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Quick Hamburger Buns |Of Dinner, the Olympics, and Grilling…

Is it just me or does anyone else think cooking needs to be considered an Olympic sport! Feels like I have run a marathon after making dinner. 🙂 Tonight’s dinner consisted of Rosemary Pesto Feta Burgers,  5 Cheese Mac n’ Cheese, Oven roasted French Fries, and vegetable. And this is the first time I have grilled without setting the meat I am grilling completely on fire and grilling myself!! I usually have my  Dad man the grill but he was out tonight. To be 100% honest I completely wimped out on the home-made condiments. I had everything laid out to make ketchup and mayo but fizzled!
But I did get around to making home-made buns! The quick version. 🙂 Not too fancy and nothing special about them but they are 1000% better than the pre-packaged store bought buns and QUICK!

Original Recipe Yield 8 buns

Ingredients

  • 1 cup warm water
  • 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
  • 1 tbs sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 2 1/2 cups(or more) flour(I use a 50/50 ratio of white and wheat)
  • 1 egg beaten

Directions

  1. Activate yeast in water and sugar. Once activated, add salt and oil. Mix in just enough flour to make a sticky yet workable dough.
  2. Pour dough out on to well floured surface and knead for 3 minutes, adding additional flour as needed!
  3. Place in lightly oiled bowl and allow to rise for 20 minutes.
  4. Roll out on to floured surface, punch down, and cut into 8 pieces. Form into balls, flatten each ball down, and place on to parchment lined cookie sheet. Allow to rise for 15 minutes.
  5. Brush with beaten egg. Bake at 425° for 12-15 minutes or until golden!
  6. Allow to cool, slice in half, and ENJOY! 🙂
13 Comments

Smoothies | Summertime

It’s summer!! 🙂 Nothing goes better with summer than smoothies…. well actually icecream goes better but smoothies are the next best thing! 😉
If they are made right, smoothies are not only tasty but also an extremely good way to get a couple servings of fruit in. This morning I came up with the perfect mix!! A pretty simple combination of strawberries, peaches, and bananas but I added a punch of flavor with pineapple concentrate. 🙂 Add a bit of organic cream top yogurt and a splash of vanilla for a deliciously creamy texture… almost taste like a milkshake! OK, so this recipe isn’t rocket science BUT it’s good! What’s your favorite smoothie combination?

Yields: 1 smoothie

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup frozen sliced strawberries
  • 1/3 cup frozen chopped peaches
  • 1/2 ripened banana
  • 1/4 cup cream top yogurt(or regular plain yogurt)
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 2 tbsp frozen pineapple concentrate (100% fruit juice)
  • 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Directions
  1. Place all ingredients in blender, starting with fruit and finishing with yogurt and milk. Blend until completely smooth!
  2. Pour into favorite cup, add a colorful straw and enjoy! 🙂

HAPPY SUMMER!

8 Comments

Strawberry Honey Icecream with Roasted Coconut

Summer is almost here which the perfect season for Icecream (actually all seasons are perfect when it comes to icecream)! 🙂  Seeing that Strawberries are fresh this time of year and I hadn’t made a batch of icecream since last August, I decided to experiment! I knew I wanted honey for the sweetness in this batch of icecream (we attempt to stay away from white sugar plus there is something about the flavor of honey that makes everything taste so much better) and  I also wanted to add a little more depth  to the flavor of the icecream, so I made a custard base and  decided to add toasted coconut to the mix.

