food

Cowboy Caviar? Yes Please!

~ Kim Olgren ~ Leave a comment

This is not a food blog, but I do, on occasion, post something I find particularly useful or yummy. Cowboy caviar fits the bill. It’s fast, easy, versatile, and most important of all, tasty!

Look at all that color! Do you know what lots of color means? That’s right! Nutrition! Plus you get a major protein boost. Here’s the basic recipe:

Ingredients
1 15oz can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 15oz can blackeyed peas (drained and rinsed)
1 15oz can sweet corn (drained and rinsed)
1 red pepper (chopped)
1 orange pepper (chopped)
1/2 red onion (chopped)

For Dressing
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (or Italian parsley if cilantro isn’t your thing)
1tsp chili powder
1tsp garlic powder (I use dried minced garlic)
1/4tsp pepper
A Pinch of salt
1/3 cup good Italian dressing (I use Ken’s Steakhouse)

Optional ingredients could be chopped tomato, chopped avocado, chopped olives, it’s kind of like pasta salad because the beans don’t carry much flavor on their own but are fabulous when mixed with other things. If you want a little more heat add a pinch of cayenne or to your taste. You do you.

Instructions
Does that seem like a lot of ingredients? Don’t worry, this comes together in a snap. In measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients and set aside. Have a milk frother? It’ll work splendidly on emulsifying a salad dressing.

Let your can opener know it’s going to get a little workout, open your canned goods, drain and rinse them, and dump them into a big bowl. Chop up your peppers, onion, and anything else you’ve added to a size that roughly matches the beans and corn. Give everything a good, but gentle toss.

Whisk your dressing one last time and pour over mixture. Gently toss again until you’re satisfied everything has been covered.

You can serve this immediately but I prefer to let it marinate in the fridge for an hour or so. Serve with sturdy, tasty corn chips. It’s dip, it’s a meal, it’s yummy! Enjoy!

Favorite Diabetic Recipes – Egg White Cheese Omelet with 505 Green Chile Sauce

~ Kim Olgren ~ 3 Comments

A favorite for me because it’s quick, easy, and so packed with bold flavor that I don’t even miss the richness of the egg yolks. I adapted this recipe from one that Jay Robb published in his book The Fat Burning Diet Made Easy. Jay Robb is a clinical nutritionist and former body builder. He also happens to sell the best tasting, and healthiest protein powder on the market. No, I’m not crushing on Jay Robb, but I have done my homework over the years.

Back to the omelet; there are three keys to making this omelet perfect.

1) A good nonstick pan (have I mentioned how much I love Scanpan?).

2) Quality organic coconut oil.

3) Medium heat.

You don’t need to go out and buy an omelet pan to make good omelets. I, for one am not into single-use items taking up precious space in my cupboards. A good nonstick 8” pan with a good bottom is just fine and happens to work well for a single burger, a single grilled cheese sandwich, two or three over easy eggs, well, you get the picture. What do I mean by good bottom? Better pans such as Scanpan, Swiss Diamond, and All Clad will have a nice, thick, and heavy bottom. This distributes heat more evenly even if you are working on an electric stove such as the one that I am unfortunate enough to own (once your use gas you never want to go back). Of course you still need to have the right fat to cook your eggs.

Egg whites are very sticky and no matter how nonstick a pan is, a little fat ensures they aren’t going stick, tear and generally be uncooperative. But which fat should you use? Butter? Nope. Olive oil? Nope. Vegetable oil? Nope. The problem with most fats we use for cooking is that they break down into unhealthy compounds when heated. True, Olive oil and vegetable oil have a higher tolerance for heat, but olive oil’s tolerance is probably lower than you think and vegetable oil is surprisingly toxic to your body. The best choice ends up being, of all things, coconut oil.

Coconut oil was widely used up until the late 50’s when the powers that be decided that saturated fat was bad for us. Now that we have come full circle, it turns out that coconut oil is one of the healthiest oils on the planet, especially for cooking at medium to medium high temperatures (keep the olive oil for the salad dressing though because it’s still heart healthy that way). Go figure. Not to mention they make sticky egg whites slide around in a pan like a dream, but all this is for naught if you have the heat set too high.

