We had the funnest Summer Fare night at my house for RS... Food demos & sampling were what it was all about and it turned out to be a blast. I learned a lot and had a great time socializing with the 50+ people here. Mysti showed how to make a salsa with canned tomatoes (incredible- you must try- this has been my favorite recipe for years!), Kelly Beeson gave us the in's and out's of fresh salsa which was super informative and tasty, and Susie did two great demo's on refried beans (AMAZING!) and easy yummy guacamole. Below is the handout and recipes! Wish I had taken pics of everything but oh well... :-) And the pic above was before the party started and I didn't get one of it brimming over with tasty food!
Yay for Spring & Summer Fare!
Such an
important part of nurturing and being a mom or Grandma is bringing to the table
fresh and healthy meals for your family.
Make mealtime important at your home!
Think Fresh!
·
Local
in season produce…
·
Lots
of fresh fruits and veggies to incorporate in meals!
·
Superstition
Farmers Market, Sprouts, The Backyard Farmer, Bountiful Baskets…
Think Healthy!
·
Great
time of year to eat healthy because of all these in season fruits and
vegetables! Fresh yummy salads, salsas,
fruits and veggies with every meal…
·
Grilling
is a great way to eat healthy…
·
Dips
and dressings are great for veggies and salads and we need to think healthy
when for these too…
·
Making
your own dressing/dips is so much healthier than the processed store bought
kind!
·
Add
cottage cheese for half sour cream in Dips Ranch and serve with veggies… Blend
cottage cheese with milk for a ranch dressing instead of using mayonnaise…
Think Kids!
·
Kids
are home for the summer! If they
aren’t already helping with setting the table, cleaning up after dinner, etc.
assign them each a night!
·
Whether
boy or girl they can be assigned a dinner night – so they can be in charge of
cooking! Great life skill to
learn.. and great time spent together!
·
Teach
them how to shop at the grocery store since you have them home so much in the
summer! How to find best produce, best prices, look for expiration dates, etc. Let them each choose a fruit of their
own instead of a candy bar!
·
Let
them make their own sandwich for lunch… they will most likely have fun doing it
and eat more of it because they made it themselves!
·
If
they are too little to be in charge of a dinner let them help with something…
fruit kabobs… or putting napkins on the table… they love feeling like they are
helping and are a part of things!
Think Fun!
·
Picnics
at the park- egg salad sandwiches and chicken salad sandwiches are super yummy
to pack for that…
·
Dinner
up the canyon- tin foiled dinners, hoagies, dutch oven dinners are such a fun
way to appreciate the out of doors and be together as a family! Smores by the
fire
·
Fruit
kabobs! A fun and yummy way to get kids to eat lots of fruits… and they love
making them!
·
Bananas
with peanut butter…
·
Homemade
fruit and yogurt parfait’s
·
Homemade
sorbets… homemade fruit slushes… homemade popsicles… homemade fruit leather… root
beer floats…
·
Summertime
is a great time for blending up healthy and fresh and delicious smoothies. Whether for breakfast or snack or
dessert, smoothies are really easy and super versatile!
♥ SLOP ♥
Kim
Dover
3 oranges, peeled OR 1 cup OJ
1/2 lime, sliced
1 cup pineapple, chopped and frozen
2-3 handfuls Spinach
1 handful of ice
Place ingredients in blender in order
listed. Turn on and increase to high. Blend well. (Add 1/2 cup water too if you need it!)
♥
Bacardi Smoothies ♥
Kim
Dover
1 Bacardi Mixer (Strawberry Daquari our fav!)
1 can Fresca
1 handful ice
Whatever frozen or fresh fruit we have on hand!
Just add fruit to taste/desired consistency. We
love adding everything from berries and mangos to peaches and pineapples. The
kids love helping make these and each adding their own choice of fruit. Gerron
even loves to squeeze a lime in for a little kick. Great for movie nights with popcorn too! ;-) NOTE: Bacardi Mixers are found in the Freezer section by
frozen juices and are NOT alcoholic.
♥ Orange Smoothie ♥
Kim
Dover
2 oranges, peeled and seeded
2 TBS sugar (can substitute Stevia etc)
4 cups ice
Place all ingredients in blender in order
listed. Secure lid. Turn on blender and increase speed to high. Blend until
smooth if you want a smoothie, or blend until four lump mounds form in mixture
for sorbet! Serve immediately. (We love adding fresh strawberries too!)
♥
Mysti's Salsa ♥
Mysti
Brown
28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
1- 8 oz can tomato sauce
1- 4 oz can
diced green chiles
1 bunch
chopped green onions
1/2 bunch
cilantro
3 diced hot
chili peppers (they come in a jar)
1 tsp salt
3-4 TBS sugar
2 diced
avocados
In a blender throw in all the
ingredients except for the avocados. Pulse a few times so that it is all
chopped up. Pour into a bowl and then add the avocados. Refrigerate!
♥ Guacamole
♥
Susie Dover
Avacodos (as many as
you would like)
Herdez brand Salsa
Verde(comes in 16oz glass bottle)
Chopped
tomatos(optional)
Salt and pepper to
taste
Mix/smash avacodos
in a bowl then gently stir in chopped tomatos and then add around half of the
Salsa Verde or to taste, the more you add, the more of a kick it will have!
