Author: Becca Robinson

Steamed Dill Carrots

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A few years ago, I went to a church dinner where a friend of mine had made these really tasty carrots. She used quartered baby carrots, but I find that I like sliced carrots better. I thought it was an easy way to make the carrots fancy and they are so simple to make!
Steamed Dill Carrots
Fresh carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally
Dried dill
Butter
Salt and Pepper
Place the cut carrots in a steamer. Sprinkle a generous amount of dried dill over top. 
Cook until tender. Remove from steamer, place in a bowl. Add some butter and salt and pepper to taste. 

Nectarine Tart

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This is a super simple, delicate and delicious tart. You can use any stone fruit.

Nectarine Tart
Makes one 12-inch tart
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) very cold unsalted butter
1½ pounds ripe nectarines, sliced into ¼-inch-thick wedges
2 to 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, depending on the sweetness of the fruit

1. Fill a cup with cold water and place it in the freezer.
2. Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Use a sharp knife to cut the butter into thin slices, then toss the slices into the bowl with the flour mixture. Using your fingers or two knives, rub the butter and flour together until there are no butter pieces larger than the size of a pea, about 10 to 15 seconds.
Remove the cup of water from the freezer. Drizzle 3 tablespoons of water over the butter-and-flour mixture. Give it a few strong squeezes to see if the dough will clump together. If not, pour in another tablespoon of water. Quickly shape the dough into a flattened disk, wrap it in plastic, and place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least one hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 425 F.
4. On a floured surface, roll the dough out into a 1/8-inch-thick circle — place in a tart pan. Trim the excess off the edge. Bake in the oven for about 5-8 mins til slightly firm. Remove and cool slightly.
5. Reduce oven temp to 375 F.
6. Arrange the nectarine wedges on the dough in overlapping concentric circles, Sprinkle the tart evenly with the granulated sugar. Bake it until the fruit juices bubble and the crust turns golden brown about 45 mins. Give or take several minutes. 
7. Let the tart cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then slice it into wedges. Serve each wedge with a generous dollop of whipped cream.

source: kcet.org

Creamy White Queso Dip

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I admit that this is not the most appealing picture, but let me tell you, this is the BEST home made queso dip I have ever had! I have tried a few and I love this one. I also love that it is made with real cheese, not cheese product. 
Creamy White Queso Dip
1 lb. White American Cheese (I get it in the deli section of my grocery store. You may need to get it sliced at the deli)
1-4 oz. can green chilies
1/2 (or so) can Rotel
1 C. plus a bit of heavy cream 
In a medium sauce pan, combine all ingredients (break up or chop the cheese into small chunks.) Cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally until cheese is melted and creamy. Add more cream to get the consistency you want. 
Serve with chips, or, as we like it, with home made pretzel bites! 
Recipe source: my sis in law, Sami.
 

Perfect Pie Crust

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For years I searched for a great pie crust recipe. I had a friend in Florida share this recipe with me. I believe it came from a cookbook she had but I cannot say which one.
Perfect Pie Crust
12 Tbsp. very cold unsalted butter
3 C. flour 
1tsp. kosher salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/3 C. cold vegetable shortening
6-8 Tbsp. ice water  

Dice the butter and return to the fridge or freezer while preparing the flour mixture. 

Place the flour, salt and sugar in a food processor. Pulse a few times. Add the butter and shortening. Pulse 8-12 times til the butter is pea-sized. 

With the machine running pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Dump out onto a floured surface and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
Cut the dough in half and roll out. 
This actually makes enough for about 3 single crusts. 
 


 

Summertime Quiche

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Summer is quickly coming to a close here in Idaho. But before I start posting my fall/winter recipes, I gotta post another recipe that uses zucchini and squash. I think this will be the last one with either of those ingredients for a while, at least I hope.
Oh and another thing. I am all about home made. I am kind of a snob when it comes to home made vs. store bought items. However, I have been trying to simplify and one way that I have, is to buy pre-made pie shells for this recipe (cringe!) I have the best home made pie crust recipe but I have accepted the fact that it is okay to buy pre-made pie shells every once in a while.

