Cold Harissa Shrimp Salad with Goat Cheese
Asparagus and Bell Pepper Couscous Salad
Powdered Doughnut Ice Cream Sandwiches
vanilla ice cream white powdered donuts 2 bottles of red, white and blue sprinkles blue and red cupcake frostingPowdered Doughnut Ice Cream Sandwiches
Author note: The amount of the powdered donuts and ice cream used is dependent upon how many people you intend to serve. I have noticed that my small children like eating 2 of these sandwiches, while my husband could eat 3-4. Your fingers and hands will get messy when making these sweet treats. Have a dish towel handy to help control the mess.
Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad
2 English cucumbers (about 2 pounds), thinly sliced 1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped 1 1/4 cup plain whole milk yogurt 1/2 cup sour cream 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced 4 tablespoons white wine vinegar 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher saltCreamy Cucumber Dill Salad
Author note: Do not plan to make this salad and serve it immediately. This salad needs 24 hours to marinade to allow the vinegar to slightly pickle the cucumbers. If you must serve the salad immediately, diners may need a touch more salt to help bring out the flavors. If you love dill, increase the dill measurement to 3/4 cup.
Food to Cook When You’re Gathering Outside
The time has arrived to start planning a 4th of July grilling session. Here’s a bit of inspiration to get you started for this upcoming holiday full of outdoor fun.
Pick one or all eight, and remember– have fun!
Best,
Rebecca
Pickled Shrimp with Mississippi Comeback Sauce
Old Bay Grilled Pork Tenderloin and Beans
Red, White and Blue Mini Cakes
Welsh Rarebit
One of the most flavorful and unique sandwiches is one you’ve probably never heard of: Welsh rarebit.
A Welsh Rarebit is a traditional British cheddar and mustard opened-faced sandwich. What makes these sandwiches so delicious is the combination of white cheddar, mustard, Worcestershire, Stout beer and egg yolks. The flavors are bold and the bites are addictive.
Not only do I have fun making this sandwich but I also have fun shopping for the ingredients at Market Street.
To truly make a quality sandwich, one needs delicious bread. That’s a quick and easy find at Market Street. The bakery is full of freshly baked breads ready to satisfy your sandwich cravings. I prefer a crusty white bread for this sandwich, but you may like a sour dough! Get creative!
The cheese department is full of cheddars to try. From Wisconsin to Irish, Market Street has not just a phenomenal stateside selection but also a nice offering of world-wide cheeses.
The next ingredient to have fun with is the mustard. I’ve made Welsh Rarebit using Dijon or liquid based mustards. I have found that powdered mustard’s give the cheese mixture the biggest, brightest bite. For this British sandwich I like to go with a powdered mustard, which makes the mustard choice obvious: Coleman’s Mustard.
Lastly, the beer selected for this sandwich is important. Some recipes may direct you to any type of beer, but to be authentic go for a Stout. A stroll down the beer aisle will deliver a great selection for you to choose from! Remember, the Wine and Beer Steward is available to answer any questions you may have.
The combination of these warm and bold ingredients make for a delicious and quick sandwich. Make your first batch of sandwiches today and you’ll feel like you’re experiencing a vacation in London and sampling the goods at a local pub!
6-8 quality white bread slices 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 tablespoon flour 2 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard 1/3 cup Stout beer 3 heaping teaspoons Worcestershire 1 cup Irish White Cheddar cheese, grated 2 egg yolks 1/4 teaspoon kosher saltWelsh Rarebit
Author note: I prefer Welsh Rarebit to have a mustardy, sharp bite. If you prefer a more Stout-forward bite, decrease the amount of mustard to 1 1/2 teaspoons and the white cheddar to 1/2 cup.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of Market Street. All opinions are my own.
Cherry Chocolate Crostini
2 3-4 ounce milk chocolate bars, broken into pieces 1 16-ounce bag thawed frozen cherries (pitted), strained brown sugar fresh mint leavesCherry Chocolate Crostini
loaf of French bread, sliced
Asparagus and Bell Pepper Couscous Salad
Asparagus and Bell Pepper Couscous Salad
Author note: The cook time for the asparagus will vary depending on its size.
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
1 bunch of asparagus (woody end removed), cut into bite sized pieces
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup uncooked Pearl Couscous
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a skillet and warm over medium heat. Add the bell pepper and onion and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the asparagus and 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the bell pepper. Continue to cook for an additional 4 minutes (or until the asparagus is tender, but not soft). Remove from the heat and cool.
- Meanwhile, warm a saucepan of 1 1/2 cups of water over high heat. Bring to a boil. Add the 1 teaspoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt to the water and the couscous. Bring to a simmer and cover. Once cooked (about 10-12 minutes) stir in the red wine vinegar.
- Pour the couscous onto a sheet pan. Let the couscous cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
- Combine the couscous and the vegetables. Place into the fridge and chill for 4 hours or overnight.
- Before service, add the goat cheese, red pepper flakes and basil into the bowl. Toss to combine and serve chilled. Add additional basil, goat cheese and salt to taste.
