I was inspired by the Farmer’s Market Grilled Cheese from Better Homes and Gardens, but of course catered it to suit our tastes better.

The basic idea behind this sandwich is to pick your favorite FRESH vegetables from the produce section or the Farmer’s Market and surround them with sourdough bread and gooey cream cheese.

The Sandwich King

Sourdough bread - 1 loaf
cream cheese, 8 oz
cilantro - 1/2 bunch
sliced tomato - 1 large
vidalia onion - 1 medium
jalapeno pepper - 1 sliced thinly
artichoke hearts - 1 can, chopped
fresh spinach - about 1/4 bag chopped

(I know the artichokes are not a fresh veggie, but we do love them on this anyway!)

First thing to do is bring a block of cream cheese up to room temperature, then beat it with a mixer. Add minced fresh cilantro and beat it together. This is your cheese spread. Do not refrigerate this before making the sandwiches. It will be impossible to spread.

Next, slice and dice all the vegetables just the way you want them. With my large and opinionated family, I keep everything in separate bowls and let each person decide what to put on their own sandwich. When it comes to the picky ones, I tell them it has to have at least two things and they can’t get something else out. (Otherwise, they’d likely end up with a boring peanut butter or bologna sandwich.)

Finally, build this like it’s a glorified grilled cheese sandwich. Butter on one side of each slice of bread. Smooth the cream cheese spread (liberally!) on one slice, topped with as many of the vegetables as you like. Press it together and grilled it on a hot skillet. (cast iron if you’ve got one)

The first evening we tried this sandwich, every single one of us was skeptical. We were all pleasantly surprised - so delicious! There is an amazing combination of fresh flavors in every bite, surrounded by this gooey cream cheese mixture that binds it all together. It’s an excellent, light-tasting summertime meal. And if you have a garden, a great way to incorporate your fresh vegetables into your menu in a new way.

*Consider using zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms, bell peppers, avocado, … or come up with your own ideas.

I made quiche for dinner last night. Normal-sized, not mouth-pop-able. To be safe, I also made French Onion soup and garlic toast, hoping there would be something on the table to please everyone. It was the first time I made quiche without a recipe - just “winging it”. I do have an old favorite of crustless spinach quiche which I got from an ancient cookbook in the early years of my marriage, but it has never gone over really well and instead of trying to improve on it, I just made this up as I went along.

The quiche I made last night, thankfully, turned out yummier than I expected. I just enjoyed it again for lunch. It’s crustless, but with a crunchy crouton topping. Here’s the recipe:

Spinach Quiche

6 slices of bacon

1 bag fresh spinach leaves
3 cloves fresh garlic
2 T. olive oil

5 eggs
3/4 c. milk or soymilk
1 1/2 c. shredded monterey jack cheese
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper

croutons, crushed

Start by frying up the bacon as you usually would. I like thick sliced bacon - it’s what I always use. If you are using the thin stuff, consider increasing the amount to 8 slices. Drain the bacon on a paper towel and set aside. Discard the bacon fat and clean your skillet or switch to a large, clean skillet.

Next, crush and dice the garlic and put it into a large skillet with your olive oil. Set the heat to medium, and while it warms up, chop the spinach up into bite-sized pieces. Often, frozen spinach is recommended for quiches and other spinach recipes, but I say “the fresher, the better!” Add the spinach to your now-hot oil and garlic. Stir and fry for a few moments until the spinach is wilted. That’s all it needs. Then remove from the heat and set aside. (You now have both the bacon and the garlic-spinach combo waiting on the sidelines.)

In a large bowl, break all five eggs and whip them up with the milk, salt, and pepper. Use a spatula to add the cheeses, then the spinach. Finally, cut up the bacon with your kitchen scissors and add that, too! Grease a regular 9 or 10 inch pie pan and pour your quiche mixture into it.

This needs to go into a 350 - 375 degree oven for 45-55 minutes. For the last 10 minutes, sprinkle the crushed croutons on top and return to the oven. You know it’s done when the middle doesn’t jiggle and you poke a knife into the center and can see cooked instead of runny eggs.

ENJOY!

I’ll be honest about the thumbs up count: There are 7 in our family. 1 was not home, 1 did not even eat the quiche, 2 (the little guys) were forced to eat the quiche. My husband ate a little but LOVES French Onion soup, so he focused on that. Really, only 2 of us dug into this quiche and really enjoyed it. Divisive foods. Ugh.

Signing off now–
the chow hall chef

Thanks to http://www.amateurgourmet.com/2008/11/the_best_brocco.html for the original instructions on roasted broccoli.

One night this week I tried roasting broccoli – something I’ve never attempted in the kitchen before. Delicious! My 10-year old loves steamed broccoli with cheese. While this is quite good, I am always looking for something new to try and this fit the bill.

