Friday Foodday

Happy Friday!

Here are my favorite recipes this week.

Bridal Shower Sangria

c/o The Kitchn

Ingredients

1 (750-milliliter) bottle prosecco, cava, or other dry white sparkling wine, chilled
1 1/2 cups St. Germain Elderflower liqueur, chilled
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
1 1/2 cups seltzer or club soda, chilled
Ice

Directions

Combine the prosecco, St. Germain, lemon juice, and raspberries in a large pitcher. Top with the sparkling water. Pour into glasses with or without ice.

Broccoli and Bacon Chicken Alfredo Linguine

c/o Closet Cooking

Ingredients

• 8 ounces linguine (gluten-free for gluten-free)
• 4 slices bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 pound boneless and skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
• 1 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups broccoli florets, cooked
• 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped

Directions

1. Start cooking the linguine as directed on the package.
2. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large pan over medium heat before setting aside on paper towels to drain.
3. Heat the oil and melt the butter in the pan over medium-high heat, add the chicken and cook, browning on both sides, about 3-6 minutes per side, before setting aside to cool and slice.
4. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute, before adding the chicken broth and deglazing the pan by scraping any brown bits from the bottom with a spoon while the broth simmers.
5. Add the cream and cheese and simmer until the sauce has thickened a bit and the cheese has melted before seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Mix the cooked and drained pasta, bacon, chicken, broccoli and parsley and enjoy!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookie Bars

c/o Buns in My Oven

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 cups creamy peanut buttr
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups raspberry jam
• 2/3 cups salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper, grease and flour parchment paper.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light yellow. Beat in vanilla, eggs, and peanut butter on low speed until everything is combined.
3. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture. Mix just until combined.
4. Spread half of the dough in the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread jam evenly over the top of the dough. Use your hands to make large balls of dough with the remaining half of dough, then flatten them out and place them over the jam. The dough will spread a bit in the oven, so it’s okay if there are bare spots. Sprinkle with the chopped peanuts and bake for 45 minutes.
5. Cool completely before cutting into squares and serving.

Friday Foodday

Happy first Friday in June! Here are my favorite recipes this week. 

Basil Cucumber Gin Cooler
c/o Skinnytaste

Ingredients

2-inch piece of cucumber, peeled and chopped

1 tsp grated lemon zest

2 fresh basil leaves

1 tsp agave nectar

1 1/2 oz gin

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

ice cubes

splash of seltzer

1 thin slice lemon, for garnish

1 thin slice cucumber, for garnish

Directions

In a cocktail shaker, muddle the chopped cucumber, lemon zest, basil and agave.

Add the gin, lemon juice and ice cubes and stir 10 seconds.

Strain the mixture into a rocks glass filled with ice cubes and top with seltzer.

Garnish with lemon and cucumber and serve.

Monterey Chicken Spaghetti
c/o Buns in My Oven

Ingredients

• 6 oz. spaghetti, broken into 3 pieces
• 1 cup shredded or diced cooked chicken
• 1 egg
• 1 cup sour cream
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 cups grated monterey jack
• 10 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained well
• 3 ounce can french fried onions

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the spaghetti according to package instructions. Drain and add to a large mixing bowl.
3. Add the chicken, egg, sour cream, garlic powder, cheese, spinach, and half of the onions to the bowl and stir well to combine.
4. Pour into prepared baking dish and top with the remaining onions.
5. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
6. Remove the foil and bake for 5 minutes more.
7. Serve immediately.

Mud Hen Bars

c/o Shugary Sweets

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup shortening (I used Crisco butter flavored shortening)
• 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, whole
• 2 large eggs, separated
• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
• 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 13x9 baking dish with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the shortening, butter, and sugar until creamy. Beat in the whole egg, and the two egg YOLKS.
3. Slowly add in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Combine until fully blended.
4. Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Top with marshmallows and chocolate chips.
5. In a separate clean and dry mixing bowl, beat the two egg whites until stiff. Fold in the brown sugar and pour over the stop of the bars. Spread gently, making sure it touches the sides of the pan (this will help it rise during baking, and not shrink).
6. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the meringue on top is lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool completely.
7. Cut into bars and enjoy. We prefer to keep these chilled in the refrigerator, they taste great cold!

Friday Foodday

Happy Friday! Here are my favorite recipes this week.

Cranberry & Saint Germain Pitcher Sparkler

c/o The Kitchn

Ingredients

1 cup vodka
3 ounces St. Germain elderflower liqueur
1/2 cup cranberry juice
1 1/2 cups club soda

Directions

In a large pitcher filled with ice, combine all of the ingredients. Serve in champagne flutes or other festive glasses.

