Lemon Basil Sugar Cookies

  Many years ago, after all of my siblings and I had grown up and moved out, I used to stop by my parents' house and visit with my Mom. Honestly, if I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times,... someone should have followed my Mom and written down everything she ever said. I can't even begin to express the amount of Life Lessons we all learned from her, and of course, this blog wouldn't exist if it hadn't been for her. She was the best at cooking with what she had on hand, and she could feed an army just as easily as she could feed 2 people. Whenever I visited with her, we talked about loads of topics, but of course the conversation would inevitably work its way back to food or cooking or recipes or "how did you make this?" or "do we have that old recipe written down anywhere?" or some similar variation.
 Once I was fixing her a cup of tea, and I noticed that she had a little plate of sugar cookies in a container off to the side of the kitchen counter. I asked her about them and she said she liked to make them "whenever she wanted a little something sweet." She described them as being "nothing crazy, 'no bells and whistles', just good old fashioned sugar cookies" and they made a small enough batch that it didn't take her all afternoon to make them. "Perfect with a cup of tea."
 For some reason, that conversation always stuck with me. How can you go wrong with a good old fashioned sugar cookie whenever you want "a little something sweet", right?
 Cut to many years later, and I happen upon this recipe on a blog called Albiongould.com. I IMMEDIATELY think of Mom and those cookies that she had with her cup of tea. A classic sugar cookie, only this time with a little refreshing lemon and basil. I guess we can call that a few small bells and whistles, but still nothing crazy. The recipe description even says that it's perfect with a cup of tea. Sounds pretty awesome to me. And since I happen to have an ever-growing window box of basil, I decided to give it a hair cut and make these cookies. They're just exactly what you want them to be. Sweet, lemony, crispy, chewy, basil-y. Pretty sure Mom would have loved them.
 So the next time you want "a little something sweet" without too many "bells and whistles," fix yourself a cup of tea and try this recipe.
As Mom would say "It's one of Life's simple pleasures."




2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup butter
2 tsp lemon extract
zest of two lemons
4-6 basil leaves (about 2 tbs when finely chopped)


Heat oven to 375ºF.
Soften the butter in the microwave for about 1 1/2 minutes on low. If it melts a bit, that’s ok. Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the egg. Add the lemon extract and lemon zest. Mix in the flour and baking powder. Combine everything. When a dough has formed, mix in the finely chopped basil. Form 1 inch balls of dough in your hands. Roll each ball in sugar. Put twelve on a half sheet pan. Push down in the middle of each ball a little with your thumb. Bake for 9-10 minutes.




Tips:
If you like the "green freshness" that the basil brings to these cookies, also try it with chopped fresh mint or fresh thyme leaves. They go very well with lemon, and it's amazing how well the fresh herbs go in a sweet recipe!

Joey's Sun Dried Caprese Dip

 Here's a really simple party dip that you can throw together in a snap. I made it for Tory and Ryan's house warming party and everyone gave it a big thumbs up! Basically, I wanted to make a quick dip, but didn't feel like going to the store. This is what I happened to have on hand, so here we are!
 Its brilliance is in its simplicity, really. It's pretty much one of those "how can this not be good" sort of dishes. And it only uses a few ingredients, so it's as easy as can be to throw together. Sometimes the simplest things are the best, dontcha think? Make this for your next party or casual hang.
This one's a keeper!

2 (8oz) pkgs cream cheese
1 cup Ranch dressing
1 small jar sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
fresh basil

Using an electric mixer, simply whip together the cream cheese and ranch dressing. Spread onto your serving plate in an even layer. Top with sun dried tomatoes and ribbons of fresh basil. Serve with Triscuits or your favorite cracker.

Tip:
Not a fan of ranch dressing? Use any other kind of creamy salad dressing you like! But seriously, who doesn't love ranch dressing??? That would be like not loving bacon. That just makes no sense to me.