My ingredient picture is missing the eggs and Salt… I completely forgot! 😉

Yields: 12 Delightfully delicious AND healthy Peanut Butter Cups

Ingredients

  • 2 pints fresh strawberries hulled and halved
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 4 egg yolks lightly beaten
  • 2/3 cup honey
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 cup toasted coconut
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°.  Place hulled and halved strawberries on parchment lined pan, sprinkle with a pink of salt and roast for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
  2. Meanwhile prepare the custard. Place eggs, honey, and salt in a medium sized bowl. In a large sauce pan bring heavy cream and milk to a simmer, remove from heat and slowly add 1 cup of cream to the egg mixture whisking constantly until combine. Add remaining cream to egg mixture and pour mixture back into the saucepan. Over low heat, stirring constantly, heat until the mixture (custard) thickens and will coat the back of a metal spoon with a thin film, approximately 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let custard cool. Add vanilla. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hour.
  3. Once cooled, transfer the mixture into your icecream maker and churn according to your icecream maker instructions. When the mixture is 2/3 of the way complete add in cooled strawberries and coconut. Once icecream is completely set(churned/frozen 🙂 place in an air tight container and allow to freeze until firm!
  4. ENJOY!

4 Comments

Peanut Butter Brownie Cupcakes


It is Sunday again, which means I get to make dessert!! (: I had seen Peanut Butter Brownie Cupcakes when browsing pinterest and knew I had to give them a try. The only problem is the recipe called for brownie mix and corn syrup.  So, I decided to take the concept and create my own recipe!
Extremely rich and super chocolatey, definitely a fun and very sweet Sunday dessert!

Yields: 16 cupcakes

Ingredients

Brownie Batter:

  • 3/4 cup butter
  • 1-1/2 cups white sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp instant coffee
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 16 miniature peanut butter cups

Icing:

  • 1/2 c creamy unsweetened All-natural Peanut Butter(or you can use regular creamy peanut butter)
  • 1/4 c butter, softened
  • 2 c powdered sugar, sifted
  • 3 tbsp milk
  • 1/2 tsp pure vanilla
  • 1/8 tsp salt

Ganache:

  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tbsp butter(softened)
  • 1 cup simi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 tsp instant coffee
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla

Topping:

  • 12-14 miniature peanut butter cups
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place paper baking cups in each of 12 regular-size muffin cups. Remove foil and cups from candy pieces. Set aside.
  2. Prepare brownie batter: Melt butter in sauce. Add remaining brownie ingredients with exception to the peanut butter cups.  Fill each muffin cup up about 1/2 full with batter. Place 1 unwrapped candy piece, upside down, on top of batter in each cup. Lightly tap piece down into batter.
    -Bake 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cup comes out almost clean. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan. Place on wire rack; cool completely.
  3. Make icing by placing peanut butter and butter into medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and creamy; scrape bowl. Add powdered sugar, milk, vanilla and salt. Beat on low speed 1 minute; scrape bowl. Beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Pipe about 2 tablespoons of icing on each cupcake leaving the edge un-iced.
  4. Prepare ganache: in a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the heavy cream and butter until it just comes to a boil.  Place chocolate, espresso, and vanilla in a heat safe bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and allow it to sit for about 5 minutes. Whisk the cream and chocolate until smooth and thoroughly combined.  Do not let the glaze sit for too long or it will harden up before you spoon it over the frosting. drizzle the glaze on the tops of the frosted cupcakes, allowing it to drip down the sides a little bit(you may not want use all the ganache as I only used about 1/2 of the recipe).
  5. Top each cupcake with a peanut butter cup.
  6. Enjoy!!
0 Comments

Cuccidati | Sicilian Fig Cookies

Cuccidati! The first time I tried an authentic Cuccidati was in a very small yet delicious Mediterranean Cafe nestled deep in New York City. The first bite I was taken!  For the last 1.5 years I have determined myself to make a batch. It just so happens that I had an extra pound of dried figs(dried figs are a staple in my house) so today was the day I decided to experiment!

The taste is very similar to a fig newton in my opinion. The fig filling is sweet and rich and the cookie shell buttery! After searching out a good recipe I ended up combining a few recipes to create the cookie. I decided to use 100% whole wheat for the dough and honey for the filling. Many recipes called for a variety of dried fruit & nuts but I decided to stick with just figs for a basic Sicilian fig cookie! Perhaps I will try a few different fruit combinations next time. (:

Yields: 2-3 dozen cookies

Ingredients

For filling

  • 1lb dried mission figs
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 3/4 cup honey
  • zest of 1 orange
  • 1 tsp vanilla

For pastry dough

  • 4 cups  flour (wheat or white)
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 sticks (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest

Directions

Make filling:
Soak figs in orange juice, orange zest, honey, and vanilla. Allow to set covered for 4 hours. Once soaked, puree in food processor. Refrigerate for 3 hours.

Make dough:
Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add butter and blend with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Add eggs, milk, vanilla, and zest and stir with a fork until a soft dough forms. Halve dough and gather each half into a ball, then flatten each half into a rough 6- by 4-inch rectangle between sheets of plastic wrap. Chill until firm, at least 6 hours.
Form cookies:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Roll out 1 rectangle of dough (keep remaining dough chilled) into a 15- by 14-inch rectangle on a well-floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Trim to a 13- by 10-inch rectangle (chill trimmings), then cut into 4 (10- by 3 1/4-inch) strips. Arrange 1/3 cup filling in a 1-inch-wide log lengthwise down center of each strip, then fold sides of each strip up over filling to enclose it, pinching edges together to seal. Turn rolls seam-sides down and press gently to flatten seams. Cut logs crosswise with a floured knife into 1 1/2-inch-wide slices and arrange 1/2 inch apart on buttered large baking sheets. Make more cookies in same manner with remaining chilled dough, trimmings (reroll once), and filling.
Bake cookies in batches in middle of oven until golden around edges, 16 to 20 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks and cool until warm, about 10 minutes.
Enjoy!
6 Comments

Peanut Butter Cups Made Healthy

Who doesn’t love peanut butter and chocolate… together?!  Almost everyone in my family LOVES Reeces Peanut butter cups but they obviously aren’t the healthiest or most ideal food for daily consumption. (:  So, I came up with a home-made reeces peanut butter cup recipe, sweetened with pure maple syrup! Now I can eat them whenever I want without feeling guilty! (;

I debated between honey and maple syrup when I first created this recipe last year. Both are delicious but the grade A maple syrup offered a more neutral flavor and allowed the delicious flavor of the peanut butter to stand out! I made a batch a couple days ago and I am finally getting around to posting the recipe. My family is used to eating unsweetened peanut butter but if you aren’t you may want to add additional maple syrup or perhaps less depending on how much sweetness you prefer… just add syrup  to taste! 🙂

If you really need a good excuse to make these peanut butter cups,  with the pure maple syrup, peanut butter, and chocolate(darker the better) they are a wonderful source of iron! 😀

Yields: 12 Delightfully delicious AND healthy Peanut Butter Cups

Ingredients

  • 12 oz simi sweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips (the darker the chocolate the better!)
  • 1 1/2 cup raw peanut butter (unsweetened/unsalted)
  • 1/2 cup pure Grade A maple syrup
  • 1 tsp salt
Directions
  1. Line a standard muffin tin with 12 muffin cups.
  2. Melt 1/2 of the chocolate chips. Using a spoon, drop about 1.5tbs melted chocolate into a cup and line bottom and sides with the chocolate, creating the chocolate cups. Repeat with remaining muffin cups. Once completed, place in freezer for 5-10 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, Combine Peanut butter, Maple Syrup, and Salt until well combine. Remove chocolate cups from freezer and divide peanut butter filling evenly between 12 muffin cups. Press peanut butter filling with a spoon to flatten. Return the muffin cups to the freezer.
  4. Melt remaining chocolate. Spoon and spread evenly over the tops of each peanut butter cup.
  5. Refrigerate for approximately 1 hour to set.
  6. Enjoy!
7 Comments

