Cheesecake in a Jar Recipe I’m fairly certain that I’ve discussed my lack of love for the great outdoors, so it’s safe to say you’ll never hear me writing about long hikes in the woods or camping anywhere other than on a deck chair at a five star resort (Hey, I can dream, right?). Not to say that I am not fond of the fresh air and scenery, I just like to keep a screen between me and the bugs. Needless to say, I don’t last long at picnics in the park or anywhere outdoors for that matter. Usually an annoying fly or buzzing bee will send me into a fit within 20 minutes and I’ll sit there contemplating my escape route or the idea of eating in my air conditioned vehicle. Problem is, I am a big pan of picnic food. Then, a couple of friends came up with the idea of a virtual picnic. The Nature Conservancy has a website that is devoted to Picnic for the Planet. Eat Smart Be proactive, know where your food comes from and who it impacts. Eat Local Take advantage of your farmer’s market. Eat Sustainably Eat Green Eat Out
peach shortbread Is there an unsaid rule that bar cookies have to be heavy and gooey? Two weeks ago, we picked up a cup of coffee on our way to the park so that the little monkey could continue his path of destruction outside our apartment, and I fell for something in the bakery case called peach shortbread, cut into bars. But instead of being thick and intense, it was delicate, light and barely sweet — a thin layer of shortbread, even thinner slices of peach and the faintest sprinkling of streusel on top. I knew I had to share it. And it wasn’t until I had jotted down “peach streusel bar” on my to-do list that I remembered a recipe for brown butter peach bars from that I found in a preview of The Big Sur Bakery Cookbook in The New York Times nearly three years ago, and have pined for since. Besides, the easiest fruit cookie bar on earth is already in these archives. Peach Shortbread Note: Your base will look a hairline thicker than mine because I, uh, lost some crumbs.
Homemade Cinnamon Bread I baked cinnamon bread last night. I thought of it. I wanted it. So I baked it. And then, this morning…I ate it! Juicy rationalizations aside, there are few things yummier than homemade cinnamon bread. Like, ever. I left the raisins out, as I wanted to keep things simple. Let’s make bread, baby! Start with 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) butter. Heat the butter in a saucepan or pot with 1 cup of milk. I love using whole milk in baking. I draw strange links between things. Now, let the milk/butter mixture cool until it’s warmer than lukewarm but not overly warm. …And sprinkle it over the liquid. Active dry yeast is sold in either packets or jars; I usually go for the jars, because then I can measure whatever quantity I need. And who needs that added pressure? Now throw some sugar and eggs into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. If it’s batter, I use the whisk attachment. Just a little rule of thumb. Beat the egg and sugar together until it’s totally combined… About this.
lemon bars January is always the time of year when most of us get caught up in the winter produce doldrums, fueled by the dearth of flavorful fruit and the overabundance of hard, starchy vegetables. But I find if I set my mind on citrus, I can carefully sidestep most bouts of Farmers Market Mourning. There are few things teeming with more promise of a sunnier tomorrow than sour-sweet piercing members of the rutaceae family, and I’ve got an archive full of margarita cookies, lemon bundts, orange chocolate chunks, grapefruit loaves and key lime tartlets that should assure you that you need not feel that you are missing out just because the peaches and berries have gone into hibernation. But I haven’t had a lemon bar in there before now, despite repeated requests and, heck, even pleading for one by various people inside my computer. Nonetheless, with a few adjustments, I am certain my mother will approve of this recipe. One year ago: English Muffins, Everyday Pancakes and Salad Lyonnaise
Homemade Twix Bars Intro If you don’t want gaggles of children beating down your door on Halloween night then look no further. If you’d rather not be the most popular house on the block then continue on your Internet search. If you like the idea of all these things then you are in the right spot and you are here just in time as this is the perfect cookie for this candy-laden season. If you’ve been to Spago for lunch then perhaps you’ve had this dessert fancied up with a fleck of edible gold on the chocolate layer. I recommend serving them while they still have a slight chill from the fridge. Homemade Twix Bars adapted from Sherry Yard’s, “Desserts By The Yard” Shortbread 5 1/2 ounces (1 stick plus 3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened 1/4 cup sugar 2 cups cake flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons ground rice (rice processed in a spice grinder until it is able to pass through a fine sieve to remove chunks)* Make the Shortbread: Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.
