gd likes

re-creating this soon for a bbq!

for herbs in our new house??

what a cute menu idea!

oh, please, oh, please.

sooooo, what do you like this week???

blueberry pie

Hi.
I'm Katie.
I like pie.

And since my darling mother-in-law sent us home from Michigan a couple weeks back with about ten pounds of fresh Michigan blueberries, I just had to do something with them, right?

So, prepare to be bombarded, with the tiny bit of summer we have left, with blueberry recipes.
Sorry, in advance.
:)

Blueberry Pie
Taken directly from the Food Network.
Makes one, delicious pie.
7 cups fresh blueberries, divided
1 cup maple syrup, divided
3 tablespoons quick cooking tapioca (or 1/4 cup cornstarch, but tapioca really works the best here)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter
Double crust pie (I used their recipe with uuuhhh-mazing results! ...but, really, you can use whatever good pie crust recipe you've got.  Or, hey, just go out and buy one from the store.)
2 tablespoons heavy cream
A bit of sugar, for dusting

Simmer 3 cups of blueberries with 1/2 cup maple syrup in a medium saucepan for around 20 minutes, until reduced by half.
Pour into a bowl and stir in remaining 4 cups of blueberries, 1/2 cup maple syrup, tapioca, lemon juice, nutmeg and salt.  Cool completely (even overnight) and pour into prepared pie shell.
Dot with 4 tablespoons (that's right, four.) and cover with top pie crust.  Press the crust edges together and trim, leaving a one-inch overhang.  Roll up or pinch the overhang to seal.  Cut slashes in the top of the crust and chill for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, place on a foil-lined baking sheet on a rack in the lower third of your oven and preheat to 450*.
Reduce the oven temp to 400* and bake the pie for 30 minutes.  Brush the crust with the heavy cream and sprinkle sugar all over the top.  Be liberal.  I like a sugary, crunchy crust, don't you?  Bake another 30 minutes, until golden brown, adding a foil tent, if necessary.
Cool completely before slicing....or else you'll get a runny pie!
Enjoy :)

cornmeal molasses pancakes

Uuuuugh, pancakes again???
Oh, but these are so good.
I should really just have a breakfast tab.
Or, even better! a pancake tab.
That way I can find my recipes easier!

Anyway, I love pancakes with just a hint of sweetness in the batter, as well as on top.
And I love the texture that the cornmeal gives these...slightly crunchy, which, I know, is odd for pancakes.
But, surprisingly, delightful!

Just try 'em.
I know you'll like 'em.

Cornmeal Molasses Pancakes

Adapted from recipezaar

Makes 16-20 pancakes.

1 large egg

1 1/4 cup buttermilk

1-2 tablespoons dark molasses

1 teaspoon vanilla 

1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

In a small bowl whisk together egg, buttermilk, molasses, vanilla extract and butter.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.

Add the cornmeal and stir until just mixed. 

Drop a smallish amount of batter onto a hot, greased griddle or cast iron skillet.

Flip when browned and cook through.  

Serve with maple syrup and enjoy!

green fried rice

I've never ever been a huge fan of brown rice.
It's never cooked correctly and is either disturbingly mushy or oddly crunchy.
So, I was very wary of this recipe.
But, in an effort to eat more kale - I'm kinda on a kale-in-everything kick this summer - I decided to give ole Gwyneth a shot and try this out.

And it was divine.
Even if you overcook the brown rice (which I almost always manage to do), it sits in the fridge overnight to get all stale again and stale rice is perfect for fried rice.
And even if you think you don't like brown rice....well, it's fried.  So you don't notice.
And even if you think you don't like kale, it's chopped into tiny bits....and, well, it's coated in soy sauce and served up with fried rice.

You'll love it.

Green Fried Rice
Serves 4.
From Gwyneth Paltrow's cookbook, My Father's Daughter

1/2 pound kale, stems discarded

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 cloves garlic, very finely minced

3 large scallions, cut into 1/8" diagonal slices

2 1/2 cups cooked brown rice (preferably cooked the day before and refrigerated overnight)

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon soy sauce

Eggs, optional

Cut the kale leaves in half lengthwise and then cut crosswise into very thin ribbons, or a chiffonade...or just chop it all up. Steam the kale for 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, being careful not to brown the garlic. Raise the heat to medium and add the steamed kale and scallions. Cook for 2 minutes and then add the rice and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring. Add the soy sauce and cook for 30 seconds more. Serve hot, with or without a sunny side up egg on top!

gd likes

what a cool idea.  diy-ing it soon.

this too.

this floor.  love.

doing this asap for a bbq!

sooooo, what do you like this week???

blackberry cobbler

Things to do:
(summer version)

try not to melt
spend as much time in a pool as possible
buy a summer fun-tastic lipstick
hardly wash your hair because it looks so great from the beach
eat lots of bbq
wear lots and lots of sunscreen.  lobster is not the new tan.
turn the a/c waaaay down and nap with your son curled around your big belly
paint your nails a wild color
sip drinks of the icy variety.  next summer, we'll add back in the tequila.
turn that a/c down again and make cobbler.

you knew we were ending on cobbler, yes?

And what, what I ask, screams summer more than blackberry cobbler??
My fav.

Ripe, berries, freshly picked, bursting with summer goodness, and now all melty and delicious in a good, old-fashioned cobbler.

And since we were in Texas, top it off with your favorite Blue Bell.
Mine is the real cookies n' cream.

Recipe straight from the PW.  She rocks.

burrito quinoa bowl

Ready for another quinoa recipe???
You better be.

I was just in Texas to visit family and now I can't get Tex Mex food out of my head!
And quinoa is the perfect vessel for summer fare.
Quinoa is super healthy and if you don't have a big, fat, warm flour tortilla around, (oh man. my mouth is watering now.) then you have just cut out about 99% of the fat associated with Mexican food.

Well, but we are adding back in the sour cream.
*sigh*

Burrito Quinoa Bowl

Serves 4.
Adapted from The Shiksa!

1 cup quinoa

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup onion, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

Pinch of cayenne pepper 

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1 cup shredded lettuce

Grated cheddar or jack cheese

Sour cream

Pico de gallo or salsa

Diced seeded tomatoes or cherry tomato halves

Hot sauce

Sliced avocado or guacamole

Grilled corn
Salt and pepper to taste

Pour quinoa into a saucepan along with 2 cups of water. Bring the quinoa to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer. Cover the pot. Let the quinoa simmer for about 20 minutes till it becomes tender and all the liquid has been absorbed. 
While quinoa is cooking, heat the oil in another saucepan over medium heat. Place minced onion into the saucepan and saute for a few minutes till it softens and begins to turn brown. Add the minced garlic to the pot and let it saute for 1-2 minutes longer till aromatic. Add the black beans to the pot of onions along with 1/2 cup water, half the chopped fresh cilantro, and the chili powder and cayenne pepper. Bring the beans to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low. Let the beans simmer for 15 minutes till the liquid is mostly evaporated. Stir in half of the fresh lime juice. Season with salt to taste. 
When the quinoa is fully cooked, remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Use the fork to mix in the rest of the chopped cilantro and lime juice. Season with salt to taste. 
Assemble your burrito bowls. Divide the cilantro lime quinoa between four bowls. Top each portion of quinoa with 1/4 cup of shredded lettuce. Top each portion of lettuce with simmered black beans. Top the black beans with your choice of the rest of the ingredients.  Season to taste, kinda mix with your spoon, and enjoy warm!