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How To Cut Cantaloupe

July 31, 2009 By Kate 3 Comments

We love cantaloupe. We love honeydew. And we love watermelon. And as much as I love serving these healthy and well-loved fruits to my family, I used to dread the whole cutting-up process.

But one day, my husband and I stumbled on this method as we were cutting a cantaloupe. It truly is an easy way to cut a cantaloupe, or any melon for that matter. Now that I’ve gotten it down, I can cut a whole cantaloupe in under 5 minutes. Plus, I think there is a lot less waste this way than when you use a melon baller.

p73188751. Cut cantaloupe in half, scoop out seeds and cut each half into slices.

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2. For each slice, cut pieces into slice without cutting all the way.

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3. Slide a knife along the inside of each slice, detaching the individual pieces from the rind as you go.

That’s it. It gets easier the more you do it too. Just watch your fingers!

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Baked Green Olive Cheese Puffs

July 30, 2009 By Kate 12 Comments

I originally made this recipe for a birthday party for my mother-in-law. She loves green olives and I knew she’d enjoy these. I was right. She loved them, and so did everyone else that had some. I’ve since made them countless times as an appetizer when entertaining and even just as a special snack for the six of us.

I’m not ordinarily a big fan of green olives, but I do like them in these puffs. The cheesiness of the dough complements perfectly with the saltiness of the olives. If you, or your children, don’t like green olives, I still recommend the dough as a great snack. It’s rich, buttery and cheesy, and so easy to put together. You could even do some with olives and some without to make everyone happy.

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Baked Green Olive Cheese Puffs

  • 1 1/4 c. finely shredded cheddar cheese
  • 2 1/2 T. butter or margarine
  • 1/2 c. flour
  • 1/2 t. cumin
  • 1/8 t. cayenne pepper, optional
  • 1 small jar of green olives (you’ll need about 25 – 30)

1. Combine cheese and butter or margarine until smooth. (I find it’s easiest to do this with my hands, although if you have a food processor, that would probably work just as well without being messy.) Work in flour and spices.

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2. Using a teaspoon dough, flatten and wrap completely around one olive. (Again, I just do this in my hand.) Repeat until done. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, until golden.

The kids love to help make these too. Sometimes they use the olives and sometimes they just make plain balls of dough for themselves.

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Squash-sagna

July 29, 2009 By Kate 8 Comments

I am still living in my imaginary world where I actually have a garden. And that imaginary garden is overflowing with squash, just like all the real gardens I read about across the blogosphere.

With the price of squash so low in grocery stores right now, my vicarious living has been very easy. Fortunately, my family enjoys eating squash almost as much as I enjoy coming up with new recipes for it. (We might all feel differently if we were the ones living with 500 pounds of squash though.)

This one’s for you Amy!

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Squash-sagna

  • 1 lb. ground beef, fully cooked and drained
  • 4 c. fully cooked brown rice
  • 1 14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 8 oz can tomato sauce
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/3 c. green onions, sliced
  • 1 T. Italian seasoning
  • 1 1/2 t. salt
  • 1/2 t. black pepper
  • 1/4 t. allspice
  • 2 medium-sized zucchini
  • 2 medium-sized yellow squash
  • 2 c. shredded Italian cheese blend

1. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, rice, tomatoes, tomato sauce,garlic, green onions and seasonings. Set aside.

2. Thinly slice zucchini and yellow squash lengthwise.

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3. In a 13 x 9 casserole dish, layer beef mixture, zucchini slices and cheese until dish is full, ending with a layer of zucchini and cheese on top. Cover with foil and refrigerate until dinner time or bake immediately at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes, until bubbly and cheese is melted.

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