Potatoes and Ham - Weekend Recipe

You don't have to settle for bland potato dishes anymore! Instead, opt for this one which combines the classic flavor of fresh sage with another classic, tasty prosciutto. This wonderful dish can be a side dish or make a meal of it. 

Potatoes and Ham

2 pounds new potatoes, red & white

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 pound prosciutto, cut into small strips

4 tablespoon fresh sage leaves, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Boil potatoes for 5 minutes, until cooked half way. Drain and set aside. Sauté the prosciutto in olive oil for about 3 minutes or until the prosciutto is slightly browned. Add potatoes and sage and toss Place mixture into a baking dish and bake at 375 degrees F. for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are brown and crispy.

To find any recipe featured this month - use the search box and type: ShrHamMay

To find any theme recipe from this year type: recipe2018

For 2018 the monthly recipe themes will be:

   January - Chicken Soup (ChickJan)

   February - Beef Stew (StewFeb)

   March - Jambalaya (JambMar)

   May - Ham & Shrimp Dishes (ShrHamMay)

   June - Bread recipes

   July - Garden Delights

   August- Grilling

   September - Salsa, Corn and Jelly

   October - Squash Dishes

   November - Pumpkin Recipes

   December - Herbal Cocktails

Cheddar Shrimp Nachos

Cheddar Shrimp Nachos

Trying to avoid Fish Tacos I decided on this great shrimp nacho recipe.  Not you can enjoy form quick finger food and drop the fatty meat from the dish.

3/4 lb deveined, peeled and cooked shrimp

1 1/2 cups (6 oz.) cheddar cheese, shredded

1 – 4 oz. can green chilies, chopped and drained

1/3 cup green onions, chopped

1/4 cup ripe olives, sliced, drained

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 tsp cumin, ground

48 scoop-style tortilla chips

Chopped cilantro (for garnish)

Directions:

In a large bowl combine, shrimp, cheese, chilies, onions, and olives.  Combine the mayonnaise and cumin.  Add to shrimp and toss to coat.  Drop by tablespoons full into tortilla scoops on ungreased baking sheets.  Bake at 350 degrees for 5 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.  Serve warm sprinkled with chopped cilantro.

To find any recipe featured this month - use the search box and type: JambMar

To find any theme recipe from this year type: recipe2018

For 2018 the monthly recipe themes will be:

   January - Chicken Soup (ChickJan)

   February - Beef Stew (StewFeb)

   March - Jambalaya (JambMar)

   May - Ham & Shrimp Dishes (ShrHamMay)

   June - Bread recipes

   July- Garden Delights

   August - Grilling

   September - Salsa, Corn and Jelly

   October - Squash Dishes

   November - Pumpkin Recipes

   December - Herbal Cocktails

Chimichurri Shrimp and Ham and Mushroom Noodles - Monthly Recipe

For those actually following the monthly recipe, I apologize.  My teaching schedule got a bit out of hand in April and I never posted the monthly recipes, so I just moved the April set of recipes to May.  I will pick up where I left off.

For this month I will post recipes using Ham and / or Shrimp.  At the bottom of the post are ways to search the monthly recipe theme from previous months.  Enjoy!

For the first post of the new theme I am going to post two recipes, One using Ham and another using Shrimp. 

Chimichurri Shrimp Salad

Chas loves to make sauces to go on our food.  When I found this recipe where chef Chris Hastings uses the vibrant South American herb sauce chimichurri as a marinade for these tasty shrimp, and also as a dressing for the black-eyed pea ragù that's served alongside, I knew he would love it – change it but love it.

1 cup packed parsley leaves, finely chopped

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons finely chopped oregano
2 small garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbls. minced onion
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/8 teaspoon hotter powdered pepper, like habanero or jalapeño (optional)
Kosher salt and Pepper
20 large shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 cups cooked or thawed frozen black-eyed peas
2 cups yellow cherry tomatoes, halved
2 cups baby arugula

Directions:

Make Chimichurri by whisking the parsley with the olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, garlic, onion and crushed and powdered hot pepper peppers in a medium bowl. Season the chimichurri generously with salt and pepper. In a large bowl, toss the shrimp with 1/4 cup of the chimichurri and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. Grill the shrimp over high heat, turning once, until lightly charred and just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

In a large bowl, toss the black-eyed peas with the tomatoes, arugula and 1/4 cup of the chimichurri add salt and pepper if needed. Pile the salad on plates, top with the shrimp and serve, passing the remaining chimichurri at the table.

You can make the chimichurri ahead to refrigerate overnight. Bring to room temperature before serving.

If you want to serve wine with this amazing dish, try a warm-climate rosé.  They tend to have juicy, bold fruit that is superb with the sweetness of grilled shrimp.

Ham &and Mushroom Noodles

12 oz. whole-grain or artichoke-flour pasta

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 med. onion, finely chopped
1/8 tsp. salt
8 oz. sliced cremini mushrooms
1/2 tsp thyme, dried
1/2 tsp savory, dried
salt and pepper
4 oz. lower-sodium deli ham, chopped
5 oz. baby spinach

Directions: 

Cook pasta as label directs; reserve 2 cups pasta water. In 12-in. skillet, heat olive oil on medium-high. Add onion, and salt.  Cook 5 minutes, stirring. Add sliced cremini mushrooms, herbs and 1/8 tsp. each salt and pepper. Cook 3 minutes or until tender. Stir in deli ham. Add baby spinach, pasta, and pasta water; toss to combine. Serves 4.

