Grilled Red, White, & Blue Potatoes

As we all look to celebrate America’s birthday, many of us turn to the grill to serve our family and friends.  so as the temperature outside gets hotter, we as a society apparently feel that is the perfect time to sweat even more by firing up the grill and cooking outside.  I am just as guilty as I love to grill but rarely will you catch me out there in temperature where I need a coat.  I would much rather grill during the summer even if preparing dinner does require another shower.

Colors have been a theme in our house this week.  Little Miss Mixture loves food for holidays.  I have been known to whip up random things last minute to get a smile from her.  Take for instance my Cinco De Mayo Smoothie.

This year she has had her mind set to make a sweet for the holiday.  After scouring several store for red and blue sprinkles, she finally agreed to be creative and use some colored sugars we already had at home.

As I look forward to her treat, I have been more focused on making sure real food is consumed.

One of the easiest ways to serve patriotic food on the 4th of July is fruit.  Watermelon, Blueberries. Raspberries, strawberries all pair well with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or yogurt.  Viola!  Easy Red, White, & Blue

Another way to take advantage of great seasonal food is potatoes.  Fingerlings can be found in most farmers markets right now in a variety of colors.  Last weekend we bought a quart of Red, white, and blue potatoes.  If you ask me they were really purple potatoes, but that is not what they are called even though they appear that color inside and out. As I was cutting them, I realized what a perfect recipe for this weeks patriotic holiday.

One meal a couple of years ago, I was grilling and wanted to simplify things so ya their than cooking inside and out, I tossed diced onions and potatoes into a small cast iron skillet.  I drizzled some olive oil over the skillet and took it to the grill.  The result one of my favorite ways to make potatoes.

Grilled Red, White, & Blue Potatoes

Fingerling Potatoes – enough to fill but still fit in your cast iron skillet allowing you to stir as needed. About 2-5 per person.

1/2 Red onion, diced

Olive oil

Fresh ground Pepper to taste

Heat grill to 400 -450 degrees.  Add all items to cast iron skillet.  Pour enough oil over potatoes and onions to moisten, but not fry the mixture on the grill.  Place skillet on the grill.  Stir potAtoes about every 10 minutes to ensure even browning as the potatoes cook.  Dish is done when potatoes are nicely browned and softened, about 30-40 minutes.  Remove from grill and be carefulness skillet will be very hot.  I tend to use the pot handle cover as well as grill safe pot holder for high temperatures, so that I can hold the pot securely and move back to a flat surface for serving.

I use a 8 inch cast iron skillet.

 

Printable Recipe & Nutrition Info

Monday Mixture

Things have been a whirlwind for the past few weeks and though it is summer and things are suppose to slow down.  Hence the lazy days of summer, it does not appear I am coming up for air quite yet.  Rather I am trying to catch my breath between last minute trips, dance recitals, swim meets and practices, and getting some work done around the house.

Regardless of how busy things get one thing remains constant, we eat.

1. What we ate this week June 8 – June 14

Saturday – Fancy Grilled Cheese w/ basil pesto & Fruit Salad

Sunday – BLT Burgers and Creamed Corn

Monday – Red, White, & Greens Pasta

Tuesday – Taco Salad

Wednesday – Pretzel Chicken, Fried Potatoes, and Spinach, Raspberry & Goat Cheese Salad

Thursday – Packed Dinner of PB & J, Fruit, Chips (Swim Meet)

Friday – Leftovers

2. I had a small get together to attend this past week.  When you have a food blog and you tend to bake and cook quite a bit, I think you feel the pressure more than you should as to what to take.  The host requested a light appetizer, dessert, or bottle of wine.  It is the summer season and S’mores just speak summer taste, so I decided to make S’mores bites.  I made this recipe first last fall when I threw a 40th Party for Mr. Mixture.  They were simple, quick and easy to make and a perfect one bite.

Well things did not go as planned this week as they were an epic fail and with everything else going on I just did not have the time to put something else together.  So what does a mixture lover decide on, you guessed it my mom says ” it is your signature.”  Perfect I decided.  A simple yet satisfying mix of flavors sweet and salty.

3. Pistachios – Last week I published Crack open some Goodness because as you know we like all varieties of nuts around here.  Funny thing happened as my parents recently returned from a cross country trip and brought us flavored pistachios.  Now we are all familiar with roasted nuts and different candied or coconut coated nuts, but these are unique.  The pistachios are from New Mexico and the flavors we received were Garlic & green chile, two levels of Red Chili – hot and XX hot.  I enjoy making my own nuts, but this is something I am not sure I can duplicate without altering.  The nuts are not roasted and they are still shelled.  This is an east coast southern girl has never seen before.

