September 30th Trade

Hi girls...just starting a post for anyone interested in a trade this weekend. Post in the comments!

Tzatziki

INGREDIENTS
24 ounces plain yogurt
1 large English cucumber, peeled and shredded
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt to taste

DIRECTIONS
1. Place a cheese cloth over a medium bowl and strain the yogurt 6 hours in the refrigerator, or over night.
2.Drain as much excess liquid from the cucumber and garlic as possible.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the yogurt, cucumber, garlic, vinegar, olive oil and salt. Stir until a thick mixture has formed.

Puppies and Babies....and good food, too

This was almost too much to bear. Shara, thanks for sending on these pics! I'm making falafel patties this time; who else is up for this weekend?

Cornbread Muffins

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup white flour
1/2 cup wheat flour
3 T sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup skim milk
1 egg
1/4 cup canola oil
nonstick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Combine dry ingredients. Combine wet ingredients and add to dry. Beat until fairly smooth (about 1 minute). Pour into sprayed 12-cup muffin tin. Bake 15 minutes and use knife to loosen.

Serves: 12
Source: adapted from Aunti Jemima (hey, sometimes the back of the package really knows what it's talking about)

Yummy Goodness

All the yummy treats from the latest Swap!

• Primavera Sauce by Crystal
• Corn Muffins by Lindsay
• Lebnah by Courtney
• Plain & Spinach Hummus by Shara

YUMMM!!!!

Mezze

I stopped by Central Market and grabbed some pits, feta, olives, and halvah to go with Shara's two hummi (plural for hummus in Courtney language) and my lebnah. Lo and behold we had a mezze feast at our house tonight. Freya LOVED it! She was so happy with hummus, lebnah, olives, feta, and halvah that she says, "Hummm." Mark and I talked about how we are paving the way for her taste buds to love all different flavors. We know she will go through the mac and cheese only stage, but her taste buds will remember the good stuff for when she is an adult. Cool parents, huh?

Swap #3

I'm going to make lebneh. This is an experiment, so I hope it turns out ok. Who's in?

Yogurt, Courtney Style

Swap #2 was yogurt from me. I end up making yogurt for us about every week and half to two weeks. It's super easy and you can make it at home, too, and it's a lot cheaper than at the store.

Yogurt

2 quarts milk
1/2 cup or so of already made yogurt

Bring the milk to a boil on the stove, whisking to make sure the milk does not burn. Once the milk is boiling, turn it off and pour it into sterile quart jars. I also put some into another smaller jar (this is my starter for the next batch). Put the lids on and put the jars into the fridge for 1 hour. Take them out of the fridge, stir in the already made yogurt in each jar, and put the jars in a warm place.

My warm place is inside my oven with it turned off. I have a gas oven, so the pilot light keeps it somewhat warm. Some people put the yogurt in a cooler with a warm towel wrapped around it. Be creative! Just do not put the yogurt in a place over 100 degrees or the yogurt will die and you will be left with sour milk. Yuck!

I leave my yogurt in the oven overnight and I have yogurt in the morning. Keep the yogurt refrigerated.

Swap #2-Banana Bread Light

Thanks for the homemade yogurt, Court! I'm excited to try your recipe-you'll have to post it for us. The banana bread here is super-easy, and is definitely the best light banana bread recipe I've found. I end up freezing bananas if they get too ripe to eat. You can just thaw them in the microwave and drain the liquid before mashing.

Banana Bread Light

1 cup granulated sugar

1, 8-ounce pkg fat free cream cheese

1 cup mashed over-ripe bananas

2 large eggs

2 cups Bisquick heart-healthy baking mix

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place sugar and cream cheese in a large bowl; beat with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add banana and eggs; beat until well blended. Add baking mix and pecans, and stir just until moist. Pour batter into a 9-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray; bake for 45 minutes. Tent bread with foil, and bake an additional 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Source: Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2004

what I made with Swap #1

Spinach Black Bean Enchiladas!

Ingredients:
Lindsay's Salsa
Crystal's tortillas
cheese

filling
10 oz. frozen spinach
2 cups black beans (cooked)
1 cup sour cream
salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, cumin .... all to taste!

In a greased up pan, spread some of the salsa on the bottom. Make the enchiladas by filling each tortilla with the filling (of course). tuck them in nicely together in the pan. Top with more salsa and cheese. Bake in 350 degree oven 30 minutes (20 covered, 10 uncovered). Enjoy! Even Freya loved them!

Swap #1!

Here are the goodies from swap #1...soooooo yummy. :)

We're talking about swap #2, possibly next Sunday? Comment here and let us know who's interested. Edited to say: On second thought, guys, I think I will take a week off. Linds, if you and Courtney are still interested, you can still comment/plan here. :)