Lemon Bars!

It's been UNSEASONABLY warm and sunny for the past week or two - yay! We've been grilling out A LOT, and today was no exception.  We had my in-laws over for lunch, and I flipped through my binder until I found the perfect dessert: Lemon Bars! What's sunnier than lemons?  I used to make these often, using a mix, but just started making them from scratch in the last year; the recipe is pretty simple. A special thanks to Brenda http://secret-agent-josephine.com for posting the recipe (last year). You can also find the recipe at www.allrecipes.com, where it's called: Love the Mama Lemon Bars. I'm hoping there's enough left over for Regan and I to have for breakfast - how decadent!

Lemon Bars

1 1/8 cups flour

1/3 cup confectioner's sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

2/3 cup confectioner's sugar

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest

1/4 tsp. baking powder

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, 1/3 cup of confectioner's sugar and butter, until the butter is in very small crumbs.  Press into the bottom of a 11 x 7-inch baking dish.  Bake for 25 minutes or until firm and lightly browned.  While the crust is baking, whisk together the eggs, 2/3 cup confectioner's sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest.  Just before the crust is done, stir in the baking powder.  Pour over the crust while it is hot, and return to the oven.  Bake for another 25 minutes, until set.  Dust with confectioner's sugar when cool. 

Girls night and eatin' right...

This past week, it was my turn to host girls night, and I've been striving to make healthy and tasty meals for my friends, so, here's what I made:

Grilled Chicken Sausage and Warm Chickpea Salad

(adapted from Redbook magazine)

4 fully cooked chicken sausages (I used chicken/portabella mushroom)

4 Tbl. olive oil

1 Tbl. garlic paste (I used dried, minced garlic)

1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

4 jarred roasted red peppers, diced

1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

16-20 Kalamata olives, halved

1 tsp. grated lemon zest

2 Tbl. fresh lemon juice

4 cups arugula or mixed greens

1/2 cup shaved Parmesan-Reggiano or Asiago cheese (optional)

Heat grill to medium-high or heat grill pan.  Grill sausages, turning frequently, 6-7 minutes, or until browned and heated through.  Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 Tbl. of olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add garlic paste and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.  Add chickpeas and salt and pepper, stirring until coated and heated through, about 2 minutes.  Stir in peppers, tomatoes and olives until heated through, about 2 minutes.  Pour chickpea mixture in to a large bowl.  Stir in the remaining 2 Tbl. olive oil, lemon zest and lemon juice. Arrange arugula or mixed greens on plates and top with the chickpea mixture. Top with shaved cheese, if desired.  Slice sausages into 1 1/2-inch pieces and serve aside salad.

I was so excited to use my grill pan for the first time, for the sausages!

 

Oh jeez, I forgot to tell you about the refreshing appetizer I made! I found it on Pinterest, but can't find the original source - sorry! The photo below is not mine, but it looks exactly like the appetizer I made.

Creamy Avocado Yogurt Dip (source unknown...)

1/2 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt (I used Chobani)
2 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
1 clove garlic, minced (I used dried, minced garlic)
3 Tbl. chopped fresh cilantro (I used cilantro cooking base - love that stuff!)
2 Tbl. fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Place the yogurt, avocados, garlic, cilantro, lime juice and cumin in a blender or food processor.  Mix until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Scrape dip into a serving bowl and serve with pita chips, tortilla chips or cut-up veggies.  

Here's an extreme close up of my dip; after we attacked it with chips! The chips I used (and this is not a paid product endorsement) were AWESOME: Pepperidge Farm "Baked Naturals" cracker chips (multigrain). Simply fabulous!

Italian Popcorn...

Never fear, I AM working on two "foodie" posts right now. Tonight, my supper consisted of "Italian popcorn" and some chilled white wine; while working on my blog. The recipe is ridiculously simple, and yet, you will probably say, "why didn't I think of that"! I even cheated and used microwave popcorn (Pop Secret  homestyle). Just toss it with "Italian seasoning" ( I have a cute little grinder of Italian spices) and some grated Parmesan cheese. In my mind, it's a meal...of course, I also consider Chex party mix and a glass of wine a meal too...

