Apricots!

I just picked my apricot tree - aren't these beautiful? My Blenheim tree is loaded with hundreds of big, perfect apricots this year. They are so sweet and actually juicy! They are nothing like the apricots found in stores, which are utterly flavorless.

Thanking God for this beautiful bounty! I love that He is displaying His splendor right in my own yard.

WDW - Meatloaf Sandwiches

Not just one photo, but two - there you go Guties. (Andrew was disappointed that I didn't show a picture of the Key lime bars last week.)

Though it's summer, our family was in the mood for meatloaf this week. Meatloaf is normally a cold-weather comfort food, and can be on the heavy side. My meatloaf recipe is a great all-year-round recipe because it is actually quite light. It's super-moist and chock full of veggies and sourdough bread crumbs, made with a mixture of pork and beef.

When I make meatloaf, I generally serve it the traditional way with chunky mashed potatoes and peas. Have you ever mixed your peas and mashed potatoes? Yum. But what my family likes most about meatloaf is having it in a grilled sandwich.

And since this recipe makes a lot, I always plan meatloaf sandwiches with the leftovers. I take some good sliced sourdough bread, spread it with soft butter and press parmesan cheese (the stuff in the green can works perfect) onto the butter. I put the bread butter side down on a medium hot skillet or griddle. Then, I put some warm meatloaf on next (not too thick of a slice). Finally, I top the meatloaf with caramelized onions and some good cheese slices- either some sharp cheddar or pepper Jack for a little spice. Top with another parmesan encrusted slice of sourdough and cook on both sides until golden brown and you start to see cheese oozing out the sides. Now, grab some honey mustard or good dijon for dipping. This is one awesome sandwich. There is so much going on in each bite, but yet it's like a harmonious symphony working together beautifully- parmesan/sourdough crust, melted cheese, flavorful meatloaf- and the caramelized onions are a must. You just keep saying "mmm" as you eat it!

Here's the meatloaf recipe which I got from my good friend Dee Dee many years ago. I had tried many meatloaf recipes before, but they were always so dry and heavy and just seemed like a loaf of hamburger meat. When I tasted Dee Dee's I thought it was amazing. I use my mini chopper to chop all the ingredients, and toss them into my KitchenAid as I go. Don't overmix - just whirl the mixer until the ingredients are just combined. Enjoy!

Dee Dee's Meatloaf

10 slices sourdough bread (each slice should be equivalent to a regular slice of sandwich bread)
5 ribs celery
6 carrots
2 small brown onions
3 cloves garlic
2 ½ lbs. ground beef
2 lbs. ground pork

1 cup barbecue sauce
1 ½ cups ketchup
4 eggs
A few good dashes of Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Finely chop in food processor: bread, celery, carrots, onion, and garlic.

In a stand mixer, combine the chopped items along with the remaining ingredients. Mix on low speed just until combined. Divide mixture evenly between three 9 x 5 loaf pans. Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until done. Let cool in pan 15 minutes before slicing.

Note: this freezes well uncooked. In order not to tie up your loaf pans, line them with foil, press the meatloaf in, then pop out the loaf. Wrap entirely in foil and freeze. To cook, place the shaped loaf, without the foil, inside the loaf pan.

Note: I usually halve the recipe, using 1 lb. each of beef and pork, and bake it in two loaf pans.

WDW- Key Lime Bars

OK, this is the last week of sweet treats, I promise. I tried to move along, but I just had to share this one last bar cookie recipe with you.

Because, these Key Lime bars are some seriously tasty little numbers. I promise you, they will really make you say WOW. They really are sensational. If you like lemon bars, you will FLIP over these. They are like lemon bars with ooomph - creamier and the lime flavor is out of this world.

Key limes are little gems. They are smaller and less green than regular limes. They are called Key limes because, well, they were mainly grown in the Florida Keys and made famous by their use in Florida Key Lime pie. They are now actually grown in Mexico and California. They are much more aromatic and tart than regular limes. I found my Key limes at Vallarta market (I think it was $2 for a big bag), but you could substitute regular limes if you are not fortunate enough to obtain Key limes.

This recipe calls for sweetened condensed milk. When I went to make them, I realized the recipe only made an 8 x 8 pan, but the note said you can double it and make it in a 9 x 13 pan. I decided to double the recipe but then realized that I didn't have a second can of Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk. I went online and found a recipe to make your own from scratch, and I may never buy the Eagle Brand again. It was so easy, more economical, and I'm sure, much better for you than the canned stuff. The recipe follows the cookie recipe.

Sorry, no picture. And I'm not going to type much more, as I am feeling some Carpal Tunnel in my right hand (too much typing lately). Just make these soon, OK?