Prosciutto, Sundried Tomato and Arugula Pizza
pizza dough 2 cloves fresh garlic, chopped pizza seasoning (a combination of oregano, dried garlic flakes, red pepper, sea salt) polpa (or unsalted diced or crushed tomatoes) grated parmesan shredded mozzarella crumbled goat cheese prosciutto, torn into bite sized pieces basil leaves, torn into pieces arugulaProsciutto and Sundried Tomato Pizza
Author note: There is more to this pizza than just prosciutto, sundried tomatoes and arugula. A faint layer of fresh garlic is the foundation to this pizza and mixed with the mozzarella are bites of goat cheese. The arugula when scattered on top of the pizza is also combined with torn fresh basil. I have been making this pizza non stop for the past five weeks, and frankly I am not tired of it yet. I don’t think I ever will be. One thing to remember when making this pizza, or any pizza at that, be light-handed with the ingredients. Less is more with pizza, which seems counter-culture but I’ve come to realize that the more scant the ingredients the better the pizza. However, with that said, top to preference. I enjoy the Williams-Sonoma pizza seasoning (this is not sponsored content, it’s just what I use and love). There are little to no measurements on this recipe. It all varies to preference.
Candy Kebabs
I love it when I can dive into the imagination of my children. This happens in a variety of ways—stumbling upon their play worlds, coloring alongside them and asking them open ended questions. Their minds are so colorful, cheerful and welcoming.
Cooking and baking is another way to experience their imagination. When I make intentional time to cook and create together, I love to ask them…
“If you could cook anything what would it be?”
I’ve received many answers from Cherry Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream to Blueberry Cheddar and Ham Grilled Cheese Sandwiches to “Skip-It” Sauce (a condiment that combines ketchup and ranch, developed and named by my six year old). I try my hardest to create what they want to see come to life.
Another way I try to make “food dreams come true” is by taking them to Market Street. I ask them what sounds good, give them a little grocery cart and let them “shop.” *I do guide them to select certain ingredients to help make their recipe ideas a reality and to prevent a cart full of goodies.*
Recently I gave them freedom in the candy aisle to create a certain sweet treat: Candy Kebabs.
Candy Kebabs are a child’s dream come true: wooden skewers, loaded from end to end with bright sour gummy candy. This sweet treat is a magical and a sugary extravaganza; one that your children can easily participate in.
These sweeties are perfect for an end of the school year celebration. Load the kids up in the car (or let them shop online!) and take them to Market Street’s most sugary location: the candy aisle.
Allow your children to select gummy sour candies like sour patch kids, gumdrops, apple rings and gummy worms. Then, pop over to the utensil aisle and grab wooden skewers and plastic treat bags. Once home, you and your kids will be adding patterns of mulit-colored and multi-shaped candies to the skewers.
Bag them all up and prepare to use them in a variety of ways from teacher and neighbor gifts to last-day-of-school celebration fun.
These Candy Kebabs are the perfect way to let your children create in the kitchen and to show you how magically sweet their little worlds can be.
wooden skewers Air Heads Xtremes Rainbow Berry Bites Apple Rings Candy Dots Sour Gummi Worms Sour Path Kids “Strawberry”Candy Kebabs
Author note: Part of the fun of this sugary treat is a choosing a variety of candies to use. Be sure to select a variety of shapes and sizes. Be careful when placing the candy on the skewer. The pointed end can hurt. Don’t feel obligated to fill then entire skewer with candy. Sometimes I only work with half to a quarter of the skewer. If you want to place all the kebabs in one bag, wrap each individual skewers in parchment paper. This prevents them from sticking to one another.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of Market Street. All opinions are my own.
Mushroom and Brie Grilled Cheese
Mushroom and Brie Grilled Cheese
Author note: The mayonnaise in this recipe is used to coat the exterior of the bread, not the interior. Mayonnaise is the perfect ingredient to promote browning on the outside of the grilled cheese sandwich.
2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 1/2 cups of a variety of mushrooms (crimini, shiitake, portabello)
pinch ground ginger
1 teaspoon kosher salt
French bread (or thick white bread), sliced
mayonnaise
whole grain mustard
brie, with the outer layer removed
fresh basil leaves, torn
unsalted butter
- In a skillet, heat the extra-virgin olive oil and garlic over medium heat. Once the pan is hot and the garlic fragrant, add the mushrooms. Add the ginger and salt. Stir well to coat. Cook over medium heat until the mushrooms are softened, about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. If the mushrooms begin to stick to the pan, add a splash or two of water to deglaze the pan. Remove the mushrooms from the heat.
- Cut the brie into thin slices. Set aside.
- Take one piece of bread. Smear a generous portion of mayonnaise on one side and a generous smear of whole grain mustard on the other side. With the mayonnaise side facing down, add a layer of brie on top of the mustard. Place a spoonful of mushrooms on top of the mushrooms. Top the mushrooms with the torn basil. Repeat this step until the amount of sandwiches desired is constructed. These sandwiches should be “open-faced” at this step. The top piece will be added later in the cooking process.
- Meanwhile, in a cast iron skillet, melt a thin slice of butter over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, swirl the butter in the pan to evenly coat the skillet.
- Once the pan is hot, move the opened-face sandwiches to the skillet (two to three pieces of bread at a time, depending on the size of the pan).
- Add another layer of brie to top each sandwich on the skillet.
- Take the second piece of bread and add a generous layer of mayonnaise to one side. Place this slice on top of the “open-faced” sandwich that is now cooking in the skillet. The mayonnaise side should be facing up. Repeat this step until all sandwiches are now topped with a slice of bread.
- Continue to cook the sandwich until the bottom side is golden brown, about 5-8 minutes. Gently flip the sandwich and cook the remaining side until golden and the cheese is melted. Serve immediately.
