Grilled Romaine 🥬Hearts? Yes, please.

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There may come a time in your life when you are forbidden carbs – ANY carb – for a 36 hour period. Unlikely, yes, but that’s what made me recall having grilled romaine.

I’d never tried to make it but desperate times called for desperate measures. Kidding. It’s really delicious. Truly.

Grilled Romaine Lettuce

GRILLED, Healthy, Salads,

Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 10 mins Servings: Servings 3 to 4 servings Source: simplyrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS

3 to 4 romaine hearts

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (or cider vinegar)

2 teaspoons chopped fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme, oregano (or 1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs)

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Pinch freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Prep the romaine hearts:

Pull off any old leaves. Chop off the top 1 or 2 inches of the lettuce head, and shave off the browned part of the root end, leaving the root end intact so that the lettuce head stays together.

Prepare your grill:

Turn your gas grill to high or get your charcoal coal grill very hot.

Prepare the vinaigrette:

Put the oil, vinegar, herbs, salt and pepper in a small bowl and whisk with a fork to combine. Paint the lettuce hearts all over with the vinaigrette.

Grill the lettuce:

Grill the romaine hearts until lightly browned on all sides, turning every minute or two until done.

Serve immediately:

Serve immediately. You can either serve the hearts whole, or chop them and toss them for a salad.

NUTRITION

(per serving)
130 Calories 11g Fat 8g Carbs 3g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 3 to 4
Amount per serving
Calories 130
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 11g 14%
Saturated Fat 1g 7%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 98mg 4%
Total Carbohydrate 8g 3%
Dietary Fiber 5g 17%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 9mg 47%
Calcium 78mg 6%
Iron 2mg 13%
Potassium 572mg 12%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Grilled romaine

Sunshine ☀️ in a Jar

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SO 🍊JELLY

Sunshine ☀️ in a jar – this Orange 🍊 Jelly is super
easy as long as you have a thermometer that’ll read to 220🌡️.

I spent all weekend making Citrus Marmalade & Orange Jelly. The marmalade’s another post. THAT’S super labor intensive, but this Orange jelly more than made up for it.

Orange Jelly

Servings: 4 -5 pints

author: Adapted from marisa mcclellan’s recipe: foodinjars.com

INGREDIENTS

5 cups of freshly squeezed orange juice

5 cups sugar

2 packets of liquid pectin

DIRECTIONS

In a large, non-reactive pot, combine the sugar and orange juice and bring them to a boil. Cook at a boil until they’re greatly reduced.

Using an instant read thermometer, watch until the pot reaches 220 degrees (this is important! Skip this step and you’ll wind up with orange syrup, rather than jelly).

Add the liquid pectin and allow to reach boiling for an additional five minutes (the goal is to reach 220 degrees again and maintain it for at least three minutes).

Pour the jelly into sterilized and prepared jars.

Wipe rims, apply lids and screw on bands.

Process in a boiling water canner for 25 minutes.

that orange 🍊 color 😍

Quick Beef Pho

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Courtesy of Food Network .com

I’m totally down with this quick version of Beef Pho 🍲

Asian, Soups & Stews

Prep Time: 20 min Cook Time: 1 hr Difficulty: Easy Servings: 2 large or 4 small bowls Source: foodnetwork.com

INGREDIENTS

Pho Stock:

2 tablespoons (30 g) beef bouillon or base

1 tablespoon (15 g) Vietnamese fish sauce

1 tablespoon (15 g) white sugar

One (2″ [5-cm]) piece ginger, sliced into thin tiles

1/2 yellow onion, large dice

Pinch kosher salt

2 whole cloves

2 whole star anise

1 cinnamon stick

Assembly:

1/2 pound (240 g) thin rice stick noodles, rinsed

1/2 pound (240 g) beef strip loin or fillet, shaved thin

1 cup (240 g) Vietnamese basil leaves

1 cup (240 g) bean sprouts

1/2 cup (95 g) cilantro leaves

5 jalapeno or serrano chiles, sliced thin

4 scallions, sliced thin on the bias

1/2 yellow onion, sliced paper thin

1 lime, cut into wedges

Hoisin sauce, for the table

Chili sauce, such as Sriracha, for the table

DIRECTIONS

For the Pho Stock: Add the beef base and 1 quart water to a 2-quart (1.9-L) saucepan and bring to a low boil. Add the fish sauce, sugar, ginger, onion and salt to the stock and reduce the heat to a simmer. Wrap the cloves, star anise and cinnamon stick in a piece of cheesecloth and tie it into a satchel. Add the satchel to the broth and simmer for at least 30 minutes, but no more than 45 minutes.

Around the 30 minute mark, taste the broth to see that the spice flavors have been extracted, and adjust seasonings if necessary. Strain the aromatics and satchel from the broth, return to a sauce pot, and reserve for assembly.

