Berry Breakfast Season

Every time I go to the store lately, the berries have been screaming my name. Seriously....SCREAMING.....Not wanting to offend the juicy blessed bits, I oblige and bring home numerous cartons. So tonight, breakfast night, we had this....

Triple Berry Syrup on Whole Wheat Waffles

So simple, but it was so good. Here's how I make the syrup.

Throw whatever berries make you happy in a saucepan. We used 1 small carton of blackberries, 1/2 carton of raspberries, and a cup or so of strawberries.
Add sugar to taste -- start with about 1/4 cup, you can always add more - I hate it too sweet.
Add about 1/4 cup water

Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it comes to a boil. Then simmer, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes. If your in a rush, you can use a hand submersion blender to break things into bits and then you can get away with simmering for 5 minutes. Either way, when the berries are really soft and a lot of juice has been released, hit it with the hand blender or a potato masher to get the desired consistency -- smooth vs. chunky. Add more sugar if desired.

If you want to be fancy, poor through a fine sieve to remove the seeds. We don't. I'm not usually that fancy and, hey, seeds = fiber, right?

If you want to thicken more, you can use a cornstarch slurry (a little cold water and cornstarch mixed together.) Poor it in a little at a time while simmering. A little goes a long way---be careful.

Yum, Yum.......I'll post the waffles later---great recipe, too.

Some Favorite Marinades

here are some of my favorite marinades right now:

Rosemary Ranch Chicken (from Kathy M.)

1/2 C. olive oil
1/2 C. ranch dressing
3 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 T. minced fresh rosemary or 1 t. dried
2 t. salt
1 t. lemon juice
1 t. white vinegar
1/4 t. ground black pepper, or to taste
5 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

In a large ziplock bag, mix together all of the ingredients, except the chicken, and let stand for 5 minutes. Add chicken. Let marinate for several hours or freeze chicken in the marinade. Grill.

These are great as a main dish or I'll do one or two chicken breasts and dice up to top dinner salads or slice to put in chicken bakes.


Smokey Rasberry Chipotle

1 C. Rasberry Chipotle sauce

1-2 t. liquid smoke

I've done this marinade over pork loin, allow to marinate and then broil.

Garlic and Miso

1 C. Angelo Pietro's Sesame and Miso Salad dressing
2 t. chopped garlic (at least!)

I usually do this over pork chops or last time I sliced up some pork loin. Marinate a couple of hours or freeze. Pan fry with salt and pepper.

I used to have my mom send me this salad dressing from Hawaii but I've found it in Austin at the chinese market off of Lamar just south of Braker. Surprisingly, they make it here in TX but only sell it there. Definitely worth the special trip - stock up! The orange top is yummy too - not as spicey as this one.

Hot, Fresh Tortillas

A few months ago I learned how to make tortillas at home, and I haven't bought tortillas at the store since.  After my youngest made them by herself tonight, I realized how truly easy they are to make.

Buy tortilla flour mix and add water.  (There are instructions right on the package.)
Add water, mix, then knead for a few minutes.
Divide into little balls, roll them out.
Cook them on a hot skillet or griddle.
When it bubbles up a little, flip and cook for a few more seconds.  Done!

The house smells fantastic, and the family starts wandering into the kitchen to see what's for dinner.  I probably used the "White Wings" brand, but since it's in a canister now, I can't be sure. I just clip the measurement ratio chart off the bag and tuck it into the canister. If an 8 year old can make them, anyone can!

rhodes rolls pizza

thaw rolls out (3-5 hours)
flatten rolls to resemble mini pizza crusts
grill crusts until golden brown (about 5 minutes) we accidentally cooked these a little longer than i would have preferred,but the charred pieces ended up being excellent!
while crust are being grilled, saute red onion slices, garlic and mushrooms in butter.
take off the grill and then top cooked side with desired toppings.
[i used kam's recipe below: bbq sauce, rotisserie chicken, sauteed red onion slices, garlic and mushrooms, mozzarella cheese, and cilantro]
lower heat and return pizzas to grill to finish cooking crust and melt cheese

delicious quick summer meal! this will definitely be a staple this summer. :)

French Bread Pizza

So, I admit, this is pretty basic, but it occured to me to do this a couple of weeks ago. I was really craving pizza, was NOT craving grease, and just returned from a Farmers Market with cartons of yummy grape tomatoes. Yummy!!! This method has become an almost weekly event now and is great for re-inventing leftovers or using small bits of veggies and such. In fact, it's on the menu tonight.

French Bread -- also works great with Ciabatta or Foccacia
Olive Oil
Mozzarella Cheese (I prefer something pretty fresh and yummy--not the plastic-y cheap stuff)
Veggies of your choice
Meat of your choice
Herbs of your choice -- We love fresh basil

Slice bread about 1/2 in think on the diagonal, drizzle with olive oil and sit under the broiler for a minute or two to just slightly toast. Slice up your veggies and saute' or cook briefly as needed. Now layer the veggies, the fresh but herbs, and a slice of mozzarella on the top and sit under the broiler for another minute to just melt the chesse. Voila! Dinner is served.

