Awesome-Tasting Food!! // grilled peaches?

Last week I grilled peaches for the first time and it actually worked!! You see, we sell peaches at our local farmers market and customers have told me about grilling them. I've always wondered if it really works or not, so I decided to try my hand at it. The result? It turned out AWESOME! You're going to find out just how fast and easy it is to grill peaches...

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Grilled Peaches

Start with peaches that are firm but give a little when you squeeze them. I'd also use a freestone peach.
Cut each peaches in half and remove the pit. You can either grill the entire half or cut the halves into wedges.
Brush the cut side of the peaches with oil (I used olive oil and it tasted great.)
Cook the peaches over a medium fire on all cut side until grill marks show and the peach is tender. (I also grilled a little bit on the other side just to make sure it cooked all the way through. )

You can either eat the grilled peaches plain, in a salad, or with a scoop of home-made ice cream. We ate ours plain, but if you're going to do that eat them hot off the grill. They taste best that way.

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There you have it, grilled peaches in under 10 minutes!

I thought grilling really brought out the flavor of the peach, meanwhile it made the peach look beautifully red. That might be because I used Canadian Harmony peaches. They're known for their red flesh.

Well, I hope you try this and tell me what you think.

Want another recipe on grilled peaches? Then try this one.

~Susanna

Awesome-Tasting Food!! // passion tea lemonade

One thing I have to have every summer is Passion Tea Lemonade from Starbucks. It is one of the most refreshing drinks I've had. Since I don't go to Starbucks all the time I've tried to recreate it and really it is very simple.  Every time it turns out a little different, but I love it. The only problem is when my family sees it and then I have to make a whole gallon by the time I'm done!!

Passion Tea Lemonade (my version)

~TAZO Passion tea bags 
~Lemonade      last time I used Santa Cruz Organic Lemonade.
~Little bit of sugar
~Mason jar with lid
~Lots of ice!!

Start by following the directions on the the tea box for how to make the tea.  
One bag should make at least two servings of this lemonade.

 If you've never had TAZO Passion tea before here is what it looks like:

Let the tea cool down by putting it in the fridge for a couple hours. Yep, I put mine in my mason jar for this part too!!

Next, take about equal parts tea and lemonade, put them into your jar. Screw the lid on and shake about 10 times.  If your lemonade is really strong then don't add quite as much. You can always put more in later if you decide it needs it. 

Unscrew the lid and add as much ice as can fit. Put the lid back on and shake again.
In the end your drink should look something like this:

If it tastes to sour for you add a little sugar and shake it up again.

And there you have it, one of my favorite drinks ever!!

The nice thing about this drink is that if it doesn't taste quite right, you can always add more lemonade, tea, or whatever and it won't ruin itself.

I'd sure like to know if you tried this and what you thought! Also, if you have your own version on how to make Passion Tea Lemonade I'd love to see it.


~Susanna

Awesome-Tasting Food!! // lime rice

Are you all having a good week so far?  Mine has been awesome! Last night I went bowling with some friends. (I shall tell you about that later.) Right now I'm in the process of packing. (I'm going to go see my brother that lives in N.C.)

Last week I posted about the Chipotle Chicken I made. I also found a "mock" recipe for their cilantro-lime rice. This tastes almost exactly the same as theirs. It is a terribly easy recipe, just be careful that you don't burn it like I did!! (again) Thankfully, just the bottom was charcoal and the top was still good enough to eat. My problem was I used the wrong burner.  Oh well...

One of the things that makes Chipotle's rice different in because they use Basmati rice. It is more expensive, but tastes really good. 

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Cilantro-Lime Rice 

1 teaspoon vegetable oil or butter
2 tsp. fresh cilantro
2/3 cup white basmati rice
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Lime

In a 2-quart heavy saucepan, heat oil or butter over low heat, stirring occasionally until melted. Add rice and lime juice, stir for 1 minute. Add water and salt, bring to a full rolling boil. At boiling, cover, turn down to simmer over low heat until rice is tender and the water is absorbed, about 25 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork. Add cilantro and serve with Chipotle's Chicken.

[bahs-MAH-tee]
Basmati is a long-grained rice, with a fine texture. It can be found in Middle Eastern and India markets, as well as some supermarkets.

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  Of course I love this recipe since is has something to do with my favorite fruit!! Limes are just so colorful and pretty!!


~Susanna

Awesome-Tasting Food!! // chipotle chicken

I haven't done one of these in awhile so I decided to make up for it by posting a super awesome recipe!

Have you ever been to Chipotles? Of course you have and you love it right? Or do I even need to  ask... :)  I love Chipotles not just because it tastes really good, but also because it's healthy for you. They raise chickens the way you should.

