Dinner

OK, first off, I don't have a grill. But you can get near it by cooking the veggies in a skillet over medium-hot flame. Secondly, I repeated this recipe a few days later as marinated vegetables. We didn't like it as well. Thirdly, I encourage you to really review my cost analysis. I knew it was a good week at the stores, but $3.00 to feed 5 people dinner is incredible! It proves you don't have to break the bank to eat healthy. It also highlights how much you can save by bringing your own lunch to work.

Recipe for Mediterranean Vegetable Pitas

• 5 Pita pockets, cut in half
• 3/4 cup Eggplant, diced
• 1/4 cup Onion, sliced thinly
• 5 Sweet peppers, sliced thinly
• 2 small Zuchini, sliced
• 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried Herb of choice (sage, rosemary, or Italian blend, for example)
• 1 Small tomato, cut into wedges
• 5 (heaping) Tablespoons Hummus

Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add onions, stirring until slightly softened. Add eggplant, zucchini, and peppers. When vegetables are starting to brown, season with herbs. Toast pita pockets if desired. Spread with hummus. Fill with vegetables. Garnish with tomatoes. (Although there's nothing that says you can't cook the tomatoes, too. As they cook down, they'll make a yummy sauce for the veggies.) Another idea, my father asked for his sandwich to be served with balsamic vinegar.

This is the successful quinoa salad recipe I served to 25 people along with a baked potato bar last night.

I was amused when some people first thought it was couscous, but liked the quinoa better than they thought they would like the couscous. I was thrilled when one of the diners said she had bought some quinoa and had no idea what to do with it. (De ja vue of the eggplant.) She said she would definitely be making the salad. That's truly what Eat Like a Rabbit is all about--showing people how easy it is to make things that are healthy and that taste good.

Just for the record, I don't take credit for the idea. My friend, Kim, served it at her sister-in-law-to-be's baby shower a month back. I just took the recipe and made it easier. I hope you think so, too. I would also like to add that once again, I was complimented not necessarily for my own talents, but for the fact that I am "just like your mother" when it comes to being able to present a great meal (at a great price, I might add).

Recipe for Quinoa Salad

• 2 cups Quinoa, uncooked
• 1 lb. grape tomatoes, halved
• 4 banana peppers, thinly sliced
• 1 small head broccoli, cut into small florets
• 3/4 can black olives, sliced
• 1 cup Italian dressing (homemade or store-bought)

Cook quinoa according to package directions and chill. (Can be made a day or two in advance.) Combine quinoa and vegetables in large bowl folding gently with a large spatula. Pour salad dressing over quinoa. Stir gently. Serve immediately. To marinate, chill 1-2 hours after adding dressing.

Recipe for Italian Dressing

• 3/4 cup Olive oil
• 1/4 cup Lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion pwder
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon parsley

Whisk ingredients together continuously while pouring over salad.

I really shoulda-coulda-wished I'd taken a picture of my entertaining meal tonight, but Nora was crying and needed to eat and not many people waited for me to get things together on the table before jumping in. The photo above is appropriate although not exactly accurate.

Before Nora, I was on a television show at church. It took about 4-5 hours of your time one night a month. I didn't know how I could ever accomplish the task, especially if Paul wouldn't get off in time for me to be there and the church is not on the way home from the hospital for him to fetch Nora. Instead of returning to the front of the camera, I decided to join the behind-the-scenes effort and signed up for cooking one night every few months or so. I figured at least I could bring Nora to the meal, and an occasional mass cooking adventure would be good for me and wouldn't take me away from Nora too much. The first hypothesis was true. I enjoyed myself very much. However, after spending an hour harvesting and separating the chives from the herb garden (on loan from my mom), I decided it really was taking me away from Nora more than I had hoped. However, the remainder of the prep-work was a cinch.

I would love to take full and complete credit for this recipe, but I'm just not that capable. I was planning a dinner using the best summertime dishes (baked beans, potato salad, grilled tomato and cheese) and wasn't sure what to do for a dessert. Especially since my cabinet of sweet ingredients had been basically reduced to semi-sweet chocolate chips and a chocolate cake mix. I had a few moments to flip through some magazines and my eyes fell upon the beautiful photograph of Bon Appetit's Ice Cream Sandwiches, featured in the August 2010 issue. I knew I could put something together that might at least resemble the idea, if not the finished product.

