YUM: Tomato-Zucchini Tart

I've been working a lot lately, living off fast food and pizza delivery. Since I haven't been in the kitchen, I thought I would share a recipe from this summer. When tomatoes are in season, this tart serves as a delicious light dinner.

Tomato-Zucchini Tart Ingredients
1 rolled refrigerated pie crust
1 package (4.4 ounces) light herb cheese spread, such as Boursin
4 medium ripe tomatoes, about 1 pound total, thinly sliced, patted dry
2 medium zucchini, about 1 pound total, sliced into 1/4-inch coins
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Fresh thyme, to garnish

Directions
1. Heat oven to 400°F. Coat a 9-inch tart pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Fit pie crust into tart pan and remove excess dough from around edge. Prick the bottom of the crust all over with a fork. Bake at 400°F for 12 minutes. Cool. Reduce oven to 350°F.
3. Spread cheese evenly over bottom of crust. Alternately fan tomato and zucchini slices in a decorative fashion. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Bake tart at 350°F for 40 minutes or until nicely browned and zucchini slices are fork tender. Garnish with fresh thyme; cool slightly and serve.

Nutrition facts per serving:
Servings Per Recipe 6 servings
Calories 269, Total Fat (g) 19, Saturated Fat (g) 10, Cholesterol (mg) 31, Sodium (mg) 318, Carbohydrate (g) 24, Fiber (g) 2, Protein (g) 4

From Parents

YUM: Cousin Ezras

I'm not sure who cousin Ezra is or why a sandwich would be named after him, but Cousin Ezras are my all-time favorite comfort food. My parents made these sandwiches during winter, and my mom often paired them with her hearty baked potato soup. A perfect match.

Cousin Ezras

Ingredients
Loaf of French bread
Miracle Whip (or mayonaise)
Deli-sliced Honey Ham
Swiss cheese, sliced

Directions
1. Heat oven to 425.
2. Slice the loaf of bread into pieces about 1 inch thick. Then cover each slice with a spread of Miracle Whip.
3. Pile a few slices of honey ham onto each piece of bread. Top with a slice of Swiss cheese. (If the bread is thin, half a slice will do.)
4. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 5 to 6 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bread is slightly cripsy.

Snowboard Update

On Saturday Jordan and I drove out to Seven Oaks to snowboard. The sun warmed the park, and it got so nice that we shed some layers underneath our coats.

Being my sixth time on the slopes, I've decided that pictures are now acceptable. I'm sporting a helmet that makes me head look like a giant pea on a toothpick, but hey, the helmet is a confidence booster when I'm trying to improve my riding. (I had a couple nasty falls before I started wearing it.)

Time #6 led to a sizable breakthrough: I learned to connect my toe-side turns and heel-side turns as I head down the hill. It took some repetitive encouragement from Jordan--I hesitated most times because when I connected the turns I got going a little quicker than comfortable. But after I went for it, it was easier than I anticipated. And became quite gratifying.

YUM: Cajun Pork Sandwiches

This recipe is another great one from Family Circle. They always seem to have the best quick and tasty recipes. I decided to try this recipe for a twist on the traditional barbecue pork sandwich. They turned out juicy, messy, and delicious—maybe even better as leftovers.

Slow Cooker Cajun Pork Sandwiches
Makes: 8 servings
Prep: 15 minutes
Slow Cook: 6 hours on HIGH or 8 hours on LOW

Ingredients
1 boneless pork butt or shoulder (about 2-1/2 pounds), trimmed
1½ tablespoons sodium-free steak seasoning blend (such as Mrs. Dash)
1 large onion, chopped
3 ribs celery, sliced
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons corn starch
2½ tablespoons Cajun seasoning blend (such as McCormick)
6 tablespoons light mayonnaise
6 whole-wheat hamburger buns

Directions
1. Rub pork with steak seasoning.

2. Place pork in slow cooker bowl. Scatter onion and celery around pork and pour ¼ cup of the vinegar over top. Cover and cook on HIGH for 6 hours or LOW for 8 hours.

3. Remove pork from slow cooker and cut into chunks. Let stand until cool enough to handle.

4. While pork is cooling, strain contents of slow cooker over a fat separator, setting vegetables aside. Pour defatted liquid into a small saucepan.

