Salsa-ing into Summer!

This summer I want to play around with different kinds of salsa. Salsa's are incredibly healthy and a great way to get your fruits and veggies!!! They are a wonderful refreshing snack.
Yesterday we had friends over for a cookout and I concocted a wonderful fruit salsa. It was great for chips, or I also poured some over cream cheese to make a thicker spread. That was great on crackers.

Fruit Salsa

3 mangoes diced
2 kiwi's with skin off
1 pineapple (I got the kinds in the produce section what was cut and cored)
1/4 cup strawberries
1/4 of a red onion
1/4 cup of cilantro
1/2 jalapeno pepper, without seeds

Put all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend to desired consistency.

A Last Minute Lovliness

The other night I got creative with dinner. I didn't get the chicken breasts out in time to make my taco soup, so I had to get inventive.
It was the last week before payday, when things are a little tight, so I had to rely on what I had in my fridge and pantry.
I found spinach, feta cheese and sundried tomatoes. I always keep puff pastry in my freezer...it is so handy for things. So this is what I came up with.

Mediterranean Chicken Pizza

2 Chicken breasts
1 can chicken broth
1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
1 TBLSP butter
1 TBLSP flour
1 cup milk
1 package crumbled feta cheese
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, drained of oil
sprinkling of pine nuts (optional)
1 sheet puff pastry

Defrost one sheet of puff pastry according to the package directions. (I left it in one big sheet this time, but next time I think I will cut it into individual pizza sizes) Place on pan and prick it with a fork.
Poach the chicken breast in the chicken broth until done, covered on medium heat. If one can of chicken broth doesn't cover the breasts, add water until they are just covered. When done and cooled shred chicken, add red pepper and salt and pepper to taste, as well as the spinach. Set aside.
Now for the sauce for the pizza. Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat, add the flour and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the milk, cook on medium low heat until thickened. Add the nutmeg and half of the package of feta. Feta doesn't melt completely, so the sauce will be a bit lumpy.
Spread sauce on puff pastry, add chicken mixture, sundried tomatoes and the rest of the feta. Bake at 400 for about 25-30 minutes, until pastry in done. Sprinkle with the pine nuts and enjoy!
*You can also make this pizza early in the day and put it in the fridge until it is time to bake!*

Layering Flavors

I have come to realize what layering flavors means. When I first heard the phrase the picture of a Mexican 7 Layer Dip always came to mind.
However, as I have delved into the world of food and have started making more sauces and such I have realized how you create layers in your food. These layers make even simple dishes much more flavorful.
Basically it is allowing different ingredients to shine though. I am going to use a simple tomato sauce for example:
To begin my basic tomato sauce I heat some olive oil in the pan. When is it hot I add my onions. I cook the onions till they are translucent. This releases their sugars and gives them a wonderful sweet flavor. Then I add my carrots, celery and garlic. I cook these for about 5 minutes on medium heat, and this starts their cooking process. I de-glaze the pan with either sherry or red wine, depending on what I have handy.
After that I add in my soft vegetables. Mushrooms, fresh tomato and chopped garlic. I also add any herbs at this time. Oregano, basil, tarragon and some red pepper flakes usually find their way into my pot.
I cook those for about 3-5 minutes on a medium low heat. Then I add two cans of tomato sauce and one can of diced tomatoes. A quick stir and then I add my secret ingredient.....balsamic vinegar, about a quarter cup. I taste it at this point and add salt and pepper as needed.
I let it simmer on a very low heat for about 30-45 minutes. I like a chunky tomato sauce, but you are welcome to use an immersion blender to blend it all together.
Either way, you can taste the different flavors in it. The sweetness of the onions and the tang of the vinegar come thru clearly. Each ingredient is cooked in its own time. The soft vegetables are added later because they don't need as long to cook as the carrots and such. The same with the herbs, whether fresh or dried, they don't like high heat. They need low and slow to bring out their loveliness!
So take a look at your favorite recipes...take the time to cook each ingredient, and enjoy the difference it makes!!!

Sundae's for Breakfast?!?!?

Yogurt is always something we buy, but not always something that we eat. So to keep from wasting money I have developed Breakfast Sundae's!
It is basically just a parfait, but instead of a regular bowl I serve it in a waffle bowl. Cameron gets to put whatever fruit he wants on it, and then adds some granola. It is so much fun to eat,and in his words, "a very healfy breakfast!"