Julie's Pasta, Cottage Cheese, & Fruit Salad

Our favorite restaurant is "Tucanos" http://www.tucanos.com/boise.html .  We only go there for special occasions as they are a little spendy for our budget.  However, we were there in July for Mel's birthday.  They have the most amazing make-your-own salad bar as well as a large selection of unique salads.  The last time we were there I tried a fruit and pasta salad that was so yummy I went back for seconds.  I knew it would be easy to make.  This is similar as we both used fruit & pasta, but that's where it ends.  Their salad was fresh fruit and those super mini round pasta noodles (not sure what they are called, some call them frog eyes).  My kitchen is super tiny and has no air conditioning, so the less I have to chop anything the better.  Therefore, I chose canned instead of fresh fruit.  Also, the pasta I chose was the smallest size available.  I used fresh lemon zest and the juice of 1 lemon (I didn't taste lemon in theirs) and at the last minute I added 1 tsp vanilla.  Because I should have only used half the box of pasta, it was not the right ratio of fruit and pasta, so I decided to add 2 small cartons of pineapple cottage cheese.  Wow!  This is sooooo good!  The vanilla and lemon really enhance the flavor.   I like this even better than Tucanos' salad.  The cottage cheese makes it super creamy and extra flavorful as well.   It is a definite 10 (Mel hates cottage cheese so he didn't have any).  I will absolutely make it again.  In fact, I think I will go have some leftovers for a midnight snack! 

Pizza Scones

 

 

I made these as a late night snack for us last night.  I wouldn't really call them "scones," but they are very good.  It looks like the cheese on top burned, but it didn't, it turned out just right.  Mel's has salami, and mine was meatless, but other than that they were the same.  The only thing I did different from the recipe was omitting olives as we both dislike olives and I didn't use onion powder.  Also, I used the Italian herbs pepper grinder instead of plain pepper.  We both give this an 8 1/2 - 9.  It is perfect for a snack.  I would  make it again! 

Biscuit Pot Pie

I made this for our dinner tonight (about 2 hours ago).  It's the cover recipe from the cookbook.  I changed it a bit, but stayed pretty close to the concept.  You're supposed to cook chicken in a skillet, then add some of the other ingredients, then mix others, then put in the pan and place biscuits and cheese on top.  Well, Mel had already picked out the pre-cooked roast beef and mine was made w/ veggie maple sausage (Can you tell that's my favorite veggie "meat"?).  We had just gotten back from a walk at the lake and I was too hot and tired to cook anything in the skillet.  So, I just blended all the ingredients together in a bowl and placed them in the pan.  Another way I changed the recipe was to add some salsa to the top before placing the biscuits and the cheese, just to give it an extra kick.  This turned out super yummy, a 10, and Mel and I both loved it!  I will most likely make it again!

Julie's BBQ Beef or Veggie Sausage Empanadas

 

I made these empanadas for our lunch last night.  I changed the name of the recipe to "Julie's..." because, although I used the concept from the recipe book, what went inside the biscuit was entirely my creation (except for the salsa).  Mel's empanada (pictures 3 & 4) were shredded BBQ beef, medium salsa, corn n peppers, and Italian cheese.  Mine (last 2 pictures) had veggie maple sausage, mild salsa, sour cream, corn n peppers, and Italian cheese.  The recipe called for chicken (I think) and almonds and raisins and other stuff I don't remember.  Mel does not like sweet mixed with meat.  That may have been yummy w/ plain veggie sausage or veggie beef, but I not w/ salsa.  I was more in the mood for the creation I came up with.  Mel & I both loved this so much we had the leftovers for dinner as well.  It is a new favorite recipe that I will make it on a regular basis as we both gave this a huge 10.  Easy to make and not a lot of ingredients.  Best biscuit sandwiches I have ever made.  The only thing I would change next time is using cheddar cheese, but we didn't have any, so I used the cheese we had.

  

Feta Cheese Squares

I made this recipe yesterday evening.  Mel is not really a fan of cheese and he did not like them.  He said he could not fairly rate them since he is "not a cheese lover."  Well, I am a big cheese lover, and I was disappointed with this recipe.  Pretty bland.  I even added some Italian blend cheese and paprika to the top to give it more flavor.  I would only give these a 6 1/2.  I could experiment with the recipe and try other variations of herbs and/or spices. I almost added pineapple cottage cheese instead of plain, but changed my mind.  That probably would have improved the flavor.  However, I do not like to waste food and I would not make this again.

Cheese and Tamale Pie

I made these for our dinner tonight.  Mel gives it a definite 10, and I give it a 9.  Mel's had real beef , medium salsa, and topped with jalapenos, and mine had vegetarian "beef," mild salsa, and no jalapenos.  Other than that, they were the same.  I followed the recipe as is, except I could not find self-rising corn meal so I used regular corn meal for the topping and I used almond milk for the batter instead of real milk.  This is very yummy, but I think I'll top mine w/ sour cream tomorrow.  I will make this again.

White Chocolate-Covered Pretzel Cookies

I made sloppy Joes for our lunch http://animalsfaithmiddleearth.blogspot.com/2013/10/sloppy-joes.html and made these cookies for our dinner.  Mel and I each said the exact thing when we took the first bite of these cookies, "Mmmmmm!"  We both agree this is our new favorite cookie!

I followed the batter exactly (except that I always add more vanilla), but I changed the add-ins.  The recipe calls for chocolate chips, but neither one of us really cares for chocolate, so I used butterscotch instead.  Also, as the recipe name indicates, it calls for white chocolate-covered pretzels, but we could only find regular chocolate and yogurt pretzels.  Mel picked out the strawberry yogurt pretzels and what a perfect choice!  These cookies are a wonderful recipe!  Just a hint of salty with the sweet is so perfect.  We obviously both give these a big 10, and I will be making them again!

Blueberry Shortbread Squares

I made taco salad http://animalsfaithmiddleearth.blogspot.com/2013/02/mels-favorite-foods-julies-taco-salad.html for our lunch today and these for dessert.  They are supposed to have pecans in them, but pecans are more expensive, and Mel said he prefers walnuts, so that's what I used instead.  I followed the rest of this recipe as is.  Easy to make with not many ingredients.  Mel gave them a 10, but I give them a 9 - I think it would be better with powdered sugar sprinkled on top right after baking.  I would most likely make them again.

P.S.  I picked up the cookbook in the first photo earlier this month.  You'll be seeing numerous recipes from this book all month, including the biscuit pot pie dish on the cover!

Menu Board For August

I'm off to a late start for the month, but here's the new menu board for August.  Looking forward to trying some new dishes!!