1st Birthday Party *Sneak Peek*

Here's a sneak peek of my daughter's butterfly birthday party last week! More to come in the next few weeks! 

Homemade Tzatziki Sauce

Anyone else like tang and zest in your dipping sauces?? I have been craving a delicious tzatziki sauce to pair with some warm garlic naan.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it!  Tang isn't for everyone, such as I adore salt and vinegar chips.  Yes, I know a few of you are cringing.  I assure you that my tzatziki sauce doesn't taste like salt and vinegar chips! 

One of my favorite herbs, mint, is light, sweet and delicate making it the perfect addition.  I, personally, can't have too much mint. Mint is enriched with Vitamins A and C.  It was also revered by the ancient greeks.  They named a mythical river nymph, Minthe/Menthe, after the herb.

I decided to make the base of the sauce with non-fat sour cream and kefir cheese (it comes in a tub like sour cream.)  You tend to see most tzatziki sauces made with greek yogurt but I find that sour cream and kefir cheese (like sour cream but thicker) gives the sauce the perfect thickness.  Either way I don't think you could go too wrong.  Typically this sauce is served with pita bread but being a naan fan I decided to pair the two together.

Serves 6-8 people

Ingredients:
8 pieces of garlic naan (or regular)
1 cup non-fat sour cream
1 cup kefir cheese
1 cucumber very thinly sliced
1 tablespoon fresh chopped dill
1 tablespoon fresh chopped mint
1/2 tablespoon taragon
2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 fresh squeezed lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Preparation:


In a small bowl combine the cucumbers, vinegar and garlic.  Let marinate for 10 minutes and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the dill, mint, taragon, lemon and salt to the cucumber mixture. Let marinate for another 10 minutes.

Next incorporate the sour cream and kefir cheese and stir until well incorporated.  Let chill in the fridge for at least and hour before serving.

Wrap the naan in aluminum foil and bake until warm, about 10 minutes.


Cut warm naan into bite sized pieces and serve with chilled tzatziki sauce.

Cabernet Marinara

I normally don't promote or endorse specific products that are sent to me.  I feel blogging endorsements and ads can be over the top.  Although a Pomi rep contacted me recently and I was immensely impressed with the product.  I did the research and found this product to be exactly what I was looking for.  It's BPA free, all natural, low sodium and completely organic.  I feel it's very important to feed your kids and family with the most fresh and pure ingredients.  BPA is commonly found in canned or plastic products.  I love to make lasagna, spaghetti and parmesan dishes but have disdained using the canned products, for this reason. Thankfully I've found a product I can incorporate my fresh organic ingredients with a packaged!

On that organic note..who doesn't like wine?? I personally LOVE wine and incorporated a cab into this marinara and it worked perfectly!  Please enjoy this marinara recipe as much as we did.


Ingredients:
1 (26 oz) Pomi strained tomatoes
1 (26 oz) Pomi chopped tomatoes
1 fresh tomato chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme
3 bay leaves
1 carrot shredded
1 medium onion chopped
1 lb ground beef
3/4 cup Cabernet wine
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper


Preparation:
In a large dutch oven (or heavy skillet) heat the oil over medium heat.  Saute the onions, carrots and garlic until vegetables are translucent, about 10 minutes.  Add the strained tomatoes and use a hand blender to blend all ingredients, until pureed.

Heat a separate medium skillet over medium heat.  Add the ground beef and cook until just not pink.  Set aside.

Add the Pomi chopped tomatoes and fresh chopped tomatoes, cabernet, bay leaves, parsley, basil, thyme salt and pepper to the onion mixture and simmer covered for 25 minutes. Add the cooked ground beef to the marinara and cook for another 20 minutes.  Discard the bay leaves.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve over cooked pasta.

Recipe Adapted from Epicurean Mom

Be Back Soon!

My daughter's 1st Birthday is this weekend!! I've been working hard on fun food and decorations. I'll be back in a few days to share great recipes and wonderful decorating ideas!! 

Homegrown Organic Artichokes

Imagine being able to walk a few steps to your garden, picking your veggies and cooking them all in a few minutes.  Doesn't get any better or fresher, does it?  My husband and I love to grow lots of our own fresh veggies.  When I say my husband and I, I really mean mostly my husband.  He is the gardening expert.  He serves on the board of the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden and also our "his" garden was featured in the Wall Street Journal, so I let him do his magical gardening magic while I relish in all the homegrown glory! 