Recipe for Ice Cream Sandwiches

Inspired by: Bon Appetit Magazine

• 4 Graham crackers, halved crosswise
• 1 1/2 cups Vanilla ice cream
• 1/2 cup Frozen cherries, chopped in food processor
• 1/4 cup plus 1/16 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon Vegetable oil

Soften ice cream about 15 seconds in microwave. (Microwaves vary. Mine is quite strong.) Add frozen cherries and mix together quickly. Line a container with sides with parchment paper. Spread ice cream carefully onto half of the cracker. Top with other half of the cracker and press down gently. Place the sandwich in the container. Repeat with the other graham crackers. Cover container and freeze overnight. (I believe Bon Appetit recommends at least 6 hours.)

When sandwiches are frozen, microwave the chocolate chips in about 15 second increments until they are melted and smooth. Add the oil. Working with each sandwich individually, cover one side of each sandwich with chocolate. Refreeze until chocolate is firm. I wrapped my sandwiches individually. They should have lasted a day or two if wrapped and protected in a sealed container.

Running low on time and with a cranky baby, I searched online for a simple dilled potato salad recipe. Finally, I realized I was wasting too much time and gave up the search hoping I could make up a good one on my own. It worked! And I was proud to say it was about as simple as I could ever imagine.

Disclaimer: I fear I was in too big of a hurry and am not positive about the proportions--but pretty sure. You can always make the dressing on the side and add it to the potatoes. Also, had I had red potatoes, I know the finished product would have looked prettier. However, at least I can prove you can use Russet Potatoes and do just fine, too.

In place of the mayo and lemon, you can use sour cream and skip a step/ingredient. I also like my salads a little drier to save on calories, but I still think it came out with lots of flavor

Recipe for Dilled Potato Salad

• 5 small-medium russet potatoes, diced bite-sized
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/8 teaspoon lemon
• 1 teaspoon dry dill
• 1 teaspoon herbed salt
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder, optional but recommended
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, optional but recommended

Boil potatoes in water until soft. Drain, rinse in cold water, and drain again. Put in large bowl and refrigerate to cool. When cooler (doesn't have to be completely cold), add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and stir with a spatula so as not to mash or break the potatoes. Transfer to serving bowl and garnish with sweet peppers, fresh dill, or item of your choice.

This was some Italian Ice we enjoyed a couple weeks back when friends were visiting. It was such a great little treat for a summer evening. . .a hot summer evening. All that being said, the big mistake I made last week was not focusing on summer-associated recipes for our dinners. This week will be different thanks to great deals at the grocery store and the realization that our summer is almost over. Let's all take advantage as long as it lasts!

I made Sunday productive by making a collection of PB&Js to freeze for lunches. When I had finished the blueberry, I started on the cloudberry jelly. It was a great way to use up a bit of something in the fridge, plus, I made about 8 sandwiches, which should last us a couple weeks. Meanwhile, my spinach au gratin potatoes or Spinach Potato Bake spent an hour in the oven. We ate some for Sunday lunch and have two servings leftover for lunches later in the week. Oh, and I almost forgot. My morning in the kitchen started by boiling eggs for egg salad sandwiches--very summer-ish.

Our apricots were perfectly ripe. It was time to experiment as much as I wanted! I mashed just one and served it over a scoop of vanilla ice cream with caramel cookies on the side. So fast. So easy. And healthier than many alternative toppings!

As the evening winds down, I struggle to remember exactly where I wrote my plans for this week's menu. The menu is based significantly on items from Trader Joe's as we're getting to visit there again soon and want a clean shelf to refill. Also, I packed a lunch today, but a drug rep brought us lunch, and I promptly left my cooler at the office. I called up one of the girls and offered the food to her as long as she returned the empties to the office I would be at later in the week. I guess you can say it's nice to share. Plus, she got a good deal with homemade trail mix ( see recipe) and an unopened package of strawberry chips, too.

You might call this a replay, but it didn't matter because it went over so well. I made kabobs alternating in new particular order carrot slices, sweet potato slices, Redi-Burger chunks, sweet pepper slices, and chunks of onion. It is recommended to pre-cook the carrots and sweet potatoes. Grilled would have been much more fun, but I was running out of time. Instead, I brushed the kabobs with oil and broiled them. Hence the crisped skewers.

