Mosaic Monday! Beans, beans, good for the heart...

the more you eat, the more you...

ok, so I won't go there, but I am doing a mosaic, even though Mary who does Mosaic Mondays at the Little Red House is on a break this week! Check out all the previous Mosaics if you click on the link to the Little Red House! It's a fun event!

So my Mosaic this week is beans, all beans!

Here's quick links to the recipes in the mosaic...

Mexican Black Bean Salad

Guacamole Salad

Beef and Bean Chili with Ancho, Mole and Cumin

Spicy Black Bean Salsa

and the corny joke...
Knock Knock
Who's there?
Bean!
Bean who?
Bean working very hard today!

Well, you didn't think I was telling the other kind of bean jokes, did you?

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Finally a sunny day!

We had sun. Finally. and not just a little peek. It was for the entire day! That was nice. So we grilled. Without an umbrella. Can't crank up the grill without some hot dogs. These are the good ones. Hebrew National from the butcher. Big difference form the supermarket packages of Hebrew National. Those are really good. These are outstanding! The kind that link. Ask your butcher. Trust me.

We always have a little bit of this and a little bit of that so we grilled a small rack of baby lamb chops, marinated in garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice and olive oil. A sirloin steak, slopped with Peter Luger sauce. and grilled portobello's. Baked stuffed baby zucchini. Definitely a feast! We started with a Mexican Black Bean Salad. It was excellent. Definitely a keeper!

The baby zucchini was delicious. I had two packages in the frig that I forgot about. and some grape tomatoes to use up. So I put the tomatoes in the food processor with a shallot and a clove of garlic and pulsed. Sauteed them with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, until everything was soft, and then threw about two handfuls of plain bread crumbs in to soak up the juices, and sauteed it all up. It was still too moist, so I threw in another handful of seasoned bread crumbs, and stirred it around a bit, adding a little bit more olive oil.

Sliced the baby zucchini lengthwise and topped it with the stiffing mixture. Put them in a jellyroll pan and baked them until the tops were golden brown. I forget how long, I didn't pay attention and got there just in time before the timer on the smoke alarm went off again! These were a huge hit! Even with Miss Picky, who ate half the tray!


Mexican Black Bean Salad
source: gardenweb (stacys)
Printable Recipe

1 cup frozen (thawed) whole kernel corn, drained
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (4-ounce) can chopped mild green chilies, drained (I used a whole fresh jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, chopped in a very small dice.)
1/2 pint or more grape tomatoes, sliced in half
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (I used less)
4 cups torn iceberg lettuce (I used one head, and chopped it
2 avocado, diced
Shredded Monterrey Jack, Cheddar or Mexican Cheese blend

Optional: Tortilla chips for garnish

Dressing:
1 tablespoon honey (little bit more, I just poured)
2 - 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lime juice (little bit more)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Whisk all the dressing ingredients in large bowl.

Add all salad ingredients except lettuce and cheese; stir until well coated. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour to blend flavors.

Toss the lettuce, avocado and cheese with the bean mixture a little while before you are ready to serve. Garnish with Tortilla chips at the last minute.

Gadgets...


My new gadget! It's a corn zipper! Not everyone here likes corn on the cob. With this thing you get corn off the cob. It worked great! Got it on my shopping spree at Sur La Table last week.










For dessert we were practicing for Suzy's Old Fashioned Ice Cream Social, we all had Ralph's Ices! Check out Suzy's blog for more info on her upcoming event on July 11-12!



Tomorrow I start back to work for the summer in a day camp. Long days. It'll be feast or famine for dinners. Mostly famine, I'm sure.

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Flashback Fridays! Coffee Cakes.

Fridays! Time for Flashback Friday with Suzy at Kitchen Bouquet! Check out Suzy's blog to see the other flashbacks from around the blog world. and don't forget on June 11th, Suzy will be hosting a good old fashioned Ice Cream Social! So get out your recipes for your frozen treats or grab a Ben & Jerry's from the freezer and join in. Details to follow in the next few days.

