Strawberry Vinaigrette

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We're on Spring Break in Palm Springs (which totally explains why I have posted two days in a row) and strawberries are fully in season here.  They are red, ripe, delicious and most  importantly abundant!  We made a salad for dinner and I thought to make a fresh dressing.  After googling several recipes for strawberry vinaigrettes - many of them included ingredients like dijon mustard, strawberry jam, or poppy seeds.  Not being satisfied with my options, I ventured out on my own and went for pure and simple.

Strawberries

Olive Oil

Red Wine Vinegar

A bit of Sugar

Of course, it doesn't hurt that the strawberries alone are divine and so distinctly fresh in flavor.  But this was so good and easy.  I blended it all in about 30 seconds with a Magic Bullet (adding that to my kitchen gadget want list). Next time I think I'll try it with Balsalmic Vinegar.

Cake in a Jar

The kids are back in school and with my teensy amount of extra free time all I want to do is create. Somehow I had to let that side of my brain turn off when the summer camp counselor mom took its place for the last 3 months. It hasn't been but a couple of weeks since school began and I've already found myself up to my eyeballs in projects. I'm currently working on an art and photography collage wall in the family room, prepping the Halloween decos, having window seat cushions made, and of course cooking! I've been dying to try these cakes in a jar. Such a fun outdoor dinner party dessert or neighbor treat, don't you think? Just grab a spoon and eat it right out of the jar! Sadly, mine aren't nearly as adorable as Angry Chicken's, but I think next time I'll try the half pint jars simply for the cute effect. This one was poppyseed - but I imagine you could use any cake recipe you love. (Just don't fill it more than halfway. I learned this the hard way:)

Cookie of the Week

We tried out a bar cookie recipe this week. By the end of the day the entire pan was gone so I consider them a success (yes we shared, but only a few...). These would be perfect to pack in the kids' school lunch because they're homey and hearty. Another one to add to the files.

Squirrel Bars
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/3 c. butter
3/4 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. flour (shhh...don't tell the fam, but I used 100% wheat flour to add a little whole grain.)
1 tsp. baking powder
6 oz. chocolate chips

Mix together first four ingredients. Add eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour and baking powder. Spread mixture in a greased 9"x13" pan. Sprinkle chips on top. Bake 3 minutes at 350 degrees. Take out and marbleize. Return to oven for another 25-30 minutes. Cool and cut into bars.

Magnolia Bakery's Second Most Famous Dessert

...is simple to create, amazing to admire, and delectable to devour.

Recipe from More From Magnolia by Allysa Torey

• 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

• 4 cups sliced ripe bananas

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

Sunday Dinner

...is not always a special occasion at our house; but today we had some special dinner guests so we wanted to do something memorable. It only took a slight craving for our favorite harvest holiday to head us in this tasty direction. Here's what we came up with:

A SUMMER THANKSGIVING

Crock Pot TURKEY Breast
(If you've never done this simple protein - you must. Buy one fresh or frozen turkey breast. They're usually around 7-10 lbs. Put it in the crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours. DONE. Moist, delicious, and leftovers for about 2 days.)

SWEET POTATO Fries
Romaine Salad with CRAISINS (our cranberries) and candied Walnuts
CORN BREAD

And for dessert...
any number of frozen PUMPKIN creations, but this one from Epicurious looked the tastiest to me.

Now who's ready for a nap?

Rain / Snow Go Away

*Image via odeedoh

I only have to look outside for a cruel reminder that my days of sending the kids outside for some playtime fun are still a distant longing. Since we'll be spending a good portion of this weekend inside keeping cozy and listening to church leaders at our semi-annual General Conference, I figured some indoor activities were a'callin. Last Sunday I made some homemade playdough as a teaching aid for the primary children and it was a huge hit. We'll be adding to our color assortment this weekend and breaking out the cookie cutters for Saturday afternoon. If you'd like to join along, here's the best recipe I've found.

1 C. Flour
¼ C. Salt
2 Tbsp. Cream of Tartar
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 C. Water
1 Tbsp. Oil
2 Tbsp. Food Coloring (paste works best but you can use any kind)

Mix ingredients in order listed preceding. Use heavy skillet pan on medium heat( may need to be turned down lower to keep from scorching). Stir well until it sticks together (does get really lumpy at first but don't give up). Turn out on pastry board or sheet and knead. Make into small balls and add different coloring to each ball. Store in tight container.

