Our Olympic recipe today was Italian Almond Biscotti. Turned out pretty good. It’s a bit sweet, but perfect with a cup of hot chocolate.

Bug helped with making the recipe... practice for her FACS cooking class at school. She did an excellent job.

Well, it's the end of our Olympic cooking experience for 2016 today.  It's been a fun 10 days, but boy has it been busy.  I saved one of the easiest recipes for today, knowing that it was going to be a hectic day with little time to cook or eat.  Thankfully I ended up with a little more time than I expected, so Bug baked us a loaf of crusty bread to enjoy with dinner. 

Today was Portugal day.  Portugal has 94 athletes at the Rio Games and has one bronze medal in Judo thus far.  Our menu was a Portuguese Kale and Chourico soup with a crispy bread.



The Verdict:
The soup was quick and easy, tasty and delicious.  The chourico sausage gives the soup a full flavor and the kale gives it great texture. 




Portuguese Chourico and Kale Soup (Original recipe from Food Network)

Today's dinner inspiration was Peru.  Peru is located in South America and has 29 athletes participating in the 2016 Olympics.  When I was looking for recipes, a friend of mine sent me some Peruvian dishes, including lomo saltado.  When I saw a recipe that contained fries, I knew it was something that Ebabe would at least try without complaint.  So our dinner tonight was Peruvian Lomo Saltado with frozen limonada to drink.



The Verdict:
Tonight was a hit!  Great flavor in the meat and veggies - not too too spicy, but with a bit of a kick.  I served the kids fries without the sauce since I knew that they wouldn't want them mixed in.  The limonada was gone in no time and we will be making it again as an after school refreshment next week!





Peruvian Lomo Saltado (recipe a blend of those found on Food.com and AllRecipes)

1 (16 ounce) package frozen steak fries
1 1/2 lb beef tri-tip, sliced into 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick pieces
1 ¹⁄₂ TBSP crushed garlic
¹⁄₂ tsp salt
2 tsp ground coriander
1 ¹⁄₂ tsp ground black pepper
2 TBSP rice vinegar
2 TBSP soy sauce
2 TBSP canola oil
1 red onion, cut into strips
15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 jalapeno pepper, cut into thin strips
¹⁄₄ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
¹⁄₂-1 teaspoon paprika
canola oil, for frying

Peruvian Limonada Frozen (original recipe About.com)

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 8-10 small key limes
• 6 cups of crushed iced

Zap the limes in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.  You want them to be slightly warm, not hot.  Once they are warm to the touch, put them on the counter, press down and roll them around.  Cut them in half and squeeze them over a measuring cup.  You need 1/2 cup of key lime juice. 

Strain out any seeds or pulp (if you don't like pulp).

Make a simple syrup by bringing the water and sugar to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Remove it from heat and allow to cool.  In a blender, mix the simple syrup, lime juice, and ice. Blend until just slushy. Serve immediately. 


If you are preparing the limonada to serve with the saltado dinner above, start the simple syrup when you put the fries in the oven.  That will give it ample time to cool before you need to mix it, just as you plate your saltado.

Costa Rica!  Pura Vida!  Costa Rica is in Central America and has 12 athletes competing in the Olympic Games in Rio.  When I was choosing countries, I knew I wanted a Central American country and since I've been to Costa Rica before, I thought it would be fun to try my hand at cooking.


On the menu tonight was Costa Rican Casado (chicken, rice, beans, and tostones) with (virgin) Pina Coladas to drink.  We were lucky to have some Lizano sauce left from our journeys so this was the perfect meal for us!

The Verdict:
Well, our homemade casado wasn't quite what we remembered eating when we were there, but it was still good.  I think I may have had a larger can of tomato paste than expected, which gave us a much more red sauce than the original recipe.  We all liked the flavor of the chicken and the sauce was great in moderation.  The beans weren't as good as I'd hoped, but they were okay.   None of us was over enamored with the plantains (tostones), but none of us hated them either.  I think they are an acquired taste.

It was a hectic evening and I didn't take pictures of our processes at all. The recipes and instructions for the meal are all from the I Never Grew Up Blog.  Click through to read them and make your own! The pina colada was just something that I whipe up from time to time, since it is one of my favorite flavors.

Mali.  Any idea where that is?  It sounds like an island nation, but it is, in fact, a West African land-locked country.  Mali is the 8th largest country in Africa and has 6 athletes competing in track & field and swimming during the 2016 Olympiad.

Our last experience with an African recipe was okay, but none of us really enjoyed it so I knew going in I needed to find something traditional, different enough to be interesting, but still something we'd not mind trying.  After much searching, I came across Tigadèguèna.  




The Verdict:
I will admit that I went in to today thinking that I would not like this stew.  To me, peanut butter is its own entity and doesn't belong cooked with meat.  However, this was pretty good.  Everyone liked the flavor of the meat.  I didn't eat all the sauce (too much peanut flavor), but mixed with the rice, it was palatable and I am happy to admit that I was wrong.