Here are some favorite combinations:
Grape tomatoes --slice in half, drizzle with olive oil & sea salt, broil for 3-5 minutes.
Fresh Basil, coarsely chopped
Mozzarella


Thinly sliced sausage - cooked (we used leftover chicken basil sausage from Sprout's)
Red and Yellow Bell Peppers, sauted in olive oil to soften
Fresh Basil (for the kids) or Cilantro (for the adults)
Mozzarella or Queso Fresco
(Yea, Mexican-flared pizza--Trust me, it was good and re-invented Fajita night leftovers)

Artichoke Hearts
Frozen Spinach (get as much of the liquid out as you can)
Thinly sliced Roma Tomatoes
Fresh Basil and Oregano
Mozzarella or Fontina

The kids think it's a huge treat -- pizza!!! But I can make it really healthy and dinner can be ready in about 10 minutes! Yum!!!

Fried Chicken

I don't frying things on a regular basis, but when I do, here is how I like to fry my chicken. I'll apologize before hand for not having exact amounts!

Chicken
salt
pepper
egg
equal parts of flour and cornstarch

Usually I do drumsticks and wings for however many people I want to feed. I salt and pepper the chicken first. Then break an egg over the chicken. From there I add equal parts of flour and cornstarch (maybe about 2-3 T) just so that I can mix it up with my hand and it forms a bit of a batter around the chicken. If it looks too dry, add another egg. If it looks like it could use a bit more batter, add another T of flour and cornstarch. The batter isn't drenching the chicken, just coating it. (when it's wet it won't look like it'll cover the whole thing, but once you fry it, it will be fine.)

From there, fry the chicken about 10 minutes or until there is not longer blood on the bone. You can fry the chicken twice to make it a little more crispy.

Quiche

I don't know why people think quiche is so hard to make. It's one of my quick, go to, use up leftovers - recipes. It does take a while to bake but actual work time putting it together is super quick, especially if you've gathered all the ingredients into a freezer meal. We use it mostly for dinners with either salad or some fruit but it's also great for brunch or a special breakfast. There are many versions out there, some fancier than others but here's a good basic recipe:

1 pre-made frozen deep dish pie crust
1 1/2 C. half and half ( I usually just use whatever milk I have in the fridge. I still have little ones drinking whole milk and us grown up folks drinking skim so I use whatever needs to get used!)
4 eggs
1/8 t. salt
dash of pepper

Mix all ingredients (except pie crust) well.

From here you can add what ever fillings you want. Some of my favorite combos:

- 1 C. each: diced ham, broccoli, shredded cheddar cheese (measurements are subjective - I like to load up the veggies. Frozen also works great. Just thaw and squeeze out the extra water.)
- cooked shrimp, sauteed mushrooms, sliced green onion, cheese. Add a little mustard and garlic to the egg mixture. Yum.
- crumbled cooked bacon and swiss or mozzarella cheese, with or without veggies like spinach or broccoli.

You can really get creative here and like I said, it's a great way to use up leftovers because it only takes a cup of meat and you have a meal for the whole family where that would probably have only fed one or two people by itself. Just two or three ingredients that go well with each other and you have quiche!

Place crust on foil lined baking sheet. Layer filling ingredients in crust. Pour eggs slowly over the top. Don't over fill - it will just make a mess.

Bake in a hot oven (about 400 degrees) for about 40-60 minutes. So I know this is kind of flaky instructions but I've forgotten the specific details. Honestly, ovens cook differently and the best way to tell if it's done is to check - it should be browned on top and not jiggly when you shake it a little. If it's browning too quickly, just cover the top with a piece of foil.

Allow to sit 10-15 minutes before slicing.

To prepare for the freezer:

Keep pre-made pie crusts handy in freezer. Don't take out until you are ready to fill and cook.

Combine milk, eggs, salt and pepper in a quart sized freezer bag. Egg beaters work really well here because you have to really whip those eggs to combine when you're freezing them. If you're making several batches it is so easy to just pour the amount of egg beaters you need. It also makes it really easy to make an even healthier version by using just egg whites or mostly egg whites.

Place filling ingredients in seperate bags. Place all bags into a gallon sized bag so they stay together in the freezer.

To cook:

Allow ingredients (except the crust) to thaw in fridge overnight.

Pre-heat oven.

Place crust on foil lined baking sheet. Layer filling ingredients in crust. Pour eggs slowly over the top. Don't over fill - it will just make a mess.

Bake.

Allow to sit 10-15 minutes before slicing.