Cider-Glazed Turnips & Apples with Sage & Bacon

 Here's another fabulous side dish that falls right in line with my latest obsession with apples and sage. It's from Finecooking.com, and I absolutely fell in love at first bite. It also fits my criteria for the perfect Thanksgiving dish because it's easy, you can do it ahead of time, and you can adjust the amounts to feed however big of a crowd you're having at your table this year.
 It's a pretty simple dish, but it really hits a lot of different notes that all work perfectly together. You have the sweetness from the apples and cider and the freshness from the sage, both of which mellow that sharp bite that the turnips can sometimes have. And we all know everything is better with bacon, right?  That just goes without saying! It makes everything rich and special enough for your holiday guests.
 The other thing that I love about this recipe is that it is cooked on the stove top, not in the oven. If you've ever cooked Thanksgiving dinner, I'm sure I don't need to tell you that oven space is precious real estate that is not always readily available when you're trying to get everything cooked and hot at the same time. Having the option of cooking something without using the oven is a life saver (not to mention a time saver as well!) You just sit it on the back burner and let it braise until everything is nice and tender, and the cider is sweet and syrupy. YUM! Oh, and if you're not a fan of turnips, I think maybe you just haven't found the right recipe for them. This could be the one to change your mind! And if you've never tried them, well, now is the perfect opportunity! Enjoy!

1-1/2 lb. small purple-top or white turnips (about 9 small)
4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 cup apple cider
2 tsp. granulated sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large firm, sweet apple such as Pink Lady or Braeburn
2 tsp. chopped fresh sage


Peel the turnips and cut them in half lengthwise. Cut each half into wedges 1 inch thick at the widest point. Put the bacon pieces in a large skillet and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Pour off the bacon fat from the pan and set the pan back on the burner. Add the butter and, when it’s melted, add the turnips, apple cider, sugar, and 1-1/2 tsp. salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover the pan with the lid slightly askew, reduce the heat to medium high, and cook at a steady boil, shaking the pan occasionally, until the turnips are just tender but not soft (a pairing knife should enter a turnip with just a little resistance), 8  to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, peel and core the apple and cut it into 1/2-inch slices. Uncover the pan, add the sliced apples and sage, and continue to boil, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has reduced to a sticky glaze, 2 to 3 minutes. The turnips should be soft and the apples should be crisp-tender. (If not, add a few tablespoons of water and continue to cook for another 1  to 2  minutes.) Toss in the cooked bacon and season to taste with black pepper and more salt if necessary.


Tips:
I know I usually like to switch things around and tweak a recipe here and there, but for this one, I didn't change a thing! It's just absolutely delicious as it is. I used Honeycrisp apples, because they're my favorite. What's yours? I also didn't drain out all of the bacon fat as instructed, because... bacon.

Apple, Sausage, and Parsnip Stuffing with Fresh Sage

 Here's a stuffing recipe that I found on Epicurious.com. As soon as I saw it I thought "well, if THAT doesn't scream THANKSGIVING, I don't know what does!" Sausage stuffing with fresh sage? I mean, COME ON! And the apples and parsnips bring a sweetness to the party that is simply just perfect!! It's definitely something new and different, but it's classic at the same time. Cool, huh?
 Now, if you've read any of my other recipes, you know that I can't leave a recipe alone. In this case, I didn't change the ingredients listed in the original recipe, I changed the AMOUNTS. Apparently, the folks at Epicurious were feeding an army, and their amounts were about twice as much as I needed for my 9x13 casserole dish. Then again, they used part of it to stuff the turkey, and part of it to bake in a dish. Since I prefer to stuff the turkey with aromatics, I just cut the recipe in half (except for the butter and chicken broth) and that's how I have listed the recipe below. It worked perfectly! However, if you have quite a gang to feed, or if you prefer to stuff your turkey with stuffing instead of aromatics, then by all means double everything and go for it!


