Arroz Verde (Green Rice)

1/2 cup tightly packed fresh cilantro sprigs (about 1/2 oz.)
1 cup tightly packed fresh stemmed spinach leaves (about 1-1/2 oz.)
1-1/4 cups homemade or low-salt chicken broth
1-1/4 cups milk
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 Tbs. olive oil
3 Tbs. unsalted butter
1-1/2 cups long-grain rice
1/4 cup finely minced onion
1 clove garlic, minced

Put the cilantro, spinach, and broth in a blender and blend until the vegetables are puréed. Add the milk and salt and blend a bit more until well combined.

In a medium (3-qt.) heavy-based saucepan (with a good lid) over medium heat, heat the olive oil and butter. When the butter is melted, add the rice and sauté, stirring about every 30 seconds, until it just begins to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the contents of the blender, stir well, turn the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Cover the pan, turn the heat to very low, and cook for 20 minutes. Stir the rice carefully to avoid crushing it, cover, and cook another 5 minutes.

Take the pan off the heat and let the rice steam in the covered pot for 10 minutes. Serve

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

We love zucchini bread.  I have a lot of shredded zucchini still in my freezer- so we decided to try a chocolate recipe.  This was so good!  I made some to take to my visiting teaching ladies and the only complaint from my family is that there wasn't enough for them.  It is moist and chocolatey- soooo good. 

Chocolate Zucchini Bread {makes 2 loaves}


Recipe by Our Best Bites
Ingredients
2 C flour
2 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t baking soda
6 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 C canola oil
1 C sugar
1/4 C brown sugar
3 eggs
2 t vanilla
1/2 C sour cream
3 C grated zucchini
3/4 C mini chocolate chips
optional: zest from one orange

Topping: (I have never actually made this topping cause I don't think it needs it.)
2 T brown sugar
2 T white sugar
1/2 t cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 2 loaf pans and set aside.  Mix together the topping and sprinkle on top- if desired.  Bake 50-60 minutes.

BBQ Chicken Marinade

After 16 years I need a new chicken marinade.  This was a keeper. :)
Ingredients

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1.Whisk together the brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and pepper until the sugar has dissolved.

Marinate up to 4 pounds of chicken.

Wasabi- Cucumber Ranch Dip

Wasabi-Cucumber Ranch Dip
1/2 cup Hiddert Valley Ranch bottled salad dressing
1/4 cup minced cucumber (peeled and seeded)
1 tablespoon whole milk
1 1/2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon powdered wasabi1/8 teaspoon salt
pinch ground cayenne pepper


Make the dip by combining all of the ingredients in a blender on high speed until smooth. Cover and chill. The dip will thicken as it chills. 

Spanakopita

The lovely spinach stuff Heather made at the reunion

1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 large onions chopped
2 (10 oz) packages frozen, chopped spinach thawed, drained and squeezed dry
2 T. chopped fresh dill
2 T. all purpose flour
2 (4 oz) packages feta cheese
4 eggs , lightly beaten (this was missing from the lovely dish due to lack of eggs)
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 (16 oz) packages phyllo dough
3/4 lb. butter melted


1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Slowly cook and stir onions until softened. Mix in spinach, dill and flour. Cook approximately 10 min, or until most of the moisure has been absored. Remove from heat. Mix in feta chesse, eggs, salt and pepper.

3. seperate one sheet of phyllo from the stack and evenly brush with a light coating of butter. place another sheet of phyllo over the butter and press the two sheets together. Cut the layered phyllo dough into long strips about 3 in. wide. Keep the remaining phyllo covered with plastic wrap (or wet cloth) to keep it form drying out.

4. Lay out one strip of phyllo at a time on your work surface with one of the narrow ends close to you. Place a heaping T of filling 1 inch from the end closest to you. Fold the bottom right corner over the filling to the left edge to form a triagnle. Fold like a flag. Repeat with remaining phyllo and filling.

5. Place filled triangles on baking sheet and brush with remaining butter. Bake for 45 min to an hour (until golden brown).

When Heather did it she just layed out sheet of dough, brushed with butter. Spread filling, layer more dough and butter and bake until golden brown. (less work, just as good) Cut into squares before baking.  Six layers bottom, filling, 3 layers, filling, remaing phyllo.

Greek Salad Dressing

1 c. olive oil
1/2 c. lemon juice
2 cloves garlic (or more :))
2 tsp. salt (or to taste)
2 tsp. oregano fresh (1 tsp. dried)
ground pepper to taste

finely mince garlic. Combine all ingredients in jar and shake well.

Thai Peanut Noodle Salad

I love summer salads!  I found this over at Our Best Bites and since I have a fetish for Thai- I had to give it a whirl.  We had the worst Thai ever in Pocatello and the best ever just outside Zions National Park.  This wasn't nearly as good as the one in Zions- but it was closer to that than any dish in Pokey.  We also squeezed some extra lime juice over the top.  It wasn't perfect- but it was very tastey and definitnely something that we will make again this summer. 