5. In a small bowl, stir together remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar with cornstarch. Bring defatted liquid to a boil over medium-high heat. Whisk in vinegar mixture and 1 tablespoon of the Cajun seasoning. Boil 1 minute, or until thickened.

6. Using two forks or your hands, pull pork into shreds, discarding excess fat. Place meat in a bowl and stir in vegetables. Add thickened liquid and toss to combine.

7. Stir together remaining 1½ tablespoons Cajun seasoning and mayonnaise. To serve, place ½ cup pork mixture on each bun and top with 1 tablespoon spiced mayo.

Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 8 servings
Calories 329, Total Fat (g) 13, Saturated Fat (g) 4, Cholesterol (mg) 89, Sodium (mg) 856, Carbohydrate (g) 22, Fiber (g) 3, Protein (g) 30

From Family Circle

YUM: Chicken and Pasta in Peanut Sauce

Thought I'd try my hand at a Thai recipe from Better Homes and Gardens. Not sure I'm all that crazy about spicy peanut butter, but the dish turned out pretty well.

Chicken and Pasta in Peanut Sauce
Start to finish: 20 minutes

Ingredients
8 oz. thin spaghetti
1 bunch broccoli, cut in bite-size strips
1 medium red sweet pepper, cut in bite-size strips
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Salt and ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. olive oil
½ cup bottled peanut sauce
Crushed red pepper (optional)

Directions
1. In Dutch oven cook pasta according to package directions, adding broccoli and sweet pepper during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain. Return to Dutch oven and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, halve chicken breasts horizontally. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. In extra large skillet cook chicken in hot oil over medium-high heat for 2 minutes each side, or until no longer pink (170 degrees F). Transfer to cutting board. Slice chicken; add to pasta and vegetables. Heat through. Add peanut sauce. Pass crushed red pepper. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Facts
Calories 467, Total Fat (g) 10, Saturated Fat (g) 2, Monounsaturated Fat (g) 3, Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 1, Cholesterol (mg) 66, Sodium (mg) 634, Carbohydrate (g) 55, Total Sugar (g) 7, Fiber (g) 5, Protein (g) 37, Vitamin C (DV%) 123, Calcium (DV%) 5, Iron (DV%) 15

From BHG.com

Love this:

Got any gift ideas for Valentine's Day? We do. from Angel Mission on Vimeo.

Sometimes God is a little more blunt...

God left this message for me on a bathroom wall. A straight-forward and much-needed reminder that life is not all about me. God talks through bathroom decor. That makes me chuckle. I love our God. Good thing he has things under control.

Now walk it out...

For the first time ever, the guys' famous dance has been captured on video. Now years later this dance will definitely be remembered and belly laughs will be had by all. I love it when they do this.

Wii play Mario & Sonic Olympics

Saturday night Holly, Tara, and I had a taco night, featuring the Beijing 2008 Olympics. We discovered that we all love the trampoline, hurdles, fencing, and rowing. But we need more practice at skeet and archery. Just ask Hol.

Good thing Tara has good grip. Things can get dangerous when you're not strapped in.

Apparently Holly has super ninja wii skills. She runs so fast that her hands plain disappear. She could hit just about every hurdle and still find a way to beat us.

Next time we'll be rocking out the full sweat suits and headbands. Competition got a little heated.

A Chocolate Affair

Holly had free tickets to A Chocolate Affair in West Glen, and I'm so thankful she invited me along. This event was a fund raiser for Ballet Des Moines. First, you grab one of these cute chocolate boxes and a bottle of water and you're off. You walk from store to store sampling (or boxing) different chocolates.

Walking into about 30 shops, we sampled everything from gourmet smores to chocolate wine (yuck). Bonefish Grill was serving chocolate-covered strawberries and your choice of champagne or chocolate martini. It was fun to have an excuse to walk in some of the cute shops.