The other day I made "mock" Chipotle grilled chicken. I don't think it tastes a lot like the real thing, but it was really, really good. It is also a ton of fun to make.


"Mock" Chipotle Chicken Marinade

1 (2 ounce) package dried ancho chiles  -I just used ancho chile powder because it was faster!
1 (7 ounce) can chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (discard chipotle pepper, skim out seeds)
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons cumin powder
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
6 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons salt
1 red onion, quartered
1/4 cup oil (canola/vegetable/olive)
1 whole boneless, skinless naturally raised chicken (about 3 lbs, thighs work well too)

Soak dry chilies overnight in water, until soft. Remove seeds. Add chilies and rest of the ingredients in blender or food processor. Puree until smooth. Stab chicken with fork to let the marinade soak in. If you're marinating overnight, you won't need to stab it too much. If you're marinating for an hour, stab it all over!

Spread marinade over chicken, refrigerate for one hour or up to overnight. After marinating, grill on medium high on an indoor grill where the chicken can be pressed flat.

If using a skillet, heat oil to medium high. Place a foil-wrapped brick on top of chicken to press it flat. If using an outdoor grill, use charcoal to make it ultra delicious. Place foil wrapped bricks to press chicken flat. You can also make this on a Panini grill on medium high heat. Place something heavy on top to weigh it down.

*If you want, you can throw all the ingredients into a crockpot (bones included), cook on low for 10-12 hours or high for 4-6. You will have meat that falls off the bone because it's so tender and the consistency is similar to a stew! You can add 2 cups water or a low sodium stock to keep it from drying out.

Once chicken is cooked let it cool for a little bit and then slice into bite size pieces. Serve with tortillas, cheese, lettuce, sour cream, salsa, and Chipotle Lime Rice. (That recipe is coming next week!!!)

I was telling somebody about this recipe and they were wondering what the chipotle peppers in a can looks like. So in case you're wondering the same thing this /\ /\ is what it looks like.

... and if you're too lazy to cook you can just go to Chipotles and let them serve you. :) 

If you try this recipe tell me what you think. WARNING: this recipe makes you drink water!

~Susanna

Awesome-Tasting Food!! // cinnamon coffee cake

I haven't been around in awhile and it is time to give you another recipe.  For some reason coffee cake has sound really good of late so this is what the recipe will be on.  I know I did a recipe on  Pancakes last time, but hey, who doesn't like breakfast food? And who said you had to have it for breakfast?

Cinnamon Coffee Cake Loaf

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/4 cups sugar, divided
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 3-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
• 1-1/4 teaspoons salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted

In a large bowl, combine the flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, 1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, and salt. In another large bowl, combine the eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Pour half of the batter into a greased 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pan. In a small bowl, combine the remaining sugar and cinnamon; stir in butter. Sprinkle with half the cinnamon-sugar mixture; cut through batter with a knife to swirl the topping. Repeat. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.  Makes one loaf.


Now go fix a glass of milk (or coffee) and enjoy your coffee cake.

~Susanna

Awesome-Tasting Food!! // pancakes

In case you didn't know, today is National Pancake Day. Well, it is IHOP's Pancake Day and thanks to the you can go there and get a FREE short stack of pancakes. Now, some people say National Pancake Day was last week (Feb 21st) but IHOP says it is today, so I'm stickin' with that. Anyway, who cares? Anytime is a good time for pancakes!

For those of you who aren't going to IHOP, I've got a pancake recipe for you. (Imagine that)

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Good Old Fashioned Pancakes

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted 

1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot. Makes 8 servings      
3. Top with whatever suits your fancy including: syrup, fresh berries, a fried egg, sausage patties, or even chocolate chips (we save those for waffles, but somebody might like them.)

And since I'm already talking about pancakes I thought I'd add a few more photos of them. These things can sure look pretty!

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I think the pancake shots are the cutest!

 I'm not sure how National Pancake Day got started. If anyone knows I'd love to hear about it.

~Susanna

Awesome-Tasting Food!! // cheesy garlic biscuits

It's Tuesday again and time for a new recipe for you to try. These Cheesy Garlic Biscuits are really good. And I know that because we made the at our Valentine's Banquet a couple weeks ago. Be prepared for a different taste when you bite into it. I thought it would taste more like a roll because when they came out of the oven they kinda looked like one. The name says biscuits so I don't know what I was thinking. weird. What does the trick for these biscuits is all the garlic and cheese. Now I know you can't wait to make them. :)

 If you'd like to read about the banquet you can do that here. 

