Time together in a pretty place with good food is how many couples like to spend their days off. Last summer we did just that. Like our parents and grandparents many years ago, we packed a picnic and traveled to nearby parks on pretty Sunday afternoons.
The scenery included dams, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, log cabins, forts, stone bridges and trails.
The food included seafood, poultry, beef, cheese, salads, melon, apples, muffins, loaves, crisps, parfaits and tarts.
We traveled to 18 parks, all within driving range of our Morgantown, West Virginia home:
Prickett's Fort and Valley Falls in Marion County,
Teter Creek Lake in Barbour County (WV), Savage River Dam in Maryland,
Ryerson Station State Park in West Greene County, Pennyslvania and Audra State Park in Barbour County (WV), like the other 12, are all places I'd recommend .
We found tables high in the air and on the side of mountains.
One day we ate on a rock, another day we walked around a locked gate to access a table.
My favorite picnic was the day it rained and we found a dry spot in a pavilion where the day school kids and their counselors admired our outing and learned life lessons on staying together!
Like at home, our meals included lots of vegetables and fruit, with lean protein and whole grains. I usually made much of the food the day before, then chilled and transported in ice packs to keep it cold.
Later in the season we purchased a second thermos and made homemade soup for the center of the plate. (We always took a thermos of coffee to enjoy after each meal).
We made lots of memories and look forward to another season and a roadside table on the West Virginia byways!
To view each of our meals, refer to the Picnic Index on the left side of this blog.
Pistachio-Crusted Chicken and Cauliflower Curry-the timing of these 2 dishes flowed perfectly to create a meal for 2 in 45 minutes. Thanks to Rachel Ray Magazine and Fine Cooking for the recipes.
Pistachio-Crusted Chicken Breast
(Serves 2)
1-6 oz. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
Pound breast thinly.
1/2 cup Pistachios
Shell. Place in food processor with
1 Tablespoon Sesame Seeds
1/8 teaspoon Mrs. Dash
Process to a fine crumb.
Place in ziploc bag. Add chicken breast and cover with crumbs.
Bake in preheated oven at 400 F. until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. (approximately 20 minutes).
Slice thinly. Serve on a bead of greens with Lime Yogurt Sauce.
Lime Yogurt Sauce
(Serves 2)
2 Tablespoons Greek Yogurt
1 Tablespoon Lime Juice, fresh squeezed
1/2 teaspoon Ground Coriander
Dash Cayenne Pepper
I made the Spicy Curried Cauliflower dish before. Another photo and recipe can be found here. The pretty golden cauliflower was purchased at Saturday's Winter Farmers Market!
The photo of the Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Pesto Trees in a Holiday Favorite Supplement to Food Network Magazine was enough to convince me to try this tasty recipe. This was so good and so much fun!
Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Pesto Trees
(Serves 3)
Soup
3 Red Peppers
Broil for 7 minutes, turning. Place in bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Set aside.
1 teaspoon Olive Oil
1 Celery Heart with leaves, diced
1 Small Carrot, peeled and diced
1 Spring Onion, white and light green parts only, diced
Saute over medium heat for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Move vegetables to one side of pan.
Add to other side:
1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste
1 teaspoon Thyme
Heat 2 minutes, then stir to combine.
Add:
Cooked Red Pepper, skins and seeds removed, diced
2 cups Low Sodium Vegetable Broth
1 small Potato, peeled and diced
Bring to a boil and gently boil for 35 minutes.
Blend and keep warm.
Pesto
1 small head Broccoli
Bring a pan of water to a boil. Place broccoli head side down in water and boil for 2 minutes. Remove and immerse in ice water. Pat dry.
Add flowers to food processor, along with
1 teaspoon Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons toasted Almonds
1 Garlic Clove
2 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese, grated
Process until fine.
Trees
1 Pita Bread, halved
Cut bread into trees with cookie cutter. Toast.
Add pesto to trees, then float in hot soup.
The Pear Chutney recipe was inspired by Eating Well.
Pear Chutney
(Serves 2)
2 Pears, peeled and diced in 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 cup Water
2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
1 inch Ginger piece, peeled and sliced
1 Star Anise Pod
1/2 teaspoon Five Spice Powder
1/4 cup Fresh Cranberries
Simmer for 20-25 minutes. Serve warm.
Have a great week!
Lentil Soup, Homemade Flatbread and Butternut Squash Dip for Supper on this rainy December Eve! The soup recipe was from Taste of the South Magazine.
Sausage-Lentil Soup with Greens
(Serves 6-8)
2 Turkey Italian Sausage Links
1/2 cup Onion, diced
1/2 cup Celery, diced
Saute in large kettle for 8 minutes.
Add:
3 cups Water
3 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
1 1/2 cups Lentils
Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, partially covered, for 35 minutes.
