Here’s a refreshing salad to kick start spring – Fresh Strawberry Greens Salad with Fresh Strawberry Poppy Seed Dressing.  I used a mix of kale, spinach, and baby Romaine but you certainly could vary the greens to suit your tastebuds.  The cold English cucumber, pecan pieces, and Feta cheese nicely compliment the greens and berries.  And the dressing makes the perfect taste marriage!  Here’s how:

• 2 cups baby kale
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 2 cups baby Romaine
• 1 cucumber – diced
• 2 cups fresh strawberries (washed, stems removed and sliced lengthwise)
• 1 cup pecan or walnut pieces
• 1 cup crumbled Feta cheese
• 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves (optional)
• Fresh Strawberry Poppy Seed Dressing

In a large serving bowl place the greens and diced cucumber.  Top with sliced strawberries, nuts, cheese, and mint leaves.  Drizzle Fresh Strawberry Poppy Seed Dressing over salad right before serving.  Makes 6 hearty servings.

For the dressing:

• 1/3 cup Mayo
• 1/3 cup Sour Cream
• 1/3 cup Powdered Sugar (or 2-3 Tablespoons honey or Stevia)
• 1/2 cup Fresh Strawberries (washed and stems removed)
• 1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground Ginger
• 2 teaspoons Poppy Seeds

Place the mayo, sour cream, powdered sugar (or honey or Stevia),  fresh strawberries, balsamic vinegar, and ground ginger in a blender or high powered food processor.  Blend on high speed until dressing is smooth and berries are fully pureed.  Transfer dressing to a pint sized jar for storage.  Add the poppy seeds and whisk to blend.   Store in fridge until ready to use over fruit or green salad.  Keeps well for up to 7 days.

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Tags: dressing, greens, kale, poppy seed, strawberry

I am excited to be working up some recipes for Lester’s Farms.  With the coming of May and strawberry harvest, I’ve created a Fresh Strawberry Poppy Seed Dressing.  This dressing compliments Fresh Strawberry Greens Salad as well as Fresh Strawberry Fruit Salad.  This dressing is perfectly tongue teasing, being just sweet and tangy and light enough to be refreshing without overpowering.

• 1/3 cup Mayo
• 1/3 cup Sour Cream
• 1/3 cup Powdered Sugar (or 2-3 Tablespoons honey or Stevia)
• 1/2 cup Fresh Strawberries (washed and stems removed)
• 1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground Ginger
• 2 teaspoons Poppy Seeds

Place the mayo, sour cream, powdered sugar (or honey or Stevia),  fresh strawberries, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, and ground ginger in a blender or high powered food processor.  Blend on high speed until dressing is smooth and berries are fully pureed.  Transfer dressing to a pint sized jar for storage.  Add the poppy seeds and whisk to blend.   Store in fridge until ready to use over fruit or green salad.  Keeps well for up to 7 days. Makes approximately  1 3/4 cups.

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Tags: dressing, poppy seed, strawberry

I’ve got 3 reasons to be happy.  First May is finally here.  And May brings me a second reason to be happy – Tennessee Strawberries! California and Florida berreis cannot beat the taste and sweetness of my home state’s strawberry.  And the third reason to be happy is that I live only a couple of miles from our local CSA supplier – Lester Farms!  Today is the start of fresh veggie season  when I pick up our first CSA box of the season from Lester Farms.

I’ve already bought a flat of strawberries from Lester Farms and frozen a few, pureed a few, turned puree into strawberry ice cubes, made shortcake with a few,  and created a strawberry dressing to compliment a couple of new strawberry salads.  Please check back to Taracooks.com often in the coming days as I get all theses yummy recipes posted.  For now I leave you with this beautiful photo of ORGANIC STRAWBERRIES from Lester’s Farms.  Can you taste the berries yet?

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My Sister-In-Law Becky served as a missionary in Brazil for over 30 years.  Brazilians eat a lot of dried beans and rice and I do believe Becky’s Brazilian Rice is the BEST rice I’ve ever eaten.  Becky taught me how to easily make this dish years ago and since then I’ve served this rice along side Cuban, Mexican, Chinese, and American entrees.  These days I double this recipe and keep in in the fridge to serve with a variety of meats through out the week.  It also freezes well in Zip-Lock bags and can be defrosted and reheated later.

• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 Tablespoons Grape Seed Oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 32 oz carton organic chicken broth
• 2 cups long grain or Jasmine rice

In a large pot or Dutch oven add the butter, oil, garlic powder, and rice.  Turn heat to medium and saute mixture 2-3 minutes until rice begins to turn translucent – stir constantly to prevent burning.  Slowly add the chicken broth and stir to combine.  Turn heat to high and cover pot. Let rice come to a rolling boil.  Reduce heat and simmer unit liquid is absorbed.  Add salt if desired.  I find the chicken broth provides enough salt for our taste.

