July 2011

Grilled Corn with Bacon Butter and Cotija Cheese.

Grilled Corn with Bacon Butter and Cotija Cheese makes 6 ears 6 ears of corn 1 tablespoon olive oil 3 tablespoons butter, softened 2 slices bacon, fried and crumbled (very small crumbles!) 3-4 ounces cotija cheese, crumbled fresh cilantro for garnish black pepper Preheat your grill on the highest setting. Shuck corn ears and brush each with olive oil and sprinkle with pepper. Wrap each in a square of aluminum foil – just so there is one layer cover the corn. Grill for about 5 minutes each “side” – rotating corn 4-5 times during grilling. While grilling corn, combine softened butter with crumbled bacon. Crumble cotija cheese on a large plate. Once corn is finished, let sit for about 5 minutes to cool a bit before serving. The corn will still be very hot. Serve with a brush for the bacon butter, the plate of cotija to roll the corn in, and a bunch of fresh cilantro for garnish. Note: there are so many ways to grill corn and this is what we have found to work best for us – feel free to grill your corn another way if you’d like. Also, if you can’t find cotija cheese I’m [...]

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Tuesday Things.

1. I made a salad for lunch today! It had butter lettuce (my favorite kind… um, duh), sweet potato fries, sauteed mushrooms, avocado, an heirloom tomato, and leftover grilled corn. Maybe some other stuff I’m forgetting. Now I remember when I never eat salads as main meals. Yucky veg. 2. Speaking of butter… just wait. Seriously… just wait. Read my lips: tomorrow. 3. One of my teeth is itchy. I’m serious. Seriously serious. And it’s seriously driving me insane. 4. Really… why don’t I have this? No… really. Why? 5. Last night I was sooo insanely relaxed after yoga that I didn’t even mind when my husband turned on wrestling as I was watching the Bachelorette. In fact, I didn’t even notice. For future reference, yoga = wine and not noticing = passed out. 6. This is the last thing I needed to see today. Bacon sprinkles? It’s like that was created for me and only me. 7. Sometimes (read: all the time) I live my life according to quotes from Sex and the City. I know. So annoying and cliche and typical. 8. Hiiiiii. I’m gonna go die of cuteness overload now.

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Fresh Cherry and Pecan Quinoa.

Fresh Cherry and Pecan Quinoa makes 2 cups 1 cup uncooked quinoa 1/2 onion, chopped 2 cups water, stock or liquid of choice (I used chicken stock) 1 bulb roasted garlic 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 cup fresh cherries, pitted and coarsely chopped 1/3 cup chopped pecans 1-2 ounces crumbled feta cheese 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar, reduced (I used cherry balsamic) Heat a saucepan over medium heat and add olive oil. Once hot, add onions and cook for about 5-6 minutes, until soft and slightly caramelized. Add in quinoa then add in liquid. Bring mixture to a boil then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 12-15 minutes. While quinoa is cooking, add balsamic vinegar to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Let simmer for 3-4 minutes, then remove from heat and allow to thicken. Remove quinoa from heat and fold in cherries, pecans, roasted garlic, and feta. Drizzle with balsamic or stir it in. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

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Personal Pan Fruit Pizzas with Whole Wheat Cinnamon Sugared Crust.

Personal Pan Fruit Pizzas with Whole Wheat Cinnamon Sugared Crust [crust adapted from food.com] makes 4 pizzas 1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 3 tablespoons brown sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/3 cup milk 2 tablespoons olive oil 3/4 cup whipped cream cheese 1 tablespoon brown sugar assorted fruit: blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, peaches, kiwi, bananas, etc. 2 tablespoons sugar + 2 teaspoons cinnamon for cinnamon sugar Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, 3 tablespoons brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and stir. Make a well in the middle and add olive oil and milk, mixing with a spoon until a ball forms. Using your hands, combine it until it comes together and shape it into a ball. Separate it into 4 equal sections (I actually used a kitchen scale and portioned it into 2.5 ounce balls of dough), then using a rolling pin or even your hands, flatten and shape it into a small circle. Mine were 3 1/2 – 4 inches in diameter. Rub each side with cinnamon sugar and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven and let cool completely. While [...]

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Dinner Tonight.

