I was given some blueberries and decided to use them in the blueberry muffin recipe. The instructions have you chop about half of the berries and the rest go in whole. That was an interesting process. I used my tiny Black and Decker food chopper. It worked well, and I didn't have to clean the big one. The recipe adds lemon zest and juice of one lemon. Both Craig and I thought it was too lemony. I will use this chopping technique again, but reduce the lemon. They look really pretty. They are intensely blueberry and not at all mooshy which I was afraid of with the chopped berries.

New York-Style Crumb Cake

The New York-Style Crumb Cake sounded almost like the coffee cake I used to order at Millie's Kitchen, a quirky diner in Lafayette, CA, only open for breakfast. I have fond memories of gobbling up coffee cake at Millie's after morning swim practice. After looking over the recipe, it seemed like I should probably exercise before partaking in this version -- the topping alone calls for one pound of butter.

Like most recipes in Foster's Market, this one serves a crowd; I decided to bring it to our neighbors' house when they invited us over for pancakes. I had all the ingredients on hand, and the whole thing came together easily and quickly--just in time for breakfast at 9:30 without rushing our morning routine.

People really seemed to like it, and only four end pieces remained after everyone had finished breakfast. I recommend eating it right after it comes out of the oven. I ate one piping hot piece and another piece later after it had cooled; the topping definitely tastes better gooey and warm.

Rosemary Focaccia Bread

Making bread makes Ellie so happy (her's is the little folded one on the right).  This recipe also interested me because I have lots and lots of rosemary in my front and back yard.  I am always looking for ways to use it.  Well, I found a great one.  I brought this to the potluck tonight too.  All gone.  Thank you Foster's market.  I am making this again tomorrow.

Foster's Market Brownies

I thought I would try the brownies.  Like many of the recipes in this cookbook the brownie recipe is huge.  I halved it.  I am not sure what I did wrong.  I am pretty sure my calculations were correct.  I cooked it for the allotted amount, let them cool an hour or so before cutting.  They were a runny mess.  Unless someone else tries this one it will not be repeated by me (Anyone?).  I was a little sad but I think my sister and Adam were much sadder.  Se la vie (is that how you spell that?)

Zesty Tomato Sauce

I wanted to try the zesty tomato sauce b/c when the tomatoes and eggplants come in I want to know if it is worth using this recipe or something else.  I like this recipe and I will use it for the Eggplant Parmesan.  The recipe is easy.  I did make a few changes.  I added both marjoram and oregano (more than the recipe called for) and I added 5 cloves of garlic.  I should have added a little more because I ended up sprinkling a little bit of garlic powder in at the end.  Oh, and I added a Tablespoon of brown sugar to even out the bitterness in the canned tomatoes. I used 28 ounces of crushed tomatoes and 8 ounces of diced.

Tonight I used the sauce to do a baked ziti.  I boiled the pasta, added some of the sauce, placed it in a 9 x 13 inch pan, topped it with a lot of shredded mozzarella and baked it at 400 until the cheese browned around the edges of the dish.  I brought it to a potluck and by the time my husband arrived there was one serving left.

Chicken Chili with Navy Beans

Val got me in the mood for soup after reading her review of the Corn and Roasted Red Pepper Chowder, so I made this chili recipe tonight. It was a hit -- very, very flavorful. It was a tad on the spicy side, which we liked. I used my favorite red chili powder from Chimayo, NM, which probably upped the heat a bit.

I wouldn't call this a chili, though; it's much lighter, more like tortilla soup, if you've ever had that. So it wasn't too heavy, even for a dinner in July, at least on a cool evening.

There was one odd thing about the recipe. You can use either dried beans or canned beans. I used canned. The recipe tells you to simmer for 1.5 hours if using dried beans, but it's unclear on what to do if using canned beans. It says to "add them at this point and cook about 30 minutes" but it's not clear what "this point" is -- after 1.5 hours of simmering? Or do you skip the 1.5 hours of simmering and just cook for 30 minutes? I took the middle road and simmered for 45 minutes, then added the beans and simmered for another 30 minutes. It was great, so it probably didn't matter much. I guess when you're using canned beans you just want to make sure that you don't simmer it so long that the beans fall apart and become mush.

I made the Old-Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits to go with it, after reading the previous review (I think it was Sharalyn's?). Wow, those were good. They're very buttery yet light and flaky. Mmmmm. Thankfully there are 4 leftover -- hoping to snag at least one at breakfast tomorrow to have with jam. I already like this cookbook, particularly the little side notes throughout.

Grilled Chicken Salad with Tomatoes, Spinach and Dijon Vinaigrette

I served this as a main course as a beach picnic and it was a hit. I did make quite a few changes.

First, I have grill fear because that is my husband's domain. If I were to show I could use it, he might never use it again. As a result, it's his. The chicken breast were cooked in my oven using the broiler.

Next, I completely forgot to buy celery, so it was missing that element.

When I made the vinaigrette, it tasted to acidic for my liking so I added about 2 tsp of honey to the dressing and YUM-O. It was tasty.

I made the chicken and veggie part of the salad ahead and served it on spinach at the beach. It was great. The one thing that I would add, and this could be the pregnant woman in my speaking, but I would add some of those chinese crunchy noodles on top. That would have made me eat this salad until I burst. I know, pretty picture. Speaking of pictures, I didn't have my camera or my cell phone with me at the beach, WHAT?!?! Next time, I promise. :)