Cool as a Cucumber

Hello friends! It's been a busy summer being the at-home mom of three tween to teens. And I have been thinking of all sorts of blog topics, but with little time to write!  I have certainly shared with you many stories that end up with a mess, or a botched recipe, so much so that I'm guessing I am resembling some old  "I love Lucy" episodes. So, I am taking a slight break from that. I have a twist on the blog...inspired by my booth at a farmer's market. It's held weekly on Wednesdays and I have been enjoying seeing my customers, friends and my awesome buddy, Betsy at the booth next to me. Each week at the Market I have been trying to focus on a different food or specifically fruit or vegetable. And for those that aren't near a market, you may just be inspired to pick up the veggie of the week at your supermarket or else, if you are lucky enough to grow these in your garden... well hurray for you:

This week it's not just any old vegetable: it's a Super Food! Yes, it's the CUCUMBER!

Some of the MANY Health benefits of cucumbers *1
Hydration: Keeps you hydrated, regulates body temperature and flushes out toxins!
Skin Care: High water content, and vitamins A,B,C and minerals are all great for skin, and help reduce water retention, diminishing puffiness and swelling.  That must be why you always see the ladies at the spa with cucumber slices on their eyes!
Cancer fighter: the lignans found in cucumbers have been recently linked to reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and several cancers.*2*3
Stimulates hair growth AND keeps your nail health tip top - keeps them from splitting and cracking! And that is JUST a Few of the benefits. WOWZA -that is some amazing stuff!

Ok so now you know WHY you should get your hands on a cucumber! Now what? Yes, you can just slice and eat it - but there are a lot of fun Recipes with Cucumbers in them...

Last week on my  Pinterest page  I added a recipe that I made at a recent demonstration.  It involved cutting the cucumber into 1-2 inch sections and then hollowing out the top to make a Cucumber Cup. The cups you can make from a cucumber are amazingly cool - you can fill these with a number of different fillings - from a chicken salad to a salsa - to a bacon water-chestnut filling that has teriyaki sauce in it.

Another cool idea is the baby shower favorite: Cucumber sandwiches, with a touch of dill weed (or my favorite Pampered Chef Dill Mix).  There are so many fun ideas. I thought I had invented an idea last summer of adding cucumber to your salsa - but if you do a google search you can see that many other people also agree, adding some diced cucumber to your salsa makes a COOL combination.

Cucumber Canapes is another favorite "concept" of mine - where you take the cucumber and slice on the bias (45 degree angle) and then take your decorator set and add your favorite dip. I found a fantastic dip that is more of a cheese spread than a dip, the name is Kaukana's Garden Vegetable Cheese Spread - and it's amazingly light.   I like to call it Garden Vegetable Mousse.  THAT recipe was inspired by a different one (see picture)  called: Creole Shrimp & Cucumber Canapés. 

So many ideas, so little time. Come visit me in Aurora at the West Plaza Farmer's Market - and pick up a sheet of fantastic cucumber recipes. Here is one that is delicious!

Kathy



Creole Shrimp & Cucumber Canapés
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (125 mL) ketchup
2 tbsp (30 mL) Creole Rub, divided
1 tbsp (15 mL) finely chopped onion
1 tbsp (15 mL) finely chopped green bell pepper
1 tbsp (15 mL) finely chopped celery
1/4 tsp (1 mL) hot pepper sauce
4 oz (125 g) cream cheese, softened
1 seedless cucumber
24 cooked medium shrimp (41-50 per lb), peeled and deveined, tails removed
2 tbsp (30 mL) finely chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
1.  Combine ketchup, 1 tbsp (15 mL) of the rub, onion, bell pepper, celery and hot sauce in (1-cup/250-mL) Prep Bowl. Combine cream cheese and remaining rub in Small Batter Bowl; mix well. Attach open star tip to Easy Accent(R) Decorator; fill with cream cheese mixture.

2.  Cut cucumber on a bias into twenty-four 1/4-inch-thick (6-mm) slices using Santoku Knife. Pipe cream cheese mixture evenly over centers of cucumber slices. Place shrimp over cream cheese mixture; spoon cocktail sauce over shrimp. Garnish with parsley.

