Cilantro Jalapeno Sauce

I think my favorite herb to cook with has to be Cilantro!

I love it in all kinds of food and if it's in salsa, then I can't control myself and will eat an entire bowl.

I add it to so many dishes and love it as a garnish. Luckily, my husband loves it as much as I do or we may have a little problem.

You do know that some people don't like Cilantro.  I took a poll on facebook the other day and I was amazed at how passionate folks can be about their like or dislike or this special herb.

You either love it, or hate it.

If you love it....you're going to go crazy for this.  It takes no time to whip up and lasts for 2 weeks in the fridge.  Do you save your sauce jars?  I'm having fun finding things to put in them.  Soup and now this sauce.

We've put it on fish, grilled chicken and my new favorite....EGGS!  It's fantastic!

Cilantro-Jalapeno Sauce
adapted from Culinate

2 cups fresh cilantro leaves
2 jalapenos, chopped
1/4 cup white onion chopped
2 tbsp honey
3 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp olive oil
salt

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until liquidy.  Season with more salt if needed.  More jalapeno can be added if you want more heat.

Chilled Avocado Soup

I have a love affair with avocados. And cilantro but we'll save that for another day.

 I love making guacamole and sitting on the patio with a cold beer and a bag of chips.

 This soup is a perfect light summer meal and tastes like my favorite appetizer! I'm going to make this when my in laws are visiting and serve it in little jars.

Chilled Avocado Soup
adapted from Cookin Canuck

2 tsp olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 large jalapeno pepper, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp fresh mint leaves
3 avocados, peeled and cut into chunks
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup coconut milk

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat and add onion and jalapeno.  Saute until soft for about 10 minutes.  Add the garlic in the last few minutes and don't let it burn.

Get out your food processor and add avocados along with half of your vegetable broth.  Pulse.

Add the remaining broth, the onion mixture, salt and pepper and mint.  Blend until very smooth.  Thin with more broth if you need to.

Refrigerate the soup for at least an hour. If you'll be chilling longer, make sure to cover the soup completely or it will turn brown.  Putting it in little jars solves this problem!

When serving, add a drizzle of coconut milk.

Harry Potter Pumpkin Pasties

A few weeks ago, my kids and I borrowed this book from the library.

We were excited to find it because we are going to Universal Orlando in 110 days to visit Harry Potter!  My daughter Mallory and her Dad have been pouring over the recipes (for some reason she doesn't want to do this with me....growing pains) and found something they had to make.

Pumpkin Pasties.

I love  The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook: From Cauldron Cakes to Knickerbocker Glory--More Than 150 Magical Recipes for Muggles and Wizards and will be buy a copy for our home when this one is due back at the library because many of the recipes have a backstory on the recipe that goes along with the book.  Oh how we love those books!

Legend has it that Harry Potter bought one of these delicious pasties on the Hogwarts Express as he was traveling to school.

Pumpkin Pasties
adapted from The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook
Makes 6 pasties


Pastry Crust
1 1/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold butter, cut into chunks
3 tablespoons vegetable shortening, chilled and cut into chunks
4-6 tablespoons ice water


Filling
1 cup canned pumpkin, not pie filling
1/4 cup sugar
a large pinch of ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon


Place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse to combine.  Distribute the butter and shortening over the flour and pulse about 14 times until the mixture resembles course meal.


Relocate the mixture into a large mixing bowl and sprinkle 4 tablespoons of cold water over the top. Toss the mixture together with a spoon until it starts to hold together.  If it seems too dry, add a little bit more water.


Form the dough into a ball and then into a disk shape.  Wrap it in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.


In a separate bowl, mix together the pumpkin, sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon in a mixing bowl.  Preheat the over to 400 degrees and roll out the dough until it's 1/8 of an inch thick.  Use a saucer to cut out 6 inch circles.


Place 2-3 tablespoons of filling in the center of each circle of dough.  Moisten the edges with water, fold the dough over the filling, and crimp with a fork to seal.  Cut slits to make vents.  


Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 30-35 minutes or until the tops are brown.