For the Warm Tomato Vinaigrette, I used up the last of the fancy balsamic vinegar on the last go around. This time I used white balsamic instead. Also, this time I chose to use the onion chives out of our herb garden instead of Vidalia onion.

Paul grumbled a bit that I didn't have the other balasmic vinegar, but he couldn't deny that the sauce was again a great success. I still recommend it.

Perhaps I should have tried the Warm Tomato Vinaigrette recipe from Ratio before recommending it to you. However, you would have done well to try it before I got to it. Talk about amazing. Paul was just thrilled. Of course, he claimed what made it good was the fact that I used what I had on hand, which was a very nice (and apparently very expensive) balsamic vinegar that was gifted to us. I also used Vidalia onions instead of scallions. I'm sure there would have been an improvement with the scallions, but this dressing/sauce/gravy was so good, I'm not so sure it mattered.

I served this dressing over sweet/white mashed potatoes and a vegan veggie-meat called Redi-Burger, which tends to have a strong flavor. I'm not a fan of it at all, but Paul likes it a lot. This dressing certainly made the meat more appropriate as an entree.

Clearly this recipe has tons of uses. I encourage you to find your own and come back and share the recommendation with us.

We didn't get around to making oatmeal this weekend. We didn't get around to stocking the freezer with PB&Js, either. But it's on the list for next week. What I did get done was a batch of sweet potato chocolate chip muffins, four of which went to friends down the street who greet us when we walk and four of which went to new neighbors with a new baby. I love sharing the happiness and goodness of life! Another batch is on the books for this week followed by a batch of banana bread.

Along the lines of great sauces, here's a recipe I cooked up just Monday night to serve with the bread for Paul's birthday dinner.

Choosing a good cheese is the key in keeping only three ingredients in this dip. The Parm-Reg yielded a saltier dip. Otherwise, I suspect certain diners would have sprinkled the bread with salt. A Pecorino-Romano would also fit the bill with its strong, more peppery flavor. Perhaps I'll try that next time. Remember, the dip recipe itself is gluten-free, but obviously, you would need a gluten-free bread for the entire experience to comply.

I can't vouch for the cost of this dip. The olive oil was what Paul selected during a taste test at Trader Joe's. I chose a good, strong, purple garlic clove that was far from on sale. And of course, a whole block of fresh imported cheese isn't cheap, even at Costco. Er, especially at Costco? Anyway, cost aside, this dip was very good and the leftovers kept well for a couple days in the fridge.

Recipe for Olive Oil Dip

• 1/2 cup quality olive oil
• 1 very large clove fresh garlic, minced
• 1/8 cup fresh Parmesan-Reggiano, finely shredded

Combine ingredients in order. Serve in individual containers as shown above or in a lovely bowl to be passed around the table.

Recommended serving suggestion: rosemary olive oil bread.

We were very busy last week with the Hardinges, and I really appreciated being off on July 5 so we could spend the time with them at the beach. Now, my assignment is to mix-and-match all the leftovers into this week's meals.

Sunday morning, Paul and I were feeling the effects of a sinus infection. I had grits and Paul cooked up cinnamon-raisin oatmeal. He ate it hot yesterday morning and packed individual servings into a stack of glassware to eat cold the rest of the week. I spent much of Sunday afternoon in the kitchen, and unfortunately ran out of basic ingredients to finish the jobs I had on my list. But, the point was to use up what I had. And that mission was accomplished. It was also the first time in a long time that I tried to spend Sunday in the kitchen to lighten my stress load the remainder of the week. I might have been tired last night, but I'll appreciate it most days to come.

This is just one of the many beautiful views we had the first weekend in June while visiting the Rockies. It was an incredible, much enjoyed trip.

One of the great things about long car trips is that you get a lot done. In the length of time Paul was driving us back from Ft. Lauderdale yesterday, I had made lists (and the order) of things I need to do (on my ONE day off this week!) as well as my menu plans for the next two weeks! I was so proud of myself and even drove the last couple hours home so Paul could nap in the back with Nora. Sure wish I'd had my camera for that.

