requies

These are awesome! I call them nuggets because their consistency is dense and a bit dry like scones, plus they're also a bit salty because of the special peanut butter used. I threw them together with the ingredients I had on hand, which wasn't much since we just moved into a new place! I honestly thought they would be awful when I saw how they turned out. I was picturing flatter, softer cookies you know? But as the old saying goes, don't judge a cookie by its shape. I will definitely bake these again!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Nuggets
Inspired by Hershey's Peanut Butter Blossoms.
Yields 30 Nuggets

1/2 cup shortening (I would have preferred butter, but I didn't have any!)
3/4 cup Creamy Salted Peanut Butter from Trader Joe's. (or some other natural peanut butter without sugar that requires stirring. If you use normal peanut butter I think the cookies will be super sweet.)
1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder (or 1 teaspoon baking soda if you have it, I didn't)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and beat the shortening and peanut butter until mixed. Add sugar and brown sugar and beat until incorporated. While stirring add the egg, milk and vanilla extract. In another bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. The dough will be drier than most cookie doughs, but that's okay because these are nuggets, not cookies!

Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and put on an ungreased cookie sheet. The cookies are greasy enough so they probably won't stick. Bake for 16 minutes, that's how long it took mine to cook, but I would check on them after 10 minutes. Bake until they are a little browned on top, then let cool.

Serve with a glass of milk and enjoy!

Today's post is in honor of my dad, whose recipe this is! This sauce is very simple and delicious, this is all you need:

4 roasted red bell peppers, 3 garlic cloves, 4 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. That's right! No tomatoes, onions, cream, or basil, you don't even have to cook it! 

My dad insists on roasting your own red bell peppers. To do so, put bell peppers in a pan in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Then place the peppers in a paper parcel (or bag). Roll up the end of the bag to seal it a bit and let steam for 15 minutes. After the peppers are cool enough to handle, remove the seeds and peel the skin off.

Or, you could buy roasted red bell peppers, already seeded and peeled, in a can. You'll need two 12 oz. cans to equal 4 peppers. There are a few downsides to purchasing pre-prepared peppers. Primarily, the peppers will probably have preservatives and additives like sugar, which you can avoid by roasting the peppers yourself. Also, the sauce tastes better if the peppers are fresh.

I usually use the jarred peppers, just for convenience. I like to keep a few jars of red peppers handy so I can make this sauce whenever I want. It's a staple around here. 

Thanks for sharing this and many other recipes with me, Dad! I have so many great memories of preparing family meals with you. Thanks for spending that time with me. I love you!

Roasted Red Bell Pepper Pasta Sauce
serves 6+

4 roasted red bell peppers, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbsp olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Add the red peppers, garlic, salt and pepper to a blender. Drizzle in the olive oil and puree until it is the consistency you want. Taste and add salt and pepper (or more garlic) if desired.

This is phenomenal tossed with 1 lb of linguine and sprinkled with freshly grated parmesan. I bet it would also be good in quinoa with basil and mozzarella, or even served with grilled chicken. 

Some things are better when you make them the hard way, like Mac N' Cheese. I'm still undecided whether this lemonade was as amazing as it should be considering how much work it required. Don't get me wrong, it was the best strawberry lemonade I've ever had, not too sweet, not too tart, very refreshing. But, it took me like a million hours to juice all those lemons, not to mention how sore my right arm was afterward. If you had an automatic juicer, then it would take you no time at all.

But, I'll let you be the judge. This is a great drink for a special occasion. I made my batch for a picnic and had to make it a day in advance. Doing this made the lemonade lose all its fizziness, so I wouldn't recommend this. Also, be sure to drink the beverage within 2 days, lemon juice gets super bitter after that time.

Strawberry Lemonade
adapted from Annie's Eats
Yields about 1 gallon

Strawberry Syrup:2 cups chopped strawberries
4 tbsp sugar
2 tsp lemon juice (1 lemon)
4 tbsp water
Pinch of salt

Lemonade:2 cups very hot water
1 1/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice (this required 17 lemons, buy 20 to be on the safe side)
9 cups cold sparkling water or seltzer

First you need to make the strawberry syrup. Put strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, water and salt in a processor or blender.  Mix until it becomes more liquidy than pasty.  Press the syrup through a mesh strainer to remove all the seeds and pulp. You will be left with a pure liquid and a lot of strawberry guts. (Those strawberry guts are delicious, so I wouldn't throw them away. I mixed them with water and made strawberry ice cubes out of them to serve with the lemonade. I later decided this was a bad idea because the strawberries seeds would get in the drink. But it was very tasty nonetheless!)

