Estimated time: 30 min
Serves 4

So I'm going to make an effort to talk more about the food as there is clearly more to it than throwing some stuff you bought in a pot.  This meal is actually one of my favorite quick-and-easy dishes because 1) It's quick and easy, 2) It's reasonably healthy, 3) It's vegetarian friendly, 4) It stores super well!, and 5) It's easy to adjust to whatever you currently have in your fridge.

Also, my husband has recently quite smoking (YAY!) and broccoli is not only a great source of protein, calcium, and fiber-- Broccoli is also partially good at cleansing you of toxins, specifically including those from cigarette.

Directions:

1) Cook the potatoes.  I prefer boiling them in a pot of water, but that takes longer than microwaving them so it's up to your time schedule.  You will know when the potatoes are done because you will be able to easily stick a fork into them. At that point, let the potatoes cool to the point you can slice them up comfortably.

2) Boil water for the pasta.  Add at pinch of salt (to increase the temperature at which the water boils) and a dash of oil, any kind of oil but I use olive oil, (to help the pasta not stick to itself while it's cooking).

3) Place cooked and sliced potatoes into a bowl and pour the milk over the potatoes. This will keep the potatoes from browning AND will give the potatoes a creamy taste that is oh-so-good!  Let soak at least 7 minutes.

4) To a sauce pan, add the bacon grease to liberally coat the bottom of the pan.Then add the grated cheese. The harder the cheese the more time you will need to give the cheese alone to get "sweated."  Basically, you are just softening up the cheese, which you will know you have done by the limping texture of the cheese, or on thicker pieces, but the droplets of oil that are escaping from the cheese.

5) Add the butter soaked potatoes slices and broccoli to the sauce pan and stir well.  Keep an eye on your sauce pan and stir as needed, which will be often.

Note: If you are using fresh broccoli you may want to pre-steam if for 5-10 minutes.  You can do this in a third pan with some water and and a lid, already brought to boil before the broccoli is added OR in a bowl in the microwave with a WET paper towel placed on top.  Just remember, broccoli is one of those foods that looses it's victims when cooked throughly.

6) Add the pasta to the boiling water.  Let cook 10 min. With the Costco brand, I find the ravioli falls apart if you cook it longer than this...

7) Drain the pasta. Add your broccoli and cheesy potatoes to the pasta.  Mix well. Serve hot!

Definitely feel free to season to taste!  I usually ad basil (because it's my husband favorite), pepper, and cayenne pepper (because tis' mild for a pepper but makes everything look so tasty!).  An easy way to increase the serving size is to add more potatoes and broccoli.

Cost:

Package pumpkin ravioli   $4 (for one of the two jointed packages from Costco)

1/2 bag frozen broccoli      $1.50

hard white cheese              $1

3 red potatoes                    $0.50

oil                                      $0.10

milk                                   $0.15                                              

Total                                 $7.25

Per Serving                      $1.81

Ginger, Caramelized Onion (and Chicken) Quesadilla with Pineapple Salsa!

The definition of inexpensive gourmet food!

Ingredients:
6      Tortillas      
1      White onion  (large)
6 tbs Chopped ginger
2 tbs Rice vinegar
1 tbs Aged balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Steak seasoning
3 cups Jarlsberg grated cheese
1/2 jar Pineapple salsa
1 tbs Olive oil
(3 chicken breasts)

Total time: 20 min
Serves: 6 

Mixture of sweated onions, ginger,
balsamic vinegar and CHEESE!

Directions:
1) Chop whole white ion ion and ginger finally together.

2) Sweat onions and ginger in rice vinegar and olive oil. (Or Butter for the less health conscious.)

3) Season to taste with recommend 1/2 steak seasoning, and sweat 5 more minutes.

4) Drizzle aged balsamic vinegar over the sweated onions and ginger, and let cool. ( This is to soak up the delicious balsamic vinegar!)

5) Added cooled onions and ginger to large mixing bowl with grated cheese, ( and chicken cooked with 1/2 tbs steak seasoning, if desired.)

6) Add final mixture to tortillas. ( In the pictures the are done in halves only to maintain versatility for each person. This also makes it easier to flip.)

7) Brown quesadilla in heat pan with olive oil and serve warm!  Top with salsa of choice-- Pineapple Salsa pictured below is recommend ;)

The reason I will NEVER recommend microwaving
anything is pictured to the right--->

THIS is a properly brown quesadilla! 

If pineapple salsa is not available in your area, pick a mild salsa and and extra chopped canned pineapple chunks to it-- it's pretty much the same thing :)

Cost:

Tortillas                           $2

White onion  (large)        $1

Chopped ginger              $1

Rice vinegar                   $0.30

Aged balsamic vinegar   $0.25

Steak seasoning              $0.10

Jarlsberg grated cheese   $2

Pineapple salsa               $1

Olive oil                         $0.10

(3 chicken breasts)         $2            

Total                              $9.75

Per serving: $1.62, WITH chicken :)

Alternative "Gateway Sushi"!!!

To convert even the most resistant meat eaters to the way of bait!!

Warning: This post is for the adventurous!! 

 So making sushi itself is a lot easier than any recipe I've seen has made it look. This is assuming you are not interested in single handedly perfecting the true art of sushi.

1)Make a pot or rice, (doesn't really matter what kind).
2) Cut up veggies of choice into long slivers. Carrots, cucumber, even lemon peels work great!
3) Mix the rice with some salt, sugar, and rice vinegar so that is is malleable.  If you add to much-- just smush it in your hand to drain off extra liquid.  It really is that simple!
4) Keep a small bowl of rice vinegar and sugar to the side to "rinse" your ands with in-between rolls.
5) Lay out a small strip of rice onto sushi sea weed sheets. Lay on top of the desired ingredients.  Salmon (Sake) or meatloaf-- I'm a believer in happy customers of all kinds!
6) Roll up the rolls nice and tight.  Notice I have not given any proportions-- it really REALLY doesn't matter as long as you like it.
7) "Seal" your roll with just a touch of the vinegar mixture you have to the side.  Think of it like an envelope.
8) With a very sharp knife, cut the roll in to sushi size pieces.  Make presentable to serve!

 Green tea or Sake (the booze) will bring the experience together no matter what you've made.

 For homemade pickled ginger-- plan ahead-- that does take a good 24 hours to make right, and 4 hours at the minimum. Basically chop the ginger as thinly as possible and then soak it in a bowled (and now cooling) mixture of rice vinegar, a lot of sugar, a pinch of salt, and water.  Chill overnight in the fridge if you can.

This is the happiest first time sushi eater I have ever seen-- Otherwise known as my father.  After years of trying futilely to convince him to eat sushi-- Brown rice, low salt, and meatloaf sushi is the success story!

Hence I really truly believe in doing whatever works for you :)
I also really truly believe in buying the Wasabi...

Rice about         $1
Sushi sheets      $1-7 (depending on where you live)
filling                $1-20 (depending on your tastes)
Rice vinegar     $1.50-7.00 (depending on where you live)
sugar and salt    $1 or less                                                      
                         $5 to $$$... it's all up to you....