Cool Cucumber Salad

4 cucumbers, thinly sliced
1 small white onion, thinly sliced
1 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon dried dill, or to taste

Directions

Peal and thinly slice cucumbers and put them in a bowl. Sprinkle the cucumbers with about 1/2 - 1 tsp. of salt. Let sit for at least 30 minutes with some kind of a weight on top. This helps bring the "water" out of the cucumber which gives a better texture and flavor. Pour out the excess water. Toss together the cucumbers and onion in a large bowl. Combine the vinegar, water and sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, and pour over the cucumber and onions. Stir in dill, cover, and refrigerate until cold. This can also be eaten at room temperature, but be sure to allow the cucumbers to marinate for at least 1 hour.

pioneer woman's artichoke pasta sauce

I DIED over how good it was. so so good!!! And very easy and quick!! I used fettuccine, which I like better. I also didn't put chives, I put dried parsley while the sauce was cooking. I also added a pinch of red chili flakes and a little garlic powder when tasting at end. I diced up my artichokes becasue I didn't want one big bite of it, I wanted it throughout the sauce. The pic of this is Pioneer woman's, I will get an original when I make it again, I ate it too fast!!
Here is the link http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/10/wednesday-night-dinner-spaghetti-with-artichoke-hearts-and-tomatoes/



* 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
* 2 Tablespoons Butter
* 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
* ½ whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
* 1 can Artichoke Hearts (14.5 Oz. Quartered Or Whole) Drained
* 1 can Diced Tomatoes With Juice (14.5 Oz.)
* 1 cup Heavy Cream
* ½ cups Chicken Broth (More As Needed)
* ½ teaspoons Nutmeg
* Salt And Pepper, to taste
* 1 pound Thin Spaghetti
* 1 cup Parmesan Cheese, Freshly Grated
* 2 Tablespoons Fresh Chives (or Other Herbs) Chopped

Preparation Instructions

Cook spaghetti till al dente. Drain and set aside.

Melt olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add artichoke hearts and tomatoes. Stir and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Stir in cream and chicken broth. Add salt and pepper to taste (do not undersalt!) Cook over low heat until heated through, then turn off heat.

Place drained pasta in a large bowl. Sprinkle with 1 cup Parmesan. Pour sauce over the top. Add chives. Toss lightly to combine and coat; add a tiny bit of reserved pasta water if sauce seems too thick.

I served this with sauteed zucchini and my FAVORITE bread my french bread

weelicious zuchinni muffins

I made these this morning and YUM!! I got the recipe from weelicious.com. I love that site!

1 Cup All Purpose Flour
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 Tsp Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Salt
2 Eggs, whisked
1 Tsp Vanilla
1/3 Cup Vegetable or Canola Oil
2/3 Cup Agave Nectar
1 1/2 Cups Zucchini, shredded (about 2 small zucchini)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
3. Place the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl and whisk to combine.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and stir just until the ingredients are combined.
5. Pour the zucchini mixture into large or small muffins cups (I like to use a small ice cream scooper to make spooning into the muffin cups easier).
6. Bake 15 minutes for small muffins and 20 minutes for large ones.
7. Cool and serve.

Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Bread

I saw this on pioneer women's web site and had to make it and it it delicious!! http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/08/homemade-cinnamon-bread/
I however forgot to look at her pics of her making it and rolled it out a bit differently. this recipe is for 1 loaf, but I rolled it horizontally (like rolling the dough for cinnamon rolls) and realized it was double the length of my bread pan! so I cut it in 2 and put one roll in 2 bread pans. it turned out perfect, but were just smaller loaves. so do what you will!



* 1 cup Milk
* 6 Tablespoons Butter
* 2-½ teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
* 2 whole Eggs
* ⅓ cups Sugar
* 3-½ cups All-purpose Flour
* 1 teaspoon Salt
* ⅓ cups Sugar
* 2 Tablespoons Cinnamon
* Egg And Milk, Mixed Together, For Brushing
* Softened Butter, For Smearing And Greasing

Preparation Instructions

Melt butter with milk. Heat until very warm, but don’t boil. Allow to cool until still warm to the touch, but not hot. Sprinkle yeast over the top, stir gently, and allow to sit for 10 minutes.

Combine flour and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix sugar and eggs with the paddle attachment until combined. Pour in milk/butter/yeast mixture and stir to combine. Add half the flour and beat on medium speed until combined. Add the other half and beat until combined.

Switch to the dough hook attachment and beat/knead dough on medium speed for ten minutes. If dough is overly sticky, add 1/4 cup flour and beat again for 5 minutes.

Heat a metal or glass mixing bowl so it’s warm. Drizzle in a little canola oil, then toss the dough in the oil to coat. Cover bowl in plastic wrap and set it in a warm, hospitable place for at least 2 hours.

Turn dough out onto the work surface. Roll into a neat rectangle no wider than the loaf pan you’re going to use, and about 18 to 24 inches long. Smear with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Mix sugar and cinnamon together, then sprinkle evenly over the butter-smeared dough. Starting at the far end, roll dough toward you, keeping it tight and contained. Pinch seam to seal.

Smear loaf pan with softened butter. Place dough, seam down, in the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix a little egg with milk, and smear over the top. Bake for 40 minutes on a middle/lower rack in the oven.

fresh tomato soup

3-4 tomatoes diced
3 or so tablespoons olive oil
about 4 tablespoons small diced purple onion
a few shakes of dried minced garlic (I ran out of fresh minced you could use that a 1/2 - 1 teaspoon or so)
splash of white cooking wine
a few shakes of dried onion
a few shakes of italian seasoning
3 fresh tomatoes; diced
1/2 can of diced tomatoes (it was in my fridge and needed to be used)
about 4 basil leaves chopped
salt
pepper
heavy cream

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until onions are tender. then add the seasoning and cook another few min. add the tomatoes and heat through. once hot, put into a blender and blend all up until smooth. pour back into the pot and add salt and pepper to taste and about 1/4 c. cream or however much you like....to taste.

serve with grilled cheese or crusty bread!! yum!