Kettle Corn

This is one of my all time FAVORITE recipes! I got on a kettle corn kick a couple of years ago.

In Tallahassee when I was at Florida State, I loved going down to the downtown market on Saturday mornings to get the freshly popped sweet & salty snack.

I found this recipe on Rachel Ray's website and it's super easy. I've got it memorized & I've easily made it about 2 dozen times.

If you are a kettle corn lover, you need to try making it yourself. It's much better than the instant bagged stuff (blahh...) and it's more accessible than stand at a weekend market or state fair!

Here it is:

Ingredients

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup popcorn kernels

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon coarse salt

Putting It ALL Together

In a large pot with a tight-fitting lid, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the popcorn. When the oils sizzles, sprinkle the sugar over the kernels.

Cover and shake the pan until the popping slows down, about 3 minutes. [Beware! If you don't continually shake the pan, it will burn the sugar & ruin the kernels].

Remove from the heat and toss with the salt. [I transfer the popped corn into a gallon sized ziploc bag and then shake with salt...this mixes it together easier.]

Chickpea & Raisin Salad

OK, your first impression of this title may be "BLLLAHH," because of the interesting combination of ingredients. But, wait! Give this recipe a chance.

I follow the magazine REAL SIMPLE on Twitter & I saw them post this recipe for a "Chickpea and Raisin Salad" with the claim that "It only takes 15 minutes!"

It was about time for lunch, and I happened to have all the ingredients, so I gave it a chance.

I cut the recipe in half, because I only had 1 can of chickpeas & I was only making it to feed myself.

I'm not used to eating chickpeas on their own (I mainly buy them to make hummus). But the combination of all the ingredients in this recipe really balances out all the flavors. (and I'm here to say, it REALLY did only take 15 minutes). Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

1 cup raisins

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar

3 15.5 ounce cans chickpeas, rinsed

1 cup fresh cilantro

4 scallions, thinly sliced

1/3 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

salt & pepper

Putting It ALL Together

In a small saucepan, combine the raisins, vinegar, and sugar. Bring to a simmer (raisins should plump up a little), remove from heat and let cool.

In a large bowl, toss the chickpeas, cilantro, scallions, and raisin mixture to the oil, cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Verdict: This would be a good side item at a picnic or BBQ...rather than the typical pasta or potato salad. The raisins adds sweetness & the cilantro and scallions add a burst of flavor.

Berry Bonanza

Being summertime, berries are in season [AKA: super FRESH & CHEAP!]

On my last trip to Publix, I loaded up on some raspberries and blueberries because they were 2 for $3.00.

Then, I proceeded to come up with different ways to eat the berries, so I could eat them while they were fresh.

Here is what I came up with:

"Berry" Good Summer Salad:

*This "recipe" was inspired by a salad that I had a graduation party this Spring. It was simple & delicious so I tried to re-create it. I just added bits of pieces of things that I LOVE, but anything could could be omitted or substituted to your liking.

Ingredients

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

salt and pepper

1 bag of "Spring Mix" salad

handful of fresh blueberries

handful of fresh raspberries

1 avocado, chopped into cubes

reduced fat feta cheese

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

juice of 1 lemon

sliced almonds (to top)

Putting It ALL Together

Rub the chicken breasts with a pinch of salt and pepper. Grill for about 5 minutes each side. Allow the chicken to cool off and then cut into strips.

Put together all the ingredients. Toss. Top with sliced almonds.

Raspberry/Greek Yogurt Parfait: (perfect for breakfast or afternoon snack!)

*Everyone loves greek yogurt for it's health benefits & high protein but the plain stuff can be quite bitter and the fruit flavors can be loaded with sugar. This is an alternative to the "fruit on the bottom" variety of greek yogurt. The little bit of honey adds enough sweet to cut out the bitterness. YUM!

Ingredients

1 cup of non fat plain greek yogurt

1/4 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup fresh raspberries (or your desired berry)

1 tbsp honey

Putting it ALL Together

Start with a clear glass.

Add a 1/2 cup of yogurt. Add 1/2 of the almonds, 1/2 of the raspberries & 1/2 of the honey. REPEAT and layer.

Verdict: BOTH of these simple recipes were delicious. I plan to make them again and again [or as long as I can get a good deal on the berries!]

Mama's Turkey Burgers

Turkey burgers have become quite "trendy" because of their perceived health value. Turns out, they don't seem to offer more nutrition than a traditional beef burger. Nonetheless, I've become a fan.

My mom makes this turkey burger recipe often & they are always a favorite around my house.

The other night, I went over to spend the day with mom & she had a batch of these burgers that she had made and frozen {brilliant mom move -- cook a bunch, eat a little, freeze the rest for later}.

We cooked them up & enjoyed a nice, light summer meal out on the patio.

Here it is:

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey

1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs

1/4 cup applesauce [the "magic" ingredient --that makes them so YUM]

1/4 cup yellow onion, minced

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon lemon juice

salt and pepper

Putting it ALL Together

Combine ALL ingredients & shape into patties

Grill about 4 - 5 minutes each side.

