Not a thing comes to mind

We just spent the last 10 hours walking around the Oregon State Fair, the Outlet Mall, and Fry's Electronics. I'm pooped. Our busy day's meals consisted of: McDonald's for breakfast, fair food, caramel apples, and Arby's for dinner. I feel absolutely awful! This is definitely not the normal menu for our family, but one day out of the year isn't too bad. Well, okay, it's not just one day out of the year ;-) Anyhow, the mere thought of food is going to put me over the edge, so I think I'll just turn in early tonight. My dogs are barkin, and my back is about to give out on me. Man, I'm just getting old.

Hummus and Vegetable lahvash Sandwiches

I'll rise to the challenge. See how you like this one for hummus.

Servings: Makes 8 sandwiches, serving 4.

Ingredients

a 16-to 18-inch round very thin pliable lahvash (mountain shepherd bread)*
*(I get it at Trader Joe's and it's square.)
1/2 cup sliced seedless cucumber
1 large carrot, cut into ribbonlike strands with a vegetable peeler (about 1 cup)
1 small sweet onion, sliced thin
1/2 cup finely shredded radish (about 6)
1/2 cup alfalfa sprouts plus additional for garnish
1 1/2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
about 2 cups hummus

For the hummus:
2 garlic cloves, minced and mashed to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon salt
a 16- to 19-ounce can chick-peas, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup well-stirred tahini (sesame seed paste)*
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

*available at specialty foods shops, natural foods stores, and some supermarkets.

Preparation

To make the sandwiches:
Spread hummus evenly on lahvash and top with cucumber, carrot, onion, radish, 1/2 cup sprouts, and 1 tablespoon sesame seeds. Roll lahvash up tightly jelly-roll fashion and trim ends. Cut roll crosswise with a serrated knife into 8 pieces. Garnish sandwiches with additional sprouts and remaining 1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds.

To make the hummus:
In a food processor blend together garlic paste, chick-peas, tahini, lemon juice, oil, and cumin, scraping down side, until smooth. Add water, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste and pulse until just combined. Hummus may be made 2 days ahead and chilled. Makes about 2 cups.

Candy Apple Cupcakes

Yum. The picture really doesn't do the cupcakes justice, as you just catch a peek of them - recipe courtesy of Women's Day magazine.



Candy Apple Cupcakes
Yield 24 cupcakes

Cupcakes
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1⁄2 tsp cinnamon
1⁄2 tsp salt
1 1⁄2 cups unsweetened applesauce
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1⁄2 cup granulated sugar
1⁄2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1⁄2 cup sour cream
2 large eggs

Glaze
1 pkg (14 oz) 50 caramel candies
2 Tbsp heavy cream
Ice cream sticks

Garnish: Red jimmies or sprinkles

PREPARATION

Heat oven to 350°F. You’ll need 24 muffin cups lined with paper liners.

Cupcakes: Combine flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl.

Beat applesauce, sugars, butter, sour cream and eggs in a bowl with mixer on low speed just to combine. in flour mixture until well blended.

Divide batter among muffin cups. 30 minutes until a wooden pick inserted in cupcakes comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely.

Glaze: Heat caramels in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently, until melted. Add heavy cream and stir until combined. Cool 2 minutes. Working quickly, while mixture is still warm, spread top of each cupcake with 2 tsp of glaze. If glaze gets hard to spread, heat on low, stirring until more melted. Insert an ice cream stick into center and top with jimmies or sprinkles, if using. Place in freezer for 5 minutes to set.

Food Challenge

Bryce & I are trying to form healthier eating habits & try new things, but we need some help. I thought it would be fun to do a food challenge using certain foods for those who want to contribute.

For the first one, you don't really need recipes (at least I don't think so)--more of just serving suggestions. The food choice of the week: Hummus. So far all I've tried is using it like a dip for veggies and a spread on a tortilla/pita. Any other ideas?