I have found that this egg white omelet cooks best on medium-low heat. This allows the eggs to cook thoroughly but not browned or tough (unless you’re like my husband and you like that sort of thing. Eww.). This is also the perfect temperature to melt the cheese once you flip the omelet. Yes, I said flip, and I am aware of how omelets are usually made. Believe me, it’s not that hard, in fact you can do it with a spatula if flipping eggs in the air isn’t your thing. So without further ado, here is the recipe for the bold, the extraordinary, the spicy, the ultra-low carb, egg white cheese omelet with green Chile sauce!

Ingredients

3 egg whites (large)

1tbsp. Coconut Oil

1 ½ tsp Lemon Pepper

1-2oz sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)

2 tbsps. 505 Green Chile Sauce (warmed)

Instructions

Heat an 8” nonstick pan over medium heat. Separate eggs (you can save the yolks in the fridge for a day or two to use in another recipe). Add lemon pepper to egg whites and beat with a fork until bubbly. Add coconut oil to pan and swirl around to coat and return to heat. Pour egg whites into pan allow them to set for a few minutes until the edges are white and they are about half cooked.

Flip the egg whites over with a spatula or, if you’re really talented or want to learn a new skill, flip the egg whites over by tossing them in the air and gently catching them in the pan (it is not recommended that you do this over the burner…big mess…huge). Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top of omelet reserving a tablespoon or two for the top. Allow cheese to mostly melt as the omelet finishes cooking.

Slide omelet onto plate folding it over with the cheese in the center, which will now finish melting under the residual heat of the egg whites. Pour 505 Green Chile Sauce evenly over the top and sprinkle with the remainder of the cheese.

To make this a proper breakfast for a diabetic we would need to add carbs. I would suggest fresh fruit, which would offer a cooling contrast to the spiciness of the Chile sauce and gives a boost of vitamin C, fiber, and antioxidants, depending on what fruit you choose. I tend to stay away from breads and cereals except oat meal for the most part.

A word of caution here, please be sure to cook your eggs thoroughly to avoid very unpleasant illnesses caused by nasty little microbes like salmonella (says the woman who loves her eggs over easy).

Anybody else out there with great-tasting diabetic recipes they’d like to share? I hope to be sharing more recipes for diabetics in upcoming posts. Having been diagnosed with Type II diabetes and metabolic syndrome a few years ago, I have had to change the way I look at food, but that doesn’t mean that I have to eat drab and boring meals or that I can’t indulge in something sweet. Stay tuned for more diabetic friendly (and maybe not so friendly) recipes.

Ode to My Bread Machine

~ Kim Olgren ~ 1 Comment

Oh beloved bread machine, where would I be without you. Slaving away half the day making lumps of dough, heating up the entire house with an oven in the summer when heat is the last thing we need. The customized little loaves you yield make my family so happy and I’m happy that their happy and we’re all happy when mom’s happy. <insert sound of record scratching>

Seriously, I think my bread machine is one of the best things since….since…well, since sliced bread. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against the traditional way of making bread and I have done my share of it and thoroughly enjoy it, but when you have a full-time job plus a myriad of other activities spinning around in your world, making bread the old-fashioned way becomes a rare treat. Then there’s the satisfaction of controlling the ingredients and knowing you’re making something wholesome for your family (if you choose your ingredients wisely). For me, it also means that I can also control the carbohydrates while still allowing the rest of the family to make yummy sandwiches and without paying $9 a loaf for bread. Just using stevia instead of sugar makes a big difference. However you do need one special ingredient, rapid rise bread machine yeast and on a side note, expect to have to experiment with making decent sourdough bread in a bread machine. Expect to end up buying sourdough starter. Breadtopia.com has a great one. Bread dough is also better to use in a bread machine, but not crucial.

Now a little bit about bread machines. There so many on the market and some are better than others. The biggest loaf you’re probably going to get is a 2lb loaf, but beware, you may not be able to find a bag to put it in as it will be a big loaf with slices approximately 4”w x 8”h or so. My bread machine will make a 1lb, 1.5lb, or 2lb loaf. More often than not I will use the 1lb setting because this makes better sandwich bread slices. Why did I bother to buy a machine that can do a 2lb loaf, do you ask? I’ll tell you; because 1lb machines don’t make loafs, they make unruly cubes. Plus, since I can use my machine to make bread dough and bake it off myself (after a final rise outside of the machine) the larger capacity comes in handy when we have guests.

