PIZZA BURGERS

SIMPLY WONDERFUL PIZZA BURGERS
When Olivia was a little girl one of her favorite meals at a local restaurant was a pizza burger.  She was heartbroken when they eventually changed their menu and the pizza burger didn't make the cut.  Years later when she went there one day they made one especially for her in honor of her die hard affection for the dish.

As an adult and a very inventive culinary adventurer, Olivia has created her own pizza burger served on a beautiful ciabatta bun.  It is wonderful addition to your dinnertime repertoire.
-Nanette

PIZZA BURGER

1)  Mix the following together in a large bowl:

1 pound lean ground beef
1 pound Italian sausage (mild or spicy according to your preference)
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons Worchestire sauce
1/4 teaspoon crushed fennel seed (or more to taste)
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper

2)  Divide the mixture into eight equal sized hamburger patties.  I froze four of the hamburger patties in a plastic freezer container with plastic wrap between each burger.  This makes an EASY instant meal in the future!

3)  Heat three tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet.  Brown each hamburger patty in the pan, flipping halfway through, so both sides of each burger are browned.

4)  Line a baking sheet with foil.  Place a cookie rack on the covered baking sheet.  Remove the cooked hamburger patties to the rack after they are browned.

5)  Top each hamburger with the following:

3 pepperonis
2 tablespoons pizza sauce
1 slice of provolone cheese

6)  Place the topped hamburgers underneath the broiler in the oven just long enough to cook the burgers the rest of the way through, warm the toppings, and make the cheese toasty and bubbly.

7)  Transfer each hamburger to a warmed bun, ciabatta  bun preferably.

8)  Serve the sandwiches with a dish of warm pizza sauce to dip them in.  Enjoy!

OVEN CHICKEN FAJITAS

Oven Chicken Fajitas
Before you enjoy this delicious chicken fajita recipe, I want to tell you about the Heirloom Tomato Festival Olivia and I attended this last weekend.  For the second year in a row, Olivia competed in the salsa competition at the festival and she won for the second time in a row!  Her salsa was an original creation made in about twenty minutes and included corn, tomatoes, black beans, pineapple, onion, and other tasty ingredients.  Here is a a look at the colorful creation.

                                                                                                                               
The festival was held at the site of an old train depot, now a restaurant.  Here are a couple of images from the event.

   We had a great time exploring all things tomato!  There were fried green tomatoes, tomato soup, tomato sandwiches, and green tomato pie.  We had fun and I got to eat the salsa Olivia made during the competition.  Don't be afraid to experiment yourself with making homemade salsa.  A really tasty salsa and chips would be just the thing with this great fajita .
-Nanette                                                                                                                                                                                      

Oven Baked Chicken Fajitas

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp cumin
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 large bell pepper, seeded and sliced (I use half a green and half a red)
• 12 flour tortillas
• Toppings such as cheese, sour cream, and guacamole – if desired

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken strips in a greased 13×9 baking dish.
2. In a small bowl combine the oil, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, dried oregano, and salt
3. Drizzle the spice mixture over the chicken and stir to coat.
4. Next add the tomatoes, peppers, and onions to the dish and stir to combine.
5. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. Serve on tortillas with desired toppings.

Spasagna

SPASAGNA
We have a restaurant in a nearby town called Cheddars and they serve a dish very similar to this one.  If you are growing fresh herbs this summer, and we hope you are, this would be a great way to use the lovely flavors of fresh basil and fresh oregano.  This dish served with a fresh tomato and cheese salad and maybe your favorite bread would be a tasty treat indeed.

Next week Olivia and I will be attending one of our favorite, although not large, events--the annual Heirloom Tomato Festival here in Northern Indiana.  It celebrates one of summer's star players in the garden--the tomato!  If possible, we will try and take a few pictures to share on the blog.

