$10 bargain--which is better? :) & corn salad recipe

I went to the farmer's market on Saturday and was thrilled with my purchase, which amounted to exactly $10.50--all the cash I had in my purse. I was also kicking myself for not making it a normal occurrence to go when it is so close!! I absolutely love fresh green beans but have pretty much missed out this summer just b/c I didn't go to the farmer's market and obviously the green beans in the store don't compare.

This was my purchase (minus 8 ears of corn, which were already consumed by the time I took this picture).



Zucchini, kale, beets, 4 cucumbers, green beans, and 8 ears of sweet corn. I had also already made us green beans for lunch and this is what I had remaining. Quite the bit of produce for $10.50!!

BTW, if you are wondering about a colorful, delicious, but unfortunately a little time consuming, way to eat fresh sweet corn, then try this salad (see end of post for recipe). I made it for a bbq that we went to and it was a big hit. The reason it is time consuming is mostly b/c you have to shuck the corn, prepare it, cut the corn off the cob and then start making the salad.

Ironically, the same day I went to the store in the evening for a totally different type of purchase and realized that I also spent around $10. I felt I got another great $10 deal, but then realized how ridiculous it was excited about these two deals in one day when they were so vastly different from each other!



Mmmmmm!!!!

Let me explain. (haha). I really wanted chocolate ice cream, Scott wanted a blizzard. I like Breyers, but didn't think it was on sale and I really only buy it when it is. So, I went to the store expecting to dish out a lot more and then found there was a great deal on Breyers!! Also, I could buy one Butterfinger candy bar for Scott's blizzard for $1 or a bag of mini's for $2 (with another coupon). The chocolate chips were not consumed last night, but alas, another coupon, so I grabbed them. Gotta have those on hand, right!?!

Here's the corn recipe referenced above (I actually only used about 7 ears of corn b/c Blake sat down next to me and ate almost a whole cob of raw corn). I didn't have the heart to take it away from him, but I did want it for my recipe!!

Fresh Corn Salad with Black Beans and Tomatoes

Dressing:
6 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded and minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tea cumin
1/2 tea salt
1/4 tea pepper

Salad:
8 ears fresh corn (do not substitute frozen or canned)
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 can (15.5 oz) black beans, rinsed
6 scallions, sliced thin (I just used thinly sliced onion ~ 1/4 cup)
2 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro
Salt & Pepper

1). For the dressing, shake or wisk ingredients til well combined.

2). Cook the corn in boiling water until tender, 5-7 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Cut kernels from each cob (then turn knife around and scrap cob with dull side to remove all the remaining juice and sweet pulp). Add the tomatoes, beans, scallions, cilantro, and dressing and toss. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

This salad can be prepared, covered, and refrigerated a day in advance. Before serving, bring to room temp and freshen with a squeeze of lime juice.

(I added a little extra lime juice and cilantro, b/c I love it). :)

Snow & Molasses cookies!

Although Blake has seen snow at a very young age, this is the first time he's been able to experience it. We had our first snow cover yesterday, and Scott being the big kid that he is, couldn't wait to get outside. So, we bundled up our little bundle of joy and headed to the great outdoors (ok, the backyard). Blake was interested at first, but soon found it to be a little much. BUT, we had time to build a snowman!

Looks like winter caught Mommy unprepared!! Used the good 'ole tried and true method of plastic bags over the shoes!

Cute little hand

Adorable face

All bundled up!

Ok, so the coat is a little big and the snowpants a little wide, but it will do!

Grrrr. I'm a bear...or, a more accurate statement--Help! I've fallen and I can't get up!

This is fun...I think :)

My two loves.

I can stand, but I can't move.

 

Tell me again what I'm doing out here in the cold?

Wow, my Daddy's so cool!

Got a nice broad figure with his winter gear, haha.



Having fun!

Helping Daddy

That's better--I prefer to be held :)

Why do people gain weight in the winter? Is it because of the holidays? Not entirely. For some reason, we've created this desire for "cozy winter nights curled up with a blanket, a fire and some hot chocolate." Doesn't that sentence just make you want to do exactly that??? Well, obviously it needs some modification, so change that to a "cozy winter night with some hot, home popped popcorn, Christmas lights, a candle and a good movie." Yes, I did exactly that last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. But of course, it needs yet another modification because after the popcorn is gone, I'm still feeling like I'm missing some gingerbread for the season, so I decide to make some delectable molasses cookies and eat too many to mention on this blog. :) I'm blaming this on Trader Joe's because they had a sample the other day of some gingerbread cake, which I have been unable to get out of my head since sampling the gingerbread.