1 lb loaf sliced sourdough bread with crust, cubed
1 lb sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
1 lb hot Italian sausages, casings removed
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups celery. chopped
3/4 cup (1  1/2 sticks) butter
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, cubed
1 lb parsnips, peeled, cubed
1/4 cup packed fresh sage leaves
1/2 cup low-salt chicken broth


Preheat oven to 325°F.
Bake bread cubes on a large rimmed baking sheet until lightly toasted, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, sauté sausages in very large skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through, breaking into pieces with spoon, about 15 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to large bowl; add bread.
Add onions and celery to same skillet and sauté until golden brown, about 10 minutes; transfer to bowl with bread. Melt 1/4 cup butter in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples and sauté until tender, about 8 minutes; mix apples into stuffing. Melt 1/4 cup butter in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add parsnips and sauté until golden, about 10 minutes; mix into stuffing. Melt 1/4 cup butter in same skillet. Add sage and sauté until dark green, about 2 minutes. Mix sage and butter into stuffing. Season with salt and pepper.
Place in buttered casserole dish. Drizzle with 1/2 cup chicken broth. Cover with foil.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake stuffing covered until heated through, about 1 hour. Uncover and bake until beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.


Tips:
When I brought some to my brother, Chris, he said he wished that it would hold together a little more. Since there are no eggs or any kind of binder to the recipe, the best way to keep everything together is to chop everything a little more finely than I did, and don't skimp on the butter and chicken broth. Again, the amounts are just guidelines. Add them til it's enough!
This can absolutely be prepared a day in advance. Actually, you could even do it TWO days in advance if you cover it tightly with foil and keep it in the fridge until it's time for baking.

Chicken Pesto and Zucchini "Pasta"

  Ok, so, it's the end of summer and you have a ton of zucchini, tomatoes, and basil from your garden and you have no idea what to do with them, am I right? Well, this is absolutely the recipe for you! Actually, even if you don't have a garden or a ton of zucchini and tomatoes, this is still the recipe for you! I saw it in one of those Tasty videos that is bouncing around social media and it looked easy, so I gave it a shot. I must say, it really is, well, quite TASTY! It's also very quick to make, so it's perfect for a midweek meal. And yes, as you can see there's no pasta in the dish. It's just ribbons of zucchini masquerading as pasta, which is great news for anyone who may be choosing cut down on carbs. On the flip side, if you want to add real pasta to it, go right ahead! It'll be awesome!
  So no matter how you decide to make it, I know you'll absolutely love it. It's definitely just the thing when you want one last taste of summer before the cooler weather rolls in!


4 cups basil
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup pine nuts
2 cloves garlic
½ lemon, juiced
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
½ cup olive oil
 Oil
3 zucchini
1 cup cherry tomatoes
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped



 In a food processor, combine the basil, Parmesan, pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Pulse until smooth texture. Set aside.
 With a vegetable peeler, shave ribbons of the zucchini until you reach the seeds. Set aside.
Slice the cherry tomatoes and set aside.
Heat a skillet over medium high. Add a little oil to the pan, the chicken breasts, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until the chicken is cooked through and browned on all surfaces.
Turn off the heat and add the cherry tomatoes, pesto, and zucchini ribbons. Toss until well combined and heated through. 

Tips:
Honestly, I wouldn't change a thing. It's so fresh and flacvorful, just make it as is, and you're good to go. If you want to take a little shortcut, you could use jarred pesto sauce, but fresh is always so much better. 
If you want to make it a meatless dish, simply leave out the meat! It'll be delish either way!

