Grilled Watermelon Appetizer

I'm still trying to eat through our 18lb watermelon.  After hauling it to our cabin I was set on using it up... Nothing says summer like eating huge slices of watermelon and spitting the seed over the deck to the bushes below.  And nothing says summer like BBQ.  So why not BBQ some watermelon!?

I cut some watermelon in to one or two bite triangle shapes and put on a hot grill for a few minutes per side.

I topped each grilled watermelon slice with pancetta and a sprinkling of crumbled blue cheese.  I added a dash of fresh cracked black pepper and a touch of salt.  This created a heavenly summer appetizer.  Plus, it doesn't get much easier than this!  Smokey, juicy watermelon topped with salty and creamy goodness.  I will definitely make this appetizer again.

Broccoli Cheese Pinwheels

One of my sorority sisters is a member of the Make Ahead Mommas.  This is small group of moms that get together and come up with great meal ideas that can be prepared in advance and frozen for future use.  AND, make meals that kids love to eat.

The "mommas" are gaining popularity and have been featured on local television shows.  This week they were on TV and had some fun kid-friendly recipes!  One was Broccoli Cheese Pinwheels and I knew this would be a hit with my kids.

We rolled out the pastry dough on to wax paper and B spread some olive oil mixed with chopped garlic.

 

Then we sprinkled some fresh broccoli that I had chopped in to small pieces.  Then we topped with about 1/3 to 1/2 cup each of mozzarella and parmesan  cheeses.

With the help of the wax paper, I rolled up the pinwheel and helped seal the long edge with a little water.  We then placed the log in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Slice the log in to 1 1/2" rounds and place on a cookie sheet and bake!

I served these yummy pinwheels alongside bbq'd salmon.  Everyone had at least one pinwheel... or two.

And in the November/Thanksgiving spirit, here is 'Tom the Turkey' that we had to disguise for B's school project.  Tom is now a football player!

Broccoli Pinwheels, courtesy of Make Ahead Mommas
1 package of puff pastry
½ cup thawed frozen broccoli, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
olive oil
mozzarella cheese, grated
parmesan cheese, grated

Thaw frozen puff pastry dough for 10 mins before using. Unwrap and delicately unfold. With a rolling pin and a little flour flatten dough.

Sprinkle with olive oil, minced garlic, broccoli, and cheeses. Gently roll up and place in freezer for 5-10 mins.

When ready to bake and serve, heat oven to 375 degrees. Cut in to 1 ½” disks and place on a cookie sheet, and place in oven for 15 mins or until nicely browned.

(If making for future use - cut in 1½" disks and place on a cookie sheet to freeze. Once frozen, store in ziploc bags.)

Kitchen Sink Pasta

Pasta dishes are great. You don't really need a recipe to make a meal with noodles.  You can add just butter and some parmesean cheese for an ever popular kid dish (adult too!).  Or add some crushed tomatoes, basil and a pinch of salt for a light summery dish.  Or add some butter, cream, cooked bacon pieces and cooked butternut squash chunks. Or go all out and spend half a day making a hearty sauce.

Tonight I was staring two cooked chicken breasts, cooked bacon, and the makings for caprese salad.  Tony was at a golf tournament, so I wanted something fast to make.  But also flavorful.  I knew caprese wouldn't be a smart item to serve a 4 and 1 year old.  Instead I chopped it all up and tossed with fresh fettucine noodles.

To get started, I put the grape tomatoes on a cookie sheet lined with foil and sprinkled with salt and some olive oil.  I put it oven on broil until the skins started to split and char a bit.

Meanwhile I boiled the water and cooked the fresh fettucini noodles, chopped up the cooked chicken breasts, basil, mozzerella, and cooked bacon.  When the noodles were done, I drained them and reserved a cup of pasta water in case the finished pasta needed some moisture.  Then added the chopped up ingredients as well as the tomatoes to the noodles and sprinkled each serving with some grated parmesean.  It was a hit with everyone!

Sweet Baby Shower

Today I hosted a Sweets themed baby shower for my sister-in-law with one of her best friends (we also hosted her bridal shower together).  I had way too much fun planning for the event and tried to keep the food both interesting and easy.  And yes, the shower was on a Wednesday evening.  I've attended a few wedding and baby showers on weeknights.  I think it is a great way to ensure guest attendance during busy months and a nice change to busy weekends.

Nothing says sweets like chocolate!  Here I'm finishing the mini brownie bites dessert.