 Cheesy Garlic Biscuits

• 4 cups baking mix
• 3 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 1/3 cups water

• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon dried parsley

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the baking mix, cheese, and water. Mix until dough is firm. Using a small scoop, place dough on the prepared pan.
3. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
4. Combine the melted butter, garlic powder, salt, onion powder and parsley. Brush over baked biscuits immediately upon removing from oven. 

 See, I told you they're easy and they taste good. What did you think of them??



~Susanna

Awesome-Tasting Food!! // cake pops

I think everybody is crazy about cake pops right now so of course I have to try them, right?  Cake pops are sooo cute!! They're also very easy to make. Another thing is, supposedly this is the Starbucks cake pop recipe. Who knows...


So, go ahead and try your hand at making these adorable sweets.

Cake Pops

9-by-13-inch Vanilla Cake for Cupcake Pops
2 cups Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
1 package chocolate coating bark
1 package white coating bark or pink candy melts
Sprinkles, for garnish

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Directions
1. Crumble cake in a bowl with your hands (or with a food processor). Crumble until really fine. Now add your frosting and blend together, using a spoon, until the batter comes together in a big ball.
2.Roll mixture into 1 1/4- to 1 1/2-inch balls; transfer to prepared baking sheet. Cover with parchment-paper-lined aluminum foil. Transfer to refrigerator until chilled, about 2 hours or to a freezer for about 10 minutes.
3.Meanwhile, melt chocolate in a bowl. Line another baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Remove cake balls from freezer and dip the bottom of each cupcake into the chocolate; transfer, bottom-side up, to prepared baking sheet. To make cake pops, insert a lollipop stick into the bottom of each cake ball. Let chocolate set, 15 to 20 minutes.
4.Melt white chocolate or pink candy melts in a bowl set over (but not touching) simmering water. Dip the tops of the cupcakes into the chocolate and place right-side up on prepared baking sheet or stick lollipop sticks into a Styrofoam square. Place a candy-coated chocolate in the center of each and top with sprinkles. Let dry completely.


I thought I'd include some ideas on how to decorate your pops. Have fun!

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Enjoy your cake pops!!


~Susanna

Awesome-Tasting Food!! // link

Today, instead of a recipe I'm going to give you a link to a really good looking recipe!

Awhile back I found a blog called Chocolate-Covered Katie. This blog has got to be one of the best food blogs out there. Not only that but everything Katie posts about has something to do with CHOCOLATE!! The recipe she posted yesterday was Chocolate Mousse and it looks really tempting. So head on over there and take a peek!

Also, have a terrific Tuesday!


~Susanna

Awesome-Tasting Food!! // chicken noodle soup

Being winter, you just have to have chicken noodle soup at least once...or twice.  It isn't my favorite thing in the world, but it tastes great on a cold night.

Chicken Noodle Soup

• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 4 cups cubed peeled potatoes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
• 2 cups uncooked yolk-free wide noodles
• 1 cup fat-free evaporated milk

In a stockpot, saute the onion, carrots, and celery in oil for 5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the flour, oregano, thyme and poultry seasoning until blended. Gradually add the broth, potatoes and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir in chicken and noodles; simmer for 10 minutes or until noodles are tender. Reduce heat. Stir in milk; heat through (do not boil).  Makes 8 servings.

And speaking of cold nights, has anyone been getting snow? For some reason this year Kansas hasn't gotten a lot of snow. Usually we get enough to make forts a time or two. This year our snow hasn't even stuck to the ground. Kinda sad.


~Susanna

Awesome-Tasting Food!! // chocolate chip scones

I know what you're thinking. This is Tuesday, not Wednesday.  But if you saw my last post you would know that I'm changing Awesome-Tasting Food!! to Tuesday, instead of Wednesday. Sorry, it is a little confusing.

Now on to the food part. If there is anything that I love to make and is EASY...that would be scones. They're super easy to throw together and roll out.
 Before I had had a scone I thought of them as cranberry-filled, dry, triangular biscuits. (notice I don't care for cranberries)  One time, on the spur of the moment, I was looking through our big kid's cookbook. Some of our best recipes came out of that book!! This scone recipe was in there so I decided to try it. I changed the cranberries to chocolate chips and the results was great! The scones were soft, NOT DRY!

Chocolate Chip Scones

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick of butter
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips
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3 tablespoons flour

In a bowl mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt for 15 sec, set this bowl aside.
Melt the butter in a separate bowl. Add the buttermilk, egg, and vanilla. Stir real well until ingredients are well blended.
Mix the buttermilk mixture and flour mixture together. Add chocolate chips and then stir for another 30 seconds or until mixture gathers together into a ball.
Sprinkle flour on the table. Take the dough ball and place on floured surface. Knead dough at least 8 times.
Place kneaded dough on a baking sheet. Pat or roll the dough into a big circle. Cut into 8 wedges.
At 425 degrees, bake scones for 10-15 minutes or until a light brown.

