Cheesy Braidy Bread

Just up the street from me is a pizza place that sells pizza dough, a large for 99 cents.

This night I was making pasta and wanted some yummy bread, so I stopped by PizzaPlus.

Rolled it out flat, cut some strands to braid on the outside thirds of the bread.

Then in the middle was Parmesan, butter, herbs, and garlic.

Bake until beautiful and golden.

 

Cheesy and Braidy and Yummy!

Argentinian Chimichurri Sauce

Chimichurri!

This is so easy and so good on anything!

I loved this on pork chops.  I also put it on some chopped potatoes and roasted them to tender.

Tomatillo Salsa Verde (Thanks to Briz)

While I was on my mission for the LDS church I had a Mexican companion, Briz.  Every once in awhile she would cook for me.  The best chile relleno I ever had was made by her hand.  She also made tomatillo salsa one time.  It was so good!  It is a different kind of spice, brighter and more fresh than the pureed tomato salsas, but less chopping than pico de gallo.  I have played with a recipe for the last few years, tweaking and playing with the recipe. 


I have come down to the following ingredients:

• 5 Tomatillos (I use fresh but canned ones work.)
• 1 Jalepenos
• 1/2 Onion (I prefer white for pureeing.)
• Fresh Cilantro
• Lime Juice (again, I prefer 1/2 real lime.)
• Dash of Salt

I like to roast everything until it is tender, (except the cilantro, that didn't stay on the pan). 

Then pop it all in the blender.

This shows it on my homemade tostadas (spray either side of a corn tortilla, then bake til crisp).

 AS USUAL THIS IS SO YUMMMMY!

Watermelon Rind Pickles, Spiced Sweetness from My Childhood

When I say the words watermelon, rind, and pickles, all together, people think I'm crazy.  My mom used to can these.  I just made a batch and put them in some glass bottles I had, refrigerated them until they were gone.  I love the sweetness and bite that they have, lots of cinnamon gives them a subtle spiciness. 


I was making fruit salad when I looked at my watermelon and recalled my moms pickles!  I was so excited to chop and peel my rind.  I found the best way to get rid of the green peel is a vegetable peeler, preferably the "Y" shaped peelers and not the standard stick peeler.








Basically you plop everything in a pot and cook until the pickles get tender and the syrup thickens.  It smells SO GOOD!  (Kind of like mulled cider)
 





I put them in a Pyrex casserole dish to cool. Make sure you do glass because plastic will absorb the intense spices if left in contact for a while.  I let them sit in this for a few days in the fridge, then put them in my glass bottles.

YUUUUUUMMMMMYYYYYY!!!!!

I Made Bagels!!!

I have wanted to make bagels for a really long time.  I have seen lots of reviews on how easy it is to make them, so I decided to just do it.  I used Emeril's recipe.
It really is as easy as people say.  I didn't know that to get the chewy "crust" you boil the bagels, then bake them.  I made garlic bagels and mustard bagels.  The hardest part was flipping the bagels in the water, and taking them out.  They are really soft.  The picture on the right has a notch from the chopstick I used to transfer it to the baking sheet. 
I will make these again, because I loved them!

Balsamic Vegetables and Bleu Cheese Steak w/ Balsamic Reduction

This is one of my favorite dinners.  I toss my vegetables with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, a little salt and pepper, then roast them.  I prefer red and green peppers, yellow and green squash, and red onions.  What makes the steak special is the reduction.  This was my first time making a reduction.  I used a half cup of balsamic vinegar, and boiled it until it was reduced to a syrup.  WARNING!!!!  THIS WILL STINK UP YOUR HOUSE!!!!  Also, DON'T take a whiff of this right over the pan, it WILL BURN!!!
Drizzle the reduction over the steak in the pan.  While the pan is warm put bleu cheese on the steak and cover with lid until melted.
I love this!!!   

Almost Two Months to the Day Since My Last Post

So here comes the usual plethora of updating posts!