Marriage Is Pure Murder

by Staci McLaughlin

  He kissed the tip of my nose and whispered back, “Make that the second luckiest.”

  Then we each took a sip of our champagne, and I silently toasted the first day of the rest of my life.

  Tips and Recipes from the O’Connell Organic Farm and Spa

  Thanks for joining us once more at the O’Connell Organic Farm and Spa. Here are a few recipes, along with a tip or two, to share with your friends.

  Golden Cheese Rounds

  Dana has asked me to share my recipe for the golden cheese rounds. While these are not the healthiest appetizers in the world, they’re sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

  To make the rounds, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Heat 1/4 cup butter in a microwave-safe bowl at 15-second intervals until the butter has melted. Mix in 1/3 cup flour and 1-1/4 cups of grated sharp cheddar cheese. With your hands, roll the mixture into 1-inch balls and place on the parchment paper. Cook for 10 minutes. Let cool slightly before eating, or you may burn your tongue like poor Dana did!

  Mushroom, Spinach, and Mozzarella Panini

  While the cheese rounds should be only an occasional treat, these panini are a great healthy lunch choice anytime. Feel free to swap out the vegetables and cheese for any of your favorites. Just make sure to pick a soft cheese that melts well, like Fontina.

  To make the panini, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 8 to 10 ounces of sliced mushrooms and sauté them until they begin to brown. Next, add 3 cups of baby spinach, making sure to remove the thicker stems from the leaves. Once the spinach has started to wilt, add salt and pepper to taste and remove the pan from heat.

  Now it’s time to assemble the sandwiches. Layer thinly sliced or shredded mozzarella onto a slice of good-quality bread, then add the mushroom and spinach mixture. Top the sandwich with another bread slice and cook in a panini maker according to the manufacturer’s directions. If you don’t have a panini maker, you can toast the sandwich in a skillet and press another heavy skillet on top of the sandwich, flipping once during cooking to brown both sides. Bon appétit!

  Broccoli and Avocado Guacamole

  Here is Zennia’s go-to guacamole recipe. While avocados contain mostly monounsaturated fats, which are more heart-friendly than other fats, she has swapped some of the avocados for broccoli to lower the overall fat in the guacamole. Plus, the broccoli provides additional vitamins and minerals without sacrificing any of that delicious flavor.

  To start, dice up one large ripe avocado and place in a bowl. Add half a cup of raw broccoli florets (no stems) that have been chopped super fine. Add one diced Roma tomato, two tablespoons of red onion, and half a jalapeño, seeded and diced. Next, add two teaspoons of lime juice and two tablespoons of cilantro, chopped. Stir it all together and add salt to taste.

  This recipe makes about two cups. Feel free to tinker with the amounts in the recipe. Some of Zennia’s friends like spicier guacamole, so they dice up the entire jalapeno, while others like the added punch of more red onion. The sky’s the limit!

  Cleaning out the Teakettle

  Dana here, with my tip for cleaning out the tea kettle. Between the occasional evening cup of tea and the mugs of instant hot chocolate, I use the kettle quite a bit and have noticed floating white bits start to appear in the water after a while and the bottom of the kettle starts to appear dirty. Good news! The kettle could not be easier to clean. Just add a 1:1 ratio of water and white vinegar to the kettle (amounts will vary based on kettle size, but 1-1/2 cups of each usually covers the entire bottom of my kettle) and bring the mixture to a boil. Once it’s boiling, turn the burner off and let the liquid sit for twenty minutes. After that, dump out the mixture, rinse the kettle out two or three times with plain water, and the inside of the kettle should be as good as new.