Menu of the Week #6

The menu of the week turned out to be delicious. This week we had Salmon with a Salad of Green Beans and Bok Choy, Chicken Tacos with Refried Beans and a Garden Salad, Pork Chops with Roasted Beets and Oranges, Pumpkin Pasta with Chicken Sausage, and Sheet Pan Pasta Bake with Chicken and Kale.

Massaged Kale Salad

I knew that Kale was a superfood, but until now I had only made kale chips with the green leaf. Like it's cousins, broccoli and cauliflower, kale is a descendant of the wild cabbage and is a nutritional powerhouse that deserves to be on every Top Ten list.


My good friend Paulina (a health food junkie with an affinity to processed cheese) introduced me to this delicious massaged kale salad soon after I gave birth to Harper. Knowing the health benefits I thought I would "choke down" the salad she provided. After all, I would do anything for my Harper. Well surprise surprise, this is so yummy. An even bigger surprise was how simple it is to make. Calling this a "recipe" is a little of an overstatement. This post has everything going for it. Yummy, Easy, Fast, Healthy, Filling, Few Ingredients. I call that WINNING!

Black Forest Cake

If you think you don't have time to make a dessert for the holidays, think again! This Black Forest Cake is so decadent, and extremely simple to pull together. Baking is a thoughtful and delicious way to show others how much they mean to you. They don't have to know this warm and gooey cake was this easy...the best part? I made this in my crock pot, which frees up my oven for other things.

Simple ingredients: Chocolate Cake Mix, Cherry Pie Filling, Butter and if you like nuts you can add that too.

Lucky Leaf provided me with an assortment of their Premium Fruit fillings to sample for myself. I was able to make whatever I wanted with their products, and this entire post is my own opinion - I received no compensation for my written review. The beautiful 43 page Recipe Book they sent along with the products is filled with inspirational photos and easy to follow recipes. Next on my list is the Cherry-Chocolate Macaroon Pie. OMG, it's a recipe that only takes 30 minutes to prep, 22 minutes to bake and serves 8. Can you tell I have a thing for cherry's and chocolate? Read on to find out how you can receive some Lucky Leaf this holiday season.

How to Make a Fruit and Cheese Plate

This is my new favorite appetizer plate to whip together when I don't have the time to cook. Say, an impromptu happy hour starts at you home and you need something to munch (stat) while you drink. OR, if you are cooking dinner and need something to put out for guests as you make final preparations, the fruit and cheese plate is perfect. It was Ina Garten who I saw do this on TV and I said to myself, that woman is a genius. Who said that everything you serve has to be homemade from scratch? Focus on one main thing and fill in with gorgeous produce and cheese. When you're designing a cheese plate, remember that you're looking to create a balance of flavors and textures.

Keeping texture in mind, I selected spicy candied pecans that I purchased in bulk at HEB. Local and in season is going to be key here when selecting your ingredients. I'm using local Texas Hill Country honey, but only a smidgen. The bosc pear is going to bring plenty of natural sweetness and spice to this plate. Bosc are an elegant variety, with distinctive characteristics that set them apart from other pears. I like their crunchy yet tender flesh and their sweet-spiced flavor. A common misconception is that Bosc pears need to be peeled or cooked before being eaten, and that’s simply not true. Those who have not tried a Bosc would most likely be surprised... and pleased that the brown skin hides a delicious, spicy and slightly firmer flesh. Check usapears.com for recipes and more facts about all types of pears.

This plate was serving a small group, but if you have several people you are creating the fruit and cheese platter for, you should consider adding a few more cheeses. Vary by type, adding a cow's milk and a goat's milk, and vary by texture, something hard like manchego and/or something soft like brie.
 

The star of the show is hands down this Humboldt Fog cheese from Cypress Grove Chevre. It is at the top of my favorites list at the moment. I looooooove goat milk cheeses, and this has a thin stip down the middle, reminiscent of a mild blue. Anyone who has tried it I'm sure will second my high opinion of this cheese.

Homemade Blueberry Pancakes

There is nothing like homemade blueberry pancakes, warm, fresh, earthy and flavorful. They are truly simple to whip up, add a side of bacon or breakfast sausage and it's also a great way to wake up the household.

This is my recipe. It makes about 8 pancakes.

In case you can't read my chicken scratch:
1 C flour
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda (make sure it's fresh)
1/4 t salt
2 T sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 C milk
2 T butter, melted
1 t vanilla
1 t cinnamon

And BLUEBERRIES!!!!! We have a new Sprouts grocery store near me and these organic beauties were only $1.50. It's unheard of!

Combine all the dry ingredients, mix well.

Beat the egg, add the milk.

Add the vanilla, mix well.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix the two together, but don't over mix - lumps are okay.

My griddle is set to 350 degrees. Once hot, I pour about a 1/2 cup of mix onto the griddle. THEN, I plop my blueberries on top and let them settle in.

When the pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around the edges, about 2 1/2 minutes, flip over.

Serve with butter and maple syrup. Smitten Kitchen has a great post on blueberry pancakes.

Did you know you can freeze leftover pancakes? What Jim and I can't eat, I place on a baking sheet to cool.

Once cooled, stack them with a sheet of wax paper between each. Finally wrap the stacks in plastic bags, label and freeze.

To serve: Put the frozen pancake in a toaster oven, the microwave or heat briefly under a broiler.

Research has proven the blueberries are an important part of a healthy diet. I toss a handful into my cereal for a morning boost. It keeps life interesting.

One cup of blueberries contains 14% DV of fiber 2.41 g per 100g. They are a source of vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, phenolics, and flavonoids. Blueberries are very low in fat and sodium.

Based on data from the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (Boston, MA), blueberries are among the fruits with the highest antioxidant activity. Using a test called ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity), researchers have shown that a serving of fresh blueberries provided more antioxidant activity than many other fresh fruits and vegetables. Source: http://www.blueberry.org/

Toffee Apple Dip

I attended a girls get-together at my friend Allyson's home last month. I absolutely LOVED this fruit dip that she made and I insisted she share the recipe with me so I could post about it here.

The recipe for this Toffee Apple Dip came from a sister of a co-worker of mine. Thanks Laura for sharing the secret to this amazingly delicious fruit dip.

In a bowl, mix one 8 oz package of softened cream cheese and 1 cup toffee chips, 3/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup powdered sugar. Yes, it's that easy!

Serve the toffee mixture with fruits for dipping. Laura also suggest dipping the apple slices in pineapple juice first to keep them from browning. Love that tip!

And I love this dip!