Key Lime Bars

Crust
5 ounces animal crackers
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
Pinch salt
4 Tbsp. melted butter

Filling
2 ounces cream cheese, room temp.
1 Tbsp. grated lime rind
Pinch salt
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
½ cup fresh lime juice (about 20 key limes or 4 regular limes)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Line an 8” square baking pan with two pieces of foil. Spray liberally with Pam spray.

For the crust:
Pulse the animal crackers in a food processor until evenly fine. Add brown sugar and salt, process to combine. Drizzle the butter over the crumbs and pulse until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Press the crumbs evenly and firmly in the bottom of prepared pan. Bake 18-20 minutes, or until deep golden brown.

For the filling:
In stand mixer, beat cream cheese, zest and salt until creamy. Add sweetened condensed milk and beat until well incorporated. Beat in egg yolk. Add lime juice and beat until incorporated.

Pour filling over baked crust and spread evenly.. Bake until set and the edges begin to pull away from the sides, about 15-20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack about 1 – 1 ½ hours. Carefully cut into bars and keep refrigerated.

Note: May double recipe and bake in a 9 x 13 pan.

Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 c. instant non-fat powdered milk
1/2 c. boiling water
2/3 c. sugar
3 tbsp. butter

Place all ingredients in blender container. Process at high speed until smooth. Use in any recipe calling for the commercially sold sweetened condensed milk. This recipe makes the equivalent of one can of Eagle Brand.

WDW - Raspberry-Oat Bars

I needed to make some finger desserts for our homeschool group's promotion, and just wanted to try something new. I found this delicious recipe in my new cookbook, More Best Recipes (from the editors of Cook's Illustrated - my fave cooking magazine). I love making bar cookies, as they are so easy to make and they bake all in one batch. You can cut them into pretty little squares (or big squares) or even nice triangles. They are the perfect little desserts to serve at tea. I love raspberry anything, so these sounded great. I used frozen raspberries (I picked them out of my 3-berry frozen blend!), and the result was great.

Here's a great tip for whenever you are making bar cookies. Line the baking pan with foil. I get two pieces, and lay them perpendicular in the pan. That way the whole bottom of the pan is covered. I press down to make sure the foil is not loose anywhere. Then, I spray liberally with Pam spray. When the cookies are cooled after baking, you simply lift the foil up and out, and onto a cutting board. The foil serves two purposes: it provides for easy to cut bars, and NO clean up with the pan! I like that second one a lot.

Raspberry-Oat Bars

2 ½ cups flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
½ tsp. salt
16 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons butter, cut into ½ inch pieces and softened
½ cup old-fashioned oats
½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
¼ cup packed brown sugar
¾ cup raspberry preserves (Smucker’s Red Raspberry is best)
¾ cup fresh or frozen raspberries (thawed)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 pan with two pieces of foil (perpendicular to each other – foil should extend past the pan on all sides). Spray with non-stick spray.

In a standing mixer, mix flour, granulated sugar, and salt at low speed until combined. With the machine on low, add 16 tablespoons of the butter, one piece at a time, until mixture resembles damp sand. Measure 1 ¼ cups of the flour mixture into a medium bowl and set aside. Press the remaining mixture into an even layer to form the bottom crust in prepared pan. Bake until the edges begin to brown, about 14-18 minutes.

While the crust is baking, add the oats, nuts, and brown sugar to the reserved flour mixture; toss to combine. Work in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter until well incorporated (hands work best). Set aside.

Combine the preserves, raspberries, and lemon juice in a small bowl; mash with a fork until combined but some berry pieces remain. Spread the raspberry filling evenly over hot crust; sprinkle streusel topping over the filling (do not press down). Return the pan to the oven and bake until the topping is deep golden brown and bubbly, 22-25 minutes. Cool to room temperature, 1-2 hours. Lift the bars out of the pan, using the foil. Cut the bars into 24 squares and serve.

dimanche matin avec Riche - Rockin' French Toast!

So, most of you know by now that I tend to be a little health conscious. OK, maybe a lot health conscious.

For a moment though, I just want you to forget everything I've ever said about organic vegetables and brown rice.

Because sometimes, you really just need white bread, sugar, butter, and cinnamon in your life.

Rich made this for us last Sunday. We were sitting outside reading on Saturday afternoon, and I was going through my recent Bon Appetit magazine. I saw this recipe, promptly tore it out, handed it to Rich, and declared, "I want this for breakfast tomorrow!"

So, nice husband that he is, he made it the next morning. I pulled a half -loaf of Challah bread that my sister had made out of the freezer and he got to work.