Set the strawberry syrup aside and start on the lemonade. First we need to make a simple syrup. Heat 2 cups water in a sauce pan. Before it boils, but once it's hot, add the sugar to the water, stirring until it is complete dissolved. Let cool before pouring the water into a pitcher. Do not pour very hot water into a glass pitcher! I lost one of my favorite pitchers this way, it shattered!Once water is safely deposited into the pitcher, stir in the lemon juice, sparkling water, and strawberry syrup. Enjoy!

Let me know if you try this! What are your favorite summer beverages? Share in the comments.

Happy Weekend! I have a uniform I wear every weekend: Baggy Jeans, Birkenstocks or Coverses (depending on the weather) and my favorite T-shirt this year called "Captain Ahab's Dream"

Isn't is dreamy? I love Threadless, but I think my favorite thing about it is that each shirt has a title, because they're works of art! So, if you see me on the weekend, odds are I'll be wearing this uniform. Do you have a weekend uniform, or is it strange that I wear the same thing all the time?

Anyway, let's get down to brass tacks. I promised you Citrus Currant Muffins in the title, and I will deliver. 

These muffins make a great breakfast, and are perfect with tea. They get their yellow color not from corn meal (which is what I erroneously assumed) but from orange juice! Currants are a type of grape that are more tart, so they pair well with the citrus. Currants can usually be found next to the raisins and other dried fruit at your grocery store.

You should really try these. They're super easy and uniquely delicious. Have you ever had a refreshing muffin before? They're usually heavy and sweet, but these are light and tart! I love them.


Citrus Currant Muffins
Original from: Bella Baker
Makes 12

1/2 cup sugar
Grated zest of 1 orange
2 cups flour (I used whole wheat flour)
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1 cup orange juice (1 orange wasn't enough to yield 1 cup of juice, so be sure to have more oranges or OJ on hand)
2 tablespoons lemon juice (juice of 1 lemon)
1/4 teaspoon pure lemon extract (or 1/2 tsp lemon zest. I did not try this, but it should work!)
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and given time to cool
2 large eggs
3/4 cup currants

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a muffin pan or place paper cups in molds.
Grate the zest of an orange into a large bowl. Inhale deeply. Add sugar and rub together with the zest until the sugar is moist. Stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In another bowl, whisk together juices, lemon extract (if you use lemon zest, mix it with the sugar and orange zest) melted butter and eggs. Pour over the dry ingredients and mix together. Stir in currants, and divide into muffin cups.

Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan, then serve!

You're gonna love this! This broccoli pesto is tangy, creamy and the perfect compliment to pasta or even better, quinoa! 

Gather raw broccoli florets, heavy cream, olive oil, parmesan cheese, sliced or slivered almonds, lemon and garlic. First, steam the broccoli by simmering 3/4 cup of water in a large pot. Add salt and broccoli, cover and cook for a little over a minute until the florets don't taste raw anymore. Next toss them in a strainer and run cool water over them to stop the cooking. Take a moment to admire how beautifully green the florets are. Pretty, huh?

Next, in a food processor place 2 cups of the broccoli, 3 garlic cloves, 1/3 cup parmesan, 2 pinches of salt, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1/2 cup of the almonds. While processing, drizzle in 1/4 olive oil, and 1/4 cup of cream until it looks like this:

If you taste it now, the tanginess will be a bit overpowering. But don't worry, once it is mixed with quinoa or pasta, it's perfect! Toss 3 cups quinoa or half a box of pasta with half the sauce (or, combine 6 cups quinoa or a whole box of pasta with all the sauce.) Top with remaining broccoli and almonds and your choice of additional toppings! I added feta cheese and pine nuts, because I had both on hand and man, it was sooooo good! 

This sauce goes really well with orecchiette, as pictured, because the sauce pools in the "little ears" and it's just oh so delightful. But honestly, this sauce was made for quinoa! The texture of the pesto perfectly coats each quinoa seed and the sauces tanginess accentuates the nutty flavor of the quinoa. The only reason I don't have a quinoa picture is because we ate it so fast! Yummmmmm. I think I'll make another batch this weekend!

Broccoli Pesto
adapted from Une-deux senses.

5 cups raw broccoli florets (about one bag)
3 garlic cloves
2/3 cups sliced or slivered almonds
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan (It's so worth it to grate it yourself!)
2 tbsn. fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup heavy cream
salt

Simmer 3/4 cup water in a large pot. Add salt and broccoli and cook for about a minute until the vegetable doesn't taste raw anymore. Pour into a colander and run cold water over it to stop cooking. 

