GS or BS?

I had a fun family potluck gathering this weekend where we were asked to make a good old fashioned MN hotdish - I opted to make an old family favorite rather than a new recipe so there is no new recipe to share from me. Instead, I am sharing my brother's contribution which included the recipe he used for GS or Grilled Skunk.
Click on the photo to make it larger to read the attached recipe - sounds more like BS than GS to me :)

He is always good for a laugh - thanks Steve!

I didn't even try it so I can't give the thumbs up but I am sure it was good.

macaroni and cheese...

Let me start out this post by telling you that until Thanksgiving day I haven't had a spoonful of macaroni & cheese enter my mouth in over 40 years. Horrid memories of the baked crisp and dried out school lunch macaroni & cheese and the version my own mother made left me with an extreme dislike of the dish. But while looking at a blog called "Our Old Southern House", Natalie, the author, stated: "There is only one dish that I am “known” for. Everywhere I go people want the recipe. In fact, every family event we have I get automatically signed up for it–whether I want to do it or not." I figured this was a recipe I had to try while looking for a crowd pleasing recipe - you see last year, I hosted the first annual chili/soup cookoff for my extended family. We had so much fun showing our competitive sides while presenting and bragging up our soups in order to win the "crock pot" trophy that this year my sister is hosting the first annual Minnesota "hotdish" and blue ribbon bar competition next weekend. Hotdish is known as a casserole in most other states :) I made a taste testing 1/2 batch of Natalie's recipe for Carmelized Onion and Pecan Macaroni and Cheese on Thanksgiving and for a mac/cheese hater this dish was pretty darn good :)

Carmelized Onion and Pecan Macaroni and Cheese
as copied from Natalie's blog. Please click HERE for her full "Oh So Cheesy" post with the recipe.

Ingredients

1 (8-oz.) package large elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons butter
2 large onions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon sugar
1 (16-oz.) block white Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Parmesan cheese
32 saltine crackers, finely crushed and divided
6 large eggs
4 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional sure, but I think they make the dish)

Preparation

1. Prepare macaroni according to package directions; drain and set aside.2. Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced onions and 1 tsp. sugar. Cook, stirring often, 15 to 20 minutes or until onions are caramel-colored.

3. Layer half each of macaroni, onions, cheeses, and cracker crumbs in a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Layer with remaining macaroni, onions, and cheeses.

4. Whisk together eggs and next 3 ingredients; pour over macaroni mixture.

5. Stir together remaining cracker crumbs, melted butter, and, if desired, pecans. Sprinkle evenly over macaroni mixture.

6. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until golden brown and set. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

While this dish is fantastic I am not sure it classifies as a "hotdish" which according to Wikipedia is a meat, starch, vegetable and a canned soup so I am undecided as to what I will bring for the competetion. I think Tater Tot Hotdish might be our state recipe and it is One Hot Dish according to this article in Relish Magazine. While it is a favorite I don't think it is a prize winner so if any readers have a "winning" recipe for a hot dish or a pan of bars that if entered in a fair would win a blue ribbon please send them on!

Of course, I could always call this dish a vegetarian hotdish :)

Marsha - Thumbs UP
Jeff - Thumbs UP

back in the kitchen...pumpkin turnovers

Thanks to some gentle prodding from my dear friend, Kathleen, I'm back to blogging from Marsha's Kitchen. Summer is just such a busy time for us and our business that it is hard to find time to prepare new recipes - usually we eat the quick tried and true old ones. I look forward to sharing many new recipes once again over the fall/winter/spring months. Besides, I need to be up and running so I can participate in her White Christmas/Winter White meme on Dec 15th! Look for more information in the coming weeks on her blog.

The new recipe I tried today was from the blog of a Minnesota food writer, Sue Doeden (All about Food). She also writes a weekly newspaper column in several newspapers. She calls these little bites of pleasure "Grab-and-Go Sweet Pumpkin Turnovers".
Since the oven was heated up I also made some banana bread (2 small loaves and some pumpkins & leaves in my silicone molds).
I always add chocolate chips to my banana bread and today since I had extra chopped walnuts from the turnovers they were tossed in as well.When the baking was done I made myself a cup of tea to go along with the "sampling" and also to have a little break before I tackled the pile of dishes.
One bite into the crispy pumpkin turnover and the leaf banana bread went back on the serving plate so I could "grab" a second turnover :)
The cinnamon sugared leaves and acorns made out of the scraps of walnut studded pie crust were pretty darn good as well :)
The recipe as copied from All About Food on this POST.
Grab-and-Go Sweet Pumpkin Turnovers

* 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 1 teaspoon baking spice blend, pumpkin pie spice blend or your favorite baking spice
* 1 (14.1 ounce) package refrigerated pie crusts
* 1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
* Milk
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 egg white, lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon water

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine pumpkin, sugar and spices. Set aside.

Unroll one pie crust on work surface. Sprinkle with half of the chopped walnuts. Use a rolling pin to roll over dough, pressing the nuts into the dough.

With a 3 1/2- to 4-inch round cookie cutter, cut 8 rounds from the dough.

Repeat with remaining pie crust in package.

Spoon one tablespoon of pumpkin mixture onto the center of each round. Moisten edges with milk, fold in half and press edges together to seal. Combine 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Brush turnovers with egg white. Sprinkle each with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place on ungreased or parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake in preheated 450-degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 16 turnovers.