So, the menu for this week is based on fresh ingredients and STILL going through what foods I already have in the house. I also get to go shopping tomorrow for gluten-free goods for our house guests for next week. I am excited about trying out new foods and am glad I have an excuse to visit Whole Foods.

Lunch Ideas for This Week

First I'll explain the photo as I'm sure it's getting more attention than the topic at hand. We were flying to Tennessee this past weekend, but we had to first stop off in Atlanta. The weather in Atlanta prevented us from even taking off from Orlando. We were delayed two hours, during which Nora was an absolute angel. She got lots of attention; plus the copilot asked Paul if he had a camera and let her visit the cockpit.

So now, we haven't been home three out of the four previous weekends--and the summer's not over yet! That means there's slim pickings in the pantry and my life consists of constantly unpacking clothes, washing them, and repacking them. All that being said, I begged my mother to come sit with Nora today so I could be a speedy shopper at Target and Publix. Thank you, Mom!

OK. So, it's obvious from the photograph and from proceeding ones that I haven't a clue how to flute my crust. I also think I never seem to have the right size pie plate or the right size crust for these activities. Luckily, they are reasonably forgiving if you can overlook the sometimes unappealing-to-the-eye look. By the way, this is a continuation of yesterday's story about the bright and perfectly ripe flavors of the tomato corn salad I made for my grandmother who requires soft foods to chew. (I also started writing it about 12 hours ago. My how a baby really changes everything!) We get one loan zucchini at a time from our garden. I had already had pasta the day before, and was looking for a better idea for my zucchini. I came across some eggs in the fridge with an expiration date past the return date of my mom and suddenly had my inspiration for the tart. I used my mom's oil crust recipe and created my own zucchini filling recipe. See what you think.

Cost to Make Zucchini Tart

Note: Cost is based on my shopping list even though it used my mother's ingredients.

Recipe for Oil Pie Crust

• 2 C all purpose flour
• 1 t salt
• ½ C oil
• ¼ C cold water

Mix flour and salt. Blend oil and cold water with fork (lots of bubbles). Add liquid mixture to flour and stir. Roll dough between 2 pieces of waxed paper. Place dough in pie plate. Flute if you have the talent. Poke 5 sets of holes in the bottom of the crust with a fork.

For this use, I pre-baked the crust just about 7 minutes. For other uses, it isn't always necessary.

Recipe for Zucchini Filling

• 1 good-sized zucchini, thinly sliced
• 1/3 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tablespoons milk
• 1/2 cup cheese, finely shredded and divided [my mom had the four cheese blend]
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or more to taste

Saute zucchini and onion in olive oil about 5 minutes just to soften. Beat eggs, add seasonings, salt, and milk. Beat together. Layer onions and zucchini on pie crust. Top with half of cheese. Pour egg mixture over vegetables. Top with remaining cheese. Bake at 400 degrees until top is golden brown, about 30-35 minutes.

Cost Per Person $0.36

As I mentioned last week, we sat with my grandmother over Memorial Day Weekend while my parents went away. My grandmother has difficulty chewing, and I was looking for soft foods that would pack on much of the summer flavor, but not be too difficult for her to enjoy. The zucchini tart and accompanying salad really fit the bill. I've even made the salad again since then. The key is to have the freshest ingredients. It helps when it comes out of your own garden! I believe the fresher the ingredients, the less salt and pepper you have to add.

Cost to Make Tomato Corn Salad

• $0.50 Corn (Publix)
• Free Tomatoes (From ours and my parents' gardens)
• Free Chives (Mom's garden)
• $0.04 Lemon (Publix)
• $0.01 Salt (Walmart)
• $0.10 Pepper (Walmart)
• $0.60 Total for three people

Recipe for Tomato Corn Salad

• 2 ears corn
• 3 Patio tomatoes
• 2 Tablespoons chives, chopped (or more if you've got it!)
• Dash lemon juice
• 1/8-1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 twists pepper grinder

Cook corn in microwave. My mom's took 1:30 for one. Peal the corn and stand the ear up in a bowl. With a good knife, cut kernals of corn off cob so they fall into the bowl. (This is easier than it sounds.) Dice the tomatoes. Add all ingredients together. Serve immediately or chill one hour before serving.

