Fresh Tzatzaki Sauce

Ingredients:

• 3 cups Greek yogurt
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• juice of 1 lemon (3 tbsp)
• 2 medium cucumbers, seeded and diced
• 1 tbsp kosher salt (for salting cucumbers)
• 1 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
• Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Peel cucumbers and slice lengthwise. Take a spoon and scoop seeds out of the middle (it should look like a little boat when you're through).
2. Cut cucumbers into 1/4" slices and place in colander.
3. Sprinkle 1 tbsp kosher salt over cucumbers and let stand for at least 30 minutes (to draw out the water).
4. Drain and wipe cucumbers with a paper towel.
5. In a food processor, place cucumbers, garlic, lemon juice, dill, and black pepper. Process until well blended.
6. Blend mixture into Greek yogurt. 
7. Place into refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.

Courtesy of: Kayln's Kitchen

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Vegetable Gratin a la Goat Cheese

This recipe is a hybrid of 2 recipes I found online and decided to tweak a little bit. I must say the results did turn out quite tasty, especially if you like the unique tangy flavor of goat cheese. I omitted the potatoes from the original recipe because we were already having 2 carb heavy dishes in our Thanksgiving meal - feel free to add them back in if you want.

Ingredients:

• 1 large sweet yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1-2 zucchini, 1/4 inch sliced
• 2-4 yellow squash, 1/4 inch sliced
• 3-4 large Roma tomatoes, 1/4 inch sliced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 ounces goat cheese
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat a baking dish with olive oil cooking spray. 
2. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the onions and saute until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 60 seconds. Spread the onion mixture on the bottom of the greased baking dish.
3. Layer ½ of the goat cheese on top of the onions.
4. Slice the zucchini, squash and tomatoes in 1/4 inch thick slices. Layer them alternately in the dish on top of the onions, fitting them tightly into a spiral, making only one layer. 
5. Season with sea salt, black pepper and dried thyme, to taste. 
6. Drizzle the last tablespoon of olive oil over the top.
7. Pour the milk over the entire dish.
8. Cover the dish with tin foil and bake for 35 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Uncover and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top and bake for another 25-30 minutes or until browned. Enjoy.

Inspired from :

• Potato, Squash, & Goat Cheese Gratin
• Vegetable Tian

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Cocktail Meatballs or Little Smokies

This is a super easy appetizer to put out at a party that is delicious! I added the lemon juice to help cut the excessive sweetness of the grape jelly - its your call.

Ingredients:

• 1 bag frozen original meatballs or 2 packages of little smokies cocktail sausages (watch for MSG) or homemade meatballs if you are feeling adventurous!
• 2 bottles chili sauce
• 2 cups grape jelly
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Directions:

1. Bake meatballs as directed on package (normally 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees).
2. While those are baking, combine chili sauce, grape jelly & lemon juice in a pot. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. 
3. Add meatballs and continue to simmer for the next hour. 
4. Serve with toothpicks!

• Option: combine all into crockpot and let simmer on high for an hour. (FYI - I tried this on low overnight and it burned the sausages beyond recognition; hence why the pic is of round 2 -> meatballs)

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Super Easy Banana Pudding

I love finding old recipes I had forgotten about! I came across this recipe I found back in college that I used to fix for potluck dinners for my fraternity (For those of you who are wondering: yes, it is a fraternity, and yes I'm a girl, and yes it is a co-ed professional fraternity). Any-who, I only had to collect my dish at the end of the night and not worry about leftovers (well, it would have been nice if there were a little left over). This was super easy and delicious! I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces sour cream
• 1 (8 oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1 (5 oz) package instant vanilla pudding mix
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 (16 oz) package vanilla wafer cookies
• 4 bananas, peeled and sliced

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine sour cream, whipped topping, pudding mix and milk. Mix well.
2. In the bottom of a glass serving dish, place a layer of cookies, then a layer of pudding mixture, then a layer of bananas. 
3. Repeat until all ingredients are used.
4. Refrigerate before serving.

Courtesy of: Uncooked Banana Pudding at Allrecipes

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Launching PharmCreations - an Etsy Shop

In addition to cooking, I have always had a passion for crafting and photography. The photography part I indulge in on a regular basis. Crafting inspiration (and now Pinterestspiration :) - I'm sure most of you can relate) I have gone through in spurts in the past, largely due to time constraints from work and school. 

The main reason I developed this blog was to have an online paperless resource for recipes I want to keep in my own "recipe book". Now that I have 60 published posts, I'm starting to miss have a good ole recipe book in the kitchen. I don't like printing recipes that I am fixing for the 3rd+ time; that's a waste of paper. Dragging a laptop or dealing with my phone is doable but can be frustrating as how my hands will be in raw meat and the phone turns off - grrr!!! Wash hands, turn back on/hit page down, get hands dirty again, repeat in a few minutes. 

