Fun Food Facts A-Z | C is for Cantaloupe + Recipe

Welcome to another Fun Food Facts A-Z! This week's letter is C! C is for...Cantaloupe! 

I have to admit I don't really like cantaloupe.  The only way that I do like cantaloupe is cantaloupe ice cream! My Grammy would make it every summer! Cantaloupe ice cream has a refreshing taste that is perfect for summer. With summer on my brain I can't stop thinking about all the summer food's I love. I will have to give my Grammy's cantaloupe ice cream recipe a try this summer! Be sure to pin the recipe so that you too can make this awesome ice cream! Now on to the fun facts!




Fun Food Facts:

• Cantaloupe was first grown in the Nile River Valley of Egypt.
• In the US sometimes Cantaloupe can be called muskmelon.
• Cantaloupe peaks in the summer.
• Cantaloupe does not ripen after you cut it off the vine.
• Store Cantaloupe at room temperature for no more then four days.
• Cantaloupes are related to cucumbers.
• Cantaloupes are packed with vitamins A & C.
• When shopping for Cantaloupe it is best to choice the one with the sweetest smell.

Next week's letter is D....what fun food starting with D would you like to learn about?

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups small diced Cantaloupe

2 1/4 cups Milk

1/2 cup Sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla

Pinch of Salt

Direction:

1. Dice Cantaloupe and keep the juices.
2. Mix milk, sugar, vanilla and salt, until the sugar has dissolved.
3. Now add your cantaloupe with the juices to your milk and sugar mixture.
4. Put the mixture in the Fridge for 1 hour.
5. Pour your chilled mixture into a 2 qt. ice cream makers and let mix for 15 minutes.

Motivate ME Monday!~ Strawberry ShortCake Cookies

 So everyone seems to be really excited for spring. I' am too, but I'am more excited for the SUMMER! I'd be happy if we skipped spring all together! There are so many great things about summer; warm weather, the beach, flip flops and strawberries! Mmmm! Strawberry season is a big deal where I live. We have the Pungo Strawberry festival and during the season you can go to any farm and pick them fresh yourself. Strawberry pick'in is one of my favorite things to do in the summer!

Did you see my behind the scene photo shoot? These pics are from that shoot! 

I've been craving summer and summer foods. I was in the kitchen last weekend trying to figure out what I could make that would help curve my summer craving. Luckily I had frozen strawberries that I picked from the summer before! The first thing that came to my mind was Strawberry Shortcake. 

I have my grandmother's recipe for Strawberry Shortcake and I thought I was going to do that at first, but then I remember this recipe that I had clipped from Epicurious. I love the classic cake, but these cookies seemed so much quicker to make! Baking is not my skill in the kitchen. I am always trying to improve. I can honestly say this is the first time I have even baked cookies and they all came out perfect and golden! I am so proud of myself. I just wish I knew what I did differently. These cookies not only came out looking delicious they are delicious! They only keep for a day or two, but they are so good with tea in the morning! And it's OK to eat cookies in the morning as long as they have fruit in them. ( and the kids don't see you..LOL) I can't wait to make these cookies this summer with my fresh picked strawberries!

Summer is coming, are you ready? Whats your favorite thing about summer?

Ingredients:

2 cups diced Strawberries

1 teaspoon Lemon Juice

1/2 cup Sugar

2 cups Flour

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon Salt

6 tbsp unsalted cold Butter

2/3 cup Heavy Cream

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. 
2. Take your strawberries and coat them with about 1 tbsp of butter, 1 tbsp sugar and 1 teaspoon lemon juice.
3. Mix together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
4. Cut the butter into pieces and with your fingers rub it into the dry mixture until coarse crumbles.
5. Now stir in your cream and strawberry mixture.
6. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper and drop cookies about 2 in apart. Decorate if desired and bake for 25 mins.
7. Allow to cool on rack. Serve right away and store in an air tight container. 

This post has been featured on:

Fun Food Facts A-Z | B is for...Broccoli

 I love to learn! I especially love learning about food. Last week I was exploring around the internet and learned some pretty cool things about artichokes and decided to share in a blog post. (Missed that post don't worry just click here!) Since I love learning and blogging I am going to combine the two each week. Fun Food Facts A-Z will highlight a fruit or vegetable each week. You will learn new fun facts and maybe even a recipe. 
Welcome to Fun Food Facts A-Z!
This week's letter: B..... is for Broccoli

Fun Facts:

• Broccoli as been eaten since the 6th century.
• The average American eats 4 lbs of Broccoli a year.
• Broccoli means "branch" or "arm".
• California produces 90% of the US Broccoli.
• Thomas Jefferson loved Broccoli! He used seeds from Italy to plant in Monticello. 
• Broccoli is high in vitamin A and Fiber.
• Fresh Broccoli will have dark green heads. 
• Try to stay away from stalks that bend or feel rubbery.

