"The embarrassing thing is that the salad dressing is outgrossing my films."

~ Paul Newman

Oranges have always been one of my favorite fruits. I love the crisp, clean scent of anything orange based from my cleaners, to my body scrubs to my choice of food flavorings - orange is my first love.

When I lived in San Diego I could spend hours driving north and loved nothing more than finding myself in the midst of orange groves - so aromatic, so romantic (yes, something about those orange groves is romantic to me.)

So this morning while flipping through the pages of my "Bobby Flay's Bold American Food" cookbook, and I happened upon this recipe for Orange Vinaigrette - you can imagine my delight! And being the good blog host that I am, I'm going to share it with all of you!

Enjoy!

Orange Vinaigrette

1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice, 2tbs chopped red onion, 2 tbs fresh lime juice, 1 tsp dijon mustard, 1 tsp ancho chile powder, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1/2 cup olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper

1. In a saucepan over high heat, reduce the orange juice until it forms a syrup. Let the syrup cool slightly (to skip this step, substitute 3 tbs of undiluted frozen orange juice.)

2. In a blender, combine the orange syrup, onion, lime juice, mustard, chile powder, and wine vinegar. Blend for 30 seconds. With the blender running, slowly add  the olive oil until the dressing emulsifies. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

May be prepared 1 day ahead and refrigerated. Bring to room termperature before serving.

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"I fear the man who drinks water and so remembers this morning what the rest of us said last night." ~ Greek Proverb

Legend goes that the Lemon Drop Martini was first created in a singles bar in San Francisco in the 1970's and has been a popular West Coast drink ever since. Even though I lived in San Diego for seven years, I'll be honest and tell you that I only just discovered this drink last summer - and here on the East Coast!

Recipe below courtesy of WhatsCookingAmerica.net

Lemon Drop Martini

1 1/2 ounces vodka (use a good-quality vodka)
1/2 ounce orange liqueur (Triple Sec, Grand Marnier, Cointreau, etc.)
1 teaspoon superfine sugar or to taste*
3/4 ounce freshly-squeezed lemon juice
Ice cubes
Superfine sugar for dipping
Twisted peel of lemon

* Superfine sugar is instantly dissolving sugar that is typically used in drinks. If you want to avoid the shaking, make basic simple syrup to use in place of the sugar.

Mix the vodka, orange liqueur, sugar, and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice; shake well (supposedly the cocktail is to be shaken 40 times to make sure the sugar is well blended).

Pour strained liquor into sugar-rimmed martini glass and garnish with a twisted peel of lemon.

NOTE: To create a sugar-rimmed glass, take a lemon wedge and rub the drinking surface of the glass so it is barely moist. Dip the edge of the glass into the superfine sugar.

Makes 1 serving.

Do you have a favorite summer drink or a favorite martini flavor?

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I've also been forced to accept the fact that sitting at the computer writing all day can NOT in any way be considered exercise. (I have been told reaching for the coffee cup, doing butt crunches while sitting on the chair and even crossing the kitchen to refill the coffee cup are not real exercises..bah!)

I guess it's time for some changes.  I've started looking at ways to get more fiber in my diet and every Monday I'll be posting something that I've found. I've also been talked into walking every day - gasp! As hard as it sounds, I've been assured that the emails, the blogs, my writing groups and yes, even my manuscript will be just fine without me if I'm not in constant contact with them over the 'net. (I've promised to only listen to music while I'm walking and NOT to check my email!)

First stop today: Read about National Nutrition Month at their website: http://www.eatright.org/nnm/

Facts about fiber: 

Fiber, in basic terms, is the indigestible parts of plant foods. It is the husk on the grain of wheat, the thin strands in celery, the crunch in the apple, the casings on edible seeds. Fiber helps to protect you from heart disease (yes, even women get heart disease so listen up ladies!), cancer, and digestive problems. Depending on the type of fiber (yes, there are more than one!), it lowers cholesterol, helps with weight control, and regulates blood sugar. The point here? This is one nutrient you don't want to miss! But did you know most people get only 12-15 grams of fiber a day-- and that's below the recommended 25-30 grams. So if you're cutting the carbs for weight loss, you might also be cutting the fiber and that's not a good thing. 

Here's how to sneak "good carbs" and extra fiber into your daily diet with a minimum of effort.

