Dill Pasta Salad

I love this salad!!! It's more of a summer salad but I was needing a little summer flavor so I whipped this up and I'm in heaven again (yes, in January). It tastes amazing with fresh garden tomatoes but it's still great with store-bought produce.

INGREDIENTS:

Dill & Garlic Vinaigrette:
-1/3 cup olive oil
-7 TBSP red wine vinegar
-2 tsp sugar
-1 large clove garlic, minced (about 2 tsp)
-1 1/2 TBSP fresh dill, minced. (I use LITEHOUSE freeze dried dill and it's awesome.)
-1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
-3/4 tsp garlic powder
-1/2 tsp salt

Pasta Salad:
-1 lb pasta (Rotini, bow-tie, choose your favorite shape)
-1 lb tomatoes (cherry, cut in half or 3 large, diced)
-1 lb cucumbers (approximately 2 large or 4 small), peeled and diced
-1/2 cup olives, drained, pitted & sliced (the original recipe called for Kalamata, but I like black or none at all)
-1/2 to 3/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled (I use 3/4 cup when I don't put in olives, it adds the salt it needs)
-2 avocados, diced (serve these on the side or else it browns in the salad leftovers)

DIRECTIONS:

For the vinaigrette:
1. Place ingredients in a jar, tighten the lid and shake until incorporated. Or sometimes I mix the dressing right in the bowl I'll put the ingredients in and whisk it, then add the ingredients and stir. Save 1/3 of the vinaigrette to add just before serving.

For the salad:
2. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and cool.
3. In a large bowl, combine all (except avocado) salad ingredients and toss with 2/3 of the vinaigrette until everything is evenly coated.
4. Cover salad and refrigerate for a few hours. The longer it "marinates" the more flavorful it is. When ready to serve add in the remaining vinaigrette and stir. I occasionally add a few dashes more of the red wine vinegar or leave it on the table for each person to add as desired. Serve with avocado on the side. Enjoy!

I got the original recipe from fivehearthome.com.

Japanese Stir Fry

We are in Japan now!  My husband and I are serving a mission in Tsuruoka, Japan.  We are so happy to be here.  We are having so much fun experiencing the culture and cuisine of this land.  So my posts may be less frequent and the foods may reflect my new surroundings.  We are having amazing culinary experiences.  Every week, the members of the branch gather together on Tuesday evening and cook and eat.  It is a thrill to watch these ladies cook the foods of their land.  I take notes, but until I do it, I’m not sure if I’m getting it all. 

A dish I’ve already made several times is Japanese Stir Fry.  A rice cooker is an essential piece of kitchen equipment here.  In fact, it’s the main piece.  The rice cooker is very heavy duty and it cooks a lot of things besides rice (including our glazed Christmas ham slices)  You put the rice in and it cooks and then it keeps it warm and moist and ready to eat for literally days.  Since Japanese people often eat rice three meals a day, this is very convenient.  So, that’s where this recipe starts.  Cook some sticky, white rice (or you can do as we do and mix it with brown rice.)

Japanese Stir Fry

Cooked meat, cut up, any kind: ham, chicken, beef, pork  (opt.)  amount to taste  You can start by cooking the meat, which is what I usually do.

Vegetables of your choice:

Dikon (big Japanese radish- a staple in Japan.  It tastes like a radish when raw, but when cooked, is more like a potato), cut up

Cabbage, shredded

Green onion, sliced

Mushrooms (they have many more varieties here), sliced

Carrots, sliced

Broccoli, cut up

Cauliflower, cut up

Sauce:

Soy Sauce

Sugar, (a couple of Tablespoons)

Garlic granules or you can use fresh garlic in with the vegetables

2 eggs

Heat some oil in a large skillet or wok. Add the meat and cook (if not already cooked- like ham)  Stir fry the vegetables until tender.  Add the cooked meat and stir fry together for a minute, then add 2 eggs in the hot pan and scramble and stir in with veggies and meat.  Pour the sauce over and cook until hot and bubbly.  Serve over hot rice, sprinkled with sesame seeds.  Serve with sesame seed dressing (it’s the most popular salad dressing here- called Goma Dressing) and sprinkled with sesame seeds.