For the assembly: Bring the broth back to a simmer. In a separate pot, bring water to a boil. Using a sieve or basket, quickly dip the noodles into the water until they are hot and al dente, 10 to 20 seconds. Drain the excess water from the noodles and distribute the noodles between 4 bowls.

Top each bowl with some sliced beef, basil, bean sprouts, cilantro, jalapeno, scallions and onion, or as each person wishes. Ladle in enough broth to cover the ingredients in the bowl. Garnish with a lime wedge. I like to serve pho with Sriracha and hoisin sauce.

NUTRITION

Fat: 22g
Calories: 875
Saturated Fat: 8g
Sodium: 1019mg
Fiber: 12g
Cholesterol: 93mg
Carbohydrate: 131g
Sugar: 19g
Serving Size: 1 of 2 servings
Protein: 40g

Strawberry 🍓 Bread

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Strawberry Bread

★★★★★

Breads, Fruit,

Cook Time: 50 minutesServings: Prep time 10 minutesSource: tastesoflizzyt.com

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE BREAD:

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup oil

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or almond extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder** (see notes)

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups diced strawberries

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

FOR THE GLAZE:

2 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons melted butter

1/3 cup finely diced strawberries

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or almond extract

1-2 tablespoons heavy cream or milk** (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, milk, oil, egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.

In a small bowl, toss together the strawberries and the 2 tablespoons of flour to coat the strawberries. Fold the floured strawberries gently into the batter.

Pour the bread batter into a greased 9″x5″ bread pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center of the bread should come out clean. Allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes, then remove the bread to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the glaze, combine the powdered sugar, melted butter, diced strawberries and extract in a small bowl. Mix until it is smooth.

Once the bread is cool, spread the glaze on top of the bread. Slice and serve.

NOTES

*I often add an extra teaspoon of vanilla or almond extract to the bread batter (along with the wet ingredients) for an extra boost of flavor. I do this especially if I’m not putting the glaze on top. The bread has the most flavor when you add the strawberry glaze!

*We have added up to 2 ½ cups of diced strawberries to the batter. The bread stays together the best when you use about 2 cups.

**We like the strawberry bread as written, but if you’d like a higher rise on the bread, reduce the baking powder to 1 teaspoon and add ½ teaspoon of baking soda. This will change the texture slightly, but some like it a little better.

**We didn’t need any milk or cream to make the glaze spreadable, but it may depend on the juiciness of your strawberries. The glaze will be very thick and look like it is not mixing up, but if you keep mixing, it should create a nice creamy pink glaze as shown below. If it doesn’t, add milk or heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time. The glaze will soften as it sits too since the sugar pulls out juices from the strawberries. Keep this in mind when adding milk and don’t add too much!

***Many people find that they can make half of a recipe of glaze and it is plenty. If you don’t like a lot of glaze, halve the ingredients.

****The calories shown are based on the bread being cut into 10 pieces (and all of the frosting used), with 1 serving being 1 slice of bread. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate.

NUTRITION

Calories: 394kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 92mg | Potassium: 181mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 40g | Vitamin A: 115IU | Vitamin C: 19.7mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 1.5mg

Luscious Lemon Cream Fruit Dip

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This dip has always been the hit of the party. Light and truly luscious, guests cannot get enough!

Luscious Lemon Cream Fruit Dip

★★★★★

Appetizer

Difficulty: Easy Source: Keyingredient.com

INGREDIENTS

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

⅓ cup REAL LEMON (brand name) concentrate

1 tablespoon cornstarch

½ cup water water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup whipping cream — whipped

–

DIRECTIONS

Beat lemon, 1/2 cup sugar and eggs. In saucepan, combine 1/2 cup sugar and cornstarch; stir in water. Cook and stir til thickened; remove from heat. Gradually beat in egg mixture.

Over low heat cook and stir until slightly thickened. Add vanilla. Cool. Fold in whipped cream.

Serve with fresh fruit. Refrigerate leftovers.

Buttermilk Peach Popsicles

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Buttermilker-Peach
Popsicles


Ingredients
3 ripe Dickey Farms peaches, peeled and
diced
3/4 cup whole buttermilk
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
Method

  1. Process buttermilk, honey, cream, salt, and 11/2
    cups of the peaches in a blender until
    completely smooth, about 1 minute.
  2. Finely chop remaining 1 cup of peaches; stir into
    buttermilk mixture. Divide peach mixture among
    plastic frozen pop molds, leaving some room at
    the top to allow for expansion. Cover with lids
    and insert wooden craft sticks.
  3. Freeze until pops are completely firm and sticks
    are set, approximately 6-8 hours. To remove the
    pops, run outside of molds under hot water for
    a few seconds and remove lids.
    Exjoy!

Buffet Chicken Cacciatore

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Lots of steps to this so you’ll need an afternoon, but OH so WORTH IT.

The chicken will be falling off the bone tender.


Buffet Chicken Cacciatore

About half way done …

Goes back into the oven until sauce comes to a boil. Remove from oven. Remove the chicken, stir and place back into pan. Cover with foil and bake another hour.

