I’ve been blogging for about two years now, but the time has gone by so fast that it seems like almost yesterday.

It’s been a whole lot of fun!

It’s been wonderful to find your blogs, to learn more about you, and to be inspired every day by what you’re cooking, baking, and ... [read more]]]> I’ve been blogging for about two years now, but the time has gone by so fast that it seems like almost yesterday.

It’s been a whole lot of fun!

It’s been wonderful to find your blogs, to learn more about you, and to be inspired every day by what you’re cooking, baking, and drinking too.

It’s been fun photographing and sharing with you everything that comes out of our kitchen.

But life seems kind of hectic right now, and I need to take a little break from blogging so I can finish a couple of projects that I’ve been working on.

So I’m planning to take a temporary break from blogging so I can do that.

In the meantime, Kemal and I plan on trying many of your recipes, and enjoying lots of good food!

Anyway, I’ll be around and commenting some, but I’ll be less active…at least for awhile.

In the meantime, here’s a peach margarita for you

and you,

and you,

and you!

Don’t worry…I’ve got more! There plenty enough for the rest of you too! Cheers! sheila

We’ve been eating so much tabbouleh this summer for breakfast, and while we both really enjoy it, we wanted something a little different this week. So I quickly threw together this 8-layer salad for us this morning, and not only was it incredibly refreshing and delicious, but it was also very fast and easy to ... [read more]]]> We’ve been eating so much tabbouleh this summer for breakfast, and while we both really enjoy it, we wanted something a little different this week. So I quickly threw together this 8-layer salad for us this morning, and not only was it incredibly refreshing and delicious, but it was also very fast and easy to make. Here’s what it looked like before we devoured it.

It sure did hit the spot!

Kemal said he felt the like prosciutto could have been left out. I agree. I think meatless would have been the way to go, but I felt throwing some in at the time I was making it. Bacon would have been ideal, but I didn’t have any.

What kind of salads have you been enjoying lately?

8-Layer Salad with Homemade Ranch Dressing

Recipe Adapted from: Sneakers and Snacks who adapted the recipe from Tasty Kitchen (recipe submitted by Cathy B. at brightbakes)

Ingredients:

• 4 cups romaine lettuce hearts, chopped
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 Vidalia onion, diced
• 8 baby carrots, chopped
• 4 oz. goat mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 slice Prosciutto, chopped
• 6 radishes, thinly sliced
• 2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp. homemade dry Ranch seasoning mix

Instructions:

• Place two eggs in a small pot.
• Add enough water to cover the eggs.
• Turn the heat on high, and when the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium high and cook for 10 minutes.
• Run cold water over the hot eggs and then peel and slice them; refrigerate until needed.
• Find a large platter/plate for the salad.
• Wash and chop the romaine lettuce hearts; shake out any excess water, and then scatter the lettuce on the large serving plate.
• Wash the radishes, and then cut off the ends.
• Slice the radishes thinly, and then place the radish slices in a circle around the lettuce. If you have more radish slices like I did, make one or two more radish circles on top of the lettuce.
• Wash and dice the tomato, and then scatter the diced tomatoes on top of the salad.
• Peel and dice the onion, and then scatter the diced onion on top of the salad.
• Chop the baby carrots and then scatter them on top of the salad.
• Chop the Prosciutto into small pieces, and then scatter the pieces on top of the salad.
• Shred the cheese and scatter it on top of the salad.
• Place the chilled hard boiled egg slices on top of the salad.
• Mix together the seasonings needed for the ranch dressing. Click here for the seasonings you’ll need.
• After you’ve mixed together the seasonings, stir 1 tbsp. of the seasoning mix into 1 cup of Greek yogurt.
• Place the yogurt mixture on top of the salad.
• Enjoy!

We love gyros…lamb, chicken, beef, or veggie…doesn’t matter. I’ll take one of each please!

Kemal made us some incredibly tasty lamb and beef gyros a few weeks ago.

They totally hit the spot!

Here’s the recipe he used:

Alton Brown at www.foodnetwork.com

He followed that recipe exactly except he also added some extra spices… some fenugreek, ... [read more]]]> We love gyros…lamb, chicken, beef, or veggie…doesn’t matter. I’ll take one of each please!

Kemal made us some incredibly tasty lamb and beef gyros a few weeks ago.

They totally hit the spot!

Here’s the recipe he used:

Alton Brown at www.foodnetwork.com

He followed that recipe exactly except he also added some extra spices… some fenugreek, sumac, and cumin…about a teaspoon of each.

