This recipe from Barefoot Contessa has gotten my last two mornings off to a lovely start. This recipe has it all: crunchy bagel (I lightly toasted mine before spreading), creamy cheese, zesty veggies, briny, chewy, smoky salmon. Seriously, this is heaven. If you like green onions, I would suggest adding a bit more than the recipe calls for. You should use the cream cheese within two days, but that shouldn’t be a problem. It would also make a great cracker spread for a snack. Don’t be scared off by the salmon, if you’re not a fan – this spread is great by itself on a bagel, too.
And…ummm…did I mention my borderline unhealthy relationship with orange supremes?
Category: Favorites
Lemon Bars/Lemon Squares Round-up
As promised:
Lemon Bars, from a variety of sources, in all of their tart, creamy, sugary, crusty, lick-your-sticky fingertips goodness.
Quite Possibly the Best Lemon Squares Ever, from Anna Ginsberg of Cookie Madness and winner of the 2006 $1 million Pillsbury Bake-Off (thanks for the link, Trish!)
Lemon Bars from Paula Deen
Lemon Shortbread Bars from December 2006 Fine Cooking magazine
(they usually don’t post free recipes on their website – you have to have a membership – so this one is a BONUS!)
Perfect Lemon Bars from Cook’s Illustrated
Cook’s Illustrated operates the same way as Fine Cooking; they want you to buy a membership to access their recipes online. Click here for a free trial membership to their website, if you have, like, morals and stuff…or click here if you are feeling like a rebel and want the no-strings-attached version. I won’t tell if you won’t.)
By the way, if you’ve never read Cook’s Illustrated, I recommend trying it, at least once. The detail can sometimes be overwhelming, but they really go into the science (and testing) of why a recipe works well and work to create the very best version of whatever dish they are making. It’s like a less-humorous Alton Brown on steroids, but the recipes are sure-fire, never-fail winners.
Double Lemon Bars from July 1991 Bon Appetit magazine
Sour Cream Lemon Shortbread Bars from Nicole at Baking Bites
Lemon Dessert Round-Up
If you love ANYTHING LEMON as much as I do, then this post is just for you. I’ve recently done some culling through my recipe files, looking for a special lemon dessert for my grandmother’s birthday this weekend. My Granny loves lemon desserts as much as I do. Some of the recipes I’ve actually made before and some are in my “try soon” folder. I would be embarrassed to admit how thick my “try soon” folder is, but there are just SO MANY yummy recipes out there and I find more every day!
So, anyway…here’s a list of some highly-rated and recommended lemon desserts. Some are fancy, some are simple, some are easy, some are more complicated. They are from a variety of sources, but they all have something in common: luscious LEMON!!!
Lemon Pudding from April 2007 Gourmet magazine
(very cute and tongue-in-cheek!)
Ultimate Lemon Layer Cake, adapted from Cook’s Illustrated
Meyer Lemon Custard Cakes, from February 2009 Bon Appetit magazine
The Best Damn Meyer Lemon Cake from Saveur magazine
Lemon-Ginger Cake with Pistachios from April 2006 Bon Appetit magazine
Nathan’s Lemon Cake from May 2008 Cooking Light magazine
Lemon Meringue Cupcakes from May 2008 Food & Wine magazine
Lemon Icebox Cake from July 2008 Gourmet magazine
(yellow cake with tart lemon cream, topped with whipped cream and candied lemon peel)
Saucy Lemon Puddings (from my very own little bloggie – make sure you chop the lemon zest VERY finely!)
Lemon Custard-Filled Cake, from Betty Crocker
Lemon Spice Macaroons (scroll down a bit)
Barefoot Contessa Lemon Yogurt Cake with Blueberry Sauce
I decided that Lemon Bars (Lemon Squares, whatever you call them…) needed their own post, so check out the next post for SCADS of lemon bar recipes.
I could go on all day, but these are the best of the best that I found. I hope that you will try some. If you do, please report back to me!
Lots and lots of cupcakes…
4 batches of this recipe for my dad’s birthday party last night. I replaced the white chocolate with more bittersweet chocolate to dial up the chocolate flavor. When made into cupcakes, these take about 22 minutes to bake and one batch makes 21 – 24 cupcakes. Using cake flour in this recipe really does make a big difference; don’t be tempted to skip that step and use all-purpose.
Also: If you’re making these into cupcakes, one batch of frosting is enough to frost two batches of cupcakes, so if you’re only making one batch of the cake batter, then I’d make a half-batch of the frosting. Not sure what the cake-to-frosting ratio turns out to be when you make this as a proper cake, because I’ve only ever made this as cupcakes.
Passion Fruit – Ginger Cocktail
This was DELICIOUS.
First, I made a ginger simple syrup:
Take equal parts water and sugar, add some peeled, coarsely chopped fresh ginger and boil them together until slightly thickened and syrupy. Let cool to room temperature and then pour into a container and refrigerate overnight. The next day, strain out the ginger. This will keep in the refrigerate for about a week, or maybe 10 days, but if you keep it in a plastic squeeze bottle in the freezer, as I do, you can pull it out when you need it and it will keep indefinitely. It won’t totally freeze (because of the high sugar content), so it can be used almost directly out of the freezer (let is warm up for just a minute or two.)