Cost Per Person $0.20

You've seen the roasted cauliflower. And I've bragged about its successful presentation more than once. A couple weeks back, I had some fresh broccoli left from a sale and had just reacquired by Southern Living Cookbook from my mom so I could make blueberry muffins. (That's another story, we'll get to another time.) I searched the index for broccoli recipes, and thought the dressing for this one was very similar to the roasted cauliflower dressing. I enjoyed it so much, I served it again (along with the cauliflower) to photographer, Garrett Nudd, when he surprised us by coming in early. He left a note on the table the following morning thanking me for giving him an opportunity to like broccoli.

So, the recipe is really simple. Do a light, steamed broccoli. Meanwhile melt butter in a pan. Add some garlic, a dash (or more) of lemon juice, garlic, and sliced or diced olives. I believe the original recipe called for sliced almonds, but the marconas were open and tasted fabulous as the garnish. For the dairy-free version, I used warm olive oil. I didn't notice a real difference in the flavor; so will likely use olive oil in the future for lower cholesterol.

I knew this recipe would be a challenge. It looked hard. But the onions were on sale, and I was feeling ambitious. I had enough batter leftover from this tart that I remade the broccoli and cauliflower tart with it later on in the week. That was a great time-saver.

What I liked about the tart: This tart came out so beautifully and presented well with it's golden brown custard topping. It does, in fact, reheat fairly well as was stated in the opening paragraph of the recipe. However, I don't think I would serve it at room temp at a picnic. The tart is good for a very mild-flavored dish to match other strong flavors at a table.

We were nearing the end of our supplied pantry week, and I was getting a little lazy to head to the grocery store. Here I pause to go off on a tangent. How many of you who have become stay-at-home-moms or who only work part time have no desire to get out of the house? It seems I'm at a point in my life as a new mom that I'd give anything to have my groceries delivered just because I have no interest in leaving the house. I'm not completely worn out these days because Nora is sleeping through the night. But I get absolutely worn out by the time I'm done hitting the stores, which is why I wait until I have to make a number of stops before I venture out of the house. . .which is why I'm worn out at the end of the shopping day. Do you see the same cycle I do? Mind you, I totally enjoy those occasional trips to the gym and the play dates with other moms. I just have no desire to do chores outside the home. I am in a position where I appreciate such choices. After all, the less I'm out, the less I spend. So there's a positive side, but it all leads back to why I was relying on frozen vegetables to make dinner one day. That's all that was left!

Currently, Nora is napping on my shoulder afteran exhausting, but fun swim. Paul is at an Orlando Magic game with a long-time friend, and I'm excitedly staring out the window at my zucchini. It seems my problem was that the high walls of the courtyard block the bees from being attracted. I hand-pollinated my male and female flowers carefully; trying to keep the pollen from staining my hands and clothes. I may invest in some Q-tips for more of that process. It's been positively amazing watching my one attempt successfully grow and how incredibly fast it has taken shape. The second it hits that 6 inch recommendation, I'm grabbing it and serving a delicious zucchini lemon pasta for dinner. We'll see if there will be any leftovers from that.

Tonight, I had great plans to have baked beans to highlight the fresh and cheap veggies, corn on the cob and cabbage. What I wasn't planning on, but am learning to pay attention to was the high fiber content. In the beginning, I was only imagining what would go well together and would take advantage of the seasonal items. Then, I decided to do a fiber count. But first, let's see what it cost us.

Cost for Dinner

• $0.58 Baked Beans (Estimate, Publix BOGO)
• $0.50 Corn (Publix)
• $0.12 Cabbage (Publix)
• $0.34 Onion for beans (Publix)
• $0.08 Salt and butter for corn
• $0.10 Onion and garlic powders for beans
• $1.72 Total for two

Now for the cool part. Just how many grams of fiber did we rack up tonight?

Cost Per Person $0.86

Sometimes, our minds are willing, but nothing else is able. . .to do anything. This week started out like that. Yesterday, I didn't even make it to the grocery store. Dinner wasn't so bad, though. This is when frozen veggies come in really handy.

Meanwhile, I've been a tad preoccupied. On Friday, I noticed a pigeon on the roof looking over the courtyard, eying my zucchini suspiciously. I went out, asked it what it was doing there, and clapped at it. At which point, it came and flew around me. Naturally, being the country-girl (yeah, right) that I am, I screamed and ran inside. Finally, on Monday afternoon I was out planting the new plants I got for my first Mother's Day and found in the opposite corner of my zucchini plant two baby pigeons. Paul got excited, but I was nervous the parent would remember me and not appreciate my being outdoors. That being said, it has taken a lot of nerve to run from the house out to the garage when I needed to go grocery shopping or to work.

