BLT Pasta Salad

I don't know about you guys, but it's been HOT all week here.  I'm talking weather advisories, can barely breathe when you go outside, need multiple pairs of underwear in one day hot.  We normally get heat waves like this, but only for a few days, not a week at a time.  There's supposed to be some big thunderstorms this weekend so hopefully that will cool things down a bit.

In the meantime, it's way too hot to cook.  But... I still need to eat!  I've been seeing a few different variations of this BLT salad on Pinterest and decided to make my own.  It's delicious and the pasta makes it more filling than a regular salad. 

Okay, so you do have to do a little bit of cooking for the bacon and the pasta (yes, it's been too hot to even boil water), but I promise you it's worth it.  I made a huge bowl of this and have been tweaking it every day so that I don't get sick of it, and it just keeps getting better as the flavors get to know each other better.

Plus, I like this recipe because it's easy to adapt and add or remove things you don't like without totally changing the flavors.

Joe's not a huge salad person, but he loved this one! Although to be fair, I think he'd eat anything as long as it involved bacon.  No real recipe for this one, since it's pretty simple: romaine lettuce, tomatoes, bacon, red onion, pasta of your choice.  Toss is all together.  If you know it's all going to be eaten, top with ranch dressing in the bowl.  Otherwise, serve in individual-sized bowls and top with dressing.  As you can see from the photos, to mix it up, I also added some corn and some shredded chicken.  Yum!

If you try this, let me know what you think!

Blueberry Bread

I'm a little behind on my blogging.  I'm also a little behind on my baking.  Let's blame Mother Nature for both, shall we?

Living in Massachusetts, it's difficult to bake as much as I like to when it's 95 degrees and humid outside and 85 and humid inside.  Even with the AC on, baking in the summer is a challenge - is what I want to make worth heating up the whole apartment?  Will it even come out right because it's so humid?  I do most of my summer baking first thing on Saturday or Sunday mornings or later in the evenings, since that's when it's coolest.  As a result, my posts will probably be slowing down from now until about August/September (when I can't take it anymore), but I do have some awesome no-bake and summery baked recipes that I'm dying to try (watermelon cookies - I'm looking at you!).

Anyhow, here's something I made a couple of weeks ago that's really perfect for this type of weather and the summer season.  Blueberries are in their prime right now, and the light and airiness of this bread really lends itself to a lot of combinations: you can easily serve this by itself or with a scoop of ice cream and/or whipped cream and either more fresh blueberries or other delicious fruits.

I actually made this twice, as the first one barely made it into the door at work before it was devoured.  The second one, Joe and I took our time and savored - then used the rest of it to make french toast, which I will blog about later. 

For me, one of the most surprising things about this bread was my brother's reaction.  Now, I love this kid, but holy hell, he can be really picky sometimes.  My favorite thing to do is say, "Josh, do you like _____?"  And, when he says, no, I make it any way.  Sometimes, he still doesn't like it, but more times than not, he ends up going back for a second or third helping.  He came over after I made this and we ended up just missing each other because I had to work late and then run a couple of errands.  He sent me a text that said he doesn't like blueberries, but the bread was delicious.  Further proof that you don't know you like something until you've actually tried it (PS: Hi Josh)!

What I loved about this recipe is that it's so easy to make.  If you're planning to make it for a party you're having, it's an easy thing to whip up the night before OR the day of, and as long as you put it into an airtight container or cover it good with foil, nobody will know!

I also really like how the blueberries are perfectly mixed in.  I decided to sprinkle the sugar on top because while it was baking, the smell made me think of blueberry muffins, which are my absolute favorite.  I like adding the sugar on top partway through the baking process because then you still get the sweet taste to compliment the tartness of the blueberries, without the sugar crystallizing too much while it's cooking.

I'm a huge fan of fresh berries - and tend to buy way more than one person can reasonably eat - so this is an excellent summertime recipe that will give you something sweet to munch on without being too heavy.

