Zucchini fries and seasoned sour cream

Have you guys listened to the song Up With the Birds by Coldplay? I am a bit of a CP fanatic. Dan rolls his eyes at me any time I mention Coldplay. This song, though, it is really great. On my sad days, it uplifts me. On my happy days, it makes my smile a little bit bigger. I am listening to it now as Dan gives Sammy his first-ever shower (fairly certain it isn't going so well) and as I listen to the combine harvest corn a few feet from our dropzone trailer.

Elijah is spending the night with his auntie tonight, so Dan and I have had special time with our sweet Sammy. It has been fun! Elijah's medical needs combined with his flair for the dramatic sometimes causes us to focus on him. This time with our sweet Sammy is special to all of us.

The boys are back from their shower. It didn't go well, as suspected. Once Sammy is in bed Dan and I will prepare tonight's dinner, a frozen pizza. Don't judge! We're in a trailer! I'm wishing I had saved some of these zucchini fries that I made the other night.

First, prepare the zucchini fries. You can make the seasoned sour cream while the fries are baking. Or you can be healthy and use ketchup.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Coat a nonstick baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine:

1/2 cup skim milk

1 large egg

Whisk until combined.

In another small bowl, combine:

1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Mix well.

Cut 2 large zucchinis into 3-inch by 1/2-inch strips.

Coat the zucchini strips with the milk-egg mixture, followed by the breadcrumb-cheese mixture.

Place onto the prepared baking sheet.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until crispy and golden brown. Serve with...

Seasoned sour cream!

In a medium bowl, combine:

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup sour cream

Stir until smooth.

Add:

Juice from 1/2 of a lemon

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Mix well. Refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour before serving.

Serve with aforementioned zucchini fries. Or another vegetable. Or crackers. 

..good things are coming our way... Yes, I'm still listening to CP. Enjoy the recipe and have a great day, friends!

Printable recipe: Zucchini fries

Printable recipe: Seasoned sour cream

Fresh lemony pasta salad

The little boys are at daycare for the day, Dan is working hard in the sky and I have the entire day to get things accomplished. Chris Martin is serenading me as I edit photos and write up recipes and take pictures of ice cream. I can't wait to share my very first ice cream recipe with you! That will have to wait till early next week, though. I have a "few" things above that on my to-do list. 

Monday is my birthday. Having a birthday on a Monday would normally be a bummer, but not this year. Dan has Mondays off, and with my schedule being flexible, it is music to my ears! Dan has a fun day planned for us, and I am very much looking forward to spending time with him. Elijah keeps loudly whispering that he has a secret he needs to tell me about. Then he mouths something that he desperately wants me to hear but that I can't actually hear. Secrets are hard to keep!

As a very kind birthday gift, a friend of mine has offered to drive out to the dropzone and watch the boys tomorrow while I make a few skydives! That will make two weekends in a row! 

It's gonna be paraaa-paraaa-paradise! Paraaa-paraaa-paradise! Paraaa-paraaa-paradise! Whoa-ohh-ohh-oh-ohh-ohhh-ohh-ohh..

Sorry, Chris was distracting me. :)

What was I talking about?! Uhhm, how about the weather? It has continued to be hot, which I still refuse to complain about. The heat makes me want to be in or near water constantly and also eat nothing but salads. I LOVE this delicious little salad I threw together last week. The only downfall was that the avocados didn't last long, so I had to eat it quickly. Darn.

Start by grilling a few ears of corn. Coat them with butter, salt and pepper and wrap them up in foil.

Grill over medium heat for about 20 minutes. Rotate them every 5 minutes or so.

Once they have cooled, cut the corn off the cobs with a sharp knife. This always makes me think of my dad because it is the only way he has ever eaten corn on the cob. 

In a large bowl, combine:

2 ears of corn, grilled and cut from cobs

8-oz. package fresh mozzarella pearls

10.5-oz. package cherry tomatoes, halved

2 avocados, peeled, pitted and chopped

16-oz. package farfalle pasta, cooked to al dente

3 tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped

Carefully mix the ingredients together with a large spoon. Do your best not to smoosh the fragile avocados and pasta.

In a small bowl, combine:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/8 cup white wine vinegar

Juice from 1 lemon (I loved how lemony the end product tasted, but if you don't like super lemony foods just use juice from 1/2 of a lemon instead)

Salt and pepper, to taste 

Whisk the dressing and pour it over the pasta salad.

Mix well (and carefully).

Refrigerate for a bit to chill, and serve!

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

Printable recipe: Fresh lemony pasta salad

Creamy feta vinaigrette

This is Week #33 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.

I'm not gonna lie. This week has been a tough one and it has left my head spinning. So tough that even food blogging is a challenge for me, which is saying a lot because cooking and blogging about food happens to be one of my favorite things in the world. So I was pleased to see an easy recipe on my challenge list for this week. Easy and delicious...even better! Once I made it, I kind of fell in love. I want to put this dressing on everything! And now I'm encouraged to make more of my own salad dressings. Who needs Paul Newman?! 

