Fresh Strawberry Cream Pie

Our yard has an abundance of strawberries throughout the year, and I love it when we get enough to make a batch of homemade jam or this delicious strawberry pie. I adapted the recipe from here. It's a little bit of work, but not too overwhelming and well worth any effort. If you take a few minutes to make the cream mixture ahead of time, the assembly of the pie will be easier and not too time consuming.

Cream Filling Ingredients

1/4 C sugar

1.5 TB cornstarch

1.5 TB flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 C heavy cream

1 slightly beaten egg

1/4 C sour cream

Pie Ingredients

1 9 inch pie crust, baked (I use my homemade no-roll pie crust)

1 recipe cream filling (above)

3 C fresh strawberries

1/2 C water

1/4 C sugar

2 tsp cornstarch

Cream Filling Directions: You will need to do this part at least a few hours before putting the pie together (or even the night before)

In a small saucepan mix sugar, cornstarch, flour and salt. Gradually stir in the cream. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and stir until thick. Stir a little of the hot mixture into the egg and return to the remaining hot mixture. Bring just to boiling, stirring constantly. Cool slightly, then chill in the fridge. 

When you're ready to put the pie together, beat the cream mixture well with beaters and then fold in the sour cream. Now you're ready to put this in the pie crust. 

Pie Directions

Fill the pie crust with the cream filling. Slice 2 1/2 C strawberries and place in a large bowl. Crush the remaining berries (you can use a potato masher) and put them in a small saucepan. Add water and cook two minutes. Mix the sugar and cornstarch and gradually stir into the berry sauce. Cook over low heat and stir until thick. Cool slightly, then pour over the sliced strawberries and mix well. Arrange over cream filling. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Pico de gallo

I originally found this recipe here, and the only change we make is it to add avocado to it (an idea we got from a friend who makes amazing authentic Mexican food). We eat this with tortilla chips (our favorite is the Juanitas brand), and also as a garnish for enchiladas.

Ingredients

1/2 cup Cilantro, rinsed, drained, lower part of the stems removed, and roughly chopped
1 Jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
1 lb ripe tomatoes (about 3 cups), diced small
1/2 cup white onion, finely chopped
1 avocado, diced small
2-3 TB lime juice, or to taste
2 TB olive oil
1 tsp salt

Directions

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and toss until combined. Taste test with a chip and add more salt or lime juice if needed to your liking.

Caribbean Zucchini Banana Coconut Bread

This is a fun bread with a unique and delicious flavor. A great recipe to use up all that garden zucchini! Adapted from here.

Ingredients
1 C brown sugar
3/4 C white sugar
1 C oil
2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
2 ripe bananas, mashed
2 C flour
1 C whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 TB cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 1/2 C grated zucchini
1/2 C shredded coconut

In a large bowl or electric mixer, mix together the sugars, oil, vanilla, eggs, and mashed bananas. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and mix well. Finally, mix in the zucchini and coconut.

Pour into two greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans and bake for 50-60 minutes at 350 degrees, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 25 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

Grilled Chicken Ranch Tinfoil Dinners

Sorry I didn't take an after picture, but here's a pre-grilled one!

We made these grilled chicken ranch tin foil dinners many times over the summer. I tried lots of different ways, and here's the one we liked best, so I better document it here for safe keeping. I love this one because it's super easy, fast, and loaded with veggies. Here's where I got the original recipe from.

Ingredients (makes 4 dinners)
1 lb chicken breast
1 small bag julienned carrots
1-2 medium potatoes, sliced very very thin
1/4 lb fresh green beans, trimmed
Ranch dressing
Seasoned salt
1/3 C parmesan cheese (or we also like the Italian blend)

Directions
Slice up your potatoes super thin so that they cook all the way while grilling. Prepare four large pieces of tinfoil and lay them out on your counter. Spray them each with cooking spray. Pile the veggies on first, then sprinkle them with seasoned salt. Place a small piece or two of chicken next to the veggies. Top with ranch dressing, another small sprinkle of seasoned salt, and a little bit of cheese.

