Improvising and Fried Potatoes

Some days I have ideas that I want to try when it comes to making dinner.  Sometimes they work out as planned, other times I have to improvise a bit to make it work.

Tonight was one of those nights.  I had this vision of slicing up potatoes and grilling them with some olive oil and a bit of salt to season them.  It all started according to plan.


As I am going in and out to check the grill at regular intervals, I hear a voice from upstairs. 

"Mom!  I need your help."

"What do you need?"

"I've got an issue."

Road Trip to Boston for Techmunch & Flour Bakery

Last weekend, I went on a quick trip to Boston with a couple of other fabulous food bloggers - Cate (Sweetnicks) and Joanne (Eats Well With Others).  This mini-adventure created many new memories with my new friends and LOTS of laughs along the way.  If you haven't checked out their blogs before, please go check them out!  I've been reading Cate's blog since before I started Family, Friends and Food and between the recipes and photos, I know you'll enjoy what she has to share.  Joanne's writing is fantastic and couple that with her photos and you won't want to miss a single post that she shares throughout the week. 


We went to Boston for the TechMunch Food Blogger Conference and thought taking a road trip together would make it more fun.  The information shared at the conerence was well worth the trip. We not only came away with more knowledge, but some interesting experiences along the way.  I'll share those a bit at a time... wouldn't want to overwhelm you all in one post!  I'll just say that we encountered a number of characters that are worth talking about in a future post.



One of the highlights of our trip to Boston, was the stop we made for breakfast on Sunday morning.  Flour Bakery is this fun bakery with a huge assortment of freshly baked breads, muffins, scones and pastries.. and that's just breakfast!

More Summer Simplicity (recipe: Cherry Tomato & Mozzarella Pasta Toss

I am really enjoying the fresh vegetables that are so readily available right now.  I want to eek out every bit of goodness from the summer produce that I can before the season ends... as it will, much too soon!  Even with the heatwave we are having, I'm still partial to summer and everything that comes with it.

I've always loved summer... but, I do remember torturing My Mom by asking her what I could do or what I could eat... so, after hearing the "what can I do" question a few time today I am now apologizing to My Mom!  I'm sure she made suggestions as I did today and none of them sounded very good to me either. 

Luckily, as I was gathering ingredients for a new dish I wanted to make, My Oldest (the one who had NOTHING to do) wanted to help.  So, for the first time, I allowed him to use a paring knife to cut the fresh mozzarella into bite-size pieces.  With supervision, he did just fine. 

He could hardly wait for the pasta to be ready so we could put the rest of the dish together.  He was asking if he could have some when it was all finished.  I told him, of course he could... I just figured I'd put it on the table and I'd probably be the only one who would enjoy it. 

This is one of those dishes that typically appeals to me, but not so much to the rest of my family.  So, I was counting on having leftovers for my lunch the next couple of days.  I still ended up with leftovers, but My Oldest really dug into it!  Who knew that if I threw in some fresh mozzarella, cannellini beans, cherry tomatoes and tossed with a bit of balsamic vinegar and olive oil that My Oldest would actually voluntarily eat whole wheat pasta!  Now, it was a whole wheat blend, but still healthier than what I usually make for them.


Cherry Tomato & Mozzarella Pasta Toss
Source:  Patsyk
Ingredients
1/2 pound whole wheat blend pasta, cooked per package instructions
about 1 cup of cherry tomatoes (next time I would cut them in half, but leaving them whole is ok, too)
1 small can of sliced black olives, drained
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (if you have a REALLY good quality balsamic vinegar, now is the time to bring it out!)
1/2 cup fresh mozzarella, cut into bite-size pieces

Directions

Once pasta is finished cooking, rinse in cold water and place in a large bowl.

Add remaining ingredients except for the fresh mozzarella.  Toss gently to combine and make sure that the oil and vinegar lightly coat the pasta. 

Finally, add the fresh mozzarella and then toss gently to incorporate with the other ingredients. 

Serve immediately, or chill until ready to serve.

About 6 servings.
Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.
 

Simplicity in the Summer (Grilled Zucchini & Yellow Squash)

When summer comes, I always look forward to life slowing down a bit.  The kids don't have homework (other than some workbooks I have them do to keep their brains from going "mushy"), no sports practices or games ... just day camp and spending time doing things we enjoy.

