Apple Jelly

I made quick work of this one! After completing the Peach Jam motif, I got right on the Apple Jelly in Wild Olive's Jam of the Month Club, and was able to finish it in less than eight hours. Of course, that time was mixed up with doing other things, but not much else.

I'm ready to start the next one!

Peach Jam

I can't believe how long it's been since I've completed a cross-stitch motif! But, between going back to work, kind of, and just plain forgetting that I still had this hanging, I've finally finished the Peach Jam motif in Wild Olive's Jam of the Month Club.

This one was pretty simple and the mouth turned out okay...

Lemon Butter Tilapia

When I got home from work, Tom was sitting by the picnic table, enjoying the weather and the view of our yard. I thought it would be nice to eat dinner outside and needed something quick and easy to fix for dinner, so I chose to make Baked Lemon Butter Tilapia.

Baked Lemon Butter Tilapia

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more, to taste
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 4 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9×13 baking dish or coat with nonstick spray.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together butter, garlic, lemon juice and lemon zest; set aside.
3. Season tilapia with salt and pepper, to taste and place onto the prepared baking dish. Drizzle with butter mixture.
4. Place into oven and bake until fish flakes easily with a fork, about 10-12 minutes.
5. Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

We set up the picnic table and had a very nice dinner. I was surprised that Tom really liked the fish, I was afraid that it might have too much lemon for his taste. We also established this evening that Tom's new favorite wine is Gallo Moscato. I think that his tastes are evolving ;-)

Potato Salad

It has become our annual tradition to have steaks on the grill with our neighbors, Mario and Sally, on July 4^th. This year, in addition to steaks and roasted ears of corn, Tom requested that I make Potato Salad, so I found a recipe that looked like it would remind me of what my parents might make, and went with it.

The BEST Potato Salad

Ingredients

• 3 pounds Yukon Gold, Russet, or red potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/4 cups mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup dill pickle relish (optional)
• 1 teaspoon celery salt
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 4 hard-boiled eggs, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• half of a small red onion, thinly sliced
• sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
• optional toppings: smoked paprika or Old Bay seasoning, chopped fresh chives, (extra) sliced hard-boiled eggs

Instructions

1. Place the diced potatoes in a large stockpot and add enough water so that the potatoes are covered by 1 inch. Cook over medium-high heat until the water reaches a boil. Then reduce heat to medium to maintain the simmer, and continue cooking the potatoes for 5-8 minutes or until the potatoes pierce easily with a fork.
2. Drain the potatoes in a colander. Then return the potatoes to the stockpot, drizzle evenly with the vinegar, and let the potatoes rest for 20-30 minutes or until cool enough to handle.
3. Meanwhile, whisk together the mayo, celery salt, mustard and pickle relish in a medium bowl until evenly combined.
4. Once the potatoes are ready to go, add in the mayo mixture, diced eggs, celery and onion. Toss gently until evenly combined.
5. Taste and season with salt and pepper, to taste. (Also feel free to add in a tablespoon or two of pickle juice if you would like.)
6. Transfer the potato salad to a serving bowl, cover, and refrigerate for 1-2 hours to chill.
7. Serve chilled, or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days.

I ended up splitting the recipe in half - Tom wanted his without egg - but all else remained pretty much the same. I think everyone enjoyed it, I know I did. This recipe's definitely a keeper!

Cheesy Potato Kielbasa Soup

Tom wanted to have leftovers for dinner, so I decided to make a dish that I'd been wanting to make for a few weeks now - Cheesy Potato Kielbasa Soup.

Potato Kielbasa Soup

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound kielbasa, cut into ½ inch pieces
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ cup finely diced yellow onion
• ½ cup peeled and finely diced (2 large carrots)
• ½ cup finely sliced celery (2-3 stalks)
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1½ pounds potato, cut into cubes
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ cup chopped parsley

Instructions

1. Add olive oil to a Dutch oven or soup pot and heat over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove the sausage using a slotted spoon.
2. Add garlic, onions, carrots, and celery and sauté for 2 minutes.
3. Add the chicken stock and potatoes. Bring to boil and then reduce heat. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
4. Add the cooked sausage, milk, cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir and cook on low heat 5-10 minutes longer, until the cheese has melted.
5. Stir in parsley before serving.

This dish turned out okay. It wasn't bad, but it needed something extra. All of my cheese clumped together and didn't disperse throughout the soup, but maybe it's because I didn't use cheddar, all I had in-house was Colby-jack. I think I'd be willing to give this recipe another try, but definitely with cheddar - hopefully that will make the difference.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

I'm finally getting around to using up my pineapple - I actually got another one and had to throw away the first one. So Pineapple Upside-Down Cake is next on the list.

