Author: Gail

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet; Letter G

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Home Cooking: Green Pepper Dip! Nothing says “presentation” like a vegetable dip served in a green pepper. If you don’t believe me, try this for your next gathering. People practically “oooh” and “aaah” when you enter the room with it. The best part is a subtle flavor of the pepper blends into the dip. Hint: Do your homework at the produce aisle. Make sure you buy a pepper that will sit straight on the serving dish. 
GREEN PEPPER DIP
Ingredients:

1 Large Green Bell Pepper 

1 cup mayonnaise 

1 cup Greek yogurt

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder 

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon basil

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon dill weed

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon parsley flakes
Instructions:

Cut top off green pepper. Carefully scoop out all seeds and the four ribs. Rinse and pat dry. Combine all remaining ingredients. Mix well. Gently fill the pepper with dip, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least one hour. Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese and bacon bits. Serve with crudités and crackers. 

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet; Letter F

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Home Cooking: First-Class Fajitas! Grilling season is in full swing and what better way to prepare a smorgasbord of flavor. I prefer shrimp, my husband prefers steak, and we both like chicken. So we blend it all together and make this fabulous main course. Throw in the sides, salsa, and cheese, and everyone is happy!
FIRST-CLASS FAJITAS 
Ingredients:

1-pound of shrimp

2 chicken breasts, boneless

1 pound of sirloin steak
Marinate each meat/shrimp in the following: (x3)

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/4 cup tequila 

1 tablespoon lime juice

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Sea salt to taste
1 Vidalia onion

1 green pepper
4 romaine leaves, gently torn

1 tomato, chopped

2 green onions, snipped

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup salsa 

1/2 cup sliced jalapeños 

1/2 cup cheddar cheese

1 tablespoon fresh cilantro 

4 flour tortillas
Instructions:

In three shallow dishes, place steak, chicken and shrimp in their own marinade. Let stand for one hour. Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Drain marinade and discard. Place meats and shrimp on grill.* Cook through until done. (Chicken will take about 7 minutes per side.)

(Steak will take 4 minutes per side for medium-rare.)

(Shrimp will take 2 minutes per side.)

(Grill the vegetables until tender, about 10 minutes total.) 

Meanwhile toss romaine leaves, tomatoes, and green onions to blend in a bowl. Fill tortillas with your favorite meats, veggies, and toppings. Serve with chips, salsa, and sour cream. Olé!
*For easy cooking on the grill, use one grill pan for the shrimp as well as one for the vegetables.

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet; Letter E

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Home Cooking: Elderflower Raspberry Muffins! If you are a citrus lover, you will think you have died and gone to Heaven. The elderflowers from the St. Germain region of France are harvested into a delectable liqueur every Spring. Their delicate flavor is a blend of lemon, peach, and pear with a slight floral nature. When added to the ripe taste of raspberries with lemon zest, this fruity muffin becomes delightfully pleasing to the palate. 
ELDERFLOWER RASPBERRY MUFFINS
Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup Greek yogurt

1/4 cup milk

1/3 cup butter, melted

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1 lemon for zest strips

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries 
Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400°. Spray the muffin tin with a nonstick oil. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Set aside. Using a food processor, combine lemon zest strips and sugar. Pulse to finely chop the zest into the sugar. Add yogurt, milk, butter, egg, and extracts. Pulse until blended. Mix the yogurt mixture into the flour mixture and fold until almost blended. Gently fold in raspberries. Divide the batter into the muffin cups. Bake the muffins 18 to 25 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for five minutes before covering with glaze. Serve warm. 
Elderflower Glaze

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup elderflower liqueur*

2 teaspoons unsalted butter 
Directions:

Combine sugar and elderflower liqueur in microwave-safe bowl. Add butter and microwave for 45 seconds. Whisk until smooth, eliminating lumps. Let sit for a minute or two before pouring over warm muffins. 
*Elderflower liqueur may be substituted by using lemon juice instead. 

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet; Letter D

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Home Cooking: Deviled Eggs! People ask me all the time how I can eat everything I make and not weigh 100 pounds more than I do. Well, portion control has a lot to do with it……plus the fact that I truly DO share much of what I make. And then there are days when I know I’m going to pig out, so I eat a lunch that looks like this! Trust me, it works. 
DEVILED EGGS
Ingredients:

6 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and halved

1/4 cup real mayonnaise 

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Dash white pepper

Paprika 
Instructions:

Separate egg whites from egg yolks. Smash egg yolks with a fork in a small bowl. Stir in mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and pepper. Spoon yolk filling into egg white halves. Garnish with paprika. Chill, if desired. 

