Martha Mondays: 6/18

It’s my turn to pick this week and I’m going with Strawberry Lemonade from June Everyday Food. The recipe isn’t online, so I’m sharing it here:

In a large pot, combine 3/4 cup sugar, 10 ounces strawberries, and 6 lemons and 1 lime, both thinly sliced. Mash with a potato masher, 5 minutes. Stir in 6 cups of water and let sit 30 minutes.  Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a large container, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids. Serve over ice. Makes about 6 cups.

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Martha Mondays: Tuna and White Bean Salad

Ana at Sweet Almond Tree chose this salad (which really was a salade nicoise) for today’s project. I used greens from the CSA instead of spinach. I added some cucumber and did not use olives since no one here likes them. I added some herbs and a pinch of sugar to the dressing to give it more flavor. I thought it was very tasty and I’ll be finishing the rest up for lunch today! I eat a lot of salads for lunch and this was a nice change.

Martha Mondays

Ana at Sweet Almond Tree has chosen Tuna and White Bean Salad for Monday’s project.

Martha Mondays: Thai Chicken and Noodle Salad

Tiny Skillet chose Thai Chicken and Noodle Salad for today’s project. Loved it! I had to make some substitutions in this though! I was sure I had rice noodles and sure I had cucumbers, but I had only somen noodles and my cucumbers were rotten! So I used some zucchini and snap peas instead. I really enjoyed this and will be eating leftovers for lunch for a couple of days. It was super easy to put together and I like that you can assemble it in advance and then just dress it when ready to serve. A real winner in my book. Cool, refreshing, and perfect for summer.

Martha Mondays: Cheese Straws

I’m late posting this, but at least it is still Monday! We spent the holiday weekend at the lake with my parents. I made the cheese straws chosen by Perfecting Pru to go with dinner one night. I thought they were really good and so did everyone else! They were not dry, which I was worried about and were flavorful! Very fun.

Martha Mondays: Strawberry Tart

I am back to work and made this week’s project! I had a lovely Mother’s Day weekend. We got a lot done around the house, found time to take walks, and just hang out. My husband made me lunch and husband and kids made dinner, including my grandmother’s chocolate cake recipe. It was everything Mother’s Day should be. I hope all the moms out there enjoyed the day as well!

I made the strawberry tart Megan’s Cookin’ chose for our project, but it really didn’t infringe on my “I’m not cooking today” mantra. The crust was easy to put together and  I mixed up the cream cheese in the food processor. I cut the berries in half because one container I had was rotten and there wasn’t going to be enough. I used strawberry jam on top of them instead of currant jelly. I thought it looked pretty. It doesn’t compete, however, with my grandmother’s recipe for strawberry pie which I may share with you at some point!

I thought it was pretty good though. The crust was a really nice shortbread crust that I loved. I think if I didn’t know what was in this (just cream cheese and sugar) I would have liked it more! But it actually was pretty good and so simple to put together.

Martha Mondays: Crepes

Today’s project was crepes, chosen by Tiny Skillet. I first made crepes when I was about 8. My mom had an electric crepe maker. It was an inverted pan that you would dip into a special bowl that came with it then flip it over and let it cook, sitting on the counter. The batter would stick to the concave pan and you would use a special spatula to loosen it and then flip it. I remember loving dipping that pan into the batter.

When we went to Montreal when our kids were young, we ended up eating at a crepe restaurant twice in the same weekend because there was something there every picky eater could enjoy. My last experience with crepes was last summer in Colorado Springs. We ate lunch at a creperie that made all organic buckwheat crepes. The place had won all sorts of local “best of” awards, but we did not enjoy it at all. Their crepes were just too heavy.

So, I was happy to try making my own, something I don’t think I have done since I was a kid. I have the perfect pan for this – a Green pan that didn’t even need any butter (although I used a little) and even my first crepe turned out perfectly, which is never the case. I made the buckwheat version in the recipe and made up a chicken, carrot, spinach and cheese filling (it wasn’t perfect, so I’m not including my recipe for that). The crepes themselves were nice though and I had fun making them!

Martha Mondays

Today’s project was Chicken with Artichokes, Capers, and Angel Hair Pasta, chosen by Megan at Megan’s Cookin’. I have to say, it sounded kind of plain, and it pretty much was. I had some grated Parmesan cheese at the ready but even that didn’t do much to help it. I also added some onion powder to the sauce thinking that might boost it a bit. It didn’t. Not a fan of this one unfortunately. What did everyone else think?

Martha Mondays

Today’s recipe,  Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Greens, was chosen by Ashley at Elizabeth March Design and can be found in January Living. I was apprehensive about this soup. It sounded really, really bland and really really veggie. I thought it wasn’t too bad, and the fact that I threw in a rind from some Parmesan cheese probably helped it. I had some trouble getting it completely blended – there were some strings in it. No one but me would eat it. Mr. MarthaAndMe took one taste and said no thanks. I only made half a batch, so I didn’t have too much left. I am planning to doctor it up and have it for lunch some day this week. I don’t think I would ever make it again, however. What did everyone else think?

Martha Mondays: Lighter Chicken Potpie

Pru at Perfecting Pru chose Lighter Chicken Potpie for today’s recipe. Pru has never had chicken potpie before! Well, Pru, what did you think?

I had a little trouble with the recipe. First off, I quickly poached some chicken breasts but did not use the poaching water as directed – I used chicken broth, but that was just my cheat for the recipe. Secondly, as I was making it, it seemed like there was not enough liquid, so I increased the broth (and increased the flour). It was nice and thick when it went in the oven, but it came out looking like soup, so it was pretty disappointing. My family did not like the tarragon in this, something I don’t normally use. The phyllo dough was nice and I thought the flavors were fine otherwise. I don’t make chicken potpie often because I find it to be messy. I always think I would like it better with a bottom crust, but even when I make it that way, it all still runs all over the place. I’m posting a recipe for chicken and biscuits later this week and that is my version of chicken potpie that I like the best.