Fold the tinfoil so that all the deliciousness is sealed up really well inside. Grill for 10 minutes, then rotate them 1/2 turn. Grill for another 5-15 minutes or until the chicken and veggies are cooked all the way. Let them cool off for a few minutes before eating.

Vegetable Dill Soup

This is a regular that my husband requests often. Serve it with some homemade muffins or rolls/cinnamon rolls and a fruit salad and you've got yourself a delicious homemade meal. So comforting on a nice rainy day like today :)

The dill is an essential ingredient as it gives it a unique and flavorful taste. The vegetables are very versatile and you can add whatever suites your tastes, and as much or little as you want. Feel free to add some black or pinto beans for some protein as well.

Ingredients
1-2 TB olive oil
1 medium onion
1 tsp minced garlic (optional)
4 medium carrots
1 large potato, diced
1-2 C any other vegetables you have on hand (we like zucchini and/or squash)
8 C water
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 TB Better than bouillon (beef)
2 C dried noodles (penne, farfale, etc)
1 TB dried dill

Directions
Saute the onion, carrots, and garlic in the olive oil. Add the other vegetables, water, salt, pepper, and bouillon. Bring to a boil and cook for 10-15 minutes, then add the noodles and cook for however long the package says. We like the mini farfalle, but anything will work. Add the dill at the very end and you're good to go!

Mom's Spaghetti Sauce

We kids all celebrated every time we'd come home from school to the smell of this simmering on the stove. This spaghetti sauce has amazing flavor, freezes great, and makes your home smell heavenly and homey all day. You'll need to prepare it in the afternoon so it can simmer for a few hours before dinner, but the actual prep time doesn't take very long at all.

I used this stock pot for a triple recipe

1 C chopped onion
1 lb hamburger or ground turkey
1 clove minced garlic
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
14.5 oz can Italian style diced tomatoes
6 oz tomato paste
1/4 C snipped parsley (or 1 TB flakes)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp thyme
1 TB brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1-2 C water

Brown meat with garlic and onion. Drain the fat, add the remaining ingredients with 1 C water. Simmer uncovered for about three hours, stirring occasionally. Add the additional 1 C of water as needed to reach desired consistency.

Fresh Peach Pie

'Tis the season for peaches! We've always wanted a peach tree of our very own, so after buying our first home last year, that's one of the first things we put in. So far we've had one come to full ripeness (and it was delicious!), and we have a few more coming in. We would have more, except that our 3-tear-old daughter came in shortly after the tree was planted with a handful of blossoms in her hand. "Look Dad, I picked you some beautiful flowers!" :)

Since it will be a few years until we hopefully have those all-you-can-eat peaches we so desire, we went peach picking on Saturday. This peach pie was one of the results and is definitely a keeper!

Ingredients
1 pre-baked pie crust (try my favorite recipe here!)
4 large peaches, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar (divided use)
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon salt

Topping:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 (4 oz) package cream cheese, softened
2 TB powdered sugar

Instructions:
Combine sliced peaches with 1/4 cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon lemon juice.  Cover and let stand for 1 hour.  Drain peaches and add water to juice to make 1 cup.

Mix the cornstarch with remaining 1/2 C sugar and blend with juice in sauce pan.  Bring the mixture to a boil and stir constantly until thick. Remove from heat and add butter and salt. Cool slightly, then fold into peaches and pour into baked pie shell.  Refrigerate until chilled.

For the topping, mix the softened cream cheese with the powdered sugar. Whip the cream until thickened and then add in the cream cheese mixture. Spread over the pie and enjoy!

Adapted from here.

Wild Rice Chicken Soup

I've seen this soup going around in a variety of forms, and here's my take on it. Pure comfort food. Mmmmmmm.... I can't wait for dinner tonight. :)

2 TB olive oil
1 medium onion
4-5 medium carrots, thinly sliced
4-8 oz sliced mushrooms (depending on how much you like)
1 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/4 tsp pepper 
6 cups water
1 box (4 oz) long grain and wild rice (like rice-a-roni or Farmhouse brands)
4 tsp chicken bouillon (I use Better than Bouillon)
1/3 C flour
2 cups milk (or use half and half for a richer taste)
2 C cooked chicken, shredded or cubed

Saute onion in oil. Add carrots, mushrooms, salt and pepper, and saute for another minute or so. Add water and wild rice (plus the seasoning packet). Once the water is warm, add the bouillon and bring to boil. Simmer 25 minutes, or until the veggies are soft and the rice is cooked.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk the flour with 1 C milk until well combined. Add it to the soup along with the rest of the milk and cook a few minutes longer to thicken it up. Add the chicken and serve!

