Orzo, Asparagus and Garlic Scapes in Garlic Scape Pesto
May 29, 2012 - Written by Diana
What to eat when it’s hot outside ? A salad with pesto as the dressing is better than mayo or heavy dressings and parts of it can be made ahead of time to be combined sometime later before you eat. Both my husband and my son enjoyed this for dinner, my husband loved it so much he finished off whatever was leftover that same evening.
I received garlic scapes in my market bag and used it in the pesto and the salad itself, chopping it into pieces about one to two inches in length. I cut the asparagus and the leeks to the same size as the garlic scapes (though they weren’t used in the pesto). I prepared this again with more asparagus for our Memorial Day family gathering, but I have broccolini that would work well and so would fresh peas.
Garlic scapes are substituted for garlic in this dish, I used it in the pesto and the salad. They are the seed heads that shoot up among the garlic, cutting the scape off is supposed to lead to a bigger head …
Lamb Chops with Sorrel Sauce
May 26, 2010 - Written by DianaMy daughter inadvertently planted my sorrel last year in the flower bed. It has leaves similar to other plants when it is first growing, which makes it difficult to find until the flowers start growing in. The other way to figure it out is to taste the leaves, and if it’s lemony, it’s sorrel (if not, ugh). My sorrel has finally reached a nice size for using in cooking and tastes lemony good when cooked down into a sauce. I made some lamb chops and grilled it on the NuWave, just brushing it with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Then I made this delicious sorrel sauce from Michael Roux’s Sauces. It really was the perfect sauce for the lamb chops; I can’t wait to use it on some salmon.
Asparagus Coulis from Sauces by Michael Roux
March 29, 2010 - Written by DianaThis asparagus coulis from the book Sauces by Michael Roux was the perfect sauce for my tortellini and asparagus tips. Usually with tortellini we have an alfredo sauce. This coulis is a much lighter, but very flavorful way to serve tortellini. It adds depth to the asparagus tips that we tossed in with the tortellini, and my photo does not show how green and pretty the sauce color came out. There were many steps to the sauce, plus I forgot to put the o-ring on the blender and it squirt sauce out all over the place – not funny really, but I recovered and it came out lovely. Stop laughing, I kept yelling that blenders that shot sauce out everywhere weren’t useful, so there had to be something very wrong going on then I found the ring in the box. My husband said – look at it this way, you won’t forget the ring again, lesson learned. I think it comes from having such a small kitchen that I pull apart my equipment and put it back in boxes, so that I can shove it on the shelf. The point is, that in spite of a dumb blender, …
Bananas Not So Foster – Use Pama Pomegranate Liqueur
March 12, 2010 - Written by Diana
I was introduced to a cupcake company that uses Pama Pomegranate Liqueur. Though I haven’t tasted Chocolate Pomegranate Cupcakes by More – which by the way look fantastic, I have tasted Pama – and it is fantastically delicious.
I thought I could take the liqueur and use in in a sort of Bananas Not So Foster served on top of an almond pound cake. I love cooked bananas, I love rum but since I love Pama, and this sweet Pomegranate Banana sauce over top of the cake was really really good, that’s what I used. My son and husband agreed. I made the almond pound cake using almond flour and cardamom, but I’m still working on the recipe. However, the Bananas and sauce can be used as a topping for your favorite desserts – ice cream, cake, scones, etc. I used only two bananas, and made slices to go on top of the cake better. I also didn’t use the flaming rum. I have a seventeen year old son who doesn’t need that much alcohol, I just wanted …
Mustard-Mayonnaise Slather for Grilling
August 4, 2009 - Written by Diana 
This recipe is from 300 Big & Bold Barbecue & Grilling Recipes book by Karen Adler and Judith Fertig. This is one of my favorite ways to prepare my salmon before grilling it. My husband and kids love it and my mom enjoyed it too when we had it the other day. This is from the sauce and rubs section of the book. There are more complicated and much different recipes, this just happens to be one of the best and easiest and tastiest.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
Directions:
In a bowl whisk together mayonnaise and mustard.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
My variation is to add dill and parsley to the sauce and sprinkle some herbs on top. I also have extra as a dipping sauce for the plate.