"Z" Story

This probably ought to be a comment instead of a post, but this story is too good for any of you to miss: A visitor to the Salt Lake area was being shown some of the local sites by his friend. When they left the car unlocked the visitor inquired if that was wise. His friend assured him it was safe, even though they were downtown. The same thing happened when they visited the State Capitol and the U of U campus: yes, it was safe to leave the car unlocked. The next day was Sunday. As they exited the car to go in to church, the local man rolled the windows up and made sure the doors of the car were locked. His friend was totally befuddled. "Why do you lock your car here at the church when you said it was safe in the middle of town?" he asked. The local man said, "That's easy to explain. It's zucchini season!"

Appetizers

I'm not much of a dinner party hostess, if only for the fact that it stresses me out too much because I really don't have enough time to plan things out and prepare for the big event. But working full-time and being the mother of 3 kids will do that to you ;-) But when I am a participant at a dinner/brunch/holiday party, sometimes the best thing is the appetizer. This can be as simple as a plate of various cheeses and crackers, veggies and dip, or something more elaborate. So here's a sampling of some of my favorites. I've included something sweet, because I'm a sugar addict. And that's all I have to say about that. So munch away people, munch away!

Ginger Pumpkin Cream Cheese Dip

Ingredients
1-8 oz. package of cream cheese
3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup crystallized candied ginger, finely chopped
2 t ground cinnamon

Directions
Combine all ingredients until well blended. Serve as a spread on whole grain bread, bagels or ginger snaps.

Guacamole (blech - I don't like avocados)
Yield: 3 cups

4 ripe Haas avocados
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 lemon)
8 dashes hot pepper sauce
1/2 cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion)
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 medium tomato, seeded, and small-diced

Cut the avocados in 1/2, remove the pits, and scoop the flesh out of their shells into a large bowl. (I use my hands.) Immediately add the lemon juice, hot pepper sauce, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper and toss well. Using a sharp knife, slice through the avocados in the bowl until they are finely diced. Add the tomatoes. Mix well and taste for salt and pepper.

Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies

Fresh Jalapenos, 2-3 inches in size
Cream Cheese, softened
Thin (regular) bacon, sliced into thirds

Cut jalapenos in half, length-wise. With a spoon, remove the seeds and white membrane (the source of the heat; leave a little if you like things HOT). Smear softened cream cheese into each jalapeno half. Wrap jalapeno with bacon piece (1/3 slice). Secure by sticking toothpick through the middle. (At this point, you can freeze them, uncooked, in a Ziploc bag for later use.)

Bake on a pan with a rack in a 375-degree oven for 20-25 minutes. You don’t want the bacon to shrink so much it starts to squeeze the jalapeno. If, after 20 minutes, the bacon doesn’t look brown enough, just turn on the broiler for a couple of minutes to finish it off. These are best when the jalapeno still has a bit of a bite to it. Serve immediately, or they’re also great at room temperature.

Spiced Cheese Straws

2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 2 ounces)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 puff pastry sheet (from one 17 1/4-ounce package frozen puff pastry sheets), thawed and unfolded
an egg wash made by beating 1 large egg with 2 tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 425°F and butter 2 large baking sheets.
In a bowl toss together Parmesan, spices, and salt. On a lightly floured surface roll out pastry sheet into a 16- by 10-inch rectangle and brush with some egg wash. Cut pastry in half crosswise, forming two 10- by 8-inch rectangles. Sprinkle Parmesan mixture over 1 rectangle and top with other rectangle, egg-wash side down, pressing firmly to force out any air pockets. Roll out pastry slightly to make layers adhere (rectangle should be about 10 1/2 by 8 1/2 inches). Brush pastry with some egg wash and with a sharp large knife or pastry wheel cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide sticks.

Arrange cheese straws about 1 1/2 inches apart on baking sheets, pressing ends onto baking sheets. Bake cheese straws in batches in middle of oven until golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer cheese straws to a rack and cool. Cheese straws may be made 2 days ahead and kept in an airtight container. Re-crisp cheese straws in a 425° F oven until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Grilled Corn on the Cob

So I don't actually have a recipe for this, I just saw it being made at Girls' Camp this summer. But I was thinking about it, and it was yummy, so here ya go.