★★★★★

Italian, Poultry

Servings: 4-6 servings

INGREDIENTS

Olive Oil

2 large onions — chopped

1 clove garlic

1 frying chicken, cut up

salt and pepper

2 28 oz. cans Italian plum tomatoes

1 teaspoon salt

Âź teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon oregano

½ teaspoon basil

½ tablespoon thyme

⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon sugar

1 bay leaf

1 green pepper — cut into strips

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350

Cover bottom of roasting pan with olive oil. Add onions and garlic. Brown lightly. Salt & pepper chicken parts and lightly brown.

Break up tomatoes, add sugar, red pepper flakes. salt, pepper, oregano, basil, thyme, & bay leaf. Mix well. Add green pepper . Pour over chicken and let come to a boil.

Remove chicken pieces, stir sauce and pour over chicken. Cover with foil and bake one hour.

Remove foil, increase oven to 450 & bake until chicken is delicately brown. Baste with sauce, and serve with small pasta.

Making your own cream cheese is a GAME-CHANGER!

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I’m not sure why @chefsymon, the originator of this recipe, makes it outside on his grill BUT it made me want to try it.


Homemade Cream Cheese

Looks easy enough!

Prep Time: 15 min Cook Time: 20 hr 15 min Difficulty: EasyServings: Yield: 1 cup Source: foodnetwork.com

INGREDIENTS

1 quart (4 cups) cream or whole milk (or a mix of both)

One .05-ounce packet cream cheese starter

Kosher salt

DIRECTIONS

Set up your grill for low, even heat. If using a charcoal grill, distribute the coals evenly. If using a gas grill, heat both sides.

Slowly heat the milk/cream over low heat to 86 degrees F. Remove from the heat. Mix in the starter packet, mixing for no more than 15 seconds. Allow to sit at room temperature for at least 12 hours.

The next day: Ladle the solids into a cheesecloth-lined strainer set over a mixing bowl. Gather up the cheesecloth to cover the surface and refrigerate overnight, allowing the cheese to drain and firm up.

The next day, pick up the cheesecloth and pour the cream cheese into a mixing bowl. Season with salt and stir to combine. (If you’d like a firmer cheese, continue to press.)

Homemade Cream Cheese

French Onion Supper Soup

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This one’s from an old community cookbook. I’d made it years ago but had forgotten how good it was.

I’ve tried French Onion Soup recipes from Alton Brown, from the Barefoot Contessa and (gasp) the disgraced Frugal Gourmet, among many others. I wouldn’t have looked any further had I recalled making this version. Kick it up a notch by using bone broth if you’ve got it.

SO good. So EASY. So, what are ya waiting for, make it! 😎

Prior to adding the Parmesan…

French Onion Supper Soup

★★★★★

Soups & Stews, TRIED & TRUE

Difficulty: Easy Servings: 4

INGREDIENTS

3 large onions, thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup butter

4 cups beef or vegetable stock (I used beef bone broth)

1/4 teaspoon pepper

4 thick slices of French bread

4 ounces Gruyère cheese, sliced

grated Parmesan cheese

DESCRIPTION

A delicious QUICK and EASY full flavored onion soup

DIRECTIONS

In a covered saucepan cook onions and garlic in butter over low heat 20 minutes or until tender; stir occasionally. Add stock and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 15 minutes. Meanwhile, toast bread. Top each with sliced cheese; sprinkle with Parmesan. Broil 2 to 3 minutes or until cheese melts. Ladle soup into 4 bowls. Top with a toast slice and serve.

Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Nuggets

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Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Nuggets are spicy and easy! Great for game day eats, lunch or dinner over a big salad. 

Delicious 😋

Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Nuggets

Appetizer, Poultry

Prep Time: 5 mins Cook Time: 16 minsServings: Yield: 4 servings Source: skinnytaste.com

Buffalo Chicken Nuggets

INGREDIENTS

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast (2 breasts)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp chili powder, use ground cayenne to make it hotter

1/8 tsp black pepper

3/4 cup seasoned panko, or gluten-free crumbs

olive oil spray

3 tablespoons Frank’s Hot Sauce, or your favorite hot sauce

optional: celery stalks and carrot sticks, 1/2 cup blue cheese dressing, for serving

DIRECTIONS

Cut the chicken into small bite sized chunks. Season with garlic powder, paprika, chili powder and black pepper.

Place panko in a small bowl. Place the hot sauce in another small bowl.

Dip the chicken into the hot sauce a few at a time, then into the crumbs and place on the air fryer basket in a single layer, in batches if needed.

Spray the top generously with olive oil and air fry 8 minutes at 400, flipping halfway and spraying the other side when you flip.

Serve with celery and carrot sticks and blue cheese dressing, if desired.

NUTRITION

Calories: 180kcal, Carbohydrates: 9.5g, Protein: 27g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 0.5g, Cholesterol: 83mg, Sodium: 501.5mg, Fiber: 0.5g, Sugar: 1g