Tigadèguèna (original recipe from Whats4Eats)

Ingredients:

2 TBSP oil
2 lbs stewing beef, cut into cubes
1 onion, minced
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 TBSP ginger, minced
2 TBSP tomato paste
2 cups tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
1-2 cups of water or stock (I used chicken stock b/c we had some left over from a different day)
1 cup of natural, unsalted peanut butter
salt and pepper -- to taste
5 okra, chopped
1 yellow squash, quartered and chopped

Preparation:
Prepare all vegetables in advance.  Peeling and seeding the tomatoes takes longer than you think.  Chop the okra and soak it in white vinegar for 30 minutes to reduce the amount of sticky residue it produces.  Rinse it well and pat it dry.  (If you have never chopped okra before, it produces a mucousy goo that will stick to everything. Be prepared).


Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high flame. Add the beef and saute until lightly browned on all sides, 5 or 6 minutes. Remove to a bowl and set aside.

Add the onion to the oil in the pot and saute until translucent, about 3 or 4 minutes. The onion will turn slightly brown due to the reside from the beef.  That is normal!  Stir in the garlic and ginger and saute another 1 or 2 minutes.

Return the beef to the pot, stir in the tomato paste and cook for about 1 minute. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes to reduce the volume of the tomatoes somewhat.

Add the okra, squash, and enough water or stock to loosen the dish to a stew-like consistency. Simmer for another 10 minutes.

Stir in the peanut butter and salt and pepper to taste. Cover loosely with a lid and simmer for another 40 minutes, or until the beef is tender and oil rises to the surface of the dish. Add water as necessary to keep the dish stew-like.

Serve with rice.

Today was Lebanese day!  Lebanon has 8 athletes participating in the 2016 Summer Olympics.  I will admit that one of the reasons that I chose Lebanon was because Klinger, a character from M*A*S*H, often talked about being of Lebanese descent.  Yes, I'm a geek and I'll own that!

For dinner we had Lebanese rez bel hummos and baklava.  While I enjoyed the process, I am really tired of standing!  It took quite a while to make the main dish and I could come up with several ways to make it go faster, but we wanted to make it as authentically as possible.  My oldest helped me make the baklava.  I think we may have overcooked the syrup a little bit as it got much harder once it was poured on than I thought it would get.  Still tasty, though!



The Verdict:
Everyone liked the rice & beans.  I was the only one who wasn't enamored.  There was just a little too much cinnamon for me - which is interesting because I love cinnamon usually.  The baklava was good. Almost like a hard candy, though.





Lebanese Rez bel Hummos (original recipes from Lebanese Recipes)
Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken
• 1 cup ghee 
• water
• 2 medium onions, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 tsps salt
• ¾ cup dried chick peas, soaked overnight
• 1 lb ground beef
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ¾ cup orzo
• 1 cup rice
• ½ cup slivered almonds

In a large saucepan, brown the chicken in ¼ cup of the ghee. Add 8 cups of water, half the onions, the garlic, cinnamon stick and 2 tsp salt.  Bring to the boil, cover and continue to cook until chicken is tender enough for the meat to fall off the bones. (This took about an hour) While the chicken is cooking, drain the soaked chick peas and place in a large pot with 4 cups water. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer vigorously until just tender. (This took about 30 minutes) Drain and set aside.

In another saucepan, lightly brown the almonds in a little ghee. Remove and set aside.

Brown the ground beef in the same sauce pan.  Stir in the cinnamon, black pepper and the remainder of the onions and salt, and continue to cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from saucepan and set aside. Place the remaining ½ cup of ghee in the same saucepan and sauté the orzo until golden brown. Add the rice and sauté for a few more minutes.


Remove the chicken from the pot and allow to cool. Pour 5 cups of the boiling broth from the cooked chicken over the rice (make up quantity with water if necessary). Bring to the boil and add the cooked meat and onion mixture and the cooked chick peas. Stir well, cover, and turn down heat to simmer and cook until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed – approx 20 minutes. Turn off heat and allow standing for further 10 minutes.

Serve the chick pea and rice mixture on a platter, garnished with the almonds and pieces of the chicken.

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350F.  Spread nuts into a single layer on a baking sheet.  Roast for 10-15 minutes until fragrant. Remove from oven and let cool.  

Recut the lines to ensure the pieces of baklava are separated and serve.

Last Friday, I took the girls to Olive Berry Acres for some strawberry picking.  It's an hour drive, but well worth it.


We picked 15 lbs of berries, which did not seem like too much at the time, but was an amazing amount when we got home!


