Berries and Cream Shortbread

I didn't have any eggs but was craving some kind of sweet baked good. I read through one of my cookie books (Better Homes and Gardens The Ultimate Cookie Book) and found the perfect recipe, although it was a Pineapple Macadamia Nut Shortbread, (There is no way I had candied pineapple and macadamia nuts on hand if I didn't even have eggs!) so I just left out the extra ingredients. I did, however, have some frozen blueberries and some whipping cream. The combination of berries and shortbread satisfied my craving, and then some (and they look quite patriotic).

I made these at like 9 pm so there was no way I was going to get a good picture. I will see if I have time to take another one today to replace this sorry photograph with a slightly less shadowed one.

Berries and Cream Shortbread

Ingredients

2 1/2 c. Flour
1/3 c. Packed Brown Sugar
1 c. Cold Butter
1 or 2 Drops Orange Extract (optional)
Berries and Whipped Cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Stir together the flour and brown sugar.
Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until the mixture forms tiny balls that start to stick together.
Add orange extract and stir in well.
Form into a ball and knead a couple times.
Roll out about 1/4 in. thick on a lightly floured surface and cut out dough with cookie cutter. Only re-roll the scraps once.
Place on a baking sheet and cook about 15 minutes or until golden brown on the edges.
Let cool and top with berries and whipped cream. yum.

Sundried Tomato Cream Sauce

First off I would like to apologize for the quality of the pictures I have been posting; this one in particular. I have been getting home a little later from work and barely have enough time to take a picture before all the natural light goes away. I can't wait to get a new camera but it is just one of those things that is on my list to do, but you know, may not actually get around doing them!

Well, this recipe is so easy! Thank you to my mom for making life easy peasy. I made this sauce with out any protien (chicken, sausage...) just for an extra easy meal. You could add practically anything to this sauce and it would be delicious; artichokes, olives, squash, zucchini, chicken, sausage, pesto, Italian cheeses -I could go on and on.

Mom's Sundried Tomato Cream Sauce

Ingredients

1 1/2 c. Cream or Half and Half
1 tsp Dried Thyme
10 Sundried Tomatoes (in a jar in oil)
1 c. Chicken Broth
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

Bring cream and thyme to a boil then simmer for 10 min then let sit to cool a little for 10 min.
Press the tomatoes between some paper towels to get most the oil off.
Puree the tomatoes and with half of the chicken broth.
Strain the cream through a sieve to get the thyme out and put the cream back into the pan.
Add the pureed tomatoes and the rest of the chicken broth to the cream and simmer for a few minutes.
Salt and pepper.
Serve over pasta.

S'more Bars

These bars were inspired from a campfire on the beach with some of our friends. It had been quite a while since I had had a s'more and after the delicious experience on the beach, it's all that I wanted for about a week after we got home. I thought there had to be a way to make s'mores the same way you make rice crispy treats. I tried it and it turned out so good! I did notice that the graham crackers got a little soft so I decided to put a little bit of a crispy rice cereal in it to keep the crisp factor up. I think in my childhood I had some type of these but made with Golden Graham Cereal. I remember the graham flavor of the cereal was too strong for me, but I think they could easily be substituted. These bars bring part of the camping experience to your kitchen.

S'more Bars

Ingredients

1 cube Butter or Margarine
1- 16 oz bag of Mini Marshmallows
2 pkgs Graham Crackers
1 1/2 c. Crispy Rice Cereal
1 c. Chocolate Chips -melted

Directions

Break up the graham crackers into a bowl with your hands into small bite size pieces.
In another large microwaveable bowl, melt the butter.
Add the marshmallows to the butter and coat evenly. Microwave the marshmallows about 30 seconds stirring very well after each. When they start melt and just start to string when stirring you know you are ready. *You don't want to over cook the marshmallows, this will make your bars hard.
Stir in the broken up graham crackers and the rice cereal. This may take some muscle.
Pour mixture onto a baking sheet with parchment paper or wax paper on it. Lightly wet your hands and smash and squish them flat to spread them around the pan. Make them as thick as you like.
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Heat the water in a pot to a boil and turn down to simmer. If you don't have a double boiler you can use a large glass bowl. Set the bowl with chocolate on top of the pot and stir till melted. Spoon the chocolate over the graham crackers and marshmallows.
Let it set for a few hours (I sometimes cheat and throw it in the freezer for a few minutes) and eat!