Lemon and Dill Chicken

 Here's a light summery dish that is the perfect weeknight supper. It's super easy to make and you can have it on the table in under 30 minutes. How does that sound??
 My friend Jason and I were recently planning to get together, and when I gave him a list of the fresh herbs I have growing, he chose dill. After a quick google search, I found this Eating Well recipe and it was exactly what I wanted. The flavors are bright, the dish isn't too heavy, and you do it all in a pan on the stove top, so there's no need to turn on the oven. It's definitely a welcome break from the endless burgers that summer sometimes brings. (No one loves a burger more than I do, but a little variety is always a good thing, dontcha think?) And as soon as I tasted it, I thought, "OMG this needs to be in the regular rotation of go-to meals!" It was a big hit with Jason too. Win/win! Serve it with steamed or roasted green veggies or my Summer Squash Sauté, which is how I served it. You could also serve it with rice, which would be ready in the same amount of time!
 The next time I make it, though, I think maybe I'll try using a different fresh herb, just to see how far a little variation would go. (You know I can never leave a recipe alone!!) Lemon goes so well with so many fresh herbs, I think that might be next on my to do list. Thyme, basil, and oregano are the front runners, I think. I'll be sure to let you know how they turn out! In the meantime, you should definitely give this one a go. It's absolutely one of my new faves and it's definitely a keeper!


4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts,
Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste 
3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, or canola oil, divided 
1/4 cup finely chopped onion 
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth 
2 teaspoons flour 
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, divided 
1 tablespoon lemon juice



  Season chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sear until well browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a plate and tent with foil. 
Reduce heat to medium. Add the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to the pan. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Whisk broth, flour, 1 tablespoon dill and lemon juice in a measuring cup and add to pan. Cook, whisking, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. 
Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pan; reduce heat to low and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a warmed platter. Season sauce with salt and pepper and spoon over the chicken. Garnish with the remaining 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill.

Tips:
Be sure to whisk the flour into the cold chicken broth before you add it to the pan. If you just add the flour to the pan, you'll be more likely to get lumps. Also, if you'd like your pan sauce to be a little thicker (more like a gravy), add a little extra oil and a little extra flour. it doesn't take much, but just that little extra bit will give you the perfect sauce to pour over the chicken.
I didn't have any onions, so I just added some onion  powder. Of course I would have preferred to add the onions, and I probably would have added more than 1/4 cup, but I just went with what I had on hand. 

Caramelized Onion and Cornbread Stuffing

Ok, I have a confession to make. I Love Stuffing. Let me say that again. I. LOVE. Stuffing. It doesn't matter what kind, from my Italian Sundried Tomato Bread Stuffing, to Mare's Stuffing, and even your basic Stove Top that comes in a box, I love it all. And I know I already did a Sausage and Corn Bread Stuffing but I saw this one and HAD to try it. And frankly, I absolutely adore Tyler Florence, so trying another one of his recipes was a no-brainer. Seriously, could he be any cuter? Wait, what were we talking about again? Oh right! Stuffing! It's an easy do-ahead and it feeds a crowd, so it has Thanksgiving written all over it, and the fresh sage just drives that home. I made this for my most recent Friendsgiving, and it was a big hit! Now I can add this to my list of favorite stuffing recipes.
I'm sure you will too!


2 tbs butter
2 onions, chopped
6 large cornmeal muffins, cubed
handful fresh sage leaves, chopped
1 egg
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper


Preheat the oven to 375ºF.

Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, for about 10 minutes, or until soft and caramelized. Add sage and scrape into a large mixing bowl. Add the cornbread pieces, season well with salt and pepper, and give it a good toss until it's well combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, cream, and stock, and pour that over the cornbread. Stir the stuffing together and stuff the cavity of the turkey. You could also spoon it into a buttered baking dish and put it in the oven along with the turkey. Bake until hot and crusty on top, about 30 minutes.

Tips:

Instead of purchasing the corn muffins, I just purchased 2 boxes of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix and baked them according to package directions. Then proceeded with the recipe as directed. SO much cheaper to do it that way!

The key to really good caramelized onions is to cook them low and slow. I wanted them to REALLY cook down to a rich deep dark color, so I cooked mine for much longer than the 10 minutes that the recipe suggests. Just bring them up to heat, and then turn it down to low. Let them saute and give them a good stir every few minutes. And be patient!! This will take a good 30 minutes or so, but it'll be worth it!