And it was pretty much the most rockin' French Toast I've ever tasted. It was like a fresh, hot, soft, buttery cinnamon roll.

I'm pretty sure it had something to do with the fact that it was white bread, sugar, butter and cinnamon.

Ahem.

Anyways, if you want to temporarily abandon those good habits and rock your family's world, make this sometime. If you aren't fortunate enough to have a homemade Challah (Jewish egg bread), you can pick one up at TJ's or WF. A regular soft French loaf would work well too, but the egg bread makes it really special.

Caramelized French Toast
Bon Appetit

Serves 4

7 Tbsp. butter, softened
6 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 cups whole milk (we don't buy whole milk, so we used 1/2 half and half and 1/2 1% milk)
3 large eggs
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
8 slices (cut 1" thick) Challah or French Bread

Mix butter and brown sugar in a small bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk milk, eggs, vanilla, and spices.

Melt 2 Tbsp. of the brown sugar/butter mixture on a large non-stick skillet or griddle. Dip bread slices one at a time in egg mixture to coat. Add slices to skillet and cook until bottoms are deep brown, about 3-4 minutes. Spread remaining brown sugar/butter mixture over bread slices in skillet. Turn slices over. Cook until bottoms are deep brown, 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with maple syrup.

WDW- Hawaiian Inspiration

Last Saturday, Rich and I set aside the afternoon to enjoy the backyard together. Lunch time rolled around and the warm weather made me feel like having a refreshing salad. It's been hard to get the wonderful foods of Hawaii off my mind and palate, so I decided to try and make something island-inspired for lunch. I went to the fridge and looked around for ingredients - I found a cabbage that needed to be used, a red bell pepper, a pineapple, and some leftover chicken breast. I decided to make sort of an Hawaiian cabbage salad. I chopped everything fine and I added a few other things like chives from the garden, toasted sesame seeds, and a few chopped macadamia nuts. I remembered the wasabi vinagrette we had in Hawaii and set out to make it.... I emulsified a little honey mustard with mostly olive oil, adding a little sesame oil, and some rice vinegar. It needed a bit more sweetness so I added a squirt of honey and I seasoned it with a little salt, pepper, and a touch of wasabi powder... it worked! I tossed it all together, and to give it a little wow factor, I made mini pineapple and strawberry kebabs to garnish the bowl (I break wooden skewers in half to make them mini). I have been buying Costa Rican pineapples at the store lately, and they are every bit as good as the ones we had in Hawaii. If you happen to find one, treat your family - they're delicious!

I love coconut anything! I make my baked goods and granola with coconut oil, and use unsweetened shredded coconut in granola and anything I can. When I go to Whole Foods, I often pick up a container of freshly cut coconut (in the produce refrigerated section) and munch on it while I shop. Our recent obsession (a couple WDW's back), Brazilian Salmon Stew, utilizes coconut milk, which is a beautiful product. Here are a couple more wonderful things to do with coconut milk that I tried last week. I like to buy the real stuff and Whole Foods has it organic even, for about $2 a can. You can get the "light" kind at Trader Joe's, but the full-fat stuff is where it's at. The main health benefit of coconut is in its fat, so don't get the kind that has removed all that goodness and flavor.

Coconut Rice

Easy! Just substitute 1 can of coconut milk and about 3/4 can water to 1 cup rice. I used white basmati rice for this one. (I usually make brown rice, but for this recipe, white works the best). Treat the coconut milk like you would liquid in the rice, and prepare as usual. The result was fluffy, flavorful and rich tasting rice- my family flipped over this!

(virgin)Pina Coladas

Every day in Hawaii we treated ourselves to one of these at the pool. Try these at home and sip outside on a warm day- your kids will love them. If you have a good blender these are a snap. Just use equal parts coconut milk and pineapple juice (we bought the Dole refrigerated kind). Sweeten to taste with a little powdered sugar (about 2 good tablespoons for a couple cups of liquid), and throw in a small lemon slice (rind and all) if you have one. Blend that all together and add ice (crushed works best) to desired consistency (we like ours thick and slushy). These are so delicious and refreshing, and actually healthy too! Enjoy!

Little Basil Bouquet

Did you know that you are supposed to pinch off any flowers that appear on basil plants? As pretty as they look in the garden, once basil flowers, the leaves tend to taste a little bitter. If you're growing basil in your herb garden one way to extend the plant is to deadhead the flowers. To do this, simply pinch off the blooms with your thumb and index finger. This will not only help preserve the plant's flavor but also channel the plant's energies into more leaf growth (instead of making seeds).