We served them on homemade lejinje (Bosnian pita bread) that I had made earlier in the day and topped them with tzatziki sauce, yellow tomatoes, fresh mint, and some dried mint as well. We were in total heaven!

We also enjoyed some lamb and beef gyros at It’s All Greek to Me, which is a little family owned Greek restaurant here in town. We ordered a chicken gyro as well, and it was awesome!

Not only did we enjoy the food, but we also enjoy some nice conversation with Chef Maria.

Here’s a couple of pictures of us a few weeks ago on our anniversary at the Greek restaurant.

While we certainly love making our own gyros, we do plan to go back to the restaurant and enjoy some there from time to time as well too.

What kind of gyro is your favorite? Chicken, lamb, beef, a lamb/beef combo, or a veggie one?

I saw a couple of recipes for chocolate banana cardamom jam, and made it a few weeks ago.

It’s wonderful for spreading on bread or vanilla cookies.

It’s also great to eat it right from the spoon.

But guess what else you can do with it? You can make a batch of it and then combine ... [read more]]]> I saw a couple of recipes for chocolate banana cardamom jam, and made it a few weeks ago.

It’s wonderful for spreading on bread or vanilla cookies.

It’s also great to eat it right from the spoon.

But guess what else you can do with it? You can make a batch of it and then combine it with some other ingredients to make a Swiss orange banana almond ice cream

that tastes incredibly rich and delicious! And guess what…you don’t need an ice cream maker. How cool is that!!

I still have some in my freezer. I’m savoring it…a few creamy bites at a time because I want it to last. And it’s so full of flavor that only a few bites satisfies me.

The chocolate and the orange flavors come through loud and clear, and this makes a wonderful summertime treat.

Give it a try sometime and see for yourself.

I’m having a blast making small-batch ice creams this summer. They’re really so much fun to make! What about you? What have you been having fun with in the kitchen lately?

Recipe Source for the Chocolate Banana Cardamom Jam: Chef in Disguise who adapted the recipe from Baking Obsession.

Inspiration for the Swiss Orange Banana Almond Ice Cream: Chef in Disguise who adapted the recipe from Baking Obsession.

Ingredients for the Swiss Orange Banana Almond Ice Cream (No Ice Cream Maker Needed):

• All of the ingredients listed at Chef in Disguise’s recipe for chocolate banana cardamom jam plus:
• 1 cup frozen banana slices
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 tsp. orange extract
• 1 tsp. dried orange peel
• Optional: 1 tsp. Cointreau

Note: Don’t add the Cointreau if you’re going to be serving this to children.

Note: The chocolate I used when making the chocolate banana cardamom jam was 1 bar of Chocolove Orange Peel in Dark Chocolate.

Instructions for Making the Swiss Orange Chip Banana Almond Ice Cream:

• Set your frozen banana slices on the counter top and let them thaw out a little bit.
• After they’ve thawed out some, put them in your blender along with the almond milk, chocolate chips, orange extract, orange peel, and the chilled chocolate banana cardamom jam.
• Puree the mixture.
• Then pour into a shallow plastic freezer container.
• If you’re going to add in the Cointreau, this is the point where you want to do it. Just stir it into the mixture before freezing.
• Secure the lid and freeze.
• If you’re going to be home, you can stir the mixture every couple of hours but it’s not necessary. You can just freeze it overnight and in the morning your ice cream will be ready.
• Just let it soften about 5 minutes and then scoop it out.

Raise your hands if you love hot dogs. *raises mine up*

Yep…they’re good stuff, but let’s face it, they’ve been given a bad rap. I remember reading that they’re filled with all kinds of yucky stuff that isn’t good for us so I try not to eat them very often. But when we do eat them, ... [read more]]]> Raise your hands if you love hot dogs. *raises mine up*

Yep…they’re good stuff, but let’s face it, they’ve been given a bad rap. I remember reading that they’re filled with all kinds of yucky stuff that isn’t good for us so I try not to eat them very often. But when we do eat them, we buy high quality dogs that are free of hormones, antibiotics, and preservatives. Maybe they’re still not the healthiest thing for us to eat, but hey…a hot dog every now and again is fine for us.

Anyway, if you enjoy hot dogs from time to time too, try making homemade hot dog buns to go with them the next time you have them.

They’re really easy to make, taste fabulous, and they don’t take very long either.

You can find the recipe at One Frugal Food/Alisa Cooks. The recipe is for hamburger buns, and I use this recipe when we have burgers, but if you want hot dog buns, just shape them like hot dog buns before baking them and there ya go!

