Thursday, July 15, 2010

Day 176: Bruschetta

Day 176.

Bruschetta is one of my favorite summer dishes. It tastes so fresh and summery. There are a bajillion different ways to make it, but this is my favorite.

Here's what you'll need.
Photobucket
French bread (Walmart will slice it for you. Just ask)
2 roma tomatoes
garlic
olive oil
basil

Photobucket
Begin by dicing the tomatoes.

Photobucket
And placing them into a bowl.

Photobucket
Add in a couple of garlic cloves and a healthy sprinkle of basil. I don't measure, just go by taste.

Photobucket
Add in about a teaspoon of olive oil and give it a good stir. Set aside. This can actually be made up a day ahead of serving. Just keep it in the fridge.

Photobucket
Brush both sides of the bread with olive oil and place onto a grill over medium heat.

Photobucket
I like a bit of char on my bread. It won't take long to toast up.

Photobucket
Once it's toasty, take it off of the heat.

Photobucket
To serve, place one toast onto a plate.

Photobucket
And top with tomatoes. Yum. Summer on a plate :)

Day 175: Crockpot Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Day 175.

We love mashed potatoes, but I find it tiring to stand over a huge pot of boiling water, especially in the summer when it is so darn hot! This recipe is my fix for that! The potatoes cook in the crockpot, then you just whip them with your mixer. Kurt thinks they taste like restaurant mashed potatoes. :)

Here's what you'll need.
Photobucket
2 - 2 1/2 lb. potatoes, scrubbed
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 to 1 cup milk

Photobucket
Dice the potatoes into 1 inch pieces.

Photobucket
Place all the potatoes into the crockpot.

Photobucket
Cut the butter into small pieces.

Photobucket
Place the butter in the crockpot with the potatoes.

Photobucket
Add the spices. I sprinkled in a little black pepper too.

Photobucket
Pour the water in.

Photobucket
Cook on LOW for 7 hours or on HIGH for 4.

Photobucket
Place the potatoes into mixing bowl.

Photobucket
Oh, man. This smells amazing...

Photobucket
Using your whisk attachment (if you have one), give the potatoes a good whip.

Photobucket
Mmmm.

Photobucket
Now here's my secret to cut down on lumps in the potatoes. Heat your milk before adding it. Think about it. Cold milk into hot potatoes? Not such a good idea...

Photobucket
Add the milk to the potatoes.

Photobucket
Turn the mixer on. Low at first, the gradually crank it up.

Photobucket
Whoa, baby.



Day 174: Skillet Chicken Mac and Parmesan

Day 174.

I found this recipe and thought it sounded nice and simple. It was, plus it was really good!!

Here's what you'll need.
Photobucket
1 26 oz. jar pasta sauce
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 cups cooked, cubed chicken
1 1/2 cups macaroni pasta
1 1/2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

Photobucket
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, cook pasta as package directs.

Photobucket
Drain well.

Photobucket
Combine the chicken and hot pasta into a large skillet with a lid.

Photobucket
Add in the pasta sauce.

Photobucket
And the Parmesan.

Photobucket
Stir well.

Photobucket
Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, until the mixture is hot and bubbly, stirring occasionally.

Photobucket
Sprinkle the Mozzarella over the top. Cover and let stand for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Photobucket
As so.

Photobucket

Day 173: 5 Minute Microwave Granola

Day 173.

I love granola, but it can be a bit pricey to buy at the grocery. I was super excited to come across this recipe because it has common ingredients and it quick to make.

Here's what you'll need.
Photobucket
2 cups oats
2/3 cup chopped nuts (any kind)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp. vanilla

Photobucket
Place oats into the bottom of a greased 9x13 glass pan.

Photobucket
Add the nuts. I used walnuts and pecans.

Photobucket
Crumble the brown sugar over the top.

Photobucket
Drizzle the honey and vanilla over the mixture.

Photobucket
Stir well. Cook for 2.5 minutes.

Photobucket
Stir and cook for another 2.5 minutes.

Photobucket
Let it cool.

Photobucket
Stir well to crumble, and store in an airtight container.





Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Day 172: Crockpot Wild Rice Casserole

Day 172.

This recipe was awesome! Rice in the crockpot? Yes, please!

Here's what you'll need.
Photobucket
1 1/2 cups uncooked long grain white rice
1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
4 cups water
3-4 green onions
1/4 cup butter
Dried parsley

Photobucket
Place the rice into the slow cooker.

Photobucket
Add the onion soup mix to the water.

Photobucket
Stir well.

Photobucket
Add to the rice.

Photobucket
Throw in some dried parsley. I used a couple teaspoons worth.

Photobucket
Dice the green onions.

Photobucket
Add those to the crockpot.

Photobucket
Melt the butter in a microwave-safe dish.

Photobucket
Add that to the pot as well and stir.

Photobucket
Cook on HIGH for 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Photobucket
It should look something like this.

Photobucket
We had some leftover chicken that needed used up, so I heated it in a skillet and threw it in with the rice.

Photobucket
Ta-da!

***********************************
I really liked the flavor of this dish. My only issue was that some of the rice was a bit crunchy. Next time, I may not add the wild rice and just use white, as it seemed the wild rice was what was not quite finished.