Eating Dinner With My Family

I decided to make some Popsicles to beat the heat after a swim.  We love coconut so these sounded ideal. My son and daughter loved them.  My husband and I didn't.  They were too strong with the lime.  Also we can't eat anything sweet, cold and coconut without comparing it to the most amazing coconut ice cream from Hershey's .  It has ruined us for anything else!  I don't see me making this recipe again, but I am totally happy that I invested in some Popsicle molds because I am looking forward to trying out all kinds of flavors. Coconut Pops Puree a 14-ounce can of coconut milk with the grated zest of 1 lime, the juice of 2 limes, 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar and 1/4 cup shredded coconut. Pour into small Popsicle molds or 3-ounce paper cups; insert wooden Popsicle sticks. Freeze several hours, or until firm

I didn't cook dinner tonight.  I insisted on finishing all the leftovers in the fridge.  It is the beginning of summer vacation and I want my fridge free to cook up a storm.  But I did make the drinks for tonight's dinner.  I used the lovely pineapple mint that came in my Front Porch Pickings basket.  The kid's and I loved it. It is a lovely refreshing drink for hot summer days.  I also like that you can control the sweetness. I think for summer parties this would be a great beverage because you can serve it to everyone, but can spike it with some rum for the adults that are so inclined.  It is also super easy.  It is best freshly blended; it tends to separate a bit after it sits. Watermelon And Mint "Agua Fresca" (Fresh Fruit-Blended Water) 8 Servings 4 c  watermelon,seeded and cubed (about 3 pounds) 1/2 c  water 24    mint leaves,divided 8 T  super-fine sugar (adjust if too sweet when using ...

Well tonight's dinner, while tasty, was a bit of a misstep in two ways.  First of all, the tomatoes are raw, (didn't notice that) and my husband doesn't like to eat tomatoes raw.  Secondly, it is really a summer dish and tonight was one of the coldest of the year. It wasn't a cold dish, but not really hot one either.  Still, it was thoroughly enjoyed by all but my husband, who ate leftover chicken and dumplings and was a very happy camper.  I will make this again, but I will, next time, throw in a pinch of red pepper flakes in with the oil and garlic.  No salt was needed, I left it out along with the pepper.  Oops, but  I think I would like the red pepper better:)  I also wanted to use up the Stilton from the other night, and viola, a quick search of the web and we have bread sticks with our pasta. Spaghetti With Tomatoes, Black Olives, Garlic, And Feta Cheese 4 Servings 1 1/2 lb tomatoes (about 3),seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces 1/2 c...

Tonight's dish is another family favorite.  I find this dish amazing for so many reasons.  First of all, I don't care for sasuage; the boys don't care for squash, yet somehow we all like this dish.  It is a perfect example that you should never say never when it comes to ingredients.  Sometimes it will be the quality that has put you off in the past.  (not true here for us becasue it's the same products we have been buying)   Sometimes it will be improper preperation.  (I do credit the recipe here a little but it is still me cooking it so that does keep it fairly consistent)  But most often it is just the recipe.  This one makes all the peices work.  I think I got this dish from the Fine Cooking emails, but I think I also saw it on the food and wine website so...  It is from Scott Conant.  I thought I was going to hate this guy when I saw him o...

I absolutely love arugula and arugula pesto, so I figured this will be great for me.  The husband is not a fan of tomatoes, so I made this on a night he wouldn't be dining with us.  My big surprise, the boy LOVED it.  He had two helpings and was done before myself or the girl.  (this is the boy who thinks nothing of taking 2 HOURS to finish a meal!)  It was very good!  Only thing I would have liked to changed were the cherry tomatoes.  The skins were too thick and made for some unpleasant textures in your mouth.  I would like to try it with oven roasted tomatoes instead or all chopped tomatoes in red, yellow and orange. The pesto was very nice and will be great on many things.  I think I drizzled a little too much oil on the couscous to prevent clumping.  It was a tad oily and I think that diluted the flavors a bit.  Still really excellent, but something to watch when preparing it.  It is completely vegetarian; in fact without ...

Well tonight my family had this.  It is a favorite of the boys. I, however, went out with some of the girls to the Ormond Wine Co.  We had lots of great cheeses, flatbreads and wine.  We were loud and laughed too much but don't really care.  It was just too much fun!  I did prep everything for the dish in advance.  That way my husband only had to cook the rice and salmon when they were ready to eat.  It is a nice dish because it is easy, light and great for summer because it isn't really hot.  It is fairly low fat and it is fairly low calorie.  My husband did NOT take a picture so I get to give him lots of grief which is in its self its own reward;)  Salmon With Thai Rice Salad  4 Servings   1 1/2 c  long-grain rice       3 T  lime juice (from about 2 limes)       3 T  Asian fish sauce (nam pla or nuoc mam)       2 T...