New Recipes

It's been a week of new recipes in amr's kitchen. We're batting three for three right now. They all pass the test and will be added to the recipe book. This Gorgonzola Pear Flatbread was such a hit we made a twice - once for an appetizer for a dinner party and then again as a side dish for Sunday dinner.

Gorgonzola Pear Flatbread
Pizza dough (I get mine at my neighborhood market, pressed and ready for toppings for $2.50)
Shredded white cheese (I used Havarti, simply because I had it on hand. Gouda or Mozzarella would be delicious as well.)
Thinly sliced pears
Caramelized walnuts
Crumbled gorgonzola cheese
Fresh sage leaves

Brush olive oil on rolled out dough. Layer ingredients in above order. Bake on bottom rack at 50o degrees for about 8 minutes. Serve bubbly hot.

Divine.

Shortbread Mint Sandwich Cookie

You know how much I love a pretty cookie. Find this recipe here. Mine look a little different than hers do, but I think the yum factor is definitely comparable.

I just couldn't help myself...

...had to make them again. This time they're not pops - just bites. Still cute. xoxo

Lemon Curd

Our annual spring break trip to Palm Springs is right around the corner, but I just couldn't wait. Last year all the gorgeous lemons hanging from the trees inspired me to WANT lemon curd, but I never ended up making it. As I was cleaning out the freezer to make room for my latest Costco trip, I came across some lemon juice I had frozen from those desert lemons. Couple that with a trip to Elizabeth's English tea shoppe with Ella (scones on the menu of course) and color me lemon yellow - I was inspired again! Yesterday, while the kids were finishing up some weekend projects, I stood over the stove and whisked myself into pure lemony satisfaction. It was surprisingly easy and absolutely delicious. Here's the recipe I used:

• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lemon zest
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into bits

Whisk together juice, zest, sugar, and eggs in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Stir in butter and cook over moderately low heat, whisking frequently, until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk and first bubble appears on surface, about 6 minutes.

Transfer lemon curd to a bowl and chill, its surface covered with plastic wrap, until cold, at least 1 hour.

P.S. Four of these little jars are perfect for a double batch. I found them at my local grocery store.

Pop! Pop!

I finally found a reason to break out the Bakerella and go for it! It wasn't easy or
breezy (and I need an army of cleaning ladies to bail me out of the aftermath),
but oh my goodie - aren't they cute?

This one ate the top off first and savored each and every bite.

She licked right down to the chocolaty center.

Always a photo op with this one.

And the baby bunny of the bunch thought it was so tasty,
she just had to take a moment to savor.

Granola Goodness

Somedays I like to surprise the kids with an after school snack that trumps the usual. It's been awhile since I've made granola and boy did it hit the spot. We had it for the snack, again for dinner, and then again for breakfast. It's tasty with cold milk, warmed as a hot cereal with milk, sprinkled on yogurt, or just shoved in by the fist full straight from the pan.

Spread 4 c. oats on cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Stir in:
1 c. coconut
1 c. nuts - walnuts, pecans, almonds - they're all good
3/4 c. wheat germ

Add:
1/2 c. honey
1/3 c. oil
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix until oats are well coated. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Stir occasionally to brown evenly. Add raisins, craisins, or whatever your little heart desires after baking.

More Recipe Chit Chat

Thank you Angela for suggesting Tastebook! What a fun website to peruse and although I haven't spent a significant amount of time on it - it looks like it can access recipes from many food websites (like Epicurious and All Recipes). I love all the personalization options.

I'm still on the hunt for a website dedicated to those of us who don't mind getting flour and sugar between our keys (right Kasey?) and have no plans of printing recipes off - just storing them (and most importantly, easily formatting them) in order to cook straight from the laptop. I'll keep searching and cooking and in the mean time, cursing my recipe book that is overflowing with recipe print-offs. Maybe I need to get on that "organize recipes" resolutions a little sooner than later.

WANTED

Because my hubby gives start-up companies money for a living, I am not shy about throwing my own ideas at him for technologies that would make my life easier. What I am currently looking for (and might already exist unbeknownst to me) is a recipe management sight that would collect all the recipes I have found online and want to keep from various sights, blogs, and e-mails. If I could cut and paste a recipe into a sight that would then file and keep it neatly in one place, I could literally stop printing off recipes. I would love having a personal online cookbook. (I bring the laptop into the kitchen for so many recipes already.) What do you think fellow kitchenistas? Have you found something to manage your online tasties - or am I onto something?