I love quiche. So versatile. This was a good way to use up some zucchini that I had lying around. You can also use summer squash, etc. Here is how I made this one:

Summertime Quiche 

1 deep dish pie crust
4 eggs
1 C. Half and half
1 C. Shredded zucchini 
1/4 C. chopped green onion
1/4 C. Crumbled bacon
1- 1 1/2 C. Shredded Cheese (I used half monterey jack half swiss)
Salt and Pepper to taste 
Fresh grated nutmeg (optional) 

Preheat oven to 450. Lightly cover the pie shell with foil. Bake 8 minutes, remove foil and back another 5 minutes or so. Remove from oven.

Meanwhile in a large bowl, beat eggs and half/half. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Pour into the warm pie shell. Use a pie saver or foil to cover the edges of the crust. Place in the oven, reduce temperature to 350 and bake until a knife inserted comes clean, about 30-45 minutes. Let rest little bit before cutting. 

Grilled Pizza

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Last summer I decided to try making my pizza on the grill. I think I saw some chef on the Food Network make some grilled pizza years ago. I didn’t look up a recipe. I just used my favorite dough recipe and added the toppings I liked. I made it again this summer and realized that I really really love it. You might just find me firing up my grill come January and going out in my winter clothes to grill my pizza! 

Start with your dough. Here is the recipe I use (makes about two thin crust pizzas)

Easy Pizza Dough

1 Tbsp. Yeast
1 C. warm water
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
2 1/2 C. flour

Dissolve the yeast in water and oil. Stir in salt, sugar and flour. Mix until ball forms. Allow to rise for 5 or 10 minutes. 
Get all your favorite pizza toppings ready (our favorite pizza was the olive oil, tomato, sauteed onion, mozzarella and fresh basil pizza.) 
Meanwhile heat your grill to med.high heat.

At this point I spread my dough out on a greased cookie sheet (normally I would use corn meal, but this is going on the grill)


Take your dough out to your hot grill and throw it on there. I just made a rustic rectangle dough shape.
 After just a few short minutes you will want to turn your crust over.
 Then, working quickly, add your desired toppings. Also, sprinkle a bit of kosher salt over the top of your pizzas. It just boosts the flavor. Close the lid to your grill and give your pizzas 3-7 minutes or until the cheese melts. If you think your crust is going to burn, go ahead and lower the grill heat.


Remove from the grill, cut up and enjoy!


Zucchini Pasta with Lemon Yogurt Sauce

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I am not kidding when I say that we have been eating a lot of zucchini around here. If you are friends with me on FB you might have seen a picture I posted of my counter full of zucs! It has been good though because it has given me the opportunity to try new recipes. This is one that I got from Ezra Pound Cake. I followed the sauce recipe but I cut my zucchini differently and used some yellow squash from my garden as well. 
Zucchini Pasta with Lemon Yogurt Sauce 
8 ounces pasta of your choice 
1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt 
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 
1 tablespoon olive oil 
3 medium (8-ounce) zucchini, cut however you like them. (Here I used 2 zucs and 1 squash)  
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 
1/2 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved lengthwise

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta, and cook according to the package directions. Remove 1/4 cup of the cooking water, and set it aside. Drain the pasta. Set aside.
  2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together the yogurt, Parmesan, lemon zest, and salt and pepper. Set aside.
  3. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini, (and squash, if using) and cook just until wilted
  4. Use a spoon or spatula to push the zucchini aside so a space on the bottom of the pan is clear. Add the garlic, and cook for 15 to 30 seconds, until golden but not really brown.
  5. Mix the garlic into the zucchini.
  6. Stir in the tomatoes and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. 
  7. Add the zucchini mixture to the pasta and add the yogurt sauce. Toss to combine. Add the reserved pasta cooking water a tablespoon at a time, if necessary, to thin it. Divide among four bowls and serve.

