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June 5, 2008

Limey!

this week’s girl’s night was LIME themed!

limes!  so many limes!

prepping crust

mixing up the filling

putting the filling in the crust

lime bars with pistachio graham cracker crust

    Lime Squares with Pistachio Graham-Cracker Crust


(Everyday Food recipe-makes 16)

For the crust:

-4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted & cooled, plus more for the pan
-2/3 cup shelled pistachios
-1 cup graham cracker crumbs
-1/4 cup sugar
-1 tablespoon grated lime zest

For the Filling:

-2 large egg yolks
-1 can (14oz.) sweetened condensed milk (I used the fat free version)
-1/2 cup lime juice
-1 tablespoon grated lime zest (this wasn’t in the original recipe- I added this)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush an 8 inch square baking dish with melted butter. Line bottom with parchment paper, leaving a 2 inch overhang on two sides.

2. In a food processor, finely grind pistachios with graham-cracker crumbs, sugar, and zest. Blend in butter. Press mixture into bottom and 1 inch up sides of prepared pan. Bake until lightly browned, 8 to 12 minutes. Cool crust, 30 minutes.

3. To make filling: In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and condensed milk. Add lime juice and lime zest. Whisk until smooth. Pour mixture into cooled crust; carefully spreading to edges.

4. Bake until set, about 15 minutes. Cool in pan on rack; then chill at least 1 hour before serving. Using parchment paper overhang, lift out of pan, and transfer to a cutting board. With a serrated knife, cut into 16 squares, wiping knife with a damp kitchen towel between each cut.

and for dinner….

girls night this week

chinese chicken salad

Chinese Chicken Salad

Serves 4 (ish)

Chinese Mustard Vinaigrette:
-1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
-3 tablespoons peanut oil
-2 tablespoons light sesame oil
-1 1/2 tablespoons honey
-3 teaspoons Chinese mustard (more if you like it spicy!)
-Salt & Pepper (to taste)

In the salad:
-1 head of napa cabbage chopped
-1 head of romaine lettuce chopped
-2 cooked chicken breasts shredded (I used a rotisserie chicken to save time)
-2 cups shredded carrots
-1 bunch of cilantro chopped
-1 cup roasted peanuts
-1 LARGE handful of fried chow mein noodles

1. In a medium size bowl, mix all of the vinaigrette ingredients with a whisk. Whisk very well and you have yourself a great dressing!

2. Put shredded chicken in your salad bowl, add a little bit of the vinaigrette and mix well. Start adding the rest of your ingredients. Toss well!! Dig in!

3. Garnish with lime slices. Squeeze some juice on your salad. It’s fantastic!

***I love this salad because it’s so versatile! It’s fresh, crisp, light & easy to whip up. It’s also a good one to improvise. Add some sesame seeds! Add different types of lettuce! Use beef or tofu! It’s really all about the dressing…..Which is scrumptious. I hope you enjoy! ***

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June 2, 2008

One of those moments

This weekend I had one of those moments…the kind where you get this craving for something and you satisfy your craving….and it’s just serendipitous!!! I thought of dinner at 11am and spent all day dreaming about it…and when it finally happened I ate it soo fast….but was left soo satisfied! You would have thought I hadn’t eaten for days…

It started off with a craving for grilled peppers…

…and then I added some hot Italian sausage & some mushrooms to the grill…

grillin' & chillin'

and then i set it all up in the living room…

tonight's spread

look at those peppers & mushrooms!!!

grilled peppers & mushrooms

I added some to salad with some feta…and a balsamic dressing…

mixed greens with grilled peppers & feta

here’s my plate!!!

i waited all day for you

now check out the leftovers! BAM!!

aftermath....

***We had some watermelon for dessert…you might notice some yellow chunks of fruit in the bowl. Those are them!***

Did you have a good meal this weekend? Share!!

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May 30, 2008

Raspberry Fool

I pity the fool!!!!!

because….I devoured it so fast!

layerage

the fool up close

raspberry fool

Raspberry Fool

Ingredients:

-3 1/2 cups fresh raspberries (save a 1/2 cup for layering)
-1 cup heavy cream
-1/4 cup of sugar
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Mash 3 cups of fresh raspberries in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Whip cream with sugar & vanilla extract until soft peaks form.
3. Fold in raspberry puree mixture (it’s nice to see ribbons of red in the final mixture)
4. Serve in a fun cup/bowl/dish and alternate layering raspberries & cream.
5. Top with a yummy cookie! (I used shortbread)
6. Put into the fridge for an hour or just devour immediately!!!

It’s incredibly light & creamy. The only problem I ran into…is wanting MORE!

*** DO NOT- UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES CHECK THE NUTRITIONAL FACTS ON THE BACK OF YOUR WHIPPING CREAM CONTAINER***

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May 27, 2008

Chocolate Wafer Icebox Cake

two words: HOT DAMN!

ice box cake- with strawberries

hello!!!

my contribution to our family bbq

love at first slice

Chocolate Wafer Icebox Cake


makes enough for 8 servings

(recipe from Magnolia Bakery Cookbook)

-4 cups heavy whipping cream
-3 tablespoons sugar
-1 tablespoon vanilla extract
-1 1/2 packages Nabisco chocolate wafers

1. Whip Cream: In a large bowl, whip the heavy whipping cream with the sugar & vanilla extract until soft peaks form. Make sure to not over beat!