Christmas Baking

Peppermint Puffs

2 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 stick butter
1 c. confectioners' sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
8 oz. white dipping chocolate
1/2 c. finely chopped candy canes

Stir together flour and salt. Beat butter and sugar in large bow until smooth. Beat in egg. Beat in peppermint and vanilla. On low speed, beat in flour mixture. Shape dough into a ball and wrap in plastic and refrigerate 1 hour.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Shape dough into 1 inch balls for a total of 36 cookies. Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned. When cool, dip top in melted white chocolate and then in candy canes.

Simple Essentials

I'm so excited about this bargain I found yesterday. One of my favorite local bloggers introduced me to Donna Hay and not only are her recipes adored by many, but her styling team is genius. This food photography is simple and gorgeous. Get yourself over to Home Goods and you too can own a copy or two of Donna Hay - Simple Essentials for only $12! (They are $24 on her website.) Happy shopping!

Butternut Squash Soup

This is absolutely one of my favorite soups. I tweaked a few recipes I found online a came up with a winner.

Ingredients:

• 1 butternut squash, peeled (I used Costco's cubed and peeled version as a major time saver)
  
• Nutmeg (1/2 teaspoon)
  
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Salt and pepper
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cans chicken stock
• 1/2 cube of cream cheese
  

Directions:

Cut squash into 1-inch chunks. In large pot melt butter. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add squash and stock. Bring to a simmer and cook until squash is tender. Remove squash chunks with slotted spoon and place in a blender and puree. Return blended squash to pot. Stir and season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Slowly melt cream cheese into soup. Simmer and serve.

An Early Christmas Gift to Natalie...

(*If this doesn't inspire you to comment my dear, I don't know what ever will :)

BYU Mint Brownies

Ingredients:

1 c. margarine
1/2 c. cocoa
2 Tbsp. honey
4 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. chopped walnuts
12 oz. chocolate icing (Use your own icing recipe)

MINT ICING
5 Tbsp. margarine
dash of salt
3 Tbsp. milk
1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
2 1/3 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. mint extract
1-2 drops green food coloring

Directions:

PREP AND COOK: 90 min. COOL: 1 hr.

1. Melt margarine and mix in cocoa. Allow to cool. Add honey, eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Add nuts. Pour batter into a greased 9-by-13 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool.

2. Prepare mint icing: Soften margarine. Add salt, corn syrup, and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Add mint extract and food coloring. Mix. Add milk gradually until the consistency is a little thinner than cake frosting.

3. Spread mint icing over brownies. Place brownies in the freezer for a short time to stiffen the icing. Remove from the freezer and carefully add a layer of chocolate icing.

Never Fail Refrigerator Roll

As a former roll failure, I was so excited to find a recipe that clearly states in the title "Never Fail."  I'm especially appreciative of the specific instructions, "Melt together, don't scorch." (So that's what's been holding me back all these years.) Thanks to my good friend Jenny for passing this one along way back when she brought me dinner after I'd had Josie.  Ladies and Gentleman, its a keeper.

Never Fail Refrigerator Roll

1c. milk

1/2 c. butter

1/2 c. sugar

Melt together, don't scorch.  Set aside to cool.

1 scant T. yeast

1/4 c. warm water

Dissolve yeast in warm water. (Add just a bit of sugar to aid in dissolving the yeast.)

2 t. sugar

3 eggs, beaten

4 c. flour

1 1/2 t. salt

Combine eggs and sugar and beat with a fork.  Add the milk mixture and yeast and blend with a fork.  Add the flour and salt and stir with a fork. (Or just do it all with your kitchen aid- that's what I did - amr) Put in fridge overnight, covered tightly.

Two hours before you want to serve the rolls, roll the dough into a circle on a floured surface.  Your dough will be sticky, so use enough flour.  Spread with softened or melted butter.  Cut into pie shaped wedges (24) and roll up like a croissant.  Let rise 2 hours at room temperature.

Bake at 350 for 12 minutes.

-amr

Current Crush

In the Roberts' household, crepes are the new tortillas. You can put anything in them, roll (or fold) them up, and wa la - dinner! (or dessert!) Oh they are so versatile! They can be sweet or savory and my own mother would be so impressed that somehow I can pull off leftovers without many complaints. Here is the recipe I've been using. Merci beaucoup Paris.

-amr