Lemon Bars Lemon Bars These are the lemon bars indeed. I just baked them in a tart pan. And I had my reasons for doing so. When I baked them in a square 9-inch pan lined with foil, I had to trim the edges to get perfectly looking bars. This is an adaptation of Alice Medrich’s recipe. Makes about 14 bars For the crust: 8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted¼ cup sugar¾ tsp pure vanilla extract¼ tsp salt1 cup all-purpose flour For the filling: 1 cup sugar3 tbsp all-purpose flour3 large eggsFinely grated zest of 1 lemon on lime, preferably organic½ cup strained fresh lime or lemon juicePowdered sugar for dusting (optional) Make the crust: Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 F. In a bowl, combine the melted butter with the sugar, vanilla, and salt. Place the tart pan on a cookie sheet and bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the crust is fully baked and deep golden brown; press it down with the back of a spoon or prick it with a fork if it bubbles up.
Bagels I don't know why, but I thought making bagels was considerably more complicated than making a loaf of bread. Well, it's not: it is easy. A recipe and a description of how easy it was to make these below. I knew making bagels involved boiling them. So when I read a couple of bagel recipes and all they said was "bring a pot of water to a boil. About Bagels There are a ton of bagel recipes out there. For my first time baking bagels, I decided to use the recipe from the The Bread Baker's Apprentice. Recipe Makes 1 dozen bagelsSponge: 1 teaspoon instant yeast 4 cups bread flour 2 1/2 cups waterDough: 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast 3 3/4 cups bread flour 2 3/4 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons malt powder OR 1 tablespoon malt syrup, honey, or brown sugarFinishing touches: 1 tablespoon baking soda for the water Cornmeal for dusting the pan Toppings for the bagels such as seeds, salt, onion, or garlic The Night Before Stir the yeast into the flour in a large mixing bowl. Baking Day Preheat the oven to 500.
Coffee Cake This is a Southern Living recipe that a friend shared with me. It is a moist and delicious cake with a yummy pecan topping. It would be wonderful to bake for breakfast if you had overnight company. Actually, it would be wonderful to bake anytime, even if it's just for you. I used a petal shaped pan that I bought at Williams Sonoma about 10 years ago. ...mine has a removable bottom. Cream Cheese Coffee Cake 1/2 cup butter, softened1 (8ounce) package cream cheese, softened1-1/2 cups sugar2 eggs2 cups all-purpose flour2 tsp baking powder1/2 tsp baking soda1/2 tsp salt1/2 cup milk (I used buttermilk, and I recommend it)1 tsp vanillaTopping Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed until creamy. Topping1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar1/2 cup flour1/2 cup pecans1/4 cup melted butterCombine ingredients. Beat softened butter and cream cheese together: Add remaining ingredients and beat just until blended: Pour into greased pan: Combine topping ingredients. Ohhh.
Recipe for Creamy Bacon Tomato and Avocado Pasta Salad at Life Folks today I would like to share with you what is sure to be my go-to pasta salad this summer for all the pot-lucks, BBQs and patio dinners that are sure to come up. With this recipe I challenge you to forget the box; forget the pre-made stuff at your deli grocer. You aren’t going to want it after you give this a try. Just think, creamy refreshing lemon dill dressing coats perfect pasta, creamy avocados, sweet tomatoes and crispy bacon. It’s like summer in a bowl. I actually got the idea for this salad from one of my favorite sandwiches: Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato and Avocado.
Strudel Whenever the word “brunch” is mentioned, and especially Easter brunch, this coffee cake drifts through the wide open space of my mind. Yeah, right! I WISH my mind was a wide open space. Nevertheless, as I was saying, this coffeecake drifts through my very crowded mind whenever brunch is mentioned. I give it to them, of course, but always reluctantly, because after they see for themselves how easy it is to make, they may begin to question ALL of my seeming feats of culinary magic. Plus they might give the recipe to 50 of their closest friends, which would mean that everyone (maybe even one of my family members) would bring this same coffeecake to Easter brunch. But I’m sure that YOU will keep this recipe strictly to yourself, right? Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake 2 cups King Arthur unbleached, all-purpose flour, sifted 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon fine sea salt ½ cup unsalted butter 3 ounces best quality cream cheese ½ cup milk Icing ½ cup powdered sugar 1 tablespoon milk Optional
Carne Asada Fries Drool. That’s basically what my boyfriend did when I surprised him with these Carne Asada Fries for lunch this past weekend. In fact, I can’t just say that was only him, I was pretty much freaking out the entire time I was making these and just pacing my kitchen while the fries baked because I was so excited to dig in. Just imagine, crispy steak fries, topped with layers of cheese, chopped Carne Asada, fresh homemade guacamole, and pico de gallo. I had some leftover carne asada from a dinner party from the previous night and decided it would make a great topping for some loaded nachos. It got a big thumbs up from my boyfriend, the token carnivore in our house, and I’ve been dreaming about this dish ever since. Ingredients 3 russet potatoes1 tsp garlic salt1/2 tsp ground pepper1 tsp onion flakes1/2 tsp cumin1 tbsp olive oil2 avocados2 tbsp cilantro2 cups chopped carne asada (recipe below)1 cup cheese, cheddar, pepperjack or quesadilla1/2 cup pico de gallosalt and pepper to taste
Make a Starbucks Frappuccino for $0.32 I wanted one. Badly. The intoxicating sip of caffeine and the sweet taste of sugar, all blended together into a mixture of iced creamy goodness and designed to melt in your mouth. Yep, there’s nothing quite like the seductive taste of a Starbucks Frappuccino on a hot summer’s day. With my resolve kicked to the curb in favor of a self-indulgent caffeine hit, I walked into the nearest Starbucks with my wallet in hand. Take a guess: One is real. Now I’m not a complete cheapo (cough) and I do enjoy an indulgent treat every now and then, but shelling out nearly $4 for a chilled coffee beverage seemed a bit steep. The Starbucks barista must have been used to caffeine-starved customers with mouths agape, ’cause she stood there patiently waiting for me to order. “Oh, that’s just a little xanthan gum — it’s a food thickener, and it keeps blended drinks mixed,” she said. Frapp Price Attack: You’re saving around 92% But here’s the thing — my tasty recipe yields around 2.5 cups of frappy goodness.
