Gazpacho

Growing up, the best summer days consisted of long days at the pool, a slushie from the snack shack, a glass of Mom's sun tea and a cold bowl of gazpacho for dinner. 

We always knew when gazpacho day was coming as the gigantic glass jar would make an appearance and when Dad got home from work he'd start chopping vegetables.  We always had to wait a day or two for it to "cook" (or marinate) but the wait was always worth it.

The only difference between my gazpacho and my dad's is that mine tends to always be the same where as dad can not make the same recipe twice (which is ok as I've never been disappointed by what he made!) You can also serve this with grilled chicken or a steak to make it a more balanced/heartier meal. 

Gazpacho 

(serves 6)

(based off my Dad's... kinda)

1 bottle (46 oz) V8 juice

1/2 small red onion

1/2 English cucumber

10 baby carrots

1 large bell pepper

4 stalks celery

1 clove garlic 

1 T worcestershire sauce

1 T white vinegar 

1 tsp lemon juice

salt/pepper to taste

Optional balsamic vinegar and croutons 

In a large bowl (with cover) pour in the entire bottle of V8 and add seasonings.  Chop vegetables into small bite size pieces and mince garlic (you could also use pre-minced garlic, 1 tsp) and add to the bowl.  Stir to combine, cover and set in the fridge for at least 8hours.  

When you serve add a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and croutons. 

ENJOY!!!!

Kale Salad

As well all know, I like to eat and bake a lot of cookies.  I do cook a lot but I've yet to give someone a plate of cookies and hear "well, these taste good BUT I'd rather have some eggplant parm" 

The first time I tried kale, it was roasted and I wasn't impressed.  The second time, I held my reservations but wanted to be polite so I took a small helping.  And I'm glad I did!  

This salad is super easy, quick and more importantly delicious!  

Kale Salad

(original recipe shared by Julie and Kate) 

(serves 4)

1 bag pre-washed Kale (easily found at Trader Joe's)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 fresh lemon

1 avocado, chopped

1/4 raw red onion, chopped

(optional: chopped raw walnuts)

Directions

Wash kale and seperate the thicker stem pieces from the leaves.  Discard stems.

Put into large serving bowl. Massage olive oil into leaves kale, this is to taste but there shouldn't be any EVOO in the bottom of the bowl; a little oil goes a LONG way.  Add avocado and onion and mix together.  Squeeze lemon juice over salad 

 ENJOY!

(right now, Stella & Dot (/Julie) is offering a huge promotion with rewards cash good towards a July purchase.  Offer ends in June so HURRY and check it out :))

Roasted Chick Peas

Or... my accidental dinner. 

Seriously, I made these on a whim and while watching a movie, accidentally ate the entire pan!  

This recipe may be one of the easiest ones I have ever seen, made and posted.  I did take the extra time to peel all my chickpeas but it's a great small motor activity! 

ROASTED AND SEASONED CHICK PEAS

(makes 2 cups/ from How Sweet Eats)

1 can chick peas (drained/rinsed)

Olive Oil Spray

Seasoning (I eyeballed sweet paprika, pepper and garlic salt)

Directions

Preheat oven to 450. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Drain, rinse and shell chick peas. Dry thoroughly.  In a single layer arrange chick peas.  Spray with olive oil and sprinkle, evenly, with seasoning.

Bake 10 minutes, flip and bake an additional 10 minutes.

ENJOY!

Roasted Green Beans

Confession time, I do not like green beans.  

I'll eat a little bit if they're baked in mushroom soup and topped with fried onions.

But really, nope. Not a fan.

Enter these lovelies.

I first made these a few months back when I made a gourmet dinner for my brother and sister-in-law (they are fans of the "greenie- beanies") and I was shocked when I couldn't keep my hands off of them.

I have since made them three more times and every time I'm shocked by how good they are.

ROASTED GREEN BEANS

1 package "Haricots Verts" /french style green beans

Olive oil

Salt, Pepper and freshly crushed garlic

(other seasonings you prefer work too!)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400*.  Rinse green beans. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

Toss green beans in olive oil and seasonings and arrange on baking sheet in a single layer.

Bake for 20-30 minutes until crisp.

ENJOY!!!  

**(In my experience I've found 1 package from Trader Joe's feeds 3 people)**

***(You MUST use the thinner French style bean, the other types contain too much water and do not crisp/roast) ***

Rum and Coke Gummies

This is for the adults (21+) who are really kids at heart.