In a food processor, add:

3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (3/4 cup)

2 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon water

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Pulse until smooth and season with kosher salt and pepper.

Drizzle over a salad or grilled veggies. I can imagine this to be delicious drizzled over just about anything. It is one tasty, creamy little dressing.

Click here for a printable recipe!

Grilled scallops with quinoa and fresh veggies

My second son is almost a year old, which seems absolutely insane. I remember those first seven weeks of his life when it literally felt like time was standing still. He refused to sleep during the day during that span of time, so I found myself walking a million laps a day around our home with him in my arms while also trying to care for a crazy 3-year-old. It was a stressful time, and I vividly recall thinking that time would never march on from that point. I felt like I would be walking laps to the soundtrack of wailing (toddler and newborn) forever.

And now it is almost a year later and it's hard to believe it's almost a year later! Time is so strange in that way, isn't it? You wish something away and then it goes by way too quickly.

One thing that hasn't gone too quickly, though, is the last 5 to 7 pounds of baby weight I've been carrying for the past nine months. I realize that 5 to 7 pounds is not a huge deal, but when you are stubborn and refuse to buy new clothes it kind of matters. So. As we near the one-year mark of the birth of our beautiful second son, I am buckling down. I am making even more of an effort than usual to prepare healthy meals and avoid unhealthy foods.

I came up with this creation on the fly the other night. It was another beautiful evening, so I stationed my husband at the grill with the seafood while I put the rest of the meal together in the kitchen. We both loved it.

Start by soaking 8-10 sea scallops in a few tablespoons of butter for about 20 minutes.

While the scallops are soaking, prepare 1 cup of quinoa according to package directions.

In a medium bowl, combine:

1 large tomato, diced

1 green or red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 large cucumber, peeled and diced

1 cup corn kernels

2 cloves garlic, very finely minced

Juice from 1 lime

2 tablespoons olive oil

Red pepper flakes, to taste

Salt and pepper, to taste

While the quinoa is finishing up, sprinkle salt and pepper onto the buttery scallops and cook them on a grill over medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side.

Serve all of the deliciousness together. Throw a pat of butter over the quinoa if you're feeling crazy. Or not. I didn't think it needed it.

After a (fairly) good week and some delicious healthy eating (oh, and sickness, too), I now only have 3-4 pounds to go!

Click here for a printable recipe!

Minestrone with black-eyed peas and kidney beans

This is Week #13 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 & Wine Annual Cookbook 2010.

We have settled into a Sunday routine at our house that I love. Church or family-time, depending on the week, followed by lunch and a family nap. After that, I retreat to the kitchen to prepare something for dinner while my boys play or lounge or watch golf or read or play on the computer or the Wii. Sometimes I turn on music while I cook. Other times I tune into the sounds coming from the living room as I thinly slice the white parts of a leek.

This was the scene at one end of the kitchen this past Sunday afternoon.

And this beautiful face was at the other end.

And this was the scene in the living room.

This Sunday routine that I love so much will sadly be ending soon. Starting in mid-April, my husband will be working his cute little butt off on the weekends doing this (photo courtesy Luke Evens) until the end of October.

While I take on the scene at home. You know, ignoring the laundry and dirty toilets while caring for my boys and cooking.

The important and yummy stuff! At least I've got my priorities straight.

One of my last carefree Sunday cookfests for a while involved lots of vegetables. I had never made Minestrone before, and I was most definitely pleased with the outcome of my first attempt at it. The top keywords that come to mind when describing it are: fresh, healthy, satisfying, delicious!

Start out by heating 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large soup pot.

Add:

2 oz. pancetta, finely diced

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 celery ribs, thinly sliced

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 leek, white and tender green parts thinly sliced (reserve the dark green top for later)

Salt & pepper

Cook over moderate heat until the vegetables are softened, 10 minutes.

Sometimes I am struck by how artistic food can be. Perhaps that is why I'm so fond of food blogging and food photography.

Add 1/2 pound coarsely shredded Savoy or other green cabbage and cook until slightly wilted, 1 minute.

Add a 14.5-oz can of diced tomatoes and cook for 5 more minutes.

Add:

1 cup dried black-eyed peas

2 quarts water

Bring to a boil.

Grab the reserved top portion of the leek and stuff the following inside its outer leaves:

3 parsley sprigs

1 bay leaf

3 thyme sprigs

Secure the leek with kitchen twine and add to the pot.

Cover and simmer over low heat until the black-eyed peas are tender, about 45 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, cook 2 oz. penne pasta in boiling water until al dente. Drain and cool under running water and then slice the penne crosswise into 1/4-inch rings.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive in a skillet over moderately high heat. Add the penne to the skillet in a single layer.

Cook, turning once, until golden, about 5 minutes. Drain the penne rings on paper towels.

Once the soup is done simmering, discard the herbs and stir in:

One 15-oz. can red kidney beans, drained

Penne rings

1/2 cup shredded basil

Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

And to think that once upon a time, I, too, spent my weekends jumping out of airplanes. Ahh, those were the days.

Click here for a printable recipe!