Category: Dips, Dressings, and Spreads

Beet, Carrot, Apple, and Ginger Juice

Dips, Dressings, and Spreads

Good morning! I have always been a bit obsessed with juicing. One time back in college I drank so much carrot juice that my skin started to turn a slight orange color. No joke! But college life and real life are much different, so nowadays I break out the juicer on the weekends and in the summertime. It is really fun to try different combinations. Plus, have you ever bought one of those pre-made juice containers? So expensive. I do occasionally buy those brands like Odwalla or Bare Naked when I see them on sale at the store. They are convenient, but there is nothing like making your own juice or smoothies from scratch. Over time I will share some of my favorite juice and smoothie recipes with you. This one is super yummy! It is refreshingly light and sweet. The ginger adds a nice zing to it. This recipe serves just one. You could always add more to sip on throughout the day.

Any good juice or smoothie recipes that you guys have?

Beet, Carrot, Apple, and Ginger Juice

3 beets- cut the ends off and slice- They may turn your fingers a tab red. You could wear gloves if you wish.
4 carrots
2 apples
1 small chuck of ginger

006

Homemade Shake and Bake

Chicken, Dips, Dressings, and Spreads, Kids, Pantry Raid

Hey guys! Hope you are having a great week! When I went to the store a couple of days ago, I was planning on making a chicken, broccoli, and rice casserole with all real ingredients, i.e. homemade cream of … soup. Tonight just did not seem like a casserole kind of night, so I put my plan in a new direction. One of my most popular posts is my oven baked chicken…
https://funfoodiefamily.com/2013/08/31/oven-baked-chicken/

I thought, “Maybe I could make that recipe, but even better.” I did just that. I made my own version of “Shake and Bake” and added it to boneless skinless chicken breasts (you could substitute pork chops) with a plenty of salt and pepper and olive oil.

Homemade Shake and Bake- I eyeballed all these servings- Add more or less of what you want.

2 cups plain breadcrumbs
1 cup shredded or crumbled parmesan cheese
1 handful of chopped fresh herbs- basil, sage, marjoram, oregano
Mix together in a large zip top bag.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.
I took 2 chicken breasts and salt and peppered them liberally on both sides. Then I covered both of them with olive oil. I added the chicken breasts to the zip top bag with the Homemade mixture and shook them up. The girls had fun with this part. I put them in a sprayed baking dish. Bake for about 45 minutes.

Pantry Raid sides- I served with steamed fresh broccoli (steam for 20 minutes in a steamer), a side of rice (boxed Zataran’s mild), and cheesy garlic bread (frozen).

021

022

Persian Meat and Rice- Kubideh and Lemon Dill Rice

Beef, Dips, Dressings, and Spreads, Side dishes...veggies, potatoes, grains

My family has a favorite Middle Eastern place we go to. You can’t really call it “Greek.” The family is actually Persian. They pretty much know out order- The girls get spaghetti and meatballs or a cheeseburger and my husband usually gets a combo meat plate (chicken-souvlaki, lamb, beef-kubideh). As for me, they don’t know. I always choose something different. I think I have had almost everything in some form on their menu. Moussaka, fish, lamb, chicken, beef, roasted veggies, falafel, spanakopita, soup, etc.But that is just me…I rarely ever get the same thing twice. There is this one dish, though. It is the best version of a meatloaf that I have ever tasted. It is called Kubideh, and it is mouthwatering. Seriously, ya’ll. Try this. It can never compare to their family recipe, but it is pretty darn close. I also made some yummy lemon dill rice and roasted Naan.

Kubideh

Ingredients- Mix together and let set from 2 hours to overnight

1 pound ground beef
1 onion grated and strained- seriously, lots of excess water here
2 cloves garlic, crushed and finely minced
1 egg beaten
1 tablespoon turmeric
salt and pepper to taste- Please be heavy handed, ok, ya’ll?