Lomo Saltado

c/o Buns in My Oven

Ingredients

• 12 ounces thin sliced ribeye steak
• 1/2 teaspooon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 1/2 poblano pepper
• 1/2 red onion
• 1 tomato
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/3 cup beef broth
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 cup freshly fried French fries, for serving
• 2 cups cooked white rice, for serving

Directions

1. Slice the steak into thin strips and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
2. Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over high heat. Add the steak and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned.
3. While steak is cooking, slice the peppers, onion, and tomato into thin slices.
4. Add the vegetables to the pan with the steak and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
5. Add the soy sauce and beef broth to the pan and stir well. Cook for 2 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and sprinkle with cilantro.
7. Serve over rice with french fries.

Rhubarb Upside Down Spice Cake

c/o Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients

Topping

• 1 pound (450 grams) rhubarb, trimmed
• 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
• Finely grated zest from half a lemon
• 4 tablespoons (2 ounces or 55 grams) unsalted butter, cold is fine
• Two pinches of salt

Cake

• 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup (125 grams) light or dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• A few gratings of fresh nutmeg
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) buttermilk
• 1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all-purpose flour

Directions

Heat oven: To 350°F. 

Make topping: In a 10-inch ovenproof skillet, trim your rhubarb to lengths that will fit across the bottom in one direction, i.e. some short and some taller. Remove rhubarb and cut each stalk lengthwise into thin (about 1/4-inch thick) ribbons. If your rhubarb is already quite thin, you might just want to halve each piece lengthwise.

Sprinkle sugar into skillet and add lemon zest; use your fingers to mix the zest into the sugar; the grit of the sugar will help release the most flavor from it. Add butter and salt and heat skillet over medium until butter has melted, stirring frequently. Add rhubarb and cook, turning gently, for 3 to 4 minutes, until it has softened slightly and released some of its liquid. Remove from heat and set skillet aside.

Make cake: In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined, then vanilla. Sprinkle mixture with baking powder, salt, and all the spices and beat well to thoroughly mix them in. Add buttermilk; mixture will have a curdly texture but don’t worry, it’s all going to even out. Scrape down bowl and add flour; beat only until it disappears.

Check your rhubarb base to make sure all the pieces are in the order you’d like them to be; nudge around any that are not, then dollop cake batter over rhubarb mixture in small spoonfuls and smooth top as best as you can. As the rhubarb mixture will be very wet, this will seem almost impossible. I actually gave up and just put it in the oven, where the cake spread into one even layer on its own. (Thank you, cake.)

Bake cake: For about 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted deep into the cake (but not the topping underneath) comes out batter-free. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edges to loosen. Place a larger plate upside down over the skillet and use two potholdered hands to flip cake out onto it. If any rhubarb is stuck in the pan or slides down the side, just return it to the top of the cake.

Friday Foodday

Happy Friday!
Here are my favorite recipes this week.

Bare Minimum
c/o The Kitchn

Ingredients

For the ginger syrup (makes 1 1/2 cups, enough for 12 cocktails):

5 ounces fresh ginger (1 medium hand)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water

For 1 cocktail:
1 fresh basil leaf
6 raspberries
1 1/2 ounces New Riff Kentucky Wild Gin (or other floral gin)
1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
Ice
4 ounces club soda
Lemon slice, for garnish

Directions

Peel the ginger and chop into rough 1/4-inch pieces. Place in a small saucepan, add the sugar and water, and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes.

Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh strainer into a heatproof medium bowl, measuring cup, or glass jar, pressing on the ginger with the back of a spoon. You should have about 1 1/2 cups of syrup. Cool to room temperature.

Place the basil, raspberries, and 1 ounce of the ginger syrup in a cocktail shaker. Muddle for 30 seconds and the remove the basil. Add the lemon juice and gin, then fill the shaker with ice. Cover and shake until the outside of the shaker is frosty. Strain into a Collins glass. Add the soda water and top with ice. Garnish with a lemon slice, if desired.

Monterey Chicken Spaghetti

c/o Buns in My Oven

Ingredients

• 6 oz. spaghetti, broken into 3 pieces
• 1 cup shredded or diced cooked chicken
• 1 egg
• 1 cup sour cream
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 cups grated monterey jack
• 10 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained well
• 3 ounce can french fried onions

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the spaghetti according to package instructions. Drain and add to a large mixing bowl.
3. Add the chicken, egg, sour cream, garlic powder, cheese, spinach, and half of the onions to the bowl and stir well to combine.
4. Pour into prepared baking dish and top with the remaining onions.
5. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
6. Remove the foil and bake for 5 minutes more.
7. Serve immediately.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Cheesecake Cake

c/o Shugary Sweets

Ingredients

FOR THE CHEESECAKE:

• 2 pkg (8oz each) cream cheese, softened
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• pinch of salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla

FOR THE CAKE:

• 1 recipe chocolate layer cake (9inch layers)- homemade or cake mix is fine

FOR THE FROSTING:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup caramel sauce (homemade caramel sauce or jarred is fine)
• 4 cup powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp milk
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

FOR THE GANACHE:

• 4 oz dark chocolate
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 Tbsp caramel sauce
• pinch of kosher salt

Directions

FOR THE CHEESECAKE:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Using a large roasting pan on the lower 2/3 of the oven, preheat the pan too!
2. Prepare springform pan by wrapping bottom of pan (outside) with double layer of foil. Spray pan with nonstick baking spray and line bottom (inside) with a circle of parchment paper. Meanwhile, boil a kettle of water to use later.
3. Beat cream cheese with granulate sugar for 2-3 minutes until creamy. Add in salt and eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Beat in sour cream, heavy cream and vanilla. Pour into prepared 9inch springform pan. Place pan in center of preheated roasting pan in the oven. Pour boiling water slowly into the roasting pan, until there is about an inch of water coming up the sides of the springform pan.
5. Bake cheesecake for 45 minutes. Turn oven off and let cheesecake sit in oven for an additional 30 minutes. Remove and cool completely on counter.
6. When cooled, transfer entire springform pan into the freezer for several hours or overnight. I put it in freezer for about 2 hours. **If using within 24 hours, feel free to just refrigerate cheesecake!

FOR THE CAKE LAYER:

1. Prepare chocolate cake according to package directions for 9 inch cake. Or, like me, prepare a homemade dark chocolate layer cake using THIS recipe

FOR THE FROSTING:

1. Beat butter in a large mixing bowl for 2-3 minutes, until fluffy. Add caramel sauce, powdered sugar, milk and kosher salt.
2. Beat for 4-5 minutes until soft and creamy.

TO ASSEMBLE:

1. On a cake platter, lay one layer of chocolate cake, top with the cheesecake. Then add the other layer of chocolate cake. Spread frosting over entire cake, sides and top.
2. Refrigerate frosted cake while you prepare the chocolate ganache.

FOR THE GANACHE:

1. In a microwave safe bowl, combine dark chocolate with heavy cream. Heat 30 seconds. Stir and heat an additional 30 seconds. Whisk for several minutes until smooth. Allow to cool slightly.
2. Once cooled. Spread over top of chilled cake. Drizzle with remaining 2 Tbsp of caramel sauce and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt. Refrigerate cake until ready to serve!

Friday Foodday

Happy Friday! 
Here are my favorite recipes this week.

Gramps' Rum Old Fashioned
c/o The Kitchn

Ingredients
Ice
2 ounces añejo rum
1/4 ounce black pepper syrup, such as Blank Slate Kitchen's
3 dashes orange bitters
1 dash Angostura bitters
Orange twist or peel, for garnish

Directions

Fill a mixing glass with ice. Add the rum, black pepper syrup, orange bitters, and Angostura bitters. Stir until well-chilled, about 15 seconds. Strain into a rocks or old fashioned glass filled with ice. Garnish with an orange peel or twist.

Lentil Soup

c/o Buns in My Oven

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 6 carrots, cut into rounds
• 4 stalks celery, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 ounces fresh green beans, cut in half
• 14 ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1 package (15.5 ounces) Hurst's Beans Garlic and Herb Lentils
• 8 cups chicken broth
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a large stock pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery to the pot and cook for 5 minutes.
2. Stir in the garlic and green beans and cook for 1 more minute.
3. Add the fire roasted tomatoes to the pan with the chicken broth.
4. Rinse and sort through the lentils. Add to the pan along with the seasoning packet and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce to a simmer and cover the pot. Cook for 1 hour 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired.

Samoas Moose Munch

c/o Country Cleaver

Ingredients

• 2 bags Popcorn, popped – use buttered or plain
• 1/2 cup Butter
• 1 cup Brown Sugar
• 1/4 cup Corn Syrup
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 2 tsp Vanilla
• 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 1/2 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, melted
• 2 tsp Coconut Oil
• 1 box Samoas Girl Scout Cookies, roughtly chopped
• 1/2 cup Shredded Coconut, toasted

Directions

Heat oven to 250 degrees. Prepare microwave popcorn according to directions.

In a sauce pan, melt butter. Whisk in sugar, corn syrup, and salt and bring to a boil. Let the mixture caramelize, boiling for about five minutes or until it turns golden brown. Remove from the heat. Whisk in the vanilla and the baking soda.

Pour popcorn into a VERY large bowl, and pour the caramel over the top. Using a spoon – the carmel is molten hot – combine the carmel and mix the popcorn. Spread the popcorn over two large lined cookie sheets. Line with parchment or silicone mats. Place in the oven for 30-45 minutes, toss and rotate the popcorn every 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let the popcorn cool for at least 1 hour.

While cooling, melt the chocolate and the coconut oil together to get a smooth, “drizzly” consistency, and drizzle over the top of the cooled caramel popcorn.

Sprinkle the toasted coconut and chopped Samoas over the warm chocolate so it sticks. Let the chocolate rest until cooled. Break popcorn into bite sized chunks and devour.