When I made it, I added A LOT of onions. I figure it's called CARAMELIZED ONION and corn bread stuffing, so it should definitely have a lot of onions. (I also added a few extra tbs of butter.) Add as much as you like!

Joey's Easy One-Pot Pasta

 This is one of those recipes that has been circulating around the interwebs for a while now. It seems there are several versions, and they're all very similar. Martha has one, Southern Living has one, and on and on. My problem with many of them is that they only use 12 ounces of pasta instead of the full pound. It's fine. I get it. If you add the full pound to your skillet, it won't all fit with the rest of the ingredients. But who cooks only 12 ounces? I don't know about you, but I always cook the whole pound. So I figured, why not just use a bigger pot??? Seemed like a no-brainer to me. My next issue with the other versions is that it doesn't really go very far. I mean, I wanted it to be enough to feed 4 people. So, I figured, let's add sausage to it! That'll help stretch it a little. And that's exactly what I did. And do you know what? It turned out perfectly!! It tasted great, everyone had plenty to eat, and I even had enough leftover for lunch the next day. And it's so easy, you just keep adding things to the pot! Simple! So you should definitely keep this recipe your repertoire. It's ready in less than a half hour so it's perfect for any weeknight dinner. It's also a great menu option for an easy casual dinner with friends. I got RAVE reviews for it. You will too! Definitely a keeper!


8 Italian sausage links (I used chicken sausage)
1 medium onion, roughly chopped

1 lb pasta (I used linguine)
12 oz cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2-3 tsp chopped fresh oregano leaves
2-3 large sprigs fresh basil, chopped
5 cups water
1 cup Parmesan cheese

Slice sausage into bite sized pieces and place in a pot along with the chopped onion and a few glugs of olive oil. Cook and stir over medium heat just until the sausage is slightly browned and the onions are cooked down a bit. Add all of the remaining ingredients except for the cheese.

Cover pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer and keep covered and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes or so. Cook until almost all liquid has evaporated. Add the cheese and give it a good toss with the pasta. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with more cheese and a few more chopped fresh basil leaves over the top. 

Tips:
Feel free to use any kind of sausage you like. Pork, chicken, turkey, sweet or hot,  even Chorizo or Andouille. Any kind will work! Not a fan of sausage? Just leave it out! That makes it even easier. You just throw everything right into the pot, bring it up to a boil and then simmer as directed. Done.
You can use vegetable broth or chicken stock instead of water, but water works just fine.

Slow Cooker Whole Chicken

 Ok, let me just start by saying that this is one of the easiest recipes I've ever made. I mean, I know I say ever recipe is easy, but seriously, this one is just stupid easy. I honestly don't know how anyone could possibly get this one wrong. And you get so much bang for your buck, you won't even believe it. It's perfect for a warm day when you don't feel like turning on the oven, or on a weekday when you want dinner to be ready by the time you get home from work. It's as moist and juicy as any roasted or rotisserie chicken and it's completely fall-off-the-bone tender! It's perfect for a novice cook and only takes a few minutes of prep. Actually, come to think of it, I bet this would be pretty perfect for a college student. (Do they even allow crock pots in dorm rooms???)
 Anyway, next time you're doing your grocery shopping, pick up a roaster, and give this recipe a try. Prep it the night before, turn it on in the morning, and it'll be ready when you get home! You can serve it for dinner, and use the leftovers for salads, casseroles, sandwiches, you name it!
 I PROMISE you, once you give this one a try, it just might be your new favorite way to cook a chicken!

1 large onion
1 whole head of garlic
1 whole roaster chicken
Olive oil
Fresh or dried herbs, (thyme, rosemary, oregano, sage, etc)
Seasonings (paprika, lemon pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, seasoned salt, etc)
Salt and pepper


 Peel the onion and cut into halves or quarters. Place in the bottom of the crock pot. Slice horizontally through the entire head of garlic. Place both halves face down in the bottom of the crock pot with the onions. (No need to peel the garlic). Remove the packaging from the outside of the chicken as well as the giblet bundle from inside the cavity and discard. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Pat dry with a paper towel. Place chicken on top of the onions and garlic. Drizzle with a couple glugs of olive oil (or your choice of oil). Season with your choice of herbs and spices. I used a bundle of fresh rosemary, a bundle of fresh thyme, lemon pepper, paprika, salt and pepper, but use whatever you like! Place the lid on top. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. That's it!

