Orzo Salad With Everything and Redecorating Everywhere

As all new school years typically go there is the new wardrobe, new school supplies and new haircuts to start the year off fresh.

Well, since we had recently moved into our new house, the girls decided they also wanted new rooms...something a little more grown up, sophisticated and mature. Yes, another rite of passage that breaks my heart...my little girls are growing up too fast.

We have spent the last couple months searching out ideas on Pinterest and slowly transforming not only their rooms, but also seeing them really coming into their own young ladies.

Love the owl lamps and owl headboard piece we discovered.

The oldest one really took to the set designs of the show Gossip Girl.  She loves the elegance and classy sophistication of their home in New York.  My daughter really has an affection for her owls and I found the greatest finds at Hobby Lobby to finish it off.

Gossip Girl's infamous butterfly wall design.

We started her collection of accent pillows, a beautiful jacquard bed set and she now has her espresso colored dresser and nightstands.  I love finding great deals and never paying full price for "fabulous".

My other daughter is more of a relaxed, colorful spirit with a touch of pizazz.  She loves organic designs and lots of color around her.  Again, we searched far and wide and found incredible designs and deals at Target and Hobby Lobby.

The perfect wall decals to bring out the bedding colors.

Eggplant color framed mirror with her sparkle arrangement.

Beautiful art piece that sparkles in just the right light.

After the finishing touches everywhere it was time for our neighbor's annual end of summer potluck dinner with all the neighbors on their street.  I decided to make the family Orzo Salad With Everything.  

My sister-in-law Leslie first introduced this salad to us at one of our family dinners.  Love this salad...really versatile and goes great with any type of meat dish.  Leslie and my husband's brother Steve will be visiting us in the next couple weeks, so I know that there will be much cooking, baking and BBQ going on...stay tuned for that one next month.  They both love to cook as much as me and my husband, so rest assured no one will be starving that weekend.

Orzo Salad With Everything
Courtesy of Leslie

1-1/2 cups orzo (rice shaped pasta) uncooked
1/3 cup (packed) chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
5 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup chopped Kalamata olives
1 cup finely chopped radicchio (about 1/2 of a small head)
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese
2 cloves garlic, finely minced

Cook orzo in a pot of boiling, salted water until tender.  Drain well.  Transfer to a large bowl.  Add sun-dried tomatoes, oil, vinegar and olives.  Toss to blend.  Let stand until cool.  (This part can be prepared up to 6 hours ahead, cover and refrigerate).  Bring to room temperature before continuing.

Mix chopped radicchio, pine nuts, chopped basil, Feta and garlic into the orzo mixture.  Season salad to taste with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

One Year Ago: Pasta Puttanesca

BBQ Ranch Grilled Chicken

Well we did it...we have survived the first week of school.  To say it has been a whirlwind is an understatement.  Non-stop schedules all week, both day and night, but we made it.

My mantra, next to our coffee maker...enough said.

To help keep my sanity (especially during school and volleyball season), I always plan our dinners one week in advance and keep a monthly calendar on the refrigerator to help with the planning.  It's a good thing because I need to refer to it several times a month when I am writing my blog.

I typically photograph and keep about two weeks of meal and/or specialty photos stocked and ready to go for the postings.  The problem is when I go back to write and download the photos, sometimes I cannot recognize the dish.  My sister-in-law who was the Marketing Director for Bristol Farms taught me that food is one of the most difficult things to photograph to capture the true colors and textures of a dish...she was spot on.

So as I was going through my photos this week I came across this one and it took me about a day and referring to my meal calendar to figure out what it was.  I can't believe I forgot about it because it was one of the most amazing chicken dishes we have had...served with a caesar salad and parmesan-garlic couscous. The moistness and flavors of the chicken was outstanding. This is by far a keeper...now if I can only remember it for the future!

BBQ Ranch Grilled Chicken
Courtesy of Plain Chicken

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup prepared Ranch dressing
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbsp BBQ seasoning
1 teaspoon white vinegar
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, ranch dressing, Worcestershire sauce, BBQ seasonng, and white vinegar.

Pound chicken breast to 1/4" thickness.  Place chicken in the gallon size ziplock bag.  Pour marinade over chicken.  Refrigerate for at least 8 hours (all day).

Preheat the grill for medium-high heat.  Grill chicken for 8 to 12 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and the juices run clear.

Spinach, Chicken, Bacon Pizza...Back To School Shopping

 "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year"...I love it when I hear the Staples t.v. commercial with Andy Williams singing this tune in the background.  Yes, it has arrived once again!!

A beautiful sign nearing end of summer in our backyard.

Well, once again, I walked our 17 mile adventure at Flatiron Crossing Mall with my girls for our annual back-to-school adventure.  All the major places of interest were hit...Hollister, American Eagle, H&M, Forever 21, Kohl's, Sports Authority, BC Surf and Sport and of course Office Depot (well the last one wasn't very popular, but necessary).

All in all, a very successful day and happy to report we got it all wrapped up in one day.

The fruits of our labor and the "fruit of the vine" for mommy!!

After a very long and traffic packed day I needed simple, easy and satisfying dinner.  It was not South Beach friendly but I didn't care I had definitely walked off the calories this day and deserved a little indulgence.

Spinach, Chicken and Bacon Pizza

Boboli Ready Made 12" Pizza Thin Crust
10 oz. container Buitoni Alfredo Sauce (in refrigerator deli section) - I only use about 1/2 of the container.
(1) cooked chicken breast, diced
(5) slices cooked bacon, crumbled
1 small jar, marinated artichoke hearts, sliced
(1) handful fresh spinach leaves
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon Italian blend seasoning mix

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Put pizza crust on a pizza stone (or cookie sheet).  Spread alfredo sauce all over pizza crust.  Layer pizza toppings starting with spinach, chicken, bacon, artichoke hearts and top with Parmesan cheese.  Finish with sprinkling Italian seasoning all over pizza.

Bake approximately 12 minutes (check after 10 minutes, depending on your oven).  Continue baking until crust is golden brown and cheese has melted and bubbly.  Let set about 5 minutes before cutting.

Enjoy this luscious pizza with a
 chilled Chateau St. Michelle Chardonnay.

One Year Ago:  Flat Iron Steak Salad

Baja Turkey Tostadas and National Twins Day

So, I just learned that there is a National Twins Day and Twins Festival in Twinsburg, Ohio this weekend...really?  I joined a local "Mothers of Multiples" club when the girls were first born, but had no idea that there was an actual annual festival that takes place every year.

This festival is for those twins that truly do look exactly alike.  The siblings that you cannot tell apart, just like our nieces.  Truth be told though our girls not only don't look like twins, they don't even look like they could be cousins.  They are as opposites of the spectrum as you could find....day and night both in looks and personalities.  It's as though I gave two separate births at different times.

They do have one thing in common though, just like every other child....I saw this posting on Pinterest and could not stop laughing.  I loved it so much that I immediately printed and posted on our refrigerator.  The girls and my husband read it and said, "Yep, that's so true".

As you know, we have been trying to improve some of our eating habits and I have been a regular on the Jennie-O Turkey website trying to find different turkey recipes because I think I have now exhausted every type of salad that I can stand right now.

Great diversion from our regular Tuesday Taco Night option.  So easy and I am in love with this new cole slaw...we are using it all the time now.  Incredibly flavorful with such few ingredients.  I changed up their recipe and made my own short cuts for weeknight time savings.

Baja Turkey Tostadas
Adapted from Jennie-O website

For the slaw:
1 Bag shredded cole slaw mix (purple and green cabbage with shredded carrots)
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons honey
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup shredded jicama

For the turkey filling:
1 (20-oz) package Jennie-O Extra Lean Ground Turkey Breast (or your favorite brand)
1 package of your favorite taco seasoning mix (I used the McCormick's brand package made for Chicken tacos, for a lighter flavor with the white meat)

Whole Wheat Tortillas
Sour Cream
Lime Wedges, if desired
Salsa, if desired

To make the slaw, in a large bowl, combine vinegar, olive oil, honey, cayenne pepper and mix well.  Add the cabbage/carrot mixture and jicama.  Toss well with dressing.  Cover and chill 3-4 hours, if time permits.
** I chilled mine for only about an hour while I prepared the rest of the dinner and it was still great.

