Festive Foods for the 4th of July!

Yep, it's time to start planning for the 4th of July so I wanted to share a few fun foodie ideas! I'm happy to be joining Vee for her monthly Note Card Party, I love this meme for showcasing approaching holidays! Some of these are recipes, some techniques, please click the title for details:@)

White Chocolate Spritz with Red, White and Blue M&M's

Forever May She Wave Pie

Red, White and Blue Dyed Deviled Eggs

Star of the BBQ Cut Out Sugar Cookies

 

Let's get ready to celebrate and have a happy day:@)

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Whimsy Wednesday

Onion Dill Bread-Bread Machine Recipe

My boys like bread with dinner, even when it's hot outside. Enter my bread machine... While I don't think it makes a very pretty loaf of bread, it does a great job of not heating up the kitchen during the summer. I liked that this Onion Dill Bread recipe called for regular milk and not dried milk, so we tried it.

 

This is a very fragrant bread, dill is a favorite here and we thought is was good!

I have a Breadman Plus machine and it's well over 15 years old, still works fine.
Anyone have a Zo? How do you like it if yes?

Onion Dill Bread-adapted from an Herb Bread recipe from Taste of Home
1 C milk, warm-I used 2%
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 Tblsp butter, softened
1/4 C dried minced onion
2 Tblsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 Tblsp dried parsley
1 Tblsp oregano dried dill weed
3 1/2 C flour-They called for bread flour, I used A/P and subbed 1/2 C whole wheat
2 tsp yeast

1. Add everything to your bread machine in the order recommended.
2. I chose the setting for 2lb loaf, medium brown.
3. Look at the dough at about 6 minutes to see if it needs more water. Just add a tsp at a time until it looks like a smooth ball of dough. I did have to add an extra 3 tsp of water.

Have a happy day:@)

Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken

Have you ever had to acquire a taste for something? I wasn't fond of cilantro and kept trying it a little at a time, mixed it half and half with parsley for Mandarin Orange Salsa and in this Fresh Salsa... Well, I love it now and find myself looking for recipes that use it! This Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken was tasty and something totally different than my usual Italian Dressing with Lemon or BBQ sauce.

Some of the reviews said this recipe needed a little more flavor, so I added the zest of half a lime.
 Turned out to be a good decision and I might even use a little more next time.

Earl says he has always liked cilantro because it's so good with chicken...

 Um, Hate to break it to him but... 

Orange, Cumin and Cilantro Grilled Pork Loin sounds pretty darn good too:@)

Cilantro Lime Chicken-adapted from myrecipes.com

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 2lbs
Zest of at least half a lime-optional

1/4 C fresh lime juice

1/2 C chopped cilantro
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 Tblsp honey
1 Tblsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

1. Pound chicken breasts to about 1/2" thick and place in shallow baking dish-I used purchased thin sliced breasts.
2. Mix all the other ingredients and pour over chicken, turn to coat. Place in fridge and let marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight. Mine marinated for about 1 hour.
3. Grill over medium heat until no longer pink inside.

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

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Pepper Slaw-A No Mayo Salad

Here's a great mayo-less side dish for BBQ's and picnics-Pepper Slaw. Think of it as a sweet cousin to cole slaw that's fine at room temperature. I love that it's nice and crunchy too:@)

For a more involved variation you can see my Philadelphia Pepper Hash HERE.

Pepper Slaw
1 green bell pepper, sliced thin
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
cabbage, sliced thin-enough to equal about 1 1/2 times as much as the peppers
1/2 C cider vinegar
1/4 C sugar-or more-up to 1/2 C, I did add an extra Tblsp
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp salt
a few grinds of black pepper

• Mix everything and let marinate for at least a few hours in the fridge.

Have a happy weekend:@)

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Greetings from Philadelphia

Where...

We're expecting a wet one here today, hope you're dry, safe and comfortable!
Have a happy day:@)

Black Bottom Banana Bars

I didn't grow up eating bar cookies, they're new to me and I'm enjoying them! These Black Bottom Banana Bars were fun to make. Although I didn't trust that such a small amount of batter would work with a 9x13 pan... Hence the nice thick slice of heaven pictured below:@) Yep, I baked this one in an 8x8 pan.

The batter is thick, an offset spatula will really help spread it around. I have a little 4" one that I use.

They are very tasty and moist, if you like banana bread you'll love this.

But, um... Use a 9x13 pan-okay?:@)

Black Bottom Banana Bars-adapted from Taste of Home
1/2 C butter, softened
1 C sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 C mashed ripe bananas-approx 3
1 1/2 C A/P flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C cocoa powder
Chocolate chips-about 1/2 C-optional-I did not use them

1. In large bowl cream butter and sugar. 
2. Add in egg and vanilla, mix well. Add the bananas mix well.
3. Combine flour, powder, soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture and mix well.
4. Divide batter in half. Add cocoa powder and chocolate chips if using to half and spread in a greased 9x13 pan.
5. Spoon remaining batter on top and swirl with knife-I didn't swirl it, just spread it out.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Cool on rack, slice and enjoy!

Have a happy day:@)

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Cilantro Salt-Preserving Cilantro

The cilantro in my garden was beginning to bolt so I wanted to find a way to preserve some of it. This Cilantro Salt would be a good way to use up extra store bought cilantro too. Did you know the whole plant is edible? Root, stem, leaves, flowers and seeds, I did cut most of the stems away though.

 On-line recipe suggestions for using it: lime rice, salt crusted potatoes, and on corn on the cob.

Use it as you would regular salt, I'll most likely add it to soups and salsas.  

They say it will last for a year covered in the fridge-we'll see:@)

Chop it fine-I used a 3 cup food chopper, and then it's a simple ratio:

4 parts loosely packed cilantro to 1 part Kosher salt

Mix well and store tightly covered in the fridge.

 

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

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