Each mini brownie is coated in a chocolate ganache.  A quick but elegant looking dessert... you can make the brownies from a box mix and bake in mini cupcake tins.  Or if you're tight on time, buy premade mini brownies. I much prefer Metropolitan Market's mini brownies to any other brand.  Create a ganache by combining and slowly heating/melting 8oz semi-sweet chocolate, 1 cup heavy cream, 2 Tbsp light corn syrup and 2 tsp vanilla.  Dip each brownie in the ganache and set down to firm.  Top with a piece of fruit, a single nut, jelly bean, sprinkles, M&M, edible flowers. The possibilities are endless.

I made a carseat cover for Tonya in her favorite color combo, grey and yellow.  This may be a bit more feminine (they don't know sex of baby), but I couldn't resist this fabric due to the colors! 

The brownies ready to go...

A gumball filled vase topped with a tissue paper puff (from Tonya's wedding!), and a menu for the Macaroni & Cheese bar toppings.  Guests could top their M&C with chopped green onions, blue cheese, crumbled bacon, or tomato. 

Lollipops, candy bowls, lemonade and personalized straws for each guest. 

I love personalized straws to avoid people losing their glasses.

Nothings much cuter than swirled lollipops!

The buffet almost ready for guests.  In addition to M&C we had fruit salad, green salad, greek salad.  And for dessert we had mini chocolate and vanilla cupcakes, brownie bites, and homemade kettle korn. 

My favorite part of the party were the take home gifts.  I made mini mixed fruit pies for each guest to take home.  The fabric topping each pie coordinated with the candy colors and table cloth from buffet table. 

We didn't want to play any games, so we opted for optional guest activities.  Because the baby's sex is unknown, we had a poster for guests to guess the sex, weight, and birthday of baby as well as a place to write down wishes or baby name ideas.  

Me with my sister in law and Alexis the co-host (who is due with her 3rd boy in August!) 

*tip - you don't need to invest in fancy tablecloths.  I will typically use yards of fabric in fun patterns or even a denim.  Because our dining table is over 100" long, most attractive tablecloths cost $150+.  And that drives me crazy, especially if red wine or an oily dish is spilled on to the cloth and gets stained.  But, I can buy 4 yards of fabric for around $30.

Goat Cheese Medallion Salad

One of my favorite cheeses is chevre, or goat cheese.  Such a yummy, creamy flavor that pairs well with crackers, pears, chicken, and even salads!  Below is one of my absolute favorite salads.

Place mixed greens on two salad plates and garnish with sliced peaches or nectarines.  Sprinkle some toasted sliced almonds.  I don't add dressing until right before I place the goat cheese medallions on the salad.  Typically I use a nice fruity vinegrette.  Put salad plates in fridge to stay chilled.

I take one little container or sleeve of plain goat cheese and divide in to four.  With your hands shape in to four discs.  Put in fridge to chill.  Meanwhile, beat one egg in a dish, and in another dish sprinkle about a cup of plain breadcrumbs, fresh ground pepper and a pinch of kosher salt.  I also like to add a small bunch of crumbled/sliced almonds to breadcrumbs.

Melt some butter in a nonstick skillet. 

Dip each cheese medallion in to egg and gently transfer to breadcrumbs and thoroughly coat.  Place coated cheese in to skillet and let brown.  Turn over after a couple minutes so both sides can brown.

Meanwhile remove salad plates from fridge and sprinkle with vinegrette.  Carefully transfer the browned cheese medallions to top of salad and enjoy!

Tonya's Bridal Shower

Today I cohosted a shower for my sister-in-law with the Matron of Honor, Alexis.  The party started at 10am so we had a variety of brunch-like items.

I like displaying party foods in a unique way.  This helps add variety to the table and looks fun!  For the caprese skewers I purchased short bamboo skewers (at specialty kitchen stores) and added a basil leaf folded in half, then mozzerella, then a grape tomato.  I then stuck them in a halved mini watermelon.  (Do not hollow out the watermelon as it could topple over when people pull the skewers out)

I also made my favorite orzo salad with golden raisins, feta, red onion, and tangy dressing.  This recipe is a favorite among my friends for showers.  If you want the recipe please email me as I don't have an electronic version to post, but can send a scanned copy. (It is pretty easy and you can make ahead. Email me at: byguessbygosh@yahoo.com)

Aside from the usual brunchy items of bagels, spreads, cinnamon rolls, fruit salad, orzo salad, etc we had to have dessert!  Alexis made Ina Garten's coconut cupcakes and topped them with little wedding rings she found at the fabric store.  LOVE it!  You can make the cupcakes from scratch, or purchase Ina's box mix.

And I made the very chocolate bundt cake that I featured on here for Mother's Day.  It was just as tasty this time around and Alexis' son thought so too!