Yield:  24 servings

Nutrients per serving:  (1 appetizer): Calories 30, Total Fat 1.5 g, Saturated Fat 1 g, Cholesterol 5 mg, Carbohydrate 2 g, Protein 2 g, Sodium 80 mg, Fiber 0 g
(C)The Pampered Chef, Ltd. 2012


Cucumber Health Benefits taken from the following sources:

1. http://www.healthonlinezine.info/15-health-benefits-of-cucumber.html
2. http://www.naturalnews.com/035719_cucumbers_anti-aging_vegetables.html
3 http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/cucumber.html

Summer Sunday

Summer Sundays remind me of picnics, backyard gatherings and fun parties. In my opinion, the king of all activities is catching a summer concert at Ravinia. Ravinia, if you have not been, is an outdoor theater, North of Chicago, that has pavilion seating and lawn seating.  The lawn is the way to go. It's truly beautiful. You bring your picnic, candelabra (you think i'm kidding?) haul (or rent!) your chair and table and share a meal or snack with your BFFs, while the music of the day is piped in around you, playing live in the open-air pavilion steps away.  I have seen people show up with their bag of KFC, sitting on the postage stamp patch of mulch under a tree that was all that was left because they came too late.  Sitting next to them is someone that has been there for 3 hours, sipping wine, snacking on their gourmet sampling, and sharing a beef tenderloin on real china. It's kinda funny. 

Another fun perk when you are sitting in the lawn, waiting for music to start, is you get to meet your neighbors. One time we were with a group and suddenly began chatting with our neighboring picnickers and the woman had told us she was a nurse. After a glass of wine (or two) I began telling her how much I admired nurses, my mother is a geriatric nurse and I appreciated what a hard job it would be to have to deal with death on a daily basis. Suddenly my husband's phone rang, and it was my mother (who was watching the children). And she said "Tell Kathy to hang up her phone, and that people don't die every day!" Apparently I had butt-dialed her and she heard our entire conversation! oops! 

Well, whether you have a Ravinia or just a park district that does a summer concert series... or whatever, the picnic is what I love! I do sell some fantastic picnic supplies in my business complete with drink holders you stick in the lawn, bowls that collapse for easy transport and if you haven't seen my cool and serve tray, you really should give me a call. But I digress... Let's talk about the best food to transport to one of these amazing opportunities. 

The Appetizers:

No festive gathering is complete with out a few pre-dinner munchies. 

BLT dip - served with crackers, bread toasts, pita chips or french bread, keep it cold in a cool server, or pack in ice and eat first. See the end for my favorite old recipe. 

Italian Skewers   - skewered ahead, and put in a collapsible bowl or reusable 


(earth-friendly container)  take a 4 in skewer and add a cherry tomato, 1/4 of a fresh basil leaf, fresh mozzarella chunk,  drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt.  If you cant' find a small skewer, just do larger ones and repeat. This is a festive, attractive fun appetizer. 


Fresh Veggie and Fruit tray - It's essential, because when you are sitting and snacking (and drinking) it's nice to have something that is guilt free. My favs are the crisp pea pods, carrot chips (take a slicer and your full size carrot and slice on the bias (about a 45 degree angle) and it will make you never want a baby carrot again).   Now on the fruit side, grapes, strawberries and fresh pineapple. Grapes and Strawberries are a no-brainer, no mess fruit, and then you have that sweet mess of a pineapple, which of course if you have my pineapplewedger and a big cutting board... it's quick pre-event prep, that tastes so good. 

The Main Course:

Stromboli is always my favorite.  What the heck is stromboli? This was best answered in Wikipedia: "Stromboli is a type of turnover filled with various cheeses, Italian meats or 

vegetables. The dough is Italian bread dough." It's basically like a calzone that is rolled 

instead of topped.  Imagine taking a raw pizza and rolling it up and baking it. Serve it by the slice. 

There are many ways to cheat and take a lot of the time out of this, like a prepared dough 

(aka- Pillsbury) or one of my favs, frozen, then thawed Rhodes brand white bread dough or pizza crust dough. And the toppings can be anything. Sandwich meat like roast beef or 

turkey and layers of cheeses. Add sauteed onions or peppers. Or make it a pizza one and 

just do marinara, pepperoni and cheeses. 

Make this ahead and serve cool, or foil it up right away and serve warm. It's great either 

way. I have a pampered chef recipe below for a darn tasty version of my stromboli.  They 

call it something different. 

I would add desserts but I've procrastinated my day job long enough... desserts next time... 

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!  Eat something fabulous and think of me. :)

KATHY

--------------------------

RECIPES 

Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato Dip

8oz cream cheese, softened

½ cup Ranch Dressing

1 med. Tomato

6 slices of cooked bacon

½ cup chopped celery

2 TB chopped onion

1 tsp sugar

Lettuce Leaves

French Bread, sliced or crackers

Place cream cheese in Batter Bowl. Stir in dressing and mix well. Remove seeds from tomato, dice tomato (reserve a small amount for garnish), chop bacon, celery & onion and add sugar and all the veggies to cream cheese mixture. Cover and refrigerate.  To serve, line bowl with lettuce leaves and fill with dip. Garnish with tomatoes, and serve with toasted bread slices or crackers. 

