Fresh Green Beans with Balsamic Vinegar Dressing

How Martha Saved Her Parents from Green Beans is a hilarious book written by Minnesota children's author and illustrator, David La Rochelle. The book is geared for the 5-7 age group. If you have any picky eaters in your family reading this book might just get them on board to love their veggies.  

The storyline is cute. Every child can identify with Martha not wanting to eat those dreaded veggies on her plate. Martha hates green beans. When some mean, green bandits stroll into town, anyone who ever said "Eat your green beans" is in big trouble. But when the beans kidnap Martha's parents, Martha is forced to take action. She can think of only one way to stop the villainous veggies from taking over her town, and it’s not pretty...or tasty. 

The illustrations are quite funny with the green beans all dressed up  as various characters. 

Great summer read. 

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Fresh Green Bean Salad with Balsamic Dressing

Cook's notes: It is the green bean season with gardens bursting with these veggies. They are also readily available at local grocery stores and farmer's markets. Green beans are brought to a whole new level when tossed with the tangy flavors of a balsamic dressing and cooked al dente or crisp. This is an eye-catching salad.  

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. green beans
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 TB lemon juice
• 3 TB. balsamic vinegar (good quality)
• 1/4 tsp. each salt, garlic powder and ground mustard
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 red onion cut in strips
• 4 cups of cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup feta cheese
• 6-8 slices of bacon cooked crisp and diced
• 6-8 torn basil leaves
• optional 1/2 cup glazed walnuts

Directions:

• Place green beans in a Dutch oven pan and cover with water. Add in 1/2 tsp. salt and bring to a boil. Cook till crisp about 6-8 minutes. 
• Make dressing while beans are cooking
• Whisk oil, lemon juice, salt, garlic, mustard and pepper, set aside.  
• Pour cooked green beans into ice filled water, drain and pat dry. 
• Toss beans with onion,bacon and dressing.
• Refrigerate salad one hour or more, add in halved tomatoes, torn basil leaves and feta cheese right before serving. Sprinkle with glazed walnuts.

 

Green Beans are low in Sodium, Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. They are also a good source of Protein, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folate and Manganese.

Life Hacks

Life hacking is term that refers to low budget tips, any trick, shortcut, skill, or novelty method that increases productivity and efficiency, in all walks of life. In other words, anything that solves an everyday problem in an inspired, ingenious manner.

This awesome list of life hacks will teach you how to quickly make your beer ice cold, hammer nails without hurting yourself, cover up dings on wooden furniture, keep your take-out pizza warm and many more!

here is a link  to 40 life hacks that could make your life easier. 

http://www.boredpanda.com/life-hacks/ I liked this one.

Today I created my own life hack. The box of taco shells did not come with taco seasoning which I needed for a pound of hamburger. A round trip car run to the store is 20 miles. So I did an Internet search. I was surprised that there were several recipes to choose from to make your own seasoning. Here is the recipe I used from allrecipes.com. The seasoning mix is enough for 2 lbs. of hamburger. I used half and will save rest of seasoning for another time when I need a life hack.

Ingredients:

• 1 TB. chili powder
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/8-1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp. oregano
• 1/4 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/4 tsp. each pepper and salt
• 2 lbs. hamburger
• 1 cup diced sweet onions 

Directions:

• Mix seasoning in a bowl and add to 2 lbs of hamburger with diced onions.
• Cook on a medium low heat and drain.

Taco filling
hamburger, salsa, grated cheese, chopped lettuce and diced tomatoes.  

Water Lilies and Mini S'more Pies

Water lilies are spring and summer bloomers that bloom in a single elaborate and beautiful flower. Shades of water lily flower range from white and yellow to blue, purple and red with several species changing from a light to darker color as the flowering season comes to a close. The flower sometimes has as many as 24 petals and remains in bloom for only part of the day. 

This tropical water lily was taken on a pond tour.

Cold hardiness isn't the only difference between the two main categories of water lilies. Note the white water lilies pictures were taken on a northern Minnesota lake. Hardy water lily varieties flower and bloom only in the daylight. At night, they gently close. Tropical varieties bloom during any time of the day or night, and blooms stay open until they fade, such as the pink lily flower.

Though water lilies look as if they are sprouting from the water, they are actually floating on top of the water, with their roots tethered deep into the water-logged soil at the bottom of the lake or pond. The lily pad beneath the flowers is the leaf of the water lily plant.

The water lily is repeatedly used in the oil paintings of French Impressionist Claude Monet (1840-1926). His water lily series of 250 oil paintings are some of his most masterful works.
The water lily paintings were inspired by Monet's flower garden at Giverny. 
This photo is one of Monet's massive murals Nympheas (Water Lilies) displayed in Paris at the Musee de l'Orangerie.

It took me time to understand my waterlilies. 

