Bunny Salad

My grandma gets my children a subscription to Highlight (High Five) magazine.   They love getting it each month and pouring through it.  One of the "articles" in the magazine is a snack to make.   We made this one today from the April 2010 issue and the kids had a blast making this spring snack.   They not only got to create their own snack, but they ate it all up, too.  

Bunny Salad

Ingredients
Lettuce
Pears (I used canned lite pear halves)
Raisins
Dried Cranberries
Sliced Almonds
Cottage Cheese

Put a lettuce leaf on a plate and top with a canned pear.  Use two raisins to make the eyes, two dried cranberries for the nose, and two sliced almonds for the bunny's ears.   Add a small scoop of cottage cheese for the tail.

St. Patrick's Day Irish Soda Bread

I got this recipe from my 1st grade teacher and I think have eaten it every St Patrick's Day since then 30ish? years ago.    Couldn't stand corn beef and cabbage growing up (I like it now), so my memories of St. Patrick's Day were eating this bread for dinner every year.  I think it is the best soda bread recipe ever.

Irish Soda Bread

2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoon sugar & 3 Tablespoon for topping
3 Tablespoon shortening
2/3 cup raisins
1 cup buttermilk
2 Tablespoon melted butter

Mix flour, baking powder, soda, salt and 3 T sugar together.   Cut in shortening (use fork to make into crumbly bits).   Add buttermilk (if you don't have on hand, take one cup milk and add 1 T lemon or vinegar, then let set for 10 min).  Mix until well blended, but don't over mix.   Add raisins.  Put into 9" pie pan (if you happen to have a iron skillet, this works really well and I swear makes it a just a little more yummy).   Pour 2T of melted butter over top.  Sprinkle with remaining sugar.

Bake 40 minutes in 350 degree oven.

Enjoy! and Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Spanish Rice

My family loves this dish...rice is one of our favorites and when you combine it with organic ground beef, spices and fresh Iowa corn (ok, fresh Iowa corn flown in by my husband and frozen by me) its a win-win situation in my household.  This is so easy to make and goes over great with hungry guests...for example, just ask my 3rd-cousin-twice-removed-college-student-now-turned-nanny and her boyfriend who ate LOTS of this the other night. We're so happy to share it with them.  

This recipe served 2 adults, 2 very hungry, happy college kids and 2 children with generous portions, but no leftovers.  Hope you try it out and share it with your family and friends too.

Here's what you need:

• 2 tablespoons Olive oil (EVO)
• 1 pound organic beef or turkey, ground
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium green pepper chopped
• 3 cups water
• 15 ounces tomato sauce
• 1 cup white rice, uncooked, long grain
• 2 tablespoons worchestershire sauce
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon thyme, dried
• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 cups fresh frozen corn , cooked

Note:  This recipe, as written and cooked here, was made with basamati white rice. If you use other types of rice, you will need to adjust the amounts of liquid and the time of cooking.

Okay lets get started:

• In a large skillet, drizzle olive oil; you may only need 1 T if your meat is fatty. Add ground beef/turkey, onion and pepper. Cook until meat is no longer pink and veggies are tender.  Keep in mind that ground turkey does not deliver the same intensity of flavor that beef does; granted it has less fat, but less flavor as well. You may want to kick up your spices a notch if you are using turkey meat.

• Add all ingredients through cayenne pepper (not the corn), and bring to a boil.

• Reduce heat, cover and simmer until rice is tender, about 20-30 minutes. I used Basamati rice and cooked on simmer for 20 minutes.

• Turn off the heat and stir in cooked corn until well mixed. Allow rice mixture to sit, covered, for 10 minutes while you throw together a salad.

You can serve this with tabasco sauce for those who like their food spicy; we're a non-spicy household when it comes to hot stuff. You spike it to suit your tastebuds.  There were no leftovers at our house.

Happy cooking to your family!  Laurie