 Eat cereal every day for breakfast.  Aim for a whole grain, unsweetened cereal (so, Captain Crunch is probably out?) with at least 4 grams of fiber a serving. Just eating any cereal might be enough, however. A University of California study found that cereal eaters tend to eat more fiber and less fat than non-cereal eaters. Healthy, high-fiber cereals you might want to consider include Kellogg's All-Bran Original, Kashi GOLEAN, and Kellogg's Raisin Bran.

OR, how about a muffin? Here's the original Kellogg's All-Bran Muffin Recipe

Ingredients

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Since chocolate and Valentine's Day go hand-in-hand, here's an easy treat to tempt your sweetheart with today (or tonight!)

Truffle Treats

1 Package (8 oz.) Baker's semi-sweet baking chocolate squares

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 tub (8 oz.) cool whip extra creamy whipped topping, thawed

Toppings: chopped nuts, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, sprinkles, grated chocolate, etc...

_____

MICROWAVE chocolate in bowl on high 3 minutes or until chocolate is almost melted, stirring halfway through heating time. Stir until chocolate is completely melted.  MIX in peanut butter until smooth. COOL to room temperature. GENTLY stir in whipped topping. Refrigerate 1 hour.

ROLL mixture into 1-inch balls. COAT with desired toppings.

Makes 35-40 truffles.

Variation: Use 8 squares Premium White Baking Chocolate instead of Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate.

Recipe courtesy of the "Celebrate with Cool Whip" cookbook.

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One Pan Chocolate Walnut Cake

1 Cup Flour, 1 Cup Sugar, 2/3 Cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda.

Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour an 8 inch square or round cake pan, preferably nonstick.

In the prepared baking pan, combine the dry ingredients above. Make a well in the middle.

Into the well, add...

1/2 Cup sour cream, 1/4 cup light vegetable oil, 3 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Gradually incorporate all the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients by pulling in from the edges as you stir.

Stir in 1 cup walnuts.

Spread the mixture evenly in the pan and rap it once or twice on the counter to remove any air bubbles in the batter.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a rack.

Enjoy the weekend!

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It's strawberry time! I'm fortunate enough to live in region where fresh fruits and vegetables come from local farms. And let me tell you, there is NOTHING like spending a day at the farm and picking your own fruit - and for me the added benefit to this scenario is that I didn't have to remember to water the plants, I didn't have to remember to fertilize and I didn't have to figure out why my plants died and my neighbors thrived!

If you read Monday's post (scroll down if you didn't  ) you know I did a booksigning this past weekend at a local vineyard...to say we passed more than one "pick-your-own-strawberries" sign would be a gross understatement, and since the local strawberry festival is going on, you can only imagine the myriad of recipes strawberries have been made into this week.

While I hold out hope of getting the family to the farm this weekend for some pick-you-own-bucket-o-fun...I'll post a recipe I've made before and look forward to making again next week with my farm-fresh goodies.

What you'll need:

2 cups flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt, 3/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp ground cinnamon. Combine these in a medium bowl, make a well in the center.

1/4 cup milk, 2 tbs vegetable oil, 2 eggs - lightly beaten. Combine these, add to the dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.

1 cup chopped strawberries, 1 tbs flour. Dredge strawberries in flour, gently fold into batter.

Spoon batter into a loaf pan greased and floured. Bake at 350 for 53 to 58 minutes. Cool in pan 5 minutes, remove from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Enjoy the treat! Have any great strawberry recipes for me?

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But here's something they can take with them.

I haven't made these in a long time, but this morning while I was going through some folders in my desk bookcase (yeah, there's that organization thing again ) I came across the folder of easy recipes the whole family likes.

The great thing about these scones is that you can (a) mix up the dry ingredients the night before - or whenever you want and store it in an airtight container or ziplock and (b) they're really good and cook up quick (and do not taste like "stones" as my husband so foundly refers to them as!) And (c) you can vary them by adding whatever your family likes!

EASY SCONES

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 3/4 cup whipping/heavy cream (I have used half & half with no problems, but the cream is richer and provides better texture for the scone) 2 tsp finely grated lemon peel, a little more cream and sugar for top.

Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center of flour mixture. Add cream and lemon peel.

Stir mixture until crumbly. Coat hands with a little flour and gently knead until a ball forms. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface. (I cheat here and turn it right onto my pampered chef round stone)

Gently pat the dough into a 7 inch circle. Using a knife or pizza cutter cut into 6-8 wedges. Lightly brush each scone with whipping cream, sprinkle with additional sugar (I use a brown sugar & cinnamon mixture for this). Place the scones on an ungreased cookie sheet or stone.

Bake 18 minutes or until scones are golden on top. Serve warm with butter. They're also great after school.

Enjoy!

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