Disclaimer: I have not been compensated for blogging about this cookbook.  I did so of my own volition.  I just like to share cool things with my readers.

The Ivy Gimlet

Back in May, I went on vacation to California with 6 blogger friends.  We rented a beach house in Huntington Beach and had a great time!

The highlight of this trip was our visit to The Ivy in LA.

Our favorite cocktail was The Ivy Gimlet.  I've been thinking about that refreshing drink for two months and finally decided to make one at home.  It was also helpful that I bought a package of mint for a recipe (Chilled Avocado Soup) and only needed a tablespoon of mint.  Left over mint means tasty gimlets!

I found a recipe online and tweaked it until I it was just like I remembered it.

I would like to note here that my husband disagrees that this is a gimlet and suggests that it's a mojito.  I'm just going by what the menu says at The Ivy. They call it a gimlet, therefore....I'm calling it a gimlet.

The Ivy Gimlet

3 sprigs of mint
ice
2 oz  vodka
1 oz simple syrup
juice from a 1/4 of a lime

Crush mint springs in a martini shaker with a pestle or the end of a wooden spoon.  Add ice, vodka, simple syrup and lime juice.  Shake for 15 seconds.  Strain into glass filled with ice.  Garnish with mint, lime slices and a straw or not.

Rinse shaker and repeat.

Summer Wines ~June

Is it hot enough for you yet?

I've lived in Colorado my entire life (expect for those 4 unfortunate years in Utah) and I don't remember it being this hot.  I've sworn off straightening my hair and make up for the foreseeable future and taken up drinking.

Who am I kidding.  I've always been drinking! But now I'm seeking out cold wine instead of my favorite reds.

I've been drinking more Rosé and loving it!  I think Cupcake is my new favorite brand, I've tried several, they are all very delicious and their label is adorable!

We got a great deal on Jose Rosé and after several bottles I decided it's Muy Bueno.

Wine By Joe

My husband isn't a wine drinker.  He's normally a Fosters or ESP (is that right?) guy but he recently came home with Samuel Adams Porch Rocker and it was great!  Perfect for a lazy afternoon on the patio.

What are you drinking this summer?

Buttermilk Brownies

People ask me all the time.  Connie Weiss, have you ever been on The Today Show? 

I have to tell them no, I have not yet been discovered.

But when they ask me for a brownie recipe, I gladly share the one that my Mother has been making for almost 30 years!

She got it from a lady named Wanda that worked with her at The Greeley Gas Company. 

Wanda's Buttermilk Brownies

brownies:

• 1 stick of butter
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 4 tbsp cocoa
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup buttermilk

frosting:

• 6 tbsp butter
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 6 tbsp milk
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, shortening, cocoa and water.  Heat until almost boiling.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and baking soda.  Add the chocolate mixture, sugar, eggs, vanilla and buttermilk.

Grease a jelly roll pan and add the batter.  Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.  Cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting, combine butter, sugar and milk in a saucepan and boil for two minutes.  Add the chocolate chips and stir until they are incorporated.  Place the pan in cold water and beat with a mixer until spreading consistency.

Frost brownies and enjoy!

Quaker Soft Baked Bars

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Quaker Oats. All opinions are 100% mine.

Our family has become extremely busy!  So busy that we are constantly in the car.  Between school, PTA and after school activities I've had to build a pantry in my SUV.  As a Mom, it's very important to me that they get a healthy snack that feeds their brains but doesn't give them empty calories and chemicals.

My daughter has a high metabolism and has always been a snacker and I know to have something on hand, especially if I want to avoid the drive thru window.

I'm so excited about the new Quaker Soft Baked Bar and I'm sure my family is going to love them.  They have two delicious flavors: Cinnamon Pecan Bread and Banana Nut Bread.  They are made with real fruit and nuts....wholesome food!  This is the perfect breakfast snack or between meals.

I love that they are only 140 calories and have 5 grams of fiber.  It's also a high protein snack which my kids need and filled with 5 B-Vitamins.

My kids are going to love the Banana Nut Bread choice and I won't have to let bananas rot on my counter anymore.  I'll also feel really good about feeding them a healthy snack on the go.