Olive Oil

Pesto 3 Ways

September 1, 2014 by Kay Leave a Comment

Greens are abundant this time of year rather it be from your garden, your CSA Share or from the Farmers Market. Pesto 3 Ways is a great way to utilize those greens.

How was your weekend? Did you enjoy the last weekend of summer? I was just happy that it was a three day weekend. The family (the husband, middle daughter Kiley and SIL & BIL Kathy & Dave) and I went to the Appleton’s Farmers Market to see my daughter Mackenzie, it was her last market before she headed back to college. We had a nice day bumming in Appleton.

Sunday was spent canning for the day. Cowboy Candy, Hot Peppers, Chipotle Sauce and Tomato Sauce were canned. We ended the day with Chicken that the husband made on the smoker. And lastly, Monday was spent doing much of nothing, just enjoying the day off and catching up on recipes and the blog.

Pesto 3 ways uses kale, broccoli and celery leaves to create three different kinds of pestos that are all equally delicious in my book. Pesto is always made up with a green, parmesan cheese, a nut, olive oil and garlic.

I am featuring Celery Pesto which uses celery leaves and walnuts, Kale Pesto which uses kale and cashews and Broccoli Kale Pesto which uses broccoli, kale and walnuts. Pesto stores well in the fridge for approx. 2 weeks and in the freezer for up to 3 months.

I will be featuring recipes in the next couple of days to use your Pesto 3 Ways with. So stay tuned for ways to use pesto.

Enjoy!

Pesto 3 Ways

Rating: 51

Yield: Each recipe yields approx. 1 cup of pesto.

Pesto 3 Ways

Ingredients

Celery Pesto
4 cups celery leaves, packed
½ cup chopped walnuts
2/3 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves
½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 pinches of salt
Broccoli Kale Pesto
2 cups chopped broccoli florets, just the tops, no stems
1 cup (loosely packed) fresh basil leaves
2 cups kale, packed
2/3 cup grated Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2/3 cup chopped walnuts
3 garlic cloves, peeled
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. salt
Kale Pesto
4 cups packed kale, stems removed
½ cup chopped cashews
2/3 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves
½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 pinches of salt

Instructions

Celery Pesto: Add all the ingredients to a food processor. Pulse until thoroughly mixed. Taste for seasoning, you may need to add more salt.
Broccoli Kale Pesto: Add the broccoli florets in a microwave safe bowl and add ¼ cup of water. Microwave for 2 minutes or until the broccoli is bright green in color. Add the broccoli to the food processor.
Also add to the food processor the basil, kale, cheese, walnuts, garlic, olive oil and salt.
Process the pesto until thoroughly mixed. Taste, you may need to add more salt. If the mixture is thick, add a little water.
Kale Pesto: Add all the ingredients to a food processor. Pulse until thoroughly mixed. Taste for seasoning, you may need to add more salt.

http://www.lovefoodwillshare.com/pesto-3-ways/

Pesto 3 Ways

Such pretty colors of green.

This stores well in the fridge and freezer.

This is great to eat just by itself.

Yum!

I store my pesto in Ball Half Pint canning jars.

Celery, Broccoli/Kale & Kale Pesto are featured.

Celery Pesto with walnuts.

Broccoli Kale Pesto with walnuts.

Kale Pesto with cashews.

Rum Marinated Chicken Breasts

July 21, 2014 by Kay Leave a Comment

Rum Marinated Chicken Breasts is a quick & easy way to add flavor to an ordinary chicken breast.

Did everyone have a great weekend? I sure did. I had brunch with some of my family on Sunday. By some, I mean there were 13 of us. I come from a large family. I have 9 brothers and sisters, most of who are married and 12 nieces and nephews.

Brunch was at SAP in Appleton and let me say, it was fantabulous! (I made that word up, in case you are wondering.) I had Gulf Shrimp on top of Cheese Grits with Chorizo and a poached egg. Other items that the family enjoyed were Chorizo Benedict, Brioche French Toast and Chicken & Waffles to name a few.

They also have a bake shop and for $8.00 you can get a sampler box which includes 5 different desserts from the bakery. I got this to go and I will be honest, I had a Chocolate Shortbread with Pistachios and 1/2 of a Cinnamon Cupcake with Maple Cream Cheese Icing & Crispy Bacon for dinner. I can’t decide which one I liked more. I definitely will be going back to SAP!

Now, on to today’s recipe, Rum Marinated Chicken Breasts. Any time I make chicken, I like to marinade the meat first. Rum Marinated Chicken Breasts is a new favorite of mine. The nice thing with the marinade is you only need as little as 30 minutes for the chicken to sit in the marinade.

