cookie ice cream sandwich

We invited the elders and sisters to dinner tonight and had a huge feast.  BBQ ribs, teriyaki chicken, asian salad, potato salad, veggies, bean & corn salad with chips and lemonade.  For dessert I had picked up some bakery cookies and two cartons of ice cream to make it easy.  My teenage daughter said, "Let's make cookie ice cream sandwiches!".  After dinner she went into the kitchen and threw these together.  They were impressive and super easy.  I like that combo.

cookie ice cream sandwich
cookies from the bakery (we used M&M cookies and chocolate chip cookies)
ice cream (we used Breyer's Heath and Breyer's Waffle Cone)
ice cream scoop

Place a scoop of ice cream onto a cookie.  Place another cookie on top.  Serve right away. 

sesame dan dan noodle bowl

This soup was just what I was looking for to satisfy my hankering for Asian food- I blame it on the delicious food we had at Kimhoa last weekend.  I saw this recipe in a magazine and snapped a picture. I didn't catch the name of the magazine but that's okay because I adapted the recipe anyway.  Pretty sure it was a Better Homes and Garden for May or June.
I served it with some cantaloupe bread and fresh strawberries.  If you haven't tried cantaloupe bread- it's here.

sesame dan dan noodle bowl
6 ounces Udon noodles, cooked according to package directions
1 pound thinly sliced pork loin, diced
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup tahini sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
4 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup finely chopped pickles
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 green onions, sliced
bunch of cilantro
extra chili garlic sauce

In a saucepan, whisk soy sauce, tahini, vinegar, sesaem oil, garlic and garlic chili sauce.  Stir in broth.  Heat until nice and hot.
In a wok, heat the canola oil and fry the pork until it is nice and brown.  Drain if needed (I didn't need to because I cooked it so well the liquid evaporated).  Add pickles and garlic.  Cook 2 minutes.
Divide noodles into bowls.  Spoon broth over the top.  Top with pork, onions and cilantro.  Definitely top with more chili garlic sauce.  It will pack a punch!
Yum!
  

asian bowls

Best Father's Day dinner.  My husband isn't a meat and potatoes kind of a guy.  Well, sometimes he is but mostly he loves all things fresh.  This dinner was fresh and delicious.  Everyone loved it- all six of us.  We had firsts, seconds and even thirds!  We were inspired by a really yummy restaurant we went to yesterday- Kimhoa.  We can't wait to go back.  For dinner tonight I made some Bulgogi steak, teriyaki chicken, brown jasmine rice, whole wheat angel hair, veggies, spinach and cilantro.  I made some of my mom's homemade teriyaki sauce and some other sauces we had in the fridge.  I think this might be a once-a-week summertime kind of meal!

asian bowls
teriyaki chicken (see below)
bulgogi (see below)
jasmine rice
angel hair pasta 
misc. asian sauces 
veggies- we enjoyed carrots, cucumber, bell peppers, green onion and cilantro

Grab a bowl and go to town.  There's no right way or wrong way to do it!

mom's teriyaki sauce (my mom)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup oil (I use half that)
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon vinegar
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Combine all ingredients and marinate your favorite meat. For best results, marinate overnight then throw on the grill!
You do not need to use this sauce as a marinade.  Great over Asian bowls!

korean bulgogi (a boy from my daughter's 2nd grade class)
1 1/2 pounds beef sirloin , 1/8-1/4" thick
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons sugar or honey
1 tablespoon sesame seeds 
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 green onions, minced
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper, optional

Combine all the ingredients except the beef in a large bowl.  Mix well.
Add the beef to the bowl.  Refrigerate for at least one hour.
Put the meat on a hot grill sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.  Cook until the meat is browned.

layered greek dip

My friend Lindsey brought this beautiful layered dip (not so beautiful in this pic) to our BBQ earlier this week.  It was sooooo good!  She let us keep some leftovers and one of my daughters made a complete meal out of it the next day.  A great dish to take to a potluck!