I spent most of Saturday preparing strawberry dishes, including Strawberry Malts, Strawberry Rhubarb Blondies (with basic modifications to make it dairy-free), strawberry shortcake, strawberry lemonade, strawberry jam, and strawberry muffins.  I still had some berries left, and at the suggestion of a friend, decided to make some barbecue sauce.  I followed the recipe from Closet Cooking and was pleasantly surprised with the awesome flavorful sauce!



Roasted Strawberry Barbecue Sauce

You will need:

• about 4 cups of strawberries, capped and sliced into halves.
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 2 TBSP maple syrup
• 2 TBSP strawberry jam (we used the homemade stuff we made Saturday!)
• 2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
• 2 TBSP soy sauce
• 1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce, chopped (this is from a can) (add more for a spicier sauce)
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 TBSP ginger powder
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 2 TBSP cilantro, either freshly chopped or dried

Begin by preheating your oven to 425 degrees.  Lay out your strawberries on a foil covered baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, allowing the juices to ooze out and slightly carmelize on the foil. 

 

While the strawberries are roasting, mix the remaining ingredients in a sauce pan.  If you are using fresh cilantro, leave it out for now.


Bring these ingredients to a boil.  Add the strawberries and caramelized juices, scraping every last bit of deliciousness from the foil and bring to a boil.  Turn down the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.


If you didn't add in the cilantro earlier, add it now.  Pour mixture into a blender and blend until it has the consistency you like.  Pour sauce into a jar for storage or use immediately.


I used mine to enhance the pork chops I was grilling. The verdict:  Everyone liked it!  It was a great blend of sweet and tangy and spicy, giving the pork chops a wonderful smoky flavor.

While planning my daughter's birthday party, I came across a Creeper Peep recipe and a free printable label at Say Not Sweet Anne.  I'd never attempted to make marshmallow before, much less a homemade peep, but it was so easy!  Here's what I did.



To make the Homemade Marshmallow Creepers, you will need a stand mixer and these ingredients: 

2 1/4 cups of granulated white sugar 
green food coloring 3 packets of unflavored gelatin
1 cup light corn syrup 1 cup cold water
1 tsp vanilla 

Start by making some green colored sugar.  You can purchase this at a store, but it is so easy and cheap to make, why not do it yourself?!  Put 3/4 cup of the sugar in the bowl of your mixer.  Add 20-30 drops of food coloring and mix until the color has spread through the sugar.  Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl for an even coating.  If the green is not quite the shade you are looking for, add a few more drops of coloring.  Once the color is even, spread the sugar out onto a cookie sheet to dry.  It looks a little like a lunar landscape if the moon were made out of green cheese...



I let the sugar dry for about an hour before I poured the sugar back into the mixer and used the whisk to break up the clumps that had formed.  A few seconds on low and I had completely granulated green sugar.  While the sugar is drying, I sprayed the bottom and sides of a 9x13 casserole dish with non-stick spray. Once I finished whisking the sugar, I wiped the mixer parts with some non-stick spray.

Next up is the marshmallow making.  Start by putting 1/2 of the cold water into the mixer bowl.  Add the packets of gelatin set it aside.



In a measuring cup, I mixed the remaining water, the corn syrup, and three drops of green food coloring.  I thought it was fascinating how the coloring dissipated in the mixture.



Pour the mixture into a medium size sauce pan and add the rest of the sugar.  Heat on medium high, stirring frequently, until the sugar dissolves. 


Heat the concoction until it reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. This took me about 10-15 minutes.  In the original post, she said it took about 5.



Once it reaches 240 degrees, turn your mixer on low and slowly pour the boiling solution into the gelatin mixture in the mixing bowl.



Once you've got it all poured in, turn the speed of the mixer up to high.  Add the vanilla extract. Let it mix until it is thick and fluffy.  For me, the marshmallow fluffed so much that it began creeping it's way up the blades of the mixer after about 7 minutes.
 


Once it is fluffy, spread it into the greased casserole dish.  Smooth the top with a lightly greased rubber spatula until it is flat.  Coat the top with the green sugar.





Allow to set for about an hour and then carefully turn out and flip over the marshmallow onto freezer paper.  Cover the bottom and sides with the green sugar.     


Use a greased pizza cutter to cut the block in half length-wise.  Sugar the raw edge.  Then use the cutter to slice the halves into creeper size pieces.  Dust the raw edges with sugar.  



Use a greased knife to cut the four legs of the creeper.  Be sure to sugar each raw edge to prevent the marshmallow from sticking to everything!



Now you will need to paint the faces of the creeper.  In the original post, she suggested using a chocolate ganache (her recipe is in the link above).  My daughter has a dairy sensitivity so I whipped up a quick ganache using 2 tsp dairy-free chocolate chips and 2 tsp of homemade dairy-free heavy whipping cream.   Paint it on using a tooth pick and a lot of patience.


 Your creeper should turn out looking similar to this and will taste DELICIOUS!  My taste testers told me that these tasted "way better" than peeps that you can buy.  Mission accomplished!!