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

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This bread is a dessert. Let’s just put that out there right now. Do not fool yourself into thinking it is healthy because it has zucchini in it. I mean, I am sure the zucchini is good for you but you could basically call this “Chocolatey Cakey Brownie Loaf.” That being said, it is a great way to use up all that zucchini from your garden. And it is delectable. I double the recipe, make 3 loaves with it and then give 2 of the 3 loaves away. The original recipe comes from What Megan’s Making. I originally doubled the recipe but the pans were very full so I decided to double the recipe (but tripled the amount of baking soda and baking powder) and make 3 loaves out of it.

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread (makes one loaf)

2 large eggs
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup King Arthur All-Purpose Baking Cocoa or Dutch-process cocoa
1 2/3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 cups shredded, unpeeled zucchini, gently pressed
1 cup chocolate chips (I used half milk chocolate and half semi-sweet)

 

Preheat the oven to 350°F; Grease and flour an 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ loaf pan.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, honey, oil, sugar, and vanilla. Add the salt, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa, and flour, mixing until well combined. Stir in the zucchini and chocolate chips.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 65 to 75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes before turning it out of the pan onto a rack. Cool completely before slicing. Or, just cut a piece while it is warm and enjoy!

Curried Walnut Couscous–redo

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I got this recipe from a grocery store back in Florida. They had entire meals printed in color on nice card stock for people to collect. Anyway one of the meals featured this curried walnut couscous and it has been one of my absolute favorites ever since. My kids love it too (and make a giant mess when they eat it.)
 It is quick and simple and delicious
CURRIED WALNUT COUSCOUS
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 C. chopped walnuts (I use pecans in a pinch)
1 C. couscous
1 1/2 C. water
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 C. golden raisins (I have never made it with these)
Place butter, brown sugar, curry powder and walnuts in a medium saucepan. Cook 2-3 minutes over medium heat, stirring often until butter melts. 
Cook 2-3 more minutes, stirring constantly. 
Stir in remaining ingredients, heat and stir 2 more minutes. 
Cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Fluff and serve. 
 

Grilled Stuffed Zucchini

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Just as fair warning, the next few posts from me might all have to do with veggies from our garden and/or grilling. Sometimes both. We have soooo much zucchini. My menu this week has zucchini on 4 of the 7 nights. However, it is a great opportunity to try new zucchini recipes. My friend told me to try this recipe from Our Best Bites and it was really tasty. I am not always great at following a recipe perfectly…I like to tweak things here and there. So, I will share with you the way I did it.

Grilled Stuffed Zucchini

3 medium zucchini (about 10″)
8 oz. ground chicken (or turkey) Italian sausage
1/2 C diced red onion
  3cloves garlic, minced
1 medium tomato (about 1/2 C diced)
2-3 T chopped fresh basil
1 C. Shredded Cheese (I used a combo of Parmesan and Asiago. You can use pre-shredded if you want.)
3 T Italian style panko bread crumbs.
kosher salt
black pepper
extra virgin olive oil

1. Slice zucchini in half length wise, leaving the tops on. Scoop out the centers, saving them in a bowl. Leave at least 1/4 inch around the edges and bottoms. Take the good parts of the zucchini guts you just scooped out and dice up about 3/4 to 1 C. This will go in your filling.

2. Preheat your grill outside. Spray or drizzle olive oil all over the cut zucchini. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Place them on the grill over medium, cut side down. 

3. Start your filling in a skillet on the stovetop. Start by browning the sausage. When you no longer see pink, add the onions, garlic, and diced zucchini. Cook for 2-3 minutes until onion is tender. Add tomato and basil, a touch of salt and a few cracks of black pepper. Remove pan from heat and set aside.

4. Remove your zucchini from the grill. It should have some nice grill marks and be tender. It takes about 5-7 minutes. Bring them inside.

5. Add the cheese and bread crumbs to filling mixture. Stir to combine and then divide the filling between the zucchini. Sprinkle a bit of bread crumbs over the top of the zucchini. Then give them a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. 

6. Return the zucchini to the grill, filling side up. Close the grill and cook for another 5-10 minutes. 
Serve!