If you'd like to use the drippings to make gravy:
 First strain through a fine sieve into a small sauce pot. Discard the onions and garlic. Skim off most of the fat. Make a slurry of a little cold water and a couple tbs flour, add it to the pot, and stir over medium heat until it thickens. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if needed.

Tips:
 I have a large oval-shaped crock pot, so I was able to do a pretty big roaster, about 9 lbs. Do whatever size chicken fits in your crock pot! If you only have a small crock pot, then just do a small chicken! Just be sure to check for doneness closer to the 6 hour mark instead of the 8 hour mark.
 To be honest, I left mine in the crock for longer than 8 hours, and it still came out perfect. Slow cookers are very forgiving! So if you find yourself running a half hour late, don't sweat it!
 If you don't want to put onions and garlic in the bottom of the crock, you can roll up a couple balls of aluminum foil and place the chicken on top of them.

Lemon-Thyme Shortbread Cookies

 Every year, when work gets really really busy, my boss and I like to bake Christmas cookies for our customers, just to show our appreciation. Usually, I just bake a tray of Mom's Butter Cookies, but this year I decided to add these delicious lemon cookies to the mix.
 You don't often hear of thyme being used in a cookie, but I remembered seeing Martha Stewart making them, and I figured, why not? Actually, instead of using Martha's recipe, I decided to try this recipe that I found on a baking blog called Treats. It's just a simple shortbread recipe with the addition of lemon and thyme. Now, I know there might be one or two of you who are crinkling your nose at the thought of putting fresh herbs into a cookie, but seriously, you won't even believe how tasty it is! The flavors of lemon and thyme are quite simply a match made in heaven! The lemon is subtle without being overpowering, and the thyme rounds everything out. It's the kind of cookie you could imagine having with a nice cup of tea. In fact, several of my customers said exactly that!
 So whether they're for Christmas or an afternoon tea, You simply must give them a try. I know you'll love them! And since I get so many requests for "anything lemon", we can now add yet another new and different lemon thing to our repertoire! Great then!


1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon pure lemon extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

zest of 1 medium lemon

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugar until well combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Add lemon extract, vanilla extract, lemon zest, chopped thyme and salt. With the mixer on low, gradually add flour, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Continue mixing until well combined.

Divide dough in half. Place one piece of dough on a large piece of plastic wrap; cover with a second piece of plastic wrap and roll out dough between plastic wrap to 1/4-inch thickness. Place on a baking sheet and transfer to refrigerator and chill until firm, about 45 minutes. Repeat process with remaining dough.

Using a 2-inch round fluted cutter (or other shaped cutter), cut out dough, re-rolling scraps as necessary. Transfer to prepared baking sheets.  Bake until firm, 12 to 14 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cookies cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes; carefully transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely.

 

Tips:

Instead of using plastic wrap, I rolled mine between two pieces of parchment paper. Use whichever you happen to have on hand.

You can place them RIGHT next to each other on the baking tray because they don't spread out at all. So go right ahead and get as many on the tray as you can fit. It'll save you baking time.

When I rolled mine, I rolled them VERY thin, so that they came out like little wafers. SO good! Tbh, I had no intention of doing that, but then it happened and I went with it. They were so crisp and delicious, I think I might stick to that idea the next time I make them.

I sprinkled them with a little turbinado sugar before baking. I like the little sparkle and crunch that it brings to the party. 

I also kept thinking (since I had rolled them so thin), I bet they'd be great to make into a sandwich cookie. I wonder what kind of filling I could do... hmm.. maybe something lemony and buttery? I'll have to think on it a little more!