Soak ears of corn (husks still on) in a large bucket or cooler or sink full of water for 15-30 minutes. Fire up the grill (we did it over a charcoal grill, but it would probably work for a propane grill, right??). Once your grill is good and hot, place the corn (husks still on) on the grill and let cook for, oh I think was about half an hour. Turn periodically so the husk gets evenly blackened. Once again, these are my very un-precise instructions, so it may require a test run or two to see exactly how long to cook them. Anyway, once your corn is done, now you can take the husks off and smother the corn in butter and eat and enjoy.

Springtime Shepherd's Pie

Rachael Ray is always good for a good recipe.. I was watching today and she was making Springtime Shepherds Pie. I think I am going to make this for dinner tomorrow. I would make it for tonight but we have our Guide Dog meeting to go to so tomorrow.


Spring Shepherd’s Pie
Ingredients
2 1/2 to 3 pounds (about 4 large) Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 tablespoon EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into small dice
Salt and ground black pepper
1 cup store-bought shredded carrots, roughly chopped
1/2 10-ounce box (about 1 cup) frozen peas
7 to 8 scallions, thinly sliced
6 sprigs of tarragon, leaves removed and chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup white wine
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 5-ounce package soft garlic and herb cheese, such as Boursin
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup (about a handful) flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup milk or chicken stock, to loosen potatoes
Paprika, for garnish
Yields: 6-8 servings
Preparation
Preheat broiler.
In a medium-size pot, add potatoes and cover with cold water. Bring up to a boil and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Once the potatoes have finished cooking, drain them and put them back into the same pot they were boiled in.

While potatoes are cooking, place a large skillet over medium-high heat with 1 turn of the pan of EVOO, about 1 tablespoon. Add the chicken, season it with salt and pepper, and cook until golden brown and cooked through, 6-7 minutes.
While potatoes are cooking, place a large skillet over medium-high heat with 1 turn of the pan of EVOO, about 1 tablespoon. Add the chicken, season it with salt and pepper, and cook until golden brown and cooked through, 6-7 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the pan to a plate or bowl and toss the carrots, peas, scallions and tarragon into the pan. Season the veggies with a little salt and pepper, and cook until tender, about 2 minutes.

Scoot everything in the pan over to one side and melt in the butter. Sprinkle the flour over the butter and cook for about 1 minute. Whisk the white wine and chicken stock into the flour-butter mixture and cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Season the sauce with a pinch of salt and ground black pepper, then add the chicken back to the pan along with the Dijon mustard. Give everything a good stir and turn it out into a casserole dish.

When your potatoes are done cooking and drained, add the herb cheese, egg yolks, parsley, milk or chicken stock and some salt and pepper to the spuds. Mash them up until they're the consistency you like (you can add more liquid if you like them a little thinner), then spread them over top of the chicken and veggie filling in the casserole dish.
Put the dish under the broiler until the top is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Keep your eye on it so it doesn't burn!

When the casserole comes out of the oven, dust the top lightly with some paprika and serve it up with your favorite salad alongside.

Zucchini Sandwiches

Ok, so I got this from my sister in law and it is absolutely easy and delicious! And you can make as much or as little as you want. It is a good way to use all the zucchini and such from your garden!! It would also be good with other squash shredded into.

You will need:
Zucchini
Carrot
1/4 onion
1 tsp butter
shredded or sliced cheese
Sliced Tomato
bread
Mayo or Miracle Whip* Optional but good
Salt & pepper to taste

So, you take the zucchini and the carrot, and the onion amd shred them. You can chop the onion if that is easier for you. Then in a frying pan, melt the buttter and add the zucchini carrot and onion, cook for about 5 minutes until heated. While the veggies are cooking toast your bread, and spread some mayo on it. After the veggies are heated through, place a scoop or two onto a slice of toast and put a slice of tomato over the veggies and then add some shredded or sliced cheese and put under your broiler until the cheese is melted. Eat and enjoy!

