ALBACORE TUNA (OR SALMON) AND BOW TIE PASTA SALAD

INGREDIENTS

• SALAD

• 2cups bow tie pasta
• 8ounces fresh albacore tuna, drained (or 2 cans tuna, drained)
• 1red bell pepper, minced
• 1red onion, cut into crescents
• 2teaspoons capers
• 2tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 1garlic clove, minced
• fresh ground black pepper

• DRESSING

• 1⁄2cup rice vinegar or 1⁄2cup white wine vinegar
• 1⁄4cup olive oil
• 1teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1teaspoon lemon zest
• 1⁄2lemon, juice of
• 1teaspoon sugar
• 1⁄4teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2teaspoon dried dill weed or 1 tablespoonfresh dill weed

• DIRECTIONS

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse under cold water to halt cooking. Drain.
2. Broil or pan fry fresh tuna. Set aside. (If using canned tuna, drain and place the tuna in a serving bowl and proceed with recipe.).
3. Combine dressing ingredients in non-reactive bowl and blend well.
4. Break up the fresh tuna into bite size pieces and place in serving bowl with the pasta. Toss dressing gently with the pasta, tuna and remaining salad ingredients.
5. Keep covered and chilled until ready to serve.
• *The Hansens like to use up leftover salmon this way.

Mix for Christmas Potpourri

Simmer in a pot: one orange sliced, 2 cinnamon sticks, 1 T. cloves, 1 tsp. Nutmeg

Healthy Chocolate Blueberry Milkshake

This smoothie we have been loving for a quick treat around here.
1 banana
6-7 ice cubes
1 C. blueberries
1/2-3/4 c. milk
1/3 c. greek yogurt
3 heaping tsp cocoa

Push milkshake on Blendtec.

pressure cooker pot roast

https://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/sunday-pot-roast-instant-pot-recipe/

Chocolate Sugar Cookie Bars

http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2015/07/chocolate-sugar-cookie-bars.html

Oh man. These are really rich, soft, and so good. They tasted like really good brownies and may have been what pushed my kidney stones to break loose.  I like how they are bars so making cookies saves you a little bit of time. 

CHOCOLATE SUGAR COOKIE BARS

Looking for a dense and rich chocolate cookie? It doesn't get much better than these chocolate sugar cookie bars!

15 minPrep Time

14 minCook Time

29 minTotal Time

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/4 cup sour cream (could also substitute plain Greek yogurt)
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
Frosting:
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1-2 teaspoons vanilla (depending on your taste)
• 3 tablespoons of cocoa
• 2-3 cups of powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9x13" baking pan (or spray with non-stick cooking spray - my favorite for baking recipes is Baker's Joy).
2. In a large bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and sugar. Add in the egg, vanilla, and sour cream and mix until completely incorporated.
3. Add in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix well.
4. Stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Press the dough into the prepared pan (I had to use my hands to press the thick dough all the way to the edges of the pan) and bake for 13-14 minutes (be sure not to overbake or they will become dry).
5. While waiting for the bars to cool, make your frosting by mixing all ingredients together in a bowl until smooth (I used a hand mixer). Add more powdered sugar or milk until you reach desired consistency and spread on top of bars.
6. If desired, top frosting with sprinkles

Chicken Dumpling and Vegetable Soup

We really liked this soup. It was a good Sunday dinner meal. Mark especially liked it but wanted more dumplings in it. The good news was that it wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be and I didn't have to handle raw chicken much since it got cooked with the soup. I will definitely make again.

https://www.melskitchencafe.com/chicken-and-vegetable-dumpling-soup-3/

SOUP:

• 1-2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2-3 stalks celery, chopped
• 2-3 large carrots (or 8-ish baby carrots), chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 4 cups water
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2-3 medium) or use precooked chicken (see note above)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup water + 1/4 cup all-purpose flour to thicken
• 1/2 cup frozen peas

DUMPLINGS:

• 1 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme or sage
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the celery, carrots, and onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Add the chicken broth, water and chicken (if using uncooked chicken). Bring to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes until the chicken is just cooked through. Remove the chicken to a plate. Stir in the salt, pepper and thyme.
2. In a small bowl, blend the 1/2 cup cold water and 1/4 cup flour with a wire whisk until smooth. Whisking vigorously, slowly add the flour mixture into the hot broth and whisk until well combined. Stir in the frozen peas and bring the soup back to a simmer. Cut up the cooked chicken and add it back into the soup.
3. For the dumplings, in a medium bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine sour cream, milk and oil. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined (don’t overmix, it is ok if there are a few dry spots of flour here and there).
4. Drop teaspoonful amounts (the dumplings should be fairly small, they’ll expand while cooking) of dumpling dough into the boiling soup, covering the entire surface of the soup. Cover the pot and simmer the soup and dumplings for 12-15 minutes. Do not lift the lid of the pot while the dumplings cook.
5. When the dumplings have cooked fully, remove the lid and gently stir the dumplings to break them apart. Serve.

NOTES:

Very often, I make this with leftover chicken or turkey. I just omit cooking the chicken in the broth and water at the beginning and add the leftover, cooked chicken with the peas.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

I loved this basic frosting recipe. It was tasty. I think it needs a little less milk though so go easy. It's the frosting from the cupcake recipe https://www.melskitchencafe.com/vanilla-buttermilk-cupcakes-and-fantastic-easy-buttercream-frosting/

I used this recipe for cupcakes I made for a baby shower and did her trick to put the frosting on. They turned out so cute and fancy. Basically you just put the frosting in a piping bag, put the wide crinkly tip on and start from the middle and go out or start from the out and go to the middle. Both turned out cute and then I sprinkled them with sprinkles.

VANILLA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:

• ½ cup (1 stick, 8 tablespoons) butter, softened to room temperature
• 3 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 16 ounces powdered sugar (about 3 ½ cups)
• ¼ cup heavy cream--beth says go easty
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. For the frosting: In a large bowl using a handheld mixer or the bowl of an electric stand mixer, beat the softened butter and cream cheese together until it is light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Mix in the vanilla. Add the powdered sugar gradually and mix in fully after each addition. Cream at low speed until well blended and creamy. Pour in the heavy cream and whip until the frosting is light and fluffy.

NOTES:

You can substitute milk for the heavy cream but the frosting will be missing an element of silky creaminess.

Skillet Zucchini

This was a good side. https://www.melskitchencafe.com/skillet-zucchini-and-yellow-squash/

• 1/2 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 small zucchini, ends trimmed and diced
• 2 small to medium yellow crookneck squash, ends trimmed and diced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional but yummy)

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a 10- or 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat until hot and rippling.
2. Add the zucchini and yellow squash in as even a layer as possible (it should sizzle as it hits the skillet) and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let it sit without stirring or moving for 2-3 minutes so it can get nice and golden. Give it a good stir, add a touch more salt and pepper to taste if needed, and let it continue to cook, stirring only every now and then, until the squash is browning here and there and tender to your liking, about 5-7 more minutes.
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste and top with freshly grated Parmesan, if desired. Serve immediately.

NOTES:

Infinitely adaptable, this dish can be dressed up with chopped tomatoes, fresh herbs, and a million other tasty ingredients so feel free to experiment and add-on wherever your heart leads. 99% of the time, I make it just like it’s written and keep it quick and simple.

I prefer using the little zucchini but if you have some the size of baseball bats, they work fine, too. Halve them the long way and scoop out all the seeds/innards before dicing. Try to cut all the squash into similar-sized pieces for more even cooking. All in all, I usually use about 4-6 cups diced squash (combination of zucchini and yellow squash).