By the way, I did try making my own vegan hot dogs

several months ago, and while I loved how they tasted, I didn’t care for the texture.

Anyway, just one final thing I wanted to mention about hot dogs. My favorite way to eat them is roasting them over a bonfire. I remember when I was a kid we used to do that cookouts my folks would have, and we’d also do that when we were camping.

Roasted hot dogs and marshmallows over a bonfire…*sigh*…I think that was like my favorite thing in the world when I was a kid. I sure did love burning my marshmallows on the outside and have them be all ooey gooey, and soft on the outside. Yum, yum, yum!!!

What about you? Did you roast marshmallows and hot dogs on a stick over a bonfire when you were  a kid?

Summertime salsas is what it’s all about. They’re fresh, flavorful, fun, and fantastic! They’re festive too because make me think of South-of-border fiestas.

I made some peach mango black bean salsa

as a topping for tacos and taco salad. I made the pineapple mango salsa

as a topping for some blackened salmon.

These salsas are also perfect ... [read more]]]> Summertime salsas is what it’s all about. They’re fresh, flavorful, fun, and fantastic! They’re festive too because make me think of South-of-border fiestas.

I made some peach mango black bean salsa

as a topping for tacos and taco salad. I made the pineapple mango salsa

as a topping for some blackened salmon.

These salsas are also perfect as a baked potato topping. Salsa and sour cream on baked potatoes is definitely the way to go!

They’re great on top of nachos, and they’re perfect for omelets.

I also enjoy eating salsas like this straight from the bowl. It makes a healthy snack or a wonderful light lunch.

You can also add heat to your salsas by dicing up some jalapeno or habanero peppers and throwing it into the mix.

I love my salsa hot and spicy, but sometimes hot peppers (as well as fresh cilantro) gives me really bad heartburn.

What about you? Do you prefer your salsa mild, medium, hot and spicy, or set-your-mouth-on-fire hot?

Peach Mango Black Bean Salsa

Adapted from: Savoring Every Bite

Ingredients:

• 2 larges peaches, finely diced
• 1 large mango, finely diced
• 1 yellow ear of corn (corn cut off the cob)
• 1/2 can black beans
• 1/2 large Vidalia onion, finely diced
• 16 cherry tomatoes, finely diced
• 1/4 cup fresh, finely chopped parsley
• zest of 1 lime
• juice and pulp of 1 lime
• dried cilantro to taste
• salt to taste

Instructions:

• Wash the peaches and cherry tomatoes, and then finely dice it all up.
• Peel and finely dice the mango and onion.
• Wash the ear of corn, and then cut all the corn off the cob.
• Wash and finely chop the parsley.
• Wash the lime, and then use a fine grater to zest the lime.
• Mix together all the vegetables, the parsley, the lime zest, and 1/2 can of black beans.
• Squeeze the lime juice over the mixture, then chop up the lime pulp and add it to the mixture.
• Stir in dried cilantro and salt to taste.
• Serve chilled.

Pineapple Mango Salsa

Recipe Source: Whole Foods Market (I saw some pineapple mango salsa in the produce section, looked at the ingredients, and then tried to replicate it at home

Ingredients:

• 1/2 of a fresh pineapple, finely diced
• 1 fresh mango, finely diced
• 2 green onions, finely diced
• 16 cherry tomatoes, finely diced
• lime juice to taste
• salt to taste
• dried cilantro to taste

Instructions:

• Cut and core the pineapple, and then finely dice about half of it.
• Wash the tomatoes and onions, and then finely dice them.
• Peel and finely dice the mango.
• Toss all the ingredients together, and then stir in lime juice to taste.
• Mix in salt and dried cilantro to taste.
• Serve chilled.

Making ice cream without an ice cream maker is very easy to do. I’ll tell you how in a minute so you can do it too. If you can make hot chocolate, you can make your own yummy chocolate ice cream like I did!

I made it the other day for my father who ... [read more]]]> Making ice cream without an ice cream maker is very easy to do. I’ll tell you how in a minute so you can do it too. If you can make hot chocolate, you can make your own yummy chocolate ice cream like I did!

I made it the other day for my father who was interested in learning more about making ice cream without an ice cream maker. And I made this ice cream for my honey bunny who can drink my hot cocoa every day of the week. I figured if he loves my hot chocolate, he’ll love it frozen too. And I also made it because..well…I love chocolate ice cream.

Anyway, speaking of my Dad and my honey bunny, well…here’s some pictures I took of them a few months ago when they were being very silly!