Be adventurous, people! I've been known to sprinkle Old Bay seasoning on popcorn too...and tonight, I almost used powdered pesto mix...

A recipe redux...

It's feeling a little more spring-like here, and the smell of grilling meat fills the air (at least in my neighborhood) at suppertime. So, not to be left out, my husband grilled some chicken breasts marinated in a lemon & 3 peppercorn marinade (another dented-can store find)  while I found a yummy way to use some leftover Artichoke Pesto (see 3/4/12 post for recipe). I made a version of my Penne With Zucchini And Pesto (see 9/1/11 post) with what I already had on hand.

I used medium shell pasta, zucchini cut in "sticks", half a can of Cannellini beans, 2-3 heaping tablespoons of the artichoke pesto, Parmesan cheese, some dried basil and freshly ground black pepper - oh my! Oh, and the chicken wasn't half bad either...:)

Baked Spaghetti!

Last night for supper we had an old favorite: Baked Spaghetti. A former neighbor first made it for us YEARS ago, when we first met, and made it again for us when I first had Regan (okay, I actually requested it when I had Regan). It's a lot like lasagna, but without all the prep work.  I scoured the Internet for a similar recipe, which is the following. The recipe is from www.allrecipes.com, and of course, I "tweaked" it when I made it last night.

Baked Spaghetti (aka: Spaghetti Pie)

6-ounces spaghetti (I used whole grain)

2 Tbl. butter

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 eggs, beaten

1 pound lean ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes

6-ounce can tomato paste

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 cup cottage cheese

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook and drain spaghetti.  Stir in butter, Parmesan and eggs, while pasta is still hot.  Form spaghetti mixture into a crust in the bottom of a buttered baking dish.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a skillet, cook the beef, onion, green pepper and garlic.  Drain off the fat and stir in the undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar and oregano.  Heat through.  Spread cottage cheese over the spaghetti crust, then pour in the beef and tomato mixture.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the top of the "pie" and bake another 5-10 minutes longer, until cheese melts.

*Well, I skipped a few steps (and ingredients) by using jarred sauce, without meat.

I rounded out the meal with a tossed salad and a cute little multigrain bread I found at the supermarket (on the day-old baked goods rack - score!).

Comfort Food with a Twist...

Last night, I tried a new take on the original, old-fashioned baked macaroni and cheese; baked gnocchi and cheese! I think I saw a recipe on Pinterest, or in a magazine, and decided to give it a try, I mean, who wouldn't like little potato puffs baked in a cheesy sauce? Everyone , and I mean EVERYONE in my family loved it! So, bye-bye elbow macaroni! 

 I made up the recipe as I went along, consulting my grandmother's mac-n-cheese recipe as needed.

Baked Gnocchi and Cheese 

16-ounce vacuum-packed container of gnocchi

2-3 Tbl. butter

1-2 Tbl. flour

1 cup milk

1 cup shredded cheese (I used one-half shredded co-jack and one-half Italian four-cheese blend; you can use absolutely ANY kind of cheese)

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare the gnocchi according to the instructions on the package. Drain. Melt butter in a saucepan. Whisk in flour and cook on low for a few minutes. Whisk in milk and cook a few more minutes until it thickens; stirring often. Add cheese and stir until melted. Place cooked gnocchi in a greased baking dish, making a single layer. Pour melted cheese over top of gnocchi and bake for 30 minutes, till lightly browned and bubbly.

I also made oven-roasted asparagus (see 11/10/11 post for recipe). There is just NO better way to prepare asparagus! Yum!

 A Lemon Loaf Morning!

Nothing says "good morning" like LEMONS! Yesterday was a picture-postcard perfect sunny spring day (albeit windy), and to pick up spirits even more, I baked a very yummy, lemony loaf "cake". A big thanks to Brenda at http://secret-agent-josephine.com for sharing her great grandmother's recipe - it was AWESOME!