The first ones are sweet and crunchy with the cinn/sugar topping, Sue states in her notes that after being stored the pastry will be soft. I'm leaving these sit out for a while so that when Jeff comes home he gets to taste the crunch as well.

Marsha - Thumbs UP
Jeff - not home yet, but I'm confident it will be a 2nd thumbs up :)

grilled salmon with lime butter sauce...

We love grilled salmon and I have previously shown you a cedar planked recipe and a salmon with rosemary and lemon recipe and they both are favorites. A while back I had bookmarked another recipe posted by my friend, Carol, (There's Always Thyme to Cook) because I was curious about the lime butter addition. The recipe she used is also from Epicurious and you can find it HERE but the sauce is slightly different. The version I used didn't include jalapeno or shallot.Served with grilled peppers, baby bellas and zucchini it was a wonderful meal.

Grilled Salmon with Lime Butter Sauce
recipe from Epicurious.com

* 6 (6-oz) pieces center-cut salmon fillet (about 1 inch thick) with skin
* 1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lime zest
* 6 tablespoons lime butter sauce

Prepare grill for cooking over medium-hot charcoal (moderate heat for gas).

Season salmon all over with salt and pepper, then grill, flesh sides down, on lightly oiled grill rack (covered only if using gas grill) 4 minutes. Turn fillets over and grill (covered only if using gas grill) until just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes more. Sprinkle fillets with zest and top each with 1 tablespoon lime butter sauce.

Lime Butter Sauce
recipe from Epicurious.com

* 1 large garlic clove, chopped
* 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
* 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted

Purée garlic with lime juice, salt, and pepper in a blender until smooth. With motor running, add melted butter and blend until emulsified, about 30 seconds.

My notes: I always brush the salmon itself with olive oil before grilling to help prevent sticking. I used a garlic press rather than chopping the garlic and used my stick blender with great results.

Marsha - Thumbs UP
Jeff - Thumbs UP

Roasted Banana Cinnamon Rolls

I saw this recipe on the blog Picky Palate and since it was so easy with it's semi-homemade ingredients it was worth a try. The bananas were cut up and roasted with butter and brown sugar in the oven and the dough was a can of Pillsbury french bread spread with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. You can find step by step photos and this original recipe of the blog author by clicking HERE.

I love bananas and I love cinnamon rolls but this combo was not for me but Jeff did like them. If in a pinch I will make rolls with the french bread dough again but just leave out the bananas.

Marsha - Thumbs down
Jeff - Thumbs UP

ice cream social for one...

I'm a little early to the party but my friend, Suzy, from Kitchen Bouquet is having an ice cream social this weekend. Please click HERE to see all the other's participating, I am early posting to this event so today she has a flashback to some of the entries from last year's social but please recheck her blog throughout the weekend to see all this year's participants..

I love a good mocha latte and when I saw a recipe for mocha latte ice cream in the July 2010 issue of Southern Living magazine I knew this was the one to make for Suzy's virtual party.
It has been a busy week of work and gardening for me so yesterday afternoon was the perfect time to take a frozen latte coffee break.
I thoroughly enjoy a good cup of coffee whether hot, frozen or floral.


This recipe was my first time using the egg custard base and I think it makes for a much richer and creamier ice cream. However, it is not a quick make like the eggless versions as you need to remember the custard needs time to chill - in this case overnight.
It tastes as good as it looks...maybe even better, well worth the wait :)

Mocha Latte Ice Cream
from Southern Living magazine (July 2010)

Yield: Makes about 1 qt.
Ingredients

* 3/4 cup sugar
* 2 tablespoons cornstarch
* 1 tablespoon instant espresso
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 2 cups milk
* 1 cup heavy whipping cream
* 1 egg yolk
* 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (vanilla extract may be substituted)
* 1 cup chopped pecans
* 2 ounces finely chopped semisweet chocolate
* Garnish: dark-chocolate sticks

Preparation

1. Whisk together first 4 ingredients in a large heavy saucepan. Gradually whisk in milk and whipping cream. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 10 to 12 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat.

2. Whisk egg yolk until slightly thickened. Gradually whisk about 1 cup hot cream mixture into yolk. Add yolk mixture to remaining cream mixture, whisking constantly. Whisk in vanilla bean paste. Cool 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

3. Place plastic wrap directly on cream mixture, and chill 8 to 24 hours.

4. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 8 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring once halfway through. Cool completely (about 30 minutes).

5. Pour chilled cream mixture into freezer container of a 1 1/2-qt. electric ice-cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. (Instructions and time may vary.) Before transferring ice cream to an airtight container for further freezing, stir in pecans and chocolate. Garnish, if desired.

My Notes: I used vanilla extract, skim milk and mini chocolate chips and it still tastes great.

Marsha - Thumbs UP
Jeff - not home but I am sure he will enjoy some later :)

wine soaked strawberries...

One of my favorite summer treats is ice cold Bartenura Moscato with sliced peaches in a glass. After you drink the slightly bubbly wine, the wine soaked peaches are heavenly. On a recent cycling trip we stopped at the Morgan Creek Winery near New Ulm, MN. During the wine tasting I was telling our server about the peaches and she insisted I buy their Sweet E dessert wine and do the same thing with fresh strawberries. It didn't take much convincing and while camping this weekend we had the wine soaked strawberries for dessert along with a few chocolate/pecan covered strawberries. The wine soaked strawberries did taste good but it has nothing on the moscato/peach combination :)
We really enjoy our camping and cycling excursions but not from a tent...
but in an rv with all the comforts of home.
J is becoming a pretty darn good griller too :)