Adapted from here.

Basil Burgers

I got this recipe highly recommended by a friend of mine who saw the vast amounts of unused basil in our sun room. We tried it for dinner tonight and loved it! We will definitely be making this one again. If you have any other favorite recipes that use fresh basil in them, please pass them on! :)

Ingredients
1 slightly beaten egg
1/3 C chopped onion
1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 C snipped fresh basil or 1 TB dried basil, crushed
3 TB ketchup
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 lb ground beef or turkey (or a mixture of the two)

Directions
In a large bowl combine the egg, onion, Parmesan cheese, basil, ketchup, garlic, salt, and pepper. Add ground beef or turkey and mix well. Shape meat mixture into about 6 patties.

Cook on the stove or grill for 14-18 min or until meat is done (165 degrees), turning once halfway through grilling.

Serve on toasted hamburger buns with lettuce, tomatoes, and Swiss or cheddar cheese.

Tip: The mixture seemed a little soft to me (I was afraid the burgers would fall apart on the grill), so I put them on tin foil sprayed with cooking spray and we slid that onto the grill. Once they got a little bit cooked, we flipped them directly onto the rack of the grill and got rid of the tinfoil for the rest of the cooking time.

Zucchini Brownies

These brownies are "heavenly" as my husband describes them. They're chocolatey, moist, and have such great flavor. Our kids love them too.

The best time to make them is when you find a zucchini in your garden that has grown waaaay too big. Like this big one (6 lbs!) we found after returning from our 10 day vacation. It wouldn't taste very good plain, but works perfect for brownies.

Ingredients
1/2 C vegetable oil
1 1/2 C sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 C flour (can use half wheat if you want, it will make them more dense)
1/2 C unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 C grated zucchini
Chocolate chips (optional--I sometimes add 1/4-1/2 C)

Directions
In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar, and vanilla until well blended. In a different bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, and chocolate chips if desired; blend into the sugar mixture. Blend in the zucchini, and spread evenly into a greased 9X13 pan. (note: that the batter will not be moist until you add the zucchini)

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 min (or until the brownies spring up after you touch lightly with your finger).

Tip: Freeze any leftover grated zucchini in two 2 C increments for future use so you can enjoy these brownies all year long. :)  

Adapted from allrecipes.com

Butternut Squash Soup

I served it with some Rosemary Olive Oil bread and it was delish!

This one's a definite keeper. I was making it for dinner last night when I realized I hadn't posted one of our very favorites. I got the recipe from my mother-in-law a few years ago. Pretty much every time we make it, someone asks us for the recipe. We make it often, and the kids love it, too!

1 TB oil
1 small onion
1 clove garlic
4 medium carrots, sliced thinly
1.5-2 lb Butternut squash (I've used Banana squash and Hubbard squash successfully as well)
1 medium potato
4-5 cups of water
4-5 tsp chicken bouillon (I use Better Than Bouillon)
salt and pepper to taste
nutmeg (optional)

Saute the onion in a bit of oil. Add garlic towards the end. Add chopped carrots, squash, and potato (think bite sized pieces). Add water until it just about covers all the vegetables (about 4-5 C). Add 1 tsp bouillon  for each C of water and simmer until the vegetables are soft (15-20 min). Puree in blender or food processor.

Season to taste. Because my Better Than Bouillon is reduced sodium, I usually add about 1 tsp salt and a dash of pepper. If it doesn't have a divine flavor, add a bit more salt or bouillon and see if that helps. (Optional: a dash of nutmeg will also go well with the flavors). If you end up seasoning it too strong, adding a bit of milk will tone it down.

Here's a picture to give you an idea of the amount of veggies I use. We had company, so I doubled the recipe.

Amount of veggies for a DOUBLED recipe.