Now that we have sizes down, let’s think about brands. I am on my third bread machine in a little less than a couple of decades and it is by far the best I’ve ever purchased. Good capacity, lots of versatility (it will even make jams, puddings, batter breads, and of course, pizza dough) and good, sturdy construction. My machine is a Breadman Pro breadmaker (pictured above). I got it in a warehouse sale at CHEFS catalog for an undisclosed amount. I adore it. Some other top rated machine brands include Zojirushi, Cuisinart, De Longhi, and Salton. Expect to pay about $100 to $150 USD for a good machine. Your machine will come with an instruction manual and recipes to get you started. From there, it’s easy to find other recipes on the web.

Keep in mind the main difference between baking bread in a machine and baking bread from scratch is that the machine is doing all the work, rising, and baking for you. The best breads start with a good recipe and these are not an exact science due to factors such as humidity, altitude, and quality of ingredients. Also, ingredients should be room temperature and the water should be warm enough to help activate the yeast (about 80˚F). Once you get the hang of it, you can make homemade bread any time you want. A favorite at my house and a big hit as Christmas gifts one year is an Italian herb bread that I got in my first bread machine user guide that I tweaked and kind of made my own. It’s simple enough that a beginner can easily make it. Here’s mine.

Bread Machine Italian Herb Bread – Yield 1-1lb Loaf

¾ cup + 2 tbsp. water

1-1/2 tbsp. Oil

1 tbsp. Sugar

1 tsp. Salt

1 tbsp. Dry Milk

2-1/4 cup bread flour

1-1/2 tsp. Dried Italian Seasoning

2 cloves of garlic (crushed)

1-1/2 tsp. Active Dry Yeast

Select your machine’s French bread course and hit start. Take a peek after a few minutes to make sure the dough is not too dry or wet. If it is, follow the recommendations in your machines user guide.

Do you have a favorite kitchen machine, gadget, or helper? What makes you so fond of it?

No Pain Lo Mein

~ Kim Olgren ~ Leave a comment

I have faithfully (or perhaps brazenly) reproduced Rachel Ray’s yummy version of this recipe here (don’t send me hate messages that she’s not a “real chef”, because I don’t care). It’s one of my favorite recipes because it’s so versatile. There are so many things you can put into this recipe, pineapple, broccoli, cauliflower, the list goes on and on. It’s almost one of those “whatever is in the fridge recipes”. You could also add meat, shrimp, scallops, or tofu. I’ve used spaghetti noodles to make this and it was terrific! I use a large electric skillet to make this since I don’t own a wok and find that it works well. I tend to use less noodles to cut down on the carbs.

2 tablespoons (2 turns around the pan in a slow drizzle) vegetable or wok oil

1 cup (2 handfuls) snow peas, halved on a diagonal

1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into match stick size pieces

1/2 pound assorted mushrooms (shiitake, straw, enoki, or oyster), coarsely chopped, if necessary

 4 scallions, thinly sliced on a diagonal

2 cups (about 4 handfuls) fresh bean spouts

2 inches fresh ginger root, minced or grated with hand grater

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound lo mein noodles or thin spaghetti, cooked to al dente and drained well

1/2 cup aged tamari soy sauce

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, several drops

 Heat a wok-shaped skillet or large non-stick skillet over high heat. When pan is very hot, add oil, (it will smoke a bit) then, immediately add the snow peas, pepper, mushrooms, scallions, and bean sprouts. Stir fry for 1 minute to flavor the oil, then add the ginger and garlic, and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add the cooked noodles and toss with to combine. Add the soy sauce and toss the ingredients to coat noodles evenly with sauce. Transfer the lo mein to a serving platter and garnish with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil.

YUM!

Comfort Food – Chipped Beef on Toast

~ Kim Olgren ~ 5 Comments

Ahhh, comfort food. As I was indulging in making myself a breakfast of chipped beef on toast this morning I started wondering about comfort food. Why do we seek it? Which foods are comfort foods to whom? Why do they make us feel so good? Why are they so vilified by modern diet gurus and dieticians alike? I began sifting through all the things I’d heard, read, and saw about comfort food over the years.

