If you have a plethora of basil in your garden and aren’t sure what to do with it, try Basil Salt. I shared this recipe with my daughter, Megan, who had SO much basil. She made the salt and it is delicious!
Basil Salt
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups basil
1 cup sea salt
DIRECTIONS:
Wash and dry the basil leaves.
Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
Blend the dry basil leaves and salt until well blended.
Spread the salt mixture on parchment paper in a baking pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.
Once cool, break it up and blend the mixture again.
Store in an air-tight container. Keeps well for a year.
Twas the end of peach season and I had a few peaches left. I wanted a healthier version of Peach Cobbler and this fit the bill. It was very good but I substituted cinnamon for the nutmeg…a personal choice. A nice dessert to end summer and welcome Autumn!
Peach Crumble
INGREDIENTS:
5 peaches
1/4 c. light brown sugar
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. fresh-ground nutmeg
1/2 c. granola
3 tbsp. flour
1 tsp. lemon zest
4 tbsp. butter
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Toss the peaches, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, lemon juice, and nutmeg together in a small bowl. Transfer the peaches to an 8-inch tart dish and set aside.
Mix the granola, flour, remaining brown sugar, and lemon zest together in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the butter and pulse just to combine.
Sprinkle the granola topping over the peaches and bake until the peach mixture is bubbling and the granola crumble is golden brown and crispy — 30 to 40 minutes. (I cookied mine another 5 minutes). Cool slightly before serving.
Palisade Peaches are a Colorado gem! Last year I decided to try Peach Infused Vodka and it is delicious. Next time I would add even more peaches. I’ve made cocktails using lemonade, ginger beer and lime, and tonic water and lime. My favorite, bar none, is with lemonade! It’s a light refreshing peach lemonade.
Homemade Peach Vodka
INGREDIENTS:
2 fresh peaches
3 cups good-quality vodka
DIRECTIONS:
Wash the peaches thoroughly and pat dry with a clean cloth or paper towel.
Remove the pits and slice the peaches into small chunks, allowing the fruit to easily release its flavors into the vodka.
In a large glass jar, combine the chopped peaches with the vodka. Make sure the fruit is fully submerged in the liquid.
Seal the jar tightly and give it a gentle shake to mix the ingredients.
Store the jar in a cool, dark place for at least 4-7 days, shaking gently once a day to encourage the infusion process.
As soon as the desired flavor is achieved, strain the infused vodka through a fine mesh sieve, removing the fruit solids. Note: I strained the vodka through a fine cotton cloth. Store the peach vodka in a clean bottle or jar. (Fork-Lore Note: I chose to refrigerate the vodka after straining to assure preservation).
There is nothing easier for breakfast that an oatmeal breakfast cake (like Maple Pumpkin Oatmeal Breakfast Bars or Breakfast Cake) or these Banana Breakfast Cookies. The recipe made 9 cookies. I froze 4, refrigerated 4 and, of course, ate one just to be sure they were delicious!
Banana Breakfast Cookies
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 over ripe bananas
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional +2T. for topping)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a sheet pan with parchment paper, and set aside.
In a mixing bowl combine oats, mashed bananas, peanut butter, cinnamon, and salt. Mix together with rubber spatula and add ½ cup chocolate chips. Mix again.
Divide the dough into seven cookies and place them in the parchment paper pan. Press down on the cookies to make a cookie shape and about ½ inch thick. Top cookies with extra chocolate chips if desired.
Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool before serving. Enjoy!
What a quick, easy and delicious soup! Temperatures were bitterly cold in Colorado when I made this soup. It came together in 30 minutes or less and was delicious! What an easy dinner for a busy family night. I’m thinking this soup would freeze well, if there are any leftovers!
Green Chicken Enchilada Soup
INGREDIENTS:
2 Tablespoons butter
1lb chicken breasts, chopped into bite sized pieces (I used rotisserie chicken)
1 large shallot or small onion, chopped
salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1/4 cup gluten free flour blend (could use AP flour if not GF)
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup milk, any kind
15oz can gluten free green enchilada sauce (I like Hatch brand)
4oz can chopped green chiles
2, 15oz cans great northern beans, drained and rinsed (I used 1 can white beans, 1 can black beans)
2 teaspoons cumin (I use 1 tsp.)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
8oz freshly shredded Monterey Jack cheese, plus more for topping
Toppings: tortilla strips, shredded Monterey jack cheese, fresh cilantro, green onions, lime wedges, sour cream, green Tabasco sauce
DIRECTIONS:
Melt butter in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add chopped chicken breasts and shallot/onion, season with salt and pepper, then saute until chicken is opaque, 4-5 minutes – chicken does not need to be entirely cooked through. Add garlic then saute until extremely fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
Sprinkle in flour then stir to combine and cook while stirring for 1 minute. Slowly stream in chicken broth while stirring until a smooth sauce has formed then pour in remaining chicken broth and milk. Add green enchilada sauce, canned chiles, beans, cumin, and dried oregano then turn heat up to bring soup to a bubble, stirring occasionally. Turn heat down to medium-low then simmer for 10 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot occasionally.