Yield

4 burgers

We served up the burgers on Arnold Whole Wheat Sandwich Thins. I topped my burger with swiss cheese, tomato, onion and lettuce. I also added a little smear of Kraft Chipotle Mayo.

Nutella Double Chocolate Cookies

I spent part of my day yesterday, updating my Pinterest & pinning pictures of items that I wanted to try.

I came across a recipe for Chocolate Nutella Cookies on the blog Simply Recipes. I was thrilled! I mean, who doesn't LOVE Nutella? The other draw to this recipe is that I had all the ingredients in my pantry [always a plus].

After picking up a dear friend, Weezy (a fellow Nutella lover), from the airport...we decided to try the recipe.

[Note: I normally try to find "healthy" dessert recipes or I'll try to find a way to make recipes "more healthy." But there is absolutely NO health benefits of this recipe. I went all out & it paid off.]

Here it is folks...

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup of brown sugar

3/4 cup of white sugar

1 cup of Nutella

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

2 eggs

2 cups, plus 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour

1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup of chocolate chips [*I used dark chocolate chips]

1/2 cup of chopped hazelnuts [Publix didn't have hazelnuts--or non that I was able to find--so I did not include hazelnuts in my recipe & they were still good.]

Putting it ALL Together

Preheat oven to 350F. Cream butter in an electric mixer for 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the sugars and Nutella and mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 30 seconds between each. Add the vanilla and mix for 10 seconds.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda . Mix into the butter mixture on low speed until fully incorporated, scraping down the bottom and sides at least once to ensure even mixing. Fold in the chocolate chips and hazelnuts and refrigerate the dough for ten minutes.

Spoon tablespoon-sized drops of dough onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool on the sheets for a minute or two before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Yield

Makes SIX DOZEN! [I apparently overlooked this when I made these. I now have 3 Tupperware containers on my counter filled with cookies.]

Verdict

At first, the cookies were extremely "ooey gooey." My rule when I bake cookies is that I will normally try one fresh out of the oven (in all it's ooey gooey glory). Then, after cooling, I'll try another one.

These cookies tasted MUCH better after they cooled. They have the consistency of brownies. So, fresh out of the oven, they are like brownie batter in the middle.

Overall, they turned out great! They look good [super plump] and I'm sure they'd be a crowd pleaser at a party. I will definitely bake them again.

Fish Tacos

It's SUMMERTIME AGAIN! This means, maybe I can take a stab at this whole blog thing again.

When summer comes, I'm suddenly inspired to be crafty & creative in the kitchen!

I suppose it gives me a purpose since I'm not working throughout the day.

Yesterday, was my FIRST "official" day of no work. I celebrated by trying a recipe from Cooking Light magazine. I had a little summer TACO party with my friend, Ashley!

[Let me warn you: this was a highly involved dinner. Probably not something you'd want to do on a week night, but it'd be great for a summer party]

First, I prepared a Grilled Pineapple/Avocado Salsa!

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• Cooking spray
• 1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 serrano chile, minced
• 1 avocado

Putting it ALL Together:

Preparation

• 1. Preheat grill to high heat.
• 2. Combine oil and honey, stirring well. Brush oil mixture over pineapple. Place pineapple on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 2 minutes on each side or until golden. Remove from grill; cool 5 minutes. Chop. Combine pineapple, onion, and next 6 ingredients (through serrano); toss gently.
• 3. Peel, seed, and dice avocado. Add avocado to the pineapple mixture, and toss gently.

Another topping I made was a Cabbage Slaw. It gave the tacos a fresh, light flavor.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups shredded cabbage
• 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced radishes
• 1/2 cup diagonally cut green onions
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• Putting it ALL together:

1. Combine first 5 ingredients; toss. Sprinkle with mint, salt, and pepper.

Finally, I made the actual Fish Tacos. The recipe in Cooking Light used Halibut, but I realized that Halibut is expensive! So I used Tilapia. It work perfectly. After I cooked the fish, I warmed some small wheat flour tortillas and served them up.

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 2 tablespoons fresh oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 5 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 5 (6-ounce) halibut (or tilapia) fillets
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• Cooking spray
• 12 (6-inch) small whole wheat tortillas

Putting it ALL Together:

• 1. Place first 5 ingredients in a food processor; process until finely chopped. Slowly pour oil through food chute;
• process until smooth. Place fish in a shallow dish; rub mixture over fish. Cover and chill 2 hours.
• 2. Preheat grill to high heat.
• 3. Sprinkle fish with salt and black pepper. Place fish on a grill rack coated with cooking spray, and grill for 4 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from grill. Break fish into chunks. Heat tortillas according to package directions. Divide fish evenly among tortillas.

They were DELICIOUS!! Again, I got all of this from the June 2011 issue of Cooking Light magazine.

Now, I'm off to plan dinner for tonight!