dessert · grilling · Main dish. · summertime

The Grill’s Not just for Hot Dogs!

We’re in the middle of another session of Apples of Gold – the cooking/teaching mentoring ministry for ladies that I’ve had the privilege of being a part of the last three years.  Each week we learn cooking techniques, study Titus 2, and fellowship together around a home-cooked meal.  It’s a wonderful, encouraging and fun time!

Last Saturday the meal was all about the grill.  Here was our menu:flatbreads.jpg

 

Grilled Prosciutto, fig and Gouda Flatbread
Rosemary and Sea Salt Flatbread
Honey-Lime Grilled Chicken Salad
Grilled Pineapple with Coconut Whipped Cream

For Flatbreads:
Ingredients
  • For the flatbread:
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • ¾ cup warm water, plus more if needed
  • Olive oil for brushing
  • 6 ounces Gouda cheese, grated
  • A handful of arugula
  • 8 slices of Prosciutto
  • 8 fresh figs, cut into quarters – I used dried figs and they were just as delicious!

For the balsamic glaze:

  • 1 cups balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 tablespoon honey

Instructions:

For the flatbread:
To a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, salt, and baking powder, mix well.
Add the olive oil and mix.
Add the water and mix until the dough comes together, either using your hands or a wooden spoon.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
Remove the dough from the fridge about 10 minutes before using to allow to come to room temperature.

Preheat your outdoor grill.
Divide the dough in fourths and roll out onto a floured cutting board into your desired shape.
Brush with the olive oil on both sides.
Grill on each side for about 2-3 minutes until you have good grill marks and the dough is crispy.
Remove from the grill and add your toppings.
Return the flatbread to the grill and grill only long enough until the cheese is melted.

For the balsamic glaze: – Make this while the dough is in the fridge

In a medium saucepan, add the balsamic and stir in the honey.
Bring the vinegar to a simmer over medium heat.
Simmer for approximately 30 minutes until the vinegar has reduced by ½, keep an eye it and check until it has the consistency of molasses.
Drizzle over the finished flatbread.

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For Rosemary/Sea Salt Flatbread – 

Combine 1 tbl. finely chopped fresh rosemary and about 2 tsp sea salt.

Brush flatbread with olive oil and grill until browned.  Remove and brush with more olive oil.  Rub Rosemary and salt mixture over oil.  Serve warm.

Griled chicken salad

Honey-lime Grilled Chicken Salad

Ingredients

For Honey-Lime Grilled Chicken
  • 4 small chicken breasts
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
  • zest from a lime
  • juice from a lime
  • salt and pepper to taste

instructions

  1. In a bowl add the Honey lime chicken ingredients; olive oil, honey, cilantro, lime zest, lime juice, salt and pepper. Whisk until smooth.
  2. Place each chicken breast between plastic wrap and gently pound using a meat mallet until chicken is about ½ inch in thickness. Place chicken in a large Ziploc bag and pour marinade over chicken. Marinate overnight.
  3. Grill chicken over medium high heat until cooked through.

For Salad:

Ingredients:

Spring Mix
Sliced Strawberries
Blue Cheese

Place salad ingredients on plate, top with grilled chicken.

Honey-Lime Dressing – 

1/4 Cup olive oil
Juice and zest of a lime
2 tsp Honey

 In a small bowl, whisk the juice of the remaining lime, the honey and 1/4 cup olive oil; season with salt and pepper.

Now for dessert:

Pineapple

Grilled Pineapple

  1. Slice fresh pineapple in one-inch slices.
  2. Sprinkle with a cinnamon/sugar mixture
  3. Grill on medium high heat 2-3 minutes or until soft and pineapple has grill marks.
  4. Garnish with whipped cream, and fresh mint.

Coconut Whipped Cream

Ingredients

Full Fat Coconut milk
Vanilla
Sugar

Place coconut milk in fridge overnight. The next morning, put mixing bowl and beaters into freezer for ten minutes.  Turn milk can upside down, open and pour off liquid.  Pour rest of milk into chilled mixing bowl.  Beat until whipped up.  Add 2 tbl sugar and 1 tsp vanilla.

This meal is so delicious!  Fire up the grill and get some restaurant worthy foods cooking on your back porch!  

With love from my country kitchen,

 

outfits · Pastor's Wife · summertime

What the Preacher’s Wife Wore

Well, friends, here it is – the first clip of “What the Preacher’s Wife Wore.”  It may be the last, but I had fun putting it together.  Bear with me – the videos aren’t the best – they’re dark, jiggly, wiggly and all over the place!  But I hope it will provide you with a little inspiration for your wardrobe and maybe a laugh or two!  Let ‘er roll…

Some of the store/sites I mentioned were:

Cents of Style – Great deals – Friday’s they send out emails about special deals!