It is easier to eat with a fork, because of all the yummy veggies!!

Elephant Bars

I couldn't remember if you had posted this recipe yet or not, Bert, but I made them the other night for poker and they were a HUGE hit. Even better straight out of the fridge the next day. Thanks for the great recipe. *Not* for the calorie watchers....

Elephant Bars

2 (32 oz) pkgs Pillsbury refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough
2 (8 oz) pkgs cream cheese
2 eggs
1 1/2 c sugar
1 tbsp vanilla

Heat oven to 350. Mix cream cheese, eggs, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spread 1 pkg cookie dough evenly over the bottom of a 9x13" pan. Add cream cheese mixture and spread evenly. Flattening dough with your fingers/palm, place remaining pkg of cookie dough on top of the cream cheese mixture. Bake for 45 min or until golden brown. Let cool completely and refrigerate for 2 hours.

dinner with the girls

I'm lucky to be friends with a bunch of great gals who love good food. Last night we gathered to celebrate a birthday, and had a fabulous meal. It was kind of Mediterranean-themed: hummus/olive/pita plate, fresh tomato mozzarella basil "salad", with veggie and chicken kebabs. My friend Christy made a fantastic orzo salad - recipe attached. I adore orzo salads. They are so quick and easy, and I haven't eaten one yet that I didn't like! Oh, and for dessert we had a homemade ice cream cake with homemade caramel sauce and spanish peanuts. Yum.

(Giada's) Orzo Salad
Yield: 6 servings

4 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups orzo
1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups red and yellow teardrop tomatoes or grape tomatoes, halved
3/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
About 3/4 cup Red Wine Vinaigrette, recipe follows
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pour the broth into a heavy large saucepan. Cover the pan and bring the broth to a boil over high heat. Stir in the orzo. Cover partially and cook until the orzo is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes. Drain the orzo through a strainer. Transfer the orzo to a large wide bowl and toss until the orzo cools slightly. Set aside to cool completely.

Toss the orzo with the beans, tomatoes, onion, basil, mint, and enough vinaigrette to coat. Season the salad, to taste, with salt and pepper, and serve at room temperature.

1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper in a blender. With the machine running, gradually blend in the oil. Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with more salt and pepper, if desired.

Yield: 1 3/4 cups

The nerve.

Okay, okay, so Ruth pointed out that the pizza recipe I posted was in fact already posted by Rhonda a few months ago. Big whoop. I'm getting too old to remember these things! Sorry about that Rhonda. It must have made such a great impression on me, I wanted to see it all over again ;-) Anyhow, here in Portland we have been enjoying (NOT) several days of 100+ heat, which is not normal in the Northwest. In fact, I don't enjoy it at all! However I did go out for a walk/run at the hottest time of the day yesterday, because we saw about 5 or 6 fire engines just down the block from us as we were driving home from work. And being the nosy person I am, I just had to know what was going on! About a block from the action, my nose and ears told me what the situation was. Gas leak. You could smell it, and hear it quite clearly - it sounded like air being let out of a tire. Yuck. The gas company had just shown up when I got there, and there were several fire fighters with hoses in the ready position "just in case." Glad it wasn't my house! But I digress...I don't like the heat, and I especially don't like eating hot food when it's hot outside. Makes sense, right? But what happens if you're craving soup on a scorching day? Gazpacho is always a good alternative, but here's another:

Summer Yogurt Soup with Tomato and Basil
Yield: 4 servings

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, sliced
1/2 onion, small dice
4 cups vegetable stock or water
1/2 cup basil leaves
Salt and pepper
2 cups yogurt
2 vine ripe tomatoes, diced small

Heat oil over medium-high flame and sauté garlic and onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 5 minutes. Let cool to room temperature and puree in blender or food processor for 30 seconds.

Add basil, salt and pepper and blend for another 30 seconds. Add yogurt and pulse to mix. Keep chilled until ready to serve. When serving, add a couple of tablespoons of diced tomato on top of each bowl of soup. Season tomato with salt and serve.