Now, onto the real reason you are reading this post:

This photo is almost depressing. The first time I make a dish that looks almost exactly like the cookbook, and the photo turns out like this. However, I will not complain because Paul was taking care of Nora so I could get dinner on. You'll either have to find the magazine and see the real picture or wait because cauliflower is on sale again next week, and we'll have another picture taken.

Paul and I are not big cauliflower people, but the fact that I'm planning on stocking up and doing this again next week ought to tell you how seriously and amazingly good this recipe was.

This recipe came out of one of the last Gourmet Magazines focusing on recipes for every letter of the alphabet. I served it to my parents and grandmother accompanied by Pizza Patate. (I have made a lot of that lately.) Although it seemed boring with the monochromatic delivery, the two dishes worked well together for a nice, light dinner finished off with a tiny scoop of fruit sorbet.

Two years ago, we had some leftover pomegranates and served this salad dressing with that fruit substituting the strawberries at Christmas. The rich color and flavor was fabulous. I remembered that recipe contained basil. When planning Dinner Club two weeks ago, I knew it would highlight our prolific basil. The dressing appeared to go over well. Fely even added it to her pasta. (I hope that didn't mean the pasta was bad.)

The light pink of the dressing was very feminine, and seemed more appropriate for a girl's luncheon, whereas the pomegranate was a rich red color that worked well at Christmas and for a mixed guest list. Also, the quality of the dressing depends highly on the quality of the strawberries. If the strawberries aren't tops, the dressing will not be as great a success. It was definitely easier to ensure a perfect flavor with the pomegranates.

With so much basil within our reach, it's such a great idea to have a homemade salad dressing to in which to use it. I'm just not sure this is the one.

We had a ton of eggs nearing their expiration date, and I happily decided it was time to make another frittata. I actually can't remember the last time I did so, even though we have a lot of vegetable scrambled eggs for breakfasts. I searched my cookbooks and found a simple recipe in Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home. It's called light because the recipe allows for egg whites instead of whole eggs. I used three or four whole eggs instead of the egg whites. I loved how the broccoli cooked just above the pool of egg so that it was crispy/crunchy. Bird's Eye Baby Broccoli Florets kept me from spending extra time cutting. The fresh basil from our herb garden also made the frittata a hit. My only complaint would be I had to use a burner on the stove and turn on the oven for the final baking.

Super fast and easy and super cheap, I'll happily make this again and expound on it based on what veggies are in the fridge.

Cost to Make Broccoli Fritatta

• Broccoli (Publix)
• $0.65 Eggs (Publix)
• $0.03 Garlic (Maitland Farmer's Market)
• $0.40 Onion (Publix)
• $0.04 Olive Oil (Publix)
• $1.00 Cheese (Publix)
• Free Basil (Our Herb Garden)
• $3.02 Total feeds 2

Cost Per Person $1.51

Not planning to grocery shop this week, but to eat on what I had stocked already, I planned to have my parents and grandmother over for dinner on Sunday. But then we had a surprise visit from friends, Garrett and Joy and kids. My heads for dinner increased to 9.5. The littlest doesn't eat that much. I had potatoes that were getting old and knew potato quinoa pancakes from Coming Home to Cook were enough to feed the crowd. I just made some minor adjustments.

In line with cooking all my other potato dishes, after I decide I like it the original way, I start substituting out some white potatoes for sweet. Once again, you could hardly taste the sweet potato, but you gained the nutrients from the power vegetable.

I left out the quinoa because I felt I didn't have time to make it. This was another situation where the quinoa is more for nutritional value than for flavor. For that reason, I would very much prefer to take the time to prepare the quinoa in the future.

We had an impromptu Dinner Club tonight with our friends in town. The theme was "Dips." Garrett Nudd's famous guacamole, my favorite salsa, the Kirkland brand from Costco; and this amazing non-dairy cashew dip that tastes just like a cheese sauce. The options for dipping were tortilla chips and pita chips. Dessert came before dinner in the form of "dipped" ice cream at Baskin Robbins' $0.31 Scoop deal benefiting Fire Fighters.

