End of Summer Grilled Beef Skewers and Pineapple Salsa

 Here is a recipe that would be great for this Labor Day weekend.
It is made with Five-Spice powder. If you aren't familiar with
Five-Spice, it is used often in Chinese cuisine and consists of,
you guessed it, five spices: Star Anise, Cloves, Chinese Cinnamon,
Black pepper, and Fennel seeds. It can be purchased in the
spice aisle along with all the other spices.

I wanted to marinate beef in a Five-Spice marinade,
then skewer and grill the beef for dinner.  I was at Costco 
looking for flank steak or skirt steak that I could thinly slice 
for the skewers. I didn't have luck finding one of those two 
and had to settle on Flap Steak. 

Flap Steak is a thin cut of meat that comes from a bottom sirloin

butt cut of beef. It differs from Flank Steak because it comes from a more 

rear portion of the beef.  Likewise, Skirt Steak is even more forward then

then Flank Steak.  Flap Steak is sometimes confused with Hanger Steak

but it is not.  Both Hanger Steak and Skirt Steak are cut from the

diaphragm of the beef.  I think Flap Steak gets a bad wrap but I

have to admit it usually isn't my first choice either.

 

BUT as a thin piece of meat, it works beautifully

for skewers. It marinates nicely, and grills quickly.
The finished dish shows how thin the meat is.
I only cut it width-wise for the skewers.

The original five-spice marinade recipe came from 
 Better Homes and Gardens and the recipe I used as
modified can be found on BHG Delish Dish.
On this site, it is served with a yogurt sauce,
but I wanted to go even lighter and chose a pineapple salsa.
 
I, unfortunately, don't recall where this recipe for the pineapple 
salsa originated.  You can use these amounts listed in the recipe
below and at the end, give it a taste and make adjustments to
to your liking. The flavor improves as it sits in the refrigerator. 

This pineapple salsa is delicious and is also great as a side dish
for chicken or just served with tortilla chips (and a margarita!).

It's also great with these Five-Spice beef skewers.

Enjoy!

Pineapple Salsa

Source: Unknown

 

Serves 6

1 fresh pineapple, cored and diced

3 green onions, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantry

2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lime juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cumin

Combine. Cover and chill. 

Please join me as I link up with

Rattlebridge Farm's Foodie Fridays

 

 

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Fondly,
~Karen

Watermelon Slicer - A Favorite Foodie Gadget

How many times have we struggled to cut a watermelon?

It's size makes it clumsy and awkward to cut.

Have you seen one of these? 

Now, believe it or not, I really don't run out and buy the 

latest cooking gadget.  I actually tend to be a traditionalist

and have very few gadgets.  But this got my attention.  

I love using my similar, and much smaller, apple slicer for apples, 

so why not one for watermelons?

It says it slices up to a 25 lb. melon, including other

melons and pineapple.  I was expecting this slicer to be large.

It's size made me laugh when I took it out of the box.

It's HUGE and it works like a charm!

 It's blades are made of stainless steel and it's plastic hand grips make it comfortable
 to press down.  I was VERY pleased to see it includes a much-needed safety cap

for when not in use.  It would be scary to store it without it.

As you can see, its recommended to cut off each side first.  This enables

the melon to sit on the board without rocking on its end and ensures

a safe and even cut.  The blades are sharp, but it does take a little bit of

muscle.  I lightly pound the grips to get it through the largest part.

And, what do you think about that middle piece?

I call that a "Chef's Snack" and I might even fight for that piece 

from the heart of the watermelon.

I am left with 12 uniform slices after mere seconds.

Just think how quickly one can cut-up watermelons for a crowd?

I found my melon slicer on Amazon.com here.

Now I just need to find a place to store it... 

I will be sharing this post on

 

Thank you for visiting!!

Fondly,

~Karen 

World Famous Banana Museum

Would you believe there is a Banana Museum in So Cal?

I would bet most Southern Californians don't even know it.  I didn't, but

my sister did. On a recent day trip through the area, she insisted we stop in.

Sure enough, there is an International Banana Museum

World Famous and recorded in the Guiness Book of World Records.

It's official website can be found here.

It is located in the desert Coachella Valley, Southeast of Palm Springs,

on the North Shore of the Salton Sea in Mecca, California.

It made it into the Guiness Book as having the largest

collection of banana-related items.  Do you believe me now?

Everywhere I looked, banana items and more banana items.

Everywhere I looked there was a banana something.

If it were made into a banana - its here!

But not just to look at - but to eat! 

As a foodie, I was all about that.

I jumped on one of those banana and ape stools quickly

to decide what I would have.

Banana Shakes in Banana-Chocolate, Banana Strawberry, or Banana Mango?

How about a Banana Float with Rootbeer, Orange, or Peach Soda?

or a Banana Sundae!!!

My sister and niece split (haha!) a Banana Split

while my mom and I shared a Banana Milkshake but we

didn't wait to take a picture.  Sorry :(. 

But, I did stop this one guy headed out to his

car with this Banana Sundae

(with a cute banana and monkey napkin!)

and he kindly let me take a picture. 

It was a thumbs up for everything that we ate.

I think I will get a Banana Sundae if I ever return.

 

All inspiring, I got home and decided I needed to make

my own banana something.

 

Check back and see what I decided to make...

and if you ever get in the desert -- go see the International Banana Museum.