I grilled the Rum Marinated Chicken Breasts and the chicken was very moist. I like to double this recipe and have extra chicken on hand for the week. It’s an easy go to for a quick dinner…on a salad, in a wrap or use it in your favorite pasta dish.

Enjoy!

Rum Marinated Chicken Breasts

Rating: 51

Yield: 4 Chicken Breasts

Rum Marinated Chicken Breasts

Ingredients

¼ cup rum
1 lime, juiced and zested
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
½ tsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp. olive oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Instructions

In a glass bowl, whisk together the rum, lime juice & zest, salt, pepper, garlic powder and olive oil. Add the chicken breasts to the bowl and make sure they are covered with the marinade. Cover the dish and refrigerate for a minimum or 30 minutes up to 2 hours.

Notes

Adapted from The Talking Kitchen.

http://www.lovefoodwillshare.com/rum-marinated-chicken-breasts/

Marinate for the chicken.

They are best grilled.

Love the grill marks.

The chicken is very juicy.

They can be used in many different recipes.

I like the rum & lime flavor.

I like to double this recipe and have chicken on hand.

How To Bake A Potato

July 13, 2014 by Kay Leave a Comment

Olive oil, salt and foil are key ingredients, aside from the potato, on how to bake a potato.

I like to use a russet potato when making baked potatoes. The skin gets crisp and the center becomes very tender.

To bake a potato, first scrub the potatoes under water, pat the potatoes dry. It’s important to poke each potato with a fork, otherwise the potato will explode in your oven. Brush each potato with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt. Wrap each potato in a piece of foil. Bake for 50-60 minutes and out comes the perfect baked potato.

Sometimes I will bake a large amount of potatoes to have on hand. Other than eating a baked potato with my favorite toppings, I will also make fried potato with onions or twice baked potatoes.

Enjoy!

How To Bake A Potato

Ingredients

Russet Potatoes (as many as you need)
Olive Oil
Salt

Instructions

Heat the Oven to 375 degrees. Scrub the Potatoes - Scrub the potatoes thoroughly under running water and pat them dry.
With a fork, prick the whole potato with the tines of the fork. This allows stream to escape from the baking potato, otherwise the potato will explode.
Using a pastry brush, brush the potatoes with olive oil, if you don’t have a pastry brush you can use your hands. Generously salt the whole potato. Individually wrap each potato in foil. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet.
Bake the potatoes for 50-60 minutes. Flip them over every 30 minutes or so and check them for doneness by piercing them with a fork. Potatoes are done when the insides feel completely soft when pierced.

Notes

Adapted from The Kitchn.

http://www.lovefoodwillshare.com/bake-potato/

Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.

Wrap each potato in foil.

The perfect baked potato.

Creamy Dill Potato Salad

July 10, 2014 by Kay Leave a Comment

Creamy Dill Potato Salad combines the buttery texture of Yukon Golds with crunchy celery, fresh dill and a creamy dressing.

I have a confession, I am not a huge fan of mayonnaise or Miracle Whip. I actually will eat potato salads and pasta salads that other people make, but I prefer to work with it on a limited basis. This is strange I know, but it’s just one of my quirky issues, don’t worry, I will share more at a later date 🙂

My daughter Mackenzie needed to make something for a pot luck at work (Park Ridge Organics) and she was paging through my latest Real Simple and came across this recipe for Creamy Dill Potato Salad. We had just gotten dill and celery in our weekly vegetable box and luckily this recipe called for both…..score! Mackenzie and I made the potato salad for the pot luck and it received rave reviews.

The dressing is made mostly of olive oil and a little mayonnaise, plus the addition of a spicy mustard and vinegar. I like the crunch of the celery against the creamy potatoes. Fresh dill is the bomb and it really kills in this recipe.

Enjoy!

Creamy Dill Potato Salad

Rating: 41

Yield: 8 Servings

Creamy Dill Potato Salad

Ingredients

2 1/2 lbs. yukon gold potatoes
Salt & Peper
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp.white wine vinegar
3 tbsp.mayonnaise
1 1/2 tbsp. spicy mustard
2 stalks celery, sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

Instructions

Wash the potatoes under cold water. Cut the potatoes into 1-2" chunks and place in a large sauce pan. Cover with cold water, making sure the water level is 2 inches above the potatoes. Add 2 tsp. of salt to the pan. Bring to a boil, cook until fork tender, 8 - 12 minutes.
In the meantime, combine the oil, vinegar, mayonnaise, mustard, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper in a bowl.
Drain the potatoes and rinse under cold water, you want the potatoes to be warm. Pour the dressing over the potatoes, toss to combine. Add in the celery and dill, toss to combine. Let sit 10 minutes and serve.

http://www.lovefoodwillshare.com/creamy-dill-potato-salad/