Lemon Loaf *makes two loaves

2 cups sugar
1 1/2 sticks melted butter
4 eggs
1 cup milk
3 cups flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
grated rind of 2 lemons

glaze: juice of 2 lemons, plus 1 1/2 Tbl. sugar

Preheat oven to 355.  Mix sugar, butter, eggs, milk, flour, baking powder, salt and lemon rind (I combined the batter after each addition). Pour into two greased loaf pans.  Bake for 45 minutes. Mix together juice of 2 lemons and 1 1/2 Tbl. sugar. Pour lemon mixture over piping hot loaves and serve!

Regan was sooooo excited she got to "help" me make these: she carefully helped grate the lemon rinds and crack the eggs. And of course, she can always be counted on to do a little taste-testing! I will definitely be making this again; lemons are full of sunshine and happiness!

Crock Pot Green Chicken Chili

It was downright CHILLY yesterday, with occasional snow showers, so I thought a big pot, Crock Pot that is, of chicken chili sounded good.  I actually let it cook for 7 hours, and my house smelled wonderful all day! As the title reads, I'm calling this green chicken chili because of the green enchilada sauce and Cilantro, not because it resembles a St. Patrick's day entree! This recipe can be found at http://scatteredthoughtsofasahm.blogspot.com.  She adapted it from a Pampered Chef cookbook, and of course, I "adapted" it myself, too! My three-year-old gave it a big "thumbs up" and , after consuming a whole soup mug-ful, drank the remains of my soup mug too!

We ate some more the next day, with "cheese quesadillas" (shredded co-jack cheese on top of flour tortillas, warmed in the toaster oven), and it was EVEN BETTER! Yum!

 

Green Chicken Chili (for the Crock Pot)

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

1/2 cup chopped onions

3 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 tsp. chili powder

salt and pepper to taste

2 cans or a 32-ounce carton of fat-free chicken broth

2 cans green enchilada sauce

2 Tbl. cilantro cooking base (it's awesome!)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can pinto or kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can corn (I used "Mexi-corn" with diced peppers)

1 can evaporated milk

Place chicken, onions, chicken broth, enchilada sauce and spices into the Crock Pot and stir to combine.  Cook on LOW for 4 hours.  Add the corn, beans and evaporated milk.  Cook on LOW 1 additional hour. Garnish with sour cream, shredded cheese and fresh cilantro when serving - yum!

 

*The original recipe called for 8 corn tortillas, broken into very small pieces, to be added as a thickening agent (4 in the beginning and 4 after 4 hours). I tried a tablespoon of quick-cooking tapioca, which did not work as well as I anticipated, so my chili was a little watery, but still DELICIOUS!

This recipe made a pretty big batch of chili; thank goodness I have a giant Crock Pot! I think I may freeze some of the chili; for other "chilly" days!

And the healthy eating continues...

So, you know how I like to try new recipes? I may have gotten in a little over my head last night...I got 3 pans, two bowls, my food processor and a number of spoons and knives dirty concocting this meal I saw in a health and fitness magazine I pilfered from work!  I have to admit, it turned out very well, but was way too much work for the Mommy of a 3-year-old who was not happy I was spending so much time in the kitchen instead of "entertaining" her!

Of course, I "tweaked" the recipe a bit, but I'll give you the original recipe and then note what I changed. So here it is in all it's glory: 

Grilled Sirloin with Artichoke Pesto and Farro Salad

2/3 cup farro

2 whole artichoke hearts, packed in water, drained

1 cup fresh basil, loosely packed

1 Tbl. sliced almonds (I omitted)

2 garlic cloves, one whole, one minced

1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, loosely packed

3 Tbl. grated Parmesan

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbl. olive oil

3 Tbl. water

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 cup yellow onion, diced

2 cups chopped kale

2 Tbl. white Balsamic vinegar

2 8-ounce sirloin steaks

Preheat oven to 400.  Bring a medium pot of salted water to boil.  Add the farro and cook until just tender, about 25 minutes.  Drain, return to pot and set aside.  Meanwhile, combine the artichoke hearts, basil, almonds, whole garlic clove, parsley and one tablespoon of the Parmesan in a blender or food processor.  Pulse, drizzling in the 1/4 cup of oil and 2 tablespoons of the water.  Blend until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.  Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the oil over the squash and add 1/4 tsp. each of the salt and pepper.  Place on a baking sheet and roast 20-25 minutes, until tender.