I love these pictures! Their smiles are priceless!!!!

Anyway, you see why I was so inspired to make this ice cream for them.

It turned out great!!! So rich and chocolaty…not to mention ice cold and creamy!

I could go as far as to say it’s dreamy…and if anything could take your cares away…it’s this ice cold hot chocolate ice cream

which is perfect on a hot summer day!

So whatcha waitin’ for? Let’s go make some chocolate ice cream!!!

Pssssst…You can use this recipe to make any flavor ice cream you want. If you want vanilla ice cream, just skip the cocoa powder and add more vanilla. Want cookies and cream ice cream? Crumble in some cookies to either chocolate or vanilla ice cream. Want strawberry ice cream? Make vanilla ice cream and add some fresh or frozen strawberries. Want rocky road ice cream? Add some marshmallows and peanuts to this chocolate ice cream. Want cherry cordial ice cream? Add some chopped up maraschino cherries to vanilla or chocolate ice cream.

Can’t do dairy? Use coconut milk, coconut cream, almond milk, soy milk, etc.

Use your imagination. Have fun! Eat ice cream!!

Edit: By the way, check out the ice cream social going on at Kitchen Bouquet to learn about the history of ice cream and to see all kinds of wonderful recipes. You can add your ice cream links there too.

Hot Chocolate Ice Cream (Made without Using an Ice Cream Maker)

How to Make It:

• First, make a batch of Hershey’s Favorite Hot Cocoa
  
• When it cools down, pour it into a freezer container, secure the lid, and place in your freezer overnight. That’s it. If you’re awake while the ice cream is freezing, stir it every hour or so if you want, but it’s not necessary.
• Take it out of the freezer to soften some before serving.

Hello everyone When Katie from What Katie’s Baking asked me if I would be a guest blogger for her while she was on vacation, I was honored! I love all her tempting and mouth-watering recipes, and I always look forward to seeing the next thing she’s baking.

Anyway, I had a hard time deciding what to ... [read more]]]> Hello everyone When Katie from What Katie’s Baking asked me if I would be a guest blogger for her while she was on vacation, I was honored! I love all her tempting and mouth-watering recipes, and I always look forward to seeing the next thing she’s baking.

Anyway, I had a hard time deciding what to post for her, but I finally decided on something that I think not only looks beautiful on your plate but also tastes great!

It’s a spinach and cheese mixture that’s stuffed inside a cored out tomato and baked with an egg on top.

Every bite is packed with flavor, and it’s a meal we certainly plan to enjoy again and again.

To get the recipe for spinach and eggs baked in tomato cups

(recipe adapted from:  Recipes from my Mom),  head over to What Katie’s Baking, and find out how to make this scrumptious meal for yourself. Hope y’all have a great day!

I really liked the flavor of the fudge, but ... [read more]]]>

I really liked the flavor of the fudge, but the added sesame seeds did make it just a tiny bit on the dry side.

The day after I made the fudge, I was in the mood for some ice cream, so I decided to use my fudge to make a cashew nut-sesame seed ice cream.

It was really easy. I just crumbled up some of the fudge, stirred in some milk, as well as some So Delicious French vanilla coconut milk creamer, smashed it all up a little, and then froze it.

After the mixture froze overnight, I put the frozen ice cream in my blender with a little more milk and pureed it so the ice creamy would be creamier. Then I froze it again, and that’s all there is to it!

While I really liked the fudge, I loved the ice cream even more! It totally hit the spot!

What’s your favorite ice cream flavor by the way? It’s hard for me to decide but I think it’s vanilla bean.

Cashew Sesame Seed Fudge

Recipe Source: Manjula’s kitchen

Cashew Nut-Sesame Seed Ice Cream

Adapted from: Manjula’s kitchen

Ingredients:

• 3 cups cashew sesame seed fudge, crumbled
• 1/2 cup So Delicious French vanilla coconut milk creamer
• 1/2 + 1/4 cup milk

Instructions:

• Make the fudge (recipe can be found at Manjula’s kitchen.
• Crumble the fudge.
• Stir in the milk and So Delicious French vanilla coconut milk cream.
• Smash the crumbled fudge into the milk/creamer mixture.
• Pour into a freezer container with a lid.
• Freeze overnight.
• In the morning when the ice cream has hardened, scoop the ice cream into your blender.
• Add 1/4 cup milk and puree to smooth out nuts and seeds until the mixture is smooth.
• Pour the mixture back into the freezer container and re-freeze over night.