Lemon Ricotta Pancakes ~ 6.3.11

Not too long ago, I posted a recipe for Blueberry syrup. This little beaut would go perfectly dressed with that syrup. So fresh. So summer. So delish.

Enjoy. These are a perfect reason to use up that last little bit of ricotta in the container. Keep this in mind.

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

(adapted from Everyday Food- originally Orange Ricotta...)

ingredients:

1 3/4 cup park skim ricotta cheese (15 oz)

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp grated lemon zest

2/3 cup all purpose flour

canola oil

confectioner's sugar and/or Blueberry Syrup

directions:

-In a med bowl, whisk the ricotta, sugar, eggs and lemon zest together. Whisk in the flour until just combined.

--Heat oil in a nonstick skillet or spray a griddle pan over med-low heat.

--Working in batches, add batter, use about a 1/4 cup (or little less) for each pancake.

--Cook until browned, 4-5 min per side.

Transfer to plate lined with paper towels (esp if you used canola oil). Serve hot with confectioner's sugar or blueberry syrup

Lemon Spaghetti ~ 5.14.11

 I first made this recipe for spaghetti after watching Giada make it on her food network show. It sounded amazing to this lemon lover and what few ingredients! What a perfect springtime dinner. I made it in 2006 for Father's Day and everyone loved it.

Just this past week, I resurrected this lovely recipe to serve alongside Lucinda's chicken piccata. I had never made chicken piccata but after watching her make it on her show Mad Hungry, I knew it was doable and would compliment this spaghetti perfectly. 
As a note, I only used 2 very large chicken breasts- butterflied them (split them open like a book) and then pounded them thin. It served everyone in my family! I simply cut the breasts into servable pieces before I dipped them in the flour and cooked them. Really great weeknight meal.


 
Giada DeLaurentiis' Lemon Spaghettti

 I'm going to count this as a 5 ingredient recipe because S&P don't count and you use the lemon 2 ways!


1 pound spaghetti

2/3 cup olive oil

2/3 cup grated Parmesan- (use the good stuff, please, not a green shaker jar.... gasp)

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon lemon zest (have forgotten this and guess what, it's OK)

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves (take it to the next level)



Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the oil, Parmesan, and lemon juice in a large bowl to blend. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the pasta with the lemon sauce, and the reserved cooking liquid, adding 1/4 cup at a time as needed to moisten. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with lemon zest and chopped basil.

**Eat leftovers mixed with a little premade pesto! Delicous!

Cool 'n Creamy Chocolate Fondue ~ 5.12.11

We love this dip. It is everything the name of the recipe says: Cool, Creamy and chocolatey. Perfect treat on a warm spring or summer day. Especially with fresh fruit!

Cool 'n Creamy Chocolate Fondue
recipe from Pampered Chef

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 container frozen whipped topping, thawed (8 oz)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp rum or vanilla extract- we use vanilla
Assorted dippers- fruit, pretzels, cinnamon pita chips (you can make these easily w/ flour tortillas), your fingers

Place choc. chips and half the whipped topping in bowl and microwave, uncovered, on HIGH, one minute, stirring every 20 secs until chocolate is melted.
Fold in remaining whipped topping, cinnamon and extract of choice, mixing till smooth.
Cover and chill for 30 minutes- it's hard to wait, but you can do it!

Serve with fruit dippers, etc.

yield: 2 cups (16 servings) 80 cal, 5 g fat, 7 g carb per 2 Tbs fondue

Caramel Pull Apart Bread ~ 5.1.11

How have I let this blog go this long without adding this easy and favorite recipe of ours? I even made it Easter morning after Mass!

If you could only smell how good this was...

Nothing beats waking up to a house full of some sort of delicousness in the oven, am I right? Well, maybe having all those necessary ingredients in your fridge is a close second. 'Cause without them, this wouldn't be sitting on the platter in all its glory.

And this little beauty couldn't be easier. 4 ingredients. four. that's all!

Pull-Apart Caramel Coffee Cake

2 tubes refrigerated flaky biscuits
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup whipping cream (aka heavy cream)
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Open the biscuits, get out your kitchen shears (it's the easiest way to do this) and cut those biscuits into fourths. (first in half, then in half again)
Arrange in a 10in fluted tube pan coated with cooking spray.
Combine the brown sugar, cream and cinnamon; pour over the biscuits.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for minutes, unless you want to burn the top layer of skin off of your fingers or tongue (uh, trust me on this one). If the middle still looks undercooked, then pop it back in until they're puffed. I've had this take longer than 30 minutes before...
Eat and enjoy!

This little beaut' won $500 in a recipe contest. Found it in Taste of Home's Simple and Delicious magazine, Mar/April 2008.

first posted to She's A Crafty Pumpkin in May 2008

Fave Go-To super easy dinner #3 ~ 3.4.11

I have been loving chicken lately. Especially with all the germs and colds and illnesses flying through our door, chicken soup has been in constant rotation. It's my "go-to" medicine next to chamomile tea with local honey. ;) And when you have chicken, you probably have some leftover chicken! Well, at least I always do, especially if I'm cooking one in a pot and roasting the other (that's a really good idea by the way), double duty meals, Roast chicken one night and chicken soup another night. And by all means, you should always save your bones to make stock! Let me know if you don't know how...

So this is a quick and easy recipe that my kids love and I know they'll eat it without any complaints! Gotta love meals like that.

I think I have each of the steps in pics for you and then I'll post the recipe at the end, got it?

Start by tearing your chicken apart and putting it in a bowl. Add enough BBQ sauce to make yourself happy. If it's not warmed already, warm it up for a couple of minutes.

While you've got the BBQ chicken warming up, heat up your griddle and throw your tortillas on to warm them through, making them pliable. As you warm/toast each one, slide it into a packet of foil (fold the foil in half to fit your tortillas and keep it closed so they don't dry out).

Get your cheese ready. I used smoked gouda b/c I had it and love it. You could sub out cheddar or Monterey Jack or colby jack or mozzarella if you have those.You will also need a little canola oil (not more than a Tbs), some salt, and a pastry brush.

see this night I only had so much gouda and I used some mozzarella!

Now, brush one side of your tortilla with a little oil, sprinkle it with some kosher salt and lay that side down on the griddle. Add a bit of cheese and some of the chicken mixture. Fold the top over and start another one right beside that. You could add a little more cheese on top of the chicken, too, if you really love cheese. It also helps it all stick together!

Now let these cook for a few - think of it as a variation on the grilled cheese. You just want your cheese to melt and your bottom of the tortilla to be a little browned before you flip it. Okay, looks like it's ready to flip!

Keep repeating until you're out of chicken and cheese (I know, so exact). and then cut them into wedges and serve! We like to eat these with fresh fruit and veggies.

BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

cup to cup and a half of leftover roast chicken

fave BBQ sauce

6-8 oz of cheese of your choosing; smoked gouda is really good

8 tortillas

canola oil

kosher salt

1. warm tortillas on a griddle and keep warm

2. pull chicken off bones and add BBQ sauce to it. Warm up in microwave

3. Shred your cheese

4. Brush a little oil on one side of tortilla and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt. Lay the oiled side down on a hot griddle.

5. Lay cheese and some chicken mixture on the tortilla. Fold over the top. Cook a few minutes until bottom is golden. Flip and cook until top is golden and the cheese is melted.

6. Keep repeating until all the chicken and cheese has disappeared into a tortilla

7. Slice into wedges and serve with fresh fruit and veggies!

Creamy mushroom toasts ~ 11.10.10

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.

oh good grief, can you tell I'm a mom of 4 boys?

Let me start over...

A long ways back, I happened upon this simple little recipe. It is just the perfect little treat for a late dinner or when you need a comforting happy belly sort of lunch.

It's quick to throw together and forgiving in that as long as you use the main ingredients of mushrooms, cream and toast... you're golden.

I'm eating it right now and had to pour myself a glass of wine (b/c I'm cooking something with it and well, Julia Child would do that, right?) to go along with it. It's a classy yet simple kind of meal.

Buon Appetit!

Creamy Mushroom Toasts
adapted from Angry Chicken
Like I said up above, this is forgiving, so if you don't have shallots, don't fret, I've made it without them. And if you don't have fresh herbs, use a little dried. Just stick to the main stuff: mushrooms, butter, cream, good crusty bread. You'll thank me.

8oz button mushrooms, sliced
1 Tbsp or so of butter
fresh herbs chopped: I like thyme and parsley
half a shallot, minced fine
S & P
heavy cream- couple Tbsp's
crusty bread
optional: Adobo seasoning (I just have to put it on everything!)

Heat a saute pan and get your butter in there and melted. (if you're using shallots, add them at this point and saute until translucent- I didn't have them today) Add the sliced mushrooms and don't crowd the pan or mess with them too much. You want them to get good and toasty on one side before you push them around. After about 5 minutes or so, stir the mushrooms around and season with S & P and some Adobo seasoning, if you'd like. S&P is just fine, too. Now, add some chopped herbs and a couple Tbs of cream. I do not measure this, just eyeball it a bit and add some till my mushrooms are swimming in a pool of cream and happy as can be. Happy mushrooms = Happy Crafty. Cream = Very happy Crafty!

Taste and adjust seasoning.

Slice your bread and toast to perfection.

Serve your creamy mushrooms alongside the toast and pour yourself a glass of wine. Enjoy!

Kid recipe: Cookies and {chocolate} Milk ~ 6.10.10

I nabbed this recipe on a discussion board of a class I'm taking online--we have a whole thread specifically devoted to cookie recipes. The class is a scrapbooking class. Now that is my kind of people! Anywho, it drew me in b/c I thought it would be a perfect summer recipe that the kids could make. I did a trial run the other night and it's a winner. So easy to make and I love the variety of flavors that you could make these cookies. Check it out.

Cake Mix Cookies

Ingredients:
a box of cake mix- I went with devil's food
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
2 cups of a mix in (chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, m&m, marshmallows, anything!)

1/2 cup chopped nuts (totally optional)

Stir it all together and drop onto an ungreased cookie sheet in rounded teaspoons. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. And once you remove them from the oven let them sit on the sheet for two minutes before moving.

They were especially good while they were warm! Enjoy!

I'm in love with this salad! ~ 4.21.10

21 days since I last posted a recipe? What is wrong with me? iphone. That's what. I find that I get down to the computer a lot less and opt for just checking my email or FB from my phone. Or I make dinner Or I'm taking a nap Or busy at life with kids. Something like that.

But I MUST share this recipe with you because it is simple, simple. I know I've said that before, but really this is so simple and it's 5 ingredients (not counting S&P)!

Avocado and Strawberry Salad with Honey Vinaigrette is a marriage made in food heaven. I mean it. I thought I have a food infatuation with avocadoes before, and now they're pairing up with one of my favorite fruits! Oh my stars!


Avocado and Strawberry Salad with Honey Vinaigrette
as written should serve 6

Mix up your vinaigrette- I just measure and dump the ingredients into a jar that I've saved. That way I can pop the lid on and shake it all into a lovely emulsified vinaigrette in no time flat. Plus, if there's any left over, it goes right into the fridge and I don't have to clean another bowl/measuring cup!

2 1/2 Tbs lemon juice - one lemon did this for me
3 Tbs honey- try to use local, if you can
3 Tbs olive oil -
(you can add 1/8 tsp Salt and an 1/8 tsp ground pepper at this point, but I prefer to sprinkle them on my salad and then add the dressing- I recommend doing it that way)

put a lid on it and SHAKE!

2 avocados
8 oz strawberries

In a bowl, add 2 peeled, pitted and cubed avocados and 8 oz of sliced strawberries. Season with S & P. Pour just enough dressing to coat. Mix gently and serve immediately!

As another option, if you're serving this salad with a nice dinner or if you'd like to impress your friends, slice the avocado into wedges and the strawberries into halves or quarters. Then drizzle your dressing over it.

Give this a whirl. I even got my non-avocado eating 7 year old to eat this b/c of the strawberries. The avocadoes were like butter, so creamy and smooth next to the sweetness of the ripe strawberries. Max was the only one who opted out, the twins and I devoured it! And it's really simple to mix it up really quick, just cube your avocado, add sliced strawberries and drizzle with the dressing and some S & P.

Highly recommend you get your hands on these ~3.31.10

I've been busy in the kitchen cooking little gems from these two publications. Cook's Country March 2010 is chock full of some amazingly delish recipes! I am hoping to make the majority of them and post about them, too! Hurry out and grab that Cook's Country, if you can! There are easily at least 10 recipes I've got on my "MAKE THIS" list! In fact, I could put together my whole Easter menu from that one issue. Fabulous!

We all know and love Ree, right? Her cookbook does not dissapoint. I received her it as a Christmas gift this past year. I have been enjoying her simple way of telling a recipe as well as the amazing photography and her gift of storytelling throughout the pages. I highly recommend you grab a copy for yourself- even though the recipes are on her site, this book is a great one to have on your shelf and on your kitchen counter!

Just this week I made the ham salad recipe from Cook's Country. Do yourself a favor if you're having ham for Easter-- save some for this recipe and add these things to your grocery list now: whole grain mustard, sweet pickle relish, mayo. All I needed was the mustard- a small jar of whole grain is all you'll need. Five ingredients total (I left out the pepper) and you're on your way to a simple, delicious lunch.

Last weekend, Miss Happy Heart and kids stopped over to play and eat! We made Ree's Pico de Gallo (I had never made this! gasp! what was I waiting for?) and Guacamole. My avocados were at perfect "guac stage" and we had ourselves a FEAST complete with diet cokes infused with lime. Perfection!

Guacamole is a simple simple treat to make. Everyone should eat avocadoes because they're good for you with heart healthy fats and that beautiful creamy green fruit. Oh Joy! I need more avocadoes in my kitchen! I've been buying them at Sam's lately at 3.98 for a bag of 5- what a steal!

Okay, so here's that ham salad recipe that won't disappoint.

You'll need some leftover ham- say about a cup and a half or so.

1/4 cup mayo

1 Tbs whole grain mustard

3 Tbs sweet pickle relish

1/2 tsp or several cranks of fresh ground pepper

1. Pulse your ham in the food processor about 10 times. Don't turn it into pate, just small shreds

2. In a separate bowl, mix together the "dressing" ingedients.

3. Add ham to mayo mixture and combine

4. Serve on whole grain bread or what we had: Club Crackers.

simple