Turn heat off then remove pot from hot burner, add half the cheese, and then stir until completely smooth. Add remaining cheese then stir until completely smooth. Let soup sit and thicken for 15 – 20 minutes then scoop into bowls and serve with toppings.
Everyone loves a frosted sugar cookie for the holidays. Daughter, Megan, made several batches for her daughter’s December birthday party and to give to neighbors. They rolled out and cut beautifully. They are perfect for Santa’s visit on Christmas Eve. Yummo!
Easy Sugar Cookies & Sugar Cookie Frosting
INGREDIENTS:
Sugar Cookies
1 cup unsalted butter softened (226g)
1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract (see note)
1 large egg
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (Plain flour) (315g)
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon table salt
Sugar Cookie Frosting
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted (375g) (weigh before sifting)
3-4 Tablespoons milk (I use whole milk, but any kind will work)
2 Tablespoons light corn syrup (see note)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Gel food coloring optional
Additional candies and sprinkles for decorating optional
DIRECTIONS:
Sugar Cookies
Combine butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl and use an electric hand mixer) and beat until creamy and well-combined.
Add egg and vanilla extract and beat until completely combined.
In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
Gradually stir dry ingredients into wet until dough is smooth and completely combined.
Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap and transfer approximately half of the dough onto the wrap (dough will be quite sticky at this point, that’s OK!).
Cover dough with clear wrap or wax paper and mold into a flat disk. Wrap tightly. Repeat with remaining cookie dough in another piece of clear wrap. Transfer dough to refrigerator and chill for at least 2-3 hours and up to 5 days.
Once dough has finished chilling, preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (alternatively bake cookies directly on an ungreased baking sheet). Set aside.
Generously dust a clean surface with flour and place one chilled cookie dough disk onto the surface. Lightly flour the dough and roll out to ⅛” (for thinner, crispier cookies) or ¼” (for thicker, softer cookies). Add additional flour as needed both on top of and beneath the dough so that it doesn’t stick. Note: if dough is cracking as you roll it, let it sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes to soften before attempting again.
Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes and use a spatula to transfer shapes to prepared baking sheet, spacing at least 1″ apart. If you are not intending to decorate your cookies with icing, you can decorate them with sanding sugar at this point before you bake them.
Bake on 350F (175C) for 8-10 minutes (this is for cookies that are approximately 3″ [7.6cm]; note that smaller cookies will need less time and larger cookies will need more), or until edges just begin to turn lightly golden brown.
Allow cookies to cool completely on cookie sheet before decorating.
Easy Sugar Cookie Icing; Combine powdered sugar, 2 Tablespoons of milk, corn syrup, and vanilla extract in a medium-sized bowl and stir until combined. If frosting is too thick, add more milk, about a teaspoon at a time, until the frosting is thick but pipeable. If you accidentally add too much milk, add powdered sugar until desired texture is reached.
If coloring the frosting, divide into bowls and color as desired at this point.
Transfer frosting to a piping bag with a piping tip (I used Wilton 5), or place in a Ziploc bag and snip a small piece of the corner off (not as neat, but this will still work, just take care that the frosting isn’t so thick that it breaks open the seam of the bag when you are squeezing).
Pipe frosting on cookies and decorate with decorative candies, if desired.
Allow frosting to harden before enjoying, stacking, or storing (this took several hours for me and may vary for you depending on the consistency of your frosting).
Crispy Parmesan Cauliflower Bites are absolutely delicious. This recipe is easy to prepare and great as an appetizer or as a side dish. I haven’t tried this with my grandkids buy I think they would eat it, too. I do love a roasted vegetable, and this one is over the top!
Crispy Parmesan Cauliflower Bites with Creamy Onion Dip
INGREDIENTS:
1 small head cauliflower, cut into thinly sliced florets (about 1/2″ thick)
3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 1/2 to 3 tbps unsalted butter
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper, divided
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp chopped parsley (I used dried parsley)
For the dip:
1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
2 tbsp chopped parsley (I used dried parsley)
2 tbsp chopped chives
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt
pinch of black pepper
Toppings (optional): fresh chopped parsley
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat over to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Add the butter to a large casserole dish or cookie sheet and place in the oven while it preheats to melt.