So that got me thinking: I want a recipe book that I can add to easily and something that won't get disgusting if food gets dripped on it. Ideas start running through my head... My perfect recipe book needs to be bind-able and printable. That eliminates the old fashioned recipe box - I've always disliked those for some reason. 3 ring binders come to mind. Great idea - I can add to that, page protectors will keep the pages clean. Now to make it cute. Looking around Pinterest, I found fabric covered binders. Hmm... interesting. Why don't I check out Etsy and see what's out there for these fabric covered binders?? Cruise on over to Etsy... start checking it out... there are some great looking fabric binders that these sellers offer! Adorable!! BUT what happens if my beloved fabric covered binder is on the counter and something spills or I don't see that little puddle of water on the counter? Gross!! There's really no good way to disinfect/clean the fabric if it gets either stained or splattered with raw meat or something else that could grow bacteria. Ewww! Those thoughts turn my stomach. Ok, so what about vinyl? I can put disinfectant on that without a problem and it should wipe clean since it's waterproof. Great! Search on Etsy again...nothing really comes up. Have I come across the undiscovered country of Waterproof binders?? Surely, I'm not the only one who thinks this way about recipe books. Hmmm, the crafter in me starts thinking again. This could be dangerous. I could make this myself. 

So off to Joann's I go, to see what has surfaced in the fabric world since I have last bought fabric (Which has probably been about 5-10 years since my sewing machine has surfaced. College kept me busy most of the 2000's). Wow! I forgot how much I love that store! It was even better than I remember and the crafter in me started coming out even more. I collected a couple of sample materials to work with and returned home. In my pinterest adventures, I saw posts on how wonderful this Mod Podge stuff is for gluing/decoupage-ing/waterproofing. I had never used it in the past, but it claims to be the best thing since the invention of the wheel and Swiss cheese so I thought I would give it a whirl on some fabric. I wish I had saved the swatch of fabric I Mod Podged and submitted it to one of those Pinterest Fail sights. It was not pretty. Yeah, it may have sealed the fabric to some degree, but it was the roughest, stiffest fabric I have ever felt. It could have doubled as sandpaper. I was disappointed that the wonderful patterns of cotton fabric had not become an option for this project.Very sad. 

Onto the next experiment. I had also bought a remnant of vinyl tablecloth type material. This may work better. I grabbed some spray adhesive and went to work on adhering it to my binder. This is going great. It's smooth, waterproof, cute and cooperating! I then cut and adhered coordinating scrapbook paper to the inner cover. This looks wonderful! Now onto cover design. I got to learn more about Adobe Photoshop Elements in designing the graphic art for the front cover. Oh, the custom options are limitless! I adhered my design to the same color scrapbook paper as for a border. Hmm, how to make this waterproof. I didn't really want to get into the laminating business, that would require an even bigger investment and another trip into town. Let's try the Mod Podge again. It worked so much better on paper than fabric! Two coats dried later, I sealed it with some clear acrylic for good measure. I then adhered it to my binder. Voilà!  I was quite impressed with myself. That wasn't too bad either. Back to my original thought, the undiscovered country of waterproof binders. I could sell these. And so, PharmCreations was born! 

Take a look at my final product!

Water Resistant Fabric Covered 1 Inch 3 Ring Recipe Binder

            

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Memphis Red BBQ Sauce

I found this recipe in Taste of the South Magazine and thought I would try it out. I'm so glad I did because this sauce is delicious! The only modification I made to the original is I used dark Karo syrup instead of molasses because that is all I had in the pantry at the time. The next time we made it, we used molasses and the family agreed that it was better with the Karo syrup, so I will leave the modification in place. Feel free to make that judgement call yourself!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups ketchup
• 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup dark Karo corn syrup
• 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp garlic salt
• 2 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tsp hot sauce
• 1 tsp chili powder

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together all ingredients until well combined. 
2. Store in air tight container and refrigerate up to 5 days.
3. Like most sauces, they get better with a little time. You may want to wait a few hours before enjoying this delicious sauce to let the flavors blend together.

Courtesy of Taste of the South Magazine May June 2012

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Mint Honey Lamb Skewers - Grilled!