If you don't grow your own produce, we certainly hope you are enjoying what your nearby farmers market has to offer.  Olivia and I have been keeping our stoves and canners busy preserving everything from tomato sauce to chicken.  Let's face it, food costs aren't going down and enjoying fresh produce and even preserving it is a great way to maybe cut costs and enjoy what your area has to offer.
Have a great week!  Enjoy these precious days of summer that still remain.
-Nanette

Spasagna

Recipe from www.food.com

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs spaghetti noodles, uncooked
• 2 lbs mozzarella cheese
• 8 ounces ricotta cheese
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 1 1/4 cups half-and-half
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided use
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

Meat Sauce

• 1 (24 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
• 12 ounces ground beef
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1/4 cup romano cheese
• salt, to taste
• pepper

Page 2 of 2Baked Spasagna by Cheddar's (cont.)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook spaghetti al dente according to package directions. Rinse under cold water and drain. Place in large mixing bowl.
3. In another mixing bowl, stir together sour cream, ricotta, half-and-half, mozzarella, oregano, basil, white pepper, garlic, salt, and half the Parmesan cheese.
4. Add above cheese mixture to the spaghetti. Using hands, mix gently until spaghetti is evenly coated with mixture.
5. Rub a 9x13 glass baking dish with the olive oil.
6. Gently place spaghetti mixture into prepared dish. Top with remaining Parmesan cheese.
7. Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees in pre-heated oven for 30 minutes.
8. Remove from oven, remove foil and place dish on cooling rack for 10 minutes.
9. Cut into six-eight squares and top with meat sauce below, or your favorite meat or marinara sauce.
10. Meat Sauce.: Heat a heavy saucepan on medium heat for five minutes.
11. Add ground beef and stir to break up clumps. Cook till meat is browned well. Drain meat and set aside.
12. Add onions and garlic to saucepan and cook over medium heat for about five minutes, or until softened.
13. Return reserved meat to pan, along with spaghetti sauce, salt, oregano, basil, sugar, red wine and romano cheese. Stir well to combine.
14. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook uncovered for 30 minutes.
15. Adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper to taste.

French Onion Soup Pot Pie

FRENCH ONION SOUP POT PIE
Canning season is in full swing and Olivia and I have been super busy filling the basement shelves with every kind of vegetable imaginable.  A retired teacher friend of Olivia's gives her a large quantity of sweet corn every year.  Last week she processed lots and lots of corn.  She was kind enough to share with me so I was able to make vegetable soup and corn chowder.  Olivia shared the idea with me of making carmelized onions and canning them.  Boy are they good!  You just cook down vidalia onions in a crock pot with butter and then can them.  They are delicious.

When the canning season is at its peak, Olivia and I are always looking for something good and easy to make for dinner just in case we are making a "batch" of something that day.  This french onion soup pot pie is a great example.  It is rich and hearty and, best of all, easy!  Try it soon!
-Nanette

FRENCH ONION SOUP POT PIE

Ingredients

1 lb ground chuck

1 small onion, chopped

1 can(s) (10.5 oz.) condensed french onion soup

1 1/2 c shredded Swiss cheese

1 tube refrigerated crescent rolls

Directions

1. In a large skillet over medium heat cook ground beef and onion until beef is no longer pink; drain.

2. Stir in the French onion soup; bring to a boil. Transfer to an ungreased 9-inch deep dish pie plate. Sprinkle with the Swiss cheese.

3. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 3 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Top with the crescent rolls and bake 15-20 minutes longer or until crescent rolls are golden brown.

WHAT TO DO WITH TOO MUCH BASIL!

WHAT TO DO WITH TOO MUCH BASIL!

SO MUCH BASIL!

Several folks we know grow basil.  The thing about basil is, when it grows, it tends to grow well and have plentiful leaves.  When summertime arrives and the noonday heat beats down on it, basil needs plenty of water to keep it happy.  Other than needing water, it's pretty easy to grow!  Basil is so wonderful to have on hand to throw a couple of snipped leaves in tomato sauce for pasta, a few slivers on pizza as it comes out of the oven, or everyone's favorite - fresh basil pesto!  

But what happens when your basil plant grows fast and furious, you already have pesto made and frozen for the wintertime, and yet you still have more basil leaves?

I found myself with a lot of basil right before a recent camping trip.  I knew I had to cut the basil, as it was going to seed and bushing out way too much.  I cut many stems, removed the leaves from the stalks (see above picture) and washed all of the leaves up.  After running the leaves through the salad spinner to remove the excess water, I got to work.  I put small batches of the basil leaves in my mini chopper (or you could use your food processor to make it go even faster) with a bit of olive oil.  That's it!  I didn't add any salt, spices, etc.  All I did was add a bit of olive oil to make the basil easier for the machine to chop up.  