Season with salt and pepper.
♥ PINTO BEANS ♥
Susie Dover
2-3
cups cleaned pinto beans
Water
2-3
tsp salt
3-4
TBS honey
Shredded
Cheese
Cayenne
Pepper
Add
2-3 cups of cleaned pinto beans in a crock pot. Fill to within 1" of
top with water. Cook on high for 6-8 hours, stir occasionally. Stir in 2-3 tsp
of salt and 3-4 TBSP of honey at end of cooking. Turn crock pot off and
let beans sit for 10-15 min to soak up the flavor of honey and salt. Then
transfer all of the beans and some of the liguid into a large bowl. Add
shredded cheese and cayenne pepper to taste. Either mash them with a
masher or mix them up with a hand mixer. If you prefer not to mash them
into refried beans, you can eat them as a soup with spanish rice!
♥ Kelly’s
Basic Salsa ♥
Kelly Beeson
3 cups ripe
tomatoes, chopped
1/4 white onion, chopped
(more, if you cook your onion)
1/2-1 jalapeno or
serrano, minced (more, if your peppers are mild)
6 cilantro
sprigs, chopped
1-2 garlic
cloves, minced
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon salt
To assemble the salsa, I use the
food processor.
Start with an onion. Don't chop it
too finely, or they get watery and taste very strong in the salsa. Cook them
for a few minutes on the stove top in olive oil. Finely chop your garlic, and
throw it in the pan with the onion for just a minute. Remove from heat.
Sometimes I will chop a little extra raw onion to add at the end. The cooked
and raw have very different flavors.
Next, process your tomatoes. Blend
some more than others, so you get both sauce and chunks. I like to use
Roma and cherry tomatoes. They are fleshier, so my salsa doesn't get too
watery. If you use other tomatoes, squeeze out a little liquid before you chop
them, before you add the other ingredients.
How many tomatoes you use depends on
the variety and size. Put tomatoes aside in a separate bowl.
Next, remove seeds (and membranes,
too, depending on the heat) of your peppers. I like serranos best, but I will
use anything I can find in my garden or in the produce area at the 99 cent
store! Even regular bell peppers make a great addition, although they taste
better in combination with something hotter. If you are using regular
jalepeños, you might only need one or less. You can also roast your peppers in
the oven, to lessen the heat, and give the finished salsa a smoky flavor.
Remember to use gloves! How many you chop really depends on how hot your
peppers are and how hot you like your salsa. Process peppers a little, then add
cilantro to the bowl of the processor and chop again. (The peppers help the
cilantro chop more smoothly.)
Add onion/garlic to the tomatoes.
Add pepper/cilantro mixture a little at a time, tasting in between until you
get the right amount of heat. Add some salt and lime juice, then let it sit for
a few minutes, and try it again. It will get saltier and spicier as it sits, so
don't oversalt at the beginning! Too hot? Add more tomato!
Your salsa will taste best after a
few hours in the fridge!
♥ Cowboy Caviar ♥
Melinda
Anderson
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoons tabasco hot sauce
2 tablespoon olive oil
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 firm-ripe avocado (about 10 oz.)
1 can (15 oz.) black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (11 oz.) corn kernels, drained
2/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 pound Roma tomatoes, chopped
Salt
1 bag (6 oz.) tortilla chips or 2 cups finely
shredded cabbage
In a large bowl, mix vinegar, hot sauce, oil, lime
juice and pepper. Peel, pit, and cut avocado into 1/2-inch cubes. Add to
vinegar mixture and mix gently to coat. Drain and rinse beans and corn. Add
beans, corn, onions, cilantro, and tomatoes to avocado; mix gently to coat. Add
salt to taste. Serve mixture with chips as an appetizer, or add cabbage and mix
to make a salad.
♥ French
Cream ♥
Lori
Henningson
1 (8-ounce) package cream
cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 lemon, zested and juiced
Pineapple juice
Soften cream cheese and then
whip with powdered sugar. Whip cream and sugar together until it forms soft
peaks. Combine beaten cream cheese, whipped cream, lemon juice and zest;
continue to beat, adding just enough pineapple juice to achieve desired
consistency. Serve with fresh fruit tray or fruit salad.
♥ LAYERED CARIBBEAN
CHICKEN SALAD ♥
Kay Scott
Salad:
4 cups torn romaine lettuce
3 cups cut-up chicken
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained, rinsed
(Sometimes I use 2 cans)
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
2-3 ripe medium mangoes, peeled & chopped
Dressing:
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup lime juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp. sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
dash of ground cinnamon
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
In a 3-qt. glass trifle bowl, layer lettuce,
chicken, black beans, tomatoes and mangoes. in jar with tight-fitting lid,
shake dressing ingredients. Drizzle over salad; serve immediately. Or, cover and refrigerate salad and
dressing separately up to 4 hours (make sure chicken is completely cooled
before doing this so the lettuce doesn't get soggy on the bottom); drizzle
salad with dressing just before serving.
Note: Sometimes I double the dressing, and
marinate the chicken (with a little extra salt and pepper) in it for an hour or
so before grilling. It turns out tender and flavorful.
