Monthly Archives: June 2012

Ooey Gooey S’mores Cookie Bars.

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Oh my ooey gooey goodness!  Much like s’mores made over a fire pit, these s’mores bars are gooey & oh so messy.  Perfect summertime treat!  I made these about two years ago for a swim meet bake sale and they were quite popular.  Just stumbled on the recipe today and thought I would make them as a special treat for my kids to enjoy watching the Olympic trials for swimming tonight.

Ingredients:

11 tablespoons of butter
1 cup of light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
21/4 cup of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
2 cups of chocolate chips (dark)
2 1/2 cups of marshmallows (cut up into smaller pieces), divided
2 Hershey bars
1 box of graham crackers
4 snack size Milky Ways &  Snickers bars (I also used some Reese’s mini cups)  Use whatever you have or just use the Hershey bars.

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  In a 9×13 glass pan line the graham crackers on the bottom like this…

In your stand mixer with the paddle attachment on, mix butter and brown sugar.  Add vanilla and the eggs.  Beat well.

In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.  Then gradually add to the butter mixture.  Blend well yet avoid over mixing.  Add the chocolate chips and 1.5 cups of marshmallows.  Blend.  Scoop out of your mixing bowl and top the graham crackers with the dough.

Bake for 10 minutes.  Then remove and top with the 1 cup of marshmallows, Hershey bars and Milky Way/Snickers pieces.  Insert back in the oven for another 10-12 minutes.  Once the cookie dough is a bit more firm, turn the broiler on low and let the marshmallows toast up.  This will take 1.5-2 minutes.  Remove and let cool completely before slicing, if you can wait.

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Caprese salad with balsamic vinaigrette.

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Hello summer!  I could live on caprese salads all summer long.  Farm fresh tomatoes, fresh basil (both purple and green) freshly picked from my garden & a wonderful balsamic vinaigrette that everyone who tastes it adores.  I say that with a caveat, I use a wonderful quality balsamic vinegar.  I use Olivier balsamic vinegar that has been aged 25 years from Williams Sonoma.  I honestly believe that this vinegar, or any other finer quality vinegar adds to the recipe.  Sometimes it doesn’t matter… but when eating it straight up – it does!

Ingredients for the balsamic vinaigrette:

1/4 cup or so of balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon of dijon mustard (I used Maille)
Salt & pepper
Dash of red pepper flakes
1 garlic cloves, smashed and finely chopped

Directions:

Whisk together and top your tomatoes and basil with the vinaigrette.  Also perfect for a dipping sauce for your crusty bread.

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Best grilled corn.

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Okay this is the EASIEST recipe ever!  Buy the corn from your local farmer and cook it that day.  Preheat your gas grill to 450 degrees and place the corn directly over the heat.  Cook for 10 minutes on one side and then roll the other for an additional 10 minutes.  No soaking.  No pre-husking.  The husks will char up beautifully adding a great smokey flavor.  Remove from the grill and let cool for about 6-8 minutes.  Husk and then enjoy!

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Whole Wheat BLT Pizza with fresh mozzarella ala grill.

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Last night I made a kid-friendly version of this pizza in my oven.  Tonight because my kids weren’t home for dinner, I decided to make hubby and I my version of this pizza on the grill.  So happy I made two crusts last night.

Pizza Dough Ingredients:
1 c whole wheat flour (I use King Arthurs)
1.5 c all purpose unbleached flour (King Arthur)
2 and 1/4 tsp of yeast
1/2 tsp of sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon olive oil
Cornmeal, for sprinkling

Directions:

Mix the sugar into the warm water. Stir to dissolve. Then sprinkle the yeast on top and let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Pour into your mixer bowl. Then add flours, salt and olive oil. Combine. Knead the dough (with your mixer attach the dough hook) for 8 minutes. Then place the dough in a bowl that has been sprayed with a nonstick olive oil spray. Let rise for one hour.

Punch down. Then divide the dough in half. Turn out onto a flour surface and roll until you achieve the desired thickness. This crust is great rolled out really thin.  I then prick the dough with a fork all over the surface.  Brush olive oil on top and sprinkle with your favorite pizza herbs (I use a mix of Italian seasonings).  Bake for about 5-7 minutes or until lightly golden.  Remove and top with sauce and your favorite toppings. Sprinkle the cornmeal onto your peel before you place in the oven for easy sliding.