2. Start assembling the cake: On a flat plate (at least 9 inches in diameter) arrange seven wafers, with one in the center and the remaining 6 surrounding. Scoop about 3/4 cup of whipped cream onto wafers and gently spread the cream in a thin layer to completely coat the cookies.

3. Finish & Refrigerate: Continue to layer the wafers with the cream, making sure to end with the whipped cream layer on the top. Refrigerate for at least 5 hours or overnight before cutting & serving.

I topped mine with strawberries to make it look extra special. It helps mask all the drippies.

***BTW-This was soooo good. I can’t believe I’ve never tried this before. I made this for a family BBQ on Sunday. Everyone seemed skeptical about the cookies…but one bite erased all doubt. Think cookies & cream ice cream…but creamier…and less cold! I can’t wait to experiment with different flavors. Lemme know what you think and what you come up with!! ***

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May 18, 2008

just a warning…

we’re in remodeling mode around in my kitchen! This means we’ll be eating outdoors for the next few weeks…months?!?! God I hope it doesn’t take that long!!!

So you might see some make-shift dinners like this one from tonight…for the next few weeks…..

tonight's dinner

I got some cute avocados in my organic veggie/fruit shipment this week:

teeny tasty avocados

Casey jazzed one up with sea salt, freshed cracked pepper & olive oil…

casey experiments

Here’s me devouring one of my favorite food combos EVER!
(tomato, basil, garlic rubbed crostini & olive oil- salt & pepper too!)

on my plate

I’d also like to thank my hubby for painting the door to the *man room* this weekend.
Here it is with the first coat. Doesn’t it look smashing?

casey painted the theater door

Also this weekend:

-had buckwheat pancakes with lots of butter, syrup & strawberries
-went to the city to pick up Red Sox tickets
-had a yummy lunch @ Naan & Curry
-beat the heat and saw Forgetting Sarah Marshall (super funny)
-met up with a friend in the city
-worked around the house on the remodel
-tried to stay cool…temperature was up to 99 at one point!

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May 14, 2008

Hamburger Tomato Pizza

I thought that I would bust this out, while I’m on a roll with Everday Food recipes. I stared at the picture in the current issue for like 10 minutes straight. I kid you not.

If that doesn’t get you to try it… Perhaps mine will?

fresh out of the oven

(yes that pan is WELL-LOVED)

Now check up close!

i added basil- good call, tracy

I like a crust that’s a little over cooked and crispy!

up close

eating it outside was the best!

first slice

Hamburger Grape Tomato Pizza (Everyday Food-May 2008 issue)

  • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
  • All-purpose flour, for work surface
  • 1 pound frozen pizza dough, thawed
  • 3/4 cup store-bought marinara sauce
  • 1 cup grated provolone cheese (4 ounces)
  • 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced (optional)
  • 1/4 pound ground beef chuck
  • Coarse salt and ground pepper
  • A handful of fresh basil! (I added this and it was PERFECT!)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Rub a large rimless baking sheet (or a rimmed one, upside down) with oil.

2. On a lightly floured work surface, use a rolling pin and your hands to roll and stretch dough into a 15-by-11-inch rectangle (if dough becomes too elastic to work with, let it rest a few minutes). Transfer to prepared sheet.

3. Spread sauce evenly over dough, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Top with provolone, tomatoes, and if desired, onion; scatter beef over top. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Bake until crust is golden, beef is cooked, and cheese is melted, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately. (it’s not as good the second day for some reason!)

ENJOY!!!!  I KNOW WE DID!

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May 13, 2008

Tex Mex Enchiladas!

i'll have seconds, thank you

I’d like to admit right here and now that there was once a time when I was scared to make enchiladas. I’ve overcome that fear and can now look back and think how silly I was.

So I started telling you about my little Everyday Food binge huh? Well… I recently watched an episode of EVERYDAY FOOD on PBS and was immediately inspired to make some for myself. I thought that if they can do it so fast- I CERTAINLY CAN. I know you can too!

Not yet inspired? Perhaps I can tempt you with a little close up?

tex mex enchiladas

I just followed this recipe from Everyday Food:

Tex Mex Enchiladas (makes 8 total)

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) reduced sodium chicken broth
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 small canned chipotle chili in adobo, minced-plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from can
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3/4 lb. lean ground beef
  • Coarse salt & ground pepper
  • 8 tortillas (6 inch)
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (about 6 oz.)
  • 1/4 cup cilantro

1. Make Sauce: In a medium saucepan, heat 1 ½ tablespoons oil over medium. Add flour and cook, whisking occasionally, 1 minute. Add broth, chili powder, chipotle and adobo sauce, and ¾ cup water; bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat, and simmer until lightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

2. Make Filling: In a 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat remaining ½ tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add onion, garlic, and beef; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until cooked through, about 8 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 350°. Spoon ¼ cup sauce in bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish. Set aside. Make enchiladas: Stack tortillas; wrap in foil, and warm in oven, 10 minutes. Fill each with a heaping ¼ cup beef mixture and 2 tablespoons cheese; tightly roll up.

4. Raise oven heat to 450°. Arrange enchiladas, seam side down, in baking dish. Top with remaining sauce; sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, until hot and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving. Serve garnished with cilantro and perhaps some sour cream like I did!

If you follow the link above, you will find their instructions for freezing your batch!

***Note: After assembling the enchiladas, I was concerned that there might not be enough sauce covering all the tortillas. I decided to drizzle the leftover adobo sauce on top of the assembled enchiladas. I think this added a LOT of flavor!!! ***

This will definitely be in our regular rotation. I can’t wait to experiment on different types of filling!