Take the meat and form into patties. It is not pretty. Looks inappropriate, if you know what I mean. Not really photogenic, so sorry for the following photos. Grill on all sides. Depending on your grill’s heat, should take about 5 minutes or so per side.

Rice with Dill and Lemon

Ingredients

3 cups rice
4 quarts chicken stock
1/2 cup dill
2 cloves garlic
1 shallot, minced
1 lemon- juice and zest
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium pot- Heat olive oil, enough to cover the bottom of the pot, slowly cook shallots on med heat for about 5 minutes. Add garlic, lemon juice and zest, and dill. Cook for another 5 minutes.

Add in rice. Stir frequently and toast for about 5 minutes.
Heat chicken stock in another pot. Add in a few ladles at a time. Babysit your rice. Sip a glass of wine or your favorite cocktail. You could cook your rice like the package, but you would end up with burnt rice and gross tasting dill. Don’t follow the directions on the package. Follow mine and have your drink, too. Win, win.

Cucumber Mint Yogurt Sauce- mix the following together- you can mix them in a processor for a finer texture.
1 cucumber, peeled and seeded (cut in half and take the seed out with a spoon)
1 1/2 cups plain greek yogurt
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves (from my garden…SQUEEEEE!!!)
2 tbsp.extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste.

049

074

073

072

053

Radish Butter

Appetizers and snacks, Dips, Dressings, and Spreads, Vegetarian

You may remember that I have a slight obsession with radish and butter sandwiches. It comes from a memory of my Nanny, who used to make them all the time when I was little. Sometimes she would skip the bread all together and just smear butter on the radish and pop it in her mouth. It got me thinking, “Well, I make herb butter, so why not make radish butter?” GENIOUS!!! I’m sure I am not the first person to come up with this, but I am still proud of the idea and glad I thought of it. I am currently eating this on pita chips. You have to try this, especially if you love butter (which is everyone) and radishes (if you don’t, try this recipe and it may change your mind).

Radish Butter

About 8 radishes
1/2 stick of butter
salt and pepper to taste

Half the radishes, cube the butter, and pulse them in your food processor. Add just a pinch of salt and pepper before you pulse.

You could also use a box grater to make the radishes have more of a glamourous look to them, and mix the softened butter in the radishes. I like the little flecks of red and pink in my butter; plus, all that grating is a pain.

047

048

Ultimate Potato Salad

Crockpot /Make Ahead Meals, Dips, Dressings, and Spreads, Pork, Sandwiches, Side dishes...veggies

Today has been a great day! The girls spent the night at my parents, so I got to sleep in a while. After I woke up, I put a pork shoulder in the crock pot to have for BBQ sandwiches. I went for a leisurely stroll through the farmer’s market with a nice iced coffee, had a nice long walk with my dog in the neighborhood, and read a few magazines, where I came up with the idea to make this potato salad. I made it and put it in the fridge until dinner. Then everyone came home and we spent the afternoon at the pool.

012

Ultimate Potato Salad

5 medium potatoes, boiled for about 25 minutes until tender, cut up in bite sized pieces
4 boiled eggs, cooled and sliced or chopped
about 1/4 of mayo
about 1/4 cup of honey mustard (I made mine- Add 3 tablespoons of stone ground mustard, a few squeezes of honey, and about 1/2 cup or so of olive oil in a Bell jar and shake it up. I just added a pinch of salt and pepper.)
1 cup or more of shredded cheese- I used a combo of cheddar/colby, but you can use whatever you have on hand.
6 pieces of bacon, chopped

I added the potatoes and eggs in a large bowl. I added the mayo and honey mustard and carefully folded in to the bowl. If it looks too dry, just add more mayo and honey mustard. Then I topped with cheese and bacon. Cover with wrap and refrigerate. This was a big hit at the table. Plates were cleaned!

Here is my recipe for easy crock pot pulled pork…
https://funfoodiefamily.com/2014/03/04/easy-crock-pot-pulled-pork/

002