These tasty lamb skewers were my first experience "Kabob-ing" anything. It was fun and a little time consuming prepping and skewering all of the ingredients, but in the end it was definitely worth it. The original recipe called for a reduction made with apricot preserves, the marinade and white wine. I tried to make it as instructed but turned into a nasty smelling I-don't-know-what that never made it onto the skewers. They were wonderful without it so I didn't even include it in what I made below. Happy Kabobing!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chopped fresh mint
• ¾ cup dry white wine
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 3 lb. cubed lamb stew meat
• 1 lb pearl onions, peeled (or I used a regular sweet onion quartered)
• 1 Red Bell Pepper - rinsed, de-seeded and cut into 1 square inch pieces
• 1 Orange Bell Pepper - rinsed, de-seeded and cut into 1 square inch pieces
• 1 small container Cherry Tomatoes,  rinsed 
• 8 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes

Directions:

1. In small bowl combine mint, wine, lemon juice and honey. Stir to combine.
2. In large bowl toss together lamb, onions, tomatoes, and bell peppers  Add wine mixture and toss until evenly combined. Cover, and refrigerate 4 hours to overnight.
3. Place lamb, onions  onto bamboo skewers, alternating lamb and onions until ingredients are used. Reserve remaining marinade and set aside.
4. Grill skewers until lamb is cooked through, about 8 minutes on each side. 

Inspired from: Mint Honey Lamb Skewers

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Butter Pecan Cake Batter Cookies

I have to admit, Cake Batter Cookies may be my new obsession. Like with my Cake Ball obsession, you gotta try the variations of an awesome recipe. First was the Golden Butter Cookies,  then the Mint Chocolate Chip. Now we have moved onto Butter Pecan. I personally LOVE Butter Pecan and was excited to say these are my favorite yet. I added 1/2 cup pecan pieces in addition to the 1 cup of chocolate chips. Here's what I used:

Ingredients:

• 1 (18.25oz) box Butter Pecan Cake Mix
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine cake mix and baking powder.
3. Stir in eggs & oil. Mix until well blended. 
4. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans.
5. Drop rounded spoonfuls of dough onto cookie sheets
6. Bake 10-15 minutes (depending on size of cookie/oven).
7. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Adapted from Stephanie Cooks via Six Sister's Stuff

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Zippy Ground Beef Skillet

This recipe to me is the epitome of what I wish Hamburger Helper would taste like. Granted, I'm happy to say I made this without using any canned produce. The tomatoes have been plentiful on our sole tomato plant this week. It was amazingly fresh and lighter than I was expecting. The sauce didn't thicken after cooling as much as I would have liked, but next time I'll just add a little more cornstarch.

Ingredients:

Tomatoes from my lone tomato plant!

• 2 cups uncooked small tube pasta 
• 1 pound lean ground beef 
• 3/4 cup onion, diced   
• 3/4 cup green bell pepper, diced   (I actually used Red)
• 1 (28 ounce) can or 3 1/2 cups diced tomatoes, undrained 
• 1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced - wear gloves 
• 1 tablespoon honey 
• 2 teaspoons chili powder 
• 3/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1 1/2 cups reduced fat sour cream
• 1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 tbsp cold water (for sauce thickening if needed)

Directions:

1. Start water to boil for pasta.

   

   Add Tomato

2. Dice onion, green bell pepper, & jalapeno.
3. Cook pasta according to package directions. 
4. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, cook the beef, onion and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. 
5. Add the tomatoes, jalapenos, honey, chili powder and salt. 
6. Bring to a simmer then reduce heat to low; cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
7. Drain pasta; add to beef mixture. 
8. Add sour cream. 
9. Cook and stir until heated through (do not boil).

Courtesy of Jessy at Tricks Chef's

After simmering for 10 minutes

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Jalapeno Garlic Chuck Roast

(Before Cooking)

This recipe I found was originally done as a pork shoulder. I decided to change it up a little bit and use this marinade on a chuck roast instead. Don't be afraid of the jalapeno. It really wasn't spicy at all, just good flavor from the marinade. It turned out pretty tasty.

Ingredients:

• 2 jalapenos, stem removed
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Salt-Free/MSG-Free Original Mrs Dash (or original recipe used salt)
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2.5 pounds boneless chuck roast
• potatoes and carrots (optional)

Directions: 

1. Combine jalapenos, garlic, Mrs Dash/salt and vinegar in a food processor or blender. Pulse until jalapenos and garlic are finely diced. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in olive oil.
2. Use a knife to put shallow cuts all over the chuck roast. Place the roast in a food storage bag with the marinade. Close the bag and squish the marinade around the roast to coat completely. Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
4. Place the roast in a foil lined roasting pan. Pour the excess marinade over the top. Bake covered 2 to 2 1/2 hours then add potatoes and carrots. Keep an eye on the juice level - you may need to add a cup or so of water to give the vegetables something to cook in. Bake another hour or so or until vegetables and meat are tender. 

Inspired from Life's Ambrosia Jalapeno Garlic Pork Shoulder

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