Peach Pie

Every fall my mom and I buy a box of yummy peaches from our favorite fruit stand in Nampa. After sampling a few (or a lot!) we then make a bunch of peach pies to have in the freezer for winter. Yesterday we were able to get 4 done.... Use your favorite pie crust recipe and here is a great recipe for the peach filling:

Mix together
6 cups of peaches - peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 tsp lemon
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup flour

Before placing the top crust in place, tab little bits of butter on the peach mixture
Once the pie is finished we cover then in plastic wrap and tin foil.

Lentil Soup

1 1/4 cups dried lentils (pick through for any rocks, and then rinse in a strainer)
1 cup water
1 box broth (I used beef)
2 carrots - chopped
1 celery stalk - chopped
1 onion - chopped
1/2 cup salsa

Put everything into a pot and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until lentils are done, stirring every 10 minutes or so. My cookbook said about 40 minutes, but mine took closer to an hour.

Serve with a scoop of green herb sauce on top.

Linguine with green herb sauce

We had this for dinner tonight, along with a loaf of turtle bread. All 6 of us cleaned our bowls. Hear my jaw drop? Everyone ate it. Short of having cheese and crackers, I can't think of another dinner that would ever fit this bill.

3/4 cup Green Herb Sauce
12 oz linguine (I used the entire 16oz box, but the sauce was spread a little thin.)
Toasted pine nuts
Parmesan Cheese

Cook the linguine and drain. Toss with green herb sauce. Top with pine nuts and cheese. Enjoy!

Green Herb Sauce

This sauce is SO good, and much healthier than regular pesto. The only trouble is one ingredient, but if you just get past that and make it, it is SO delicious!

1 cup fresh basil leaves
2/3 cup soft tofu (find it in the produce section)
1/3 cup chopped chives
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped (or two big spoonfuls of the pre-minced jar stuff)
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/2 tsp salt

Put everything into a food processor and blend it up. You'll have to stop a time or two to scrape down the edges, and then just keep blending until smooth.

Serve within an hour, or keeps in the fridge for 2 days.

Stuffed Turkey Burgers

These were good, and a fun change to regular burgers, but could have used a little more zip. Maybe pepperjack instead of mozzarella cheese next time?

1 1/4# ground turkey
1/2 cup roasted red peppers **Directions on how to do your own at the bottom
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
salt and pepper to taste

1. Divide turkey into 4 sections. Make two equal patties out of each section.
2. Sprinkle one patty with 1/4 of the peppers and 1/4 of the cheese and top with another patty. Squish the edges to seal. (I did this poorly and mine leaked.) Repeat for all 4 burgers.
3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Grill or broil. (I broiled, took about 5 minutes per side. Flipping was tricky, be sure to grease whatever you cook it on.)

How to make your own roasted red peppers: (Thanks Marla!)
Cover a cookie sheet with foil. Cook peppers at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, turn and cook another 20 or so, until black edged and look done. Put in a bowl and cover with saran wrap. After they cool down a bit it is easy to peel the skins off and take out the seeds.

Recipe organization

I think I finally found a way to organize my recipes that I like, so I thought I would share.

I'll start with how to print recipes off the blog without all the extra stuff. (Maybe this is obvious, but I didn't know how to do it at first.) Highlight what you want to print. Sometimes I just to the recipe, sometimes I do the picture as well. Then go to File - Print - (the print window should pop up now) and then choose PRINT SELECTION. Now when you print you will get only the recipe.

I put all my printouts and any magazine clippings into clear sheet protectors. Next I alphabetized and put them into a 3 ring binder.

Finally I made a quick spreadsheet listing all the recipes by name and then by type. I printed two copies, sorted each way.

Now it is easy to find what I need! When I add new recipes to the binder I just jot the title onto my spreadsheet, and once it starts looking too busy I fix them on the computer and print out a new one.

Chicken Pesto Pasta

1. Cube and cook in a skillet 2 or 3 chicken breasts. (This would also be a great spot for leftover chicken from a rotisserie.)
2. Stir in one can cream of chicken soup and generous 1/2 cup of pesto.
3. Toss int some cooked pasta. (I used a package of tri-colored rotini because I thought it would help hide the green pesto, and it worked. Zachary even ate it.)
4. Top with parmesan cheese.

I had a few of these cold today before I warmed some up for lunch, and it was also excellent cold.

Easy Mexican Chicken Soup

I've thrown this soup together a few times now, and it's quite tasty... and VERY easy. It takes about 10-15 minutes, and most of that is cutting up the chicken. Very versatile.

Ingredients:
Chicken (I use Costco roasted) cubed/shredded- use as much or as little as you want
Chicken stock- usually I use three cans, which I think is the same as one big box
Cilantro- handful coarsely chopped
Jalapeno- chopped. I use the whole thing, but I like it spicy!
Salsa- about a half cup (more or less for spiciness)
Tabasco- if you want it, a few dashes
Salt- to taste
Corn- optional, but it adds a nice sweetness.
Onion, chopped- I've used it, this time I didn't have one handy.

Since everything is already cooked, just throw everything into a pot. When I used the onion, I did saute it for a few minutes before adding the broth. Simmer for about 5-10 minutes. DONE!
I like to garnish with cheese and sour cream. Avocado if I have it. I like it really spicy... that's what the sour cream is for!

So, I suppose this isn't as much of an exact recipe, but an idea to grow from. It's yummy. Enjoy