SourdoughNative

Friday, May 24, 2013

30 Minute Goulash

This is, hands down, a family favorite.

Beaver Creek Gardens, Fertile IA

DH recently went and got some awesome plants to get our garden started. DH works with Scott McCullough in Forest City, IA, and has been fascinated by the bushiness that Scott and his wife, Suzanne, have been growing for the last couple of years.

Scott, together with his wife, Suzanne, originally built this awesome business to provide fresh garden vegetables at their peak of freshness and explore a side business opportunity for their "Golden Years". Boy oh boy, did it work!!

This year, after putting up some awesome greenhouses, they have expanded to provide bedding plants and even gorgeous flower displays.

Spinach Chive Pesto

Sunday dinners are a relaxed affair for us and I try to include my parents as much as possible. We always enjoy their company and they are the only relatives close to us; living in the same town, let alone state.

So on Sundays I try and make it extra special! So for dinner we had Chicken Parm Croquettes, Pasta with Spinach Chive Pesto, a huge green salad and sourdough bread!

With all the fresh Spinach I have and now Chives have popped up in the garden I was looking forward to making a pesto and boy did this turn out really well.

Oriental Ramen Salad

It's going to be another hot one today, along with the requisite Tornado warnings that follow along with the hot and humid weather of the Midwest.

So for dinner I decided to make a family favorite, one that is full of flavor and cool crunch.

Oriental Ramen Salad

Skinny Chicken Sausage & Spinach Riggies

Okay, so I have to admit I have never been East of Cleveland.

Therefore, even though the concept of "Riggies" originated in NY, I believe a great recipe can travel all over the country. Chicken Riggies is a pasta-based dish usually consisting of chicken, rigatoni and hot or sweet peppers in a spicy cream and tomato sauce, although many variations exist.

Grilled Skirt Steak and Zucchini Quesadilla

Ahhh....it's finally here.

Grilling season.

It was a tad windy yesterday, but that could be why Iowa is dotted with enormous Windmills all over the state.

Being able to plan what's for dinner is open for all kinds of other options now that the outdoor grill is involved. Sometimes I opt for the whole meal to be prepared on the grill!!

Wheeee!
No Hardly any pots, pans and dishes for me to clean up.

Although, I haven't quite figured out how to cook rice on the grill...

During these months we stuff ourselves with fresh vegetables and fruits, well almost all of us.
She's 15, but our youngest just found out; she claimed she was eating a vegetable, a tomato; we told her she was actually eating a fruit. Look of shock!! She's not a fruit eater.

Anyhoo, invariably there might be some leftovers, and what better way to utilize these but by making a quesdilla??

I know, I thought it was a great idea as well. So...I used leftover skirt steak, zucchini, spinach, cheese and my Caramelized Onion, Bacon Dip.

OMG!!! This baby is awesome. Thank goodness I didn't have to share.

Skinny Caramelized Onion, Bacon Dip

Today is all about Mothers, it's Mothers Day.

Happy Mother's Day!!

And, because I just really like bacon, especially crisp, peppered bacon, I am making a dip to serve to my Mother and family at dinner.

Slow Cooker BBQ Pork Steak and "Baked" Potatoes

I get a lot of use from my slow cooker, mostly during the Fall and Winter.

Even when it gets really hot and humid back here in North Iowa I use my slow cooker, it doesn't heat up the house and saves my DH from the skeeters looking for a drink while he's trying to grill!

Today I am trying something totally new to me.....making 2 ingredients in one slow cooker.

Of course I saw this on Pinterest, if there is anything, anyone has ever made, tried, consumed or dreamed of, it is on this site. Pretty handy if you have an ingredient and want to change it up!!

So this is basically pork steaks, simmered in a spicy BBQ sauce, then a layer of foil and scrubbed potatoes wrapped in foil are placed on top!!!

Swwweeeetttt!!!

All this meal needs is a side of veggies or salad and it's good to go!

Easy French Bread Pizza

I think we've all had this happen.....

You walk in the door after a long day and the first thing you hear is "What's for dinner?". And you...

wait for it...

draw a blank.

It doesn't happen often to me, drawing the blank, I mean, but I am no different than anyone else, sometimes your best made plans just don't happen.

Plus, I don't have the convenience of take-out, living in a small rural community, it's either gas station pizza, the local greasy spoon (no thanks) or ramen.

Not an appealing meal to any of us.

Thank goodness I do stock up on things, such as sourdough french bread (no really, I'm serious, I freeze all my bread) and I always have jarred or my own frozen marinara.
Okay, ask my family, I was a Y2K prepper. And at that time I had a family of 6 living at home. So....I have a hard time not having an extensive pantry.

Hey, it pays off in times like this. Especially when you have people in your house coming home "starving", and they open the frig and say, "there's nothing here".

Happens to me every time with the teens in my house, especially the youngest one, she is ravenous at every waking hour. And no, it doesn't always look like this, but I'd say generally, 75% of the time it does. If it doesn't jump out at her as being ready to eat though, she'll say, "there's nothing to eat".

*Sigh* I need to take her to a third world country I'm thinking...

So, to save the day, and halt the ravenous looks from my family, I can always whip up a great pizza, with or without meat.