What's the Deal with Salt & Pepper??

You will notice that in just about all of my savory recipes that I include salt & pepper in the ingredient list. You will also notice that I will very rarely give a measurement for the salt & pepper (i.e. 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper). There are a couple of reasons why I do that.
First, I want YOU to control the amount of salt you put in a recipe. If you are trying to stay away from salt, you can put less in. If you like salt a lot, put more in. I'm not locking you in to a measurement. That is the reason you will see me write "salt & pepper to taste."
Secondly, it is so important to properly season your food and salt & pepper are the perfect way to do that. If you ever go to a really fancy (and I mean really fancy) restaurant, they usually do NOT have salt & pepper on the tables. That is because their food is perfectly seasoned, and does not need more. It may seem like overkill while you're cooking the food, but trust me on this, the better you season your food, the better it will taste!
So now when you see the famous Salt & Pepper on one of my recipes, use your discretion and season your food!

Pea Pesto

1 cup frozen peas, thawed completely
1 small bunch basil leaves, roughly chopped
1 or 2 cloves of garlic (depending how "garlicky" you like it)
1/4 cup toasted walnuts
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
About 1 cup good olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Toss everything except the olive oil and salt & pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse 3 or 4 times to combine.
With the machine running, drizzle in the olive oil through until it reaches the consistency of a sauce, but not too thin or too thick (like a paste). Scrape down the sides of the bowl to assure every little bit was combined and pulse a few more times.
Pour sauce directly onto pasta or anything else you are serving this with, or pour into air-tight container and store in the fridge for up to a week.

*I love making pesto! The great thing about it is that while basil is the traditional way to make pesto, you can use just about anything you want in place of basil: spinach, peas, broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes, eggplant...you name it (within reason of course)! Remember, too, that pesto is an uncooked sauce, so it's best to use the best and freshest ingredients you can find. Pesto goes great with just about anything, but it doesn't keep for every long, so use it as soon as you can! Play around with the ingredients, and as always, have fun with this recipe!

No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 1 John 4:12

Tuna Noodle Casserole

(The cold kind)
1/2 box of macaroni noodles, or any other similar pasta
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 cans of tuna, drained
1 cup mayo
Salt & pepper, to taste

Cook the pasta according to directions on the box, about 8 minutes in boiling water. Drain and spread out on a lightly greased sheet pan to cool.
Meanwhile, mix together the tuna, mayo, celery, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Set aside while the pasta is still cooling.
Once the pasta has cooled completely, mix it in with the tuna mixture.
Serve immediately, or store in fridge until ready to serve.

*This is a recipe that I remember most from my childhood. My mom would make it on lazy days when she either didn't really feel like cooking, or as a side dish to burgers and hot dogs. It's such an easy dish to make and it's actually kind of fun to make it. The important step is letting the noodles cool down completely before mixing them in with the tuna and mayo. Otherwise, the mayo just melts away and the pasta won't be creamy and delicious. Also, use just a little more mayo than you think because some of it will get absorbed into the pasta. (Yes, you can use less mayo if you're watching your diet, but it just won't be as creamy). Enjoy this fun summer dish!!

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Isaiah 55:6

BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

Remember that shredded BBQ chicken we made a few days back? These quesadillas use the leftovers!
(Makes one quesadilla - enough for one to two people)
2 large flour tortillas
1/2 cup of shredded BBQ chicken
1 tbsp olive oil
2 or 3 slices of red bell pepper, diced
2 or 3 slices of Spanish onion, diced
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup cheddar cheese

In a large pan, heat the olive oil and saute the peppers and onion until they just start to get soft. Turn off the heat and set aside.
Sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top of one of the tortillas. Spread the shredded chicken evenly over the cheese. Spread the peppers and onions evenly over the chicken and cheese. Sprinkle the mozzarella on top of that and place the other tortilla on top like a sandwich.
In the same pan that you sauteed the peppers and onions, spray with cooking spray, and over low heat, carefully place the quesadilla in the pan. Cover with a lid, and cook for about 3 minutes per side, or until cheese is melted and tortilla is golden brown and crispy.