The classic gummy colas are one of the candies that screams childhood, summer vacation and instantly brings back memories of VH1 music videos and MTV shows with drunken bikini clad girls and (equally drunk) boys with spiked bleached hair (oh late 90's/early 2000's... I miss you sooooo)

Sorry, distracted.

These gummies are a great mashup of childhood slamming into adulthood and it couldn't be any easier

Rum and Coke Gummies

1 bag Haribo gummy cola

1 pint of rum

Directions 

In a large container, 9x 13 would be best, arrange gummies in a single layer.  Pour rum over gummies until completely submerged. (Depending on size of container, amount of gummies the amount of rum you need will vary)  

Let soak for 3-5 days and enjoy!

(**Gummies will swell as they soak up the rum**)

(I'd say these are perfect for Spring Break or a summer trip at the beach!)

(ALWAYS drink responsibly!)

ENJOY

Italian Bread Soup

When I first saw this soup recipe I was a little confused.

Bread? Soup? (And no it's not in a bread bowl!)

But I like tomatoes and I LOVE croutons so I figured I'd give it a go.

This soup smells delicious and tastes even better!

The bread absorbs most of the moisture and thickens up the soup.

This soup is light but filling on it's own or could be paired with chicken or salad for a heartier appetite.

Italian Bread Soup

(from Sandra Lee) 

(serves 4)

2 cans (14 ounces each) reduced sodium chicken broth

4 cans (14.5 ounce each) fire roasted diced tomatoes

3 cups Caesar-style croutons

1 cup frozen chopped onion

1 packet Italian salad dressing mix

Salt and pepper

Grated Parmesan cheese 

Directions
 In a 4 quart slow cooker, combine chicken broth, undrained tomatoes, croutons, onion, and salad dressing mix. Cook on High for 4 to 6 hours. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese. 

ENJOY!!!!

(Notes: while the soup was delicious and easily reheated, I do not recommend freezing it.  Can be made vegetarian by subbing vegetable broth)
(Also, I apologize for the lack of photos... camera incident :/)

CrockPot Italian Chicken

This is one of my favorite CrockPot recipes.

As I've said before I love the CrockPot for being able to set it before a long day and being able to come home after the long day to a hot and delicious meal. 

This recipe is perfect to tailor to your own taste.  Prefer green beans? Toss 'em in.  At the CrockPot party, everyone is welcome!

Crockpot Italian Chicken

(from Sandra Lee)

(Serves 6)

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/3 cup of Italian salad dressing

1 package of Knorr Vegetable Soup Mix

1 (8oz) package of fresh sliced mushrooms

1 (28oz) can of peeled whole tomatoes (drained)

1 (10.75oz) can of cream of chicken soup

1 (10oz) package of frozen artichokes 

Directions:

In the crockpot add the mushrooms, artichokes, peeled whole tomatoes, and vegetable soup mix. Combine the cream of chicken soup, and the italian salad dressing in a bowl and mix until well blended. Add the chicken to the crockpot and pour the soup and dressing sauce overtop of the chicken to coat it. 

Cook on LOW for 5 to 7 hours.  

ENJOY!!

(I had a few issues with my camera/upload/accidentally deleting all my pics... please forgive the lack of pictures!)

Moroccan Squash Soup

This is one of my favorite soups

Not only does it make the whole house smell warm and delicious but

 The flavors go nicely together 

and it's the perfect soup for crisp, cool, fall days.

The spices can be adjusted to create for a milder or more intense soup suitable for the whole family.

And you can easily make it vegetarian/vegan if you swap vegetable broth for the chicken broth. 

Moroccan Squash Soup

(serves 6-8)

2 lbs butternut squash (halved, seeded and roasted 

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 medium chopped onions

1 tsp black pepper

salt (to taste)

5 large chopped garlic cloves

1/2 tsp each ground cumin, coriander, ginger and all spice

1 1/2 tsp paprika

1 sweet/tart apple (honeycrisp works best!) cored and chopped

28 oz chicken broth

3 cups water

juice of one lemon

Directions

Roast squash, insides down, on a baking sheet at 400* for one hour.  Let cool.

While cooling,

In a 6qt pot heat extra virgin olive oil over medium heat, once warmed stir onion, pepper and salt until onions are browned.  Stir in garlic, spices, apple and sautée an addtional 30 seconds.  Remove from heat.

Scoop squash into pan. Add broth and water and simmer on medium high for 20minutes.

Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. 

(you can also pour, in small batches, in blender and blend until smooth)

Stir in lemon juice before serving.

ENJOY!