Fresh Sweet Cherry Crisp

Source: here

Ingredients:
for the filling:
about 2 pounds of fresh, sweet cherries, pitted (I read somewhere else that this is about 5-6 cups)
1/8-1/4 cup sugar (depending on sweetness of cherries)
2 Tablespoons tapioca
zest of 1/2 lemon (side note: I just bought a zester (microplane) while we were in Logan with a gift certificate from our wedding that was going to expire next month - LOVE it! - not sure how I lived without it till now!)
juice of 1/2 lemon
pinch of salt

for the topping:
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1/3 cup butter, cold and diced
pinch of salt

Directions:
After pitting your cherries (this took the longest time of the whole process and my hands looked like a bloody mess when I was done - so wear an apron!), sprinkle the sugar, tapioca, lemon zest and juice, and salt over the cherries in a medium bowl and stir to coat.

In a separate bowl, add the topping ingredients and mix together using a pastry cutter or two knives or a fork until it resembles coarse pebbles.

Butter individual ramekins (about six 1-cup ramekins) or a 9x9 baking dish and spoon the cherry mixture into the bottom.  Top with the brown sugar/flour/oat mixture.  Bake at 375 degrees F for 27-35 minutes (mine were done at exactly 27 minutes) until golden brown on top and the cherry mixture is bubbling.  Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Notes:
Cherries were on sale this week at our local City Market, and I just couldn't help myself to a big bag.  Then I realized that I just couldn't eat that many cherries before they'd go bad, so I started looking for recipes to use them up.  I know normally cherry crisps and pies are made with the sour pie cherries, but I stumbled across this recipe for a sweet cherry crisp, so I knew I had to give it a try.  Oh my goodness, yum!  Seriously.  This stuff is goooood.  And luckily I have some left over for tonight!

I did cut this recipe in half because while I felt like there were a lot of cherries, I don't think I had quite enough for a full recipe.  So I used ~2 1/2 cups pitted cherries (I just cut them in half and pulled out the pits, though a pitter machine was sounding mighty tempting by the time I was done!), probably 1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar, and I dumped in the full amount of zest (half a lemon-worth).  I just couldn't help myself - it smelled SO good - but it definitely gave the crisp a very lemon flavor, which I thought was delicious, but if you don't want it too lemony, I'd stick with the recipe (so if you're halving it, too, just a quarter of a lemon-worth of zest).  Everything else I just cut in half.  Well, the butter was a little tricky - I think I used like 2 1/2 Tablespoons.  Anyway, it seems to be pretty forgiving.  My half-recipe fit perfectly in two 16-ounce ramekins.  I originally thought Gregg and I would each have one with a nice scoop of ice cream on top, but we decided to split one and save the other for later, which I think was a good idea because it was pretty rich.

Grampa's Gumbo

Source: Grampa (Paul)

Directions:
Start with one can of Campbell's Chunky "Grilled Chicken and Sausage Gumbo" soup
To this add:
- Chopped green and red peppers
- Jalapenos (I used Mazzetta's "tamed" Jalapeno's)
- Diced rotisserie chicken breast
- Canned or frozen shrimp
- Sliced okra
- Seasoning to taste (Campbell's base is pretty tame). I used Crystal's Louisiana Cayenne Pepper Sauce

Notes:
I'm just posting this for Paul since he sent out a plea for help . . . sounds yummy!  Here's what he says about it:

With Mom out of town for youth conference, I'm trying to be a good domestic back-up here at home. In that spirit, I'm going to make a bold stroke and submit an item for the Bistro. For lack of a better name, we'll just call it Grampa's Gumbo. Mom has been kind of busy this week and I haven't had to travel - so I've tried a few culinary experiments. We had this for dinner last night and loved it.

Black Bean and Mango Chicken Salad

Source: adapted from here (after a quick google search for mango + chicken + balsamic + orange juice recipes - see notes for story there!)

Ingredients:
1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, grilled and cut (I used one, just sprinkled it generously with salt and pepper and quickly grilled it ~5-7 minutes on each side)
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
~ 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 ripe mango, chopped (for a cool "tutorial" on how to do this, check out this site)
1/2 cup (about 1/2 of a medium-sized one) green pepper, chopped
1/3 cup sweet onion (I may have used less - I'm not a huge raw onion fan)
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup lime juice (I just used the juice of one lime, which was less than 1/4 cup, but it was fine)
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar (I only did about half that)
1 Tablespoon honey
2 Tablespoons preserves (the recipe suggests pineapple or mango or orange marmalade, but I only had store-brand strawberry spread in the fridge and it was great)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder (I used one minced clove of garlic)
1/2 Tablepsoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (I skimped on this - used maybe 1/4 teaspoon?)
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper flakes
salt, to taste
tortilla chips

Directions:
Mix the chicken, beans, corn, mango, pepper, onion and cilantro in a medium-sized mixing bowl.  Whisk together the rest of the ingredients into a dressing and pour over the ingredients in the bowl.  Chill and serve with tortilla chips.