 

Fondly,

~Karen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Detoxing Sassy Water

After beginning my New Year with practicing pie crusts and making

pies in the first half of the month of January, I find it more than necessary

to at least do a water cleanse before the end of the month.
So, I have been drinking a Detox Water for 3 days straight!

Now I'm not a healthcare professional, and am totally going on

what I have read about it only, but the benefits of drinking a 

detox water claim to flush out impurities from our body, 

bring a clearness to the over-all look of our skin, and help 

to debloat our belly giving us a flat belly!  A leading flat belly 

diet calls it Sassy Water. I love that word Sassy.

It just sounds... so... sassy!

 

A detox water can also be used to kick off any weight loss program.

It is made by combining good water with fresh ingredients

in a glass container and placing it all in the refrigerator

overnight to soak up and meld the flavors.

 

It is drank in its entirety over the course of the next day
and is re-made and repeated for another two days. Three days
overall. I do not think there is any harm in re-using any of its
ingredients for the latter two days if they are still looking fresh.

 

Like any detox, it is best to eat whole and healthy foods

at the time of detoxing.  Seems an oxymoron to 

detox and eat unhealthy, doesn't it?

 

Most recipes are generally the same which include lemons, 

cucumber, and mint leaves.  I have seen fresh ginger added

which would add additional benefits for improving the
absorption of nutrients in the body.

Here is the recipe I have used:

Detox Water

Makes 3 quarts

 

3 quarts bottled water

2 lemons, sliced

1/2 hothouse cucumber, sliced

1 teaspoon, freshly grated ginger (opt.)

10-12 mint leaves

Combine all ingredients in a glass container. (Split between 2 containers, if necessary.) Refrigerate overnight.

At the very least, this water is hugely refreshing, pretty to look

at, and would be welcomed at a luncheon or spa-day with the girls.

Did it give me a flat belly?  Not completely sure.  I'm thinking

losing 5 pounds would probably give me a flatter belly!

 

Give it try and see what you think and how you feel afterwards!

 

I, once again, will be linking up to

Rattlebridge Farm's Foodie Friday

 

Thank you for visiting,

 

Fondly,

~Karen

 

 

Berry Spring Salad

This could also be called a Berry Summer Salad - but its still Spring!

Spring greens tossed with Wisconsin Bleu Cheese (Gorgonzola), small slices

of red onion, and fresh blueberries.  I added some Craisins (aka dried

cranberries) for added color and added sweetness. 

My salad dressing of choice is Ken's Steak House Lite Raspberry

Walnut Vinaigrette.  This is a delicious low-fat and low-calorie dressing.

I like the way the raspberry flavor adds an additional berry taste.

This salad makes a nice and light side to our dinner tonight.

In lieu of a starch, I'm serving it along side halved cherry tomatoes

drizzled with balsamic vinegar and olive oil with chopped fresh basil.

The Menu

Grilled Salmon

Berry Spring Salad

Cherry Tomatoes

Recipe:

Berry Spring Salad

Adapted from a Better Homes and Garden recipe

4 cups mixed greens

1 cup fresh blueberries

1/4 cup bleu cheese or feta

1/8 cup Craisins (dried cranberries)

1/8 cup thinly sliced red onion

1/4 cup toasted walnuts (optional)

Ken's Steak House Lite Raspberry Walnut Dressing

Toss together salad ingredients.  Drizzle with desired amount of vinaigrette.  Tossing gently to coat.

Enjoy!

Thank you for visiting me!

I will be joining:

On The Menu Monday

Foodie Friday

Fondly,

~ Karen

Blood Orange Salad

I get excited when I see a produce stand on the side of the road. 

It calls out fresh... and locally grown.  In this case, picked less than a mile away!  Actually, rumour had it they had freshly picked

Blood Oranges and I sought it out.

... and $2.00/bag was a pleasant surprise!

(Blood Oranges on the bottom and Tangelos on the top.)

Just as exciting to buy them is deciding what to make with them!

Juicy and sweet!

I first considered making a batch of Blood Orange Marmalade but

thought the fruit was a tad on the small side and I'd be

peeling until the cows came home!

So, a Blood Orange Salad it will be!

My recipe below was adapted from this recipe from a sorority sister:

As you can see, the bare minimum!

This is what I came up with:

Recipe:

Blood Orange Salad

Blood Oranges, reserve a few for juicing

1/2 cup of freshly squeezed Blood Orange juice

1/4 cup sugar

2 dashes of cinnamon

1 dash of cloves

With a knife, peel the number of Blood Oranges you wish to serve, cutting away all the pith and leaving just the fruit.  Slice and put into a bowl.  Combine juice and sugar in a small saucepan and place on medium-high heat.  Bring to boil, reduce to simmer, and reduce by half until you get a syrupy consistency, apx. 15-20 mins.  Add cinnamon and cloves and continue reducing for another 3 minutes.  Let cool slightly and toss with sliced Blood Oranges.  Add a little at a time until you get the sweetness you like.  Combine well and let sit until slightly cooled.  Best served cold.

I spared you all the mess!  Yes, the deep bloody red juice can be messy.

You might want to freak out like you would with

pomegranate juice but fortunately this juice doesn't stain.

And, now for the final reveal:

The color is just amazing and I think that is why I am so

fascinated with Blood Oranges.

I served the Blood Orange Salad in a depression glass Columbia

serving bowl/plate.  I then served individual portions in

depression glass Candlewick glasses.  Just beautiful!

Thank you for joining me in my first post and please

visit me often as I embark on this blogging journey!

I am joining:

~ Karen