Basically, you toss broccoli (I added cauliflower) with a generous amount of olive oil and sea salt. I slivered some cloves of garlic with this, too. The trick to this is to make sure the broccoli is dry – either don’t wash it at all or dry it off obsessively.

Next, spread the broccoli and/or cauliflower onto a cookie sheet and roast at 450 for 20-25 minutes. The bud part of the broccoli florets will be turning brown, but that’s okay. The roasting caramelizes the veggies but leaves them firm. (I prefer vegetables this way.)

So, after 20 minutes, they are done and you can drizzle a little more olive oil on them and some lemon juice. Some shaved Parmesan cheese is also recommended, although I was out of it and just skipped that part.

The next day, with the leftovers, I made Cream of Broccoli Soup. I love cream of broccoli and Hubby had some and loved this particular batch, too. So here goes:

Leftover roasted broccoli and cauliflower, diced fairly small.
½. c. diced onion
4 T. butter
4 T. flour
2 c. milk
½ to 1 c. water
salt and pepper
Velveeta cheese

First off, melt the butter in a saucepan and saute the onion in it. When the onion is translucent, you can add the other vegetables and saute them a bit, too. Next, add the flour and stir it all up so it’s something of a gooey concoction. Let it bubble and heat through, then SLOWLY add the milk. Every time you add about ½ c. milk, let it reheat and begin to simmer before adding more milk. When the milk is all incorporated, add the water in the same manner, until it reaches the thickness you prefer. Season with salt and pepper and add chunks of velveeta. The cheese is optional to some people but not to me!

And I will add that I am one of those people who usually has to have saltines or some kind of cracker with my soup. Pepperidge Farms Goldfish crackers are excellent with this soup.

The following recipe for Snickerdoodles is a good example for using butter in cookies. Go ahead and try a test batch. I’ve found that lots of people don’t even know what a Snickerdoodle cookie is, and I’m always a little surprised when I hear that. A cinnamon-sprinkled sugar cookie, they are one of my favorites.

Snickerdoodles
makes 2 1/2 dozen / prep. time: 60-90 minutes / bake time: 12 - 14 minutes

1/2 c. butter (1 stick)
1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. brown sugar - try dark brown sugar, I think it’s even better
1 egg
1/2 t. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. cream of tartar

Coating:
1/2 c. sugar
1-2 t. cinnamon

First, soften the butter and cream the sugars into it. Next add the egg and vanilla. In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. When it’s all stirred in, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 - 60 minutes. Now, find your kids and have them roll the dough into balls. Combine the sugar and cinnamon and roll those little “cookie balls” in it. When done, place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes. Important: They should look undercooked when you take them out of the oven. Soft cookies rule!

What I came up with was just about one of the best spaghetti dishes I’ve ever served. Four simple ingredients and it was done in about 20 minutes. I put some prepared chicken and fish in the oven to go along with it and we were set!

So… the Simplest Spaghetti Ever

1 box of spaghetti — my favorite brand is Barilla
4 cups water
1 whole red pepper from my jar of roasted red peppers
1 box of chopped spinach in butter sauce
1 jar prepared Alfredo sauce — no favorite brand

Since I recently got some new cookware, I have this wonderful deep saute pan that can actually hold enough food for my family. I served 8 people last night and there was leftover spaghetti. (Confession: my two youngest ate only a negligible amount of spaghetti. One had pigged out on popcorn, the other has a problem with green foods.)

So, I brought the 4 cups of water - I was guessing on this amount, but it worked perfectly - to a boil in my deep saute pan. (a large frying pan will do) This method is similar to making Hamburger Helper, only it’s going to taste quite a bit better. Once boiling, add the spaghetti. I broke it up so it was shorter — easier to eat and easier to stir. Lower the temperature and put a lid on it. Watch the clock, this will only take about 10 minutes. Next, dice up the red pepper into small bits and throw it into the pan. Next the spinach — it may need a minute in the microwave, then add to the spaghetti. After each addition, I try to replace the lid as quickly as possible. When the 10 minutes are up, remove the lid, stir it up a bit, then add the jar of Alfredo sauce. If it’s a little watery, let it sit with the lid off for a couple of minutes. Stir it up and serve.

I truly wish I had taken pictures for you - it was very appealing visually, with the bright green bits of spinach and tiny pieces of red pepper.

Get inspired — maybe you would rather have onions and bacon bits in yours. Or garlic and cherry tomatoes. Or… mushrooms and artichokes? The possibilities seem endless.

Enjoy!

It spiraled downward even further from there. Short version: Bought a used oven on Craig’s List. Didn’t work. Made plans to return it. Broke the door. Unworking Craig’s list oven ended up on our curb. About this time we realized that one burner on our stove wasn’t working either.