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Tags: Brazilian Rice, Rice, side dish

Each summer here at Taracooks.com, I have created a new ice cream recipe to share. This year I wanted to create something uniquely Southern, something rich and creamy, something with chunks of ooey gooey goodness.  So I’ve taken one of the all time Southern classics – Gooey Butter Cake and married it with a simple no cook ice cream recipe to create the ultimate Southern summertime treat – Gooey Butter Cake Ice Cream.  I originally intended to enter this recipe in the recent local county fair but decided to wait until next year. My son reminded me that I had promised to post the recipe after the fair and I am a woman of my word.

The first step is to make the Gooey Butter Cake ahead of time.  Here’s how I make mine:

• 1 butter recipe cake mix
• 1 stick melted butter
• 1 egg

Mix the cake mix, melted butter, and egg together in a large mixing bowl until well blended.  Spread the mixture over the bottom of a 9×13 glass baking dish then set dish aside while mixing the gooey layer  For the gooey layer:

• 1 8oz package cream cheese softened
• 1 stick real butter softened
• 3 eggs
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla
• 1 pound box powdered sugar

Cream the butter and cream cheese on low speed with a mixer.  Add the eggs one at a time and blend well after each addition.  Add the vanilla and blend well. Slowly add the powdered sugar and beat a couple of minutes on medium speed.  Pour mixture over unbaked crust mixture.  Place dish in a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until top is golden brown.  Remove dish from oven and let cool for an hour.  Then cut the butter cake into 1/2 inch squares, cover dish with plastic wrap,  and place dish in freezer for 4 hours, or overnight, or until the ice cream is almost frozen.

For the ice cream:

• 2 cans sweetened condensed milk – chilled
• 1 quart half and half
• 1 quart heavy whipping cream
• 10 pound bag frozen ice chips for freezing ice cream
• rock salt for freezing ice cream

Place the condensed milk in a large bowl.  Add the half and half and mix with a whisk until blended.  Pour mixture into ice cream maker canister.  Add the whipping cream.  Add the paddle to the canister and place the top on.  Follow manufacturer’s instructions for adding the ice, rock salt, and for  freezing ice cream.  While ice cream is freezing, remove Gooey Butter Cake from freezer and separate the cut frozen squares.  When ice cream is almost completely frozen (after 25-30 minutes in my freezer), stop the freezer, remove the lid but not the paddle and add the Gooey Butter Cake squares.  Turn the paddle a few times by hand to mix the squares into the ice cream.  Replace the lid and let the ice cream continue turning and freezing until motor stops.  Ice cream can be served right away or poured into a large container, covered, and placed in the freezer for later consumption.  If all of the ice cream is placed in the freezer to be used later, I like to fluff it a couple of times by stirring it with a large spoon before it completely freezes hard.

I have made this ice cream 3 times already. I have tried it on a few test subjects and their reaction to the taste of this ice cream was far more rewarding than any blue ribbon it might have one at the fair.  This recipe is certain winner in the hearts of my family for sure.

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Tags: gooey butter cake, ice cream

• 2 cups finely chopped seeded cucumber (I used an English cucumber)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped seeded tomato (squeeze excess juice out of tomato and press with paper towel)
• 1/2 cup diced red Bell pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped red or sweet yellow onion
• 2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro
• 2 garlic cloves, minced fine or pressed
• 2-3 green onions sliced
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon lime juice
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp seasoned salt
• Tortilla chips or Pita chips or carrot sticks for dipping

Place the chopped cucumber, tomato, red or sweet onion, red pepper, jalapeno pepper, cilantro, parsley, garlic, and green onion in a large bowl and toss gently to mix ingredients together.  Cover and store chopped ingredients in refrigerator for a couple of hours until ready to serve. In a separate bowl combine the sour cream, lemon and lime juice, cumin, seasoning salt and blend with a wire whisk. This is the dressing for the salsa.  Store it until ready to serve salsa.  Then pour the dressing mixture over the chilled fresh veggies.  Serve right away with corn chips or pita chips or even some carrot sticks for dipping.

Next time I think I will add a little dill weed and some cayenne pepper for a little extra kick.

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Tags: cucumber, Gluten Free, healthy, salad, Salsa

If there is a single category of food that greatly pleases the male population it would have to be SMOKED MEATS!  We smoked 2 hens yesterday and fed 6 people.  By the time we packed 2 lunch containers with the leftovers, the carcasses were picked clean. Next time your local grocery store has a sale on whole chickens, pick up a couple.

Although we prepared our lady birds in our smoker, the birds could be roasted in the oven just as easily.  Here’s how to prepare 2 small hens for the smoker:

For the Brine:

• 2 Large Zip-Lock Bags (I used 2 gallon size)
• 1 cup salt
• 6 cups water

For the marinade:

• 1 cup lime juice (if squeezing fresh limes, zest them first and save the zest, also save a few of the squeezed lime halves)

To season the chickens;

• CUBAN ADOBO DRY RUB SEASONING (click link for recipe)
• Grapeseed Oil
• Lime zest (if you juiced fresh limes, zest them and use with seasoning)
• Lime halves (if you used fresh limes and saved the squeezed halves)

The Brining step is OPTIONAL but sure makes a bird moister and tastier.  I was able to fit both hens into a 2 gallon zip lock bag.  I dissoved the salt in the cold water and poured the solution into the Zip-Lock bag with the chickens.  I then placed the bag inside a large bowl and set it all in the fridge to brine overnight.