Set aside 3 cups of the broccoli and add 2 cups to processor bowl with garlic, 1/2 cup almonds, parmesan, lemon juice and salt to taste. While processing, drizzle in olive oil and heavy cream. 

Divide sauce into two equal amounts. Save one half for later, and mix the other half with 3 cups of cooked quinoa, or half a box of cooked pasta. Bon Appetit!

I need a delicious breakfast every morning. Well, I shouldn't say need, but I really really like a good breakfast. I simply can't eat plain old cereal and frankly, I envy those that can. It must be nice to roll out of bed and have breakfast with no effort. I always had to wake up early to make eggs and some accompanying side, until I decided to make a weekly quiche. Yes, from now on, I will bake a quiche on Sunday night, and simply cut a slice for breakfast every morning. Best idea I ever had. 

I use a pre-made pie crust, canned mushrooms, herbed feta cheese, cheddar, frozen spinach, butter (a whole stick, cause I'm young and healthy and I'll worry about that stuff later, but I'm sure a tablespoon would be sufficient), an onion, garlic, 4 eggs and a cup of milk.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Thaw the spinach in the microwave then wrap in a washcloth or paper towel and squeeze out the copious amounts of moisture. Melt the butter in a pan and saute the chopped onion and 3 cloves chopped garlic until lightly browned. Turn off the heat and stir in the spinach, the mushrooms (after draining the can), the feta and 1/2 cup cheddar. Season with salt and pepper.

Place the spinach mixture in your pie crust. Then whisk the eggs and milk.

Slowly pour the egg over the spinach mixture. Stop to stir the egg into the mixture slowly. You want to egg to permeate throughout all the ingredients. Bake for 15 minutes, then sprinkle more cheddar on top and bake for another 35 minutes or until the middle is set.

Let cool, slice, serve and eat! This recipe is quite versatile, you can change the cheeses and veggies to your liking. In the future I'm gonna try it with broccoli, asparagus, edamame, maybe even kale. I use whatever cheeses I have on hand. Like tonight I didn't have any cheddar or herbed feta so I used romano and plain feta instead and it's awesome! Definitely give this a try, it's great for a daily indulgent breakfast, but it would also be perfect for special brunches or girly parties like showers (there's always quiche at those).

Spinach Feta Quiche
adapted from All Recipes
Serves 8

1 stick of butter
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 10 oz package frozen chopped spinach thawed and squeezed to remove excess moisture
1 4.5 oz can mushrooms, drained
1 6 oz package crumbled herbed feta
1 8 oz package cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 pie crust
4 eggs beaten
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a pan, melt butter over medium heat and saute garlic and onion until lightly browned. Turn off heat and stir in spinach, mushrooms, feta and 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. Season with salt and pepper and fold spinach mixture into pie crust.

Whisk together the eggs and milk then slowly pour into the pastry shell. Stir the eggs and the spinach mixture so that the egg permeates through all the ingredients.

Bake for 15 minutes, then sprinkle with cheddar cheese to your liking. Bake for another 35 minutes or until the center isn't wobbly when you shake it. Let cool for 10 minutes or more before serving.

Tagine is a traditional North African dish cooked in a device of the same name. It consists of tender meat and spiced vegetables. This is my version!

Gather 2 teaspoons paprika (I forgot to get it in the picture!), 1/4 teaspoon turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 2 tablespoons olive oil. In a plastic bag, mix all these flavors together, throw in 2 1/2 lbs pork tenderloin and toss to coat. I'm not convinced this is the best meat choice, It's quite expensive. If you can think of something better let me know in a comment! When you buy the meat, ask your butcher to cut it into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Don't be afraid, they're just waiting for someone to ask them to do something butchery! Anyway, let the meet marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour, and no more than 12.

When you're ready to start cookin' get 4 carrots, pitted kalamata olives, parsley, cilantro, 1 clove garlic, ginger, lemon, and an onion. Also 32 oz chicken broth.

For your mise en place, cut the carrots into thin sticks about 3 inches long, cut the onion into thick slices, zest half the lemon, grate (or chop into tiny pieces) the ginger, mince the garlic, slice the olives in half, and chop the parsley and cilantro. Mise en place is a great phrase, I just learned it. Can you use context clues to figure out what it means? If not, click here! Oh yeah! I almost forgot! Around this time start cooking the quinoa according to the directions. You'll need about a 10 oz box.

Heat another 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the carrots and onions and cook for about 15 minutes until they look like this...

sooo tasty! Transfer them to a plate. 

