Cantaloupe Lime Smoothie

I seem to be on a smoothie kick.  Summer rolls around and I want something light, cold and refreshing.  Who can blame me, right?

I recently posted a honeydew melon lemonade smoothie that is really good.  I wanted to give cantaloupe it's turn.  This is a light, cold and refreshing smoothie.  Perfect!  The orange and green are pretty together.  I love the lime zest, for taste and color.  This would be a great smoothie to serve at a brunch.
Recipe adapted from Good Housekeeping.

2 cups diced cantaloupe
1/2 teaspoon lime zest
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/3 cup frozen peaches
2 tablespoons honey
2 cups ice cubes

In a blender, combine cantaloupe, lime zest, lime juice, peaches, honey and ice.  Blend until smooth.  Enjoy!

Banana Pancakes with Orange Butter

Sometimes I get stuck in a rut.  I'm not always in the mood for maple syrup, no matter how good it is.  These are a great pancake to make when you want something different.  The pancake batter is a simple recipe, but the added banana and orange butter makes these special.

You don't need to go out to your favorite pancake house when you can make these at home.

1 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons cooking oil
3~4 bananas (only mash 2 and save the others for garnish)
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate
1/2 cup light brown sugar

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  In a medium mixing bowl combine the egg, milk, and cooking oil.  Add to the flour mixture.  Stir until just blended, batter should still be lumpy.  Fold in the mashed bananas, be careful not to over mix.

Heat a heavy skillet or griddle and pour about 1/4 cup of pancake mix onto hot griddle.  Cook until pancakes are golden brown, turning to cook the second side when pancake has a bubbly surface and is slightly dry around the edge.

In a small saucepan, combine the butter, orange juice concentrate and brown sugar.  Heat until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved.  Keep sauce warm.

Serve pancakes with orange butter and banana slices.

Cherry Lemonade

This lemonade packs a punch, no doubt about it.  So if you're like my cute husband you may want to water it down a bit.  My kids love making this one.  They ask for it all the time.  If you feel like puckering up and have no one to kiss... this one is for you.

1 16 ounce bag frozen cherries
1 16 ounce jar maraschino cherries without stems
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup fresh lemon juice, about 5 or 6 lemons
4~6 cups cold water

Process cherries, cherry juice from jar, sugar and lemon juice in a blender until smooth.  Pour fruit mixture through a wire mesh strainer into a pitcher, discarding solids.  (I actually strain it twice).  Stir in water to taste.  Serve over ice.

*If it's too thick or strong for your liking... add more water.

Pappardelle with Baby Spinach, Herbs and Ricotta

There is just something about fresh herbs.  I love them and use them every chance I get.  A perfect spring or summer time side dish.

Have all ingredients prepped and ready to go before beginning to cook~ the pasta needs to be hot when mixed with the other ingredients to create a creamy consistency.  Recipe adapted from Cooking Light magazine.  This was on the April 2011 cover and looked so good, I had to try.

8 ounces uncooked pappardelle (wide ribbon pasta)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/3 cup ricotta cheese
3 cups baby spinach leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat~leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
4 tablespoons grated pecorino Romano cheese
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Cook pasta with 1 tablespoon kosher salt according to package directions, omitting additional fat.  Drain in a colander over a bowl, and reserve 1 cup cooking liquid.

Combine 1/2 cup reserved hot cooking liquid and ricotta cheese in a food processor or blender, and process until well blended.

Combine hot pasta, cheese mixture, spinach, and remaining ingredients in a large bowl; toss gently to coat.  Add additional cooking liquid, if needed.

Chicago Style Hot Dog

A hot dog?  Really?!  Yup, this self proclaimed food snob (my husband and friends who really know me would also proclaim) loves a good Chicago style hot dog.  Maybe because there is so much going on you kinda forget what you are eating.  Maybe because it's just good.