To make the turkey filling, in a large skillet, cook the turkey as specified on the package.  Always cook to well-done 165 degrees F.  Add the taco seasoning and prepare as directed on package.

While turkey is simmering, prepare the tortillas.  Heat a medium size skillet to medium-high heat.  Add tortilla one at a time and heat each side about one minute, or until the tortilla starts to get golden brown and crisp.

For plating, fill each cooked tortilla with turkey mixture.  Top with slaw and sour cream, if desired.  Serve with lime wedges and salsa, if desired.

Pork Schnitzel at Sawtooth Hotel and Redfish Lake

Our last day in Idaho took us back to one of our favorite places, Redfish Lake and Lodge in Stanley.

Charming lodge right on the lake.

My cute little "Redfish" baseball cap.

Gorgeous mountain views from the beach.

A busy day full of swimmers, boaters and kayaking.

As we headed back home from the lake, we stopped at the famous Sawtooth Hotel and had dinner out on their rustic open deck, taking in the sun setting and reliving our weekend.

As this was our first time at one of Dick and JoAnne's favorite stops, they certainly did not disappoint.  The menu is all local, fresh ingredients and the atmosphere is both historic and charming at the same time.

We all shared and immensely enjoyed our chilled La Crema Chardonnay, antipasto salad and their Pork Schnitzel cutlets, complete with a lemon, caper and butter sauce.

Desserts offered nightly are fresh from Stanley Baking Co. & Cafe.

Pork Schnitzel With Lemon-Caper Cream

Courtesy of food.com

Schnitzel

1 (12 ounce) pork tenderloin, cut into 1/2 inch circles ( boneless loin chops work well also)
1/2 lemon, juice of
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon dijon-style mustard
1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons canola oil or 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, for frying

Lemon-Caper Cream Sauce

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup jarred lemon curd
1/4 cup small caper, drained, room temperature

Directions

Pound pork circles between pieces of plastic wrap to flatten to 1/4 inch thickness.
Sprinkle both sides of medallions with lemon juice.
Combine flour and poultry seasoning in shallow dish. Coat medallions with flour mixture; shake off excess flour and set aside.
In a deep pie plate, beat the eggs and mix in the mustard.
Place bread crumbs in another pie plate. Dip the pork medallions into the egg mixture; coat well with bread crumbs.

Place in refrigerator for 15 minutes.
For the cream sauce, melt the butter in a small heavy saucepan.
Add shallots and sauté over medium heat until fragrant (approximately 2 minutes).
Remove saucepan from heat; add the wine, chicken broth and cream.
Return saucepan to heat and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 12 to 15 minutes to reduce by half.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large heavy skillet.
Add half of the medallions; fry over medium-high heat on both sides for 1-2 minutes or until no longer pink.
Transfer to a plate and tent with foil. Repeat with remaining oil and medallions.
Remove sauce from heat and stir in lemon curd & capers.
Serve with buttered spaetzle and garnish with lemon wedges

Gloria's Shrimp and Avocado Dip, Grumpy's and Lululemon

Day 2 of our Idaho adventure started with us downtown for some famous designer shopping and even more famous burgers.

Unfortunately, my girls have discovered Lululemon yoga and workout clothing line.  Very upscale and I will also admit, very cute.  What makes it worse is that the clothes are really adorable on the girls, which they also have realized...well, don't you know they had a Lululemon boutique in Ketchum...who knew?

So, as I typically do...I caved.  I agreed to buy them one shirt and headband each and then they were on their own with the allowance funds they had.

"Grumpy's" weclcoming sign.

Next, it was on for some lunch at Grumpy's in Ketchum.  Famous for for their burgers, beer and everything else on their menu, it definitely hit the spot after our shopping trip.