After that, we redirected our attention. Lots of things were bothering us about our kitchen. The sink was stained and yucky. The garbage disposer had been fixed with JB Weld several months prior. My faucet was outdated. The cabinets were low-grade things made of press wood. The counters were tile and I never liked the uneven grout lines.

The result? After a gazillion trips to Lowe’s, we now have (almost) a new kitchen! New cabinets, drywall, extra electrical, and to top it off (literally and figuratively) granite counter tops! Pictures to come — there is still some work to do.

So, after exactly 135 days with no oven, what does one make? Here’s what we’ve done so far:

Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies
Lemon Raspberry Pie
Lasagna
Toasted Philly Cheese steak Sandwiches
Sweet Potato Fries
Snickerdoodles (made by my son Sam)
and coming up…
Shake And Bake Pork Chops (hubby’s favorite)

Please note that this is just what has been cooked in the last 3 days! More to come… Chicken Pot Pie, Roasted Redskin Potatoes, Cherry Pie, and Crumb-topped Apple Pie, Mint Chocolate Chip cookies.

The only of the above items which is a new creation was the Lemon-Raspberry Pie. The filling is a little complicated, with lots of steps, but not hard to do at all, so stick with me…

Pastry for a double crust 10-inch pie

Filling:

1 1/3 c. sugar
3 T. quick tapioca
dash of salt
1/4 c. butter
3 eggs
one lemon
2/3 c. frozen raspberries
1/3 c. water

Roll out the bottom crust, then prepare filling as follows:

Combine the sugar, tapioca, and salt - Set this aside. Next, separate one of the eggs into two bowls. (Yolk in one bowl, white in the other obviously) Now set the white aside (this will be used for the top crust) and crack both of the other eggs into the bowl with the lonely yolk and beat them all together. Sorry, eggs, for the unjust treatment. Next, melt the butter and add it to these eggs.

Now, turn your attention to the lemon. Zest it, scraping just the brightest yellow off of the peel. Add the lemon zest to your egg yolk mixture. Then, cut all the peel and white pith off of the lemon. Slice it very thinly, remove the seeds, and add the lemon slices to the buttery egg mixture. Toss the raspberries in there, too. Now combine all of this with the sugar mixture that you started with, plus the water. Say “phew” - the worst part is done. This is your pie filling.

Pour the filling into the bottom shell and add the top crust as you would for any normal pie. Crimp the edges to make the crust. Then brush that egg white generously onto the top. Sprinkle with a little sugar.

Bake this lovely masterpiece for an hour at 400 degrees. Cool thoroughly before serving.

This is a delicious summertime pie.

All that to say, I have been stepping out of my box a bit and made fried rice last week. Usually my attempts at making Asian foods are pretty much failures. Usually, the best I can do is open a box of prepared egg rolls! Surprisingly, last week’s pork fried rice turned out well and most of us liked it. (My 6-year-old basically doesn’t like anything.) So this week, I tried again - shrimp fried rice for the shrimp eaters and chicken fried rice for the shrimp-detesters (me).

Again, this turned out unexpectedly well. And let me tell you - I don’t even own a wok. I’d like to own a wok. I just don’t have the space for one or the grace and finesse required to stir fry things in one, so it has always seemed a little pointless to wish for a wok.

So, here is what I used: Two skillets for stir-frying the vegetables (our family has seven members, so my largest skillet is still not big enough) AND a griddle for the rice/chicken/shrimp/eggs.

For the vegetable mix, I used:

sliced carrots
chopped green pepper
chopped mushrooms
chopped onion
a generous portion of coleslaw mix from Sam’s Club
sesame seeds

This was the easy part - heat the skillet to high, add some olive oil, and stir-fry everything. Once I see a little brown on the veggies, I turn it down, but keep stirring.

For the rice part:

Leftover rice - Apparently, fried rice should never be made with fresh rice. It should be 1-2 days old
tiny chopped chicken
tiny chopped shrimp
sesame seed oil
5 eggs

I divided the rice into two bowls and added chicken to one and shrimp to the other (gotta keep the shrimp away from the chicken). I heated my griddle to 375, sprayed it good with cooking spray and added a dab of butter for good measure. Next, I tossed the chicken/rice mixture onto the griddle and let it cook for about 5 minutes - trying to get the rice to start turning brown. I cracked 3 eggs into a bowl, whisked, and poured this on top of the rice, and began ’stirring’ it all up. Oh! And added a very small drizzle of sesame oil (it’s pretty flavorful stuff, I use it sparingly). Once the eggs were cooked, I placed this all in a bowl and repeated with the shrimp mixture.

Now the veggie part and the rice part is all ready to serve!