Savannah's Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Family reunion - Family tree search

Shurtleff Look-alike Meter

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Blackberry Jam Cake

A woman at Bryce's work brought this in & gave him the leftovers. It is fabulous! The directions are very specific about how to mix everything together, so hopefully it's not too crazy for other people like me who just like to dump everything in one bowl and hope it turns out. Now all I need is access to fresh blackberries, jam, and syrup--here I come Aunt Karen!

Blackberry Jam Cake

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
3 cups flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups seedless blackberry jam

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour 10-inch tube pan. In large bowl, beat butter, shortening & sugar at medium speed until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg. In medium bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and salt; sift. In a small bowl, combine sour cream and buttermilk; add baking soda, stirring to dissolve. Gradually and alternately add flour mixture and sour cream mixture to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating well after each addition. Stir in blackberry jam. Spoon batter into prepared pan, and bake for 1 hour and 10-15 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completley on wire rack. Serve with warm Fresh Blackberry Sauce. Garnish with whipped cream and fresh mint if desired.

Fresh Blackberry Sauce

2 cups fresh blackberries
3/4 cup blackberry syrup
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract

In medium saucepan, combine blackberries, syrup, sugar and lemon juice. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, for 12-15 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.

the life of a vegan

Poor Aaron is (supposed to be) eating a diet similar to the vegan lifestyle. If anyone doesn't know my husband, he's not normally the type to eat a meal that is without an animal product of some sort. But since it was discovered that he has kidney stones, the docs would like him to restrict certain things in his diet until they know what the stones are made of. This includes cutting out meat (protein of any type), dairy, caffeine, dark leafy greens, and many others. So essentially Aaron should become a vegan. HA! He did manage to mostly cut out all caffeine, and eats a bite or two of meat on occasion, but he's been doing pretty good. And okay, this recipe has cheese and spinach, which are both on the naughty list, but I thought it was good anyhow! Keep your fingers crossed that kidney stone #1 (out of 4) decides to go the way of the Dodo very soon. Men are such babies.

Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza

Filling:
4 oz. mushrooms
1/2 c onion
1 garlic clove
1 tsp dried oregano
10 oz. pkg frozen spinach
1 1/2 c pizza sauce
1 can Italian seasoned diced tomatoes
8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 c grated parmesan

Crust:
1/3 c + 1 Tbsp cornmeal (divided)
1 1/2 c flour
1 pkg yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 c warm water
1/4 c olive oil

Cook mushrooms, onion, garlic & oregano. Stir in spinach and 1/2 the pizza sauce. Remove from heat. Mix rest of pizza sauce and tomatoes in a separate bowl. Coat a deep casserole pan with oil and 1 Tbsp cornmeal. Mix flour and 1/3 cup cornmeal, yeast, sugar and salt. Add water and oil. Stir until dough forms a ball. Knead until smooth and elastic. Roll out and press in pan. Sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella cheese over the crust. Top with filling, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, and tomato mix. Bake 30 minutes at 425 degrees and top with Parmesan.

Brunch with the girls

My girlfriends and I are known for having some spectacular brunches for things like birthdays and baby showers. I recently attended one to celebrate the upcoming birth of my friend Andrea's baby (she's a cutie!), and we were served some fabulous dishes. This was my favorite:

Apricot-Chicken Salad
Yields 6 servings

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup mayo
3 tablespoons apricot preserves
2 teaspoons fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 cup sliced almonds, toasted
3/4 cup sliced celery
1 (6-oz) package dried apricots, chopped
Garnishes: fresh apricot slices, fresh thyme sprigs

Whisk together the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl; add chicken and the next 3 ingredients, tossing gently. Chill until ready to serve. Garnish if desired.

It's too hot to be touched!

