More Cherries..

My neighbor stopped me coming home ... it's cherry time... She picked up a 2 gallon bucket of cherry's .. here's what happened,

Baked Chicken with Lemon Thyme Wine Sauce

4 Boneless chicken breasts
1 Cup dry white wine
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 Small onion, chopped
1 Teaspoon garlic, minced
1/8 Teaspoon white pepper
1/4 Cup cream or half & half
1 Tablespoon flour
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon thyme, or 1 Teaspoon dried
1/2 Cup Swiss cheese, grated (optional)
8 Lemon thyme sprigs, 2-3" in length
Salt to taste
Preheat oven to 375F. Pierce chicken breasts with fork and arrange in a baking dish. Add wine and marinate for 10 minutes. Sauté onions and garlic in butter and olive oil until transparent. Remove the onion and garlic with a slotted spoon and set them aside, along with the seasoned oil. In a blender, thoroughly blend the wine, pepper, cream, flour, and lemon thyme, adding onions and garlic. Brown the chicken in the seasoned oil over a medium-high heat for about 8 minutes, turning once. Return chicken to baking dish and add the blended sauce. Cover and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the cover and cook an additional 15 minutes. (Optional: add Swiss cheese during last 5 minutes of cooking.) Garnish with sprigs of lemon thyme. Serves four.

DEAN PAILLER, THE FLOWERY BRANCH SEED CO.

Oregano & Cuban Black Bean and Potato Soup

Ounce for ounce, oregano is one of the world’s most antioxidant-dense foods, according to a 2003 report in The Journal of Nutrition. One tablespoon of the fresh herb packs the same antioxidant punch as a medium-sized apple. Its high concentration of these plant compounds may help prevent cellular damage and reduce the risk of common killers such as cancer, heart disease, and hypertension. Oregano also has antimicrobial qualities. It contains thymol and carvacrol, strong antiseptics used in mouthwashes that inhibit growth of bacteria and fungi.

This flowery hot herb is a staple in Italian, Greek, and Mexican cuisines. Greek oregano is most common. Mexican oregano is less minty and best in spicy dishes. Chop fresh oregano for salads, or steep 3 teaspoonfuls (1 to 2 teaspoons dried) 10 minutes in 1 cup boiling water and sweeten with honey to make an herbal tea. Use it to brighten soft cheeses, and egg, bean, vegetable, or grain dishes; substitute it for thyme or rosemary for variety.


http://www.vegetariantimes.com/article/healing-foods-oregano-2/

Who knew that Oregano is a weed!  Just look at how it has taken over my little herb patch!

 Time to thin the growth a little.  Remember those old Ronco Dehydrators.. yup I have one!

And the old thing still works!

Removed the leaves from the stems.

A quick trip to the food processor.

Oregano anyone?  I can already smell the sauces cooking!

Serves 6
30 minutes or fewer
The distinctive flavor of this soup comes from a sofrito, a puréed mix ofonions, garlic, and bell peppers.

1 medium onion, diced (1 ½ cups)
1 small red bell pepper, diced (1 cup)
1 small green bell pepper, diced (1 cup)
6 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
6 cups cooked black beans, divided
3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced (2 ½ cups)
2 Tbs. white wine vinegar
1 Tbs. ground cumin
1 Tbs. fresh oregano leaves
1 bay leaf
½ tsp. salt
Diced red onion and green bell pepper for garnish
1. Sauté onion, bell peppers, and garlic in saucepan with a little water or vegetable broth over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes, or until vegetables soften. Transfer to blender, and purée until smooth. Add 3 cups beans and 6 to 7 cups water; purée until mixture is consistency of thick soup.
2. Return mixture to saucepan, and add remaining beans, potatoes, vinegar, cumin, oregano, bay leaf, and salt. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, covered, 20 minutes, or until potatoes are soft. Remove bay leaf. Garnish each serving with diced red onion and green bell pepper.