Notes:
I bought my first ever mango (they were on sale this week) with the intent to make a balsamic-glazed grilled chicken with mango recipe that I found about a month ago.  When I got home I realized I didn't buy the mango nectar that that recipe called for, and thus began the search for something to substitute.  I had orange juice in the fridge and wondered if that would be an acceptable substitute for the mango nectar, so I added it to my google search.  What I found first was this delightful recipe that totally piqued my interest.  No pictures on the site, which almost turned me off because I really love to see a picture of what I'm going to make.  But I'm glad I didn't let that deter me.  This was yummy!  Very fresh and cool and summery.  It reminds me a lot of Cowboy Caviar, though obviously not exactly the same.  I'm a fan.  And I'm totally sold on mangos - talk about yum!  I hope they stay on sale!  :)

Pineapple-Black Bean Guacamole

Source: bhg.com 

Ingredients
2 medium avocados (halved, seeded, and peeled)
1/4 cup bottled green salsa (salsa verde)
1 tablespoon sour cream
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple or canned crushed pineapple (drained)
1/2 cup canned black beans (rinsed and drained)
1 fresh jalapeno chile pepper (seeded and minced)
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

Directions: In a large bowl, mash avocados. Stir in salsa and sour cream until combined. Stir in pineapple, beans, jalapeno, onion, cilantro, garlic, lime juice, salt, and cumin. Cover and chill for 2 hours or until ready to serve. Sprinkle with cheese. If desired, sprinkle with cilantro and serve with tortilla chips. 

Notes: Soooo yummy! Creamy and delicious! I have a heat-sensitive hubby, so I omitted the jalapeno which only emphasized the creamy flavor) and also omitted the cheese because I didn't want the texture (and extra calories).

Bean Soup with Kale

BEAN SOUP WITH KALE

Source: Adapted from a recipe I found at allrecipes.com

Total prep and cook time: ½ hour

Ingredients:

            1 T canola or olive oil

            5 garlic cloves, chopped

            1 medium white onion chopped

            4 cups coarsely chopped raw kale (2 inch pieces)

            1 large or two medium tomatoes- chopped

            4 cups chicken or vegetable broth (I used 3 cans)

            2 cans white beans (I used small white)- do not drain or rinse

            1 teaspoon dried oregano

            1 teaspoon dry basil

            Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

            In large pot heat oil, add garlic and onion and sauté until soft.  Add kale and sauté stirring until wilted.

Add 3 cups of broth and 2 cups of beans and all of the tomato, herbs, salt and pepper.  Simmer 5 minutes.  In a blender or food processor mix the remaining beans and broth until smooth.  Stir into soup to thicken.  Simmer 10 minutes.

Ladle into bowls

YUMMY

Comments: this recipe was fabulous, we loved it!.  The original recipe called for more garlic and another seasoning, but I wouldn’t change it, it was great! And I loved the kale, it was the first time I had ever tasted it!

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cake

Recipe source and picture source

Cake Ingredients: 
1 Devil's Food chocolate cake mix with butter and milk substituted for oil and water (personal preference)
Cake Directions: 
Prepare according to package directions, bake in 2 9" round pans, cool completely. 

Filling Ingredients:
8 oz semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped (I used milk chocolate)
8 oz heavy cream
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup Reese's peanut butter cups, roughly chopped
Filling Directions: 
Heat the cream until it just begins to boil. Pour it over the chocolate in a medium bowl. Whisk until the chocolate melts, then whisk in the peanut butter until it's all incorporated and smooth. Set aside 1/4 of the filling for the first layer of frosting. Cool the other 3/4 completely, then gently stir in the peanut butter cups.

Frosting Ingredients:
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar (I an extra 1/2-1 cup plus a splash of milk for a smoother consistency)
Frosting Directions:
Cream together the butter and peanut butter. Add the vanilla, then the sugar. Beat until fluffy.

Assembly Directions:
Place one 9-inch round on a cake stand or plate. Cover the top in the peanut butter fudge filling. Place the second 9-inch round on top. Using the reserved filling, spread a thin layer on the outside of the cake. Refrigerate until the fudge is set and firm to the touch.

Slather the whole thing in the peanut butter frosting. Decorate with peanut butter cups.

Notes: Made this for Father's Day/Melia's Birthday celebration with the extended Farrer family yesterday. Yes, it is as good as it looks...and better.

Spinach Smoothie

Source:  SpinachSmoothie.net with some tweaking

Ingredients: 

• spinach leaves, two big handfuls
• banana, one
• blueberries, one handful
• orange juice, about 1/2 cup
• skim milk and/or vanilla low-fat yogurt, about 1/2 cup (I did a bit of both)
• honey (optional)
• ice, about 5-6 cubes

Directions:

1. Blend until smooth.
2. Don't look too closely at the smoothie's color. . .trust me.*
3. Enjoy!

Comments: 

This summer, I am committing to eat healthier, lose weight, exercise more, and all that jazz, and one of the ways I'm trying to do that is with homemade smoothies.  (My poor blender's been getting a workout!)  I just made this one for dinner tonight, and it was fabulous!  I wanted to pin it on Pinterest, but couldn't since there wasn't a photo (I soon realized why: blueberries and spinach make a horrible color combination).  Anyway, I'm posting it on here so I can access this recipe again!  It had a wonderful, sweet, creamy flavor (which I prefer) without being too tart (which is what Scott prefers) or spinachy.  The website didn't give any specific amounts, so I just approximated and listed what I used.

*Note:  Normally, Scott is more than willing to sample my smoothie concoctions, but one look at this one, and he passed.