Second, I put 2 ounces of vodka into a small cocktail shaker.
Third, I just happened to have a pitcher of Welch’s frozen concentrated passion fruit juice mixed up in the fridge (leftover from making this salad dressing), so I added about an ounce of it to the shaker.
Fourth, I added a little squeeze of fresh lime juice (about half a lime’s worth.)
Fifth, I added a little squirt (about a tablespoon?) of the ginger simple syrup.
Add ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Mmmm…tropical and refreshing. Yummy.
Sweet Potato Gnocchi (again)
Browned Butter is what The Gods eat on Mount Olympus, I’m telling you.
Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Browned Butter and Sage
I don’t know who invented browned butter, but if I ever meet them, I’m going to kiss them on the mouth. Really. There is nothing in the world that smells as good or adds as much flavor to a dish as browned butter. Except, for maybe bacon. Mmmm…bacon. Seriously, though – trust me..anything that can be favorably compared to bacon? Well, it’s pretty freakin’ awesome.
So, I’ve made these gnocchi before, but they do rate another photo. Yes, they’re a bit of a pain to make, but you can do it in steps. When you’re in the kitchen one day, you can cook the sweet potatoes. Peel and mash them, then you can refrigerate or freeze (as I did) them until you’re ready to make the gnocchi. If you REALLY want to break it down, you could even make the dough one day and the gnocchi another. The recipe makes a TON, so you can even make the gnocchi ahead and freeze them, then toss them directly into boiling water from the freezer when you’re ready to eat them. I think the sauce would even freeze – just microwave it a bit to re-melt it and it would be good to go.
So…they are a bit of work, but it can be done ahead and/or in stages. Ya’ll know that I don’t repeat many recipes, so if I’m not only cooking them twice, but BLOGGING them twice, they are something special. These are VERY rich. So rich, that they could stand alone as a dinner or, if you serve a very small portion, as an appetizer. No meat is necessary with these – they are LOADED with cheese and can totally stand alone.
These are worth the effort – no question, but hurry up, because they’re definitely a heavy, rich cold-weather dish.
Lentil Soup with Italian Sausage and Escarole
Well, it’s only the first day and I’m already off the schedule…
I decided to flip Monday and Tuesday, so we had this lentil soup for dinner tonight. It was absolutely wonderful; all four of us loved it. I served it with Baby Bam croutons (cut your favorite bread into appropriately-sized chunks, drizzle with melted butter and/or olive oil to lightly coat, sprinkle with Baby Bam, bake at 250 degrees – 20 to 30 minutes – until crunchy.)
Note: If you live in Austin: Escarole is difficult to find at most stores. My in-laws’ farm grows it (seasonally), or it is also available at Central Market. I haven’t seen it elsewhere.
Lentil Soup with Italian Sausage and Escarole
Some things came up early in the day today and I knew that I would be getting home (and hence, starting dinner) later than I planned, so I prepped the veggies and sliced the sausage ahead of time and put them in containers in the fridge. I also pulled all of the other non-perishable ingredients (stock, vinegar, olive oil, bay leaf, etc.) out and set them by the stove, so that when I got home, I would be able to get right to work. So, from the time that I started to the time we hit the table, this dish took about 35 minutes. Perfect!
Browning the Italian sausage meatballs
Sauteeing the vegetables (my kitchen smelled AMAZING when I threw this in the pan)
Chopped escarole, waiting for its turn in the soup
I HIGHLY recommend this recipe. Girl ended up coming home sick today, and will likely still be sick tomorrow, so I plan to use the leftover 1/2 head of escarole (the head that I bought was HUGE) to make her some escarole and meatball soup. We’ll plan to have the salmon for dinner tomorrow and fish makes her miserable. Normally, I would just tell her to “get over it”, but since she’s not feeling well, I’ll probably give her a pass…stay tuned for that recipe.
In case you haven’t used lentils before, this is what they look like before they’re cooked; they’re VERY small.
Lentils are VERY easy to cook, are VERY inexpensive, have a mild flavor that nicely absorbs the taste of other ingedients in the dish. Lentils are LOADED with iron, fiber and folic acid, so they are a WONDERFUL food for pregnant women. If you haven’t tried them before, give them a go.
Here are two other great recipes to get you started:
Lentils with Bulgur and Onions from Gourmet magazine
Salmon with Lentils and Mustard-Herb Butter, also from Gourmet magazine
Mexican Birthday Dinner
Yum, yum, yum! What a GREAT meal! I had a “milestone” birthday this week (one with a zero on the end of it) and this was the meal that we prepared to celebrate (I would rather be in my kitchen, preparing food, than anywhere else in the world – that IS a birthday present for … Continue reading “Mexican Birthday Dinner”
Yum, yum, yum! What a GREAT meal!