Baked Chocolate Donuts with Coconut

I needed some chocolate and decided to make these for our f h e treat. I used whole wheat flour to make it healthier. I also used whole milk instead of whipped cream.  Shredded coconut at the end was really good. They were really rich and chocolatey. I didn't use a piping bag to put it in the pans. I just spooned it in. It worked fine.
http://www.crunchycreamysweet.com/2016/02/12/glazed-chocolate-donuts-recipe/amp/

Glazed Chocolate Donuts Recipe

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

Total Time

20 mins

Course: Dessert

Servings: 6

Author: Anna | Crunchy Creamy Sweet

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup + 3 Tablespoons buttermilk OR 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons whole milk with 1 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
• for the glaze:
• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Instructions

2. Preheat oven to 420 degrees F.
3. Grease a 6 regular size donut pan. Set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, soda and salt.
5. In a large measuring cup, mix together buttermilk, egg, vanilla and oil. Whisk well.
6. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes.
7. Place the batter in a ziploc bag. Close the bag and cut off a corner with scissors. Pipe out the batter evenly among donut cups in your pan.
8. Tap the pan against your counter few times to release any air bubbles.
9. Bake donuts in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until the toothpick inserted in few places in each donut comes out clean.
10. Cool donuts in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer onto a cooling rack.
11. To make the glaze, place chocolate chips in a medium mixing bowl. Pour heavy cream into heat-proof measuring cup or bowl and heat up in the microwave in 20 second increments just until hot, but not boiling. Pour hot cream over chocolate. DO NOT stir. Let it sit for 5 minutes. Whisk the mixture until smooth.
12. Dip donuts in glaze and set back on cooling rack. Decorate with sprinkles while the glaze is still wet

Orange Glazed Meatballs

These were so good and a refreshing change from the sweet and sour ones we usually make. I took it to someone and they loved it too.
I baked these in a glass cake pan, not in muffin cups.
 https://www.melskitchencafe.com/baked-orange-glazed-meatballs/

MEATBALLS:

• 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey (see note)
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs (panko, homemade, or storebought)
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 cloves garlic (about 2 teaspoons), finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
• 1-2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger (see note)
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 green onions, white and green parts finely chopped

ORANGE GLAZE:

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh orange zest
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 clove garlic (about 1/2 – 1 teaspoon) finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
• 1 1/4 tablespoons cornstarch

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees and lightly grease a mini muffin tin (see note above if you don’t have that kind of pan).
2. For the meatballs, combine all the meatball ingredients together in a large bowl and mix until combined (you might need to just get your hands in there and go to town).
3. Shape the meatball mixture into small balls, a couple tablespoons each, and place into the prepared mini muffin tin. The meatballs will shrink down a bit while baking.
4. Bake for 15 minutes or until cooked through.
5. Immediately (but carefully) spoon the meatballs out of the tin and onto a layer of paper towels to drain any excess grease (you may not need to do this if the meat was extra lean).
6. For the glaze, whisk together all the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring often. Cook until thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste.
7. Serve the meatballs with the glaze (either poured over the meatballs or served separately for each person to drizzle on as they like).

NOTES:

Ground chicken or lean ground beef can be subbed for the ground turkey. I always buy chunks of ginger and cut them into 1-inch pieces, toss them in a freezer ziploc bag (unpeeled) and then when a recipe calls for fresh ginger, I grab a piece straight from the freezer and grate it on the small holes of my box grater or on the microplane.

If you don’t have a mini muffin tin, scoop the meatballs onto a parchment-lined or greased baking sheet and bake that way.

Finally, if you like a little heat with your sweetness, try adding a little chile-garlic sauce or red pepper flakes to the sauce.

All images and text ©Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Tomato Cucumber Salad

http://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/tomato-cucumber-salad/http://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/tomato-cucumber-salad/

I loved the flavors and freshness of this.  Beth just used normal tomatoes and cucumbers.  Next time I will go a little easy on the red onion.  I added slightly too much the first time.

Print

Tomato Cucumber Salad

Prep Time

10 mins

Total Time

10 mins

 

Tomato Cucumber Salad garnished with red onion and fresh basil. One of our favorite fresh and healthy summer side dishes! 

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 65 kcal

Author: Lauren

Ingredients

• 2  cups cherry tomatoes , halved
• 5 mini cucumbers , sliced into 1/4'' coins
• 3  teaspoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon  red wine vinegar
• salt and pepper , to taste
• 2 tablespoons diced red onion
• 2  tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Instructions

1. Add cherry tomatoes and cucumbers to a bowl. Drizzle olive oil and vinegar on top. Season with salt and pepper. Toss everything to coat. Garnish with diced red onion and fresh basil.