White Rock Local Market

We have an awesome local farmers market in my neighborhood

White Rock Local Market @ Lakeside

1st and 3rd Saturdays

Lakeside Baptist Church

9150 Garland Rd

Dallas 75218

White Rock Local Market @ Green Spot

2nd and 4th Saturdays
Green Spot

702 N. Buckner Blvd

Dallas 75218

They are only open

from

8am - 1pm

I got there about 10ish and several farmers were already sold out

I recommend getting there EARLY

I was focused on fresh produce for the grill



Zucchini and Squash

I used the squash last night (see below)

I plan on grilling the zucchini tonight

Check out the lovely yellowy goldish ones



"Chocolate" Cherry Tomatoes



No, silly, these do not task like chocolate

They taste just like cherry tomatoes

Baby Portabellas & Button Mushrooms

I love love love mushrooms

I am going to stuff these and grill them 



Montasio Rosemary and Fresh Mozzarella Cheeses



 We have a fabulous local cheese company (actually several)

but this one is amazing

It's called the Mozzarella Company

Most of the local stores sell their cheeses

They have classes on how to make cheese, how to pair it with wine,

and

how to pair it with beer

I have not tried the Montasio Rosemary cheese

It is a hard cheese so I cannot wait to try it out on my next pasta dish

I plan on using the mozzarella cheese

on my next grilled pizza

Jamie Deen's Stuffed Squash Boats

This was last night's supper

Check out tomorrow's post for the recipe

This is probably the best recipe I've tried in a long time

(& I've tried alot) 

These have spicy italian sausage, red onions,

the "chocolate" cherry tomatoes from above, 

&

are topped off with panko/parmesan bread crumbs

Happy Bastille Day

I am not French, but I do covet all things French !

I started the day off with croissants from Trader Joe's! 

Have you tried these? 

They are

A

M

A

Z

I

N

G

Just put them on a baking sheet the night before you planned to cook them

They rise overnight

Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes

Croissants with Apricots & Cumin Preserves

Check the Apricot & Cumin preserves from Belberry

I bought this at Central Market a few weeks ago

I know you are probably thinking, cumin? Really?

It is delish!

Seriously!

A great treat to start the day 

I plan on finishing it out later with this awesome Rose

Grand Cadeau Rose Sparkling

Grand Cadeau Rose Sparkling Wine

from WineShop @ Home

Do not be fooled

This is not a sweet wine

It is a blend of French Colombard, Chardonnay, Muscat, Pinot Grigio & Viognier

It truly SPARKLES! 

Cheers to the French! 

(This is my first post from my ipad using the blogger mobile app. So, I apologize for the lack of proper formatting) 

Pizza on the Grill

Mushroom Onion Pizza

  

My Shiney New Red Grill 

So... check out the new grill!

I'm most excited about it

It's small but perfect for me

I love that it has a side burner!

Check out my yummy pizza

I am loving Mama Mary's thin pizza crust

I just used some marinara sauce that I had in the pantry

(here I used Trader Joe's)

I sliced fresh mozzarella

&

I sauted mushroom and onions 

in white wine, butter, & balsamic vinegar

DELICIOUS!!!

Heart Le Creuset

Heart Le Creuset

I covet Le Creuset, 

&

I love all things heart

 

As I have expressed  

here 

&

here

My dear friend, Misty gave me this one for my birthday.

Isn't it adorable?

Chocolate Chip Cookie "Cake"

Pink M&M and Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

Cookie dough & Pink M&Ms

Pink M&M and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Red and Pink Icing

My neice turned 9 years old on Friday, July 5th.  She requested a cookie cake with pink frosting and flowers.

Did you know that you can buy just about any color M&M from Party City?

It was very easy to do.  Nestle even includes how long to bake a big cookie on the back of the wrapper.

I thought of using cookie dough from scratch, but I found that my neice just likes the presentation.  She's not a big sugar eater. 

Flag Cake

July 4th Flag Cake

So, I know... the 4th was last week.  I have not been the best blog poster lately, but I really do plan to do a better job by posting at least 2-3 times a week.

This is a cake I make every year.  This year I did it a little different.  Instead of piping the white lines with cream cheese frosting... I sprinkled powdered sugar on top of the blueberries and raspberries.   The key is to place the blueberries and raspberries that you want to "sugar" on the cake first. (Actually, I spread cream cheese frosting on top of the cake first to act as "glue" for the berries to stick to).    I sifted powder over the rows of berries, then I placed the "non" powdered berries on the cake.

I keep this really simple.  I usually just make a box strawberry cake and make my own frosting. I sometimes use the tub o' frosting.  The presentation is fun, and the cake is usually moist.