JoJo, Gloria and Pam

As I have previously mentioned, JoAnne and Dick have a remarkable group of friends that they not only see during the winter months, but they all also have summer homes in Ketchum.  JoJo's girlfriends are all wonderful ladies and incredible cooks, which I have been fortunate enough to have some of their recipes.

Wonderful flat iron creekside dinner.

For dinner that night, we did potluck with a group of their friends and grilling by the creek.  The night was perfect and we even had a visit from a deer.  We grilled up some flat iron steak and bbq baked beans.

Sun setting on the creek.

One of the appetizers we had by the creek was Gloria's Shrimp and Avocado Dip that JoAnne made for everyone.  Oh my gosh was it delicious.  I'm sure I embarrassed myself, as I could not stay away from the bowl.

It was so good, when we returned back home, I couldn't wait to make up another batch of it for our evening debriefing last weekend.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we all did - Cheers!

Gloria's Shrimp and Avocado Dip
Courtesy of Gloria

(Serves 24 or as salad for 8)

*** I cut the recipe in half for our little family group and it was plenty.

(This is the full recipe/portions below)

2 pounds bay shrimp
2 avocados cut in chunks
1 medium onion chopped

Marinade:

1 C vegetable or olive oil
1 C white wine vinegar
1/2 c Lemon juice
1 T Salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Mix & marinate  for two hours or more.

Serve with toasts:
Sliced baguette with Olive oil and garlic powder; toast

*** We used ours as a dip for cantina tortilla chips (like a ceviche)

Sun Valley Pecan-Crusted Chicken in Idaho

Our family had the pleasure of taking a quick weekend trip to visit Dick and JoAnne (Aunt JoJo) at their summer home in Sun Valley, Idaho last week.

Sun Valley welcomes United Airlines' direct flight from Denver - love it !!

The Sun Valley / Ketchum / Hailey communities are truly beautiful, charismatic and filled with culture, art and incredibly quaint, culinary wonders.  Upon arriving we headed to Despo's "Mexican with Altitude" for a late dinner in Ketchum.  Excellent margaritas, salsa and shrimp tacos.  My daughters even loved their made-to-order bean and cheese burrito for one and the carne asada street tacos for the other.

Sun Valley Lodge

The next day we started off touring the breathtaking Sun Valley Lodge and its beautiful resort.  They have anything you could think of for both summer and winter stays, complete with ice shows, concerts, sports and family activities, not to mentioned the shopping village that has everything you could imagine.

The tranquil lake in front of Sun Valley Lodge

We then headed into town late afternoon for all the items needed for our happy hour platter, wines and JoAnne's amazing Sun Valley Pecan-Crusted Chicken, made famous by Chef Jeff Keys Vintage Restaurant
in Ketchum.  He even wrote a beautiful cookbook (that I immediately ordered and it arrived yesterday, thank you very much) featuring his world class dishes from the restaurant.

It was a perfect and most welcoming evening.  Great food, wines, laughs and conversation......

Our wonderful happy hour complete with roasted garlic, Cambazola cheese
and mango salsa paired with Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc

All happy hours should be enjoyed while dancing.

Beautiful sunset from their deck.

Sun Valley Pecan-Crusted Chicken with Sour Cream Mustard Sauce,
 Tomato and Black Currant Chutney,
Baked Yukon Gold Gorgonzola Smashed Potatoes and Caesar Salad

Sun Valley Pecan-Crusted Chicken
from the "Vintage Restaurant" cookbook by Jeff Keys

For the Pecan Saltine Cracker Crumbs:
1-1/2 cps coarsely ground pecans
1-1/2 cups ground saltine crackers

Mix the ground pecans and saltine crackers in a medium size bowl.  Set aside.

Four the Sour Cream Mustard Sauce:
1-1/2 cups sour cream
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard

Blend well in a small bowl and set aside.

For the Dijon-Mustard Butter Rub:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard

For the Chicken:
(4) 5-ounce boneless and skinless chicken breasts

To make the chicken, lightly pound each breast to about 3/8 inch thick.  Take each chicken breast and coat one side with the painting of the mustard butter.