You’ll notice that I didn’t really flavor any of it with any sauces… At our house, everybody likes something different, so I serve the sauces at the table. Teriyaki, Sweet & Sour, Hoisin, and Sweet Chili are family favorites. (Mae Ploy Sweet Chilli is my personal best)

Digging through the fridge, I found:

Carrots
Red Pepper
zucchini
leftover cooked chicken breast
cilantro
half of a jalapeno pepper
old refried beans — oops, I tossed that, along with some old casserole that was obviously not going to get eaten
mushrooms
most of a can of diced tomatoes
Parmesan cheese, which I made my daughter grate for me

Of course, since I was planning the tortellini, I had that ready to go, and I also used a can of V-8

Here are my instructions:

Boil the tortellini as directed on the package. I buy frozen tortellini, the ready-to-go refrigerated type has a bit of a plastic-y taste that puts me off. I stay far away from canned pasta. Too mushy. So then I drain the pasta and tossed it back into the cooking pot along with some olive oil. I set this off the heat and covered to keep warm.

Meanwhile, I’d been chopping the vegetables…. carrots sliced thin, red pepper diced real small. Zucchini I split lengthwise and then slice into semi-circles. The jalapeno I minced very small, the mushrooms into bite-sized pieces. I put this all in my already-hot cast-iron skillet and sizzled away!

To the noodles, I added the diced tomatoes, minced cilantro, Parmesan cheese, and the can of V-8.

While the veggies sizzled, I cranked a liberal amount of sea salt and cracked some black pepper into the tortellini noodles. When the zucchini etc. were done, I tossed it all together and served with a side of Edamame.

Most of my family really enjoyed this creation and it definitely makes me feel like experimenting again! The lesson here is - be adventurous and it can be quite (sometimes) rewarding!!

My apple pie is definitely a favorite. Over the years, I’ve mastered the ability to roll out the crust without mishap and have tweaked the filling until it suits us perfectly. Every time I make it, Sam says it is more perfect than before. I must admit this does wonders for my ego.

So first I shall direct you to a very old post about making the pie dough/crust: http://www.familychowhall.com/2006/02/28/pie-crust/

And next my recipe for the pie filling:

Apple Pie Filling

2-3 (depending on their size) Golden Delicious Apples
2-3 Fuji Apples
2-3 Granny Smith Apples
3/4 c. white sugar
2 Tablespoons quick tapioca
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg (optional - I personally am not a fan of nutmeg)

Start by peeling and coring the apples. Then slice them as thinly as humanly possible. In a large bowl, toss the sliced apples, the sugar, tapioca, and cinnamon. Place in prepared pie crust. You have to carefully arrange the apples. The pie should be heaping full, mounded up with apple slices. They soften and reduce, so at this point it should look awkwardly heaped up.

Next, you need to make the crumb topping…

1 stick (1/2 c.) cold butter
1 cup flour
1/2 cup dark brown sugar

Cut this together with a pastry blender or with two knives. When the butter is the size of small pebbles, you’re done. This crumb mixture gets sprinkled on top of your mountain of apples. Put most of it in the middle, then carefully push it out toward the edges, until it’s all on there. All of the apples need to be covered, don’t let any peek through.

Now you can put your work of art in the oven… 425 degrees for 50 minutes. About halfway through, check it and cover loosely with foil when it is a nicely browned color. (If you have a convection oven, do not use the convection fan.)

Warning: This pie needs to cool for a minimum of 1 hour, better if it cools 2-3 hours.

ENJOY!

The hubs recommended we try this salad since he gets something similar at work from time to time. It turned out to be one of those fresh-tasting summer meals that fills you up without making you feel like you over-ate. Here’s the formula:

Penne Pasta, New Potatoes, and Spinach Salad

1/2 lb. penne pasta
9 tiny baby red potatoes
1/2 package of fresh spinach
4 slices of bacon, crumbled

dressing ingredients:
1/2 c. olive oil
2 Tablespoons natural rice vinegar
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon honey
1/4 (or less) teaspoon sesame seed oil
salt and pepper

First, cook the pasta according to the package directions. At the same time, boil the potatoes (whole) for about 10-20 minutes, or until cooked but not too soft. You can tell by poking them with a paring knife. While that stuff boils, chop the spinach and crumble the bacon. Along with the garlic, put the spinach and bacon in a large bowl. When the pasta and potatoes are done, they need to be chilled thoroughly in icy water. Drain the pasta well and add to the spinach. Next, dice the potatoes into quarters or eighths and place back into cold water. (Red potatoes are pretty starchy and I like to rinse some of that off.) Finally, add the potatoes to the spinach and pasta.

Next, simply whisk all the dressing ingredients together and then pour it over your salad. Toss to coat.

We found this to be quite likable and delicious. I’m not a big potato fan and certainly not a potato salad fan, but loved this anyway.

ENJOY!