Today I'm flashing back to a really good Coffee cake recipe that I've been making for years. A teacher aide at my kids school when they were little brought it in one day and we raved about it. I'm pretty sure I posted this in my first long lost blog, the one that got deleted. Don't ever push that delete button just to see what happens. I found out it's pretty much permanent. I know I used one of the pictures in my banner. but it's a really great recipe and I thought I'd flash back to it because there is nothing like a really good piece of coffee cake!

It's my dad's birthday today! He loved nothing better than to come home after a bunch of errands and have an ice cold glass of milk and a slice of cake. His favorite was a Brooklyn Blackout Cake but he'd never say no to a piece of Coffee Cake, Pound Cake, Sponge Cake or just about any other kind of cake. He would have been 81 years old today.

Coffee Cake
from Mrs. Watson
Printable Recipe

TOPPING:
1 cup sugar
5 tablespoons chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons sweetened shredded coconut

CAKE:
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter (unsalted)
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
2 cups sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla

FOR TOPPING: Combine all ingredients and set aside.

FOR CAKE: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 9 X 13" pan. Sift flour, baking soda and salt into medium bowl. Cream butter with sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Beat in sour cream and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients until just blended. Spoon into prepared pan. Sprinkle with topping. Swirl knife through topping and batter. Bake until tester comes out clean, 45-50 minutes.





The recipe makes a really good muffin, too! I used a square crumb cake pan like this one from Amazon. You can use it for brownies, muffins, cheesecakes, whatever.

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Welcome to Summer! Let there be White!

Joining in with Kathleen at Cuisine Kathleen to celebrate the beginning of summer and to show off our whites. I have no white flowers, except for a five pound bag, but that's flour. I have white dishes but I set a lousy table. I can however make a mean white pizza! Of course I cheat and use a dough from the pizza place. I used to use a canned pizza dough because it was really easy, you just unroll it, but found it was kind of sweet. The kids like the real dough better! and usually I keep a lump of dough frozen in the freezer for emergencies. Kathleen's event was such an emergency! Be sure to visit Kathleen's blog and see all the Summer White's that have posted!

I know this event includes tablescapes and flowers, but I set a pretty lousy table, we're more about the food. Very informal and hurry up let's eat is more my style! but I do use white dishes mostly all of the time, and the ones today came from Crate and Barrel, their white Restaurant bowls and their white Buffet plates!

We started off with a Spinach Salad with a Riesling Vinaigrette. Keeping with the white theme I figured I might as well go with a white wine vinaigrette. If you can get your hands on a bottle of Cuisine Perel's Late Harvest Riesling Vinegar, grab it! Excellent stuff. A sweet vinegar, it makes an awesome vinaigrette. I like to use equal parts oil to vinegar, even a bit more of this vinegar and a teaspoon or so of good Dijon mustard. Add some chopped shallot, salt and pepper and shake it up in a container or whisk it until it's emulsified. It's amazing on any salad!



I have made homemade pizza dough on occasion and it's really not too difficult. This is a good recipe and relatively easy, even for me, the non baker who burns mostly everything! The funny thing is I work in a day camp as a baking counselor with little kids, baking snacks all summer. They don't care what it looks like, as long as they get to eat!







Homemade Pizza Dough
This is a basic recipe adapted from many on the internet!

3 cups flour
1 active dry yeast
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons oil

For dough, beat together on, low speed or by hand, half of the flour, yeast, salt, warm water, and oil for 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Then beat on high for another 3 minutes. Turn out the dough on a clean, floured surface. Gradually add the rest of the flour and knead dough for about 7 minutes until elastic. Place the dough in a bowl, cover, and let rise for 45 minutes.

White Pizza with Onions and Mushrooms
source: Food and Wine Online, original recipe by Grace Parisi
adapted by There's Always Thyme to Cook
Printable Recipe

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pound mozzarella, shredded (2 cups)
1 cup whole-milk ricotta (1/2 pound)
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 small red onion or sweet onion, sliced very thin
1 handful of sliced white mushrooms, or any kind you like
Salt and freshly ground pepper
fresh minced garlic or garlic powder, to taste
1 pound pizza dough, at room temperature (I get it from the pizza place!)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

fresh, chopped parsley or chives (optional)

Preheat the oven to 500°. Preheat a pizza stone or generously oil a large baking sheet.

