July 19, 2008

Eggplant Ricotta Bake

Been cooking in the kitchen again (feels great!)
I thought that I would share last night’s meal that I adapted from an old Everyday Food recipe.
It was very delish. I am sure my low-carb dad would love it too!

Think Eggplant Parmesan meets Lasagna.

Eggplant Ricotta Bake

(recipe from Everyday Food Magazine)

-2 large eggplants (about 1- 1 1/2lbs each)
-1 16oz jar of your favorite marinara sauce (I love Classico Tomato & Basil)
-1 15oz container ricotta cheese
-1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
-1/2 cup chopped italian parsley
-1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
-1 teaspoon garlic powder
-2 heaping teaspoons of oregano
-3 eggs
-salt & pepper

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut eggplant into rounds about 3/4 inch thick. Coat front and back with olive oil. Put eggplant on two baking sheets. Add salt & pepper. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes–flipping them half way. Eggplant should be nice and golden brown.

2. While eggplant bakes, mix the ricotta, eggs, spices & 1/2 cup of Parmesan together in a small bowl. Add some salt & pepper.

3. In an oven safe casserole dish, layer the bottom with a bit of the marinara sauce. Add 1 layer of your eggplant on top. Then add more sauce, and a layer of ricotta. Repeat until you run out of eggplant. Make sure the top layer is all ricotta filling. Add Parmesan and then put in the oven for 20 minutes. The top should be brown & the marinara should be bubbly. Let sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. There’s nothing worse than burning your mouth on marinara sauce.

Pair it with some crusty garlic bread and a nice salad….and you’ve got yourself a wonderful meal!

recipes, Uncategorized

July 17, 2008

Rustic Nectarine Tart

So I had ever intention to follow this recipe…but I got sidetracked…was making dinner and then I just winged it. I figured that I read the recipe enough times to know what the heck was going on. So here’s what I ended up with:

Turned out wonderful! Tasted great! Looked pretty!

Here is my half-assed attempt at giving you the recipe.

Rustic Nectarine Tart

Ingredients:

-1 sheet of Trader Joes puff pastry (package comes with two sheet- i think they are 8oz. each)
-4 nectarines (I had some leftover…so it might be 3)
-1/3 cup of sugar-plus a few teaspoons full
-2 tablespoons of seedless raspberry jam
-1 egg (beaten)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Take puff pastry out of freezer. Put it on your counter for about 15 minutes to warm to room temperature. Once it’s warm enough, peel off one of the two sheets of pastry. Place sheet on a lightly floured surface and roll out into a rectangular shape. Trim off the edges so you have a clean straight line. With a small knife, lightly score a 1 inch border around the entire rectangle. Make sure not to go all the way through to the bottom. Poke holes in the middle of the pastry with a fork. Brush egg wash over the entire puff pastry. Pop in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.

3. While pastry is baking, cut up nectarines into small slices. Toss with 1/3 cup of sugar. Use less if the nectarines are super sweet. Put nectarines in a microwave and zap for 1 minute. Toss. Then zap again for another minute. They should be less firm..slightly cooked….a bit soft. But not TOO soft and mushy. I put them in the fridge until the puff pastry was done.

4. Layer the nectarines on the partially baked pastry. If the middle has risen, push down to flatten with a fork before you put the fruit on top. Add a little sprinkle of sugar on top of the nectarines. Bake in the oven for 10 more minutes.

5. When the tart is done, heat up your raspberry jelly in the microwave (I zapped it for 30 seconds-until it was thin & runny). Lightly brush jelly over the nectarines with a pastry brush. It will give it that shiny smooth glaze!

6. Cut tart into pieces (I made this into 4 generous portions). Add a dollop of whipped cream…or top with ice cream. MMM.

Here’s the rest of the meal I made for this weeks Project Runway (IT’S ON!!!) dinner:

Grilled Chicken with Lemon, Rice Pilaf, Salad with almonds & feta, and a spicy pepper & corn hash!

recipes, Uncategorized

July 14, 2008

Lemon Cheesecake Squares

So I’ve never made cheesecake before. It’s one of those baking things that terrifies me. What if I do all the work and then I pull it outta the oven and the top is all cracked??? That would suck. I get really discouraged when things don’t work out. That doesn’t mean I don’t keep trying…there’s just a long period of time before I put my fork back in the socket again.

A few baby steps later, I tried this simple recipe from EVERYDAY FOOD.

Three words:
-Creamy!
-Dreamy!
-Easy!

It will make those of you (like me) get over your hang-ups about making cheesecake. I think I might be ready to be a big girl and try an authentic NY cheesecake. Perhaps I will do when I lose the 5lbs I gained after eating it!