Talbots – I miss the Lexington, Ky outlet, but they have some good end of the season sales! I love the classic styles.  Their clothes are a great quality and last a long time!

TJMaxx – I love the things I find there!  You just never know what will be marked down for a super-duper price!

Ann Taylor – I love their outlets!  Great petite selections!

Dillards – Man, when they have a sale, you can get some great deals!

Charming Charlie – Love their sale racks! I’ve gotten clothes, shoes, purses, scarves and jewelry in their stores!

My pendant necklace with the “A” came from a local gift shop – The Gift Box – a sweet store full of fun finds!

Versatility in a wardrobe is important! If/when I do another video, I think I’ll take the pieces from this first movie and mix them up for different kinds of outfits.  Maaaaybe  What do you think?

Refresh your wardrobe!

P.S.  The last slide on my video says RefreshHer..com – of course there’s only one .  !

 

 

Side dish · summertime · Uncategorized

Summer Luncheon ~ Salmon Croquettes

A couple weeks ago while visiting my family in Kentucky, my sister had my parents and me over for a summery lunch.  Everything was so delicious, and I promised I would get her recipe for the Salmon Croquettes for you all.  Today’s the day!

This is a great meal – it’s healthy, it’s economical, and it’s so yummy!  These are all things you could keep on hand for a busy night when you need supper in a hurry.  I chop up fresh red peppers and keep them in the freezer for recipes like this.  Why not plan on making this one night this week?

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Salmon Croquettes & Mayo/Herb Topping

WHAT YOU NEED:

15 oz skinless, boneless pink salmon (I used Kirkland brand from Costco)

½ cup panko crumbs

½ cup finely chopped red sweet pepper

½ cup finely chopped green onions

1 egg, slightly beaten

2 TBL mayo

1 TBL yellow mustard

Topping:

½ cup mayo

3 TBL finely chopped fresh parsley

1 TBL fresh lemon juice

1 tsp bottled hot pepper sauce

  1. Mix topping ingredients.  Place in refrigerator until ready to serve.
  2. In a medium bowl combine salmon, bread crumbs, sweet pepper, green onions, egg, 2 TBL mayo, and mustard.  Shape into eight 2 ½ inch patties.  (about 1/3 cup each)
  3. Coat a large nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Heat over medium heat.  Add patties, cook 4-5 minutes or until browned. Spray the tops with cooking spray before flipping.   Continue cooking 4-5 minutes or until cooked through.  (160 degrees F)
  4. Place patties on a platter with a dollop of the mayo topping.

Her potato Salad tasted like something purchased in a nice deli!  This was a great addition to the Salmon!

POTATO SALAD

8 medium red potatoes

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

¼ cup chopped green onion tops

1 cup chopped celery

3 hard boiled eggs, chopped

¼ cup diced pimento

1 TBL Dijon mustard

1 cup mayo

¼ cup sour cream

salt and pepper to taste.

1 TBL seasoned salt

Wash and cube potatoes, leaving skin on.  Boil potatoes for 15-20 minutes or until tender.  Drain and place in a large mixing bowl. Mix the remaining ingredients and gently fold into potato mixture.

Now, let me end this post with a fun and delicious way to have the taste of S’mores but with a little twist!  Pictured below is what we call Waffle Cone S’Mores:

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Take all the ingredients you would like to melt and roast together, add it to the inside of sugar cone or waffle cone. We have found that a good combination is chocolate, marshmallows and strawberries.  Fruit really adds the “over-the-top” edge!  The mini Reeses cups makes the perfect little cap at the top of the cone, and when it melts…wow!

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Pack it deep inside the cone, wrap in foil and set it on the grate over a fire or grill.  Try to wait patiently for everything to melt together – about 10 minutes.  Unwrap and enjoy!

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These are the kinds of treats summer was intended for!  Plus you have the fun of the fire, everyone standing around making their own dessert, laughing, munching and enjoying the summer evening.  What fun!

I hope you’ll put some part of this on your menu soon.  What a great recipe for your family, and one special enough for entertaining with as well!