Please note: I preheated my oven at 425 degrees for one hour with my pizza stone. I pre-bake the crust for 5-7 minutes.  I then topped my pizza and grilled it at 450 degrees for until the crust was golden and the cheese had melted perfectly.

Toppings:

Sautéed some spinach in a teaspoon of olive oil and a pat of butter. Just wilted, remove and top the pizza crust.

Add crispy cooked bacon to the top.

Added boccaccini  mozzarella and several cherry tomatoes as well as chopped larger tomatoes.

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Whole Wheat Banana Blueberry Chobani Bread.

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We love banana and blueberry bread… so I whipped up this blend and it turned out great- in fact less than 24 hours later only one slice remains!

Adding Chobani for protein and added moisture along with the addition of whole wheat flour, this nuttier, heavier version is perfect for breakfast or a snack.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of butter
2 eggs
1 cup of whole wheat flour
1 cup of all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp of salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 over-ripe bananas
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 cup of Chobani vanilla or plain yogurt
1 cup of blueberries (washed and dusted with 1 teaspoon of flour)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray your loaf pan with baking spray with flour and set aside.

Cream together the sugar and butter in your stand mixer, paddle attached.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  In a separate bowl, whisk flour, salt and baking soda.  Then add the dry mixture to the wet.  Blend without over-mixing.  Then by hand, mix in the blueberries.  Gently fold in, avoid breaking up the blueberries.

Gently scoop the batter into the loaf pan.  Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

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Whole wheat BLT Pizza.

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BLT pizza?  YES!  My version omits the “L” and substitutes it with “S” for spinach that we grew in our garden.  So well-received by my family!  The crust is light and crunchy, the sauce is made from freshly roasted tomatoes, spinach from the garden and bacon.  What more can you ask for?

Pizza Dough Ingredients:
1 c whole wheat flour (I use King Arthurs)
1.5 c all purpose unbleached flour (King Arthur)
2 and 1/4 tsp of yeast
1/2 tsp of sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon olive oil
Cornmeal, for sprinkling

Directions:

Mix the sugar into the warm water. Stir to dissolve. Then sprinkle the yeast on top and let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Pour into your mixer bowl. Then add flours, salt and olive oil. Combine. Knead the dough (with your mixer attach the dough hook) for 8 minutes. Then place the dough in a bowl that has been sprayed with a nonstick olive oil spray. Let rise for one hour.

Punch down. Then divide the dough in half. Turn out onto a flour surface and roll until you achieve the desired thickness. This crust is great rolled out really thin.  I then prick the dough with a fork all over the surface.  Brush olive oil on top and sprinkle with your favorite pizza herbs (I use a mix of Italian seasonings).  Bake for about 5-7 minutes or until lightly golden.  Remove and top with sauce and your favorite toppings. Sprinkle the cornmeal onto your peel before you place in the oven for easy sliding.

Please note: I preheated my oven at 425 degrees for one hour with my pizza stone. I pre-bake the crust for 5-7 minutes.  I then bake the topped pizza for an additional 8-10 or until the cheese is perfectly melted.  Keep an eye on it, of course so it you get the desired crunchiness that you prefer.

Sauce Ingredients:

4 lbs of tomatoes, washed and quartered
Olive oil for drizzling
1 tablespoon of salt (or less)
8-12 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
2 teaspoons of Italian seasonings
Freshly ground pepper
15 fresh basil leaves

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 275 degrees.  Spray the bottom of a roasting pan with olive oil.  Then add your tomatoes to the pan.  Season with salt, pepper and Italian seasonings.  Add the garlic cloves.  Drizzle the olive oil over top and toss with your hands.  Make sure everything is coated well.  Place in the oven and roast the tomatoes for 3-4 hours.  Then remove and add them, along with the pan drippings, to a Dutch oven along with your basil leaves.

Puree with your hand immersion blender.  Add additional seasonings as needed.  Top your favorite pasta or pizza and enjoy.

