Stuffed Mushrooms with Summer Squash

The Cottage Place Restaurant in Flagstaff has some great recipes for a Cocktail Party in the Tastes & Treasures cookbook. The stuffed mushrooms are easy to make and taste wonderful as an appetizer. Try them on page. 27.

But, I just found a new Stuffed Mushroom recipe that is very good as a side dish from hungry-girl.com. Tried it for dinner last night and it was a hit. Love the low calorie count too.

Stuffed Mushroom With Summer Squash in Foil Pack


2 large portabella mushrooms

1 summer squash (yellow or green), ends removed, finely diced

2 wedges The Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss cheese, room temperature

1/2 tbsp. reduced-fat Parmesan-style grated topping

1/2 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 tsp. dried minced onion

1/8 tsp. salt, or more to taste

Dash ground thyme or more to taste (I used chopped Basil from my garden instead)

Olive oil or nonstick spray
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. (I used the BBQ with only the outside burners on)
In a bowl, combine cheese wedges, garlic, onion, salt, and thyme. Mix until smooth. Set aside.
Remove mushroom stems and finely chop. Add chopped stems to the bowl, and set mushroom caps aside. Add squash to the bowl and stir well, until veggies are coated in the cheese mixture. Lay a large piece of heavy-duty foil on a baking sheet. Lightly mist mushroom caps with olive oil nonstick spray, and place next to each other on the foil with the rounded sides down. Spoon veggie-cheese mixture into the mushroom caps -- there will be a lot, so pack it in! Sprinkle with Parm-style topping.
Place another large piece of foil over the caps. Fold together and seal all four edges of the two foil pieces, forming a well-sealed packet. Place baking sheet in the oven and bake for 23 - 25 minutes, until mushrooms are soft and tender.
Allow packet to cool for a few minutes, and then cut to release steam before opening it entirely. (Careful -- steam will be hot.) If you like, season to taste with additional salt and thyme. MAKES 2 large servings.

PER SERVING (1 large stuffed mushroom): 92 calories, 2.75g fat, 447mg sodium, 11.5g carbs, 3.25g fiber, 4g sugars, 6.5g protein -- POINTS® value 1*

Cookbook Meeting

Every three or four months we have a meeting to discuss the cookbook. We should probably have more meetings because it is so rewarding to talk what has been happening with the book and how many have sold. The cookbook has been a great product for the Historical League. It earns us funds that we, in turn, grant the Museum for education, exhibits, improvements and outreach services. But the book is a lovely ambassador to tell the story of Arizona's historic hospitality venues, it's Historymakers and the job the Arizona Historical Society does. And it has some great recipes. Thanks to the original cookbook committee and writers who had the foresight to write this book. They should be very proud of such a quality product. Pictured are co-author Gaye Ingram, Kay Holcombe, Pat Faur and Carolyn Mendoza.

April and Pat at Rotary Club Meeting

Getting the word out to the public about the AHS Museum at Papago Park is part of our mission statement. We can also talk about the cookbook and who doesn't like to sample Granola? April Riggins and Pat Faur spoke at the August 11 Rotary Club of North Phoenix after an invitation from Bill and Sandra Goodheart.

Interesting to note, they were very curious about the Sandra Day O'Connor house and the new exhibit honoring her at the Museum. They were impressed with the fact that we had granted $69,000 to the museum this past year. Also noted . . . they liked the cookbook. April and Pat were happy to oblige with sales.

Recipes well received at Master Gardener class.

Work in the garden and you'll work up an appetite, as attested by the food consumed at my Master Gardener class. Every 5 weeks my group is responsible for bringing in 'snacks' for the class. I brought in Tabouli Salad pg. 130 and Very Lemon Bread pg. 119. My friend, Carol, brought in Granola pg. 196.
The lemon bread had been stored in the freezer and it served much nicer and firmer than when fresh. It looks so nice with fresh lemon slices and fresh blueberries.
Carol's son, Serge, loved the Tabouli Salad...very refreshing with mint, parsley, basil, green onion, tomato and lemon juice.
Historymaker Eddie Basha commented on this recipe, "As long as I can remember, tabouli salad was a favorite in our family regardless of the day of the week or season of the year. This culinary and Lebanese delight continues to be a most popular salad of the Basha family."