I think my unborn fetus looooved it.

Lemon Cheesecake Squares
Ingredients:

Makes 16

FOR THE CRUST:
– 8 graham crackers (each 2 1/2 by 5 inches)
– 2 tablespoons sugar
– 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

FOR THE FILLING:
– 2 bars (8 ounces each) cream cheese, room temperature
– 3/4 cup sugar
– 2 large eggs
– Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon (2 to 3 teaspoons zest and about 3 tablespoons juice)

1. Make the crust: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on all sides. Crimp overhang under rim of pan.

2. In a food processor, blend graham crackers with sugar until finely ground; add butter and pulse until moistened.

3. Transfer crumb mixture to prepared pan, and pat in gently (wipe processor bowl clean, and reserve for making filling). Bake until beginning to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. While crust is baking, make filling.

4. Make the filling: Place cream cheese in food processor; blend until smooth. Add sugar, eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice; blend until smooth.

5. Pour mixture onto hot crust in pan; smooth top. Return to oven, and bake until set (filling should jiggle only slightly when pan is gently shaken), 30 to 35 minutes.

6. Cool completely in pan. Cover very loosely with plastic wrap; chill until firm, at least 2 hours (and up to 2 days). Use foil overhang to lift cheesecake out of pan. With metal spatula, lift cheesecake from foil; cut into 16 squares. (I think I ended up with less. The bigger the better!)

***If the top was all crumbly and cracked I would have put a layer of glazey blueberry spread on top….or some powdered sugar? Looks like I lucked out—and didn’t have to use an alternative. Hope you enjoy it too! ***

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July 10, 2008

Ever in a rush?

Have you ever been in a rush to make cupcakes and don’t have the time to frost your heart out and make everything perfect?

Frost the tops and then cover them in coconut…or sprinkles.
No one would ever guess that you frosted at midnight with the most tired/unsteady hand!!

Happy Birthday to my coworker–Kevin!

I would have totally frosted them perfectly for you if it wasn’t for getting home at 11pm last night!

xoxoxo

(chocolate chocolate chip cupcakes with cream cheese frosting….coconut & a strawberry for garnish!)

around the home, Uncategorized

July 8, 2008

Hanging Wall Art

In preparation of the bebe, I’ve decided to get a bunch of stuff done around the house that I have MAJORLY procrastinated on.

I finally put up all the frames I had sitting around in my craft room on the wall in the living room!

I started out by taking inventory of the frames:

recipes, Uncategorized

July 6, 2008

Creamy Banana Pudding

My contribution to the 4th of July Block Party on my street:

This is my first of two…or maybe three servings?

It’s very simple, incredibly light (watch out you might think it’s calorie free) and super dreamy. Last year I doubled the recipe, but not enough people saved room for dessert after all the grilled meats & salads. This year there was NOTHING left. NOTHING. NOTHING!!!! I didn’t have the chance to eat a bowl full in my pjs the next morning. SIGH. It is super easy to make—So I won’t be waiting til next summer to make it again. Promise. Now let’s get started!

Creamy Banana Pudding

Serves 12
(from the More from Magnolia Cookbook)

Ingredients:

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups ice cold water
1 (3.4-ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix (preferably Jell-O brand)
3 cups heavy cream
1 (12-ounce) box Nabisco Nilla Wafers (no substitutions!)
4 cups sliced ripe bananas

In a small bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat together the sweetened condensed milk and water until well combined, about 1 minute. Add the pudding mix and beat well, about 2 minutes more. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight, before continuing. It is very important to allow the proper amount of time for the pudding mixture to set.

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the pudding mixture into the whipped cream until well blended and no streaks of pudding remain.

To assemble the dessert, select a large, wide bowl (preferably glass) with a 4-5-quart capacity. Arrange one-third of the wafers to cover the bottom of the bowl, overlapping if necessary, then one-third of the bananas and one-third of the pudding. Repeat the layering twice more, garnishing with additional wafers or wafer crumbs on the top layer of the pudding. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours – or up to 8 hours, but no longer! – before serving.

****If you don’t like bananas, I would think raspberries would be scrumptious with this recipe as a substitution! ***

around the home, Uncategorized

July 2, 2008

thank you!

Just wanted to say a BIG THANK YOU you for all your comments! They totally made my day!
This 4th of July I’m making Magnolia Banana Pudding & some cupcakes for a BBQ we are attending. They were a hit last year, and I have been asked to do it again!
(look out for pics!)

I’m curious…What are you having/making?