What did you have?

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A Few Quick TJ Goodies!

Guess what I did this morning? Dragged my mom to Trader Joes! It.was.awesome. She was totally overwhelmed and I bought waaay to much stuff. In fact, I bought so much stuff that the employee who rang me up asked if I “left the kids at home for the day.” I was all, “um… what was that?” And she goes, “Your kids? I’m just assuming you have kids because you have so much food here.” Uhhhhh. No. No kids. Just a garbage disposal of a husband. Anywho, I got a bunch of the usual: orange chicken, assorted produce, whole wheat cinnamon sugar English muffins, fiberfuls, hummus, cheeeeeeeeese, etc. These are just a few favorites that I snapped with my phone when I got home. Fun drinks. Flowers that I will kill since I can’t keep a plant alive to save my own life. We have dubbed these the BEST blue corn chips around. Seriously. Put them in your face. This sea salt that we are enamored with. I eat cheese with mold in the ingredients. Cherries. Because I ate 3 pounds of them last week. No biggie. And, um… OH MY GAWWWWSH. These. [...]

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I Seriously Need Help Here.

What on Earth should I do with this? The lovely Caroline from Chocolate and Carrots sent me this and I just.love.her. I think she knows me well. Thanks so much Caroline! Now back to this. Happy Friday! Ummm and seriously… what should I do with that syrup? You guys are brilliant. I know you’ll come up with something.

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Triple Berry Mojitos.

Triple Berry Mojitos makes 1 mojito, but is easily quadrupled 6-8 fresh mint leaves 2 1/2 ounces of mint simple syrup 1 ounce of rum 1 1/2 ounces of club soda 2 ounces of mixed berry juice the juice of one lime fresh strawberries, blueberries and raspberries In the bottom of a glass, add 1 ounce of simple syrup and the mint leaves. Muddle with a muddler or use the clean bottom of something blunt, like a screwdriver! Add ice to the glass, a few berries, and pour rum, syrup, berry juice, lime and club soda over top. Mix with a long spoon or knife and serve with an additional sprig of mint. Note: depending on the sweetness of your fruit, you may want to add more/less simply syrup, so I suggest tasting as you go. Same with the rum – add more if you like your drinks strong. Also – if you simply want a blueberry, raspberry, OR strawberry mojito, follow the instructions using only that one fruit. Mixed Berry Juice 6 large strawberries 1/3 cup blueberries 1/3 cup raspberries 1/4 cup water Add berries to a blender with water and pulse until pureed. Pour through a strainer [...]

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Tilapia Peach Packets.

Tilapia Peach Packets makes 4 packets 4 tilapia filets 2 peaches, peeled and sliced 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1 medium red onion, sliced In a food processor or blender, combine peaches, garlic, olive oil and parsley and blend until combined and pureed. Add tilapia filets to a baking dish or a ziplock bag and cover with puree. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for 12-14 hours. When ready to cook, heat the grill on the highest setting. Tear 4 squares of aluminum foil – mine were about 10 x 10 inches each. On the bottom of each pocket, lay 3-4 slices of red onion. Even if you don’t like onion this is a great way to flavor your fish! Remove tilapia from the marinade and lay each filet on top of the onion. Fold up the sides to close the packet and place on the grill onion side down. Grill for 10-12 minutes, or until fish is just flaky. If you don’t want to use the grill, you can also do these in the oven – preheat to 425 degrees and bake in the [...]

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Giant Rainbow Cookies.

Giant Rainbow Cookies makes 18 large or 36 small cookies 2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) of salted butter, melted and cooled 1 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup sugar 1 egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 cup mini m&m’s (or something else that you love) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Mix the flour and baking soda in a bowl and set aside. In another bowl, mix the butter and sugars until they are combined (and look like the first picture above). Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and stir until mixed. Gradually add flour and mix until a dough forms – it will look crumbly at first, but it will come together. I even used my hands to help at one point. Fold in the m&m’s. Divide the dough how you choose (1/4 cup portions for 18 large cookies or 2 tablespoon portions for 36 smaller cookies). Shape each portion into a ball with your hands then pull each ball into two equal pieces. Turn each half so that the rough side of the half (what used to be the inside of the ball) faces [...]

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