Blueberry Bread
To print this recipe, click here

Ingredients

2 c. flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 stick butter, room temperature

1 c. sugar, plus more for dusting

2 eggs

6 oz. vanilla yogurt
1 pint blueberries

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease a loaf pan and set aside.

In a medium sized bowl, combine butter and sugar.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one.

Add the flour, baking powder and yogurt.  Mix until everything is incorporated.

Carefully fold in the blueberries, being careful not to overstir and not to crush any blueberries.

Scoop batter into prepared pan, using the back of a spoon to gently even it out, if necessary.  Bake for 30 minutes and remove bread from oven.  Sprinkle about 1 Tbsp of sugar on top, then return to oven for approximately 30 more minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

When bread is finished baking, let cool in pan for about 10-15 minutes.  Gently run a knife around the outside edge.  Carefully invert onto a plate or cutting board and move to wire rack to cool completely.

Yields 10-12 slices, depending on thickness.

Raspberry Coffee Cake

The calendar says spring, but Mother Nature apparently thinks that means it should rain for a week at a time.  It's actually nice and sunny today, but earlier in the week, the weather really had my down in the dumps, so I decided I needed to make something light and flavorful that would cheer me up.

You see, spring and summer are my favorite time of year.  Normally, it's something like this: the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, the sky is blue, the grass is green and the trees are in full bloom.  I'm driving with the radio up and the windows down, and all of my favorite fruits are in season: watermelon, strawberries, cantaloupe, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, watermelon (yes, I like watermelon so much it made the list twice).... mmm.

Only, mostly it's been like this: dark, chilly, wet, gloomy.  I'm really an outdoorsy person, but this weather makes it really hard for me to want to go from my front door to the car, never mind do anything fun.

Some early berries are starting to hit shelves, and they're everything you'd expect from seasonal fruit: bright and colorful, juicy and delicious.  So, I decided to the bring the outside in.  A lot of coffee cakes have a full bottom and top dough.  I liked this one because there was just a little bit of dough on top, which really lets the tartness of the raspberries take center stage.  If you prefer your coffee cake a little more contained, simply double the dough recipe.  The dough is quite a bit sticky, though, so you'll want to be careful spreading it over the raspberries.

I can't speak for everyone else, but this definitely brightened my mood.  The cake is light and fluffy and the raspberries are the perfect combination of sweet and tart.  While this would certainly work with frozen berries, this really lets the flavor of the fresh berries shine.

Raspberry Coffee Cake

To print this recipe, click here

For the filling:
1 cup raspberries
3 Tbs brown sugar

For the dough:
1 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 egg
1/2 c. sour cream
3 Tbs butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the icing:
1/4 c. confectioners sugar
1 1/2 tsp. milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease an 8" square baking pan and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine raspberries and brown sugar; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda.  Stir in egg, sour cream, butter and vanilla.  Mix just until combined and moistened.

Spread batter into baking pan, reserving about 2/3 cup (I found it was easier to spread using just the very edge of a fork).  Top with raspberries.  Spoon remaining batter over raspberries.

Bake for 25 minutes, until raspberries are set and top is lightly browned.  Let cool for 10 minutes.  Combine icing ingredients and drizzle over coffee cake.  Serve warm.  Store leftovers in an airtight container.

Cake Pops: First Attempt

In honor of Josh's high school graduation, I was going to blog about his favorite recipe.  But, I promised him we could make it together this summer, so I will save the post for a later date and instead share about my first attempt at cake pops.

I like to think of this as a follow up to my post about Samantha's rainbow cupcakes.  See, I made some extra in case I had some casualties.  I had a couple, so it was a good thing I did.  I somehow ended up with a full extra dozen cupcakes.  I wanted to eat them, but I also wanted to do something different with them.  So, I decided I would try to make cake pops.

