Strawberry Rhubarb Simple Syrup

Experimenting with fun flavors led me to making this simple syrup to use as a mixer for both non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks. Mix it with soda water or with Vodka and lime juice for a refreshing after work drink.

YUM!

Ready to be strained

Ingredients
Make 2 1/2 cups Syrup

1 carton strawberries, chopped
3 stalks rhubarb, chopped
2 cups water
2 cups white sugar

Bring sugar and water to a boil on medium heat, use a soup pan when doing this. Once water comes to a boil add fruit and lower heat. Cover and let simmer for about 20-25 minutes, or until the fruit begins to break down. Remove from heat and allow to slightly cool. When safe to handle strain the fruit from the syrup and chill until ready to use. This had a very strong strawberry taste. If you want something a little more tart you can cut back a little on the sugar, or just use more rhubarb and less berries.....Next on my list is to try this with Mango and Raspberries.

The possibilities for mixing this are endless. A lot of recipes I looked at called for 2 oz syrup to 8oz of liquid and it seemed to be a pretty good place to start.

So what to do with all this leftover fruit??? Do we really want to throw it all away? I pureed mine with a hand blender and stuck it in the freezer to spread on pancakes or to throw in a fruit smoothie. Almost sad to admit I liked the unexpected fruit puree more than the syrup.

Finished Syrup

2oz Syrup, 2 oz Vodka, 6oz Sparkling Grapefruit Juice & Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice

Vinegar Salad

This is a salad that lots of people in my family make. It has it roots in Eastern Europe and is a great cool treat on a hot summer day! If you have a Mandolin slicer this will be your best friend when making this salad.

Ingredients
Serves 4

1/2 cucumber, sliced very thin
3 Roma tomatoes, sliced very thin
1/3 red onion, sliced very thin
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
white sugar, to taste
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
chopped garlic, 1 tablespoon

Mix vinegar and water and add sugar to taste. Start with 1 tablespoon and taste to see if the taste works for you. You essentially want to use 1 part water to 1 part vinegar. However if the taste is too strong you can add a little more water and sugar to balance the taste. I personally like mine to have a string vinegar taste. I then add a dash of fresh ground pepper and about a tablespoon of chopped garlic.

Once the vinegar/ water meets your tastes add the veggies and chill. Serve as a side dish with you favorite summer meal!

Party Potatos

There are many versions of this party pleaser. I modified my sister Stephenie's version to my personal tastes. The variations are endless with this one, have fun and experiment.

Ingredients
Serves 8-12

1 bag cubed frozen hash browns
1 stick butter, melted
1 bag shredded cheddar cheese
1 lb sour cream
1 can cream of celery soup
1 bunch green onions, chopped
garlic powder, to taste
paprika, to taste
fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients into a suitable baking dish, mixing evenly. Bake on 400 until the top of the potatoes looks brown and slightly crispy. Serve warm.

*I live in a studio, which includes on powerful but tiny, mini stove. I can only bake one item at a time unfortunately. In a pinch since I was also baking off my bean dip, I cooked the one from yesterday in the microwave (cheating I know). I cooked this on high for about 6 minutes, stirred and then cooked again for another 6 minutes. While it did not come out of the oven golden brown and beautiful, it was a definite BBQ favorite...You can always modify and tweak the recipes and process as you see fit...

The Tiny but Mighty Stove!

Bean Dip

Using chili beans that you can only buy in the Midwest ( My mom mailed me an entire box of Brooks Hot Chili Bans) I resurrected this party time favorite for my Seattle friends...It is always a hit, and so simple to prepare.

Ingredients
Servings 8-20

1 16oz can hot chili beans
1 32oz can re-fried beans
1 16oz jar Pace Picante Salsa, or your favorite salsa
1 bunch green onion
1bag shredded cheese. I prefer cheddar

Spread re-fried beans into the bottom of rectangular baking pan. Top re-fried beans with chili beans and salsa, evenly spreading the two. Finish off with shredded cheddar (or your favorite cheese) and diced green onions to taste. Personally I think the more the better when it comes to green onions.