Here are a couple of tips~ buy a good quality hot dog (not an awesome place to try to save a penny), celery salt is a must, sport peppers or go home, yes pickle relish and pickle spear, and don't even think about putting ketchup on it.  Seriously, don't go there.  I have met people who insist if you don't have all the ingredients, you can't call it a Chicago dog.  They can get pretty worked up about it, I think that's cool.  I don't get insane about a hot dog, but if you make my Chicken Tortilla Soup and don't use all the garnishes, I will get a little cranky.  My husband definitely knows to squeeze his lime.  ;)

When something is simple I think it's really important to buy the best quality ingredients you can afford.  I always think that, no matter what you are preparing.
I'm just sayin'...

Many places will boil or steam the hot dog.  I prefer the grill and it's always got to be well done for me.  I love the places where you can order a char~dog!  That makes me happy.  Ah, it's the simple things in life!

To make one Chicago Dog~

good quality hot dog~ I like Vienna Beef franks.  It says right on the label "Chicago's Hot Dog" :) Use what you like.
poppy seed bun
plain old yellow mustard
pickle relish
pickle spear
a couple slices of cucumber
a couple slices of tomato
diced onion~ I use white, sometimes red.
sport peppers
celery salt~ load it up.

Prepare hot dog the way you like.  Add ingredients and enjoy!

Honeydew Lemonade Smoothie

My friend Camille and I recently taught a smoothie class.  It was so hilarious...but that's a whole other story for another blog!  ;)

This was one of the recipes I shared because it's a little different from the normal fruit smoothies I make.  I usually don't add a lot of sugar or concentrated pre~made anything.  Not that there is anything wrong with that, it's just not what I usually do.  The frozen lemonade concentrate is a great balance to the mellow honeydew melon.  My kids love this!  My favorite part might be the crushed lemon candies, they make it fun and add a sweetness that is great.  It's not a big deal to crush up a few candies.  Right?

Smoothie~
1 (12 ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate
6 cups honeydew melon chunks, about 1 large melon
4 tablespoons vanilla yogurt
2~3 cups ice, depending on how you prefer it

Garnish~ It's not just cute, it adds to the drink!
1 lemon
Crushed lemon candies

Garnish~
Place a handful of lemon candies in a plastic Ziploc bag and crush with a meat mallet or rolling pin.  Use whatever gets the job done.  Transfer the crushed candies to a bowl the glass will fit inside with a little extra room on the sides.  Slice the lemon and run a wedge around the rim of the glass, keeping the glass upside down so the juice doesn't drip down (not a big deal, but it will look better).  Place juiced rim in bowl with candies and pull it up.  Set glasses aside while you make the smoothie.

Smoothie~
Blend all ingredients in a blender until ice is crushed.  Pour carefully into sugared glasses.  Enjoy!

Sweet~Hot Mustard Chicken wrapped in Bacon

My 9 year old daughter, Lauren loves these!  She asked me to make them everyday for her, minus the sesame seeds.  So cute.  Use a good set of tongs to handle the meat on the grill instead of a long fork to prevent piercing the meat, which will allow juices to escape.

A great appetizer or even dinner with some rice and a green salad.

2 (8~ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 bacon slices, cut into thirds
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1/4 cup lite soy sauce
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
sesame seeds for garnish

Cut chicken breasts into 24 (1 inch) pieces.  Wrap each chicken piece with 1 piece of bacon, and secure with a tooth pick.

Stir together orange marmalade, soy sauce, Dijon mustard, ground ginger and garlic powder in a large bowl.  

Remove and reserve 1/4 cup of marinade to drizzle over when chicken is cooked.

Add chicken to bowl, lightly tossing to coat.  Cover and chill for 2 hours, turning occasionally.  Remove chicken from marinade, discarding remaining used marinade.

Preheat grill to 350~400 degrees (medium high) heat.  Grill chicken covered with grill lid down, 4~5 minutes on each side or until done.  Transfer to a serving platter and drizzle with reserved marinade.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds.