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

A Bird's Nest Napkin Fold and Dinner!

 Lucky me! 

Continued outdoor dining at my daughter's!

Previously, I enjoyed a lovely dinner on her balcony.

If you missed that post, you can check it out HERE

 

Tonight, dinner was originally for four but dwindled down to two.

That's okay. It happens... and it means more leftovers!

I like to include one or more wow-factors when entertaining

and often a napkin fold does just that.  I found this fun napkin 

fold in the shape of a bird's nest on You Tube HERE demonstrated

 by Denise Vivaldo. She has authored a book named 

"Top 100 step-by-step Napkin Folds." 

I decided to go with a bird theme and thought it coordinated

 well with this Morning Glories tablecloth and matching 

cloth napkins from Target.

My dinner for two began with an easy appetizer.

On a skewer, I added a cube of cantaloupe melon, a small fresh mozzarella

ball, and thinly sliced prosciutto.  I placed two each in margarita glasses,

drizzled each glass with a balsamic reduction sauce and chopped parsley.

The sweet melon goes beautifully with the Italian dry-cured ham

and the mozzarella ball has great texture and adds to the overall flavor.

They are pretty and were very nice to nosh on with a glass of wine.

For the entree, I made an Artichoke Chicken and Spinach Lasagna and served it

with a Caprese Summer Salad with Cannellini Beans. The salad had a

Basil Pesto Dressing that was really good.

Instead of a garlic bread traditionally served with lasagna, 

I tested a bread made with pizza dough stuffed with a soft herb

cheese, sprinkled with parmesan and topped with sliced zucchini 

and red onion.  You can find that recipe HERE.

Dessert was a wonderfully simple Lemon and Pistachio 

one-layer cake. Check back and I'll share the recipe with you.

I will be linking up with these following blog parties:

The Tablescaper's Seasonal Sundays

Between Naps on the Porch's Tablescape Thursdays 

Rattlebridge Farm's Foodie Fridays

 

 As always, thanks for visiting me!

 

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 

Summer Balcony Dining and Fresh Strawberry Salad

 One of my favorite things to do is to eat outdoors.
On a recent summer evening, I enjoyed a lovely dinner at 

my daughter's on her balcony.  The weather was a beautiful 70-something.

Perfect for outdoor dining with a friend and family.

I made a centerpiece using store-bought flowers, combining 

them with sliced limes inside a square glass vase. You can see

I placed some of the discarded flower stems on the bottom of the

vase to help wedge in the limes (to avoid their tendency to float)

and to act as a floral frog to anchor in the flowers.

 

Our food picture taking was a little scarce, but I did want 
to share with you this delicious Fresh Strawberry Salad.

This fresh baby spinach salad included bleu cheese crumbles, 

thickly-sliced fresh strawberries, sliced red onion, and blanched 

slivered almonds. I dressed it with a White Balsamic Apple Vinaigrette.

I don't use a recipe, but a very similar one is this copy-cat
version of Panera Bread's White Balsamic Fuji Apple Vinaigrette.

 What a relaxing way to spend the evening... outside.

Where do you like to eat during the summer?

Thank you for visiting.

I will be linking up with these talented ladies' linky parties:

Fondly,

~Karen

Happy Birthday America!

 

Today, America turns 238!

I feel truly blessed to be an American.  

Wishing everyone an enjoyable Independence Day.

 

Let's wave our flags proudly today and everyday!

Fondly,

~Karen

A Patriotic Red, White and Blue Berry Tart

Why not celebrate Independence Day

with a festive berry tart? 

The original recipe came from here and calls for using

a tube of pre-made sugar cookie dough for the shell and

star cut-outs. Sounds easy, but I can foresee the cookie dough

only expanding and puffing in the oven (even after chilling 
awhile) and the stars not looking like stars once baked.  
So, I opted to use a trusted Pate Sucree 
(fancy French for a sweet crust).  If you

want an easy, good, all around Pate Sucree recipe,

Martha Stewart has a great one here.

I blind baked the crust first and baked the cut-out stars 
on another baking sheet.  I also made the 
filling ahead of time and left it in a bowl in the frig 
until I was ready to finish assembling

the tart before taking the picture and serving it.

The just-out-of-the-frig filling makes this finished tart cool and
refreshing, besides being delicious and patriotic!

Here is my recipe:

Red, White, and Blue Tart

Adapted from Recipe.com

Ingredients:

1 recipe Pate Sucree
Sugar for sprinkling
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 cup fresh blueberries
2 cups mixed fresh red raspberries and fresh strawberry halves

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 

For crust and cookies:
On a lightly floured surface roll out pate sucree to about 1/8" and at least 13 1/2".  Using this rolled out pastry, cut one 10 1/2" x 13 1/2" rectangle and fit into an 8" x 11" tart pan with a removable bottom. With lightly floured hands, gently push the pastry up the sides of the tart pan (being careful not to stretch the pastry). Place the rolling pin on the top edge of the tart pan and gently roll, cutting off the pastry flush with the top of the tart pan.  Using a star cookie cutter, use the remaining pastry to cut out stars. Place the stars on a parchment lined baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar.  Freeze both the tart and stars for 15 minutes.  Prior to baking, place pie weights (or beans/rice) on top of parchment in the tart pan. Bake until sides look like they are beginning to get golden brown, about 12 minutes. Take off parchment and weights and continue to bake until bottom is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Bake the cookies until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

For filling:
In a mixing bowl, combine condensed milk, sour cream, lemon peel, and juice. Stir about 3 minutes or until mixture is thickened. Cover and chill until ready to assemble tart.

To assemble:
Loosen and remove sides of pan from crust. Transfer crust to a platter, leaving bottom of pan under crust. Before serving, spread filling onto crust. Top with berries and cookies. Cut into squares. Makes 12 servings.



 What are you planning to eat for Independence Day?

Thank you for visiting.

This week I will be joining:

Rattlebridge Farm for Foodie Friday

Fondly,

~Karen



Flower Lemon Rosemary Tea Cookies

Some of you might be thinking lemon and rosemary in a cookie?

Lemons and Rosemary actually make a great flavor combination. 

It is most often used together in chicken dishes but in this case

it is used together in a tea cookie.

This tea cookie is basically made from a shortbread dough

with a wonderful butter flavor along with the lemon and rosemary.

Using my spritz gun, I made flower spritzes of the dough then

baked them. 

 

Using a small metal spatula, I very carefully lifted the warm

tea cookies onto a cooling rack.  After letting them completely

cool, I drizzled them with some lemon and sugar icing

from a small parchment piping bag.

 

As you can see, they came out as cute little flower cookies.

Crisp and delicious cookies perfect for a tea party!

I would like to give credit for this recipe where credit is do,
so you can click on The Gray Boxwood for this recipe.

Enjoy!

Fondly,
~Karen