Fresh Pineapple Upside Down Cake

YOU WILL NEED

• 12 tablespoons (170 grams) unsalted butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks)
• 1/2 cup (100 grams) lightly packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons lime or lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 8 ounces (225 grams) fresh pineapple, cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges (about 1/4 pineapple)
• 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, separated
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (125 grams) sour cream or plain yogurt

DIRECTIONS Make Batter

1. Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Using the back of a spoon, spread 4 tablespoons of the butter over the bottom of a 9-inch cake pan. Scatter the brown sugar and cinnamon evenly over butter. Arrange the pineapple wedges in one even layer over the butter and sugar.
3. In a large bowl, beat the remaining 8 tablespoons of butter, granulated sugar and zest with an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Add the egg yolks and vanilla and beat until smooth. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then mix in the baking powder and salt.
5. Mix in a third of the flour mixture until only a few streaks of flour remain then mix in the remaining flour. Add the egg whites and sour cream and mix just until smooth.

To Finish

1. Spoon cake batter on top of the pineapple and spread into an even layer. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
2. Cool cake in the pan for 5 minutes then run a knife around the edges and invert it onto a plate to cool. If some pineapple slices stick to the pan, use a spatula to transfer them back on top of the cake and spread a little of the gooey brown sugar sauce over them to cover it up.
3. Serve warm or at room temperature. Refrigerate leftover cake up to 3 days. You can also rewarm slices in the microwave for about 10 seconds.

Tom and I agree, the flavor is good, but the cake is really dense. Could I have over-mixed it? Perhaps. Is my baking powder old? Definitely. I'll move on to another recipe.

Classic Slow Cooker Pot Roast

A few days ago, I'd decided to make a pot roast for the weekend, but then the governor of our state decreed that restaurants can open with outdoor seating only! Good news for my pocketbook, bad news for my dinner plans. I've been working on restaurant stuff in my free time for the past few days, so I haven't had time to cook, and I didn't want Tom to suffer unduly. It was also up in the air about whether or not I'd be working all day, so I decided to fix this dish - a Classic Slow Cooker Pot Roast.

Classic Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Ingredients

• 1 3-5 pound Chuck Roast
• salt and pepper
• 1 c. beef broth

For the Rub

• 1 T. Kosher salt
• 1½ tsp. black peppercorns (multi-colored is fine, too)
• 1 T. fresh rosemary or 1 tsp. dried
• 1 T. fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried
• 2 garlic cloves

For the Gravy

• 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Searing the roast in this recipe is optional. You can read about the pros and cons of searing the roast in this post.
2. To sear the roast, heat a heavy duty pan over medium high heat. Add enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan. While the pan is heating, pat the roast dry with paper towels. Season it with salt and pepper. Set the roast in the hot pan and let it sear until it isn't stuck to the pan. Flip and repeat the searing process until all of the sides are seared. Remove the roast from the pan and set it on a plate.
3. While the roast is searing, make the rosemary rub. Chop herbs, mince garlic and crush peppercorns.
4. To crush peppercorns, add them to a sealable bag and whack them with a rolling pin. You could also put them in a food processor. Combine kosher salt, crushed peppercorns, garlic, and herbs.
5. Rub a little olive oil over the roast. It will help the rub to stick to the roast. Sprinkle rub over the roast, using fingers to gently press into the roast.
6. Set the roast in the slow cooker. Add beef broth to the slow cooker, being careful not to pour it directly on the roast, washing the seasoning off.
7. At this point you can either refrigerate the roast until you are ready to cook it or you may cook it immediately.
8. Cook roast in slow cooker on high for 6-8 hours, or on low 8-10 hours.
9. Remove roast from slow cooker and let it rest for 5 minutes. It will easily shred when pulled apart with two forks. Serve immediately. Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
10. To make gravy, add cornstarch and 1/4 cup water to a sauce pan. Whisk until smooth. Using a baster remove drippings from the roast and add them to the saucepan. If you need more liquid you can add additional beef broth. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until desired consistency.

What I thought was great was the advice about preparing this ahead of time and refrigerating overnight. I forget that I can do that, so it was perfect for my day! I used the size of roast that I had, close to 2½ pounds, but left everything else the same. Suffice to say, I thought it was a little too salty and Tom thought that it was a little too peppery. Either way, Tom said it was excellent and I thought it was very flavorful.