Stuffed Spinach and Sausage Roll (which I call Stromboli)




Ingredients:


1/2  
pound mild Italian sausage, cooked, drained and crumbled
1  
cup (4 ounces) chopped fresh whole mushrooms
1  
package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1  
cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
2  
garlic cloves, pressed
1  
egg, separated
2  
packages (10 ounces each) refrigerated pizza crust
1  
can (8 ounces) pizza sauce, warmed






Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. In Classic Batter Bowl, combine sausage, mushrooms, spinach, cheese and garlic; mix well. In Small Batter Bowl, separate egg using Egg Separator; add yolk to spinach mixture, reserving egg white.
Roll one pizza crust into a 12 x 9-inch rectangle. Spread half of spinach mixture over dough to within 1/2- inch of edges of dough. Starting at longest side of rectangle, roll up dough, jelly-roll fashion; press seams together to seal. Repeat with remaining pizza crust and filling.
Place rolls, seam sides down, on Large Round Stone. Join ends of rolls to form 1 large ring; pinch together to seal. Lightly beat egg white using Egg Separator; brush over dough. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting. Spoon sauce over each serving.


Yield: 10 servings
For more recipes and ideas, email me at pcgilmore@comcast.net and I will add you on to my business E-newsletter. It's a good one! 

Help! My Kale is on fire!

So I'm not sure if you remember the blog post about me, slowing turning in to Mrs. Claus? Well, I feel like I have been dieting my whole life. Sometimes more successfully than others. Anyway, I am now on this big kick about eating healthy (ya, it started today) and I'm really hoping this will turn things around for me. Since I was just posting about Chocolate on Sunday, I'm sure you are all shocked. 

I was reading in my new favorite book called, Think and Grow Thin, by Charles D'Angelo, about the good foods to eat vs. the "forbidden foods" that should only be eaten on rare occasion. I was so excited when I realized that I have all the tools to make this food. I just didn't have the food. I have been buying a lot of crap. Back in the day when I did Weight Watchers, I obsessively followed the plan, but I seriously ate 1/3 of my points every day in sweets. I lost the weight, but I did not eat healthy. Don't get me wrong, I love weight watchers and what it did teach me. And at the time I loved that I could eat all my points in brownies if I wanted to, but seriously, what was I thinking? This time, I'm just going to focus on being healthy. So off I went to Woodman's today  and 2 1/2 hours later, I have the healthiest fridge you'd ever seen. 

On to the Kale on fire, right? I read in my new book that you can make chips out of Kale (it's a leafy vegetable that most people think is lettuce). It said to bake them in the oven. BUT OH NO! I grabbed out my most fabulous Microwave Chip Maker to make some KALE Chips in the microwave. You can make Sweet Potato chips and potato chips - of which are NORMALLY on the forbidden lists, but HO HO! I CAN have these chips and I can make them in 2-3 minutes in the microwave! Luckily I had some Kale left over from when I used it for garnish at a school event. Well, to make a long story, longer, within 2 minutes the damn Kale started on fire.  Luckily I saw the sparks and grabbed it out without damage to the microwave or the chip maker. I don't know if it was the kale, or the olive oil i lightly spritzed on it, but yikes. 

The recipe worked great in the oven on my large bar pan. I did bake them for 35 minutes -and they melt in your mouth. Now if you KNOW how good Kale is for you, you might consider making a batch. 

Enjoy the recipe... and to read about the amazing health benefits of the cancer-fighting Queen of Greens... check out the article at webmd.com ...

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/the-truth-about-kale

Baked Kale Chips

Rated: Submitted By: LucyDelRey Photo By: CookinBug Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 10 Minutes Ready In: 20 Minutes Servings: 6

"These are a low calorie nutritious snack. Like potato chips, you cannot stop at just eating one. They are great for parties and a good conversation topic."

INGREDIENTS:

1 bunch kale 1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a non insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2.	With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt.
3.	Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.

I hope it doesn't sink

I thought it was terrible when they re-released the Titanic movie a couple weeks after the Mediterranean Cruise ship sank off the coast of Italy. It only recently hit me, that maybe it was because of the 100 year anniversary! I seriously thought it was just a morbid fascination with cruise ships sinking! My bad. I may have been extra sensitive as my company's sales incentive trip is a cruise this year! Maybe?