For some reason, I don't feel like we've had that laid back summer I was hoping for... at least not yet.  We still have quite a bit of summer left before school begins (we start later than most of the country - after Labor Day).  So, there's still time to enjoy the freedom of less scheduled time in the evenings and weekends.

One of the best parts of this time of year is that fresh produce is so abundant that I often try to serve more than one vegetable at dinner.  Not that everyone will dig into both of them, but there are so many more options to work with to entice them into eating something new.

Zucchini and yellow sqaush are something I love to bring home in the summer months.  So easy to prepare with just a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of Kosher salt and the favorite seasoning of the day.  This time it was an Italian seasoning blend. 

I chose to grill them up and they became tender and just a bit sweet while cooking.  You could even toss the leftovers with some cold pasta, cherry tomatoes and anything else you can find for a slightly different pasta salad to nibble on for lunch.  Maybe even some bits of fresh mozzarella as well.  I'm thinking that may become a reality this weekend so that I can have some myself!

I did find out that My Oldest LOVES, LOVES, LOVES a simple caprese salad!  I served it twice in the last week, and he was my biggest customer on that one!  Who knew that sliced tomatoes with fresh mozzarella and olive oil would be such a big hit with my 9 year old?  He still won't touch the zucchini, but this he devoured... go figure!

What is your favorite way to enjoy the plentiful produce bounty this time of year?
Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.
 

Mini Blueberry Crumbcakes

It's no secret that I have a sweet tooth.  Just look at all of the cookies, cakes, muffins and desserts I've made over the last few years.  With the warmer weather and just being busy doing other things I haven't been baking as much as I'd like (or as much as My Boys would like).

Recently, I bought a container of fresh blueberries and had been nibbling on them or adding to the fruit cups I put together for the boys camp lunches.   Since I hadn't gotten through them quick enough, they were begging to be made into something yummy.

When I did a search I found a post by one of my favorite blogging friends, Grumpy's HoneyB, for Blueberry Crumbcake.  As soon as I saw her photos, I knew I'd be making this recipe.  I did decide to make it in muffin tins rather than as a 9-inch cake pan, because I like the portion control.

The recipe originated with Cooking Light, and I've always had good luck with their recipes I knew this one would be a perfect treat.  By changing the recipe to mini-cakes, I did adjust the temperature to 375 degrees and cooking time to about 22-25 minutes and they baked up beautifully.

I also didn't have any buttermilk on hand - that's what happens when you haven't been baking, you don't have the usual staples hanging around in the kitchen.  But no worries, there is a way to make a perfect substitute!  Add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to a 1 cup liquid measuring cup.  Then add 1 cup of milk and let sit for 5 minutes.  After it sits, you have your simple substitute for buttermilk and can use as much as you need to for your recipe. 

They are perfect little cakes (or muffins if you prefer so tht you can indulge at breakfast!).   My Oldest loved them, but I will recommend sharing them right away or lightly covering them for only a day or so.  If you cover them too tightly, they get a bit soft (still delicious) but they are so moist you don't need them to be kept air-tight.  Enjoy!

Blueberry Crumb CakeAdapted from: Cooking Light Annual Recipes, 1999,Via Grumpy's HoneyBunch

12 paper muffin cups
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup stick butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
1 cup blueberries
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place the 12 muffin cups into a muffin tin and set aside.

Beat 2/3 cup sugar and 1/4 cup butter at medium speed of a mixer until blended (about 5 minutes). Add vanilla and egg; beat well. Lightly spoon 1-1/3 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in blueberries.

Pour into prepared muffin tin. Combine 3 tablespoons sugar and remaining ingredients in a bowl; stir until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle sugar mixture over batter. Bake at 375 degrees for 22-25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.
 

Fennel and Apple Salad

Sometimes it's the simplest things that can give you enjoyment.  Spending a day on the beach, going crabbing, watching fireworks.  All of these things are part of summer and are simple pleasures.

Our 4th of July weekend was filled with all of these simple pleasures.  We also enjoyed several meals that were what I'd call "vacation indulgences.  So, after a weekend of indulging, I was craving something a bit different with dinner on Monday night. 

I wanted a side dish that was a salad with some crunch.  When I was perusing the produce at a local market, I saw fennel bulbs and decided I would make a salad from them.  I remember a friend of mine making a shaved fennel salad to accompay a meal a few years back and I really loved the flavor.