Boat Rides

You can never spend too much time at the bay...

Blueberry Pickin'

It did not take long to fill up the buckets. We picked 15lbs of blueberries!

Elephant Stew

1 medium sized elephant
brown gravy
2 rabbits (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Cut up the elephant into bite sized pieces. This should take about two months. Add enough brown gravy to cover. Cook over kerosene fire for about four weeks at 465 degrees. This will serve about 3,800 people. If more are expected, two rabbits may be added- only do this if necessary as most people do not like to find hare in their stew.

:)

Grandpop Leo's Apple and Raisin Coleslaw

Not a lot of hard and fast measurements, but this is the only coleslaw that I actually like!

1 bag shredded prepared coleslaw
1 finely chopped gala apple
1 cup raisins or craisins
1 small pack slivered almonds


Dressing:
Bit of skim milk
1/2 cup of miracle whip
About a tablespoon of white vinegar
About two tablespoons of white sugar

Add dry ingredients to a bowl. Combine wet and taste to see if it needs anything extra.

No Bake Cookies

2 cups sugar
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
3 to 3 1/2 cup quick oatmeal
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes (optional)
3/4 cup mini marshmallows (optional)

Pick to do either coconut or marshmallows or you do not have to do either. We did some with neither and then some with coconut and some with marshmallows.

Mix the sugar, cocoa, butter, milk and salt into a saucepan. Boil one minute. Add peanut butter, vanilla and marshmallows (if you choose). Stir until melted. Add oatmeal and coconut flakes (if you choose) and stir. Drop by spoonfuls on waxed paper.

Makes 24-28 cookies depending how small/big you make them.

Family Time at the Bay

Salmon and Pesto Potato Casserole

2 filets of salmon
Honey
Coarse Salt
Pepper
Fish Seasoning (I use Northwood by Penzys which is a rosemary-paprika blend)
Butter
Refrigerated mashed potatoes/Instant potatoes
Pesto (homemade or store bought)
Plain yogurt
Frozen peas
Sweet grape tomatoes
20 oz ramekins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 8x8 glass pan. Add salmon. In a small bowl, squirt some honey  and glaze salmon. Sprinkle salt, pepper and fish seasoning. Add three tablespoons butter to the dish. Cook until fish flakes.

I used instant potatoes. I made enough for 3-4 people. Cook as directed on box. Add a little yogurt and pesto and stir. Taste and add more if needed. I used the individual steam pouch of peas. Add mashed potatoes to each ramekin. Top with salmon. Then top with peas and grape tomatoes. Spoon butter from 8x8 dish and drip on top of each ramekin.

Place in oven for about 5-10 minutes to warm tomatoes.

Turkey Tetrazzini

I know tetrazzini usually calls for linguine, but I really wanted to use up the less than half empty boxes of rotini.

4 turkey breasts
12-16 ounces rotini pasta
2 heads broccoli, trimmed
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
14 ounce can reduced sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
Handful of bread crumbs
Handful of shredded parmesan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. I boiled the turkey breasts because it is easier. You just need to watch it because it can dry out real fast if you cook it too long. Cook pasta as directed on box. Once it is almost done, add broccoli to the pasta water.

In a saucepan, add butter and garlic. Cook just to melt butter. Add flour, salt, pepper, broth and milk. Cook until thickened. Add sour cream and stir until combined. Add cheese and stir until melted.

Add pasta, broccoli and turkey to a casserole dish. Pour cream sauce over and mix. Sprinkle bread crumbs and parmesan over top. Place in oven until cheese is melted.