If you like cookies with a punch and a recipe for the only cookie recipe that I've ever made that calls for PEPPER, then make these cookies. I love them! They have the perfect crusty outside, with a soft and chewy inside.

This recipe is taken from America's Test Kitchen (page 507 for those who own it).

Molasses Spice Cookies

1\2 cup plus 1/3 cup sugar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 Tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup light or dark molasses (I used blackstrap!)

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat to 375 degrees. Set aside 1/2 cup sugar for coating.

Beat butter, brown sugar, and 1/3 cup sugar til light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla for 30 seconds and add molasses until just incorporated.

Slowly add dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated.

Roll 2 Tablespoons of dough into balls and roll in sugar. Bake one sheet at a time and rotate halfway through cooking and bake until edges are set and the tops are cracked but the centers are still soft and underdone. Cook 10-12 minutes.

Enjoy!!

For some reason I struggle to make chocolate chip cookies turn out perfectly, but these seem to work for me...oh, and molasses is good for you, so bonus!!  http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?dbid=118&tname=foodspice

Comfort food

I was in the mood for comfort food last night and with limited options due to my poorly stocked cabinets, I decided for the first time to make a shepherd's pie. Well, we enjoyed it so much, I decided to share my recipe with you. It is based on the recipe from The Good Housekeeping Cook Book and revised by me :)

Shepherd's Pie

1 1/2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes*
1/2 cup milk
3 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Black pepper to taste
1 large onion
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 parsnip, peeled and chopped**
1 bunch swiss chard or spinach***
1 lb ground turkey or beef
2 Tbsp ketchup
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 cup white wine
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 cup frozen peas

Oven temp: 425 degrees

Boil potatoes until soft and add milk and 2 Tbsp butter and parmesan cheese, salt & pepper to taste. Meanwhile, brown meat and add veggies (except frozen peas) and cook until tender. Add ketchup and wine and cook til evaporated. Mix flour with some broth and add remaining ingredients--broth, thyme, pepper, peas until mixture is a stew type consistency, not runny.

Transfer meat mixture to a baking dish (something smaller than 9 x 13) and top with potatoes. Sprinkle lightly with parmesan. Bake about 20 minutes until slightly browned. May bubble over, so put a cookie sheet underneath.

* Obviously you can use any type of potato, but I find gold and red are more creamy than russet. I also recommend organic since potato crops have lots of pesticides.
Also, russet tend to be more genetically modified and "all colorful potatoes provide carotenoids (and some also provide flavonoids) that white potatoes do not. Carotenoids and flavonoids are pigments, and according to nutritional research, they provide us with many health benefits, including cancer protection."

**Why parsnips? Parsnips look like a white carrot and I think it really brings out a nice flavor in this dish. They have a pretty strong flavor, so I put just one in.

***Why swiss chard or spinach? Because it is so good for you and easy to hide in this recipe :) I have to do that a lot with my husband and him eating spinach, haha.

Oh, and since this blog is supposed to be about Blake, I will let you know that Blake loved this!! There were no complaints from him or food throwing :)

And lastly, no good blogger would give a recipe without a picture, so here is a picture of our cold leftovers, hahaha! :)

Homemade Turkey Sausage

My husband loves sausage, but I'm not thrilled about serving him store bought sausage for several reasons--1). We are trying not to eat much pork 2). There are nitrates in the sausage 3). It is very low quality, high fat meat and just not good for you at all. Thus, he never gets sausage at home :)

Well, I decided to try my hand at making my own sausage with ground turkey. After all, sausage is just made by adding spices, right? I must say, I was quite skeptical about the recipe I tried, but turns out, it was great! I was so surprised how much it tasted like normal breakfast sausage! I made only half of the recipe and used 1 lb of ground turkey instead. Also, I added about 1/2 teaspoon of fennel seed (chopped). Give this easy recipe a try if you like sausage but don't want to eat it for health reasons. Let me know if you like it!! I am going to form the remainder of my meat into patties and freeze it for another morning! Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons dried sage
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 pinch ground cloves
• 2 pounds ground pork

Directions

1. In a small, bowl, combine the sage, salt, ground black pepper, marjoram, brown sugar, crushed red pepper and cloves. Mix well.
2. Place the pork in a large bowl and add the mixed spices to it. Mix well with your hands and form into patties.
3. Saute the patties in a large skillet over medium high heat for 5 minutes per side, or until internal pork temperature reaches 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).