TABOULI SALAD
1/2 cup cracked wheat
4 tomatoes, chopped
3 bunches parsley, stemmed and chopped
1 bunch green onions, sliced
Small handful of fresh mint, stemmed and chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Soak the cracked wheat in enough water to generously cover in a bowl for 30 minutes and drain. Press the excess moisture from the cracked wheat. Combine the cracked wheat, tomatoes, parsley, green onions and mint in a bowl and mix well. Stir in the olive oil and lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Delicious served cupped in a variety of lettuce or fresh grape leaves. Serves 6 to 8.

Option: I used more lemon juice and less oil. Also used whole grain quinoa and cooked it first according to instructions. Used fresh chopped basil from my garden.

Eddy Basha's Tabouli Salad

Finding ingredients for this ethnic salad should not be so hard but it took me to two grocery stores before I got mint. And then, they were out of the packaged ones but a fresh mint plant was available. Eddie Basha's Mom must have had it growing in her garden.
The salad is really easy. It just calls for lots of chopping parsley, green onion and tomatoes. The flavors blend well to make a tasty vegetarian dish. The recipe calls for soaking the cracked wheat but I found it never softened so I cooked it for 15 minutes first. I think I didn't have cracked wheat but whole grains...makes a big difference. Another recipe I found online calls for chopped basil and since it is growing so well in my garden, I added it also. Makes a nice side dish or salad for lunch.

Lassoing young minds with Ourcourts.org

Great article on Sandra Day O'Connor in the Sunday, August 2, AZ Republic Viewpoints. Justice O'Connor has always championed education, wanting to "saddle up to help teach middle school kids about how their government works." Her life on the Lazy B Ranch gave her "lessons that inspired a lifetime of civic involvement and public service." Now she is working with Ourcourts.org to develop online lessons, games and history for teachers and students.

The Historical League has a summer project to do similar good works. Our volunteer staff is digitalizing the 55 Historymakers oral histories so they will be accessible on www.HistoricalLeague.org. This is part of the Legacy Project for the Arizona Historical Society to celebrate Arizona's Centennial. These oral histories are from Arizonans such as Erma Bombeck, Eddie Basha, Jerry Colangelo, Paul Fannin, Barry Goldwater, Esther Don Tang and Ed Mell. A complete list is on www.HistoricalLeague.org. The histories talk about their childhood, education, business and social and political life. You feel like you are sitting down talking with them over a cup of coffee . . . or glass of wine.

Love this photo of Sandra as a young girl on the ranch. Can you guess who is the other young man? . . . Barry Goldwater.

Fairmont Princess Shop carries Cookbook

Thanks to League member, Nina Filippi, the Scottsdale Princess hotel called to order cookbooks. Nina showed buyer, Cynthia Gosse, a sample book and she thought it would be a great addition to their Princess shop. I delivered them yesterday and Cheryl Lucas, the manager, was very interested. She leafed through the entire book, commenting on various recipes and historic places. El Chorro is a favorite of hers with the Sticky Buns recipe, page 79. Tumbleweeds on page 192 got her attention also. The Princess often does special events so I mentioned how easy it is to sample the Granola page 196. It is so healthy and delicious. I freeze extra in ziploc bags for future use. We will serve several different recipes at the private Sandra Day O'Connor exhibit opening October 21.

Granola
4 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups shredded coconut
1 1/2 cups pistachios
1 1/2 cups pecans
1 1/2 cups slivered almonds
1 1/2 cups sunflower seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup honey
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup finely chopped assorted dried fruit (raisins, apricots, cranberries, dates)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the oats, coconut, pistachios, pecans, almonds, sunflower seeds and cinnamon in a bowl. Combine the honey, brown sugar, molasses and butter in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until blended, stirring frequently; do not allow to boil.
Pour the honey mixture over the oats mixture and mix until coated. Spread the oats mixture on a greased baking sheet with edges. Bake for 15 minutes or until the oats are golden brown, stirring frequently. Spoon immediately into a heatproof bowl and stir in the dried fruit. Store in airtight containers or sealable plastic bags in a cool environment for up to 2 months. Freeze if storing for longer than 2 months. Makes 16 to 18 cups.
Hint - Do not let the granola sit on the hot cookie sheet.