I could whine a lot more than I do - believe me. This summer in Portland has been relatively mild. We've only had a few days I would consider to be hot, according to Utah standards. Then again, I did grow up in the Utah summer heat, so I'm no baby when it comes to heat. BUT, since I've lived in the Northwest for so long, I'm getting accustomed to the milder temperatures. So now when we have a hot day (we're talking upper 90's), I'm the first to complain. To myself. The last thing I want to do on a hot day after work, is come home and cook - or think about what to make. So I will turn to the ever-spunky Rachael Ray, for a fantastic meal. It's a warm meal, but it sounds good to me!

Black Bean Stoup and Southwestern Monte Cristo Sandwiches (yes, stoup)
Yield: 4 servings

2 tablespoons extra- virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
1 large onion, chopped
3 ribs celery with greens, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 fresh bay leaf or 1 large dried bay leaf
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 (15-ounce) cans black beans
2 tablespoons ground cumin, a couple of palm fulls
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander, 1/3 palm full
Salt and pepper
2 to 3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons hot sauce, divided
1 quart chicken or vegetable stock
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, diced tomatoes with peppers and onions, or stewed tomatoes

8 slices white sandwich bread
1/2 cup hot pepper jelly or chili sauce, tomatillo or tomato salsa, taco sauce - whichever you have on hand
1/2 lime, juiced
8 slices honey baked ham, from the deli counter
8 slices pepper jack cheese, from the deli counter
8 slices smoked turkey, from the deli counter
2 eggs, beaten
Splash of milk
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup sour cream
2 to 3 scallions, chopped

Heat a medium soup pot over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil to the hot pot, then onion, celery, garlic, jalapeno, and bay leaf. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, then add red peppers and continue to cook. Drain 2 cans of beans and add them. Use a fork to mash up the beans in the remaining can. Stir the mashed beans into the pot and season with cumin, coriander, salt and pepper and 2 to 3 tablespoons hot sauce. Add stock and tomatoes to the stoup and bring to a bubble. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes over low heat. Add the lime juice. Remove and discard the bay leaf
While stoup cooks, make Monte Cristos: spread bread with a light layer of pepper jelly, chili sauce, salsa, or taco sauce. Build sandwiches using 2 slices each of ham, cheese and turkey per sandwich. Beat eggs with milk and 2 teaspoons hot sauce and season the eggs with a little salt. Heat a griddle pan or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Melt butter in skillet. Dip each sandwich in egg coating and cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side to melt cheese and warm the meats through.

Ladle up black bean soup and top with sour cream and scallions. Cut Monte Cristos corner to corner and serve alongside soup for dipping and munching.

Summer's baby blues

I love summer. Not just for the fact that the sun is FINALLY showing it's face after 5+ months of rain and gray skies, but because summer is blueberry season. We have 2 blueberry bushes in our backyard, and they are full of berries. Last year's crop were very sweet and rather large. This year's berries are just as big, but one of the bushes yields much sweeter berries than the other one. I think I'll have to give them a little more time, and hope that the blue jays don't eat them all before they're ready to pick. There's nothing like gathering a bowl of fresh blueberries on Monday, and on Tuesday, and on Wednesday...you get the picture! So here's another ode to the baby blues of summer.

Glazed blueberry pound cake
Makes 8 to 10 servings

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoons
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup apple juice, plus 2 tablespoons
1 1/2 cups blueberries
2/3 cup powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a loaf pan with baking or cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 3/4 cups flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

Set aside.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time and mix well. Add lemon juice and 1/2 cup apple juice. Mix well.

Add dry ingredients and mix on low until just mixed.

Place blueberries in a medium bowl and dust with the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour, tossing to coat evenly. Add berries to the batter, discarding any excess flour that does not adhere to the fruit.

Use a rubber spatula to gently fold berries into the batter. Transfer batter to prepared loaf pan. Bake 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted at the center of the loaf comes out dry.

Cool pound cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove it from pan and cool on a rack for 1 hour.

When ready to serve, cut pound cake into thick slices and arrange on a platter.

In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and remaining 2 tablespoons of apple juice. Drizzle glaze over the slices.