More Easter 2011

Here is a better picture of the outfit Grandma Goessling made for Brady. She made this before Brady was born.

Easter 2011

Greetings from Altoona, Wisconsin.
Saturday, April 23, 2011.

Adam, Andrea and Brady came for a visit. Brady is just over 20 months old. He is wearing the outfit Grandma Goessling knitted for him.

Dan Burns' Olive Spread

OK I'm on a roll. This recipe is from Dan Burns, a friend of ours who is a cancer Dr. So I like to think this is a healthy recipe and will fight cancer but he never said that. I took this as an appetizer for our 9 to Dine Dinner group and it was a big hit although only 7 or us were there at the time. It's easy but you do need either a food processor or blender.
1 cup greek olives with the pits removed
1/4 cup pine nuts (which are very expensive)
2-4 Tbsp. of olive oil
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 cloves of garlic

Mix all together in a food processor. Dan has a mini one which if anyone wants a gift idea for me, this would be a good one. I use my big food processor and it does fine. Start with the pine nuts, then the oil, then the olives, then the garlic. Add the cheese last to keep it from getting too cut up.
Serve with some kind of crispy cracker. My latest obsession is Back to Nature brand, Multigrain Flax seeded flatbread crackers. They are really good and may be somewhat good for you judging by the rustic box they come in. Mega Foods has them which is surprising so hopefully they are easy to find elsewhere. Enjoy!

Chinese Beef Stir Fry with Vegetables

Well, I just checked my blog and see that I have been remiss in not posting any recipes. So in perusing my files, I've decided to share this stir fry recipe. I have no idea where I got it, but judging by the stains and food splotches on the recipe card, I've made it numerous times which is always a good sign!
1 # beef cut in cubes (you can use any kind of steak)
1 Tbsp. dry sherry (I just use whatever kind of wine I have on hand)
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
2 large stalks broccoli
2 carrots sliced diagonally
1/2 cup beef broth
8 spears (1/2 of 15 oz can, or what the heck, use the whole thing) baby corn drained
20 fresh snow peas
1 green onion chopped

Marinate meat at room temp in mixture of sherry, soy sauce, 1 tsp. cornstarch, sugar, 1/2 tsp oil, pepper & garlic for 1 hour.
Heat 1 Toil in wok or large skillet over high heat. Stir fry beef quickly until meat is brown outside and pink inside. Remove from heat.
Mix 2 tsp cornstarch with oyster sauce. Reheat wok with 1 T. oil. Add broccoli and carrots. Stir fry about 30 seconds. Add broth, cover wok and steam 1 minute or until veggies are tender but crunchy.
Add corn, snow peas, onion, beef & oyster sauce/cornstarch mixture.
Heat quickly until sauce is clear and thickened. Serve immediately with rice.
Happy cooking!

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

OK, it's possible that I'm over the top with 3 posts in one weekend. But my chocolate zucchini bread turned out so well that I have to share the recipe. And it's healthy too coming once again from Cooking Light! The old zucchini bread recipes had 1 cup of oil and the new ones have applesauce instead of all that oil. Plus this one has chocolate, so what's not to love!
Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil (I use Canola oil)
2 large eggs
1 cup applesauce
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups finely shredded zucchini (about 1 medium)
1/2 cup semisweet choclate chips
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350.
Place first 3 ingredients in a large bowl, beat with a mixer at low speed until well-blended. Stir in applesauce.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, level with a knife. Combine flour and the next 4 ingredients (through salt), stirring with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture, beating just until moist. Stir in the zucchini and chocolate chips. Spoon batter into a 9 x 5 loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack and remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack. Enjoy!

Crazy Tim's Hot Salsa

Our guest contributor is none other than Salsa King, Tim Barnes. I'm still coughing after trying his latest batch of HOT Salsa...it's good but it will knock your socks off! Greg won't even taste it. So here's the recipe but you can decide how many of those hot little red peppers (if any) you want to include. Here goes...

2 cups tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper
7 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced (USE GLOVES!)
3 little red peppers (or not!)
1 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp salt
1/2 tsp cilantro
1/2 tsp oregano
2 Tbsp oil
1- 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp minced garlic (or 1 fresh clove minced)
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp Vinegar
1- 8 oz tomato sauce

Mix together and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with favorite tortilla chips.

I'm back with Lemon-Splashed Shrimp Salad!

Well, my daughter rather snarkily suggested that it's been awhile since I've blogged. Alas, it is true, my beloved Shell of the Sea. So here's what I made for supper tonight, straight from the September issue of Cooking Light...Lemon Splashed Shrimp Salad. Greg thinks it's a bit tart but I think it's marvelous! I was going to include a picture but until Tim gets home, I don't know how to do it!

8 cups water
2/3 cup uncooked rotini
1.5 pounds peeled and deveined large shrimp (I only had .75 pounds and it was fine)
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
3/4 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped avocado
1/2 cup chopped seeded poblano pepper
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
2 tsp grated lemon rind
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (1 lemon should do it)
2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 tsp kosher salt

Bring 8 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add pasta to pan; cook 5 minutes or until almost tender (mine took 7 minutes). If shrimp are uncooked, add them to the pasta and cook 3 minutes or until done. Drain. Rinse with cold water; drain well. Combine pasta mixture, tomatoes, and remaining ingredients; toss well. Makes 4 servings (serving size is 1 3/4 cups. Only 250 calories per serving!