Add:
1 16 oz. can Diced Tomatoes, without salt
2 Tablespoons Cider Vinegar
1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash
4 cups Spinach-Arugula Mix
Simmer for 10 additional minutes.
The sweet dip recipe is from Food and Wine Magazine.
Butternut Squash and Orange Dip
(2 Dinner Servings)
1 small Butternut Squash
Peel, remove seeds and cut in 1 inch pieces.
Place in baking dish.
Add:
1 Orange, segmented and cut in pieces.
1 teaspoon Orange Zest
2 Cardamom Pods, cracked
1 Anise Star
1 small Cinnamon Stick
1 Tablespoon Earth Balance Buttery Spread
1 Tablespoon Honey
Small pinch Saffron
1/4 cup Water
Bake at 400 F. for about 1 hour. Remove spice pods, stick and star. Process squash mixture in food processor.
We ate our dip with Manakish Be Za'atar.
Friday night culinary crafting made for a delightful Saturday morning breakfast for this busy working senior! The recipe was inspired by Food Network Magazine. I modified the ingredients to cut the added sugars. Some ingredients I changed to use items I add on hand. And some ingredients I substituted to use items I always buy. Here's my version:
Pear Cheesecake
(Serves 12)
Wrap the outside of a 7 inch springform pan with foil. Spray with Pam.
Crust
8 Graham Crackers (16 squares)
4 Tablespoons Earth Balance Buttery Spread
1 teaspoon Ginger
Process in food processor. Press into bottom and 1 inch up the side of the prepared pan.
Pears
2 Tablespoons Earth Balance Buttery Spread
3 Bartlett Pears, peeled and sliced in 1/2-inch wedges
1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar
3 Tablespoons Molasses
Prepare the pears by melting buttery spread in a large skillet. Add pears, sprinkle with sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pears are lightly browned around the edges, 5-7 minutes. Add molasses and cook until syrupy, about 2 more minutes.
Filling
1# Ricotta Cheese, part-skim
1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
3 Eggs
2 teaspoons pure Vanilla Extract
2 Tablespoons Flour
1 1/2 cups Greek Yogurt
Beat cheese and sugar in mixer until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and flour and beat until just combined, then add the yogurt and beat until smooth.
Pour the filling into the prepared crust. Arrange the pear slices on top; set aside any extra molasses syrup at room temperature for serving. Bake at 325 F. for 75 minutes, until knife inserted in cheesecake comes out clean. Cool on rack to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate overnight.
To serve, drizzle with molasses syrup.
Garlic Chips, Yorkshire Popovers and a sweet Pepper Sauce adorn this thinly sliced sirloin steak. Each step of the meal was a new creation. The beef recipe was inspired by Food and Wine Magazine. The Yorkshire Pudding recipe was inspired by Food Network Magazine.
Beef with Sweet Pepper Sauce
(Serves 5)
1 # Sirloin Steak
4 ounce Sweet Red Peppers, seeded and stems removed
1 Garlic Clove
1/4th cup Fresh Lime Juice
2 Tablespoon Water
Blend all ingredients except steak. Place steak in crock pot. Pour sauce over. Cook on low for 2 hours.
Garlic Chips
1/4 cup Garlic Cloves, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. Milk
Bring the milk and garlic juist to a boil. Drain. Pat the slices dry on paper towels.
1 teaspoon Canola Oil
Cook garlic in oil 1-2 minutes until golden.
Yorkshire Pudding
(5 Popovers)
2 Eggs
1/3 cup & 1 Tablespoon Flour
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/3 cup & 1 Tablespoon Milk
Combine the eggs and milk in a bowl. Whisk until totally combined. Add the flour and salt. Whisk until smooth. Portion batter into greased muffin tin. Bake in hot 450 degree F. oven for 12-1 minutes, until "popped".
Our meal was served on Arugula-Spinach leaves with sweet red pepper rings and the last of the garden tomatoes.
Individual Skillet Spanakopitas was easy to assemble and easy to eat. Rachel Ray Magazine was my inspiration.
Skillet Spanakopita
(Serves 2)
5 cups Spinach Arugala Mix
1 teaspoon Olive Oil
Saute in large skillet a few minutes. Drain and squeeze out excess water.
1 teaspoon Canola Oil
1/3 cup Onions, diced
Saute onions for 2 minutes.
Add:
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1/2 Large Yellow Squash, sliced thinly
Add to pan and saute for 3 minutes.
Stir in:
1 1/2 oz. Parmesan Cheese, grated
1 Tablespoon Dill
2 Tablespoon Fresh Herbs
Divide vegetables into 2 individual iron skillets.
3 Phyllo Dough Sheets, thawed
Cut sheets in half.
Place 1 piece at a time onto top of vegetables in pan.
Spray each sheet with Pam.
Tuck in sides of dough inside pan.
Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
Our meal is garnished with ripe olives and served with fresh pineapple.
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