Dawg Food

Tonight was the big Sweet 16 game for the Huskies and my mom came over to watch it with us.  Each of us was wearing some sort of purple gear and our food was sporting some Husky pride too!

Purple Kettle Corn:

In my stove top Whirlypop popcorn popper I used:

just shy of 1/4 c. vegetable oil

1/4 c. sugar

1/3 c. kernals

2 tsp vanilla extract

a few drops each - red and blue food coloring (use a tad more blue than red to make purple)

Combine all ingredients and place on medium heat stove top... (this recipe is specific to the Whirlypop popcorn maker, so check your manufacturer first to avoid an accident!).

Dawgs in a Blanket:

My mom make these little Dawgs in a blanket.  She used refrigerated dough, like Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, and wrapped around full sized uncooked turkey hot dogs stuffed with some cheese.  She used a little extra dough to shape in to 'W's and placed on top.  We baked in a 350 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes, or until dough was nice and golden.  Here is a similar recipe at Pillsbury.com.

Penne & Cheese:

Ok, so the penne & cheese wasn't really Husky theme, but it was a golden color!  Add in a few purple and gold cans of Bud Light and you've got a winning meal.  Too bad the Dawgs didn't win tonight, I was looking forward to an Elite 8 basketball Saturday!  The penne & cheese my mom made (really called 21st Century Macaroni & Cheese) is from http://www.splendidtable.org/.  It has a great garlicky onion flavor, not your traditional ooey gooey cheese.

21st Century Mac and CheeseServes 4


1/2 pound (2 cups ) raw penne pasta, cooked and drained
1 large egg
1 cup milk
1 small clove garlic
3/4 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 generous cup (5 ounces) shredded good quality, extra-sharp cheddar cheese
5 ounces cream cheese, crumbled
2/3 cup (3 ounces) shredded Gruyere cheese

Generous 1/8 teaspoon each hot red pepper flakes, salt, and freshly ground black pepper

Generous 1/4 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 saltines, coarsely crumbled

Preheat oven to 350. Butter a shallow 1 1/2 quart baking dish, and add cooked macaroni.

In a blender or food processor combine egg, milk, and garlic, and process 3 seconds. Add onion, cheeses, peppers, salt, and paprika, and blend 10 seconds. Turn into dish, folding into macaroni. Casserole could be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated up to 24 hours at this point.

To bake, bring casserole close to room temperature. Melt butter in a small saucepan. Coat crackers with butter and spread over top of casserole. Bake about 20 to 25 minutes, or until thick yet creamy. If top is not golden, slip under broiler for a minute. Remove from oven, let stand about 5 minutes, and serve.

Turkey Burgers with Carmelized Onions

Tonight I was craving turkey burgers with carmelized onions.  Similar to the ones featured on burgers at Geraldine's Counter.  Sweet with a slight tang.

And with a little guess and by gosh I made carmelized onions so tasty that neither Tony or I put any condiments on our burgers.  Heaven.

Jodi's Carmelized Onions, enough for 2 burgers

1 large red onion, sliced in rounds

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1-2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

dried oregano, dried thyme, kosher salt, fresh ground pepper

Melt butter with olive oil in pan over medium heat.  Add onion and cover. Let the onions sweat for a good 5-10 minutes.  Keep an eye on 'em though... if they start to brown too quickly, turn down the heat.

Uncover onions and sprinkle a scant amount of oregano and thyme and keep cooking, tossing frequently. After a few more minutes add 1-2Tbsp good quality balsamic vinegar to the pan and stir.  Use this added liquid as a chance to scrape up any bits of onion that have cooked to the pan.  Add kosher salt and a tad of ground pepper and continue to cook/carmelize for another 15-20 minutes.  (Taste one of the onion pieces after about 20 minutes of total cooking to see if you need more salt - you want these bad boys to have flavor!)

Serve hot, and place directly on your burger patty.

My only regret with this recipe?  Not using two onions as I could have slathered twice as much on my burger!

Jodi's Secret Turkey Burgers, serves 2 adults and 1 kiddo

1 package ground turkey (usually they're around 20 oz or so)

diced red onion - 2-5Tbsp depending on your love for onions

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp each: dried oregano and dried thyme

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

Breadcrumbs - I only occasionally use these if I feel like the meat isn't holding up.  I'll add about 1/4-1/3 cup.

Mix all above ingredients together and form in to two large patties and one kid sized patty.  Cook on the grill and top with swiss cheese in the final minutes of BBQ'n.  (I personally prefer a nice white cheddar, like Ford Farm's Coastal Cheddar.  The Coastal has a great tang and a crunch to it! - you can usually find at Costco)