FIRST KITCHEN BLOGS

I’m baaaack! It has been a BUSY few weeks here in Minnesota. “Wedding Season” is in full swing as well as vacation season, road construction season and now back to school season!  I was hit by wedding bells (no, not literally) two weekends in a row and one of the weddings I had the honor of being a bridesmaid! Very fun but very busy. We did a lot of quick meals and even resorted to take-out despite my meal planning expertise (ugh, the pressure got to me, I had to give in!). Hey, we’re only human.

Now that this first wave of weddings are past us I can catch my breath and do some cooking before the next wave (3 weddings in September…) hits! After such a busy few weeks and a cold spurt here in Minnesota, I was craving a not-so-healthy-but-sorta-healthy comfort food: Fresh Artichoke and Spinach Dip. Yum.  I had a ton of spinach leftover from one of the many wedding gatherings and instantly thought of my favorite dip. Usually, people use frozen spinach but fresh spinach is excellent to use in this recipe if it’s available. The spinach cooks down quite a bit, so you’ll need a good amount. The not-so-healthy part of this recipe will definitely be the sour cream and mayonnaise. There are no great substitutions that taste the same. Low fat versions of either work fine but please don’t use ‘fat free.’  Fat free tends to use more sugar and non-food ingredients to make it ‘taste’ like fat. Instead, control the amount you consume instead of trying to trick your body (trust me, your body will find out and it won’t be happy..). Ok, here’s the recipe:

Fresh Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Serves 8 (as an appetizer)

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 30-40 minutes

You will need:

1 (16oz) large container of fresh spinach, chopped

2 cans artichoke hearts, chopped

2 cans water chestnuts, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup sour cream

½ lemon, squeezed

8 oz shredded parmesan or Italian cheese blend

Dash of cayenne pepper

Salt to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375

Chop spinach, water chestnuts, artichoke and onion and place in large bowl. Add sour cream, mayo and lemon juice and mix well (I used tongs). Make sure all of the spinach is coated. Add seasonings and mix again. Place in a small (9x9) baking pan or glass casserole dish. Cover the top with the shredded cheese.

Bake covered at 375 for 30 minutes. Turn oven up to 425 and bake uncovered for  an additional 10-15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and slightly brown.

Summer Dill Rice Salad

It has been a looong, busy week and I have yet to do one productive thing around my house, including grocery shop! Here’s the problem: when I don’t go grocery shopping I spend money eating out. When I spend money on eating out, I usually over spend my calorie limit and my pocket book. SO, my challenge to myself today is to create a meal by using what I already have in my pantry. YIKES. Putting aside my thought to pick up the phone and speed dial a pepperoni pizza to arrive at my door in 20 minutes, I will make something in that same amount of time from the odds and ends that I ALREADY have in my kitchen. Time to get creative!

Here’s what I have: Minute brown rice, butter, can corn, lemon juice, garlic, fresh dill, peapods, green onion (all from farmer’s market last week), celery and salt. HMMMM.

Dill to me is summer. I love its distinctive flavor and I think it goes well with citrus.  If you don’t like dill, you could substitute any fresh herb such as basil, thyme or parsley.  I enjoy a cold rice salad when the weather is warm, however this dish could be eaten hot if you don’t want to wait for it to cool.

You will need: 

(makes about 4 servings)

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes                 

 ½ cup onions, chopped (yellow, white, or green)

2-3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

3 Tablespoon butter

1 cup *instant brown rice (*cook time will be longer if you use regular brown rice)

2 Tablespoon lemon juice (or ½ medium lemon squeezed)

2 cups water

1 cup pea pods or snow peas, chopped

1 cup corn (frozen or canned)

2 Tablespoons fresh dill, chopped fine

Salt to taste  

Sauté onions, celery and butter for 2-3 minutes over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté another 2 minutes. Add rice and lightly brown the rice. Add lemon juice and water, bring to simmer. Add corn, peapods and dill. Turn heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes.

This is a great side dish for grilled fish or eaten plain for a light meal.

Please share your creative meals that you’ve cooked using the bare minimum left in your kitchen, meanwhile, I’m going to the grocery store!

PSSST: lots of tips to stock your cupboards in the FK DVD, also available to upload to ipod at the FK store!