layered greek dip (Lindsey M.)
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups prepared hummus
1 cup chopped cucumber
1 cup chopped tomato
1/2 cup chopped pitted Kalamata olives
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/3 cup sliced green onions
pita chips and/or multigrain tortilla chips

In a medium mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, lemon juice, Italian seasoning and garlic with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and combined.
Spread cream cheese mixutre into a deep 9-inch pie plate or shallow serving dish.  Evenly spread hummus on cream cheese layer.  Top with cucumber, tomato, olives, feta cheese, and green onions.  Cover and refrigerate 2-24 hours.  Serve with pita chips.  Makes about 2 1/2 cups dip, 16 servings.

Note:  Lindsey skipped the cream cheese part because she feels it's just as good without it.  She must've doubled the recipe because she made a 9x13 pan of it for the party.

sugar cookie bars

I made these sugar cookie bars for a big Memorial Day BBQ that we hosted.  I feel like after several years we finally broke in our home with this party in a big way.  Red, white & blue, music, lots of food, friends, volleyball and kids running wild.  I love to make sugar cookies because they remind me of my Grandma who loved to make them but they take a lot of work. This recipe makes sugar cookie making a breeze.  I added lemon extract to this recipe to make them more like my Grandma's recipe and love the finished product.  I'm a believer.

sugar cookie bars (adapted from Cupcake Diaries) 
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
5 cups flour 

1 tub vanilla icing
1 teaspoon lemon extract
sprinkles

Grease a standard rimmed cookie sheet (12x17) and set aside.
Cream together butter and sugar on medium speed.  Add eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to be incorporated into the mixture.  Add vanilla; mix well.
Add salt, baking soda and flour and continue to mix well.
Press dough evenly into the greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes until lightly golden.  Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
Mix the vanilla icing with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.  Spread over the bars.  Cut into squares and eat.  Serves 36-40.

fresh strawberry pie

Look what I made- my first fresh strawberry pie!  I have my kids to thank as they are the ones who picked all 9 pounds of berries this weekend.  For Oregonians, 9 pounds is a little weak but we ate those 9 pounds in two days.  We had a delicious couple of days!  I'm sure we'll go back for more.  There's nothing like a fresh berry picked from the vine or bush...or a slice of fresh strawberry pie.

fresh strawberry pie (allrecipes.com)
1 9-inch pie crust, baked
1 quart fresh strawberries
1 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup water

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (because you can't buy whipped cream for a homemade pie!)
2 tablespoons white sugar

Arrange half the strawberries in a baked pastry shell.  Mash remaining berries and combine with sugar in a medium saucepan.  Place saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water.  Gradually stir cornstarch mixture into boiling strawberry mixture.  Reduce heat and simmer mixture until thickened, about 10 minutes, stirring constantly.  Pour mixture over berries in pastry shell.  Chill for several hours before serving.  In a small bowl, whip heavy cream and 2 tablespoons sugar until soft peaks form.  Serve each slice of pie with a dollop of whipped cream.

crock pot mexican pot roast taco meat

This meat turned out to be tender and flavorful.  It's going to make some great tacos.
I adapted the original recipe to suit my need to use a crock pot.

mexican pot roast taco meat (Tyer Florence of the Food Network,) 
2 pounds beef roast
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 large onion, sliced
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes 
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper (I omitted because this new mama has 3 little kids who'll be eating this recipe- can I just say that 1 tablespoon is A LOT?  I'd tone it down for my family and we love spice.)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
3 bay leaves

tortillas, cheese, salsa, shredded lettuce, etc.

Season all sides of the beef with a fair amount of salt and pepper.  In a large Dutch oven, heat oil.  Add the garlic and the beef to the pot, browning the meat on all sides.  Add the onion and allow to brown, about 3-4 minutes.  Transfer to a crock pot.  Add the tomatoes plus 1 cup of water, spices, season with salt and pepper.  Cover with a lid and cook on low all day until meat is tender.  Shred meat.  Fill tortillas with the works!