Add the parmesan cheese, oregano, garlic powder, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper to a small bowl. Mix to combine. Set aside.
Add the cauliflower to a large bowl, then add the olive oil, remaining salt and pepper, and parsley. Toss to combine.
Remove the casserole dish from the oven, add the parmesan cheese mixture to the bottom of the dish and spread evenly.
Place the cauliflower florets into the dish, flat down. Sprinkle any of the remaining parsley or cauliflower bits over the top, then sprinkle a little bit more parmesan cheese.
Place in the oven for 30-35 minutes until the parmesan on the bottom has browned. Remove the dish from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.
While the cauliflower roasts, make the dip. Add the sour cream or yogurt to a small dish, then add salt, onion powder, parsley, chives and pepper. Mix to combine.
Place the cauliflower on a plate, top with parsley and serve with the dip.
Who ever heard of such an easy recipe for bagels? I had to try this recipe and I was so surprised at how delicious they were. I ate one fresh from the oven with cream cheese and the next day I toasted one and also served with cream cheese. Delish! I shared with the family and they agreed that they were delicious. I only dipped the egg-washed dough in Everything But the Bagel seasoning but additional salt could be added.
Easy 3 Ingredient Bagels
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups All purpose flour
3 cups Greek yogurt
4 1/2 tbs Baking powder
1 1/2 cups
Everything bagel spice
Salt (optional)
1 large Egg
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat over to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Into a bowl pour in flour, greek yogurt, salt, baking powder, and salt. Using a wooden spoon mix together until a shaggy dough forms. Pour out onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough with your hands for about 2 minutes.
Divide the dough into 9-12 equal sized balls. Using your thumb and index finger pinch through the middle to form a hole in the middle of each ball. Gently stretch them and then place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Brush on egg wash and them gently drop the egg washed side of the bagel into the everything bagel seasoning. Feel free to use any flavouring you like.
Place the bagels on the baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Toast and enjoy.
Cucumbers are so delicious but I was looking for a different way to serve them other than the traditional cucumbers and onions. Now that I’ve discovered Chile Crisp, I will be experimenting with other vegetables and dishes. This recipe is simple and the chile crisp was not too hot. I’m a bit of a wimp when it comes to spice and I tolerated this very well. This would be delicious with an Asian meal.
Chile Onion Crunch Cucumbers
INGREDIENTS:
12 ounces of cucumber, seeded (peeling is optional)
2-4 tablespoons chilie onion crunch (I used Kroger Private Selection Chile Crisp)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
DIRECTIONS:
Peel, seed and chop cucumbers in 1/2 inch sliced chunks.
Add salt, rice vinegar and maple syrup to the cucumbers. Stir to combine.
Stir the jar of chile onion crunch then add 2-4 tablespoons to the cucumbers.
Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from starinfintefood on Instagram (unfortunately I cannot find the link to her recipe with homemade chile crunch!)
First, my apologies for the terrible photo. As I’ve said before, I’m not a food stylist but just enjoy sharing recipes that I’ve enjoyed. This is an easy and delicious way to prepare cod with a yummy, cheesy topping. I don’t prepare a lot of fish at home but this one was easy and something I’ll make again.
Baked Cod with Boursin
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound cod or haddock (try to get thick filets also called Captain’s cut)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
¼ cup onion chopped
2 ounces crimini or porcini mushrooms, chopped
3 ounces fresh spinach
Juice of ½ lemon
Zest from half a lemon
2 tablespoons milk
¼ teaspoon white pepper
1 sleeve Ritz crackers, 30 crackers, crushed. See note above.
5.2 ounce package Boursin cheese flavored with herbs and garlic
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Line a small pan with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Lay fish in center. If using a piece with the tail, fold tail under so the fish is even thickness.
In a medium pan, melt butter in olive oil over medium heat and add onions and cook for three minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for three more minutes. Add spinach and cook one minute or until spinach is wilted.
Pour this mixture into a medium bowl and add lemon juice, lemon zest, milk, pepper and crushed Ritz. Mix thoroughly to combine.
Spread the Boursin cheese over the fish evenly. Spread the stuffing loosely over the cheese pushing back up any stuffing that falls off.
Cover with parchment and foil and bake covered for 20 minutes.
Remove foil and parchment and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