One Bowl Chocolate Cake

This rich, moist cake was a hit at my son's birthday, and it only takes a few minutes to prepare the batter.  I frosted it with "Creamy Chocolate Frosting." It has a dense, rich consistency since it has a minimal amount of flour. My mouth may or may not be watering right now as I think about it. I will tell you that this cake didn't last long.

My baby ate every last crumb.  No wasting any of this good stuff!

Prep: 20 min

Cook: 30 min

Ready In: 1 hour

Ingredients:

2 cups white sugar

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour two nine inch round pans.

2.  In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, mix for 2 minutes on medium speed of mixer.  Stir in the boiling water last.  Batter will be thin.  Pour evenly into the prepared pans.  

3.  Bake 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the cake tests done with a toothpick.  To reduce dome shaped top, press down on top of cake with a dish towel to flatten.  This allows for more even stacking for the two layers, without the top one cracking.  Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.  

*Recipe from allrecipes.com:  "One Bowl Chocolate Cake III"

Creamy Chocolate Frosting

This is my favorite home-made frosting.  It's smooth, creamy, and not too dark.  It will frost, but not fill, an 8 or 9 inch double layer cake.  I like to double it and put the remaining amount on graham crackers as an added bonus.  So to chocolate lovers everywhere: You've gotta' try this one!

Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups powdered sugar
6 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
6 Tablespoons butter
5 Tablespoons evaporated milk (or regular milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
1.  In a medium bowl, sift together the powdered sugar and cocoa, and set aside.
2.  In a large bowl, cream butter until smooth, then gradually beat in the sugar mixture alternately with milk.  Blend in vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy.  If necessary, adjust consistency with more milk or sugar.

*Recipe from allrecipes.com.

Yams with Nutmeg Struesel

I love yams, and I've tried them prepared a lot of ways, but this is by far the most delicious.  It's always a hit. Sorry, there's no picture because it was consumed too quickly.

Ingredients:

3 pounds yams, untrimmed

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 stick butter, melted

1/3 cup sugar

Juice of one lemon

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp grated lemon zest

3 Tbsp. water

Directions:

1. Boil yams whole in salted water until tender when pierced, about 40 minutes. Drain and let cool. 

2. Mix together flour, sugar, salt and melted butter to make large crumbs. 

3. Peel and slice cooled, cooked yams in 1/2 inch slices. Layer in a buttered baking dish. 

4. Bring to a boil the remaining ingredients and pour over the yam slices.  Sprinkle with the streusel crumbs and bake at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes, until browned and bubbly.  

Black Bean 'n' Pumpkin Chili with Turkey

This is the perfect autumn meal, especially after Thanksgiving when you have leftover turkey to use. It is quick, healthy, and delicious! There is very little if any pumpkin taste, but the pumpkin makes it rich and smooth. We found the recipe online at Taste of Home and decided to try it to use up some of our mounds of leftover turkey and we are so glad we did. It is definitely a keeper!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium sweet yellow pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
3 cups chicken broth (reviews online said that the recipe turned out more soupy, so I just did a little more than 2 cups of broth and it was great)
2-1/2 cups cubed cooked turkey
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
2 teaspoons chili powder
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cubed avocado and thinly sliced green onions, optional

Directions:

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and pepper; cook and stir until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.

Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker; stir in the next 10 ingredients. Cook, covered, on low 4-5 hours. If desired, top with avocado and green onions. Yield: 10 servings (2-1/2 quarts).

Nutritional Facts

1 cup equals 192 calories, 5 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 28 mg cholesterol, 658 mg sodium, 21 g carbohydrate, 7 g fiber, 16 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 lean meat, 1-1/2 starch, 1/2 fat.

Homemade Pineapple Ice Cream

I've been taking a hiatus from this blog since we got our mission call to Japan.  With only two months to prepare, I felt this was something I could let go for awhile.  BUT, then I came across this recipe and had to post it.  A week ago, a cute family (both of the parents served missions in Japan) had us over for family home evening.  It was so fun.  For treats, they served this delicious pineapple ice cream.  We may or may not have made it five times since then.  We are hooked, so I just had to share it with you.  It's easy and so yummy.  They served it (as shown) with extra pineapple juice poured over the top.

Homemade Pineapple Ice Cream
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 cups milk
3 cups pineapple juice
1 1/2 cups sugar (the original called for 3 cups, but this is plenty sweet enough)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix all together and pour in your ice cream freezer.  Yummy!