August 2010 Archives

Hoosier Mama raspberry peach pie with crumble topping and New Belgium Ranger IPA. The tartness of the beer offsets the sweetness of the pie and vice versa. Happy happy combo.

In October of 2008, my friend Jen and I tried drinking Disaronno on the rocks.
It started a large string of us drinking weird liquors and mixers in their purest forms.
More on that later, but here is Jen's original post that started it all....

Another of my favorite things to make in the summer is Berry Salad. I first had this salad at my friend Rebecca Spence's house years ago and I was amazed how balsalmic vinegar can change the flavor of strawberries and other berries in such a wonderful way. It is also incredibly easy to make and is a great dish for potlucks, showers, birthdays, etc. The leftovers are also a wonderful topping for a dutch baby.

I rarely measure when cooking, so here is what I do.

Take some berries--whatever kind you want, rasp, black, blue, straw (chop them if using strawberries), etc--and put them in a bowl.
Add fresh mint leaves
Drizzle with balsalmic vinegar (as little or as much as you like) and toss.

SERVE! You will have happy and pleasantly surprising results.

Last night I made what I am calling a Summer Bounty Pasta. It was super fun and easy to make, and it turned out great!

Since we've started getting organic vegetable boxes delivered to our home (we use Fresh Picks), we've changed the way we've been eating. Instead of ordering delivery all the time, we take the ingredients we have in the fridge and create healthy and delicious meals at home. It save us money, is a lot healthier, and it generally tastes better, too! We also visit farmers markets more often and try to eat fresh and local.

Monday, for example, we made bok choy (sauted with oil, garlic, fresh grated ginger, and soy sauce--yum!), kale chips (we added garlic to that, too.), and tilapia filets from the store. Better than a restaurant!

We had friends over last night, so I knew I wanted to cook something yummy. I am happy to say that I had all the ingredients for this meal--no trips to the store needed.

First I cut up and sauteed crimini mushrooms, some onion, garlic and swiss chard in some olive oil in a pan until it was good and wilted/ cooked. I put the veggies aside in a bowl and covered it.

Then I took boneless, skinless chicken thighs* (a Team Gerdes favorite), cubed them and seasoned liberally with salt and pepper. I then put them in the same pan with some oil and cooked until JUST done. You don't want to over cook them. I started taking the temperature of the meat when it stopped being pink, and turned off the heat when they were in the 175ish degree range. I then put the cubes in a bowl so to remove them from the grease.

After that, I made a pot of angel hair and drained it, adding a little oil to keep the pasta from sticking. Then I added the sauteed veggies, the chicken, and then uncooked grape tomatoes (halved) and fresh basil from our mini garden. I tossed it all together with salad tongs and served it family style. YUM!

I wish I had taken a photo of it last night in all its glory and presentation, but I think that pic above of my lunch today isn't too shabby, either.

Overall, it was a quick and easy dish to make and I am pleased with the outcome. I will make it again for sure!

*I originally typed "chicken tights."