With love from my country kitchen,

entertaining · Home decor · organization · summertime

A Look Through My Lens

It’s unreal how much activity goes on in one week, isn’t it?  I look through my photos on my camera and am shocked at how much we did in the last seven days!  Let me give you a look through my lens:

On Friday night we hosted our church teen group at our home.  They are led by Alli’s husband, Andrew who does a great job!  The teens love both Alli and Andrew, and it was fun to see them interact that evening.  They played volleyball, and a new version of football.  Oh, and they ate. A LOT! Which means they loved it, and that makes me happy!Their meal was a simple one of grilled hot dogs and the fixings, but I can’t wait to tell you about the dessert we served.  Here’s a little peek, but I’ll share the details with you on Monday.

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On Saturday I hosted a baby shower for a sweet young mom, expecting her first baby.  You can tell by the pictures that she’s expecting a girl!

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A friend at church did the food, and it was amazing.

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Another gal does the cupcakes for our church showers.  These are White Chocolate Raspberry.  Oh my goodness!!  The little size makes it completely safe to try without feeling too guilty!  Also check out the waffle bowls filled with fresh fruit; those were so good!

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Saturday night my husband and I went with Alli and Andrew to Carter’s Fold to hear Fiddlin’ Carson Peters, a talented 12 year-old who plays fiddle with his father and two other instrumentalists.  It was such a fun night!  The music was great, the setting was country and perfect!

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Sunday morning we had the blessing of seeing two little girls who recently accepted Christ as their Savior get baptized, or as one of them called it, “Bap-ti-tized!”  It always brings tears to my eyes to see these young ones trust Christ, then declare their devotion to follow Him all their lives!

It also always makes me so thankful to be married to the pastor who gets the privilege of baptizing, and pouring into their lives the Truth of God’s Word.  He always gives a personal challenge to each one, and it’s so sweet.

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Sunday evening we did not have services at church.  My husband and I took special care to spend time together and also to rest.  We sat on our front porch rockers and played Farkle while several of our neighbors put on quite a firework display.

We had front row seats and never had to leave home!

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Even Liza got to enjoy some time outside.  That’s a great treat for this indoor kitty!

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Monday’s Fourth of July celebrations took us to Cherokee Lake to friends’ home.  We had a wonderful time.  It included a feast of picnic foods, a boat ride, and fellowship with new friends.

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This barn was on the dead end road that took us to the lake house.  What is it about old barns that makes them so beautiful?

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My pantry got some further organization when I finally found a couple of Lazy Susans at TJ Maxx.  These will make finding my canned goods so much easier!

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Lastly, I harvested some of my herbs a few weeks ago and had them drying in small bundles in our hot, dry garage.  This week I pulled the leaves off and got them stored in small jars.  They’re so fragrant and I can’t wait to use all three – Thyme, Dill and Oregano.

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God is good to give sweet blessings that we get to enjoy each day.  He also gives grace for the difficult things that come, but God is always good!

How have you seen God’s goodness to you this week?  Do you have a favorite photo from this post?

Stay refreshed,

Denise

 

Cooking · Home making · summertime · Uncategorized

Tempting Your Family with Summer Fruits

There is a saying my girls remember well that I used in our home A LOT.  When they would want dessert, I would say,

“Why don’t you have some nice fruit?!”

They would look at me as if to say,

“Really? That’s not dessert!”

It may not be a chocolate chip cookie, but summer fruits are sweet and full of flavor!  I love summertime for lots of reasons, but all the fresh fruits is one of them!  I love cutting up a variety and having it in a bowl for quick snacks or dessert!  Having a big bowl all ready washed, cut up and ready to eat is far more appealing than the watermelon that has to be sliced every time you want to indulge.

Another  trick  secret to getting your family to eat more fruits like peaches or grapes is to have some washed and sitting out on the counter.  Put it in a pretty tray or bowl and set it on the counter.  They’ll snack on it more readily if it’s within easy reach.

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The pineapple will be sliced for a rice dish I’m making, then I’ll add the rest to my bowl of cut up fruit! For now it’s serving as a garnish!

This week our Aldi’s had mango’s for forty-nine cents!  That’s a good deal!  Mango’s are so sweet and make a great addition to a taco (if you haven’t tried that as a topping, you really should!) or a fruit salad.  To get the most out of the fruit, here’s the easiest way to peel and chop them:

You slice down on each side beside the long stone in the middle.  Then score each half with a knife.  Pop the skin inside out, then slice off the squares of fruit!  It’s super easy this way!

I have a bowl of fruit in the fridge right now with watermelon, peaches, honeydew, strawberries, blackberries and mango.  My favorite?  Probably the melons – or the blackberries, or maybe the mango… Excuse me while I go have some nice fruit!

What’s your favorite summer fruit?  How do you serve it?

Stay refreshed by slicing up some summer fruits!

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