What to do with those deadheaded flowers? I like to put them in a cute little vase to enjoy. They really are quite pretty and smell good, too.

Our Anniversary

So, as I mentioned earlier in the week, Rich and I got to spend a week in Maui for our anniversary! Sounds extravagant, I know... but let me tell you about our amazing deal! First, we got our flights free with frequent flyer miles, and then got a great package deal from Costco.com for the Hyatt in Maui, including a car, and lots of extras like hotel food credit and free buffet breakfast every day! And, on top of that, I even used my American Express/Costco rebate this year to pay for most of the trip.The deal really did seem too good to be true, and we sort of had a running joke before we went that when we arrived at the Hyatt they would not have our reservation and laugh when we tell them the deal we thought we had! I seriously think our week-long trip in Hawaii ended up being cheaper than a little weekend away locally. Gotta love that....what a blessing!

We actually went to the Hyatt for our honeymoon 23 years ago, and I would have never in a million years ever thought I'd be there again. It was very special to return, but also funny how I hardly remembered the place (honeymoon daze?). Here are some photos of the Hyatt. If you ever go to Maui, this is the premier resort to go to. It's on Ka'anapali beach, in west Maui, and it's stunning, elegant, and very Hawaiian.

The open-air lobby ~ they even had a penguin habitat with 7 tiny African penguins, along with exotic birds and a koi pond, amongst the beautiful foilage.

The view from our room's balcony. We loved sleeping with the patio door open, listening to the crashing waves at night...and the birds would sing in the morning.

Some of the spectacular 40-acre grounds ~ swans and flamingoes hung out in this area.

Sunset on the beach near the hotel. We temporarily ditched our table at a beachside restaurant to grab the last of the sun in paradise.

And here are some photos from our wonderful breakfast every day. As usual, I was the only one taking pictures of the food in front of me, but I'm used to it. I usually had to get two plates, one just for all the juicy tropical fruit I enjoyed each morning and one for the rest of my food (I loved the eggs benedict and their omelette bar, and also splurged on their yummy pineapple/coconut/madadamia nut bread and other pastries!). There is nothing like Hawaiian papaya and pineapple. Eating those fruits was such a highlight of our day.

The view from the stairs walking down to the restaurant. I told you the Hyatt was amazing.

Not a bad seat in the house, but there were a few extra special tables we sat at, like this one. Sometimes a swan would swim by.

I miss this fruit every day!

We were both on the same page for the week: do very little and stay at the resort. Other than one day (Rich's birthday) when we went on a beautiful drive and a short climb down some lava rocks to the Olivine Pools, and two times that we went snorkeling (two great snorkeling places: Black rock on Ka'anapali, and Honolua bay), we spent most of our time reading by the pool or walking on the beach. It was wonderful. I read two very good books: My wife, her shining life by Jim Rosscup, and I will carry you by Angie Smith. I also read a stack of Cooks Illustrated back issues that I scored off eBay! How I enjoy having the time to read a food magazine from cover to cover. The weather was perfect, the pool refreshing, ocean warm and crystal clear, and a constant warm breeze kept us saying "ahhh" the whole time.

As adventurous as we are food-wise, we were perfectly content to go to the same buffet breakfast every day (if you saw it you'd understand why) and eat our lunch at the pool. When you get hungry, you flag down one of the waitresses and they bring you a grilled vegetable/goat cheese wrap, a beautiful salad, or something equally good right to your lounge chair. It was rough, but we finally got used to it.

We did go out to some amazing dinners: Mama's Fish House (best restaurant on Maui, I think), Mala (a great find), Sansei (not the chain we have here; best sushi on earth), Haliimaile General Store, and we also went to a dinner comedy/magic show called Warren & Annabelle's that was the best show we've ever seen. I know, I know - it sounds funny to go to a magic or comedy show and especially on Maui, but it was totally clean and we laughed so hard! Warren did some tricks that we are still scratching our heads about. If you ever go to Maui you have to go to the show - seriously, it was so much fun! Here are a few of the places we ate:

Haliimaile General Store. Since this restaurant is near the airport, we stopped here right after landing for a late lunch/early dinner. It looks very nondescript, but inside this former "general store" off the beaten path is the amazing creative cuisine of well-known local chef Bev Gannon.

Our lunch ~ "Sashimi Napoleon" ~ Crispy wontons layered with smoked salmon, Ahi tartare,

sashimi and wasabi vinaigrette, on a bed of Kula greens. A work of art and a giant tastebuds party! I could seriously eat this every day. I loved the Kula greens we were able to have a few times while in Hawaii, and the fresh fish is amazing.