Back to the cashew dip, I was most unsure about the idea. It's not that I don't trust Garrett and Joy's opinions of food--cause they said it was amazing. It's just that I'd never had anything like it. Well, I'm no longer worried about the idea. The recipe was totally amazing and simple to put together. It dirtied few dishes: blender, pot for heating, bowl to serve. (But if I'd had time to use my mini crock pot, the last two items could have been combined.) The taste and texture was truly exactly like a cheese sauce. (Except the color doesn't look right with the camera and lighting. Sorry) But the best part is that it didn't sit on your stomach like a ton of lead if you over-ate. Not to mention, it was significantly healthier than a cheese sauce with lots of additives.

Recipe for Cashew Queso Dip

Original Source Unknown

• 1 small jar pimentos, drained
• 1 cup raw cashews
• 2 cups water
• 2 tbs nutritional yeast
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 can Ro-Tel (peppers and tomatoes) mild or original, reserve liquid

May substitute the reserved liquid for some of the water.

Combine all ingredients except the tomatoes in a blender and blend until smooth. [I don't think my blender did the creaminess factor justice.] Add tomatoes last. Bring mixture to a slow boil in a saucepan. Makes about 4 quarts.

You can easily reheat the leftovers by rewarming in a pot. Should keep a week in the refrigerator.

We're very lucky. Dinner was rushed the night I made this veggie strudel because I had a date with Whole Foods. I thought I had missed the opportunity to photograph my finished product, but my darling husband surprised me just this morning with a photo of the finished product. It may not be perfect, but I'm glad to at least have something considering we were so rushed.

I created this recipe in my head because I thought it would be speedy to prepare, and still (hopefully) look like I slaved all day. I want our meals to look high quality even though our 3-month-old (Can you believe it?) doesn't allow me to spend too long in the kitchen. I thought the strudel came out just as I expected, and I happily allowed Paul to clean up the few dishes.

Recipe for Vegetable Strudel

• 1 Pepperidge Farms Puff Pastry Sheet
• 1 carrot, pealed and cut un thirds
• 1/2 bell pepper
• 1/2 small onion
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 5 slices Jarlsberg or other mild Cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley

Preheat oven. Wash and peel necessary veggies. Place all ingredients in food processor. Chop thoroughly until veggies are mixed. Open puff pastry onto baking pan. (I line mine with a silicone baking sheet.) Place packed mixture on lengthwise on half puff pastry. Top with slices of cheese. Fold puff pastry over top. Press edges together with tines of a fork to seal. Bake according to package directions. Serves 2.

And it came to pass that I failed to review my calendar closely and learned 4 hours or so before their arrival that we would have great friends for dinner and staying with us the whole week. Yippee! We also had planned for the parents to visit for the Sunday evening meal, and I suddenly realized I had to double the number I was cooking for. Ironically, when putting together a menu in my head (without going to the grocery store, mind you), I first thought of the dessert. I quickly evaluated a few pints of raspberry sorbet and Cherry Garcia in the fridge, but feared that wouldn't be enough for the entire group. Not wasting any time, I pulled together the strawberries I had frozen just a few days earlier and the banana my mom had frozen Easter Sunday. And the recipe for strawberry banana sorbet was born.

Surprisingly when I offered choices at the table, most people chose the strawberry banana, and I realized why. It was significantly less sweet, and worked very well with the fresh mint leaves I cut from our herb garden. It also offered a dairy-free and healthy finale to the meal.

Recipe for Strawberry Banana Sorbet

• 3 quarts whole strawberries, frozen
• 1-1 1/2 bananas, frozen
• 3 Tablespoons brown sugar (more or less to taste)
• 2 Tablespoons water
• Garnish: fresh mint leaves

In food processor, puree ingredients until smooth. (I use a smaller food processor and make the sorbet in batches, adding four strawberries, 3 slices banana, and a dash of sugar at a time. Each batch is slightly different. When it's all blended, I stir all the batches together.) Pour into freezer-safe bowl, cover and freeze. Garnish with fresh mint.

Varieties: Use orange juice instead of water. Blend the mint right into the sorbet. Substitute lemon juice for banana. Take out any frozen bag of mixed fruit and blend away!