To find any recipe featured this month - use the search box and type: ShrHamMay

To find any theme recipe from this year type: recipe2018

For 2018 the monthly recipe themes will be:

   January - Chicken Soup (ChickJan)

   February - Beef Stew (StewFeb)

   March - Jambalaya (JambMar)

   May - Ham & Shrimp Dishes (ShrHamMay)

   June - Bread recipes

   July - Garden Delights

   August- Grilling

   September - Salsa, Corn and Jelly

   October - Squash Dishes

   November - Pumpkin Recipes

   December - Herbal Cocktails

Banana Poppy Seed Dressing - extra Weekend Recipe

I little twist on the usual poppy seed dressing that makes it perfect on a salad featuring strawberries or blueberries.  And on and all-fruit salad, it is a dream.

Banana Poppy Seed Dressing

1 ripe banana

1 cup sour cream

3/8 cup BYP Poppy Seed Dressing Mix

1 Tbls lemon juice

In a small bowl, finely mash banana.  Add sour cream, dressing mix, and lemon juice.  Chill for at least 30 minutes.  Arrange salad greens and fruit on a platter or individual salad plates,  Serve with dressing. Makes 1 ¾ cups.

Soap and Sugar Scrub - bath blend of the month

It is finally gardening season so I thought this recipe for a sugar scrub to get the gardening grime off your fingers might be a good choice.

It is the abrasiveness of the sugar that helps to dislodge the dirt and will help to get your hands clean. Sugar scrubs are often expensive items, but this is one you can make for next to nothing.

You can use any liquid dish soap you like, the original recipe for this DIY gardener’s hand scrub used a pink liquid dish soap because they liked the color, but you can use whatever you have at home. It would be best if you used organic and all natural liquid hand or dish soap if possible. Dr Bonner's is clear and colorless, but Dawn will help cut grease while the sugar scrubs away grime.

Place a wrap of twine or ribbon around the jar and tie a bow to make this into a gift for the gardener in your life. Place a jar of this in an empty terra cotta pot with some gardening tools and seeds to give as a gift basket.  Perfect for a Mother who gardens or any other women in your life who loves to garden.

Sugar and Soap Scrub

Canning jar 4, 8 or 12 oz (the smaller the better)
White sugar
Liquid dish soap

Directions:

1) Clean and dry your jars toughly.

2) Fill your jar ¾ quarters of the way with sugar (more sugar will be needed for larger jars).

3) Fill the jar with liquid dish soap until it reaches just below the bottom of the threads on the jar mouth.

4) Stir the sugar and soap together.

5) Add more sugar until the mixture becomes a grainy paste.

To Use:  Scoop out about 1 Tablespoon of mixture and rub into hands as a scour to remove dirt and grime.  Repeat as needed to get hands clean.

Springtime Tea Punch - Weekend Recipe

We are at the Villa Park Garden Club Plant Sale this weekend displaying herbs and selling plants for the garden club, so stop by and sample this refreshing punch that we will be tasting!

Springtime Tea Punch

2 cups sugar

2 Tbls BYP Zesty Lemon Tea

2 ½ cups water

1 cup fresh lemon juice

1 cup fresh orange juice

1-6 ounce can frozen pineapple juice concentrate

2 quarts ginger ale, chilled

In a saucepan bring sugar and water to a boil.  Boil for 10 minutes, remove from heat. Add tea and steep for 5 to 7 minutes.  Strain out tea, stir in the lemon, orange and pineapple juices.  Refrigerate.  Just before serving, combine with ginger ale in a large punch bowl. Serves 16 to 20.

Cleaning Your Kitchen and Bathroom

To make many of your own cleaning products you need simple ingredients, Hot water and these three items:

• Vinegar
• Castile Soap
• Washing Soda

These items, which you can generally get at the grocery store.  Washing soda is like baking soda and can be found in the laundry aisle at most WalMart Stores, look on the very top or very bottom shelves by the Fels Naptha soap.

Vinegar: It will cut grease, eat away lime, and destroy odors.  Because of  its neutralizing properties white vinegar is good for washing windows, sanitizing kitchen counters, and shining bathroom fixtures.  To improve the disinfecting qualities you can make an herbal vinegar with sage, thyme, mint or lemon balm.

Vegetable Oil Soap (Castile) Soap: This natural soap is great for floors and all-purpose cleaning when combined with vinegar or warm water. To wash floors (not wood) add 2 teaspoons of castile soap to 3 gallons of water, but you must rinse well with water afterwards.

Washing Soda: this is an old-fashioned laundry booster that cuts through tough grease on grills, broiler pans, and ovens.  It is strongly alkaline so it is also perfect to tackling dirty linoleum floors. It's strong enough to strip paint and wax so you need to wear gloves when using it and use sparingly, only 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon per 32 ounces of hot water to tackle tough grease.

All-purpose Cleaner
Make this general cleaner and add 1/2 tsp of  castile soap to 2 cups of the cleaner to make something you can use to clean almost anything.

2 cups hot water
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 tsp. washing soda
15 drops tea tree essential oil
15 drop lavender essential oil

Combine all ingredients in a reusable spray bottle and shake well.

To Use: spray on surfaces, especially cutting boards, counter tops and toilets.  Wipe with a dry cloth.

For more cleaning recipes just search our blog under the keyword: green cleaning