*I came up with this dish on a night when I was on my own for dinner. I didn't know what to make, and so I opened the fridge and saw the tortillas and the leftover shredded chicken. Aha! BBQ Chicken quesadillas. Then I saw the peppers and onions I had leftover from when I made the salsa and decided to throw those in also. I like my quesadillas REALLY cheesy, so feel free to throw more cheese in there. Don't like chicken, or don't have any? Skip it! Quesadillas are so versatile you can include just about anything you want. Like a little spice? Chop up a jalepeno with the pepper and onion. Be creative with this dish - you really can't go wrong.

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Proverbs 4:23

Grandma Walter's Broccoli Rice

1/2 of a small block of Velveeta cheese, cut into pieces
1 cup milk
1 cup white rice
2 cups water
1 head of broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/4 cup dried breadcrumbs
Salt & Pepper

OVEN 375 degrees
Cook the rice with the 2 cups of water until all the water has absorbed into the rice.
Meanwhile, in a double-boiler or in the microwave, melt the cheese with the milk until it makes kind of a cheese sauce. In a large bowl, mix together the cooked rice, broccoli pieces, and cheese sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Pour the rice mixture into a baking dish or oven-proof bowl and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs. Bake for about 20 minutes or until top is golden brown.

*This is a classic Walter family recipe. Grandma Walter gave me the recipe when Evan and I got married, which was so special to me because this was one of Evan's favorite dishes. Over the years, I have gotten better and better at making it (though I will never compare to Grandma!) and Evan still gets excited every time I make it. A friend of mine once said that he thought this dish was just a clever way to get kids to eat broccoli. He's right! Hiding bits of broccoli in cheesy, gooey rice...very clever indeed. I hope you enjoy this dish just as much as our family does.

Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. Psalm 46:10

Homemade Salsa

SPICY!!
1/2 spanish onion
1 whole jalepeno pepper
1/2 jar stewed tomatoes, juice and all
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 green bell pepper
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp lime juice
1 small bunch of cilantro (optional)
Salt and pepper

Roughly chop all the vegetables and cilantro and throw in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pour in the lime juice. Pulse the food processor until salsa is desired "chunkiness." Leave the processor running if you like everything finely minced.
Season with salt and pepper, pulse 2 more times. Pour out of food processor and serve with tortilla chips, tacos, burritos, anything you like!
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks.

*I love making homemade salsa because it just tastes fresher than store-bought. It's great to make in the summer when all the veggies are nice and crisp. I usually skip the cilantro, only because I don't like the taste. But you could absolutely substitute parsley if you wanted to. If you like your salsa on the milder side, remove the seeds from the jalepeno before tossing in the food pro. Or, just skip the jalepeno altogether, and just put in regular bell peppers. But who doesn't like a little spice every now and again?!

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 1 Corinthians 12:27

Jersey Fresh Tip #3

MAKE IT YOUR OWN!
I read cookbooks as though they were regular books. I read through every single recipe (often multiple times) all the way through the ingredients, down to the last step of the directions. Why? Doing that helps me to do a few things:
1.) I learn the steps of the recipe
2.) I learn the ingredients, and what I could possibly use as alternate ingredients
3.) I learn how to make the recipe unique to my cooking style

Making a recipe your own is so important, because it helps you become a better cook. My mother and I always say that a recipe is just a guide. It is not an owner's manual that has to be followed to the letter in order to be successful. One of the reasons I love cooking over baking is because you don't have to follow the recipe or measurements exactly.
So, before you start cooking, read the WHOLE recipe. Think about the ingedients and the flavors in that recipe. Consider if you or the people you are feeding have any allergies or dislikes of anything included in the recipe, and what you can do to accomodate that. Think of anything you might be able to add that would make the recipe special.

Bottom line? MAKE IT YOUR OWN. Play with your food! Put your creative side to work. Have fun in the kitchen!