This is not a true "flag" replica.  I was afraid I'd run out of raspberries if I put in the full 13 rows.

Thai Rice Noodles with Chicken

I

Thai Rice Noodles with Chicken

 This is a recipe that I clipped out of Cooking Light magazine back in 2009.  I have never cooked anything "thai" before.  This was so delicious.  

A couple things I might do different.  1) Cook the shallots with the green onions, ginger and garlic.   2) Not add chicken.   The flavor was so amazing, that the chicken just got in the way for me.

Thai Rice Noodles with Chicken

from Cooking Light, October 2009

Ingredients

1/4 cup fresh lime juice, divided
2 (6 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
8 ounces 1/2 inch thick rice noodles
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoon fresh chile past with garlic (such as sambal oelek)
1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
4 teaspoons canola oil, divided
3 tablespoons thinly diagonally sliced green onions
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup torn fresh basil
1/4 cup very thinly sliced lemongrass (tough outer stalks removed)
1/4 cup very thinly silced vertically sliced shallots

Directions

1.  Combine 2 tablespoons lime juice and chicken in a bowl. Let stand 15 minutes.
2.  Soak noodles in hot water for 15 minutes or until somewhat soft but still slightly chewy. Drain wel..
3.  Combine remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice, sugar and next 4 ingredients (through the chile paste).  Stir in 1/8 teaspoon salt.
4.  Heat a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat.  Add 1 teaspoon oil to pan, swirl to coat.  Remove chicken from juice; discard juice.  Add chicken to pan; stir fry 4 minutes or until done.  Transfer to bowl, sprinkle with remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt.  5.  Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan. Add green onions, ginger, and garlic; stir-fry 45 seconds or just until golden and fragrant.  Add noodles, cook 30 seconds, tossing well.
6.  Stir in sugar mixture.  Add chicken; cook 30 seconds.
7.  Place 1 1/4 cups noodle mixture on each of 4 plates. Top each with 2 tablespoons basil, 1 tablespoon lemongrass, and 1 tablespoon shallots

Herb Step Garden

Herbs - take 10

I've been trying to grow herbs

since 2009

Then again in 2010

&

once again in 2011

So, this time, I'm going all out

I have the standard herbs

rosemary, lavender, oregano, thyme,

basil, sage, dill, parsley

I also got a lemon tree...

(isn't that baby lemon adorable?)

and...

...creeping spinach

(please, no comments about the dead eucalyptus plant)

Also, you may have noticed my fancy herb markers

Got this idea from Pinterest

I just bought cheap knives at the thrift store

some acrylic paints

and

a silver sharpie

but I found that it works better with

a black archival pen

Artichokes with a Tangy Lemon Sauce

I got this recipe from Mommie Cooks blog

Click here for the recipe

I love steamed artichokes, but I have never steamed them myself

For some reason, it just always seemed very intimidating

Using a sharp knife, cut 3/4ths off the top

trim the tail (stem) 

remove the outer layer of leaves

Then squeeze some fresh lemon all over

Placed in the dutch oven with lid to steam

put water in the pan - do not let it evaporate

add the lemons and garlic

They turned out beautifully

Especially the Tangy Lemon Sauce

This is a super easy to do

Not sure why I was so scared

Fish en Papillote

I first posted this recipe back in May 2010.

I'm heading to Whole Foods this time
to pick up all the ingredients
Then, it's out to my dad's
to prepare this
fabulous (and healthy)
feast

 This fish en papillote recipe

was inspired by watching

"Ten Dollar Dinners with Melissa d'Arabian"

I bought  halibut @ Central Market

Following Melissa's recipe - I placed it on the parchment paper

Aren't these cute?

...and these too...

I promise, there is fish under there

I was very skeptical about pouring 1/4 cup of white wine

on top of everything that is only on parchment paper

...but...

but it worked...

They turned out fabulous!

A couple lessons learned...

1) Julienne the carrots and zucchini

2) Halibut is more hearty than the fish Melissa recommended (and more expensive)

so it needed just a tad more seasoning

(might try the Tangy Lemon Sauce from the artichoke recipe)

Lemon-Cucumber-Mint Water

If you love Pinterest

as much as I do,

you may have seen recipes

 for Detox Water

There are alot of varieties

but

I liked this one best from

A Sweet Simple Life

She calls it Sassy Water

She uses a mason jar

&

it gave me the

perfect excuse

to buy

this BIG one @ Target

for $16.99

Clean and slice one whole lemon
Clean and slice 1/2 cucumber
Add 10-12 Mint leaves
3 quarts water

Put in the refrigerator overnight or at least 8 hours



Pretty Yummy Water

&

if it detoxes me

gives me pretty skin

helps me lose weight

even better