new blog discovery: pictures & pancakes

pictures & pancakes

fantastic photography of food. love it.

grilled avocado

again, this recipe is from 'summer grilling' from come back to the table.

1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lime juice
2 large ripe avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup picante sauce (or chopped tomato and jalapeno) {i think she meant pico de gallo type combo... NOT pace picante sauce :o)}
shredded cheese {of your liking... probably monterey jack or a white cheese. not sure how cheddar would do}
snipped fresh cilantro

Stir together olive oil and lime juice. Bruch avocados with the mixture, and sprinkle the cut sides of the avocado with salt.

Grill cut side down on grill rack for about 5 minutes until browned. {remember, preheat on high, turn to low right when adding food}

Turn avocado halves and fill them with picante sauce and shredded cheese. Cover and grill 5 minutes more until cheese melts. Remove from grill, sprinkle tops with snipped cilantro. Serve on a bed of salad greens if desired, or as a side dish to grilled meat or fish.

{these are my little add-ons above. i would have waited a little longer for the cheese to melt more thoroughly... and i was going from memory so i just put the cilantro in with jalapeno and tomato mixture.}

Grilled Pizza & Grilling Tips

Grilled Pizza: (please note these directions are either directly from 'summer grilling' class at come back to the table or my rough interpretations of them.)


Make pizza dough... or a new trick we learned at an italian cooking class this last weekend... buy dough at a local pizza shop or at whole foods. for northern colorado - pulcinelli's is awesome and its 3 bucks for a large dough. not bad for the time saved. lindsay - i know that wouldn't happen with you or your fam ;o)


Okay, you have the dough. split the dough into two or 3. roll out into a rough round shape. in the meantime, preheat the grill on high. place pizza dough on a rimless baking sheet covered with coarse cornmeal. make sure the dough doesn't stick to the pan anywhere so that when you go to slide it on to the grill... it goes on smooth. turn the grill down to low right before putting the pizza on. drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper on the top of the crust. when the pizza is stiff, turn it with tongs. olive oil, salt and pepper the cooked side. top with pesto and cheese (or the toppings of choice). close the lid and cook until dough is cooked and toppings are warm/melted.


so the big tip?! preheat grill to high... but always cook on low to medium!

the pesto one was 1/2 of the large dough at pulcinelli's... the canadian bacon/pineapple one is a full large dough.

Ckn parmesan

This is my first mobile posting on the blog. But this was chicken parmesan we made a couple weeks ago.
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

EDIT: per lindsay's comment/request...

i used the same breading as i do with the chicken tenders/bites (ritz & parmesan combo). i used 2 chicken breasts and cut them in half lengthwise (to make 2 thinner pieces of chicken). then i placed them on parchment paper and covered them with it as well. i then used a heavy pan and pounded them down a bit. there are actual kitchen tools for this - sometimes the opposite side of a meat tenderizer... but a pan will do just fine.

then lightly cover them in olive oil and bread with ritz/parm mixture.

baked at 425 until done (about 20 minutes... and i flip half way through)

then top with some pasta sauce and parmesan and/or mozzarella cheese. throw back in the oven for about 5 minutes for sauce to heat through and cheese to melt. serve on pasta.

Fruit Pizza

Well, it's been a few months since I put something on here! Hopefully I can figure it out. I decided to make fruit pizza the other day and it turned out good! I bought a mix for gluten free sugar cookies and followed the directions on the box. I put in all in the pizza pan and spread it out. I baked it for about 12 minutes. After it cooled I mixed an 8 oz. package of cream cheese with 1/2 C. of powdered sugar and added a couple of tablespoons of cool whip just for fun. I spread that over the cookie and then started decorating with the fruit. It was yummy! We had it Tuesday night when Daniels came over to barbecue with us.

Who likes ketchup?!

Pardon me, I mean... Who LOVES Heinz Ketchup?!

Oh, right. You are my siblings and have been addicted to Heinz Ketchup since mom put it in our baby bottles. I actually don't doubt that.

Check out these Secret Spice Cookies. Yes, the recipe calls for Heinz Ketchup.

I 'Like' Heinz Ketchup on Facebook. And they posted this recipe on there today. I think it sounds quite interesting. And I know you all have a year supply of the stuff in your pantry, so try it out!

Strawberry Pie

I made strawberry pie for the first time yesterday. I had to; I bought tons of strawberries for 4 lbs./$1. It was way easy since it calls for a pre-made pie crust. I thought it was pretty tasty, and the highlight was having tons of homemade whipped cream on top.
HERE is the recipe I used.

cupcake idea

how darling are these?!

root beer float cupcakes

loving it.

okay, all my pics are at home. i PROMISE i will put up some recipes very soon from my grilling class. and tim & i are going to an italian cooking class on friday night! :o)

Dinner idea

Here's a delicious, easy dinner idea for you all. This is a meal I always thought of as a treat when my mom made it growing up, and it's so easy! However, I don't know what you'd call it...

Ingredients:
Smoked Sausage
Fresh pineapple
Green bell pepper

Brown rice

Bring skillet to medium heat. Meanwhile, chop ingredients. Add about a tablespoon olive oil to skillet and add peppers. Saute for a couple minutes, then add sausage. Let cook, stirring occasionally until it starts to brown. Add pineapple and cook till everything is hot. Serve over cooked brown rice. Yum.

I think I served this with corn on the cob or watermelon, some summer produce item.

Another plus about this meal is that it is very cheap to make. I only used about half of the sausage (a little over $1). The pineapple was $1 and I only used about 1/4 of that. One bell pepper, about $ .50. Rice, cheap. Anyway, you get the idea...all in all, the meal was definitely under $5.