Roasted Asparagus

Roasted Asparagus
by Emilee Wells

1 lb. asparagus
1 tsp. coarse salt
1 tbsp. olive oil

Preheat oven to 425. Wash asparagus and trim woody ends. Spread out on baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt. Roast for 25 minutes.

This same technique works wonders with cauliflower, and bags of frozen mixed veggies.

Asparagus Slaw

I didn't know people ate asparagus raw, but this was so good. If you tossed it with pasta and some halved cherry tomatoes, it would be a great, light summer entree.

Asparagus Slaw
by Jolynn Shull

2 lbs. asparagus, shaved with vegetable peeler (or sliced thinly lengthwise with a knife)
1 cup parmesan, freshly shredded
2 tbsp. water
3 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix parmesan, water, lemon juice, and olive oil in a bowl until well combined. Toss with asparagus, and add salt and pepper to taste.

Zucchini Quesadillas

The zucchini alone for these is delicious, and they are infinitely customizable for your family's tastes. (Unless, of course, your family will not touch zucchini.:)

Zucchini Quesadillas
by Nadine Bailey

1 teaspoon olive oil
Cooking spray
1/3 cup finely chopped onion (optional)
1/2 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1 1/4 cups shredded zucchini (about 2 medium)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
10 (8-inch) fat-free flour tortillas
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 to 1 cup diced tomato
1/4 cup chopped olives

Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add (onion and) garlic; sauté for 1 minute. Add zucchini; sauté for 2 minutes or until zucchini turns bright green in color. Remove from heat; stir in oregano, salt, and pepper.

Wipe pan clean with paper towels, and coat with cooking spray#. Heat pan over medium heat*. Add 1 tortilla to pan, and sprinkle with mozzarella. Top with layers of tomato, olives, zucchini mixture and sprinkle again with mozzarella. Fold tortilla in half. Cook for 3 minutes or until lightly browned on bottom. Carefully turn quesadilla; cook for 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Place quesadilla on a wire rack to cool. Repeat procedure with the remaining tortillas, mozzarella, zucchini mixture, tomato, olives, and feta. Serve warm.

# Alternatively, you can coat the pan with olive oil and cook each tortilla in heated oil to get a crunchier gordita-like shell

* Can use pancake griddle instead; this allows for many quesedillas to be cooking at the same time

Yield: 6-8 servings

Recipe Websites

Here are a couple of my favorite websites for delicious recipes with fun and funny commentary.

Dalai Mama Cooks-- I've been reading this blog since before Olivia was born, and it's gone, recently, from a blog of family musings to a recipe blog. I was worried, but I think it's better as a cooking blog. You really should check out some of her recipes. (The saturated pork chops look AMAZING, but that might just be because I am seriously becoming a carnivore with this pregnancy.)

Pioneer Woman-- Is there anyone out there who isn't already reading about Ree and her love affair with butter? If you haven't seen her before, you really need to see her soon.

One Hour Rolls

I love hot rolls but they are so time-consuming. My mom had a basketball dinner at her house and someone brought these rolls.  They are super fast (really-one hour), and are delicious.

Shirley's One Hour Rolls
by Emilee Wells

1 c. warm water
1/4 c. sugar
1/3 c. oil
2 T. yeast
Mix together and let stand 15 minutes

Add:
1 t. salt
1 beaten egg
3 or 3-1/2 c. flour
Mix and let stand 10 minutes. Shape and let rise 20-30 minutes. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes. makes 1-1/2 doz rolls . Recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.

Homemade Bang Bang Shrimp Salad

Editor's Note:  This was DELICIOUS and not something I would ever think I could make.  Thank you, Jolynn!


Homemade Bang Bang Shrimp Salad
by Jolynn Shull

Shrimp:
Cornstarch enough to coat all the shrimp (about 1/4 cup?)
1-2 t. garlic powder
2 pinches kosher salt
1/4 inch of oil in the bottom of a skillet

Sauce:
1 c. thai sweet chili sauce
1/4 c. mayonnaise
Srirachii hot chili sauce (for those with a touch of the masochist)

Salad:
Salad mix
Red bell pepper
Snow peas
Bean sprouts

Shrimp:
Pre-heat oil in skillet.  Mix cornstarch, garlic powder, and salt.  Lightly coat shrimp with mix.  Quickly fry shrimp (about 30 seconds per side--you know it's done when it's pink).  Sprinkle with salt.

Sauce:
Mix mayo with sweet chili sauce and add srirachi to taste.  (Your taste could possible be none.)  Toss shrimp with sauce. 
Variation:  Pop-Pop Shrimp.  Use sweet-and-sour sauce instead of sweet chili.  Much milder.

Salad: 
Chop veggies and add to salad mix.
Add shrimp to the top of each person's plate of salad. 

Kid variation:  Bang-Bang Tacos--Put a small amount of salad and a few shrimp on the top of a corn tortilla.

Baked Brie

I love to pretend I'm fancy every now and again, and this little appetizer, served with apples, pears, or crackers, fits my romantic bill. Yum! Recipe from Food Network. (I used a smaller brie wheel, and cut everything else in half.)

Baked Brie
by Emilee Wells

1 (7 to 8-inch) wheel brie cheese
1/4 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup sliced toasted almonds
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 sheets (12 by 18-inch) puff pastry
2 eggs, beaten


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Using a warmed sharp knife, or unflavored dental floss (See Cook's Note 1) cut the wheel of brie in half horizontally and separate the top half of the wheel from the bottom half. Sprinkle the bottom half of the brie with the dried cherries, toasted almonds, and brown sugar. Replace the top half of the brie and apply pressure to secure the stuffing. Working on a well-floured surface, roll out the puff pastry so that it will fully cover the brie. Place the brie in the middle of the puff pastry and fold the excess pastry around the wheel. Put the wheel aside. Roll out another piece of puff pastry and cut out a circle the same circumference as the top of the brie. Save the trimmings for decorations. Using a pastry brush, brush the egg on top of the brie in the puff pastry and place the circle on top. Brush the top of the circle with egg. Cut out decorations using cookie cutters or a small knife on top of the brie. Brush the entire top side of the brie with the egg and place the brie on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the pastry begins to turn golden brown, then turn the temperature down to 325 degrees F and bake for another 20 minutes. Serve on a pretty platter. See Cook's Note 2.

Cook's Note 1: Instead of using a knife to cut the brie, use a piece of unflavored dental floss. Make an initial cut half way down, along the outer side of the brie with a pairing knife. Then, take a long piece of dental floss and wrap it around both hands. Starting at the front of the wheel at the initial cut, work through the wheel with the floss, separating the top half of the wheel from the bottom.