4. Meatless Monday – Meatless Monday is a movement that was relaunched in 2003 as a public awareness program.  It actually began with President Woodrow Wilson during war times to encourage people to decrease their meat consumption, a staple food.  Today’s movement has been gaining momentum since it started appearing more routinely in the media since 2009 encouraging a meatless meal to improve health and help the environment.

Just like all groups and websites you must meet some criteria to be recognized as part of their movement.  Well take a look at my sidebar Let’s Have Mixture has new bling.  A meatless monday badge. You can also find my blog listed here.

Can you pledge to have a meatless meal every monday?  Start with trying it for one month, or throughout the summer.  You can browse recipes on this site and many others by the #meatlessmonday

5. Coming Soon

       What do you do with a recipe that fails?  

Toss it?  Eat it?  

Recipes for your Vitamix or Blender 

My all time favorite lunch

 

 

My kind of comfort food

Fancy Grilled Cheese

Yesterday I spoke to soon.  I indicated Spring had sprung, but then I stepped outside and it was another cold and wet day. Let me remind you it is now early April and I have had enough. We had a glimpse of spring, almost summer with temperatures in the upper 70’s to low 80’s and then what happen not even out of the 50’s, overcast, with periods of rain. I can remember days in March when we wore tank tops and one spring break I broke out the sprinkler it was so warm. Not so this year each week for the past few weeks we have had a glimpse of spring and then old man winter shows himself again. Weather like this does not help me motivate to get out of my desk chair and workout, but it does wonders for my dreaming of cheesy goodness. The dog desperately sits by the window dreaming that I will take her for a walk. Sorry but under 60 and wet that is not happening the most you get is a quick jaunt to relieve yourself.

I have always been a weather checker, not sure that is a phrase, but you understand. When it was the weather channel I would wait for local on the 8, now a days I check my phone, ipad, or whatever is handy to see the next ten hours or ten days. When I begin thinking about meals for the week, which I am constantly doing but typically focus on it on one or two times a week for the next 4 days or so.  I always need to know the weather. This week again it showed cold and wet though never leaving the 50’s was colder than expected.

I am a big grilled cheese fan and can have it a number of different ways, but remember I said my daughter was adventurous with food. She is, but ironically she was not a fan of grilled cheese until I made it fancy. So now when she asks for grilled cheese she expects it to be on the lines of something like this

Basically a fancy grilled cheese on this particular evening consist of multi grain bread spread nicely with arugula pesto on piece of bread. I love pesto but to lather both slices of bread with this spicy concoction could be a little overpowering. Depending on your cheese taste, Little Miss Mixture prefers Munster to Fontina each sandwich receives a slice atop the pesto and one on the other slice. Before closing the sandwich top one slice of cheese with some Caramelized onions. Close and toss into the cast iron skillet that has butter simmering and cook until perfectly browned and cheese melts.
Flip to ensure both sides are nicely browned, almost burnt if like me you are trying to manage the kids, the dog, and getting the final items for dinner this will happen without trying. Enjoy warm.

The pesto that apparently transforms a regular grilled cheese sandwich into a fancy grilled cheese and a food Little Miss Mixture will eat is simple. I must warn you if you are compelled to measure everything and get anxiety reading about recipes that require a dash, pinch, or to taste, stop reading now. Go find a blog that may be better suited for you. I am not a person who measures. On occasion the first time I make a recipe I measure, or at least some of the ingredients, but as a general rule I do not measure. In fact I am believer that you can bake and not measure perfectly. More about that another day.

So if you want to enjoy a “Fancy Spread“ here is a basic guideline. This recipe was adapted from http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/arugula_pesto/

Arugula Pesto 

1 1/2 – 2 cups Arugula
1/4 cup Olive Oil
2 Tbsp (small handful) Walnuts
1 garlic clove
1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese

Toss all ingredients into a food processor or vitamix and blend until desired consistency. NOTE: If using Vitamix be sure to put the olive oil in first and the arugula on top and slowly increase your variable speed. Taste and season with pepper and salt, if you must – this is a rarity in my recipes. I only use salt in a handful of items such as baking that I feel it is necessary. Use immediately or refrigerate until ready to use. Pesto can also be frozen in small batches for use at a later date. I find the small mason jars are fabulous for putting just under 1/2 cup and thawing whenever you want a fancier sandwich.