Adding a few bits of pork at a time, brown all sides and then put aside on a plate. Repeat with remaining pork until they're all browned. Add all the pork, onion and carrots back to the pot, and stir in the garlic, ginger and lemon zest too.

Pour in the whole box of chicken broth and bring to a boil.

Once it's boiling, take out the biggest piece of pork and cut it in half to make sure it's done. If it's not ready yet, keep the broth boiling and check another piece in a few minutes. Once, the pork's cooked, stir in the quinoa, cilantro, parsley and olives.

Spoon into bowls and enjoy!

Pork Tagine with Quinoa
adapted from Real Simple

2 teaspoons paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 lbs pork tenderloin, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1 medium yellow onion, thickly sliced
4 carrots, peeled and cut into thin 3 inch strips.
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
zest of 1/2 lemon, grated
1 32 ounce container low sodium chicken broth
1 10 ounce box of quinoa
handful of chopped cilantro
handful of chopped parsley
3/4 cup kalamata olives pitted and halved. 

In a ziploc bag, combine first 6 ingredients and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the pork and shake to coat. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, no more than 12 hours.
When you are ready to start cooking, cook quinoa according to box directions.
Heat the remaining 2 tbspns of oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook onions and carrots for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a plate.
Adding a few pork pieces at a time, brown all the pork on all sides and set aside.
Return browned pork to the pot with onions, carrots, garlic, ginger and lemon zest.
Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Once pork is done, stir in quinoa, cilantro, parsley and olives. 
Divide into bowls and serve.

I've been making a meal very similar to the one in this post ever since Jared and I got married. I decided, now that I'm an adult, I need to start cooking! This recipe was my favorite because it was so easy, filling and tasty. I've never had meatballs better than this, and they couldn't be simpler. Now, as I am a more seasoned cook, I decided to update this tried and true recipe to suit my current tastes. After a week of eating oatmeal for breakfast and pizza for lunch and pasta with toast for dinner (no joke!), I decided I needed to cut back a bit on my gluten intake. So, instead of couscous which the original recipe called for, I switched to quinoa. I've also been trying to eat more vegetables, so I threw in some spinach. I new it would be a more nutritious version, but I didn't realize how much better it would taste! I had to share it with you.

First, get your quinoa cooking. You'll need 1 cup - 1 1/2 cups of quinoa, cook according to package directions.

Quinoa is all the rage right now, but it really is good! It is a gluten-free seed that has a couscous like consistency and a nutty flavor when cooked. If you haven't tried it, I definitely recommend it. 

Next, make your meatballs! Well, first, preheat your oven to 350. Then, make your meatballs! You will need 1 1/2 lbs ground beef, 1/2 cup dried bread crumbs, 1/2 cup pesto, 1 egg, salt and pepper. Mix all the ingredients together with your hands. Isn't cooking fun?

Now mold the meat into 12 equally sized meatballs. Grease a cookie sheet or some other pan with a rim with just enough olive oil, you don't want to fry your meatballs. Unless you do, I bet that would taste awesome! Place the meatballs in the pan.

Bake for 15 minutes and flip the meatballs. Then bake for another 10 minutes. While the meatballs are cooking, wilt some spinach. You will need: 2 bags of pre-washed spinach and about 2 inches of water in a pretty big pot. Boil the water and then throw in as much spinach as will fit into the pot.

Stir it around with the hot water and as it starts to wilt continue to add more spinach, until you have cooked both bags. 

Man I love spinach. I love how it leaves your teeth feeling clean, you know what I mean? Maybe that's just me. Once you cooked down both bags, drain out the water and set the spinach aside. When your meatballs are done, spoon the quinoa into bowls, and top with 3 meatballs and a healthy helping of spinach. Top with some more pesto mixed with a bit of olive oil to make it more like a sauce. If you're pesto is already quite liquidy then skip this step, you can just spoon it over the meatballs and spinach as it is. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired, and serve!

This recipe could be easily adapted to be gluten free; just substitute the bread crumbs in the meatballs with some gluten free stuff, or take it out altogether. Your meatballs may not stay together as well, but you break 'em apart anyway when you eat. Pesto Meatballs with Quinoa and Spinach could also be dairy free if you don't add parmesan cheese. Just make sure to buy (or make) a pesto that does not have any cheese in it already.

