German Potato Salad

4 lb. red potatoes	1 lb. bacon	6 hard boiled eggs (sliced)
2 green onions (sliced)	1 3/4 C. cider vinegar	1 3/4 C. water
1 3/4 C. sugar	1/4 C. corn starch

Boil potatoes until tender but not fall-apart soft. Cool them by running them under cold water. Slice potatoes and place in tall casserole dish. Cook bacon and reserve 1/2 C. grease. Chop bacon into small bite-size pieces. In a sauce pan, combine grease with vinegar, water and sugar; bring to a boil. Add corn starch mixed with enough cold water to dissolve it. Add to boiling liquids. Stir until thickened. Add bacon, sauce, eggs, onions, and cracked black pepper to the potatoes. Gently stir to combine. Good warm or cold.

No Mess Pastry Bag

You know I don't normally share videos, but this one was too good to miss! I actually said 'wow' while watching it.

Recycle

I don't remember where I found this. It has been in my to-do project folder for a little while. I figure this would be good for sand toys or something for the children.

Chicken Gorgonzola

some chicken	heavy cream
sliced mushrooms	package of frozen spinach (thawed)
Gorgonzola cheese	1 tsp. garlic
black pepper	red pepper

Cook chicken and slice into edible pieces. Season the chicken with pepper and garlic. Saute mushrooms with chicken. Add cream, cheese, and spinach. Simmer until it thickens up a bit.

Bar Humor

blog

Topsy Tail

Another hair idea this week is a blast from the past: Topsy Tail. It gives a bit of a twist on the traditional pony tail and only takes an extra three seconds to do.

Ice Cube Herbs

As 100* days persist, you'll likely find many of the herbs you planted maturing and dying. Save what you can by freezing them! The herb ice cubes work well for use in soups or in drinks, and an ice cube tray allows for smaller portioning of the preserved herbs.

1. Wash the ice cube tray thoroughly to remove any contaminants that could affect the frozen herbs.
2. Rinse the herbs you plan to freeze under cool water. Pat some of the moisture away with a paper towel.
3. Trim off the leaves that you want to save. Snip the leaves into small pieces with clean kitchen scissors, or chop them with a knife.
4. Fill each section of the ice cube tray with as many herbs as possible, then top off with water.  
5. Freeze the herb cubes, making sure they are placed on a level spot in the freezer. You want the cubes to be frozen solid before removing them. 
6. After the trays are fully frozen. Pop out the herb cubes and store in a freezer bag.  Be sure to label and date.

 Suggestions for herb combos: Stirfry, Chicken Soup, lemon ginger, wine garlic, lemon mint, herbs for pasta, tex mex, chilies, pesto, etc.

Cherry Icecream

I am dying to try this recipe! I just discovered Cherry Garcia, and fell in love with it. Let me know how it goes.

Fluffy Bun

Beer Cheese Soup

3/4 cup butter	1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced carrots	1/2 cup diced onion
3/4 cup all-purpose flour	1/2 teaspoon ground dry mustard
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth	8oz brick cheddar (cubed)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder	1/2 tsp. chives
12 oz beer

Use a whisk. In a large saucepan over medium high heat, melt butter. Cook celery, carrots and onion in butter until onion is translucent. Stir in flour and mustard to coat vegetables. Pour in chicken broth and simmer until slightly thickened. Puree mixture in a blender or food processor or using an immersion blender. Return to pot. When pureed mixture is hot, begin to stir in beer until all is fully incorporated and soup is thinned. Add cheese cubes and seasoning; it will re-thicken. Switch to a spatula. Keep stirring so that cheese does not burn to the bottom. Serve with pretzels or french bread.

Meatloaf

1 tsp. olive oil	1 finely chopped onion
1/2 C. finely chopped carrot	1 tsp oregano
2 garlic cloves, minced	1/2 C. ketchup
1 1/2 lb. pkg. meatloaf mix(raw)	1 C. bread crumbs
2 Tbs. yellow mustard (5 seconds)	1 tsp. Worcestershire
freshly ground black pepper	2 large eggs

Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray.

Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion, chopped carrot, dried oregano, and minced garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Cool. Combine the remaining ingredients except in a large bowl. Use an ice cream scoop to spoon the meat mixture into 12 muffin cups. It should almost fit perfectly. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160°. Use them as the base for meatloaf cupcakes, or be happy they are cooked and throw them in the fridge for dinner later this week. Personally I found this recipe a little on the sweet side.

Wrap Braid

This braid started on the left side of my head, went across the top and then down the pony tail. It left my hair super kinky. Big hair is back in, right?!

Braids

I tired learning the waterfall braid technique, but did it upside down because of how I hold my hands. I like the result tho.

Pesto

D made pesto tonight! We are growing two varieties of basil in our garden, and they have made summer cooking more flavorful.  Chicken Kiev, served with pesto linguini and mushrooms.

Popsicle

These are great! I got my popsicle molds at Family Dollar 2 years ago, and they work just dandy.  I filled the cavity of mold with frozen sliced strawberries (Dole frozen fruit) then topped them off with limeade. Snap on the lid/base, freeze for 3 hours and PRESTO! Magical fruit popsicles.

Dinosaur Blanket

The back is a plucky dinosaur print, the front is a bunch of color squares.  I made this for a coworker who is expecting within the next month.

Happy 4th

Happy 4th of July!  Here is a very American meal for you: red, white, and blue potatoes, t-bone steaks, and corn on the cob.  I just want everyone to know that the 'corn trick' actually works.  If you microwave your ears for 4 minutes apiece, then slice through the husk and cob at the "handle" end and shake ear from the tassel end, the corn slides out of it's wrapper silk-free onto your plate. It was perfectly cooked, and I highly recommend it!!

Caprese

I got some golf ball sized tomatoes today. We sliced them with the two varieties of basil growing on our patio and  added fresh buffalo mozzarella and balsamic vinegar.

Salmon

Salmon with chives, lemon peel, black pepper, paprika, and dill served with harvest blend rice and asparagus.

Chili Dogs