Thai Peanut Noodle Salad


8 oz Linguine Fini (or regular linguine)- boil and cool under cold water
4 C shredded greens: any combo of napa cabbage, romaine lettuce or even spinach
2 C thinly sliced purple cabbage
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 yellow pepper, thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, julienned
1/2 medium cucumber, halved and sliced
1/4 of a red onion, thinly sliced
3 C diced grilled chicken- omit if you want a vegetarian dish
honey roasted peanuts (about 1/2 cup)

Mix pasta, veggies and chicken- if desired.  Liberally apply salad dressing and garnish with peanuts and chopped cilantro.


Thai Peanut Salad Dressing


1/2 C peanut butter
1 lime, juiced and zested
2 1/2 t sesame oil
1 T seasoned rice wine vinegar
2 T soy sauce
3 T honey
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 T minced ginger
1/2 C roughly chopped cilantro (stems and all)
1/2 C vegetable oil
1/4 t kosher salt*
2-3 t sriracha chili sauce*
2-4 T water*

Mix everything together in a  blender.  Can be made ahead of time.  Keep in mind that this amount is for 8 ounces of pasta- so if you are making 16 ounces of pasta- you will want to double it.

Chicken Cordon Blue

In the summertime when my kids schedules are not as busy as usual- I assign each of the kids a night to make dinner.  Katry made Potato Moussaka, Seth made Pizza, Kaleb made Teriyaki Burgers with grilled pineapple and Brigham wanted to make Chicken Cordon Blue.  I have probably only  made this once or twice before but I found this recipe on Allrecipes.  It was so unbelievably good.  It just made our taste buds sing.  It was actually pretty easy too.  The longest part was pounding out the chicken and even that was quick.  I hear this dish has "blue" in the tittle because it is blue ribbon worthy.  I can't even compare it to the frozen stuff Dad  would get onNew Years because they really can't be put in the same category.  Give it a try- its soooo good. 
Ingredients


6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
6 slices Swiss cheese
6 slices ham
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon paprika
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions

1.Pound chicken breasts if they are too thick. Place a cheese and ham slice on each breast within 1/2 inch of the edges. Fold the edges of the chicken over the filling, and secure with toothpicks. Mix the flour and paprika in a small bowl, and coat the chicken pieces.

2.Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the chicken until browned on all sides. Add the wine and bouillon. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

3.Remove the toothpicks, and transfer the breasts to a warm platter. Blend the cornstarch with the cream in a small bowl, and whisk slowly into the skillet. Cook, stirring until thickened, and pour over the chicken. Serve warm.

Whole Wheat Dinner Muffins

I am always on the lookout for a good dinner roll substitute.  These were quick and easy with the  yummy nutty flavor of the whole wheat without being heavy.  My kids just gobbled them up and they asked for them later with some homemade strawberry jam.

*Note: I prefer to use white wheat flour but red wheat flour would work just as well, resulting in a slightly heartier, darker muffin.


*Makes 15-16 muffins- I don't know why- but this actually made 30 muffins for me.

2 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
4 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
6 tablespoons firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, separated
6 tablespoons butter, melted, or olive oil- I melted the better and left it in the micorwave for the first batch- they still turned out tastey.
2 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons sour cream or plain yogurt
3 tablespoons sesame seeds for sprinkling- I omitted this

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease 16 standard muffin cups; fill the unused cups one-third full with water to prevent warping during baking.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl or a large liquid measuring cup, whisk together the egg yolks, butter, buttermilk, and sour cream until blended. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture just until evenly moistened. Don’t overmix! The batter will be slightly lumpy.

In a clean bowl, using a mixer with spotlessly clean beaters on medium speed, beat the egg whites just until they form soft peaks. Using a large rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the batter until blended, again, taking care not to overmix because that will result in tough, dry muffins.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each cup nearly level with the rim of the cup. Sprinkle the muffins with the sesame seeds. Bake the muffins until they are golden, dry and springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 18-20 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the muffins cool for 5 minutes. Unmold the muffins and serve warm or at room temperature with butter and/or jam, if desired.

Recipe Source: slightly adapted from The Williams-Sonoma Cookbook- by MelsKitchen Cafe

Homemade Restraunt Style Salsa

I definitely love fresh salsa the best- but this is a great substitution- especially when tomatoes aren't looking too hot.

From BrownEyedBaker
Yield: About 6 cups (a.k.a. a ginormous batch)
Prep Time: 15 minutes
28-ounce can whole tomatoes (peeled) with juice
2 10-ounce cans Rotel (diced tomatoes with green chilies)
¼ cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 jalepeño, quartered and sliced thin
½ cup cilantro
Juice from ½ a fresh lime
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cumin

Add all ingredients to a food processor. Pulse until you get desired consistency (was about 10 pulses for me). Refrigerate for at least one hour, and then serve with your favorite tortilla chips.
*Note 1: This makes a large quantity so use at least an 11-cup food processor, or work in batches.
*Note 2: If you prefer a milder salsa, remove the seeds and membrane from the jalapeno before adding it to the food processor