Summer Brings Local Farmer’s Markets

Every Saturday throughout the summer in Nevada City, you can enjoy a beautiful morning at the local Farmer’s Market. The Farmer’s Market is the community’s source for LOCAL fresh produce and music, educational demonstrations, face painting, and good old fashioned fun for the entire family. Shopping at your local farmer’s market is an enjoyable activity that brings the community together for food and friendship. It is an educational opportunity for many. You can learn directly from farmers and other experts about growing practices, crop seasons, and even cooking tips.

As always, my quick and easy recipes for Busy Moms can be found on my website Noel’s Kitchen Tips.com.

Visit my new Amazon Kitchen Store  for some of my recommeneded appliances, storage and kitchen needs along with some of my favorite cookbooks and aprons to help you with your family meal planning.

Would you like to join our growing Family Cooking Club? Share recipes and tips with others? Join the Family Meals Matter Cooking Club on Facebook.  

A fellow colleague and I were talking about recipes one day and I mentioned to her I’d like to try a new recipe in my chicken menu. I’d like to create a dish that not only brought out different flavors but kept to the easy weeknight meal. I wanted to use simple ingredients that I have on hand everyday in my pantry. Here’s what I came up with. I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon oilve oil

4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 20-ounce can diced tomatoes with juice

1 20-ounce can pineapple chunks, reserve juice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon Jamaican Jerk rub

1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

1/4 cup raisins (optional)

Directions:

In a large skillet pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Slowly add the chicken breasts. Cook and turn chicken breasts until they start to lightly brown on both sides approximately 5-7 minutes. Remove chicken breast from skillet and drain any excess oil and juice.

Return chicken breasts to skillet; add diced tomatoes with juice and pineapple chucks.

In a small bowl, add pineapple and lime juice and spices. Whisk ingredients together. Add to chicken mixture. (If you would like to add raisins or currents, you would add them to the dish now. As the dish cooks, the raisins become plump.) Bring chicken mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 25 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

You may serve this dish over hot rice or as I did here with elbow macaroni noodles. (Kids choice.) This would also be very good with mango substituted for the pineapple.

As always, my quick and easy recipes for Busy Moms can be found on my website Noel’s Kitchen Tips.com.

Visit my new Amazon Kitchen Store  for some of my recommeneded appliances, storage and kitchen needs along with some of my favorite cookbooks and aprons to help you with your family meal planning.

Would you like to join our growing Family Cooking Club? Share recipes and tips with others? Join the Family Meals Matter Cooking Club on Facebook.  

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Seafood is not something that is on my family’s menu very often. My last trip to the grocery store, I decided to introduce at least three different seafood meals. Meals that were very basic and that I could introduce easily to our kids. The first dish was a Marinated Toasted Black Pepper Tilapia, which was recommended by a fellow consumer at the grocery store. It was already perfectly marinated and our first experience tasting this type of fish was delicious. It wasn’t too salty nor bland. I just popped the fillets in the oven, and added a salad as a side dish. You could also serve this with your favorite rice dish, and you would have an exceptional seafood dinner in no time.  It will definitely be on my grocery list for future menu planning. I served the Tilapia with a Spinach and Nectarine Salad with a Honey Dijon Vinaigrette.

For Sunday’s menu, I wanted something simple and quick for our meal that didn’t require the use the oven. An easy sandwich sounded like a good idea for our lazy Sunday night menu. We’ve had Chicken Salad Sandwiches on our Sunday Dinners before and I wanted to try making a refreshing sandwich using the imitation crab that I picked up on my last grocery trip. Crab flavored seafood is simply Surimi. It is inexpensive and can be stored unopened in the refrigerator for up to 2 months and in the freezer for up to 6 months. If opened, it must be used within 3 days. It’s a  perfect ingredient for creating salads, sandwiches, casseroles and soup.

Crab Salad Sandwich

Ingredients

1 pound crab flavored seafood

1/4 cup mayonaise

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon fresh lemon

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 green onions, chopped

Directions:

Open package of crab flavored seafood and blot with a paper towl to remove exces water from meat. Place into a bowl and with a fork pull apart meat to make it slightly ”stringy”.

In another  bowl mix together the mayonaise and cream cheese until smooth and creamy consitency. Add lemon juice, stir. Add crab mixture and lightly stir. Add celery and onion. Mix well and refrigerate one hour before serving on your favorite sandwich roll. I served mine on a homemade roll; recipe to post soon.

What are some of your family’s favorite seafood meals?

As always, my quick and easy recipes for Busy Moms can be found on my website Noel’s Kitchen Tips.com.

Visit my new Kitchen Store  for some of my recommened  appliances, storage and kitchen needs along with some of my favorite cookbooks and aprons to help you with your family meal planning.

Would you like to join our growing Family Cooking Club? Share recipes and tips with others? Join the Family Meals Matter Cooking Club on Facebook.  

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Homemade Salad Dresings

 During the summer months, we are always out by the pool or entertaining with friends and family. When the weather’s warm, everyone enjoys a refreshing salad with fresh vegetables, crisp lettuce, and dressed with a delicious dressing. Tangy salad dressings during the summer are my favorite and I feel they always make a refreshing and unforgetable salad. I like to experiment with different ingredients until I get just the right flavor I’m looking for. I’ll also try to incorporate fresh herb from the garden too. Making your own dressing with ingredients you have on hand is also easy on your food budget.

Honey Mustard Lime Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 Tablespoons water

1/4 cup pure wildflower honey (any honey will work, I like this particular one because it’s darker, and thicker)

Juice of 1 lime

1 teaspoon orange juice

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1/2 teaspoon dill

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper

Directions:

  Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk. I recycle my leftover jelly or jam jars and mix alll the ingredients directly in the jar. Place all ingredients in the jar, place lid on tight and shake.