Homemade Granola

4 cups cereal (I used Honey Bunches of Oats)
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes
1 cup raw almonds
1 cup pecans
1 cup walnuts
1/2 to 3/4 cup sunflower kernels
1 cup pumpkin seeds (optional)
1/3 cup almond butter
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Lightly grease a jelly roll pan. In a large bowl combine everything up to the pumpkin seeds.  In a saucepan, combine everything else and turn heat on low. Stir continuously until the mixture bubbles. It should have the consistency of a glue-like texture. In several stages, drizzle small amounts over the dry mix and stir. Keep doing this until all of the gooey mix is gone and dry mix in evenly coated. Spread evenly on a jelly roll pan and bake for about 20-30 minutes. I would keep checking the granola every 6-10 minutes because it can burn quickly. Cool completely. Add dried fruit if desired. Break up but do not break up clusters. Clusters are good. Store in an air tight container. Can store in the refrigerator too so that it lasts longer.

Chicken Pot Pie

1 refrigerated pie crust roll
4 chicken breasts, diced
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp fresh oregano
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cup carrots, finely diced
1 1/2 cup frozen peas
milk (optional)
sea salt (optional)
10 oz or 20 oz oven safe ramekins (Will need four ramekins if using the 20 oz)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and let pie crust come to room temperature.  I boiled chicken until done. I let it cool and then cut into pieces.  I used my food processor to finely chop the carrots. It took about three carrots. In a saucepan, add broth, flour, oregano and pepper. Add carrots and cook over medium heat until broth thickens and bubbles. Add peas and heat through. Set aside.

Unroll pie crust. I flipped over one ramekin onto the pie crust. Using a knife, I cut around the ramekin leaving a tad bit of room for the pie crust to fold over. Make as many as you need. Fill ramekins and drape pie crust over each. Cut a slit or an 'x' into each for steam to escape. Light brush milk on top and sprinkle salt.

Place a jelly roll pan in the oven. Place ramekins on the jelly roll pan in case anything spills over when cooking.

Bake uncovered for about 20 minutes or until top is golden brown. Let cool for about 10-15 minutes.


538 calories per serving if you do the milk and salt topping.

Blueberry and Strawberry Cobbler

Filling:
8 oz fresh blueberries
8 oz fresh strawberries, quartered
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)
2/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/8 tsp fine sea salt
1 tbsp butter, in small pieces

Crumble topping:
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  You can also use frozen berries but you just need to thaw them first. In a bowl, combine salt, cornstarch and salt. Stir so all is blended together. Add berries and coat. Add to a lightly greased 8x8 or 9x9 glass baking pan. Drop the pieces of butter that add up to 1 tbsp across the pan. Set aside. In a food processor, add all of the crumble ingredients in order. Add the butter last. Pulse until all is blended and resembles a coarse meal. Top the berries with the crumble topping. Bake for about 55 minutes or until the crumble topping is gold brown or the filing is bubbling. Cover the dish with foil if the top browns too quickly while baking.

Goes great with vanilla ice cream!

Salmon Salad

This will be my lunch tomorrow. I love tuna/salmon on crackers.

2 pouches of Pink Salmon Chicken of the Sea, 2.60 ounces each
1 celery stalk, finely diced
2 tbsp red onion, finely diced
1/8 tsp coarse sea salt
black pepper to taste
mayonnaise

Add first 5 ingredients to a bowl and mix. Add enough mayonnaise to coat salmon.

Katelyn's Shrimp Pasta with Clam Sauce

This is an easy weeknight meal.

1 pound (16 oz) shrimp, deveined and tails off
1 stick of butter
2-3 cloves minced garlic
1 can clam sauce (not clam juice)
1 box vermicelli or thin spaghetti pasta (I used Ronzoni Smart Taste)
Shredded parmesan

Cook pasta as directed on the box. In a different saucepan add butter and garlic. Heat to melt butter. Add shrimp to the butter and garlic. Cook until pink. Add clam sauce and heat through. Add sauce to pasta. Sprinkle with parmesan and serve.

You can use clam juice, but you would have to thicken it with flour and add all the seasonings.  The clam sauce can be found in the international aisle where the Italian stuff is, in the canned tuna aisle or the soup aisle. My friend told me that Progresso makes one, but I have never seen it.

Oatmeal Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

Similar to this recipe, but just a tad different!