 

Blackberry-Cantaloupe Salad

 Ok, this one is so easy and quick, you barely need a recipe. Yes, yes, I know you can throw any kinds of fruit together and call it a fruit salad, but this one has a deliciously fragrant dressing that goes with it. It's refreshing and tasty and healthy all at the same time, and it's just slightly different from the norm.
 I was in the produce market and I saw how plump and juicy the blackberries were, so I HAD to get some. Then I saw this recipe from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food and I thought "Oh! Perfect!" So here is the recipe as it was listed, but I didn't do it exactly as written. Feel free to put your own personal spin on it, just as I did. I'm sure you'll love it!


2 cups blackberries
1/2 cantaloupe, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon grated lime zest plus 1 tablespoon juice
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh mint leaves


In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except mint. Cover and let stand 30 minutes (or refrigerate, up to 2 days). Stir in mint just before serving. 

Tips:
I  used honey instead of sugar, I used lemon balm instead of mint, and I only added half of the fresh ginger, just because I didn't want it to overpower the other flavors. Absolutely delicious!
If you're not a fan of fresh ginger, simply leave it out! The dressing will still be wonderful. Promise!
For best flavor, serve it at room temperature!

Summer Squash Sauté

 Ok, so, I was in the mood to make something summery and seasonal and light and quick and easy and fresh. Naturally, the first thing I did was go to the produce market to see what looked good. The zucchini and yellow squash looked SO vibrant and fresh, I decided that this was clearly the way to go. I did a few Google searches, added a few other key ingredients, and landed on this recipe. Now, I have to say, when I told Claire I was gonna make summer squash with sun dried tomatoes, she said that she wasn't really a fan of zucchini. But when she tasted it in this recipe, she loved it! I told her "Basically, you can cook anything in olive oil with garlic, basil, and sun dried tomatoes, and it's gonna be amazing!" I'm sticking by it. My point is even if you're not a fan of summer squash, you should definitely try this recipe. Have I ever lied to you before??? Just ask Claire! It's REALLY delicious!

3 or 4 small zucchini 

3 or 4 small yellow squash

1/2 tsp. Kosher salt; more to taste  

3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil 

2 or 3 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled  

1 whole jar oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and sliced

6-10 fresh basil leaves, sliced into thin ribbons

Freshly ground black pepper

  Wash the zucchini well to remove any grit and dry them with paper towels. Trim off the ends and quarter the zucchini and squash lengthwise. Slice off the top 1/4 to 1/2 inch of the soft seed core by running a sharp knife down the length of each quarter; it’s all right if some of the seeds remain. Arrange the zucchini and squash, cut side up, on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Sprinkle with the salt and set aside for 10 minutes. Blot the quarters dry with the paper towels. Cut each quarter on the diagonal into 3/4-inch-thick diamonds.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Pour in 2 Tbs. of the oil. When the oil is hot, add the zucchini and squash, and sauté, stirring occasionally, until it browns and softens enough that you can cut through it with the side of a fork, about 5 min. Add the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes. Saute for a minute or two longer. Remove from heat. Add basil and season generously with salt and pepper.

Tips:
If you don't mind the seeds in the center of the squash and the zucchini, you can just go ahead and slice them up instead of removing the centers.

Basil Lemonade

  Have you ever used fresh herbs in beverages? I'm a big fan of using fresh mint in iced tea, and I've also recently discovered Lemon Balm (which is also in the mint family and has a nice lemony mint flavor). So fresh! So when my friend Lea found a recipe for Basil Lemonade, I thought "Why not?" Basil is also in the mint family, so it makes perfect sense, right? Why have we never done this before? Sounds perfectly summery, doesn't it? It made me think of the time I was grocery shopping when I ran into my friend Claudia who was about to purchase a fresh basil plant. She said to me "Here, smell this..... doesn't it smell like summer?" It's so true! (which is why I have a huge window box of fresh basil growing on my window sill every summer.) I just love it! So let's pair it with lemons for a deliciously refreshing drink! And even though I'm not much of a drinker, I've read that you can add vodka to it for a deliciously fresh party drink. How awesome is that? I just might have to try it! I found this recipe on Epicurious.com. It isn't the exact same recipe that Lea showed me, but it's basically the same idea. You make a basil lemon syrup, and then you use that as one of the components of your lemonade. So easy and SO refreshing! Try it!  Thanx Lea!