Most organic and home fresh produce tends to be slightly smaller but the taste is beyond any produce you can find at the local grocery store.  If you have the time, space and availability I definitely recommend growing your own garden.  It does take some expertise but if you have the time to read about preparing your soil, planting, fertilizing and harvesting you are on your way to beautiful fresh organic veggies!

We are huge artichoke eaters in this household the average mayonnaise dipping sauce (which I do love) can be rather heavy and calorie filled.  I really wanted an everyday sauce that could cut on the calories and fat and created this light and flavorful dipping sauce.  

(Serves 2 people)

Ingredients:

1-2 Organic artichokes (if they are homegrown I recommend using 2-3)
2 bay leafs

1/4 cup garlic olive oil plus 1 tablespoon 

3 tablespoons dijon mustard

1/2 small shallot, minced

1/4 squeezed lemon plus 1/2 lemon for artichoke steaming water

2 cloves garlic, minced plus 1 garlic clove for steaming artichoke

2 tablespoons white wine

1 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar (sweet, thick and syrup like) plus more for drizzling 

A pinch of fresh ground black pepper

Preparation:

Clean and prepare the artichokes.  Cut off the little thorns on the end of the leaves and slice about 3/4 inch off the top.

Fill a large pot of water with about 2-inches of water, a clove of garlic, a bay leaf and 1/2 a squeezed lemon.  Insert a steaming basket.  Steam the artichokes, covered,  for about 25-40 minutes (depending on the artichoke size), or until the leaves pull off easily.  

While the artichokes are steaming, combine all the ingredients except for the 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Mix until well incorporated.  Drizzle the top with aged balsamic.

Pre-heat the grill to medium. 

Once the artichokes are done split each one in half and scoop out the the "choke" (the fuzzy inedible part.)  Place the artichoke cut side-up on the grill for about 2 -5 minutes flip over and grill for another 2-5 minutes.

Serve on a platter with the dijon balsamic sauce. 

Recipe adapted from Epicurean Mom

Stuffed Bell Peppers

I found myself walking around in circles at the grocery store the other day.  I was in the mood for meat but not a heavy steak and wanted some veggies but not the typical grilled veggies.  I passed by the bell peppers and they looked too delicious to pass up!

Stuffed peppers are so easy to whip up!  Chop up some of your favorite spices and veggies, stuff it in a par-baked pepper and Voila you have delicious peppers!  I added marjoram, thyme and oregano to my recipe since they compliment meat so well. 

Serves 6-8

Ingredients


For Rice:

1 cup basmati brown rice
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Preparation:
Combine rice and broth together until it comes to a boil.  Then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 40-50 minutes until thoroughly cooked.  Set aside and let sit for 10 minutes.

For Peppers:

6-8  Bell peppers (any color)

1 1/3 lb grass feed lean ground beef

2 tablespoons italian parsley

2 celery stalks

14 oz tomato paste

2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh marjoram, chopped
1/4 teaspoon oregano

1tablespoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon worcester sauce

1 cup bread crumbs 

1/2 cup ketchup 

Preparation:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all the ingredients (except the bell peppers)  until thoroughly incorporated and set aside.

In a large pot of boiling water, parboil the peppers until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the peppers  from heat and dry on paper towels.

Once cool stuff the peppers with the meat mixture and set inside a baking dish and bake until thoroughly baked ( about 35-45 minutes.)

Let sit for 10 minutes and serve!

Recipe adapted from Epicurean Mom

Strawberry Shortcake

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Strawberries are ripe and ready to enjoy!  If your family is anything like ours we always have at least 3 cartons in our fridge.  I stopped by our local organic grocery store and noticed they had a sale on strawberries.  I grabbed up as many cartons as I could hold and had the perfect recipe in mind for dessert.

Mother's Day, last Sunday, my husband treated me to a lovely dinner at a local restaurant, Mattie's Tavern, and we basked in stilton cheese, prime filet, fish and bread goodness! As we were walking out I noticed a cookbook that needed to be bought.  It's called the Brothers Cuisine and is a compilation of Mattie's best and most popular recipes.  Amazing is all I have to say! I am itching to make ALL of their dishes.  Since I bought loads of strawberries I thought their Strawberry Shortcake would be more then appropriate! 

