Simple Barley Pilaf

Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons butter
1 cup medium pearl barley (not quick cooking barley)
1/4 – 1/2 cup pine nuts or almonds, optional (I didn't have any, but I read a comment on her blog suggesting mushrooms, and since I had some of those, I chopped up a few, and added them.)
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and add the barley, nuts (if using), garlic and onions (and mushrooms, if you prefer those). Saute the mixture, stirring frequently, until the onions are tender and the barley is golden. Scrape the mixture into a 3-quart baking dish and stir in the salt, pepper and chicken broth. Bake uncovered for 60-80 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed and the barley is tender. Garnish with green onions, if desired.

Notes:
I saw this on Mel's blog a little while ago and was intrigued.  I figured our grilling night was a good time to try it out as a side dish, and I must say it was interesting.  Not bad, but definitely different.  I liked it better when I mixed it with the mushrooms from my skewers, or ate a bite with the chicken - just by itself was a bit too chewy for my liking.  But the flavor was good.  Maybe I'll try it again with part rice, part barley or something.  Or maybe I just need to get used to barley.

Mushroom Skewers

Source: this blog, via pinterest

Ingredients:
1/2 Tablespoon harissa (I used these spices, as suggested by another blog for another recipe: 3/4 teaspoon paprika, 3/4 teaspoon coriander, 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (because I didn't have cayenne pepper . . . so yes, I substituted inside of a substitution . . . I'm flexible)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
8 ounces baby portobello mushrooms, halved lengthwise (I just used those regular little white mushrooms you see at the grocery store - plain jane and cheap - and I left them whole because they were so small)

Directions:
Whisk the harissa, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and oregano together in a medium bowl.  (I added all the ingredients to a gallon size zip-lock baggie and squished everything around to mix.)

Add the mushrooms and toss well to coat. Marinate for 30 minutes (we did about an hour and I think it might be too much - they were pretty strong.  Maybe next time I'll just dip them in quickly or even brush the marinade over the mushrooms on the grill.  But that's just me.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F or preheat the grill, if grilling.

Thread the mushrooms onto presoaked bamboo skewers. Roast them in the oven for 10-12 minutes, or grill them, 5 minutes per side.

Makes 4 servings.

Notes:
Gregg got a grill for his birthday, and on Friday night we decided to break it in on it's maiden grilling.  We had a lot of leftover mushrooms in our fridge (I bought more than I ended up using for other things) that needed to be grilled, and I had pinned this recipe a while ago for just such an occasion.  They were good.  But like I said earlier, a little strong flavored for our tastes.  Fun to try something new, though.

Sloppy Joes

Source: a mix of places, including Better Homes and Gardens, The Essential Mormon Cookbook, and my grandma Elwood

Ingredients: (warning - there was not a lot of measuring that went into these babies, I just kind of threw stuff in - which is a new feat for me and it was kind of fun!)
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
3 (smallish size) cloves garlic, minced
1 10 3/4 ounce can tomato soup (or 1 8 oz can tomato sauce)
~1/4 - 1/2 cup ketchup (no measuring, just squirting)
~1 - 2 teaspoons mustard (again with the squirting)
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
~1 teaspoon chili powder (shake shake shake)
~1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (straight from the bottle into the pan)
6-7 hamburger (or hotdog, if you run out of hamburger) buns

Directions:
Brown ground beef, onion, pepper and garlic in a medium saucepan.  Drain off fat.  Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer until your guests arrive and you're ready to eat.  ;)

Makes about 6 sandwiches (or 7, if you stretch the last two a little thinner and make one on a hotdog bun).

Notes:
I made these sloppy joes to eat the first night Heather and the boys were here visiting us.  I didn't have tomato juice (which my grandma's recipe called for) and I only had one can of tomato sauce (which BHG called for, but I was saving it for pizza later in the week) and I didn't really feel like driving the 7 miles into the grocery store just to buy some, so I kept looking.  And lo and behold, I found the tomato soup suggestion from those lovely Mormons.  Worked like a charm.  :)  Definitely not a fancy meal, but it hits the spot, and can definitely be scaled up to feed a crowd.