In a bowl, season the ricotta with garlic, salt and pepper. On a lightly floured surface, roll or stretch the dough to a rough 14-inch round or a rectangle if using a jelly roll pan. Transfer the dough to a floured pizza peel or flat cookie sheet, or to the oiled baking sheet. Dollop the ricotta mixture all over the pizza, leaving a 1-inch border of dough. Brush the border with the olive oil. Using the back of the spoon, spread the ricotta out to the border in an even layer. Top with the mozzarella and the Parmesan, and then add the thin slices of onions and mushrooms. Sprinkle with a bit more salt and pepper.

Bake until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbling. About 10-15 minutes. Transfer the pizza to a rack and let cool slightly. Sprinkle with parsley and chives and serve.




Thank you, Kathleen, for hosting a really fun event!

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Mosaic Monday: Quiche

Welcome to another Mosaic Monday hosted by Mary at The Little Red House! Check out Mary's blog, there are loads of participants with all different kinds of really cool mosaics joining in on Mosaic Monday every week!

This is a basic quiche recipe I've been making for years. It's been adapted along the way to whatever I have on hand. Whole milk, low fat, heavy cream, it's a basic custard so use whatever you have. You can add any fillings you like, any cheeses you like. Very adaptable. Spinach and Artichoke with Mozzarella is really good. The recipe usually makes enough for a deep dish crust OR two regular pie crusts. Tonight I used 2% milk, shredded cheddar and shredded mozzarella. It's basically a "leftovers" quiche! Sounds nicer than a "dump" quiche though. But that's basically it. Dump whatever you have and mix it up, pour it in and bake. It is a lot more elegant than I make it out to be, it's great at a brunch, or luncheon, or anything.






It's also good crustless, just pour into a baking dish and bake until it's set in the center.









Broccoli, Cheddar and Mushroom Quiche
Printable Recipe

1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell

Custard Filling:
3 eggs
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 cups broccoli, florets, chopped small
1-1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
8 ounces mushrooms, white button, sliced
1 shallot, chopped fine
olive oil and a little butter

Preheat oven to 375°. Line pie shell with parchment paper or aluminum foil and fill it with uncooked beans, rice, aluminum or ceramic pie weights. Bake until golden brown and dry. Carefully remove foil and weights. Transfer to a wire rack to cool while making filling.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add shallots, and cook, stirring, until translucent but not brown, about 1 minute. Add mushrooms, and season with salt and pepper. Add broccoli and cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms first release their liquid and then liquid evaporates and mushrooms are dark golden brown and the broccoli is tender.

Transfer quiche pan to a baking sheet. Sprinkle half the cheese evenly over the bottom of the crust. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, cream, eggs. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Mix in the mushrooms, shallots, broccoli and remaining cheese. Pour into the pie shell. Transfer to oven, and bake until just set in the center, about 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before slicing.





They really do mean WAIT TEN MINUTES before slicing. I had one messy, messy slice. but it tasted so good. I never said I had patience to wait. and you must have noticed by now how well I am at following directions!





You can make a quiche ahead of time, just reheat it. It freezes and reheats really nicely!

If you need to bake your own pie shell, here a few good recipes... Martha Stewart Flaky Tart Dough and Pate Brisee, Martha Stewart's Basic Pie Dough.

I like to take the easy way out and just buy one!

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Stop by Cuisine Kathleen and show Kathleen your whites. Or just check out everyone else who's joining in with their white tables, dishes, flowers, whatever! Always a fun event over at Kathleen's. Check it out! Her event starts tomorrow on June 23 but many have already started posting their whites! I'll be there tomorrow to show her my pearly whites!

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Flashback Friday! White Sangria!

Joining in on Flashback Friday with Suzy over at Kitchen Bouquet to flashback to old favorites. This is one of my all-time favorite recipes.This one is a summertime staple at every block party, barbecue or celebration we are invited to or have at our house! A waiter at my favorite Mexican restaurant sort of gave me the recipe. he told me what was in it, and I just threw in amounts until it tasted the way we like it! So everything is more or less, depending how you like it! So maybe it's called More or Less White Sangria!


