Hawaii $20 Bill

I came across a rare bill through work this week, and thought I'd post the wikipedia article about the Hawaii $20 bill. The story is on facebook.

Hawaii $20 Bill Link

Creamy Pineapple Coleslaw

Creamy Pineapple Coleslaw is what I made with some of my cabbage this week. Aaron also made his Portuguese soup with some of the cabbage, but I still have a head of cabbage to use up. Anyone have ideas for using cabbage?

Red Bell Pepper Recipe

I found this recipe on foodnetwork.com when I was looking for an idea for what to do with my red bell peppers, since I'm the only one in my house who likes peppers.

Crudite with Roasted Garlic and Red Bell Pepper Dip

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2002

Prep Time:

30 min

Inactive Prep Time:

1 hr 15 min

Cook Time:

10 min

Level:

Intermediate

Serves:

about 2 cups dip

Ingredients

• 2 red bell peppers
• 1/4 cup Roasted Garlic, recipe follows
• 1/2 pound feta cheese, drained
• 1/4 cup, plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley leaves, garnish

Crudite:

• Zucchini batons
• Jicama sticks
• Mushrooms
• Baby carrots
• Sliced European cucumbers
• Blanched asparagus spears
• Sliced fennel

Directions

For the peppers: Roast the peppers by placing them on an open gas flame, turning them frequently with tongs until all sides are charred black, 7 to 10 minutes. Place in a plastic or paper bag, and cool for about 15 minutes. Peel the peppers, remove the seeds and stems, and discard. Coarsely chop the peppers.

Transfer the peppers and garlic to a food processor and process until smooth. Add the cheese and process until smooth. With the machine running, add 1/4 cup of the extra-virgin olive oil and lemon juice in a steady stream through the feed tube. Add the basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, and process until smooth. Adjust the seasoning, to taste. Transfer to a decorative bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour. Before serving, drizzle with the remaining 1 teaspoon of extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with the parsley. Serve cool or at room temperature, with assorted crudite for dipping.

Roasted Garlic:

2 heads garlic, upper quarter removed

2 teaspoons olive oil

Salt

Ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the garlic on a foil-lined baking sheet and rub 1 teaspoon of oil into the top of each head. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and place, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Bake until the cloves are soft and golden, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit until cool enough to handle. Squeeze each head of garlic to expel the cloves into a bowl. Mash into a paste. Set aside until needed.

Note: Each head of garlic makes approximately 2 tablespoons of roasted garlic.

Yield: 1/4 cup

Homemade Lemonade!

So we got our bountiful basket today and I made lemonade from scratch for the first time ever (I've always used the country time mixes). It's so yummy!

Recipe:

Make a simple syrup (1 cup water + 1 cup sugar) by combining the sugar and water and boiling until the sugar is dissolved (I did it in a microwave in a glass measuring cup to save time).

Squeeze 1 cup lemon juice (about 4-6 lemons)

Add 4 cups ice cold water to the above ingredients and stir, then serve.

I am planning on probably doing some sort of lemon chicken recipe later this week, using the 2 other lemons I have in my fridge.

Recipes

I've decided I am going to try and share what I've fixed during the week or will be fixing based on what I'm trying to use from my bountiful basket or leftovers in the fridge. I have leftover cream cheese in my fridge from making homemade quick bread cinnamon rolls from scratch, so I'm going to make crock pot cream cheese chicken.

I will be picking up my bountiful basket tomorrow (thank goodness, my fridge is depleted of all fresh produce).

I made zucchini bread and muffins this last week with my yellow squash (since I'm the only one who eats it in my house).

I made chocolate chip banana bread because I had very ripe bananas to use.

I also made delicious whole wheat bread thanks to Tara's awesome recipe she shared:

Tara's No-Fail Whole Wheat Bread is what I'd like to call it since I've failed every other recipe but this one.

The recipe is as follows:

Whole Wheat Bread (from Elaine Andelin)

Combine these four ingredients and mix well:
6 cups warm water (if you are using wheat that hasn't been freshly ground, you want to be sure the water is warm to hot)
2/3 cup honey
2 tbsp yeast
8 -9 cups whole wheat flour

Add:
1/4 c. applesauce
1 egg
2 tbsp gluten (optional, very fine powder; $1.85/lb. at Good Earth)
1 tbsp vinegar (optional)
1/4 c. oil
2 tbsp. salt

Mix well, then add additional flour until dough pulls away from the sides and begins cleaning off the sides (approximately 9 to 10 cups). Be careful not to add too much flour. Let machine knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes. Roll out on oiled surface* and put into four greased loaf pans. Fill the pans half full so they have room to rise. Smash the dough in with your fingers and then flip it to the other side. Push sides down and tuck in ends to make look pretty. Cover loaves. Let rise until double (approximately 30 minutes). Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place bread in oven carefully with space between the loaves. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden. Remove and enjoy!


....... This recipe makes four loaves. When I made it I halved the recipe - it made one regular loaf and the three mini loaves.

*She recommended an oiled surface instead of a floured surface, because if you add more flour it can dry out the bread.


****I found that if I halve the recipe I can make two 9x5x3 loaves.

CrockPot Cream Cheese Chicken Recipe

CrockPot Cream Cheese Chicken Recipe

The recipe I've linked above is the reason why I got the idea to make my own cream of mushroom soup. I've tried Cami's delicious crock pot cream cheese chicken recipe and have been craving it since. So... I am going to make some for dinner next week.

P.S. Cami: if the recipe I linked above is totally different than your recipe, please share it so we can all enjoy :o) Thanks!

Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup CrockPot Recipe

Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup CrockPot Recipe

I am not a huge fan of mushrooms, but I've decided I may very well make the recipe from the link above the next time I get a package of mushrooms in my bountiful basket rather than donating the mushrooms. This recipe sounded very yummy.