I had a “milestone” birthday this week (one with a zero on the end of it) and this was the meal that we prepared to celebrate (I would rather be in my kitchen, preparing food, than anywhere else in the world – that IS a birthday present for me.):
Mexican Martinis
(recipe here)
These were DELICIOUS. I know, I know…it’s not technically a true martini, but yummy. Imagine if a martini and a margarita had a baby. I used my favorite Catalon olives, instead of jalapeno-stuffed.
Amazing Turkey Enchiladas
(recipe here)
I’ve made this before, using leftover Thanksgiving turkey, but I used some leftover rotisserie chicken that I had on hand this time and they were FABULOUS. A bit spicy for Girl, but Hubby was in Heaven. Boy loved them so much that he had a second helping, even though he had been to a birthday party (not mine – Boy’s friend, S, shares my birthday) earlier and had already eaten pizza.
Cinnamon Cake with Chile-Chocolate Buttercream
(recipe here)
I made these into cupcakes (they took about 22 minutes to bake in my oven.) These were VERY good and rich (they smelled like a churro or a cinnamon cake doughnut as they were baking), but the buttercream doesn’t have a really strong chocolate flavor. If I make these again, I’ll omit the white chocolate and double up on the bittersweet chocolate, instead. I didn’t use the cake flour (just used regular all-purpse), because I didn’t have any in the house and didn’t want to make a special trip, but they were a little denser that I would have liked, so I’ll use it, as called for, when I make them again. These were actually a “trial run” for a dessert for my dad’s upcoming HUGE birthday party, so I will be certain to make them again soon. Every year, my folks have around 60 people and do ALL of the cooking themselves (well, I’ve made the dessert for them twice, but they do everything else.)
Giada’s Rigatoni with Sausage and Peppers and Arugula Salad with Fried Gorgonzola
I cut this menu out of Cosmopolitan magazine a long time ago (April 2007, to be exact) and just now got around to actually making it. I don’t know why I waited so long! Yum, yum! The magazine article was in conjunction with a round of publicity surrounded the release of Giada’s new (at that … Continue reading “Giada’s Rigatoni with Sausage and Peppers and Arugula Salad with Fried Gorgonzola”
I cut this menu out of Cosmopolitan magazine a long time ago (April 2007, to be exact) and just now got around to actually making it. I don’t know why I waited so long! Yum, yum!
The magazine article was in conjunction with a round of publicity surrounded the release of Giada’s new (at that time) book Everyday Pasta. Because the recipes are included in the book that she was trying to, ummmm, sell, I haven’t been able to find an “official” link to the recipes online, together. It does appear that Giada was very busy on this book publicity tour, however, because the recipes do show up, individually, in lots of places:
Here’s a link to the pasta recipe (scroll down):
Rigatoni with Sausage, Peppers and Onions
and here’s the salad:
Arugula Salad with Fried Gorgonzola
I only made a few, tiny moderations to the pasta. I only used 1/2 of one onion, because Boy isn’t a fan of huge amounts of onions and will remove them from his portion, so I didn’t want them to go to waste (there were still plenty for the rest of us – I just didn’t serve him any). If I were making this for anyone else, especially for other adults, I would add the full amount of onions in, because they get golden and sweet, almost caramelized, and absolutely delicious, as they are cooking. Mmmm…
I also used regular (pork) Italian sausage, rather than the suggested (lighter) turkey, just because that’s what I had on hand. I wouldn’t have a strong objection to turkey, but the dish was definitely not too heavy, even with the heartier sausage, so it’s really just a matter of personal preference.
As for the salad, I made it exactly as specified, but I would recommend making the cheese balls as small as possible. It’s really easy for the balls of gorgonzola to get too strongly flavored and overwhelming (although I love gorgonzola and they were delicious, the bites were just REALLY big and a bit much). Another problem is that the cheese balls started to melt and fall apart before the bread crumbs on the outside got as crisp as I would have liked. If I make the salad again, I may try to form the gorgonzola into very small patties (discs) and pan-fry them, rather than deep-fry them. I might freeze them beforehand (rather than refrigerate), just to be sure that they don’t fall apart too soon.
The other thing about the salad is that the dressing was VERY sour. For arugula (and blue cheese, for that matter), a super-sweet dressing wouldn’t work, but this was just TOO sour. Next time, I’ll had a tiny bit of honey to the dressing or substitute a little bit of balsamic vinegar for some of the lemon juice.
Overall, though, an easy and delicious meal. The pasta, especially, has earned a permanent rotation spot. Give it a try!
Roasted Cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts and Jerusalem Artichokes
Holy Cow! This was DELICIOUS!!! The kids weren’t crazy about the Jerusalem artichokes, but loved the rest of this. I loved it ALL! Delicious, easy and would be impressive and lovely for a party of special occasion. Yum, Yum, Yum!
Holy Cow! This was DELICIOUS!!!
The kids weren’t crazy about the Jerusalem artichokes, but loved the rest of this. I loved it ALL! Delicious, easy and would be impressive and lovely for a party of special occasion. Yum, Yum, Yum!