blueberry crumb bars I uploaded pictures of this recipe yesterday onto Flickr, but didn’t get to telling you all about it because I was feeling a little lackadaisical after that whole seven days in a row of posting thing. Three hours later, I received this comment: “Omg, post the recipe already!” Hmmph! I thought. The natives are getting restless. But who could blame them? It could get ugly. But if there ever were a dessert worth getting ugly for, it would have to be this. “Omg, post the recipe already!” As you wish. Blueberry Crumb Bars Adapted from AllRecipes.com Recipes like this make me wonder why I don’t use AllRecipes.com more. I could imagine easily swapping another fruit or berry for the blueberries–I’m especially thinking something tart like sour cherries or cranberries in the fall (I’d use orange instead of lemon with cranberries). These are easiest to cut once chilled, and store even better in the fridge than they do at room temperature–something unusual for cookies! 1. 2. 3. 4.
Lasagna Cupcakes Those of you who have been reading this blog lately know that I have developed an alarmingly close relationship with my muffin pan. I blame the French Toast muffins that I made a while back. They turned on a little lightbulb over my head, one that has led me down a road filled with cupcakes of all shapes and sizes. So here’s how this works. The recipe below is pretty close to how I found it on Food.com, but I had some of this great crockpot bolognese sauce already in my freezer, so I skipped the hamburger step. Ingredients One cup of your favorite pasta sauce 1 lb hamburger meat 18 wonton wrappers 8 ounces mozzarella cheese , grated 3 ounces parmesan cheese , grated 4 ounces ricotta cheese Directions 1. 2. 3. Start assembling the lasagnas. 4. 5. Recipe adapted from Food.com
Bacon Guacamole Grilled Cheese Sandwich A guacamole grilled cheese sandwich has been on my to try list for a while now and since I was making the bacon guacamole on the weekend I figured I would just pick up double the ingredients and make both. The basic idea behind this grilled cheese is quite simple and it started out with just adding guacamole to a grilled cheese but with the success of combining salty bacon-y magnificence with cool and creamy guacamole I could not resist adding a few slices of bacon to the sandwich. I also had some leftover corn tortilla chips from dipping on the weekend so I decided to crumble a few of them and add them to the sandwich for texture. Like all grilled cheese sandwiches this one is pretty easy to make though you want to try to remember to pull the guacamole out of the fridge early so that it can come up to room temperature before adding it to the sandwich. Does this grilled cheese sandwich look good? Bacon Guacamole Grilled Cheese Sandwich Servings: makes 1 sandwich Printable Recipe Directions
Mini Meatball Sandwiches ***Saturday morning note: I’m bumping this recipe up to the top again because it wound up being my favorite from last week. Yum!*** Okay, fine. Boy oh boy, was this one good. I took a slightly Italian approach for these, with the marinara sauce and the provolone cheese. Here’s how I made these. Start with ground chuck or regular ground beef. Throw in some unseasoned bread crumbs. Mince a clove of garlic and add that in… Then add plenty of salt and pepper. Next, pour in a little milk. Now knead the mixture all together until it’s totally combined. Scoop out about a tablespoon of the mixture… Then roll them into neat balls. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. After a minute or so, place the meatballs in between the onions so that they’re right up against the skillet. Cook them for a minute or two, until they start to get brown… Then pour in a whole jar of marinara sauce. Mmmm. When the meatballs are done, grab some dinner rolls. Next, grab some thinly sliced Provolone.
Deep Dish Fruit Pizza My sister-in-law Missy first introduced me to the concept of fruit pizza years and years ago, and here’s how: she brought one to my house and I proceeded to eat the whole thing. But it was small. And I was nursing. My mammary glands made me do it. I whipped up a whopper of a fruit pizza a couple of weeks ago using my good ol’ standby sugar cookie recipe…and it was so darn good in such a naughty, naughty way. Feel free to halve the recipe below and press into a smaller pan, or just split the full recipe in half and roll out two thinner pizzas. This is one of those fun, throw-together treats that’s perfect for everything from a slumber party to a baby shower. Sorry I said mammary glands. The Cast of Characters: my sugar cookie dough (recipe below), marshmallow creme, cream cheese, peaches, kiwi, blueberries…and whatever other fruit you’d like! Now, you could divide the dough in half, then roll out each half into thin, round pizzas. Or you could do what I done did… I love this pebbly texture.
