Glazed Summer Sausage

This is my go-to recipe for when my husband gets together with his friends, and last night (remember, the one where I made my awesome pasta salad?... I should really work on being less humble) was no exception.  It is so incredibly easy to make, but first I must clarify something.

For this recipe, you can use a summer sausage or a salami.  I've discovered that they are basically the same thing, but you don't want either of them if they are very 'hard' in description or texture.  They won't bake well and become all caramelized and delicious.  Hebrew National makes a good salami that I found at Trader Joe's when we were living in Bethesda.  Again, the important quality of the salami or summer sausage is that it isn't hard or dry. 

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Slice the salami/summer sausage three-quarters of the way through. Each slice should be between an eighth to a quarter of an inch thick, depending on your preference.  I probably go with about a sixth of an inch slices most of the time.

Place the sliced salami/summer sausage on a foil lined baking sheet with raised edges (so the glaze doesn't spill over).

The Glaze:

1 Cup apricot jam

1/3 Cup dijon mustard

1/3 Cup brown sugar

Stir the three ingredients together. Carefully spoon the glaze over the salami/summer sausage, using your fingers to get it in between each slice.

Bake for 1 hour.  If you have time, you can baste the salami/summer sausage every twenty minutes while it's in the oven.  Allow to cool before serving with water crackers and cheddar cheese.

The Best Pasta Salad

Yesterday, my husband and I had some of his fellow medical student friends over to my parent's house to have dinner and hang out.  Because there was going to be about 15 of us total, we decided to just order pizza from a local place called Y Not.  It's close by, quick, and delish.  

However, I still wanted to have some other things on hand to snack on before the pizza arrived.  So I made a Glazed Summer Sausage, and a big batch of pasta salad inspired by this Pioneer Woman recipe. I must assert, though, mine is better!  I'm finished being humble now... here's how you make it.

The Dressing:

2/3 Cup of mayonnaise (or veganaise if you have it)

3 tsp white sugar

2 Tbs sweet and spicy pickle juice (plus more if needed to thin out the dressing)

1 Tbs red wine vinegar 

Whisk all the ingredients together.  Give it a taste.  Add sugar or pickle juice if it is 'missing' something.

Chop one purple/red onion

Chop up six of the sweet and spicy pickle spears (the same ones that you used the juice from in the dressing).  I used a brand called Famous Daves Signature Spicy Pickle Spears, and they were outstanding! I think it makes all the difference in the world to use yummy, flavorful pickles and pickle juice in this recipe.

Dice up two green bell peppers.  You could use any color you like, but I like the green ones in this salad.

Doesn't that look pretty? Pickles and onions and green pepper... yum.

 Next you toss it all together with cooked pasta that has had time to cool down.  I used Dreamfields Penne to up the nutritional value of this dish a little bit.  I probably used about 16 oz, which is slightly more than one box.  It is all about preference, though... You might want more veggies or more pasta or more dressing.  This ratio was pretty spot on for me (and our guests)! Enjoy!

"Orange" Juice

This morning I am really craving a pick-me-up that doesn't come in the form of a caffeinated beverage.  I'm talking about juicing, people!! Just trust me, the little 'high' you get from your body absorbing all of those yummy vitamins is way better than any Starbucks fix (although who doesn't give in to their soy chai addiction every now and again... I guess that's my issue. Sorry, y'all!).

Getting back on track to juicing! If I was able to juice this morning, I would start off with an "orange" juice.  For those that are just starting to juice or wanting to begin juicing, I think this is a really good beginners juice.  My husband will even swap out his morning Indian River OJ for my version! This is saying something, y'all!

Recipe for "Orange" Juice

7 Large Carrots
1 Pear
1 Green Apple
5 Celery Stalks, with leaves
2 Oranges, peeled
1 Lemon, peeled
Ginger, to taste (Approx 1-2 Tbs)

Just some of the vitamins in this juicy goodness: A, B, C, E, Calcium, Iron, Folate, Thiamin, and Zinc.

Push everything through your juicer, in this order. Stir.

Makes enough for two servings that come in around 200 Calories each. Drink up with a Carrot Muffin, and you won't be hungry again for quite awhile... it is surprising how filling this juice can be!

This juice can be stored in a refrigerator for up to 2 days, but everything is better fresh.

So give it a try... your body will thank you!!

Chess Pie

My husband and I were lucky enough to have dinner with some of my family tonight, so I thought I should share a tried and true family recipe.  More specifically my paternal Grandmother's recipe for Chess Pie.

For those not from the south, the name for Chess Pie is arbitrary.  There is no "chess" that goes into this pie, but my family still jokes about the "baby Chessies" that must ripen before pie can be made.  It is basically a buttermilk pie.  Somehow, my pie never turns out quite as good as Grandmother's (why is that always the case with passed-down recipes???), but it's a crowd pleaser none the less.

Ingredients:

1 Stick of Butter

1 1/2 Cups of Sugar

4 Tbs Flour

3 Eggs

1 Cup Buttermilk

1 Tsp Vanilla Extract (I'm a wild child with the vanilla and usually use 1 Tbs... don't tell Grandmother!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugar.  Add flour. Whisk in eggs, then buttermilk and vanilla. Pour into prepared pie crust... today I used a refrigerated store bought (again, don't tell Grandmother!) one, but I would usually make my own.  Remind me to share that recipe someday...

Bake for 45 minutes to an hour... until the filling is no longer very jiggly.  Cool on a rack to room temperature  before serving.