WHITE SANGRIA
Printable Recipe

For a small pitcher, cut the recipe in half.

2 bottles Sauvignon Blanc or Pino Grigio
1/2 cup brandy
1/2 cup triple sec
1/4 cup white sugar (more or less to taste)
1 liter bottle of Sprite or Seven-Up soda
freshly squeezed lime juice (1 lime)
sliced oranges and apples (you can use peaches, grapes, berries, whatever you like! I like the apples and oranges)

In a large pitcher, combine the 2 bottles of White Wine, Brandy and Triple Sec, sugar, and soda. Add the fruit. Chill for a few hours or overnight. Serve with ice.

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Ugly Tomatoes!

My friend Cindy in Louisiana already has an abundance of tomatoes. Imagine being tired of them by June? Here in NY with all the rain, mine haven't even started flowering. Well one plant did, but I cheated and it had flowers on it when I bought it. The rest were teeny, tiny plants and I'm hoping for a nice amount. Last year I didn't have enough to tire of them and I had to supplement at Trader Joe's with their heirlooms. Which were very good, by the way!

Always on the never ending quest to find a great tomato, the other day I found this one at the supermarket. Called an UglyRipe, and it's really good, and actually tastes like a tomato. Go figure, a supermarket tomato that actually tastes like a tomato.

There's more info on these tomatoes here at Slashfood.





UglyRipes look pretty good sliced. I don't even think they are ugly. I've seen much worse!









Anyway, here's a really nice tomato recipe from my other friend Cindy, in New York. Tomatoes Rockefeller! Was on my list to try for a long time and we're glad I did. It was excellent! Of course there was one change, wouldn't be me in the kitchen if I didn't do something that wasn't following directions. I didn't have frozen spinach so I chopped up a big bag of fresh bay spinach and sauteed it in with the onions and garlic. Another keeper, thanks Cindy!

Tomatoes Rockefeller
Source: Cindy5_NY
Printable Recipe

1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 (10 oz) pkg. chopped spinach, thawed and drained
3 eggs, slightly beaten (2 eggs)
1 cup breadcrumbs (1/2 cup)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
dash Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon thyme
salt and pepper to taste
6 thick tomato slices
*add 1/2 cup chicken stock if baking in individual gratins and add another 10 or 15 minutes cooking time*

Sauté onions in butter until almost soft. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
Combine spinach, sautéed onions and garlic, eggs, bread crumbs, cheese, Worcestershire, and seasonings.

Arrange tomato slices in a buttered baking dish. Divide spinach mixture evenly and spoon on top of tomato slices. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

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Mosaic Monday! Pasta!

Joining in on another Mosaic Monday hosted by Mary over at the Little Red House blog. Click on over to Mary's blog to see all the other bloggers who have joined in today! If you want to have some fun with your photo's, check out the Big Huge Labs to make your mosaic, or even a magazine cover! There's plenty of other fun things over at the Big Huge Labs!

Check out the new magazine issue of There's Always Thyme to Cook...


All the recipes in the Mosaic issue can be found here on the blog!

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Kick-off to Summer BBQ...Day Two! and a Magazine Challenge!

Found another great recipe for a Magazine Challenge and it's grilled so I'm doing two events in one for this installment! and the sun came out. Finally! The Griller did not need his umbrella this time! Funny how if it comes out good, the Griller takes full credit and if it comes out bad, the problem was with the recipe :) It was all good today! Except for dessert. That was my problem!



Debbie of Mountain Breath's is hosting the First annual Kick-Off to Summer BBQ at her blog, Mountain Breaths. and Suzy from Kitchen Bouquets has the Great Cooking Magazine Challenge for anyone, anytime who finds a great new recipe from a magazine. or a lousy recipe? This one I used was good one though! Really great! Definitely a keeper. Potatoes were awesome! Helps when you cook them long enough. I learned from my last mistake. The rice pudding was good. I like the heavy cream version much better, definitely creamier. This one came out very thick. but then again, I did mess up. Everyone liked it though.