IT’S A DOUBLE TAKE!! “THE LIEBSTER AWARD!!”

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice! 🍰 The world of blogging has put me in touch with some of the nicest people! I have discovered how easy it is to broaden my horizons and nurture common interests. I would like to thank Stephy of http://stephysweetbakes.com for nominating me for my second Liebster Award! Her blog is a delicious link to bakery-fresh pastries! This girl has talent! 🍰
The rules for The LIEBSTER Award are as follows:

1 – Thank the person who nominated you and link to their blog.

2 – Answer the 10 questions given by the nominator.

3 – Nominate and link 10 bloggers.

4 – Notify all the bloggers you’ve nominated.

5 – Create 10 new questions for your nominees to answer.
Stephy asked me to answer the following questions:
1. Do you have any unfulfilled dreams you are awaiting to come true and if so plz do share. 🍓 I would like to publish the first edition of “Eating My Way Through the Alphabet”.
2. Lavish lifestyle or simple and meek? 🍓 Too easy. I already live a simple life in the country.
3. Which do you prefer with some free time, Walk or Sleep/nap? 🍓 Walking.
4. Paperback or Digital format novels? Which one you like best? 🍓 Hard Cover. lol
5. What do you enjoy about your blog? 🍓 I love to keep it organized and simple.
6. Honesty or Loyalty? Which do you think is more admirable? 🍓 Hmmmmm. Sometimes people are so honest, it hurts. So I guess…Loyalty.
7. Most memorable moment so far in your life? 🍓 I have a really good memory, so it’s hard to point to just one moment.
8. With age comes…….respect OR wisdom? 🍓 Wisdom!
9. What’s the one thing about yourself that you would say you love most? 🍓 Patience.
10. If you had been given $3,000 by someone to do what you will with it, and you were financially stable but not rich (doing pretty good so to speak, but COULD do better, just not in harms way financially), would you choose to give to a more needy person, OR keep it and buy some things you have BEEN longing to get? 🍓 I would give it away, honestly. God has blessed me beyond measure.
💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟
Now it’s my turn to nominate ten bloggers.

http://appetitedeluxe.com
http://abroadandlocal.com
Gary
http://winebyari.wordpress.com
Giulia
http://chocolatyprints.wordpress.com
http://dancingechoes.com
Laura
http://deepruts.com
http://disfordoodle.com
Nominees, please answer the following questions:

✏️✏️✏️✏️✏️✏️✏️✏️✏️✏️✏️✏️✏️✏️✏️
(1) What age do you feel right now?
(2) What do you want your tombstone to say?
(3) If you could choose one food to eat every single day, what would it be?
(4) Is it better to beg forgiveness or ask permission?
(5) Which is better……a novel or a movie?
(6) Are you a night owl or a morning person?
(7) Would you rather use Facebook or Twitter?
(8) On the average, how much time do you spend on your blog each day?
(9) What is your best character strength?
(10) Are you a free-spirit who “goes with the flow” or an organized person who likes structure and discipline?
Okay, Peeps, gather your thoughts and pave the way for others to follow.
Congratulations!

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet; Letter C

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Home Cooking: Crunchy Rosemary-Olive Oil Croutons! I often top my salads or garnish savory soups with homemade croutons, but these little buttery favorites give you the added crunch you desire anytime of day. And talk about easy! You already have your favorite herbs and spices in the kitchen pantry. I pick up a “day-old” baguette at the market bakery, for starters, but you can use whatever bread you choose. Now you know my secret to fabulous croutons!!!
CRUNCHY ROSEMARY-OLIVE OIL CROUTONS
Ingredients:

1 French baguette, day-old

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup olive oil

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon rosemary snips*

*Any fresh or dried herb may be used. 
Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Slice entire baguette. Take a kitchen sheers and cut each slice into strips and then cubes until entire loaf is used. Place bread cubes into a one gallon ziplock bag. Melt butter in a microwave-safe measuring cup for 30 seconds. When liquified, remove from microwave. Add olive oil and spices. Stir until blended. Pour over bread cubes. Seal bag and shake well to cover until all liquid is absorbed. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick oil. Empty contents of bag to form a single layer. Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven, turn over with metal spatula and then bake 10 minutes longer until crunchy. Do not burn. Let cool before storing in an airtight container. 