Toppings:

Cook 6 slices of bacon and crumble.

Spinach:  2 cups of fresh spinach, chopped. In a sauté pan, heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil and one pat of butter.  Once melted, sauté the spinach until just wilted.  Remove from heat and top the pizza.

Here is the order of toppings :)

Pre-cooked crust.
Sauce.
Cheese. (mozzarella, shredded or fresh buffalo mozzarella)
Bacon & spinach.

Cook the fully decked out pizza for 6-8 minutes or until everything is melted perfectly.

Enjoy!

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Grilled chicken topped with a lemon balsamic sauce.

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LEMON addict warning!  I have a problem.  I grilled some chicken and thought a nice light, bright lemony sauce would be lovely paired with my pistachio-mint tabbouleh salad.  Summer bright flavors!

I grilled some breasts of chicken (seasoned only with salt and pepper). Grilled until thoroughly cooked.  Set aside to rest for 6-8 minutes.  Then get started on the super easy sauce.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice (fresh is best)
1 tablespoon of a better quality balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon of a good dijon mustard (I used Maille)
Zest of half lemon
Pinch salt

Directions:

Whisk all of the ingredients together.  Top your chicken, vegetables, fish or whatever you like and enjoy!!

 

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Pistachio Mint Tabbouleh {made with quinoa not bulgar}.

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I adore side dishes like this during the summer.  Make ahead.  Serve at room temperature.  This screams summer.  Bright flavors.  Crunchy texture.  {yum.}

Ingredients:

1 cup of cooked quinoa (red or white)
3 tablespoons of lemon juice (fresh is best)
1/2 teaspoon of raw honey (regular is fine as well)
1 cup of shelled pistachios, chopped
1/2 cup of parsley, chopped
1/2 cup of fresh mint, chopped
1 cucumber, finely chopped
1 spring onion, diced
10 cherry tomatoes, chopped
Zest from one lemon

Directions:

Combine in a bowl the lemon juice and honey.  Whisk to combine.  Then add the remaining ingredients and toss to coat/mix.  Serve at room temperature.

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Mango Banana Chobani Flaxseed Smoothie.

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This is one of those fabulously flexible recipes that you get to use what you have on hand.  Into my blender, this morning post-workout, went…

2 over-ripe bananas
12 ounces of Chobani yogurt (either 2 small individual containers or 12 ounces of vanilla Chobani)
1/2 cup of almond milk
2 tablespoons of flaxseed meal
3 cups of mango (frozen or fresh)

Blend until creamy smooth.  Pour into glasses and enjoy!

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Peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.

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It has been quite a busy week & a half.  We’ve had 5 swim meets and I feel like I haven’t been home to bake or cook for longer than 1 hour each day.  Today was no different, we had a great swim meet this morning till around 1 and I wanted to bake up some fun cookies for my girls to congratulate them on their incredibly good performance in the past 5 meets.  These are super deeelish but I did add fiber to them to add some health benefits.

Ingredients:

1 stick of butter, room temperature (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup of light brown sugar
2 tablespoons of Truvia or 1/4 cup of regular sugar
1/2 cup of peanut butter (I used Sea Salt Valencia Peanut Butter)
1 egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon raw honey (you can use regular as well)
1/2 cup of whole wheat flour
1/4 cup of all purpose flour
3/4 cup of rolled oats
1 tablespoon of flax seed meal
1 teaspoon of chia bran (you can use regular wheat bran)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup of chopped peanuts (I used salted)
3/4 cup of chocolate chips (I used dark 60% cocoa chips)
Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In your stand mixer, with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars together until fluffy.  Add the peanut butter and beat well.  Add the egg, vanilla and honey.  Be sure to scrape down the sides to make sure everything blends well.

In a separate mixing bowl add the flours, oats, flax seed meal, chia bran, cinnamon, powder, soda and salt.  Then add to the wet mixture in thirds.  Blend after each addition but avoid over mixing.  Then add the nuts and chocolate chips.  Blend again.  Then scoop the dough and place on a cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.  Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 4 minutes and then transfer to a platter or cooling rack until completely cooled and ready to store.

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