 "Try" is the key word, here.  I've already looked online and figured out some things I can try to make them come out better next time.  I used dipping chocolate and candy coating for these, and I had a much better and easier time with the chocolate.  Candy coating, apparently, is harder to use than you would think, which explains why I mostly ended up with (lumpy) cake balls instead of cake pops.

Here's the thing:  they look pretty ugly - or, at least not as awesome as all of the other ones on the internet - but holy crap they are delicious!

Josh gave me a box of red velvet cake mix awhile ago, and I think I am going to try to make those into cake pops.  I'm hoping that the idea in my head translates well in real life, but I think that if I combine that with what I read online and what I figured out the hard way, I'll be in good shape.  To be honest, I'm really excited about trying them again so that I can have something that looks as good as it tastes.

If you're thinking about making cake pops (or cake balls), I found this link to be pretty helpful: Common Cake Pop Issues & Tutorial.  Of course, you'll probably want to check it out before you start making them.

What's the last recipe you made that ended up being harder/more complicated than you expected?

Birthday Cupcakes

I am really excited about this post today.  I've been wanting to talk about it for awhile, but I was feeling superstitious and didn't want to jinx it.  "It" finally happened - successfully! - so now I want to tell you guys all about it.

Remember how I made rainbow birthday cake for a coworker a few months ago?  Well, my coworker, Stephanie, brought the rest of the cake home with her for kids.  Her oldest daughter, Samantha, LOVED it (okay, the other two kids loved it also, but they don't have anything to do with this story) and asked me to make rainbow cake for her birthday.  And then I found out that they were expecting ~100 people, so I decided that rainbow sheet cake(s) was/were out of the question and opted for rainbow cupcakes instead.  Of course, I had to make a test batch to see if they would satisfy my customer.

They were a success, but Sam's only real request was that they be actual rainbow colors and NO PINK!  I also wanted to do something different with the frosting.  I liked the chocolate/vanilla (dyed teal) swirl (reminded me of soft serve ice cream), but it started to look a little mucky towards the end.

After brainstorming with Joe, we decided I would take it up a notch.

(Yes, there is one missing!)

Rainbow cupcakes with solid colored frosting, set up to look like a rainbow.

Yeah.

Wanna see what they looked like on the inside?

Samantha asked for bright, rainbow colors, and I delivered.  I only stayed at the party for an hour or so, but the cupcakes were definitely a hit.  A bunch of Sam's friends sought me out to tell me how delicious they were, and I think I saw every small kid with at least one while I was there.  The coup de grace, though, was when one of Stephanie's friends told me that this was the first entire cupcake her 6 year old daughter had ever eaten.  She was telling me that her daughter will usually only eat a couple of bites before abandoning it, but this one she ate the whole entire thing in one sitting.  I realize that cupcakes are not actually that large, but holy crap!  I didn't even know what to say or how to react.  Inside, I was (am) doing backflips.

Overall, this was a ton of work and time, but totally worth it.  The cupcakes came out GREAT and it was a really awesome thing.  Hopefully, it's also a step in the right direction.

Happy birthday, Samantha!

Big Mac Salad

First, some business to take care of: I've added a pinterest widget so that images can be pinned.  The button comes up when you hover over the images.  I've noticed that the hover option only works on photos that I've uploaded through Blogger only, not if I've also posted them through Photobucket.  I'm not going to go back and edit every post, but if there's something you really want to pin, let me know!

A couple of years ago, Joe ended up getting me a free cookbook at one of the tradeshows he went to for work: Hungry Girl 300 Under 300.  Basically, "Hungry Girl" is a regular lady named Lisa who likes to eat real food that tastes good but that is also healthy/healthier for you.  I haven't tried even close to all of the recipes yet, but all of the ones we've tried so far have been really good.

As the weather starts getting warmer, we like to lighten up our dinner options - big salads and big sandwiches are popular in this house.  Now, I LOVE a good salad, but sometimes the standard lettuce-cucumber-onions-carrots gets a little boring (note: I really don't like tomatoes).  I was flipping through my cookbook one night looking for inspiration, and came across this recipe.  Now, Hungry Girl actually has it named something completely different, but Joe and I both thought a more accurate and easier description was Big Mac Salad.

