Spreading the word...Mediterra Bakehouse

I grew up in Pittsburgh, PA eating Mancini's Bread.  Mancini's is a Pittsburgh staple and very good.  Great Italian bread that is light and fluffy on the inside and crusty on the outside.  Mancini's bread is eaten with pasta or used for sandwich rolls. 

However, a few years ago, I found something even better than Mancini's, Mediterra Bakehouse bread.  My parents introduced me to Mediterra bread shortly after they met the owner, Nick Ambeliotis and his family.  At the time, they had one location and sold their bread at a couple of farmer's markets.  Today, they have two locations (Pittsburgh, PA and Cleveland, OH) and sell their bread through a variety of small markets as well as the farmer's markets and online.

Mediterra bread is an experience.  At one time or another over the last several years, I've tried almost all of the breads that Nick makes and I haven't been disappointed with any of them.  My favorites, and yes I have a favorite or two, are their Parmesan Peppercorn Loaf, their Cranberry Pecan Loaf and their Chocolate Cherry Loaf.

They don't make every type of bread every day, so you need to find out the schedule of what gets made when in order to stop by and get a particular loaf when it is fresh out of the oven.  The last time I checked, the Chocolate Cherry Loaf was only made on Thursdays.  I have some time this week, so I think that I'll be stopping in at the bakehouse and getting a loaf since I will be in the area.

If you are able to stop in one of the bakehouses, they also have great bagels and pastries.  So you should make sure to try some of those as well.

Emptying the pantry and enchiladas

I was trying to figure out what to make for lunch the other day, knowing that I didn't have a lot in the kitchen that I could make, and I was having a craving for Mexican.  When I looked in the pantry, I saw a can of Old El Paso enchilada sauce.  However, when I looked in the refrigerator, I realized that I didn't have any chicken for enchiladas, but I did have some leftover Chicken Broccoli rice and Colby/Monterey jack cheese.  The result of this was pretty good.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tortilla shells
• 1 can Old El Paso Enchilada Sauce
• Approximately 1 cup of Knorr's Chicken Broccoli Rice
• 1 cup of Colby/Monterey Jack cheese

Directions:

• Heat the over to 375.
• Take a tortilla shell and spread approximately 1/2 cup of Knorr's rice on one end of the tortilla shell.
• Cover that with 1/2 cup of cheese.
• Spoon approximately 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce over this.
• Roll and place seam side down in a greased glass pan.
• Once both tortillas are in the pan, cover with the rest of the enchilada sauce and sprinkle with any remaining cheese.
• Bake for 15 - 20 minutes.

My directions are a variation of the directions on the can which are for Easy Beef Enchiladas.

Raspberry Sherbet Punch

In honor of Delta Zeta's National Convention which is going on this week, here is my recipe for Raspberry Sherbet Punch.  I've used this recipe for recruitment parties.


Ingredients:

• 2 2-liter bottles of Sprite or Ginger Ale
• 1 c. Concentrated Fruit Punch
• 1 container of Raspberry Sherbet (lime sherbet may be substituted)

Directions:

• Pour one bottle of Sprite into a punch bowl.
• Add the concentrated fruit punch.
• Pour the second bottle of Sprite into the bowl slowly.  You might want to add it one cup at a time to avoid splashing.
• Add the sherbet.
• Serves 20 - 30.
  

Note:  To add an extra touch, allow the sherbet to start to melt.  Once this happens, add fresh raspberries to the sherbet and refreeze before adding the sherbet to the punch.

Sautéd Zucchini

My Giant Eagle has cooked food that you can buy and eat without having to do any cooking, maybe just reheat the food when you get home.  When I'm at the grocery store at lunch time, I usually grab something from the food bar to save myself the hassle of making lunch.  The other day, I tried their sautéd zucchini.  Yum yum!

My take on their recipe is very simple.

Ingredients:
Zucchini, green and yellow, diced
Red pepper flakes

Directions:

• Heat olive oil in a sauté pan.
• Add the diced zucchini and the pepper flakes.
• Cook until the zucchini starts to lose it's firmness.
• Serve.

Stir-fry Veggies

We tend to eat a lot of stir-fried vegetables in our house, so this recipe has many variations. 

The basic recipe that I make is to cut up a green pepper and a red/orange/yellow pepper and some onion.  I put this into a large pan with a little olive oil and some minced garlic.  Add a little salt and ground pepper and then  I lightly saute this until the vegetables are just warmed.  Serve.

Sometimes, depending on what I can find in the grocery store that looks good, I will add green beans, snow peas, or snap peas.  Other items that can be added include bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, and mini corn cobs.

This is a great meal by itself or it can be used as a side dish.

Rice Pilaf with Basil

Here is my take on Rachael Ray's Arugula and Basil Rice Pilaf which I found in her "365: No Repeats" cookbook and adapted it because of a lack of ingredients.  I love it and think that it's a great summer recipe that can serve as a side dish or stand on it's own if that's what you want.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 box of Rice Pilaf
• 15 leaves of fresh Basil, shredded or torn

Directions:

Heat the water and butter in a medium size pot until it is boiling.
Add the Rice Pilaf, both rice and seasoning, to the water.  Reduce the temperature and simmer for 18 minutes, covered.
Remove from heat.  Add the basil and fluff with a fork to mix everything together.

Hawaiian Chicken

Ingredients:

• 4-6 chicken breast, halved
• 30 oz mandarin oranges (drained)
• 30 oz. sliced pineapple (drained)
• 16 oz. maraschino cherries (drained)
• 1 package of stir-fry chicken seasoning
• peppers, diced into large chunks

Directions:

• Mix all ingredients in the crock pot.
• Cook on LOW Heat for 6 -8 hours or on HIGH Heat for 3 - 4 hours.
• Serve over rice.

NOTE:  To give this dish a tangy taste, add in the drained pineapple juice.  Otherwise, add water to the crock pot until all of the ingredients are covered.