Pesto Fresh Herb Sauces and Spreads
December 31, 2008 - Written by Diana
Christmas was a fun time for us. Most of our relatives are 3 to 12 hours away, so we only see them a few times a year. My side of the family sees us once or twice a year but we communicate a lot by computer or phone. Visiting and seeing how the kids have grown and what they are accomplishing is always special.
My sister in law Pam gave me a Pesto book by Lou Seibert Pappas with illustrations by Steven Salerno (along with some really great paring knives) which I thought I would share with you. This book is small in size, but has plenty of recipes and tells you what to pair it with. Pam made a pasta with pesto for my daughter’s graduation with herbs from her garden that turned out delicious and we discussed using pesto again.
I found a dill recipe that would go great with Salmon. It isn’t the right time for Dill in my frozen garden, though you may be able to find it in the market. I cook salmon on a grill pan – …
New Castle Brown Ale Recipes
November 7, 2008 - Written by Diana
Spicy Newcastle Brown Ale BBQ Marinade
Makes enough to marinate 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of beef; Newcastle recommends sirloin tip or London broil. Yields about 2 cups
Ingredients:
- 12-ounce bottle Newcastle Brown Ale
- 1 tablespoon dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/8 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
- 2 tablespoons sugar or honey
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
To Make:
Thoroughly blend all ingredients except beef. Pour marinade into a container big enough to hold beef in one layer or a zip-seal plastic bag large enough to hold beef. Add beef, cover or seal and marinate at least 2 hours in refrigerator before grilling.
When I talk about my great tasting salsa my sister always encourages me to post the recipe. I tell her, it’s not a regular recipe. She says I should post it. My family loves salsa especially my husband and College Girl. We can a huge amount, but it doesn’t last the winter, no matter how much we make. I like to sneak jars into Christmas gifts, but my husband isn’t thrilled with that he wants it all for himself. Last year, we made 36 pints and it lasted until April. It would have lasted longer if I didn’t give any away, but my sister in law makes us soap and gives us jars of honey. I think it’s a good trade. Here’s my recipe: At first bite of Mrs. Renfro’s Mango Habanero Salsa, one gets a tongue pleasing sesation of fruitiness, but give it a couple of seconds and the heat hits. The perfect blend of fruit and spice. It’s not too sweet and the heat isn’t so much that it takes away from the flavor of the salsa. To say I can sit down and eat a jar of this in one sitting is an understatement. I know some people ( *cough* Diana *cough*) aren’t fans of fruity salsa. When it’s done right however, it becomes a flavor explosion. Mrs. Renfro’s does it right. It gets better though. Mrs. Renfro’s is one of those food companys using its power for good, not evil. They’re rocking the pink lids to raise awareness for breast cancer. A portion of pink lid sales are donated to the breast cancer cause. We so approve. Right now I have a jar of Mrs. Renfro’s Raspberry Chipotle salsa hidden in the back of my refrigerator. I hope my husband doesn’t see it. I don’t want to share. My husband is a vodka aficionado. When we were dating, he kept a bottle of Vodka in the freezer at all times. As we got older and the kids were teens we cut down on keeping vodka in the freezer. However, people who know my husband likes vodka have given him a bottle of vodka for cleaning up their hard drive. He doesn’t mind the trade at all. We have a bottle of 360 vodka, which doesn’t just make him happy, it makes me happy too. The beautiful green bottle is 85% recycled glass. The packaging is chlorine free recycled paper and recycled materials with soy based ink. That’s not all They use carbon offsets. They have a close the loop campaign where they donate 1.00 to an environmental organization for every returned bottle closure. My husband thinks it’s a quality vodka – which would be the only reason to even look at it in the first place.
Diana’s Great Tasting Homemade Salsa – by the gallon
October 28, 2008 - Written by Diana
Mrs. Renfro’s Salsa: A Flavor Explosion
October 12, 2008 - Written by Deb Ng
360 Vodka – The Green Vodka in the Green Bottle
October 3, 2008 - Written by Diana
360 Vodka uses 100 % locally grown grains form northeastern Kansas and northwestern Missouri. Every bit of it is utilized and nothing goes to waste.