Why do we seek comfort food? The answer is simple and yet quite complicated. We seek comfort food to feel better or to celebrate feeling good. Women do more of the former, and men do more of the latter. Comfort food, loosely defined is the kind of food that makes us wax nostalgic, or is connected to something or someone we are sentimental about. It’s simple to prepare and usually high in calories and or nutrients. Mom’s macaroni and cheese, for example (and I’m not talking about that stuff in the blue box at the supermarket). If this is true, the yearning for comfort food stems from a complicated psychological process in which the food itself, usually high in carbs and calories, causes a certain reaction in the brain that gives us a feeling of comfort and warmth. 

I snooped around the internet for some lists of comfort foods. Of course these foods vary from culture to culture. In the U.S. the list includes apple pie, mac and cheese, and fried chicken (chipped beef on toast was not on any list I saw). British comfort foods include bangers and mash, fish and chips, and chocolate cake, Indonesia – fried banana, in Canada – poutine, fries, gravy, and some old cheese, or so I’ve gathered from National Geographic, among other internet sources. 

So how do we reconcile our beloved comfort foods with our modern understanding of dietary needs and recommendations? There are a few ways of doing this. One, avoid comfort food altogether. It makes you feel good, and let’s face it, anything that makes you feel good is either going to give you cancer or make you fat. Two, indulge occasionally. A hearty bowl of home-made mac and cheese every now and again isn’t going to kill you. Three, indulge whenever you like, but keep the portions small and reasonable and balance it with healthy foods such as salads. Think of a dinner plate full of salad with a side of spaghetti that is about the size of a deck of playing cards. Option three works especially well if you eat all the salad first then continue on to the comfort food.

So in the name of comfort food lovers everywhere, I humbly submit my recipe for chipped beef on toast; one of my favorite comfort foods right up there with home-made mac and cheese and chili.

¼ cup butter

¼  cup flour

¼ tsp pepper

1 – 2 dashes cayenne pepper (more if you like it spicy)

2 cups milk

8 pieces of toast (buttered)

1 container dried beef

Melt butter in saucepan. Add flour, pepper, and cayenne and cook until mixture slightly browns. Slowly add milk whisking vigorously to avoid lumps. Briefly bring to a boil, stirring frequently until sauce begins to thicken then turn heat to low.

Cut dried beef into ribbons or small chuncks (recommended for children). Start toast.

Stir dried beef into sauce. Butter toast, place desired number of toast pieces on a plate and spoon sauce over them and enjoy!

In the tradition of option number three for the healthy eating of comfort food, this recipe would be 8 servings. In our house, we usually opt for option number two which would make this recipe more like 2 servings. However, the recipe is easily expanded to feed more. Would love to give you a picture, but the camera is having difficulties. I am working on them.

Chicken and Veggies Alfredo – Quickie Feed-a-Crowd Recipe

~ Kim Olgren ~ 3 Comments

Today I’d like to share a total cheater recipe that I threw together. This is one of my “OMG I have to feed an army and I have to do it now????” Recipes. It has pleased a few crowds at my house and easily feeds 10-12 people. If you don’t keep some frozen veggies on hand consider doing so, they come in handy. These are all things I usually have on hand in the freezer and pantry. Don’t panic, it’s not as complicated as it looks.

1 32oz bag mixed frozen veggies of choice

1 package chicken breasts (4 breasts)

1 1lb package of pasta (bowtie, penne, something pretty)

1 jar store bought Alfredo sauce

¼ cup shredded Parmesan/Romano cheese

¼ cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

1tsp Herbs de Provence or poultry seasoning

A few pinches of salt for the pasta water and for the chicken

A couple of tablespoons of olive oil

While you’re waiting for you pot to boil (because a watched on never does), combine Herbs de Provence or poultry seasoning, and a pinch or two of salt (you can leave the salt out if you wish) in a small bowl. Squish them around a little to release the flavors. Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry. Drizzle with just a little olive oil, enough to make the herbs stick, then rub the seasoning mixture onto the chicken breasts. Depending on what the weather is like in your neighborhood at the time, you can grill the chicken on the bar-b-que over medium heat or you can roast then in the oven at 400 degrees in a covered dish with a little water in the bottom to keep them moist, or poach them in some chicken stock. Depending on the thickness of the breast, they take about 20 minutes to cook.  