March 2011 p.52

Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancakes

1 egg
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Butter

How to make it
Beat egg with hand beater in medium bowl until fluffy.
Beat in remaining ingredients except butter just until smooth.
Heat griddle or skillet over medium heat to 375.
Grease griddle with butter if necessary.
For each pancake pour scant 1/4 cup batter onto hot griddle.
Cook pancakes until puffed and dry around edges then turn and cook other sides until brown.

http://www.grouprecipes.com/71512/cinnamon-oatmeal-pancakes.html

Blue Cheese-Stuffed Strawberries

I was enjoying a salad with strawberries and blue cheese when the idea hit me to stuff the strawberries and serve them as an appetizer. It worked out great, and the flavors blend so nicely. —Diane Nemitz, Ludington, Michigan

16 ServingsPrep/Total Time: 25 min.

Ingredients
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3 ounces fat-free cream cheese
2 ounces crumbled blue cheese
16 fresh strawberries
3 tablespoons finely chopped pecans, toasted

Directions
Place vinegar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid
is reduced by half. Cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in
blue cheese. Remove stems and scoop out centers from strawberries;
fill each with about 2 teaspoons cheese mixture. Sprinkle pecans
over filling, pressing lightly. Chill until serving. Drizzle with
balsamic vinegar.



Yield: 16 appetizers.

Nutrition Facts: 1 stuffed strawberry equals 36 calories, 2 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 3 mg cholesterol, 80 mg sodium, 3 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 2 g protein. Diabetic Exchange: 1/2 fat.


© Taste of Home 2013

Black Bean Salad with Corn, Red Peppers, Avocado and Lime-Cilantro Vinaigrette

Servings: 6-8
Ingredients
2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained
3 ears fresh cooked corn, kernels cut off the cob
2 red bell peppers, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced shallots, from one medium shallot
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons sugar
9 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, best quality such as Colavita
1 teaspoon lime zest (be sure to zest limes before juicing them)
6 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
2 Hass avocados, chopped

Instructions
Combine all ingredients except for avocados in a large bowl and mix well. Cover and chill for a few hours or overnight. Right before serving, add avocados and mix gently, being careful not to mash avocados. Garnish with a more chopped cilantro if desired. Serve at room temperature.

Roasted Garlic Guacamole

Adapted (only to adjust quantity) from Rick Bayless
Serves 4
Ingredients
3 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
3 ripe medium avocados*
1 small tomato, seeded, juiced and diced (about ⅓ cup)
¼ cup coarsely chopped cilantro, loosely packed
2 tablespoons jalapeno pepper, stemmed, seeded and minced (you’ll need one pepper)**
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (about 1/2 lime), plus more if desired
½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

Directions
1. Place unpeeled garlic in a small skillet over medium heat; cook, turning occasionally, until soft and blackened in spots, about 10 to 15 minutes. Cool, then slip off skins and mash with a fork.

2. Scoop avocado flesh into a medium bowl.* Add the roasted garlic, diced tomato, cilantro, jalapeno, lime juice and salt. Coarsely mash everything together, being careful to leave some chunks. Taste and add more salt and lime juice if desired (you can also add some of the jalapeno core if you want more heat…just add it slowly). Transfer to serving bowl and place plastic wrap directly on the surface of guacamole. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

*To prepare the avocados, cut them in half lengthwise. Strike the pits with the edge of a sharp knife, twist and loosen to remove. Using a small knife, cut a grid in each half (slices should be about 1/2-inch apart), then scoop the cubes of flesh out of the avocado with a soup spoon.

**To prepare the jalapeno, use a small knife to slice straight down along one side, removing just the flesh. Turn the pepper and repeat with the remaining sides. All of the seeds and most of the veins — the extra hot stuff — should remain in the core. Mince the flesh and reserve the core in case you want to add more heat to your guacamole. Try to minimize contact with the seeds and be sure to wash your hands well after cutting; definitely do not touch your eyes.