What’s That Sound? “ENCOURAGING THUNDER AWARD!”

Out of the blue, I met an amazing blogger named Shamira. She enjoys blogging as a personal mission to spread joy to others. You often hear that kindness begins with a simple smile of friendship. Perhaps that is why you may already be familiar with her through the blog, http://smilingnotes.wordpress.com where smiles are rich in abundant supply. Blessings, Shamira, for nominating me for “The Encouraging Thunder Award”. I am still in awe! 🍓 It is so thrilling to be recognized among the blogosphere of one’s peers. I feel privileged to be in the company of so many talented authors. Thanks very much. Your name says it all…….spreading “smiling notes” to the world at large.

 

What can you do with the award?

Post it on your blog.

Grant other bloggers with the award.

What you can’t do with the award?
Abuse or misuse the logo.

Claim that it’s your own handmade logo.

What you should do after receiving award:
Enjoy it and bask in the acknowledgement of this award.

Give thanks via comments and likes, mentioning the blog who gave the award.

Mention your purpose in blogging. Share your story.

My purpose of blogging:
For quite some time, my loving family and devoted friends had urged me to write more. It wasn’t until my father passed away last December that I found my “digital pen” gave birth to healing from the pain of such a deep loss. Because my husband, Gerald, and I were traveling, I often took photographs which prompted me to pay attention to the world outside my heart. Every living moment had a story to tell. In the ordinary, photographs touch the heart of dreamers. Thus began http://Snapshotsincursive.com

Cooking is my passion, my therapy, my personal mission right now. Whenever I share a meal or surprise someone with gifts from my kitchen, a tiny message is shared. Encouraging and comforting words from scripture are printed on a tag that reads, “Manna From Heaven”. I also discovered a common interest with others when I shared recipes. Before I knew it, “Eating My Way Through the Alphabet” was born. The journey has been exhilarating, energizing, and deeply gratifying. My cup overfloweth!
I highly recommend you check out the following blogs:

Valorie
Carole
Gabriel

Pennies From Heaven

Re-posted from March 9, 2015
He smelled like Old Spice After Shave as long as I knew him. There was a time he wore Vitalis in his wavy brown hair. All the guys did. Elvis probably started it with his slick-black hair and sex appeal. I used to go to my father’s bedroom closet after he hung up his suit from a nine-hour day of demanding retail sales, supporting a family of six. I’d slip my childish hands into every pocket searching for a LifeSaver or two. If a half-opened roll of Reed’s Root Beer candies were discovered, I’d race back to my father’s chair and beg for “just one”. Being his only daughter, and the apple of his eye, he’d smile and say, “Sure, Snookie. Anything for my little girl.” Sometimes there would be a compact case of Sen-Sens in his coat pocket. I hated the taste of anise. Around that time everyone grew up watching Hollywood’s Rich and Famous glamorizing the lifestyle of a cigarette smoker. Sales were finalized when a cigarette was lit at the retail counter. Afterwards this tiny matchbox of black licorice and anise squares were the perfect breath mint popular in the 1960s. On occasion in my daily quest, I would come across my father’s easy-squeeze leather coin pouch. He said it kept loose change under control and saved the lining in his dress pants.  
Today I hold that weather-worn pouch and squeeze it open remembering my father. Inside are two pennies. One is a muted coppery Lincoln Wheat Penny dated 1930; the other is a bright shiny Union Shield version dated 2014. Pennies from Heaven, I call them, spanning the lifetime of my beloved father. Happy Birthday, Dad. Thinking of you today celebrating your first birthday in Heaven. “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart.” ~ Ecclesiastes 3:11.

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet; Letter B

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Home Cooking: Bacon Bites! Get ready for a smokey, salty, crunchy all-time favorite appetizer. As the bacon sizzles in the skillet, your will-power needs to shift into high gear to restrain you from taste-testing before it’s finished. Trust me, this is worth the wait. 
BACON BITES
Ingredients:

9 slices of bacon

1/2 pound chicken chunks, pre-cooked

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1 8-ounce can water chestnuts, drained and sliced
Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450°. Partially cook bacon; drain on paper towels. Combine chicken, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, and water chestnuts. Marinate for 20 minutes. Drain. Wrap one piece of chicken and two water chestnuts in 1/3 slice of bacon. Secure with a wooden toothpick. Place on a baking sheet and bake in the oven 10-12 minutes or until the bacon is crisp.