Well, it did remind me of  a great story Matt and I like to share about our Alaskan Cruise. It was early in the morning and Matt got up to get a cup of coffee, and find out the news of the day. As he was walking down the hall, pictures started falling off the walls, and he started getting really nervous as the ship was listing at a very unusual angle. He came back to the room in a state of alarm, and told me to get dressed, that he was certain that something was wrong. Fortunately, very soon afterward, we found out our Cruise Ship had rescued a commercial fishing boat and it's 3 fishermen that were sinking! We were the closest vessel to the sinking boat, and the fishermen got quite a reception! They were soon celebrities, and they even had a press conference and were answering questions in the ballroom. I hope if I'm ever sinking, a luxury cruise liner is the closest boat! 

So I'm thinking, how can I tie-in food to this story (cause you know how I like to do that). And so Seafood it is! And yes, lent is over, so you could have steak instead...

If you go to Confessions of a Direct Seller on Facebook and like this status - you might be Fan of the week! And a new Rub from my line will be in your mailbox soon if you are chosen! 

Homemdae Cocktail Sauce

Cause you know, you always forget to buy it! 

Classic Cocktail Sauce
Ingredients:
1 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco(R) pepper sauce
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Directions:
1.  Combine ketchup, horseradish, pepper sauce and lemon juice; mix well. Spoon into Small Bowl.

Yield:  1 1/4 cups

Cook's Tips:  To make Classic Shrimp Cocktail, fill Medium Bowl with 4 cups of crushed ice, leaving a small well in center of ice. Press Small Bowl securely into well; fill with Classic Cocktail Sauce. Arrange cooked, peeled, tail-on shrimp over edge of bowl. Garnish with lemon slices and fresh parsley, if desired.

(C)The Pampered Chef, Ltd. 2012

An Old Favorite of mine! 

Shrimp Wonton Cups

Ingredients:

24	wonton wrappers
1	tbsp (15 mL) butter, melted
10	oz (300 g) shelled, deveined, cooked medium shrimp, divided
4	oz (125 g) cream cheese, softened
1	garlic clove, pressed
1/2	tsp (2 mL) Worcestershire sauce
2	green onions with tops, finely chopped
1/3	cup (75 mL) grated carrot
4	oz (125 g) shredded mozzarella cheese (about 1 cup/250 mL)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly spray Deluxe Mini-Muffin Pan with nonstick cooking spray. Brush one side of wontons with butter. Press wontons, buttered side up, into wells of pan. Bake 8 minutes or until edges turn light golden brown. Remove pan from oven.
2. Reserve 24 shrimp; chop remaining shrimp. In large bowl, whisk cream cheese, garlic and Worcestershire sauce until well blended. Add chopped shrimp, green onions, carrot and mozzarella cheese; mix well.
3. Fill each wonton cup with about 1 tbsp (15 mL) of the cream cheese mixture; top with a reserved shrimp. Bake 5 minutes or until wontons are golden brown and filling is bubbly. 

Yield: 24 appetizers

Nutrients per serving: (1 wonton cup): Calories 70, Total Fat 3.5 g, Saturated Fat 2 g, Cholesterol 30 mg, Carbohydrate 5 g, Protein 5 g, Sodium 115 mg, Fiber 0 g

Glazed Peppercorn Salmon

Ingredients:

2 1/4	tsp (11 mL) coarsely ground black pepper, divided
1	orange
2	tbsp (30 mL) white wine vinegar
1	tbsp (15 mL) finely chopped shallot
1	tbsp (15 mL) Dijon mustard
3/4	tsp (4 mL) salt, divided
6	tbsp (90 mL) olive oil, divided
4	skinless salmon fillets (4-6 oz/125-175 g each)

Directions:

1. Place 2 tsp (10 mL) of the black pepper in (8-in./20-cm) Sauté Pan. Cook over medium heat 2-3 minutes or until fragrant. Zest orange to measure 1 tbsp (15 mL) zest. Juice orange to measure 1/4 cup (50 mL) of juice. In a small mixing bowl, combine juice, zest, vinegar, shallot, mustard, 1/2 tsp (2 mL) of the salt and toasted black pepper. Slowly add 5 tbsp (75 mL) of the oil, whisking constantly. Set aside 1/4 cup (50 mL) of the glaze.
2. Prepare grill for direct cooking over medium-high heat. Brush salmon with remaining oil and season with remaining salt and black pepper. Grill salmon, covered, 2-3 minutes or until grill marks appear. Turn salmon over using BBQ Flexible Turner; brush with remaining 1/2 cup (125 mL) of the glaze. Cover and cook 2-3 minutes or until salmon flakes easily with a fork. Transfer to a serving platter and drizzle with reserved glaze.