Middle Eastern Sliders
Source: Rachael Ray Everyday Magazine, June-July 2009
Printable Recipe

4 pita breads
1-1/2 pounds ground beef
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper
1 romaine heart, thinly sliced crosswise
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup dill pickle slices
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus lemon wedges for serving
3/4 cup store-bought hummus

Tip: You can also use Greek-style yogurt instead of the hummus and add feta cheese crumbles to the salad.

Preheat a grill to medium-high. Stack the pitas and wrap in heavy-duty foil; place on the grill and cover to warm.

In a large bowl, combine the beef with the cumin, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; shape into twelve 1/3-inch-thick patties. In another large bowl, combine the romaine, tomatoes and pickles; toss with the olive oil and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

Remove the pitas from the grill. Transfer the beef patties to the grill, cover and grill for 2 minutes on each side for medium. Spread each pita with some of the hummus, then top with some of the salad and 3 patties. Serve with the lemon wedges.

Roasted Potatoes with Garlic, Lemon, and Oregano
(Patates Riganates)
Source: epicurious.com -- The Foods of the Greek Islands: Cooking and Culture at the Crossroads of the Mediterranean by Aglaia Kremezi
Printable Recipe


3 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup beef stock or chicken stock
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
(I also added sliced shallots)

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Place the potatoes in a single layer in a 13-x-9-inch baking dish and pour the oil over them. Add the garlic, dried oregano, salt and pepper to taste and toss well to coat with the oil.
Bake the potatoes for 15 minutes. Add the stock, toss and bake for 10 minutes more. Add the lemon juice, toss and bake for 10 to 15 minutes more, or until the potatoes are cooked through.

If you like, preheat the broiler and broil the potatoes for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown.
Sprinkle with the fresh oregano and serve at once.


Rice pudding recipes are all over the internet, so I went with this one, and I left out the cornstarch. I added some vanilla. and I used a lot less sugar. I should have used even less, way too sweet for us. I used about a 1/2 cup. I must have screwed up somehow because when all was said and done, I had way too much liquid, so I poured some off from the pot before I mixed the eggs in. Added some of the hot rice mixture in with the eggs to heat it a bit so it wouldn't scramble and then dumped the whole mixture in the pot. Brought it to a boil. Then lowered the heat and simmered for a bit. It turned out nice, creamy when it was hot but got way too thick when it got cold. Maybe because I used arborio rice? My other choice in the pantry was the boil-n-bag kind. Good thing I didn't use cornstarch or it's be so thick it would have stuck to the pot.

Greek Rice Pudding (Ryzogalo)
Source: ehow.com
Printable Recipe

1 1/2 cups of water
3/4 cups of short grain rice
2 1/2 cups of whole milk
3/4 cup of sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
4 egg yolks
Ground cinnamon

Put the rice and water into a three-quart saucepan. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil. Turn the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes. Stir constantly while cooking.

Heat the milk but don't boil it. Stir it into the rice along with half of the sugar. Cover and continue to cook over very low heat for 20 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Stir frequently to prevent sticking.

Dissolve the cornstarch completely into a quarter cup cold water. Add it to the rice. Stir constantly so the rice doesn't stick or burn. Simmer for five minutes to cook the cornstarch. Remove it from the heat, cover it and let sit for 10 minutes.

Combine the egg yolks and the rest of the sugar. Add this to the rice and stir briskly until it is all well combined. The heat from the rice will cook the egg yolks and finish thickening the pudding.

Pour the pudding into individual serving dishes and sprinkle it with cinnamon. A single toasted almond on each serving is also a nice garnish.

You can increase or decrease the amount of sugar to suit your taste.

Add raisins if you like. (I don't!!)



and here we go again! Another pot holder bit the dust! Managed to put this one out before it was totally destroyed! Never throw a potholder on the stove while the little red warning lights still say HOT! My smoke alarm, also known as the timer gave us the warning! Am I the only one who uses the stove top as counter space?

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Kick-Off to Summer BBQ Event...day one!

Just hedging my bets and doing a good old standby for Debbie's grilling event, Kickoff to Summer BBQ! The weather has been lousy here on Long Island, and hopefully I'll get to a brand new recipe I wanted to do for this event tomorrow. But just in case, we grilled some skirts steaks and tried a new side dish from an old friend. You can join in and sign up on Debbie's blog, Mountain Breaths or just go on over and check out what all the other bloggers who joined are grilling up!