I had planted them for the pleasure of it; 

I grew them without ever thinking of painting them. ”

- Claude Monet

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Remember this dessert Mini S'more Pies that I posted June 20th with this link below? It was top on my list for holiday entertaining if only I could find... 

 

which I did at a larger grocery store. 

http://iowagirleats.com/2013/09/06/mini-smore-pies/?utm_source=RSS+FEED&utm_campaign=f676fa2895-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_532f8a161f-f676fa2895-84059853

This dessert merits attention for your summer entertaining. Here is why the recipe works.

1. It's easy to put together with only three ingredients;Hershey candy bars, graham cracker shells and marshmallows. 

2. It's a summer crowd pleaser and good alternative to a having a campfire.

3. It's not messy as you eat from the foil container. 
4. And it has the same great taste as a campfire S'more

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 and bake graham cracker pie shells for 4 minutes.
• While shells are still warm and on cookie sheet place, 4 pieces of chocolate in each shell. Let chocolate set a few minutes to melt.
• Adjust rack one level above middle rack and set oven to broil.
• Place 3 regular size marshmallows on top of chocolate. I only had mini-marshmallows and they worked just fine. Put a handful in each shell.
• Brown marshmallows on broil-about 1 minute 
• In microwave melt one whole chocolate bar, stir to blend and drizzle over top of broiled marshmallows.

I served S'more Pies right in the foil shells with a spoon to guests.

Berry Almond Cheesecake

This year 26 boats braved the blustery winds for the annual lake boat  parade. And there was no rain in sight.

Bella was not too keen on 'dressing up' but she did not want to be left behind.

As we passed by shore we gave them our best 'princess' wave.

It was a fun way to start the day.

My neighbor Jean took lemon cheesecake to a whole new level with this artistic creation. Her dessert got rave reviews. It's an All-American dessert that celebrates the day! Enjoy the recipe she shared with me.

Berry-Almond Cheesecake Tart
Crust

• 1- 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 6 Tablespoons melted butter

Filling

• 2 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Topping

• 2 cups strawberries, halved
• 1-1/2 cups blueberries
• 1/4 cup seedless raspberry preserves, melted

Directions:

• Heat oven to 325F. Spray 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom with cooking spray.
• Combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar in medium bowl. Stir in melted butter until
• moistened. Press into bottom and up sides of pan. (I used a regular cheesecake pan
• with removable bottom). 
• Place on baking sheet and bake 10 minutes or until set. Cool on wire rack.
• Process cream cheese, 2/3 cup sugar and flour in food processor for 30 seconds until
• smooth. Add eggs, process another 30 seconds until blended. Add lemon juice, vanilla
• and almond extract and process 15 seconds. Pour into crust.
• Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until center is set when gently shaken. 
• Remove tart from baking sheet and cool completely on wire rack. Refrigerate uncovered for 5 hours or overnight.
• Arrange strawberries around tart. Fill in with blueberries. Gently brush berries with melted preserves. 
• Store in refrigerator uncovered. 

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The Big Question

Question: Do you know what this All-American dessert pictured is called?
1. Brown Betty — a baked pudding made of layers of spiced and sugared fruit and buttered bread crumbs.
2. Clafoutis — a French cobbler, with fruit (usually cherries) on the bottom, custard, and a rough batter crust baked on top.
3. Cobbler — a spoon pie (more like a fruit stew with dumplings), in which biscuit dough is dropped onto the fruit before baking. The consensus is that the dish got its name because the lumps of cooked dough resembled cobblestones.
4. Crisp —A crisp is exactly like a crumble, except there are no oats in the streusel. That makes the crisp topping more like sweet, buttery, crumbled pie crust.

5. Crumble —a crumble is a baked dish of fresh fruit (apples, berries, plums, etc.) that is topped with an oat-based streusel. 

6. A grunt and a slump are exactly the same thing. Grunts and slumps are just like cobblers, only instead of being baked in the oven, they are cooked covered, entirely on the stove-top (or camping fire, or whatever). This steams the biscuits on top of the fruit, rather than bakes them. This dish earned the name "grunt" because that's the noise that the hot, bubbly fruit makes as it "grunts" up around the biscuit dough. This dished earned its other name, "slump," because that is what it does when you try to put it on a plate.

7. Pandowdy — a spoon pie, with fruit on the bottom and a rolled crust on top, which is broken up to allow the juices to come through.8. A buckle layers a more traditional, cakey batter underneath the fruit. As the dessert cooks, the cake rises around the fruit, which tries its best to sink to the bottom, making the whole thing buckle inwards.

answer: # 5 a Crumble 

Cook's Notes: There is nothing more All-American than a fruit crumble or crisp. The sweet and succulent combination of blueberries and peaches compliment each other in this dish.

