Cherry pineapple smoothie

It's smoothie season, right?! Well alright, it's nearly smoothie season. More snow is heading our way, so we aren't out of the woods yet here in Minnesota. That hasn't stopped me from making a ton of smoothies for my boys and myself. This cherry-pineapple version is my favorite concoction so far. It is packed with vitamins and nutrients, and you would never know it. Even my picky-eating boys slurp it down!

Tomorrow we are heading to Children's for my son's ear surgery. We would GREATLY appreciate prayers for him! We are all very eager to be on the other side of this.

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Chocolate cherry crock pot cake

My boys and I are home from August 2012 Vacation #2. We are settling back into a routine just before school begins. Elijah will start Kindergarten this fall! I cannot think about that without shedding a few tears. The doctors warned us about potential "bad things" before he was born. They said he might not live to see daylight, and if he did that he may not see much of it. Five and a half years later, he is GOING TO KINDERGARTEN! I am a proud mama.

While I was out buying school supplies and shoes and shirts for my oldest boy today, this cake was cooking on my counter top. Two of the Paulas that I know are responsible for this delicious thing. Thank you, Paula, for the inspiration for this recipe, and thank you, Paula, for having a birthday this week! I love you both to pieces! 

Generously spray the inside of a crock pot with cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, combine:

18.25-oz. package chocolate cake mix

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup water

4 eggs

Using a hand-held mixer, mix until just combined.

Add:

5.9-oz. package instant chocolate pudding mix

11.5-oz. bag milk chocolate chips

Gently combine the ingredients using a spoon.

Pour the mixture into the prepared crock pot.

Sprinkle 1 cup of chopped, pitted Bing cherries over the top.

Cook on high for 4 hours.

Scoop out with a large spoon and serve warm with ice cream and Bing cherries.

Have a delicious, er, great week!

Printable recipe: Chocolate cherry crock pot cake

Homemade cherry garcia ice cream

I had a fabulous birthday. My boys were kind and thoughtful and generous to me, as they always are. I was impressed that Elijah remembered that it was my birthday the first thing in the morning, with no prompting. "Mom! Today is Monday! IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!" Awww. Once my fun day was done, I was left with the realization that I am one year older. Elijah keeps asking me, "Mom, you are 37 now?" Yes, sweetie, thanks for that constant reminder.

Dan and I usually don't make cakes for each other on our birthdays. Maybe that will change as the boys get older, but I am fine with it. I was especially fine with it this year since I had a freezer full of Homemade Cherry Garcia Ice Cream to eat! This was my first time using my brand spankin' new ice cream maker, and I could not have begun my ice-cream-making hobby on a more delicious note.

I had a bag full of Bing cherries in the fridge, so it made perfect sense to try to copy one of my most favorite ice cream flavors of all time. I found the copycat recipe at Playing House, and immediately started churning. This tastes just like Ben & Jerry's version, and I'm not kidding. The only downside is that there are uncooked eggs in it, so substitute with egg beaters if this is a concern for you.

Start out by chopping a heaping 1/4 cup of fresh Bing cherries off of their pits. Place in a small bowl and refrigerate.

Place a heaping 1/4 cup of shaved dark chocolate in a separate small bowl, and refrigerate this, as well.

Add 2 large eggs to a medium mixing bowl.

Whisk for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the eggs are light and fluffy.

Gradually add in 3/4 cup sugar. Whisk until blended and for 1 additional minute after that.

Add 2 cups of heavy whipping cream.

Add 1 cup of whole milk.

Whisk to blend.

Place the bowl in the refrigerator until you are ready to make the ice cream.

When ready, add the mixture to an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer's directions for churning. My approximate churning time for this recipe was 25 minutes.

Two minutes before the ice cream is finished churning, add the chocolate shavings and the chopped cherries.

Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place it in the freezer for a minimum of 2 hours.

Serve it to an unsuspecting ice cream lover, and I promise they will not believe that neither Ben nor Jerry were involved.