Our standby is skirt steak. With Peter Luger Sauce. Miss Picky wouldn't touch anything else, imagine turning your nose up at a thick, tender and exquisite filet or a perfectly rare, juicy T-bone? Well, the skirts came out delicious. We marinated it in Peter Luger sauce overnight. If you can find it at the market, it's in the frig section by the meats. BJ's also carries it, and it's a great sauce, a little sweet, a little spicy from horseradish, a little bit between a cocktail sauce and a ketchup. It's excellent on chicken, on burgers, just about anything.






Roasted baby Yukon potatoes!









and for the second time we tried this recipe by my friend from the Cooking Forum, Cindy5_NY's Orzo Salad. We liked it so much the first time, it was requested again! So good. I also added fresh mozzarella balls!

Bruschetta Orzo Salad
Source: Cindy5_NY
Printable Recipe

1 cup orzo pasta
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

optional: Kalamata olives, feta, tuna

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (***OR, 2 tablespoons cider vinegar and 1 tablespoons rice vinegar OR 1 tablespoon lemon juice)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
freshly ground pepper, to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions for about 8 minutes, or until just tender; drain.

Combine dressing ingredients.

Place hot pasta in large bowl and toss with a little dressing; cool about 15 minutes, tossing occasionally.

Add remaining ingredients and dressing to bowl and toss to mix well.

Cover and chill at least 1 hour.

Serve chilled or at room temperature.


Dessert was Ralph's Italian ices. What else? Summer means Grilling and Italian ice for dessert!
Thanks, Debbie, for hosting a really fun event! Welcome to summer!

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The next event will be over at Kathleen's Blog, Cuisine Kathleen on June 23rd! Get out your whites. White dishes, white flowers, white tablecloth's! Show Kathleen your pearly white's!


SHOW ME YOUR WHITE event, JUNE 23rd

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Porterhouse!

Ok, so it doesn't look like Peter Luger's Porterhouse. I bet Peter Luger never had to grill in the rain like the chief Griller did last night! Well, actually drizzle at that point, but still he's a trouper, and it was definitely worth it!



Porterhouse was on sale this week, we haven't seen the sun for days and getting a little wet was so worth it! Homemade creamed spinach, fresh corn on the cob and a good grilled porterhouse. So what it never stops raining and my flowers are soaked, the tomatoes are drowning, the lettuce is swimming and the Griller was damp? Dinner was great!

It was one of those days. The creamed spinach in the freezer was from way back! Freezer burn would be doing it justice. I had no heavy cream. So I googled and came up with an Ellie Krieger recipe for creamed spinach that didn't call for heavy cream. Said to use evaporated milk, well, the can I have for emergencies was almost as old as the frozen creamed spinach. I never do get those canned milk emergencies. That's cause I like recipes with heavy cream :) Whatever. Two tablespoons? Then what to do with the rest of the can? It got no use in the pantry, I'd assume by the time I remembered it in the frig, it would be solidified. I made the recipe without it! I didn't have frozen chopped spinach for that matter either. It's beginning to sound like one of those positive reviews where you love the recipe even though you changed every single thing about it! Sort of!

I used two big bags of fresh baby spinach and chopped it. I used one cup of 2% milk because that was all I had on hand, and I used one cup cup, maybe less of the chicken stock. Next time I'd do the exact same, maybe add a little more spinach, it cooks down so much.

Creamed Spinach
Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger, Food Network
Printable Recipe

2 (10-ounce) packages frozen spinach, thawed
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 small shallots, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups 1 percent milk
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons fat free evaporated milk
Pinch ground nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Squeeze all of the water from the spinach. In a large pan, heat the oil over a medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the milk and broth and cook, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes. Add the spinach and simmer until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the evaporated milk and nutmeg and season to taste with salt and pepper.

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Mosaic Monday! Chicken Mosaic.

It's Mosaic Monday at Mary's blog, The Little Red House! I'm joining in with a chicken mosaic! So click on the link and check out all the bloggers who are joining Mary for a fun Mosaic Monday!