28 Muffin Recipes You’ll Want to Try I love muffins. I love them even more than cupcakes. Probably because they are so quick to make. Of course, not all muffins are the sweet variety. Here’s a list of muffin recipes gathered from this site and all around the web too. Snickerdoodle Muffins – Just like the cookie, only in muffin form. Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins Cranberry Muffins with Orange Marmalade Glaze – The glaze would be really good on other kinds of muffins too. Chocolate Chip Muffins Blueberry Muffins with Orange Glaze Apple Brown Betty Muffins Poppy Seed Muffins Blueberry Sour Cream Muffins Graham Muffins Pumpkin Muffins Argan Banana Muffins from Maroc Mama Sweet Potato Spice Muffins from The Jammie Girl Pumpkin Muffins with Streusel Topping from Hoosier Homemade Banana Muffins with Tart Lemon Icing from Addicted to Recipes Apple Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins from Barbara Bakes Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins from Mommy Hates Cooking White Chocolate Pineapple Muffins from Mommy Hates Cooking Pear Muffins from The Happy Housewife
Chicken Alfredo Pizza Recipe When chicken Alfredo and pizza come together, the combination couldn’t get much better. This pizza is a great combination of Italian flavors. If you are looking for something different from your normal pizza this should do the trick. Ingredients: 1 (16 inch) pre-made pizza crust (or box mix or homemade) 1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms 1 cup fresh broccoli florets 1 (8 oz) bag mozzarella cheeseAlfredo Sauce- 4 tablespoons butter ¼ teaspoon salt 1 dash ground black pepper 4 tablespoons flour 1 cup milk ¾ cup grated Romano cheeseGarlic Butter-2 tablespoons butter 1 garlic clove (minced) 1 pinch dried rosemary 1 pinch saltChicken- 2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary ¼ teaspoon thyme ¼ teaspoon poultry seasoning ¼ teaspoon garlic powder ¼ teaspoon salt Cooking Instructions: Step 1: In a small bowl combine all chicken seasoning ingredients and mix well. Step 2: To make Alfredo Sauce- In a small saucepan melt butter over medium heat.
Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). To toast hazelnuts: spread on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant, and the skins start to blister and peel. Remove from oven and cover the nuts with a clean dish towel. Let the nuts 'steam' for 5 minutes and then briskly rub the towel (with nuts inside) to remove the skins from the nuts. Cool and then chop coarsely. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degree F (150 degrees C). In a food processor, fitted with the metal blade, place the coarsely chopped chocolate and brown sugar and process until the chocolate is very fine. Then, in a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking soda and salt. In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the eggs and vanilla extract until combined (about one minute). With floured hands divide the dough in half. Using a long spatula transfer the logs to a cutting board.
Homemade Baked Mozzarella Sticks Mozzarella sticks are a delicious treat, probably one of the most popular appetizers at restaurants, and a fun party food. They tend to be rather fattening, especially considering they are usually fried, but they are so irresistibly tasty. So how do you give in to the temptation that is mozzarella sticks without the guilt? Make healthy, Baked Mozzarella Sticks! Here is a recipe I love, and your family will too. Ingredients 1 pkg. low fat mozzarella cheese strings (8-10 sticks) 1/2 cup flour 2 large egg whites, lightly beaten 1 cup dry bread crumbs or Italian style panko (seasoned) marinara sauce for dipping Directions 1. I hope you enjoy this delicious, healthy twist on traditional fried mozzarella sticks. Note: Some comments indicate that mozzarella is oozing sooner than time prescribed in this recipe- keep an eye on the sticks while baking and feel free to shorten the bake time to suit your oven. You May Also Like:
How to make your own homemade “pop tarts” Ok, these are not pop-tarts exactly, how about just-like-pop-tarts-but-without-the-stuff-you-can’t-spell (or say)? It’s super easy, all you need is a good butter pie dough and delicious jam of your choice. And if you’re one of those who think a great pie is all about a good crust–I am of course one–these pop-tarts are perfect for you. They are filled with just enough delectable jam to punctuate the flavor without obscuring the buttery, flaky goodness of the crust. I’ve been having so much fun making them (and eating them) lately, I thought I’d share a few tricks I picked up along the way with you so your pop-tarts come out perfect every time. Start with the pie crust recipe you’re most comfortable with. Break off a piece about 75g by weight. Roll the dough into 8″x6″ rectangle, working gently and slowly so you get a good rectangular shape. Brush off excess flour. Fold the dough in half, making sure they match the other edge perfectly. Trim off the excess, uneven dough edges. Et voila!