SPINACH ARTICHOKE PESTO

This pesto happened completely by accident. I had planned on making this pesto which I have been making ever since I found the recipe on Pinterest over a year ago. But through a series of missing ingredients and an abundance of spinach, this delicious, wonderful pesto was made. It's like spinach artichoke dip for pasta. Or any kind of vegetables. Or toast. Or plain on a spoon.

We start with a large bunch of fresh spinach. We place it in a food processor with marinated artichoke hearts, olive oil, garlic and salt. You can add Parmesan cheese too, if you wish. 

Spin it.

Put it on toast. Eat. Repeat.

This pesto is nut-free, and can easily be made vegan and dairy free by omitted the Parmesan cheese. It still tastes wonderful without any cheese, but is a nice addition for the cheese lovers.

Spinach Artichoke Pesto

Ingredients:

2 cups of fresh spinach leaves (about one bunch)

1 cup of marinated artichoke hearts, roughly chopped

1/2 cup olive oil

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1/2 tsp coarse salt

1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)

Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender. Mix until all ingredients are smooth and well combined. store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. 

EGG SALAD AND BACON SANDWICHES

I have not always been a fan of egg salad. At one point in my life, not so very long ago, I was a solid egg salad hater. This probably has something to do with growing up in a  house where hard boiled eggs were boiled until the yolks were a grayish color. It might also have something to do with a trip to Las Vegas and watching friends order egg salad at the "New York Deli" to have delivered to our table a dozen eggs trapped in a mountain of mayonnaise and served on soggy white bread. Shudder. Plus, I loath peeling hard boiled eggs. It is my least favorite of all kitchen chores.*

But egg salad has slowly creep up on me. If started with a recipe on Smitten Kitchen where egg salad spread on a piece of crusty bread looked very intriguing. And then I had a deviled egg smashed on toast after Easter. So I thought about it, got myself into the kitchen and started trying different things out. And at home, turns out that egg salad can be rather delicious. I keep my actual salad very simple, but then add a kicker to my sandwich - bacon. Because there is little on this fine earth better than bacon and eggs and a nice piece of toast.

This is a great meal for summer because it requires no oven. You can boil your eggs in the morning, make up your salad, fry up some bacon and toast some bread. Add a green salad and dinner is done.

*I have found a way to make peeling hard boiled eggs less awful. See below.

Egg Salad and Bacon Sandwiches

Ingredients:

6 eggs

1/4 cup of mayonnaise

1 tbsp. yellow mustard

1/2 tsp. coarse salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. herbs de provence (this is available in the spice aisle in grocery stores; you can also use any combination of rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano, savory, and marjoram.)

8 slices of bacon

8 slices good wheat bread

Bring eggs to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit for 12 minutes. Drain and immediate emerge in an ice bath (a bowl filled with water and ice). Let sit for 5-10 minutes, drain the water, and peel. Roughly chop eggs. Mix mayonnaise and mustard in to the chopped eggs. Add the salt, pepper, onion powder, cumin, and herbs de provence. Mix well, smashing with a fork, and refrigerate until ready to use. Fry the bacon until crispy and drain on paper towel. Toast the bread, assemble sandwiches. Makes 4 sandwiches.

Enjoy!

SCENES FROM AN INDEPENDENCE DAY

Our annual 4th of July viewing of The Sandlot. "I'm baking like a toasted cheeser! It's so hot here!"

SWEET AND SPICY HOMEMADE BARBECUE SAUCE

It's summer time in America, and that means long days, hot nights, and barbecuing dinner. 

 Let's talk barbecue sauce. Barbecue sauce that is tomato-y with spicy flavors and a touch of sweetness. Homemade, no-cook barbecue sauce is just what you need for a summertime barbecue.

I make a batch of this sauce and divide it in two, keeping one sweet and mild, and spicing the other one up with Sriracha hot sauce. Spicy and sweet, the perfect combo.

 Let's gather our ingredients. One of the great things about this sauce is that it's pantry food. You most likely already have everything you need. Ketchup, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, ground mustard, paprika, salt, and pepper. Sriracha if you want a spicy version. (You do.)

 Whisk everything up. DONE.

If you want to make both a mild and spicy version, divide up the sauce. The recipe makes just over two cups.

Add the Sriracha.

Sweet and spicy.

Sweet and Spicy Barbecue Sauce

adapted from Simply Scratch

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed

1 1/4 cup ketchup

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup water

1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp. ground mustard

2 tsp. paprika

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1/2-1 1/2 tbsp. Sriracha hot sauce (optional)\

Mix all ingredients except Sriracha together with a whisk until smooth and the sugar has dissovled. Serve immediately or cover and store for up to one month. 

If making the spicy version: divide the sauce into two containers, about one cup each.Add Sriracha to taste to one of the sauces and whisk. Store in separate labeled jars for up to one month.

RED, WHITE, & BLUE FROZEN YOGURT POPS

Fourth of July is right around the corner. Which means barbecue, fireworks, the pool. (And loving America, of course.) And hot weather. Crazy hot weather. I need something simple, cold, and sweet for dessert.

Frozen yogurt pops are the answer.

These pops are sweet with a little tang, and cold and creamy. They're healthy. And even red, white, and blue. Perfect for a hot, Fourth of July evening while you wait for the fireworks to start.

Start with raspberries and blueberries. These are some I froze previously, but fresh will work too!

Add a little vanilla and honey to some plain yogurt.

Make layers of yogurt and berries in popsicles molds. I have these from Groovy Pops. (You an use Dixie cups and popsicle sticks just as easily.)

 Freeze.

Bust out your patriotic smiles and eat.

Red, White, and Blue Frozen Yogurt Pops

Ingredients:

12 oz. plain yogurt

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tbsp. honey

1/3 cup of raspberries (frozen or fresh)

1/3 cup blueberries (frozen or fresh)

Mix the yogurt, vanilla and honey together. In popsicle molds, divide the yogurt and berries evenly. Freeze and serve. Makes 4.

Enjoy!