Once your pot has come to a boil add the spaghetti. When you put in the spaghetti add a little salt and put the veggies in the microwave to steam. Warm up the Alfredo sauce in a small pot. Chop parsley. Don’t forget to turn your chicken after 10 minutes if it’s on the barb-e.

Let the chicken cool for 5 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute (otherwise when you cut into it, all the juices will run out and the chicken will be dry). Once cool enough to handle chop into 1”, bite-sized pieces.

Now for the fun part! Throw all the veggies, pasta and chicken into a big, family sized, bowl. Add the Alfredo sauce and toss until well coated. Garnish with a sprinkling of shredded Parmesan/Roman cheese and parsley. Voila! Dinner for an army in 30 minutes!

The most important key to this recipe is timing. If you follow the cooking order, everything should be done at the same time and ready to combine. Don’t be afraid to cook things at the same time. It’s really not as hard as it looks. It just takes a little bit of planning. Make sure you fully cook your poultry to avoid salmonella and other nastys from ruining your meal.

*Note: I live at an altitude of roughly 6,000ft. It takes water a little longer to boil here. I have a good ten minutes even with a covered pot before my water will boil.

How do you feed a crowd in a hurry? Do you have a favorite recipe to accomplish this?

Road Trip, Day 4 – Detours, Drinks, and Dining

~ Kim Olgren ~ Leave a comment

My, my how time flies. Day 3 of our trip was kind of rolled into day 2 of my Road Trip blog entries, touring the southern casinos on the strip like Mandalay Bay, Luxor, and Excalibur as well as losing the guys in M & M world. Yesterday was a pool day, relaxing and relatively uneventful except for some minor sunburn and some very tipsy ladies at the pool providing entertainment for all. I make it a policy never to do writing at the pool it’s usually the one and only day I get to relax on vacation. Now that we’re all caught up, onward-ho!

One of the ceilings at the VenetianToday we toured some of the pricier casinos on the strip. We began our excursion at the Venetian, one of my favorites for over-the-top impersonation of a real location (complete with canals and gondoliers). After parking the car we immediately went to Harrah’s, one of the older casinos on the strip (we saved the Venetian for last, because that’s where we parked, of course). I wanted to try Paula Deen’s new restaurant so we headed to Harrah’s. It wasn’t until we stopped and asked for directions then double-checked information on the web via my smartphone that we realized that there were other Harrah’s besides the one in Vegas, which doesn’t have a new Paula Deen restaurant. Who knew? Not me. I guess I haven’t been far enough south yet. Plan B then, right-o? Plan B became the buffet at the Mirage, but not before we got ourselves lost outside somewhere in no man’s land on the long side of Ceasar’s Palace.

It started out innocently enough; we were at the shops at the forum and followed a hallway to a door going outside.

H&M at The Shops at the Forum at Ceasar's Palace, can you pick out the real people? Hint, they are not floating in mid-air.

We ended up in a parking lot and my hubby just thought we’d walk down a little ways and go around the corner to the front of the building. You know, just a little detour. Of course nothing in Vegas is what it seems. After what seemed like miles of walking and several staff back doors to which we could not gain admittance, we finally lucked out and came across a public door which led us down another hallway and back to the shops at the forum. The entire time we were walking outside, the Mirage was mere steps away, mocking us with its singing birds in its heavily treed gardens from the other side of a great wall. In hindsight, if you have to hold the door open, deciding whether you really want to be on the outside of it before you let it close and lock –  you probably shouldn’t be going out that door if you’re not an employee of the casino. I’m just sayin’. Please, learn from my hubby.

After we finally arrived at the Mirage we found we weren’t all that hungry yet (probably due to the harrowing detour adventure). So we sat in the Sports Bar and had a couple of much needed drinks. Now this seems innocuous enough but anyone who has visited the Las Vegas strip south of Circus Circus knows that casino drinks and food can get quite pricey, especially in casino restaurants and bars. Our couple of drinks each at the Sports Bar cost us a pretty penny. Sure you can get coupon books and stuff, but sometimes you get stuck with a stiff bill anyway. I already knew the buffet was, by far, not the cheapest in town, but this was why we had saved up for this trip for a year. Now that the boys (and by boys I mean my hubby and my son) were sufficiently buzzed we headed to the buffet.