If you don't have buttermilk make your own by mixing 1 c. water, 1/4 c. dry milk, and 1 T. lemon juice. Mix well and then let stand for 2 minutes before using.

Now sit down with a good book (or movie) and a glass of this. And don't eat the whole pan! :)

On Monday I've got a big giveaway for you all! So look out!

~Susanna

Awesome-Tasting Food!! // white hot chocolate

This time of year is when my family drinks a lot of hot chocolate. Notice I said "my family". I would rather drink coffee. Every once in awhile I drink hot chocolate and to tell you the truth, I think white hot chocolate is pretty good. In the middle of a freezing cold day this sounds pretty good and........it is. Now if we could only get Kansas to see some winter this year. Oh well...

Creamy Hot White Chocolate

6 cups half-and half cream, divided     you can also use whole milk or cream.

1-1/3 cups white baking chips

2 cinnamon sticks (3 inches)

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Dash ground nutmeg

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions: In a large saucepan, combine 1/2 cup cream, chips, cinnamon sticks, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cook and stir over low heat until chips are melted. Stir in remaining cream; heat through. Discard cinnamon sticks. Stir in vanilla. Pour into mugs and enjoy!!

Makes: 8 servings      Total Time: 10 minutes

And if you're like me, you'll top all this prettiness with whipped cream!! Yum!!  Or you can use those chemical-filled-things-called-marshmallows. I eat those too on occasion.

Have a awesome rest of your day. Oh, and tell me if you make this and what you think of it.


~Susanna

Awesome-Tasting Food!! // cornbread

This evening there is a Men's Chili Feed at our church. (yeah, that's means I don't get to go, but I'm going CATO shopping. So who cares!!!)

I get to make part of the cornbread for the event and I thought I'd share the recipe. This cornbread recipe has always worked for us so far. But I like this cornbread  the best!!

Cornbread

1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/4 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup oil

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.Mix all ingredients well. Pour mixture into a greased 9 by 13 pan. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Cut cornbread and spread with butter and honey. Yum!!


~Susanna

Awesome-Tasting Food!! // stromboli

How's everyone year going so far? Seeing as we're only 4 days in it should be going good I think. :)

Stromboli is a good thing to eat in the winter so I had to post it for you. We also had it yesterday for supper and it was on my mind. If you're like us, then you change every recipe around until you like it.

Stromboli
Prep:20 min + standing time Bake: 30 min

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 cup warm water (110° to 115°)

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

2-3/4 to 3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour 

pizza sauce

sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, mozzarella cheese, and anything else you want to top it with

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the oil, salt, and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.

Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about  6-8 minutes. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; roll into a 14-in. x 12-in. rectangle.

Transfer to a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Spoon pizza sauce to within 1/2 in. of the edges. Top with sausage, mushrooms, pepperoni, and cheese. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seam to seal and tuck ends under.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.  Yield: 1 loaf

For a Italian Stromboli, spread dough with Italian dressing instead of pizza sauce. This is my favorite.


~Susanna

Christmas happenings...

Caroling

I got to make Peppermint Bark for our church caroling party. 

The bark turned out very pretty.  I probably could of spread the chocolate a little more evenly.

Three of the places we caroled at were fire stations. At the last station, one of the firemen let us all climb in the truck cab. 

Hannah, Julia, me, and Abby decided to get a picture in front of one of the trucks. Having the lights on made it look kinda funny.  Thankfully no one decided to honk the horn AGAIN while we were standing there. 

Julia and Abby were my car seat mates for the evening. The other people in the car probably got tired of all the LOUD talking going on in the back. Oh well, friends are great!!

Two cute people having fun in the driver's seat.

Ice Skating with Cousins

 My cousins from St. Louis, who were staying with us, wanted to go ice skating while they were here. There was a nice size of people skating. Meaning, is wasn't too crowded. 

Titus and I had a ton of fun playing a major game of tag with cousins Caleb and Josiah.

Christmas at our House

 We had my Dad's-side-of-the-family-Christmas on Sunday evening. As usual, we played around-the-world ping-pong. 

I can play that game for hours!! Have you ever played before?

After supper and before opening gifts, we sang several Christmas songs. This is my cute little cousin, Anna, singing Away In The Manger.

Our Christmas was great, but I better quit now or I'll go on forever. Anyway, I have to get ready for tonight. A awesome friend of mine is having a big blowout New Year's Eve party. At least, that is what she said. Can't wait!!!

So, what was your Christmas like?


~Susanna