Bake on 400 for approx 15-25 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and slightly browned. Serve warm with tortilla chips...And hopefully a Margarita!

Picnic Pasta Salad

This version of pasta salad was a staple of family get BBQ's when I was growing up. Ingredients can vary but the back bone of rainbow pasta, salad seasoning, and your favorite Italian salad dressing always tied it together. Use my version as a base to create your own Picnic Pasta Salad.

Ingredients
Serves 4

1/2 box rainbow Rotini, cooked and chilled
1/3 red bell pepper, diced
1/3 green bell pepper, diced
1/3 yellow bell pepper, diced
1/3 orange bell pepper, diced
1/3 cucumber, peeled and diced
15 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 small head of broccoli, segmented into tiny florets
Kraft Italian Red Pepper Vinnegrette, or your favorite Italian style dressing, to taste
Johnny's Salad Elegance Seasoning, to taste

Combine all ingredients in to a large bowl and combine. I always start modestly with both the dressing and the salad seasoning, you can always add more. Once combined chill until serving. The dressing normally settles at the bottom of the bowl, so be sure to stir the salad before serving.

Minestrone Soup

Minestrone soup is a common Italian soup made with fresh seasonal vegetable along with the addition of beans and pasta. This soup can be made a variety of ways to suit each persons tastes. It is simple yet hearty. My version is always vegetarian and varies with the seasons.

Ingredients
Serves 4-6

32oz box of your favorite stock/ broth. I prefer to use a vegetarian "No Chicken, Chicken Stock
1 can petite diced tomatoes
Handful of frozen corn
Handful of frozen peas
1 small zucchini, chopped
1 carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1/4 red pepper, diced
1 cup cooked Ditalini pasta, or whatever you prefer
1/2 small white onion diced
2-3 kale leafs, chopped thin


Spices to taste:
paprika
parsley
black pepper
garlic paste
onion powder
thyme
sea salt
1 generous squirt of ketchup (trust me on this one)

Combine all ingredients with the exception of the pasta and heat until it comes to a boil. Once it boils turn down to a simmer for about 45-60 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Add pasta before serving so they do not become overly starchy in the soup. 

Serve with fresh grated Parmesan cheese and crusty bread.

Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing

Who doesn't love a cinnamon roll? I have experimented with various recipes and had one kitchen fire to put together my version of this brunch time favorite. 

Dough
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 (.25 ounce) package quick rise yeast
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
1 egg

Filling 
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, softened

Cream Cheese Icing 
1/4 cup, 1 stick, softened butter 
4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar 
1 tsp of pure vanilla or vanilla extract 

Preheat oven to 350F. 

Heat the milk on medium heat until it bubbles, remove from heat. Mix in butter; stir until melted. Set aside to cool.

Combine 2 1/4 cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl.  Add water,egg and milk; combine. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. When combined turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.If the dough is too sticky sprinkle lightly with flour to help absorb excess moisture. 

Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let rise for 10 minutes. Use this time to mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, softened margarine; set aside. 

Roll dough into an approx.12x9 inch rectangle. Spread dough evenly with filling. Roll dough into a tube and pinch seam to seal. Cut into 12 equal size pieces and place into a lightly greased muffin tin. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. 

Bake for 15- 20 minutes, or until browned. Remove from muffin tins to cool. Rolls can be iced while they are still warm, or you can wait until they are completely cooled. 

For the Cream Cheese Icing combine on high-medium speed butter, cream cheese, and vanilla. Once combine and smooth slowly start to add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time until everything is incorporated. Any extra icing can be stored in the fridge for about a week. 

The dough can be made in advance and frozen for future use. Once the dough has been cut into individual pieces place into a waxed paper lined tray or container.  Cover the top of the pieces with waxed paper as well. Seal try or container well with plastic wrap and freeze. When you are are ready to bake pull from freezer and let thaw and rise for about 30-40 minutes or until they are soft to the touch. They are now ready to bake.

Disclaimer: I baked the first batch off while still slightly frozen and got burned bottoms. If baking them off while frozen I would lower the temp to allow for a longer bake time.