Top 5 takeaways...
5. Chocolate-covered potato chips are quite good. You can't taste the potato. Instead, it adds a delicate crunch.
4. StylEyes has great frames, which makes me want a new and much-needed pair of glasses. I'm still sporting a pair from junior year of high school that haven't seen the public for five years.
3. Chocolate items that I'll be just fine without: chocolate wine, chocolate frozen yogurt, white-chocolate covered popcorn, chocolate martinis
2. For an event or just because, you must buy cupcakes from Carefree Patisserie. With flavors like Almond Chardonnay and Chocolate-Cabernet, I'm about ready to change out of my pj's and head over there right now.
1. There's not really a better way to spend an afternoon: walking around laughing with a great friend in the January sun and sampling all-things chocolate.

YUM: Betty Crocker's Beef Enchiladas

I was craving some cheesy Mexican, so I whipped up these easy beef enchiladas from the Betty Crocker Cookbook. They're a great leftover food, tasting just as good on night two.

Betty Crocker's Beef Enchiladas

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
½ cup sour cream
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/3 cup green bell pepper, chopped
2/3 cup water
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/4 tsp ground cumin
4.5 oz can diced green chiles
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 15 oz cab tomato sauce
8 tortillas (5-6" in diameter)

Directions
1. HEAT oven to 350.
2. COOK beef in 10-inch skillet over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown; drain. STIR in onion, sour cream, 1 cup cheese, the parsley, and pepper. COVER and REMOVE from heat.
3. HEAT bell pepper, water, chili powder, oregano, cumin, (chilies), garlic, and tomato sauce to boiling in 2-qt saucepan, stirring occasionally; REDUCE heat. SIMMER uncovered 5 minutes. POUR into ungreased pie plate, 9 x 1 ¼ inches.
4. DIP each tortilla into sauce in pie plate to coat both sides. SPOON about ¼ cup beef mixture onto each tortilla; ROLL tortilla around filling. PLACE seam side down in ungreased rectangular baking dish, 11 x 7 x 1 ½ inches. POUR remaining sauce over enchiladas.
5. BAKE uncovered about 20 minutes or until bubbly.
6. GARNISH with shredded cheese, sour cream, and chopped onions.

Jordan's Photo Calendar: February

"I believe that life is a learning experience." -Gail Devers

I created a 2009 calendar with Jordan's photos and a few quotes that I liked. These are the photos for February. They were taken at Ground Zero in Clarksdale, Mississipi. Morgan Freeman creates a kick butt blues club. We ate fried green tomatoes and danced to the beats of Funky Mighty Chicken—a local blues hero. He played an electric guitar that he made out of a cigar box.

YUM: Robbi's M&M Cookies

I made these M&M Cookies awhile ago, and they were super good. Not to thick and not to thin. Props to Robbi and her recipe. (Photos are compliments of my camera phone, so the quality isn't exactly crisp.)

Robbi's M&M Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups candy-coated milk chocolate pieces

Directions
1. In a large bowl, mix sugar, eggs, shortening, and vanilla thoroughly. Add flour, salt, and baking soda to creamed mixture. Blend well. Add 3/4 cup of M&M candies.
2. Drop dough by teaspoonful onto cookie sheet. Slightly push a few candies on top of each dough ball with remaining candies.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 9 to 11 minutes, to your liking.

From allrecipes.com

YUM: Garlic Parmesan Chicken with Roasted Vegetables

Another yummy chicken recipe to share. I discovered this one from Fitness magazine and first tried it while Jordan was away on rotation. (I knew all those veggies might be too much for him.) But I loved it and cooked it again when he returned. It was one of the first times that I've heard him say that vegetables tasted "good"...(He usually says that he's allergic.)

Garlic Parmesan Chicken with Roasted Vegetables

Ingredients
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
3 tsp. olive oil, divided
1 3-ounce chicken breast
3 cups chopped vegetables (broccoli, potato, bell pepper)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Make it: Preheat oven to 400 F. Mix together garlic, cheese and 1 tsp. oil. Pat garlic-cheese mixture onto chicken and place on baking sheet. Toss vegetables with 2 tsp. oil, salt and pepper and place on baking sheet. Cook for 20 minutes, or until chicken reaches 165 F and vegetables are tender.

Recipe from Fitness magazine:
http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipe/chicken/garlic-parmesan-chicken-with-roasted-vegetables/