Yummm.

Key Lime Pie

I love limes. If you pair a lime with anything I will most likely like it. I have learned, thanks to my husband, that Mexican food isn't Mexican food until you can squeeze lime juice all over it. I fell in love with this pie a few years back when, I think, my sister-in-law brought it to a family function. Since then, the yogurt flavor key lime pie has been in my top five yogurt picks. This recipe is quick, easy, and most of the ingredients you have on hand. I think the hardest thing about this recipe would either be taking your anger and frustration out on the graham crackers or squeezing the 1/2 c. of lime juice!

Oh, and please ignore the fact that I over beat the whipped cream on top :)

Key Lime Pie

Ingredients

Crust:
1 pkg graham crackers crushed
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon-- this adds a deeper flavor to the crust that compliments the lime well
5 Tbsp. butter

Filling:
3 egg yolks
1- 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c. fresh lime juice
2 tsp. grated lime zest
1 drop green food coloring

Directions

For the crust, stir together the smooshed graham crackers, cinnamon, and sugar. Add them to the melted butter so everything is coated. Press this into a 9 in pie plate. Bake at 375 degrees for ONLY 4 minutes (it is going in the oven again). Cool completely.

For the filling, beat the yolks and stir in the sweetened condensed milk. Add the lime juice and food coloring until completely combined. Stir in the zest. Pour into the completely cooled crust and bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes. *If you think your edges are brown enough from the first bake, you can cut a ring of foil that only covers the crust edges to avoid burning. Otherwise, ignore that asterisk. Let the pie cool completely again, then all that's left is to add a layer of whipped cream on top and eat it!

Enjoy

Chicken Pasta Caesar Salad

When summer comes around I love salads, it's refreshing. This Pasta Caesar Salad is big enough for a meal in itself! Mixing pasta with lettuce really is delicious, a little different but good!

Chicken Pasta Caesar Salad

Ingredients-- Customize to fit what you like

1-2 Heads Romaine Lettuce
Chicken-- about 1/2 breast per person
Cooked Bowtie Pasta-- about 1/2 cup per person (uncooked)
Bottle of Caesar Dressing
1 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
Cherry Tomatoes-- optional
Croutons-- optional

Directions

Cook the pasta and rinse with cold water. Let it sit to cool.
Chop the lettuce and place in a large bowl and set aside.
Grill or cube and cook the chicken until it is no longer pink in the middle and set aside.
Add the tomatoes, Parmesan, croutons, and cooled pasta to the lettuce and coat with some dressing.
Layer the chicken on the top and serve.

With some french bread and some lemonade, this makes for a perfect summer dinner!

Roasted Egg Plant Sandwiches

I am always looking for new ideas for dinner, dessert, and everything else in between. As a new grad with a degree in Dietetics I have a love for food that I want to share! So, off on my new adventure I go to find and tweek recipes that bring variety to your kitchen table. As for my first post I decided on a simple dish my husband and I ate for dinner just last night. It is so simple yet so delicious.

Roasted Egg Plant Sandwiches

Needed:

Egg plant
Crusty bread
Pesto-- even fresh basil can work
Tomato-- fresh is best but canned diced can work
Mozzarella-- or Parmesan cheese
Olive oil
Salt

Directions:

Slice the egg plant into about 1/4 in. slices. Sprinkle salt on them and wait about 15-20 min. then wipe away the salt and the water it pulls out of the egg plant. Wipe a little oil on the egg plant and roast in the oven at 375 degrees about 10-15 min, flipping half way through.

Place the roasted egg plant on a slice of crusty bread that had pesto slathered on it. On another slice of bread top with slices of tomatoes and grated mozzarella cheese. Place the open faced sandwich on a pan and broil it until the cheese is melted and a little brown.

Take it out of the oven and put the sandwich together! Some sides for this dish could include, fresh fruit, chips, veggies, pasta salad, or even some yogurt.

Enjoy.