My family and I eat broccoli all the time! I always have it in my crisper or on my grocery list. Here is a quick and easy recipe that everyone will love.

Ingredients:

3 medium size Broccoli heads

1 tbsp of chopped Garlic

1 teaspoon of Lemon Pepper

2 tbsp Olive Oil

Dash of Salt

Direction:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Rinse the broccoli and cut into florets.
3. Add your broccoli and all the ingredients to a plastic bag and give it a few good shakes.
4. On a lined baking pan spread out the broccoli and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the broccoli is crisp.

Motivate ME Monday!~ Asian Pork Meatballs

I always have homemade meatballs in my freezer. They are super easy to make and take no time at all. Meatballs in the freezer can be very handy when you wanna add a protein to a quick work night pasta and salad dinner.  I throw my meatballs in with the sauce while it is cooking to reheat them or flash them in a hot pan.

 When I make meatballs I normally make an Italian style. I like to use turkey and pork in my meatballs, but meatballs made with venison are my favorite. When I saw a recipe for Asian Chicken Meatballs in Food and Wine, I thought WOW, I wish I had some ground venison! I thought these would be even better made with venison, but I don't have any venison and it can be expensive at a butcher shop. Guess I will have to wait for deer season and my dad good shot.

Last Saturday I was bored and in the kitchen and decided to make these meatballs. I only had ground pork in my freezer, but I like to use what I have so instead of running out and buying chicken I used the pork. These were a huge hit! I had saved a few so that I could photograph them and my Hubby asked me everyday if he could eat them yet. Normally I just throw meatballs in my sauce for pasta, but the Asian flavors of these meatballs would not mix well with the Italian flavors of the sauce. I made my own mix-up of sweet and sour and Sriracha and served the meatballs with rice and Asian veggies! These were so good that my family ate them all before I could freeze any, but they are already requesting them again so I am sure that some will be in my freezer shortly!

Did you notice anything new about my photos? I've been learning  a lot about photography lately and wanted to try my hand at making a watermark for my photos! Do you watermark your photos?  How do you like mine?

Ingredients

1 lb ground Pork

1/2 cup Plain Bread Crumbs 

1/3 cup minced Scallions

3 tbsp minced Ginger

1 tbsp minced Garlic

2 Teaspoons Sesame Oil

2 Teaspoons Soy Sauce

1 egg

S & P

Directions

 1. In a large bowl mix all your ingredients.

2. Form into meatballs.

3. Bake at 450 on prepared baking sheets for 13 minutes.  Serve right away or wrap in parchment to freeze.

* For the dipping sauce I already had a jar of sweet and sour, so I add Sriracha to taste. It came out perfect! 

Have you checked out Always Savory Facebook page or Always Savory Pinterest Board? If not stop on by and give us a like and follow please and thank you!

Turkey Lasagna

A twist on the traditional lasagna!

When it comes to Italian food lasagna is the one of the best. When I told one of my friends that I was going to be making a turkey lasagna with a white sauce for my blog, he was like,"oh turkey? Why would you want to mess with a good thing?" I live to mess with a good thing.  I like to see if I can take something traditional and take it outside the box!

This turkey lasagna is a perfect example of outside the box! I like this lasagna because it didn't give me that over stuffed feeling I get sometimes when I eat Italian food yet was hearty and rich like the traditional. I enjoyed making it too. It was a bit time consuming, but I love being in the kitchen. The next time I make this I'm going to add a few more veggies.  Carrots or zucchini would go great in this dish.  I am also thinking about making another one and freezing it. I have a 5 month old so I know there will be a day when I won't have time to prepare a meal for the hubby. Also the next time I make this I will add a little bit more sauce. The sauce tasted great, I just wish there was more of it. This recipe is definitely going to become something I make for my family a lot. 

What dishes do you like to make that are outside the box?

Ingredients

1/2 chopped Onion

2 stalks Celery

1 teaspoon Garlic

1 tbsp Vegetable Oil

1 package of ground Turkey

1 cup cooked chopped Broccoli
2 tbsp Butter 

1/4 cup Flour

1 1/2 cups Milk

1 package Lasagna Noodles

2 cups Mozzarella Cheese

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Pre- heat oven to 350* and cook the lasagna noodles according to directions on box.
2. Meanwhile in a large saute pan saute onions, celery and garlic until soft.  About 3 min. Add the turkey and broccoli. Cook until turkey is done and set aside.
3. To make the sauce use a small sauce.  Melt the butter, once melted remove from heat.  Add flour and mix until a white rue forms. Return to low heat and whisk milk and S&P to taste. Allow sauce to thicken.
4. In a casserole dish add a thin layer of sauce to the bottom. Then add a layer of noodles.  Top noodles with turkey, sauce and cheese.  Continue until your lasagna is assembled.
5. Bake in the oven for 45-60 mins.  Let stand for 10 and server warm.