Yield: 4 servings

Nutrients per serving: Calories 400, Total Fat 33 g, Saturated Fat 5 g, Cholesterol 65 mg, Carbohydrate 4 g, Protein 23 g, Sodium 590 mg, Fiber 1 g

These are a few of my favorite things...

No, I'm not talking about Salzburg, or the VonTrapp family singers... which definitely are in my top 10,  I'm just in the mood to go on vacation today, far far away. My mind was drifting off to my favorite place in the world, Italy. The first "premier" trip (premier=very fancy) I earned in my direct selling business was a trip to Rome, Italy. I had never been to Europe. And in 2003, we had not yet had two nickles to rub together to save for a nice vacation. So when my company announced the trip to Rome, I set it in my sights. Not to bore you with the grueling details... I did earn the trip, and Matt and I left for the most fabulous trip of our lives.

Hands down, the most fun thing we did was go on a Roman Wine Village Tour. We went to Moncada Castle in Lanuvio and toured the wine cellars, with an empty cup in hand and poured the vino straight from the barrels! But after our "sampling" we went to the back of the castle and on large grills they prepared the most delicious appetizer that I have every tasted. Grilled Italian bread, drizzled with olive oil, lightly salted and served with a fresh tomato bruschetta. I had never had bruschetta before, but I am happy to say, I have had it a million times since.

Thank you, Italy. Thank you, direct selling business.

Here are a few recipes that remind me of that... there are tons of versions... but my favorite is a light drizzle of olive oil, with a sprinkling of sea salt...

Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil Salad
Ingredients:
4-5 medium plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
7 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
Extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Salt and coarsely ground black pepper
Snipped fresh basil leaves
Grilled or toasted baguette slices

Directions:
Arrange tomato and cheese slices alternately in rows on Rectangle Platter.
Drizzle with oil and vinegar. Season with salt and black pepper; garnish with basil. Serve with baguette slices.
Yield: 4 servings

Easy Tomato Bruschetta Recipe

By: Kristen Oliveri

Fresh tomato bruschetta is a perfect appetizer to serve at parties and family gatherings. The treat is actually low in fat and high in lycopene, a cancer fighting agent found in tomatoes. You can whip up this appetizer with one quick trip to the market. It's best to use the freshest ingredients. Once you make your bruschetta, you can refrigerate it for a few days to serve later in the week.

Tomato Bruschetta Recipe

Ingredients You Will Need:
8 ripe Roma tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 leaves fresh basil, chopped
1 pinch dried oregano
1 pinch salt
1 pinch pepper
1 pinch crushed red pepper
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 loaf of Italian bread

In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, basil, oregano, olive oil and garlic. Mix thoroughly and add the salt and pepper. Refrigerate the mixture for about 15 minutes. On a cutting board, slice the Italian bread on an angle in very thin pieces. Preheat your broiler. On a baking sheet, line up your bread and brown the slices on each side. Spread the mixture on your toasted bread and prepare on a platter. Serve immediately to guests.

Tomato Bruschetta Recipe Variations
Instead of using Italian bread, baguettes or ciabatta bread also work well for this tomato bruschetta recipe. For an extra kick, try adding chopped fresh parsley, one teaspoon minced fresh tarragon and one tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice. Other variations call for four ounces of fresh mozzarella cheese cut into ¼ inch cubes. Place the mozzarella on top of the tomato mixture before serving.

Taken from Life123.com

Italian Olive Bruschetta
They also grew olives at this winery and sold the most fabulous olive oil!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup (50 mL) finely diced red bell pepper
1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
1 tsp (5 mL) Italian seasoning
1 large garlic clove, pressed
1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups (500 mL) small pitted ripe olives, finely chopped
2 tbsp (30 mL) snipped fresh parsley
1 tsp (5 mL) lemon zest
2  tsp (10 mL) lemon juice
24 slices French bread, toasted

Directions:
In (8-in./20-cm) Sauté Pan, combine bell pepper, oil, seasoning, garlic and pepper flakes; cook and stir using Square Slotted Spoon over medium heat 1-2 minutes or until bell pepper is crisp-tender. Remove from heat; stir in olives, parsley, lemon zest and juice. Serve olive mixture with bread slices.

Yield: 12 servings

Nutrients per serving: Calories 200, Total Fat 4.5 g, Saturated Fat 1 g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Carbohydrate 35 g, Protein 6 g, Sodium 510 mg, Fiber 2 g