Pesto Meatballs with Quinoa and Spinach
Serves 4

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
3/4 cup pesto
1 egg
1 1/2 cups quinoa
2 bags pre-washed spinach
salt and pepper
olive oil
grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare quinoa with package directions. In a large bowl combine ground beef, bread crumbs, 1/2 cup of the pesto, egg, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Grease a rimmed pan with olive oil. Form 12 evenly sized meatballs and place on pan. Bake for 15 minutes, turn once and bake for another 10 minutes. You might want to cut up one meatball to make sure it's done before serving. Bring about 2 inches of water to a boil in a large pot. Add as much spinach as will fit in the pot and cook down until there is room for more spinach. In this way wilt all the spinach. Drain the water and set spinach aside. 

Spoon quinoa into bowls and top with 3 meatballs and lots of spinach. Mix 1/4 cup of pesto with some olive oil to make it more liquidy, if necessary. Top meatballs and spinach with pesto. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on it too, why not?

If you're like me, you've been craving light, zesty, summery meals after all the festivities featuring decadent seasonal treats. So, tonight I whipped up one of our favorite meals, a pasta tossed with olive oil, grape tomatoes, garlic and basil then sprinkled copiously with parmesan. So simple and so delicious, it really doesn't need any explanation. I'll just jump straight to the recipe.

Summer Garden Pasta
adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home

4.5 pints grape tomatoes, sliced in half.
1/2 cup olive oil
6 cloves minced garlic
1 bunch of basil leaves, about the size depicted above, cut chiffonade style. Leave a few whole for garnish
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound whole grain angel hair or linguine pasta.
2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese 

Combine the tomatoes, oil, garlic, basil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Stir to combine and let sit for as long as you can stand it! Ina Garten recommends at least 4 hours, but I usually can only handle waiting 2 hours, and it's still delicious! About 15 minutes before you are ready to serve, boil water for your pasta, and cook according to the package directions. Drain and add to tomato oil mixture. Toss with 1 cup parmesan cheese and plate. Garnish with a few whole basil leaves and sprinkle with a bit more parmesan.

Delish!

I'm siiiiiiiiiiiick. Pity me! Thanks, that makes me feel better. It hasn't been so bad. I've been watching Buffy (the Vampire Slayer, for those who don't know) non-stop and knitting, so really it's a pretty normal weekend!

I made Mexican Pizza this week; it was very tasty and easy.

First, you make the crust. I always dread making pizza crust, but every time it's easy and delicious! I don't know what my problem is. I use this recipe except I substitute about half of the flour for whole wheat flour. I love this recipe because it's so easy. You just put it all in a food processor fitted with  a dough blade, like so.

Then you process until it forms a ball, like so.

Then you need to let the dough rise for about an hour. So while you wait, start prepping your pizza toppings! First we need to make the black bean sauce. Wash your food processor bowl because we're going to use it again. Rinse and drain a can of black beans and put into the processor bowl. Add cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper, then blend. Add some water and blend some more until it looks saucy.

Give it a taste and add some more spices if you like. Now brown a 1/2 lb of ground beef seasoned with salt, pepper and cumin. Chop up 1 jalapeno, dice about 1/3 of a tomato, 1/3 of a red onion, gather 1/3 cup corn (fresh or frozen) and about a handful of cilantro. Your dough should be ready pretty soon. Voila! Look how big it got!

If your fancy you can try throwing it in the air to make it pizza sized, but I just use a rolling pin. This much dough will make a just thick enough 14 inch pizza.

Spread the bean sauce over the pizza. You probably won't use all of it, but the rest will be perfect for nachos!

Now top it with the ground beef. Again, you might not use all of it but it will definitely enhance the nachos you'll make with the leftover bean sauce. Then top with shredded cheese, the mexican blend you can find at stores is perfect.

Next evenly distribute the rest of the toppings all over the pizza.

Put it in a 500 degree oven and bake for 10-12 minutes and serve!

Mexican Pizza
Adapted from Annie's Eats.

For the dough:
1 package active yeast
1 cup warm water (I microwaved it for 30 seconds)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil


For the pizza:
1 can black beans
cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper, salt and pepper to taste
3 tbsps water
1/2 lb ground beef
1 cup Mexican Blend shredded cheese
1 jalapeno diced, seeded if you don't want your pizza to be that spicy
1/4 cup red onion
1/3 cup tomato diced
1/3 cup corn
handful of cilantro


Form dough into a 14 inch pizza crust. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
Brown ground beef seasoned with cumin, salt and pepper.
Rinse and drain black beans and put in the food processor. Add cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper to taste and blend. Add water and blend some more until it has a sauce consistency. 
Spread sauce on pizza dough. Top with ground beef. Cover with cheese, and sprinkle the rest of the toppings on the pizza. Bake for 10-12 minutes and serve.