Next morning I removed the hens and rinsed them slightly. I placed them inside a clean 2 gallon Zip-Lock bag and added the lime juice.  Fresh or bottled juice can be used.  I zested, halved, and squeezed 5 limes and had to add a little more bottled juice to make a cup.  I let the birds marinate in the lime juice for about 4 hours.  Then the birds were ready for the CUBAN ADOBO DRY RUB SEASONING

After the hens marinated, I removed them from the bag and patted them dry with a paper towel.  Then I used grapeseed oil (my personal oil preference) to spread over the birds.  This oil helps the dry rub stick to the birds.  Then I evenly sprinkled the CUBAN ADOBO DRY RUB SEASONING over the top and bottom and sides of the bird. I placed the birds on smoker rack and stuffed the inside with the leftover lime halfs. I finally sprinkled the lime zest over the hens and these little ladies were finally ready for the preheated smoker.

We have a digital thermometer designed for meat smoking.  Our firstborn is the expert smoker here. He inserted the probe of the thermometer into the thickest part of the breast and monitored the temperature throughout the cooking process. When the internal temperature reached 165 degrees, the birds were done!  We then wrapped the birds in foil, and towels and placed them in a cooler (without ice) to keep them warm until the rest of our dinner was completed and all family member were present for dining.  It took about 3 hours for the birds to fully cook in the smoker. However I am pretty sure if they were baked in the oven at 375 degrees, the cooking time would have been faster.

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We continue to experiment with our smoker and try different kinds of meats, sauces, rubs, and methods.  In order to please dear hubby, I recently created a Cuban feast at our house and I think he was very pleased.  We smoked 2 chickens and a pork roast.  Here is the recipe I created for the Cuban Adobo Dry Rub.  We used this rub on both the chicken and the pork.  And I do believe this rub would be tasty on some grilled fish!  Since this rub is home made, there are no preservatives or MSG added!

Mix the following ingredients in a 2 cup jar or airtight container:

• 4 Tablespoons sea salt
• 6 Tablespoons garlic powder
• 4 Tablespoons Italian Seasoning or Oregano
• 2 Tablespoons Black Pepper
• 2 Tablespoons Turmeric
• 2 Tablespoons Onion Powder
• 2 Tablespoons Cumin

Makes about 1 1/2 cups rub mix.

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Tags: Adobo, Cuban Rub, Dry Rub, Seasoning

Since most of us around here have either gone Gluten Free or have reduced/eliminated most grains – we thought it was time to give QUINOA a try. I wanted my first attempt cooking QUINOA to become a regular breakfast staple.  Apple Pie Quinoa was just the thing to win over dear hubby and at least one of the kids.  I cook this recipe on the stove top.  Sometimes I make a double batch, pour it up in those little half pint jars and let them cool before sealing them.  On the go breakfast is now easy and healthier for us.  The little jars can be reheated and taken along for the ride to work or school or where ever. This batch will make about 4 1 cup servings, or fill 8 half pint jars.

• 1 cup rinsed organic quinoa
• 2 cups water, or milk, or unsweetened coconut milk
• dash salt
• 1 small tart apple cored and diced into small bits (peeling is optional)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (more or less to suit your taste buds)
• 1/3 cup toasted chopped pecans or walnuts
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1-2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar OR 1-2 Stevia packets (I like to use Toffee Flavored Stevia Drops)

In a medium sized sauce pan, add the rinsed quinoa and the water or milk, along with the diced apple.   Bring mixture to  boil then reduce to a simmer, cover, and continue cooking seeds until they are translucent and have spiraled a bit (10-15 minutes).  Watch pan carefully and do not let quinoa boil dry.  A little extra water can be added if needed. When grain is cooked, add the salt, cinnamon, nuts, butter, and brown sugar or Stevia.  Best served warm.  Someone here put real cream over the top of theirs.  I heard it was yummy!

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Tags: apple pie, Breakfast, Gluten Free, quinoa

These are a family favorite around here.  Nobody will ever know they are Gluten Free unless you tell them.  I adapted this recipe just a bit from Dr. Axe’s cookbook.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 24 muffin cups with cupcake liners.

In a medium bowl mix the following:

• 1 3/4 cups Bob’s Gluten Free Flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

In a separate bowl add the following, using a wire whisk to blend:

• 1 egg
• 2/3 cup maple syrup or honey
• 1/2 cup grapeseed oil
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk or yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well.  Then add the following:

• 2-3 ripe mashed bananas
• 1 cup chocolate chips (mini chips work best)
• 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts

Use a 1/4 cup measure to fill muffin cups lined with cupcake liners 2/3 full.  Place in preheated oven and bake approximately 20-25 minutes or until muffins are golden brown and fully cooked.

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Tags: banana, Gluten Free, Muffins