Ingredients

Shortcakes:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

4 ounces unsalted butter, cold

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 large egg

Strawberry Sauce:

1 1/2 cups fresh organic strawberries, rinsed, stemmed and quartered

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1 fresh lemon, juiced

Whipped Cream:

2 cups heavy cream

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon tahitian vanilla extract

Strawberries:

3 pints of fresh organic strawberries

Preparation

To Make The Shortcakes:

Sift the flour, sugar baking powder and salt.  Chop the butter into small pieces.  In a bowl of a standing mixer, add the flour mixture and butter.  Chill in the freezer for 10 minutes.  Using the paddle attachment, mix on low speed until butter is the size of a peas.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the heavy cream and egg.  Add the cream-egg mixture to the flour mixture and mix on low speed until dough forms. 

Place the dough on a floured working surface.  Roll into a rectangle abotu 1/2-inch thick.  lightly dust the dough with flour as needed to prevent the dough from sticking. Fold the dough in thirds like a letter , and then rotate the dough so the rectangle is in front of you.  Repeat the rolling process and folding of the dough.  Roll out the dough one more time about 1/2-inch thick. Using  a 3-inch round cookie cutter, punch the shortcakes.  Place the cakes on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Gather the scrapes, roll into a ball, and roll out to punch more shortcakes.  Chill the cakes int he freezer until firm, about 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a small bowl, beat together the egg and 2 teaspoons water.  Using a pastry brush, coat the tops of the shortcakes and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. 

To Make The Strawberry Sauce:

In a sauce pan, add the strawberries, sugar, water and lemon juice.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Reduce the heat and let simmer until the strawberries cook down and the juice thickens.  Puree in a blender and pour through a sieve.  Refrigerate and chill.

To Make The Whipped Cream:

In a fitted bowl of a standing mixer (or hand mixer), combine the whipping cream, sugar and vanilla extract, and mix until peaks form.  Refrigerate the whipped cream.

To Prepare The Strawberries:

Rinse, stem and cut he strawberries into quarters.  Place the berries into a mixing bowl.

To Serve:

Mix the strawberry sauce into the bowl of cut strawberries, and let sit for 5-10 minutes.  Split the baked shortcakes in half, horizontally, to make two pieces:a top and bottom.  Place the bottom onto serving plates.  Top the shortcake bottoms with a scoop of strawberry mixture, continued by a large dollop of whipping cream. Top the whipping cream with another spoon-full of strawberries and strawberry juice.  Sprinkle the shortcake top with powdered sugar and place on top of shortcake.  Serve! 

Recipe Adapted from Brother Cuisine 

Ham, Turkey, Arugula, Fontina and Caramelized Onion Panini

A few of my absolute favorite items are caramelized onions, fontina cheese and avocado. Today I was in the mood for all of these so I created this panini.  If you like sandwiches with ham and turkey you'll go crazy for this panini!

Ingredients:
Country White Sourdough Bread
6 slices of honey baked ham
4 slices of turkey
1 medium sliced onion
3-4 oz sliced fontina cheese
1 small sliced avocado
A large handful of Arugula
2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation:
Preheat olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Once hot place sliced onions and cook until browned (about 10 minutes.) Set aside.

Slice the sourdough bread in 1/2-inch pieces.  Place 1/2 the sliced avocado, 1/2 caramelized onions, 1/2 fontina,  1/2 ham, 1/2 turkey and top with the arugula. Place the other bread slice on top and cook in a panini press for about 5 minutes.

Follow the steps above with the second panini.  Serve and Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Epicurean Mom

Grilled Garlic Asparagus Drizzled With Balsamic Vinegar

My hubby and I could eat grilled asparagus and artichoke everyday. Well, we almost do! It's a staple in our household but today I wanted to spice it up a bit. I always marinate my asparagus in olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and whatever other spices I'm in the mood for but today I drizzled an aged balsamic on top.  This isn't just any aged balsamic this one is sweet and extremely thick, sort of like syrup. It's a must try!

Ingredients:
1 bunch thin asparagus (You can use thick but I much prefer thin!)
2 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Aged balsamic vinegar, drizzled

Preparation:
Heat the oven to med-high, clean and wipe the grates with a touch of olive oil

Divide the asparagus bunch into 2-3 bunches and tie with meat twine at the top and bottom.  (I do this so the asparagus doesn't fall through the grates.) Place each bunch onto the grill and grill for about 5-8 minutes.

Take off the grill and drizzle with balsamic.


Recipe Adapted from Epicurean Mom