Thai Summer Salad Recipe Thai Summer Salad It’s only a matter of time before our beach vacation begins. This means that I’ve been working out like a mad-woman, drinking gallons of unsweetened iced tea, and eating as light as I can between bites of Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream and Cookie Dough Brownies. Somehow I’m thinking this is the formula for allowing myself to feel comfortable in a bathing suit this year. Somehow I’m thinking that I’ll still feel pudgy… no matter what… just because that’s the way I always feel. There’s a lot of good stuff in the salad. This salad is made with napa cabbage– the Chinese sort. Add all of those nicely chopped vegetables to the cabbage. Just toss it all in there… … until everything is colorful and beautiful. Then add a very simple and mildly spiced Asian dressing. Toss it all together. And it’s ready to eat. There you go- your guilt-free, bikini-body-in-10-days salad.
Pomegranate Orange Crush —juicy joy to help fight aging Warm, breezy afternoons. Golden sunlight. Drinks and laughter. Sweet melody of wind chimes. Eternal optimism of spring showers and lovely rain speckled windows. Ha, the promise of springtime. After the winter repose, sprightly spring brings in a flurry of activities. Last weekend was filled with positive energy, books and music, romantic roses, family and friends, a late afternoon picnic in the hillock of Aspire zone, and a lovely stroll along the picturesque garden, wood-chipped track and delightful lake in the park. Must confess, I enjoyed the girly gossip with my sisters-in-law as much as the wind tousled hair and scenic landscape. And yet, despite all the fleeting feeling of goodness, it’s difficult not to be put down by the challenges I’ve been facing lately. There’s nothing like starting your day with fresh, healthy food. I’ve been too much into juices and smoothies lately. Pom is touted for its health benefits. Pomegranate Orange Crush Ingredients Serves 2 Prep: 10 min Directions
Healthy Yogurt Breakfast Parfait with Blueberries & Granola Recipe Here we go. The official holiday season is just starting and already our fridge and pantry is filled with fudge, zucchini bread and cookies. Add pumpkin pie to the mix and you have a recipe for disaster when it comes to healthy eating. So, how do you stop yourself from completely de-railing over the holidays? It’s tempting to say, “What the heck. I already blew it, so why not continue inhaling everything with butter and sugar that’s in sight?” So, let’s step back to breakfast. This yogurt parfait is something I eat two to three times per week. The recipe: Place the frozen blueberries in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on the defrost mode (about power 3) until the blueberries are soft and have released some juice, about 3 minutes. In a small glass or bowl, scoop some of the blueberries and juices into the bottom. Layer with the Greek yogurt, granola, agave nectar, and more blueberries. Serve. Healthy Yogurt Breakfast Parfait with Blueberries & Granola Ingredients Instructions Notes
Arugula, Pear and Bacon Pizza with Honey Poppy Seed Sauce I am so thankful it’s spring, but man did winter ever go out with a bang! While the Northeast experienced abnormally warm weather, Arizona got snow! Meanwhile, the last day of winter here in Texas was a scary one for most! The day started beautifully, with bright sun and warm weather. During the last tornado threat, Greg and I were driving home from a camping trip completely oblivious to the danger we were entering. So on Monday, when Greg had to leave for school, I packed a bag and went with him. When we finally got home I was so thankful for this leftover pizza! This is my new favorite pizza. When severe weather hits, what do you do? Arugula, Pear, and Bacon Pizza with Honey Poppy Seed Sauce Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 350. Sprinkle a pizza peel or flat surface with cornmeal. In a small bowl, combine one tablespoon of olive oil, sesame oil, honey, minced garlic, poppy seeds, red pepper flakes, onion powder and horseradish. Remove from oven and top with arugula.