 Don't be like me... I was a little over-zealous with the tin foil that I used to protect the crust from burning.  Hence the 
triangle of browned pie filling in the middle.  No one eating the pie complained, though!

UPDATE:  I made another chess pie a few days ago, and it turned out much prettier than the one above.  Here's proof!

Actually, this one is only marginally prettier, but at least it doesn't have the "devil triangle" (my mother's description, not mine... I'm not entirely sure what is devilish about a triangle...) browned on the top like the other one!

Carrot Muffins

Once known as "Refugee Muffins" (long story short, the word "refuse" does not belong in the title for anything edible), this is the recipe for muffins that I came up with when my MIL and I started juicing.

When we were making our "orange" juice, we just hated to see all of that carrot pulp go to waste.  Therefore, I created a healthy (read- the healthiest ever) recipe for yummy, gluten-free, and nearly fat-free, carrot muffins. 

Healthiest Ever Carrot Muffins

1 Cup Cup4Cup Gluten Free Flour*

1/2 Cup Flax Meal

1/2 Cup Gluten Free Rolled Oats

1/2 Cup Unsweetened, Reduced-Fat Shredded Coconut**

2 Tbs Cinnamon

1 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1 1/2 Cups Walnut pieces

1/2 C. Brown Sugar OR Brown Rice Syrup

1/2 C. Unsweetened Applesauce

1 Medium Banana, mashed

2 Cups Carrot Pulp OR Grated Carrot

1 Small Can Crushed Pineapple

2 Eggs OR 4 Egg Whites (1/2 Cup)

I Tbs Vanilla Extract

2 Tbs Canola Oil

*This is the best gluten-free flour on the market, in my opinion.  It is pricey, and you can find it at Williams-Sonoma. Otherwise, use any gluten-free flour you like.

** The most important aspect of this ingredient is that it is unsweetened.  Whole Foods carries the unsweetened, reduced-fat shredded coconut, but I realize it may be impossible to find in a regular grocery store.  Just go with any unsweetened shredded coconut in that case.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine wet ingredients and dry ingredients in separate bowls. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry, without over stirring. Add oil or flour as needed to get a thick batter consistency.

Spoon batter equally into 12 well oiled muffin tins.  Bake for at least 25 minutes.  It is difficult to test for done-ness with these muffins, so make sure to bake them for the full time if not longer. Remove from the oven and immediately transfer to a cooling rack.

These little guys are so packed full of goodness that they are practically a meal! Great for a quick breakfast!

Lazy Magnolia

Alrighty, y'all... last throwback post, I promise.  At least for awhile. Or until tomorrow when I get a stray hair and decide to post about Salem Academy or something. You never know what I might get into!

Anyhow, when my husband and I were in Biloxi, Mississippi, a couple months ago, we randomly (again, you never know!) ended up driving 30 minutes away to Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company one Friday afternoon to take a tour.

We'd seen their beer at a couple of restaurants in the area, so we made our way to Kiln (known as "the Kill" to locals, apparently) to check it out.

We each got a pint glass as part of the tour. They are both filled with "Southern Pecan", which is their signature brew.

When we pulled up to the brewery, we were slightly skeptical of a few things:

1) They shared/split a warehouse with the Coast Guard?

2) The parking lot was not paved, and it was very muddy due to recent rains.

3) We did not see another living soul.

However, we had come this far, so we made our way through the mud, through the production area of the open-air brewery, and into the office to check in for the tour (we gathered these directions from a rain-streaked handwritten poster at the 'entrance).  I am very glad that we persevered. Neither of us had ever been on a brewery tour before, and our tour guide, Ginger, was as sweet as honey from start to finish.

We sampled and asked questions and walked around for about an hour before leaving the down home brewery, which was breaking ground on a massive expansion the following week.  I wholeheartedly recommend stopping by the brewery if you're ever in the vicinity, and keep a lookout for their beers that are distributed throughout the southeast!

Universal Studios

This past weekend, my in-laws went to Universal Studios in Orlando, FL. Hearing about how lovely their trip was made me think way back to this past January (2013) when my husband and I made the same trip to celebrate his birthday.

So here are a few throwback tidbits from our couple of days at the parks.

I would highly recommend staying at the Loews Royal Pacific Resort (in these pictures, we are having drinks at one of the restaurants on the resort property).  Not only is it convenient and beautiful, but guests staying there also receive express passes to skip the longest lines in the parks! 

I would also suggest eating dinner at Emeril's at Universal's Citywalk. Like Commander's Palace, the meal at Emeril's is in my top 5 best list.  The food I expected to fabulous, but the ambiance was superb, with a view of the Universal studio fireworks out the window behind my husband. 

Sidenote: looking at these pictures is making me nostalgic for something other than vacation- my long hair! Remember when I chopped it off in Texas? Who let me do that? Alright, my fault... enough vanity for now.

It was a beautiful January day in Florida (can you tell?), so we really enjoyed walking around in between rides. Our favorite in Universal Studios was the Despicable Me ride.

 In Islands of Adventure, the Harry Potter section of the park was, surprisingly, our hands down favorite.

 Although my husband (and the small children sitting next to us on the ride) sure got a kick out of my death screams on Dr. Doom's Fearfall! I might have a minor fear of heights... or elevators... or both. Just maybe :)

Lunch at Mythos was a nice departure from the hustle of the park.  Reservations are a must at this restaurant that is a prior winner of the title "Best Theme Park Restaurant in the World."

Don't we look like we're having a good time?! I think I'll start planning our next vacation, now...