After I had the basil/olive oil mixture, I spooned it onto plastic wrap in little mounds.  I left enough room in between each mound so that it would be separated from the next mound.  I then folded the plastic wrap over the mounds, and pressed to "seal" the mixture in the wrap.  I then placed this row of five or so mounds inside of a freezer bag to place in the freezer.

My goal in doing this is now I have the fresh summer bounty of basil for my late summer canning projects or cooking throughout the fall.  I can easily break off a bit of a mound, or use the entire mound, if so desired.

Some may ask, "Why not dry the basil instead?"  Truth be told, I could have gotten out my dehydrator, but I didn't want to take the time to do that.  This seemed easier and quicker for me in this situation.

As always, if you have a question, please feel free to comment or e-mail us!  chickensoupforthebowl@live.com

-Olivia

Fresh from the Garden Salsa

GARDEN FRESH SALSA
This is the time of year gardeners love.  Every serious gardener talks about the joy of making the daily trek to the garden to see what is ripe and what is ready for picking.  Olivia and I are no different.  Filling your pockets with cherry tomatoes and hoping your hands can hold the rest of what you've found is a thrill.  Today I spied one ripe cherry tomato and couldn't wait to start picking up stems of the tomato plants looking for more ripe gems.

The other day Olivia made the trip to her garden and came back with ingredients for a quick, fresh salsa.  The ingredients were few and simple, but boy or boy were they good.  She shared some of it with me and the taste was unbelievable fresh and bright.  Experiment with the goodies that come from your garden.  It is hard to go wrong with the wonderful taste of nature's own goodness.  Enjoy!
-Nanette

FRESH SALSA

From Olivia's garden in her backyard:

* 2 ripe tomatoes

* 2 small red onions

* 2 serano peppers (Tame this down if you don't want a really spicy salsa!)

* small bunch of cilantro

From the store:

* pinch of Kosher salt

*  tablespoon or so of lime juice

Pulse all ingredients in a small mini chopper or a food processor.  Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!!!

Pink Lemonade Bars

PINK LEMONADE BARS

We didn't post a recipe last week because we were busy celebrating the Fourth of July holiday by camping at one of our favorite state parks.  Nothing makes summer more enjoyable than shared experiences of the season.  Here are a few random observances from the last week that illustrate what makes summer so special to us:

* the relaxing fun of observing fireworks just over the tree tops from the comfort of your lawn chair and seated at your own campfire on a warm, pleasant evening.

*seeing block after block of vintage homes in a neighborhood that prides itself in flying hundreds of American flags during the Fourth of July holiday.

*watching children ride their bikes at full steam and then coast as far as they can.

*picking ripe cherry tomatoes from the garden and then popping them in your mouth while they are still warm from the sun.

*canning and freezing each week's garden bounty for later enjoyment in the winter.  This one includes sitting on the screen porch after the canning is done and listening for the "ping"  from inside the house of each lid as it seals.

*sectioning fruit with Olivia to make citrus marmalade and getting sticky juice everywhere--including our elbows.  By the way, the marmalade made her house smell wonderful.

Whatever makes your summer great, we hope you are enjoying lots of it.  Summer seems to be flying by at lightning speed!  These pink lemonade bars will be a hit at your next picnic or gathering.  They are sweet, tart, and refreshing!

-Nanette

Pink Lemonade Bars

Ingredients

1 package white cake mix

1 cup toasted coconut

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened

1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 (6 oz.) can frozen pink lemonade from concentrate, thawed

Few drops red food coloring

1 (4 oz.) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 (8 or 9-inch) baked pie crust

1/2 cup coconut

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 13 x 9 inch pan with foil, leaving two inch overhang on all sides.  Spray the foil with cooking spray.  Combine the cake mix, toasted coconut, and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until crumbly.  Press mixture into the bottom of prepared pan.  Bake 12 minutes or until light golden brown.  

Cool the crust completely before proceeding with the recipe.

BEAT cream cheese in a large bowl until fluffy. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk, lemonade concentrate and food color, if desired.

FOLD in whipped topping. Pour into prepared pie crust. Chill 4 hours or until set. Garnish with coconut.