The buffet at the Mirage is quite probably my most favorite place in Vegas to dine. I try to eat pretty clean most of the time, but we’ve found that doing our own cooking in our condo is not conducive to the run-around-like-a-chicken-with-it’s-head-cut-off kind of vacations we take. So we end up eating at local restaurants or worse, casino restaurants or buffets. After a couple days of this my body is literally screaming for fresh veggies, fruits, and other good stuff. The buffet at the Mirage is one of the few places I’ve found on strip that has fresh food such as this. Not just a salad bar with some cantaloupe, honeydew, salad greens and your choice of three dressings, but custom mixed salads from fresh ingredients you choose, a raw bar, a small sushi bar, meats such as truffle roasted chicken and prime rib, and international selections. I love this buffet so much I could eat there every day. I’ve also noticed that other casinos have followed the Mirage’s example and changed to somewhat of the same format. However, no one comes close to the Mirage’s buffet although I haven’t tried newer places like Aria. I guess that’s a testament to how well the Mirage’s buffet works. I’m not going to kid you, it’s not cheap. Dinner is around $30 USD per person, but more worth it than any other buffet and most restaurants on the strip.

Once we finished our late dinner we headed back to the Venetian, tooled around the shops and casino then headed down south to the condo at the Grandview. Hubby and son went across the street to play poker and blackjack at South Pointe while I stayed behind at the condo to do some writing. You have probably noticed by now that I don’t talk a lot about gambling. I’m not much of a gambler and I’m perfectly content to let the guys go do their thing and stay at the condo and write or wander. I’ve gambled one time so far, on an Aliens slot machine and it gobbled up $15 in a matter of seconds. I know that’s not a lot of money, but I really detest feeding my money straight to a one-armed-bandit. There was one machine at the Luxor that would pay me every time I played it. My hubby would sit me down in front of it when he was running low on craps funds, but I haven’t been very lucky this trip and I haven’t been to that particular machine. There’s more to do in Vegas than gambling, there really is!

Day 6, we leave for L.A. We’re doing and overnight side trip for our son (an aspiring movie editor) to see the town and check out a studio on a tour. He’s never been to a city this big and he’s never seen an ocean so this should prove to be a very interesting side trip indeed. The water may be a little cold, but it’s supposed to be in the upper 70’s so the weather should be good. I’m looking forward to seeing my son’s reaction to the ocean after growing up landlocked in Colorado. I was 40 before I saw an ocean and although I love the mountains and they are in my blood, and I couldn’t dream of living without them, the ocean proved itself quite powerful too. Stay tuned…

Do you have a favorite vacation destination? What makes it your favorite? If you could travel to any destination in the world where would it be and why?

Twinkies with Warm Blackberry Compote

~ Kim Olgren ~ Leave a comment

Oh yeah, baby. I went there. Scrounging for something for dessert this evening, the only sweets I could find in the house were a couple of packages of Twinkies. Ugh. I needed more. I had a hankering for something fruity and creamy. I found most of a 6oz container of blackberries left in the fridge that needed to be eaten up very soon and I had some heavy whipping cream. Perfect! This is one of the recipes that I really didn’t measure because I just threw it together. So these measurements are approximate. This recipe makes one serving and aside from the time it takes the compote to cook, takes all of about five minutes to prepare.

Twinkies with Warm Blackberry Compote

1 package of Twinkies

Compote                                                                                                                        4oz blackberries                                                                                                                ¼ cup sugar                                                                                                                        2 tbsps water

 Topping                                                                                                                             1/3 cup heavy whipping cream                                                                                          1/8 tsp vanilla                                                                                                                     1 tbsp sugar

Make your compote by combining water sugar and berries in a pot over medium heat. Let the mixture come to a low boil stirring often. Let the mixture simmer until the juices thicken to a syrupy consistency. Set aside to cool a bit. In a small bowl, mix heavy whipping cream, vanilla, and sugar until desired consistency is reached (some people like their whipped cream a little thicker than others but be careful not to over-whip our you’ll have butter pretty quickly with this small amount). Top Twinkies with warm compote then a dollop of whipped cream and enjoy!

