Beer Bread

Ingredients: 

• 3 cups self rising flour
• 3 tbls spoons sugar
• 1 12oz can of beer (I used Yeungling)

Directions: 

Mix dry ingredients, then add beer. Mix with spoon and then your hands (expect dough to be sticky). Place in greased 5x9 bread pan and bake for 40-50 minutes at 350 degrees, then pour 1 tbsp melted butter over top and bake for another 5 minutes (or 2 tbsp of melted butter before baking). If you don't have self rising flour, add 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2tsp of salt per cup of flour. ENJOY! 

Orzo Salad with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Feta

I've made this salad frequently because, strangely enough, I have boxes and boxes of orzo in my pantry. One time, I made the mistake of complaining to my mother that I couldn't find orzo at my local grocery store. Ever since then, every care package from home contains at least one box of orzo, even though I told my mom that my grocery store actually carries orzo now. No matter- it is her mission to make sure her daughter is well-prepared in case of an emergency orzo shortage.

I didn't really use a recipe for this Fourth of July salad- every time I make it I add a little more of something I like and a little less of something else. The below is just some rough estimates, so adjust however you'd like!

Ingredients:

1 Box of orzo
1/3 Jar of Sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
Half of a large red onion
1 Clove of garlic
Juice from 1 lemon
Handful of shredded carrots or handful of frozen peas and carrots
At least 1 cup of crumbled feta cheese
Half a bunch of green onions
Salt and pepper


I started out by caramelizing the red onion with chopped garlic, using some of the olive oil from the packed tomatoes. Cook over very low heat, stirring constantly, for about 25 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the orzo according to the directions on the box. Chop the tomatoes into bite sized pieces, and add them, and the onions with garlic to the orzo. Dress with a few more tablespoons of olive oil from the packed tomatoes. Add the peas and carrots and lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Once the salad is cool, add the cheese and snip the green onions on top to garnish.

And that's it! I've also made it with roasted vegetables- chopped, roasted asparagus is a great addition, and so are oven-roasted bell peppers. It serves about 6-8 people as a side.

Vegetarian Frittata

Ingredients (serving 6):

• 6-7 medium uncooked red potatoes, skin on, chopped
• Half of 1 large yellow or orange pepper, chopped
• Half of 1 large red pepper, chopped
• 3/4 package Gimme Lean vegetarian sausage, chopped/crumbled
• 12 eggs (I usually do half real eggs and half egg substitute), beaten
• 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
• Seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, whatever your heart desires)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease/PAM a large lasagna-style glass/corningware baking dish.
• Layer potatoes, peppers, and sausage in order, seasoning as desired.
• Pour beaten eggs over the whole dish (should not completely cover everything, but fairly close).
• Bake for 45 minutes or until center appears relatively firm when you jiggle the dish. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until melted/browned.
• Enjoy!

Variations:

• You can make this with chicken (pre-cooked), real sausage, or tempeh.
• I've also made this in a taller casserole-style dish on the stove top instead of baking--basically cooking until the eggs are firm, then broiling for 10 minutes with the cheese on top.