  Put the breast, mustard-butter-side-down, in the saltine cracker crumb mixture.  Give it a firm press so the crumbs adhere.  Repeat for the other side.  Do this to all of the chicken breasts and put them on a platter until you are ready to cook.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  To cook the chicken, melt 3 tablespoons unsalted butter in a 12-inch saute pan.  When the butter is hot, add the chicken breasts.  Cook them for about 3 minutes.  They should be turning a nice, crispy medium brown color.  Turn them over and cook for 3 more minutes.  Remove the chicken breasts to a baking sheet, saving the crumbs that remain in the saute pan.

Put the baking sheet int eh oven and cook the breasts for about 5 more minutes.  While the chicken is cooking, add 8 tablespoons of the Sour Cream Mustard Sauce to the saute pan that the chicken cooked in; blend the crumbs and juices from the chicken with the sour cream mixture, just before the chicken is done cooking, heat up the sauce until it is just bubbly.

Take the chicken out of the oven and place 1 breast on each plate and serve with a dollop of the Sour Cream Mustard Sauce.

Chicken and Black Bean Enchilada Bake

We are in the final countdown - 30 days until school starts.  Can I hear a Hallelujah?!!!  The back to school "wish list" has already started and we have done some essentials shopping already, in preparation for the upcoming first day of school.

I am already looking forward to the school (last minute) projects, working in the concession stand, shopping for days to find the "perfect" homecoming dance dress and of course the next seven months of volleyball seasons.  

We only have three years left of our girls' high school experiences and memories and I am already getting saddened by the thought of graduation day, so I truly do treasure every crazy moment that we have right now.

In preparation of upcoming homework-volleyball-late school nights, I put together this dish as a pantry purge dinner idea - awesome flavors and so, so easy!!  This was great as an alternative to taco meat but would be equally wonderful on lettuce with accompaniments as a taco salad also.

Chicken and Black Bean Enchilada Bake

4 cups cooked, shredded chicken (about 4 cooked chicken breasts)

1 - 15 oz can enchilada sauce

1 - 12 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed well

5-6 (sandwich size slices) of cheddarella cheese (or your favorite shredded cheese) - enough to cover top of beans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix shredded chicken and enchilada sauce in a bowl.  Spray 9"x 11" casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.  Spread chicken/sauce mixture evenly in dish.  Top with black beans and finish with sliced or shredded cheese to cover beans.

Bake in oven approximately 30 minutes until bubbly and heated through.

Serve on warmed corn tortillas with your favorite taco fixings.

Shredded chicken mixed with enchilada sauce.

Add layer of black beans.

Cover with one layer of cheese.

Finished product - amazing tacos!!

Fry Sauce and A New Toy

Today is my one year anniversary.  Today, one year ago was my first blog publication.  How is it that time can go so incredibly fast...I will never understand.  Well, a lot has definitely happened in this past year and so much more is yet to come.

In celebration of this anniversary, and Father's Day, and Mother's Day and our actual wedding anniversary, we purchased a Traeger Smoker and Wood Pellet Grill or as my daughter called it, a cute little train???

We took this smoker/grill for a test run this weekend and had a carnivore fest in preparation of family coming out to see us.  Oh my goodness this smoker kicks butt - literally!!  We made the most incredible pork butt pulled pork in its finale for tonight's dinner.

For its inauguration, we did our Friday Night Daddy Burgers and added Gorgonzola cheese to the beef mixture along with Worcestershire sauce and McCormick's steak seasoning - mmmmm!!!

The best part of our new toy is it will work in the middle of winter and less cooking for mama - wahoo!!

Of course you cannot have burgers without fries, so I baked up a batch and we made our own fry sauce. We first learned about fry sauce during one of our Idaho trips and have been hooked ever since.  You will never want ketchup again after dipping in this delight.

Fry Sauce

1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 cup ketchup
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1-1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Whisk together all ingredients until smooth and well blended.  Cover and refrigerate until chilled and ready to use.


1 Year Ago:  Colorado and Pickling Cucumbers