Add ice cream and transport to summer heaven.

recipe adapted from mccormick.com
Blueberry-Peach Crumble

Ingredients:

filling

• 5 peaches to equal 4 cups diced peaches
• 1 pint blueberries
• 3 TB. cornstarch
• 2 TB. white sugar
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 TB. lemon juice

topping

• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup cooking oats 
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 6 TB. cold butter, cut into small pieces
• optional 3/4 cup almonds

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease a baking dish 11x 9.
• In a bowl toss fruit with lemon juice and vanilla.
• Use a slotted spoon to place fruit into baking dish, some of the juices will be left behind.
• Mix cornstarch with 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and sugar, spoon over fruit and toss gently. Let filling set while making crumble topping.
• Mix flour, oats, brown sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon together. Mix in butter using two forks or a pastry cutter.
• Sprinkle evenly over fruit and bake for 35 minutes.
• Let set 10 minutes before serving.

Grilled Shrimp Panzanella Salad

Black-Capped Chickadee

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Savor the summer days and nights by dining al fresco and grilling. Advance prep for this meal makes grilling easier. 
The infused flavors of a panzanella salad (posted June 18th) pair nicely with grilled shrimp and vegetables.

Grilled Shrimp Panzanella with Asparagus

Cook's notes: This recipe works well because it takes advantage of the plentiful produce available from summer gardens and/or farmer's market. Roma tomatoes are firmer and hold up better for grilling than regular tomatoes. Space out shrimp on metal skewers or bamboo skewers that have been soaked in water 30 minutes. 
Serves 4 as a main meal or serves 6 as a side.  

Ingredients:

Salad

• 1 lb. uncooked large shrimp with tails
• 2-1/2 cups ciabatta bread or another type of rustic bread cut into two inch pieces
• 1 bunch of asparagus spears (woody stems removed)
• 1 small zucchini cut in 2 inch pieces
• 6-8 Roma tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 lemon, sliced
• 1/2 cup each red and yellow sweet peppers, diced in 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley
• 2 cups mixed greens

Dressing

• 1/2 cup extra light olive oil
• 6 TB. high quality balsamic vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 tsp. each dried parsley flakes, oregano and thyme

Directions:

• Mix dressing ingredients in a blender or a jar with a screw top lid. 
• Divide the dressing in thirds. Brush 1/3 of the balsamic dressing on bread cubes and 1/3 on the shrimp. Reserve the other 1/3 for salad.
• Lightly grease grill grates.
• Toast bread cubes directly on grill grates 2 minutes a side and with tongs turn over. Set aside.
• Crimp up sides of a large piece of foil. Place on foil asparagus, peppers,  zucchini, and lemon slices, drizzle with a little olive oil and cook about 20 minutes. Add in tomatoes the last 10 minutes of cooking time.  
• Grill shrimp about 4 minutes a side.
• Cut each bread cube in half. 
• In a large bowl add grilled vegetables, toasted bread cubes, fresh basil, fresh parsely and mixed greens. Salt and pepper to taste. Toss salad with remaining reserved 1/3 balsamic dressing. 
• Top salad with grilled shrimp.

A Silky Slide 

to easily remove the excess silk strands from fresh corn, wrap a large rubber band around your fingers. Then rub it against the corn kernels. The silk gets trapped in the rubber band, leaving behind a clean ear of corn.

Red, White and Blueberry Shortcakes

Red, White and Blueberry Shortcakes

Cook's notes: This patriotic dessert pairs well with your grilled holiday meal. The recipe works because the pound cake slices can be grilled along side main meal and fresh berries are plentiful this time of the year.  

Serves 4 recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 TB. powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup blueberry preserves
• 1 Tb. butter
• 8 slices prepared pound cake (I tested with Sara Lee frozen pound cake)
• 3 cups sliced strawberries
•  1 cup blueberries
• 2 TB strawberry preserves

Directions:

• Melt butter,brush both sides of cake slices and grill a few minutes on each side. Cut pound cakes in half on the diagonal.  
• Beat cream with powdered sugar until stiff. Blend in blueberry preserves and fold in blueberries. Refrigerate.
• Mix sliced strawberries with strawberry preserves. 
• To assemble place 1/4 of strawberry mixture in center of plate. Add cake slices on either side, overlapping. Add a dollop of blueberry whip cream mixture on top.
• Garnish with a decorative flag pick.

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that you can peel a head of garlic with two bowls? Place a full head of garlic into a bowl.

Place another same-sized bowl over top.

Now, hold on to the two sides of the bowl/egg/spaceship that you’ve created and shake the dickens out of it. In Martha’s Stewart's video she shakes it for about 17 seconds. It took me a little longer. It was about 3 sets of 15 seconds with breaks in between.

Follow this link for more details. It really is an amazing trick and does work!http://creeklinehouse.com/2013/08/peeling-whole-head-of-garlic-in-just.html