If you've ever been the Golden Arches and had a regular Big Mac, this salad has all of the same flavors but not nearly as many calories.  Admittedly, my version uses real beef - not soy crumbles, as the recipe calls for - increasing the amount of calories, but the flavors and taste are still there.  Also, you don't hate yourself and feel disgusting after you eat my version.

Even more important than all of that, though, is that I got my fiancee (still getting used to calling him that) to eat salad for dinner!  Two bowls!  Willingly and without complaint!

There was a little bit leftover that I brought to work with me for lunch. I crushed up some sweet potato tortilla chips for some extra crunch and HOLY COW it was the perfect combination!  Joe had suggested maybe putting in some french fries too, to really give it that fast food-y taste.  I think you'll accomplish the same thing if you add something a little healthier like potato sticks or tortilla chips.  Crushed up regular potato chips would probably work too.

Either way, this salad is really delicious, but also really filling - the perfect combination!

Big Mac Salad
Recipe adapted from Hungry Girl

Ingredients:
1 medium-size head romaine lettuce, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
2 dill pickles, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 lb. hamburger, browned and drained
1 Tbsp. yellow mustard
1 Tbsp. ketchup
cheddar cheese 
Thousand Island dressing


Directions:
Cook hamburger in a skillet.  Drain.  Place in a bowl and let cool to room temperature.  Once cool, mix in ketchup and mustard and set aside.  

Bring a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to high heat on the stove. Add onion and cook until slightly browned and softened, about 3 minutes. Transfer to the large bowl and set aside. 

Combine all ingredients except dressing in a large bowl.  Mix thoroghly.  Serve in individual bowls topped with Thousand Island dressing.

S'mores, please!

I was originally going to blog about something else, but with Memorial Day right around the corner, this seemed pretty apropos.

I found the original recipe in a Food Network magazine that my future SIL gave to me.  Someone keeps subscribing her to magazines that she doesn't want and doesn't read.  Which is a huge score for me, because I love magazines - ESPECIALLY when I don't have to pay for them!

I had some people over my house this weekend for a jewelry party, so I converted this into a gluten free recipe so that everybody could eat it. I only told a few people that that they were GF, and the people who didn't know really couldn't tell - everyone kept talking about how delicious they were.  Josh came over on Monday and he took the rest home, bound and determined not to share any with mom (sorry).  I'm pretty sure I'm going to make this again for the family Memorial Day cookout.  I've mentioned in previous posts about wanting to make more GF things, and while I only have a few under my belt, I can already tell that this will be one of my favorites.  See, I'm of the mindset that having special dietary requirements or restrictions doesn't mean that food has to be gross or taste less delicious than the regular version.  With this recipe, you can't tell the difference, and that's precisely why I love it.

What's your favorite recipe for special diets?

Baked S'mores Bars
To print this recipe, click here

Ingredients

1 stick butter, room temperature

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 c. gluten-free all purpose flour

1/2 cup gluten-free graham cracker crumbs (about 8 graham crackers)

16 gluten-free graham crackers, whole

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2-3 oz. dark chocolate bars

gluten-free marshmallow fluff or marshmallows
 

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease an 8" square pan and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer, beat the butter, sugars and vanilla together until light and fluffy.

In a small bowl, combine flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and cinnamon.

Stir graham cracker mixture into butter until combined and a thick batter forms.

Spread the batter on the bottom of your prepared pan.

Evenly lay the two chocolate bars across the batter.

Spread the marshmallow fluff (or sprinkle the marshmallows) over the chocolate and evenly top with the whole graham crackers.

Bake for about 25 minutes, until fluff has lightly browned and top graham crackers have set.

Cool completely and slice.

Yields approx. 16 bars.