Why did the chicken cross the basketball court ?
He heard the referee calling fowls.

Why did the chicken cross the playground?
To get to the other slide

What do chickens serve at birthday parties?
Coop-cakes

Which day of the week do chickens hate most?
Fry-Day!


and last and certainly least...

Why did the chewing gum cross the road?
Because it was stuck to the chicken!


and no joke, if you like chicken, this is an easy, easy recipe. and so good! Use a lot of onions! It's all over the internet but I got it from my friend, Woodie, who got it from Ruthanna on the Cooking Forum. I use chicken parts, and take the skin off, and I use more than one onion.

Sherried Chicken
posted Ruthanna at the CF
Printable recipe

2 frying chickens (2 1/ 2 pounds each), halved
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 onion, minced
1/2 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup honey

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the butter on the chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange the chicken in one layer in a roasting pan. Add the onion, cover, and bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Combine the sherry and honey in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Pour the sauce over the chicken and bake for 15 minutes more, uncovered, or until the chicken is tender. Serve with pan juices.

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The recipes to all the pictures are here on There's Always Thyme to Cook, just search chicken and they'll all come up!


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Check out the sidebar and look for the link to Debbie's Kickoff to Summer BBQ Grilling Event on June 13-14! You can add your post on Mr.Linky on Debbie's blog, Mountain Breaths starting June 12th.

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Flashback Friday! Mushroom Soup Edition.

Friday again already! The week went by pretty quickly. Mostly rainy and cold here the past few days, at least cool for June. So I'm once again joining Suzy at Kitchen Bouquet for a Flashback Friday. Check out Suzy's blog to see the other bloggers who are flashing back to a really great recipe, flowers or whatever they feel like flashing back to, you can go look or sign up and join in on the flashbacks!

This time I'm flashing back to Susan of Savoring Time in the Kitchen, her fantastic Mushroom Soup. Originally posted on the Garden recipes Forum, it's been a hit in our house ever since! A simple but really delicious recipe. Perfectly simple and elegant for guests and perfect for the family on a cold, rainy day.


The notes are from Susan. She also suggests reading the reviews for this recipe at epicurious, you can get some very good ideas. I made the Parmesan Croutons, more like crostini, slices of baguette and floated them on the soup. The notes are Susan's, but I also used an immersion blender and this time I used cremini mushrooms. Use whatever mushrooms you like.



Mushroom Soup
originally posted SusanQ @ GB's (One comment suggests making parmesan croutons which I used and were a wonderful addition)
Source: Epicurious.com

Makes 4 servings.
By Anthony Bourdain with Jose de Meirelles and Philippe Lajaunie Bloomsbury
Printable recipe

6 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, thinly sliced
12 ounces button mushrooms
4 cups light chicken stock or broth
1 sprig of flat parsley
Salt and pepper
2 ounces high-quality sherry (don't use the cheap grocery-store variety; it's salty and unappetizing and will ruin your soup)

Equipment:
Medium saucepan
Wooden spoon
Blender (I used an immersion blender)

In the medium saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat and add the onion. Cook until the onion is soft and translucent, then add the mushrooms and the remaining butter. Let the mixture sweat for about 8 minutes, taking care that the onion doesn't take on any brown color. Stir in the chicken stock and the parsley and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat and simmer for about an hour.

After an hour, remove the parsley and discard. Let the soup cool for a few minutes, then transfer to the blender and carefully blend at high speed until smooth. Do I have to remind you to do this in stages, with the blender's lid firmly held down, and with the weight of your body keeping that thing from flying off and allowing boiling hot mushroom purée to erupt all over your kitchen?
When blended, return the mix to the pot, season with salt and pepper, and bring up to a simmer again. Add the sherry, mix well, and serve immediately.

To astound your guests with a Wild Mushroom Soup, simply replace some of those button mushrooms with a few dried cèpes or morels, which have been soaked until soft, drained, and squeezed. Not too many; the dried mushrooms will have a much stronger taste, and you don't want to overwhelm the soup. Pan sear, on high heat, a single small, pretty, fresh chanterelle or morel for each portion, and then slice into a cute fan and float on top in each bowl.

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