1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (I used J.R Watkins Vanilla Nut Extract)
2 cups oats
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 heaping cup walnut pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt into a bowl.  In another bowl combine both sugars and softened butter. Use a mixer to blend together. Add egg and blend. Add vanilla and bananas and blend until smooth. Add to the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Add oats and mix thoroughly. Add mini chocolate chips and nuts and mix together.

Using a melon baller, drop onto a greased cookie sheet. I pressed mine down a bit so they weren't so mound-like. Bake for 10-15 minutes until bottoms are golden brown.

Yields 25-30 cookies depending on the size.

Martin's Grilled Garlic Chicken

Martin hard at work on the grill:

This recipe does not have any real measurements.

5-6 chicken breasts
Sprinkle garlic powder and minced garlic (dry or wet) on each side

Grill on both sides until done. Steve added some Lowry's Seasoning Salt on each side since he is obsessed with it.

I provided the awesome Richmond, Virginia serving platter.

Lighter Baked Mac and Cheese

I got this recipe here, but I modified it some.

24 oz high fiber elbow pasta
2 tbsp light butter
1/4 cup flour
3 cloves garlic, minced (could use a tad more)
1/4 cup onion, minced
2 cups low fat milk
1 cup fat free chicken broth
8oz reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese
sea salt and pepper to taste (I started with 1/4 tsp pepper and 1/8 tsp salt)
2 cups fresh spinach
Handful of shredded parmesan cheese
Handful of shredded sharp cheese
Handful of seasoned whole wheat breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook pasta in salted water. Melt the butter in a large saucepan on low heat. Add onion and garlic and stir for about two minutes. Add flour and whisk until thick. Add chicken stock and milk. Turn heat to medium and cook until bubbling. Add salt and pepper. Remove from heat and add sharp cheese. Stir until melted and well blended. Adjust salt and pepper if needed.

Transfer pasta to a baking pan. If you want the breadcrumbs to be golden brown then make sure the pan is broiler safe. I did not check that  Add cheese sauce and stir. Add spinach and combine thoroughly. Top with parmesan and sharp cheese first then breadcrumbs. Cook for about 15-20 minutes or until cheese has melted. Place pan in broiler to get the breadcrumbs crispy.

Yogurt Brownies

You can buy the No Pudge Brownie Mix which calls for 6 oz of vanilla yogurt, but I already had a box of brownies on hand. You can do this recipe for pretty much any brownie mix. You swap out the eggs and oil with 6oz Vanilla Yogurt (I used soy yogurt) and then add the water as directed on the box. It yields a more cake like brownie than a fudge one. Still just as yummy.

Grilled Pineapple

We did this recipe last year. I found another recipe here.

5 slices of pineapple
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp lime juice (I just used the kind in the lime shape jar)
1 tsp ground cinnamon (picture taken with Kroger brand cinnamon but I actually used the Watkins brand)

Use the glaze of one side of the pineapple. Place on grill for a few moments and flip. Glaze the other side and grill.

We ate this as is, but would be great with ice cream on the side.

Serves 5.  63.9 calories per serving. 

Smoothie Popsicles

These were slightly impromptu.  I have been wanting to make popsicles for awhile now, but I did not research the market to see what kind of popsicle molds were available and should I purchase one online. I bought this one at Walmart because I happened to be there already. It is smaller than I wanted. I think I will buy another online.

I did a few different ones and none of them had any real measurements.

About four diced strawberries into a blender. I squirt of light Agave Nectar and some orange juice. Blend and poured into two of the popsicle molds. Same recipe, but added scoops of soy vanilla yogurt. Blend and pour into two more.

A small handful of blueberries and a squirt of light Agave Nectar. Half soy vanilla yogurt and half mixed berry soy yogurt and a splash of orange juice. Blend and pour. Same recipe, but added diced strawberries.

A few strawberries chopped with cranberry pomegranate juice, orange juice and light Agave Nectar. Blended until smooth.

I just used what I had on hand. A great way to use up fruit and/or yogurt or smoothie mix you cannot finish.