Mama's Fish House for our anniversary dinner. They gave us fresh leis and surprised us with personalized anniversary wishes printed right on our menus!

Mama's specialty: mahi mahi stuffed with crab and lobster, sauteed in madadamia nut breading, with pineapple beurre blanc. It just melts in your mouth. Even that lame looking rice was to die for, it was flavored with lemongrass. I practically licked the plate.

The amazing man I'm married to.

It was so nice to get away with my sweet husband and celebrate the gift from God that our marriage is. We are so compatible and enjoy so many of the same things, and tend to see things very much the same way. We even think alike, even in the little things... one afternoon at the pool, I went and ordered a (virgin!) Pina Colada to surprise Rich - and when I brought it to him he laughed because he had just ordered one too, from the waitress who had just come by! We just had to smile. We thank God that we can enjoy the blessing of a strong and happy marriage - we don't know any secrets or formulas, and we know it isn't anything we've done but the Lord working through us to love Him and each other. We do love this life God has given us, we so enjoy serving Him together, raising our kids together...so thankful for the many blessings He has given us to enjoy. And, that's not all but an eternity to look forward to beyond this....we are blessed indeed.

WDW - Farm Fresh to You Organic Produce

It really is Way Delicious Wednesday around here now that my Farm Fresh to You organic produce box arrives on Wednesday mornings!

I have been interested in this concept for awhile - organic produce delivery, but the only one in my area that I knew of was one that needed to be picked up at a local park on Saturday mornings. And, frankly, I wasn't willing to give up my coffee-drinking-in-my-pj's Saturday mornings to go drive and pick up a box of produce. But, when I read about the service Farm Fresh to You that offered home delivery, on my friend Carly's blog, I knew I had to give it a try! So, I signed up, got my first box, and was completely delighted! I started with the "regular mixed" box, but quickly realized that my fresh produce loving self needed MORE. So I upped it to the next size, "more mixed." Perfect.

If you're wondering about the specifics of this vegetable delivery, first let me tell you what I got in my box last week for $44:

6 large zucchini
2 large heads broccoli
2 bunches carrots
4 ears of white corn
1 bunch (3 medium) beets
1 bunch celery
1 head cabbage
Lots and lots of red leaf baby lettuce (filled 2 large ziploc bags!)
1 head romaine lettuce
2 brown onions
A good bunch of baby bok choy
2 hass avocadoes
2 peaches
10 apricots
1 lb. strawberries
4 oranges
2 grapefruits

What a great value! All organic, super fresh, and delivered right to my home! One feature that I love is that you can go on their website and designate any items you don't care to receive. As much as I am a produce lover, there are a few things I don't want to find in my box. For example, I don't want any leafy greens that have to be cooked (collard greens, mustard greens, etc. are not my thing) or any lemons or herbs (since I grow them). I also excluded a few other things that I have no interest in like rhubarb, kumquats, rutabagas, okra, and edamame. Anyways, they will kindly substitute another item for you that you will find more useful. For example, in place of the lemon I was to receive last week, I got an extra onion, which is much better for me. You can cancel delivery any week you want without obligation. You can even change your order week to week to a larger or smaller box, or a different assortment - they are so flexible. And, what is great is that on Fridays they post the list of the produce I'll be getting for the next Wednesday, so I know what is coming and can plan what I need to go with it. I usually do grocery shopping on Thursday, so it works out perfect for me.

Can you tell I am stoked about this service?

So, you may be thinking this seems like a lot of produce to deal with..what if I can't use it all? I guarantee you that you will not be able to let this gorgeous produce go to waste. Trust me, you will look for ways to use it and it will be the crown jewel of your meals. We usually inhale the strawberries right off the bat (I would take a bushel of organic strawberries each week!). I served the corn and bok choy as sides with salmon, made a beautiful salad with some of the lettuce using the beets and grapefruit/orange segments, and made guacomole with the avocadoes. We've been eating the carrots and other fruit out of hand, and will use the rest up easily.

You may also be thinking, $44 is a lot to spend on produce for a week. Well, for me personally, it is not, since fresh produce was already a priority for me and I do feed 4 adults - that really is only $11/person per week! It actually feels like a bargain to get my farm box and I feel good about feeding this great organic produce to my family.

So, go check out their website and see if they deliver to your area.
www.farmfreshtoyou.com
If you mention my name and the code #6164 you will get $5 off your first order.

Blog vacation

Sorry for the recent silence.... I took a blog vacation -well, actually an everything vacation for a week or so. Rich and I were able to get away for our anniversary to Maui!!! It was wonderful..... As soon as I adjust to not having my bed and all my food made for me, I will be back. :-)