By the way, this is an AWESOME way to prepare butternut squash! It was sweet, savory and oh so yummy!

Heat the remaining oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat.  Add the onions and minced garlic; cook 3-5 minutes.  Add the kale and the remaining water.  Saute until kale is wilted, about 2 minutes. Add the roasted squash and farro to the skillet.  Top with the remaining Parmesan, some chopped parsley and the balsamic vinegar.  Add some salt and pepper to taste; toss and cook 1 to 2 minutes, until heated through.  Heat a grill pan over medium high heat; cook steaks 4-5 minutes a side, then remove from heat and let rest 5 minutes.  Slice steaks across the grain into 1/2-inch strips.  Top with artichoke pesto and serve with farro salad.

*The original recipe called for farro, which I could not find at my supermarket, so I used barley instead. My husband grilled chopped sirloin steaks on the grill, and they worked fine as substitutes.  The best part of the meal was the artichoke pesto, and I have enough left over to toss with pasta for another meal - mmm!

*I altered the pesto recipe to accommodate the can of artichoke hearts I had, and my lack of FRESH herbs:

14-ounce can quartered artichoke hearts in water

1 Tbl. dried basil

2 tsp. dried minced garlic

1 Tbl. dried parsley flakes

1 Tbl. Parmesan

1/4 cup olive oil

Pulse in a blender or food processor until smooth. It will be more like a paste than a runny pesto, but tastes AWESOME!

Friday was Dr. Seuss' birthday, so I threw a small Seuss-themed party/play date for my daughter and her friends. 

The girls made "Cat in the Hat" hats and Lorax puppets, colored, played and ate, while the mommies drank coffee and had some grown up time. Oh, and we ate too! I wanted to make something fun and special for the play date, but most of the Dr. Seuss-themed treats I found on Pinterest involved red and blue frosting - ugh! What I DID find was an impossibly simple twist on Rice Krispie treats; Nutella Rice Krispie Treats! Why didn't I think of that before? Well, you can thank www.stickygooeycreamychewy.com for the recipe!

Nutella Rice Krispie Treats

4 Tbl. (1/2 stick) butter
10-ounce package large marshmallow or 4 cups mini marshmallows
1 cup Nutella
6 cups Rice Krispies

Melt butter in a large saucepan over LOW heat.  Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted.  Remove from heat and stir in Nutella until melted.  Add cereal.  Stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until well coated.  Press into a 13 x 9-inch pan coated with non-stick cooking spray (I used butter).  Cool and cut into squares.

The Rice Krispie treats were ALMOST as popular as the chocolate doughnut holes with sprinkles!

Lemon Beer Chicken Burritos!

Ever since I started a "food" blog, I'm constantly on the lookout for new recipes to try.  Between Pinterest, the magazines I subscribe to, and Internet searches, I will never run out of new ideas! This recipe is courtesy of Brenda at http://secret-agent-josephine.com. She posted it on her blog earlier this week and I thought it sounded healthy and yummy - and it was! 

Lemon Beer Chicken Burritos 

3 boneless, skinless breasts

1/4 cup beer (I used half a cup of Shock Top)

juice of one lemon

"dash" of hot sauce

Marinate the chicken in beer and lemon juice for one hour (I marinated mine for almost 2 hours).  Drain the liquid and cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.  Saute the chicken in 1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil till browned.  Serve in flour tortillas with black beans (mixed with Cumin for "zest", rice, cheese (I used "queso fresco", a crumbly white cheese) and avocado.

Today, I mixed the leftover lemon chicken, black beans with Cumin, and rice and heaped it on flour tortillas.  I shredded some Co-Jack cheese on top and broiled the whole thing in my toaster oven to make open-faced taco/tostada thingies - yum! So, what did YOU have for lunch today?