I’d like to take a moment to say a word about equipment here. I had the pleasure of working for a high end foodie catalog that sold kitchen appliances, tools, and sometimes food. I can say first hand, that although some products may seem outrageously priced, many have merit. For example, you probably wouldn’t want me to choose between my Scanpan set and, well, anyone or anything up to and including certain humans. The same thing goes for my Kitchenaid mixer, Wusthof and Shun knives, and my Cuisinart 7-speed hand mixer with the swiveling cord (If you’re a lefty, you might understand). In the case of this recipe, my Cuisinart hand mixer made whipping cream into whipped cream in less than 30 seconds. If you have the opportunity check out some of the better brands in kitchen tools and appliances. Like many other jobs, the right tools make all the difference.

And with that, I’ll leave you to your Twinkies and you imaginations! As always, please share your similar culinary adventures and thoughts.

Easy Creamy Lemonade Pie

~ Kim Olgren ~ 2 Comments

It’s recipe day! This is a refreshing frozen pie I serve in the late spring/summer months. It’s easy, tangy, sweet, creamy, dense and very rich. I always have to make two because it disappears so fast. This recipe makes one, 9” deep dish pie. I think the original base for this recipe called for a pretzel crust, but I’m really not fond of pretzels so I make mine on a graham cracker crust. Feel free to try the pretzel crust and please tell me what you think if you do. Enjoy!

Easy Creamy Lemonade Pie

1 ½ cup graham cracker crumbs                                                                                      ¼ cup sugar                                                                                                                       ½ cup butter (melted)                                                                                                        ½ gallon vanilla ice cream (softened)                                                                                 1 12oz can frozen lemonade concentrate                                                                  Yellow food coloring (optional for lemony color)                                                                ½ tsp lemon zest

Crust                                                                                                                       Combine graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar. Press mixture into 9” deep dish pie pan and chill while making the filling.

Filling                                                                                                                              Mix soft ice cream, lemonade concentrate, lemon zest, and 4-6 drops of yellow food coloring (optional) until smooth. Pour filling into crust and freeze for at least 4-6 hours. Let the pie stand at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before serving. Garnish for presentation with anything from lemon slices, lemon curls, or lemon candies to sliced or whole berries and a sprig of mint.

Try making the pink lemonade version for a baby girl shower, or any kind of ladies meeting. Just substitute pink lemonade and pink food coloring (optional).

What’s your favorite spring/summer dessert recipe?

Mom’s Basic Crustless Quiche

~ Kim Olgren ~ 1 Comment

It’s recipe day!

My mom is a phenomenal cook! She makes the best of everything, cookies, pies, cakes, candies, soups, breads, main dishes, you name it. If I were forced to, I would have to say her style is traditional. She uses real butter, no nasty fake margarine stuff, real sugar, no low fat, no fat, fat free stuff will be found in her cookbook (Oh yeah, she has a self-published cookbook…and it’s goooood). That means that as a diabetic I have to take much of mom’s food in small quantities (assuming I can muster the willpower to do so). Today I wanted to share one of her more diabetes friendly recipes, but you don’t have to be a diabetic to appreciate how yummy it is. This quiche is easy to make and perfect for a spring brunch!

Basic Crustless Quiche                                                                                            From My Kitchen to Yours, Tana Archuletta

½ cup butter                                                                                                                       10 eggs                                                                                                                             ½ cup flour                                                                                                                     1tsp. baking powder                                                                                                         ¼ tsp. Salt                                                                                                                          1 lb small-curd cottage cheese                                                                                          1 lb Monterey Jack cheese (shredded)                                                                              2 green onions (tops only)                                                                                                 1 4oz can of diced green chilies                                                                                        or                                                                                                                                       3-4 fresh roasted green chilies

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9×13 baking glass baking dish. Melt butter and cool. Whip eggs until light and fluffy; add the flour, baking powder, salt, cottage cheese, green chilies, melted butter, and half of the Monterey Jack cheese. Place the mixture into the baking dish; top with the remaining cheese and decorate the top with the green onion tops set in a wheel pattern (or chop up and sprinkle like I do). Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake for about 35-40 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Cool and cut into cubes for appetizer tray. I usually serve this with salsa and sour cream.

Note: This also makes a great breakfast meal served warm. You may add other ingredients such as bacon, fried onion, etc. It also reheats well in the microwave for the next few days.

What’s your favorite springtime recipe? Did you get it from a family member or friend?

This is what happened before I was even able to get a picture of mom's crustless quiche!