Home-made Caesar Salad Dressing

Caesar Salad is my personal favorite salad and I just happened to make it for dinner tonight! So I thought I would share my dressing recipe with you all. (:

Yields: 1.5 cups Dressing

Ingredients

  • 1 recipe Home-made Mayonnaise or 1 1/2 cups store-bought mayo
  • 3 Anchovies Fillets
  • 2 tbs Lemon Juice
  • 2 cloves Minced Garlic
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground Pepper
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Directions
  1. Blend all ingredients except Parmesan in food processor until well blended. Add Parmesan and  pulse just until combined.
  2. Pour over romaine and toss. Top with additional Parmesan and crutons if desired.
  3. Enjoy!
5 Comments

Mediterranean Flat Bread

One of my family’s favorites! I tried my first piece of Mediterranean Flat Bread at a small coffee shop in the beautiful hill country of Texas and loved it! But obviously couldn’t take the coffee shop home with me so I came up with a recipe. 🙂 If you like Olives and Feta you will LOVE this recipe!

Soft bread topped with olives, provolone, fresh spinach, sundried tomatoes, and finished off with feta!

Yields 6  individual pieces of flat bread

Ingredients

Bread

  • 1 cup warm water
  • 2 1/4 tsp years
  • 1 tbs sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbs butter melted
  • 3 cups flour
Toppings

  • olive oil
  • 24 kalamata olives pitted
  • 1 7oz jar Sundried Tomatoes in Olive oil
  • fresh spinach
  • 8oz sliced provolone
  • 8oz crumbled feta

Directions

  1. Activate yeast in warm water with sugar. Add salt, butter, and enough flour to make sticky dough.
  2. Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead until soft and elasticy, adding additional flour as needed, approximately 5 minutes.
  3. Place dough in greased bowl and rise until double.
  4. Once doubled divide dough into 6 equal pieces, form into balls, and flatten with rolling pin. Place on a parchment lined pan.
  5. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  6. Brush each piece of flat bread with olive oil then add the toppings. First the olives(lightly pressing into dough), on top place a slice of provolone, then a few leaves of fresh spinach, sundried tomatoes, and top with feta.
  7. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until cheese and bread are lightly golden.
  8. Serve warm and ENJOY!
5 Comments

Homemade Mayonnaise

So delicious! Homemade mayonnaise is something I have been wanting to try for a while and am glad I did (:

 

Yeilds 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise!
Ingredients

  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 whole egg
  • 1 TBS lemon juice
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1-2 cups olive oil

Directions:

  1. In a Kitchen aid blender blend the eggs, lemon juice, dijon mustard, and salt until well blended. Add olive oil very slowly while blending until mayonnaise is perfect consistency.
  2. Watch this mayonnaise making video!!  It is very helpful (:

3 Comments

Honey Rolls

Usually made with 50% whole wheat flour and 50% white, theses honey rolls have become a Sunday dinner staple!

Original Recipe Yield approximately 2 dozen rolls

Ingredients

  • 4 1/2 tsp yeast
  • 1tsp white sugar
  • 1 1/2 cup warm water
  • 1 1/2 cup warm milk
  • 1/2 cup melted butter
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1 tbs salt
  • 6 cups Flour, either all white or a combination of whole wheat and white
  1. Dissolve yeast and sugar in a large bowl with warm water until foamy, approximately 5 minutes.
  2. After years is activated add milk, butter, honey, and salt. Stir until well combine.
  3. Add just enough flour, one cup at a time, until dough is sticky yet workable. Roll out onto a well floured counter top and knead until no longer sticky and dough is elasticy, added additional flour if needed. Place in a greased bowl and rise until doubled (approximately 1 hour)
  4. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease 2 9×13 pans with butter. Once dough is risen, punch down and cut into 24 individual pieces. Form each into balls and place in the greased pans. Allow to rise to double (approximately 45 minute)
  5. Bake until golden brown, 15-20 minutes and enjoy!
0 Comments
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