Corn and Tomato Pasta Salad

Source (via Pinterest)

Ingredients: (See the notes for my numerous alterations)
1 1/2 cups bow-tie pasta
2 fresh ears of corn or 1 cup whole kernel frozen corn
1 cup shredded, cooked chicken
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons vinegar
2-3 tablespoons pesto
1 tablespoon chicken broth or water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Romaine leaves
1 tablespoons finely shredded Parmesan cheese
Snipped fresh basil

Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta, rinse in cold water, and drain again. Meanwhile, if using fresh corn, cut the kernels off the cobs. Cook corn, covered, in boiling water for 10 minutes or until corn is tender; drain. (If using frozen corn, cook according to package directions; drain.) Let cool slightly.
2. In a large bowl, combine pasta, corn, chicken, and tomato. In a screw-top jar, combine the olive oil, vinegar, pesto, chicken brother or water, salt, and pepper. Cover and shake well. Pour over pasta mixture; toss gently to coat. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours. To serve, line a serving platter with romaine leaves. Arrange salad on romaine leaves. Sprinkle cheese and basil over top.

Notes: Yum!!! Although I need to clarify that what I tasted was probably very different than what the original recipe will create because I tweaked so many things: eliminated the chicken, used whole grain pasta, increased the tomato and corn, substituted balsamic vinegar (which altered the flavor a LOT, I am sure), increased the cheese and stirred it in, omitted the basil garnish, and finely chopped the romaine and stirred it in. I would guess that my version is a lot more sultry, or more "evening" than "picnic."

Strawberry Bruschetta

Source (via pinterest)


Ingredients:
1 cup strawberries, hulled and diced
1 tbsp. sugar
1 french baguette, sliced on a bias
4 oz. goat cheese (I just used Laughing Cow cheese because it's a staple in our fridge)
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup minced basil leaves
cracked pepper

Directions:
Combine the strawberries and sugar in a small bowl; toss to combine. Let the berries macerate for about 30 minutes so that they begin to release their juices. Spread a thin layer of goat cheese on top of each baguette slice. Top each slice with spoonfuls of the strawberry mixture. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Top each slice with the basil leaves and cracked pepper, to taste.

Notes: We had an INCREDIBLE dinner tonight, but these babies were the stars of the show. Sweet, yet savory and entirely guilt-free.

Cowboy Dinner

Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients:
Beef Mixture:
2 pounds lean ground beef (I had less - more like 3/4 pound and it was plenty)
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup frozen corn kernels (or 1 can if that's what you've got)
1 1/2 cups salsa (jarred or homemade) (I used Pace Thick 'n' Chunky Salsa - mild because that's all they had at the store)
1 can (15 ounce) black, pinto or white beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Cornbread Topping:
½ cup cornmeal
1 ½ cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 ¼ cups milk

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch pan and set aside.

In a large 12-inch skillet, brown the ground beef and onion, adding the salt and pepper, over medium-high heat until the beef is no longer pink. Drain the grease from the pan. Stir in the corn, salsa, and beans. Pour the beef mixture into the prepared 9x13-inch baking pan and set aside.

For the cornbread, combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Make a well in the center and add the oil, beaten eggs and milk. Whisk together until just moistened and no dry spots remain.

Sprinkle the cheese over the beef mixture (or as per a suggestion in the comments on Mel's site - mix the cheese into the cornbread batter - that's what I did and it was kinda fun) and pour the cornbread batter over the cheese and beef mixture. Gently spread the cornbread to the edges of the pan, evening it out over the top of the casserole.

Bake for 40-45 minutes (35 for me) until the edges are bubbly and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cornbread comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Let the casserole stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes:
I have mentioned this recipe before when I made Tamale Pie back in the day and I got another hankering for it this week, so I decided to try this version.  Man, like Laurel, I like both.  They're similar, but definitely not the same, so I think I'll keep both of them in my stash.  And, as per Laurel's suggestion, I think I'll try this on a camping trip sometime in the Dutch oven.  Sounds mighty fine to me.  This makes a lot, which was nice for leftover lunches.  And I really meant to take a picture, but we just gobbled up the last of it and I never pulled out  my camera - whoops!

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Squares

Source:  Gingerbread Bagels via Pinterest

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 large mashed banana
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

Directions:

1. Mix together the quick cooking oats, light brown sugar, baking powder, kosher salt and ground cinnamon.
2. Add in the vanilla extract, milk and egg. Mix the ingredients together.
3. Then add in the mashed banana and peanut butter. Combine all of the ingredients.
4. Pour the mixture into a lightly greased 8x8-inch metal baking pan. Bake at 350 F degrees for 20 minutes.
5. Cut into squares and enjoy!

Comments:

These breakfast bars were so good. . .and with no butter or oil, they're healthy, too!  The consistency was more cake-like than bar-like, so I ate mine with a fork.  (I had three!)  So yummy, hearty, and made a very satisfying breakfast.