Printable recipe: Homemade cherry garcia ice cream

Cherry gazpacho with basil

This is Week #30 of my 2011 cooking challenge! Click on the above graphic to view all P&TC recipes. All recipes created for this challenge come from the Food and Wine Annual Cookbook 2010: An Entire Year of Recipes.

Bing cherries are the first things I see upon entering the grocery store. I almost always put a bag in my cart. Usually I end up snacking on them throughout the week and ultimately eating the entire bag by myself. My four-year-old tells me, "Mommy, you're going to turn into a cherry! And Sammy is going to turn into a blueberry!" It's true, I can see both things happening. Sam adores his blueberries and I adore my cherries. I rarely think to cook with cherries because then I would need to buy two bags every week! One to snack on and one to cook with. This week, though, I desperately wanted to try this cherry gazpacho. And I'm glad I did. Upon taking my first bite of this summery soup, the following words popped into my head: FRESH, cherries, cucumbers, FRESH, summer, basil, YUM.

You will need two slices of 1-inch-thick Pullman bread. Drizzle 1 slice of the bread with olive oil on both sides.

In a medium skillet, fry the bread over moderate heat, turning once or twice, until golden, about 4 minutes.

Rub the fried bread slice with 1 whole garlic clove. Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes and transfer to a medium bowl.

Add to the bowl:

1 garlic clove, thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped

1 yellow bell pepper, coarsely chopped

1 seedless cucumber, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 pound bing cherries, pitted (reserve 12 cherries for later)

3 ounces tomato juice

1 1/2 ounces red wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Let this mixture stand at room temperature for about 2 hours.

Meanwhile, remove the crust from the remaining bread slice. Cut the bread into 1/2-inch cubes and toss with 1/4 cup of olive oil.

Add the bread cubes to a skillet along with:

1 thyme sprig

1 whole garlic clove

Cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until the croutons are browned and crisp, about 4 minutes. Transfer the croutons to paper towels to drain. Discard the garlic clove and thyme sprig and season the croutons with salt.

Working in batches, puree the cherry and bell pepper mixture in a blender until completely smooth. Strain the gazpacho through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Season the soup with salt, pepper and Tabasco.

Ladle the cherry gazpacho into shallow bowls. Garnish with:

Reserved cherries, diced

Croutons

Torn basil leaves

Serve right away!

Click here for a printable recipe!

Pork chops with rhubarb-cherry sauce

This recipe has nothing to do with the fact that today is my birthday. It just happens to be the next recipe in line, so to speak. I suppose I could have made something up, like, I eat rhubarb and pork on my birthday every year. Hmm, that would be an unusual tradition. Actually, in case you are wondering, every year on my birthday my husband takes me out for a nice dinner. This year he has to work, so we are postponing it a few days. For the past few years, I have chosen Osaka as my birthday dinner spot, and I think I will choose it again this year. Mmm, can't wait for lobster, scallops, steak and fried rice! 

I cannot think of an appropriate transition from lobster back to rhubarb and pork, so I am declaring an abrupt change of subject!

I do have to say that this was a delightful little meal. I prepared it relatively quickly and I thoroughly enjoyed every bite.

In a small bowl, combine:

1/2 cup dried cherries (as I was making it, I thought how fabulous it would be to replace these with chopped bing cherries)

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup hot water

Let stand for 10 minutes to soften the cherries.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil over medium-low heat.

Add 1/2 cup finely chopped onion and cook until softened, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.

Add to the saucepan:

Cherry mixture

8-10 ounces rhubarb, ends trimmed, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces (2 cups)

3 tablespoons sugar

Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the rhubarb has softened, 5 to 8 minutes.

Stir in a pinch of ground nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

Generously season both sides of 4 pork loin chops (each 1/2-inch thick and 6-8 ounces) with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook the pork (in 2 batches) until browned and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side.

Serve topped with the warm sauce.

There is a quick little recipe for the snap peas you see in the photos that I will share. Perhaps tomorrow or the next day.

Till then! I must get on with turning 36 years old!

Click here for a printable recipe!