For the syrup:
4 cups packed fresh basil sprigs (top 4 inches; from a 1/2-pound bunch) 
4 cups water 
2 cups sugar 
9 (4- by 1-inch) strips lemon zest

 Bring all ingredients to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Let stand at room temperature, covered, 1 hour, then transfer to an airtight container and chill until cold, about 1 hour. Strain syrup through a sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on and then discarding solids.
 Syrup keeps, covered and chilled, 5 days.

For the lemonade:
2 cups basil lemon syrup
2 cups cold water 
2 cups ice cubes 
1 1/4 cups fresh lemon juice
fresh basil sprigs and lemon zest strips, for garnish

  Stir together all ingredients in a large pitcher, then pour into tall glasses half filled with ice.
Lemonade, without ice, can be made 3 hours ahead and chilled, covered.

Tips:
This syrup also makes a lovely addition to your home made iced tea.
I think I might have to try this syrup recipe with fresh mint or lemon balm. So refreshing!

Easy Italian Chicken with Bertolli Bowties

 I recently received an email from one of my readers, Dave. He wanted me to take a look at a certain crock pot recipe, and he had a few questions about it. As I said to him, I really don't like to cook chicken in a crock pot because it often comes out overdone or rubbery. I just think it's not good to cook chicken for such a long time. So I told him I'd probably nix the crock pot altogether and just make the recipe on the stove top. Of course you know I needed to try it out to see if I was right. A few changes in method, a few extra ingredients, and here we are!
  I have to say, I think it turned out pretty great! It's really simple and flavorful! And it was ready in less than 30 minutes. Perfect! I honestly have no idea where Dave found the original recipe, but like I always say, since he's the one who brought it to me, he's the one who gets the credit! Thanx for the inspiration, Dave! I hope you'll give my new version of this recipe a try!

flour for dusting
salt and pepper
3 or 4 boneless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
a few glugs of olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 14oz cans diced tomatoes
1 envelope Lipton Savory Herb w/ Garlic soup mix
1 heaping tbs tomato paste
a few shakes crushed red pepper flakes
1 lb Bertolli bowtie pasta
Parmesan cheese
chopped fresh basil

 Place flour and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add chicken pieces, a few at a time. Toss until coated. Shake off excess flour. Add oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Add floured chicken to pan. Saute until browned on all sides, but not cooked all the way through. Do this in batches so you don't crown the pan. As you finish browning each batch, remove the chicken to a plate and set aside. Pour out any oil from the pan and use a paper towel to remove any excess flour that is still in the pan. Add a little fresh oil. Add the chopped onions and saute until they begin to soften a bit. Add the tomatoes, soup mix, pepper flakes, and tomato paste. Give it a good stir until well combined. Add the chicken back to the pan, stirring to coat. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Meanwhile, boil the Bertolli bowtie pasta according to package directions. Serve chicken over pasta with a little sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and some chopped fresh basil.

Tips:
You can use any kind of tomatoes you want. Crushed, puree, diced, plain, low sodium, with Italian herbs, whatever you like. It will all work.
There's no need to add any seasoning to the sauce because the soup mix takes care of that for you.
If you don't have bowties, try it with any other Bertolli cut pasta, such as ziti, rotelle, or penne. You can certainly try it with another brand of pasta, but I bet it won't taste as good.

Joey's Chunky Herbed Feta Ranch Dressing

Whenever the weather is really hot, I like to do lots of main course salads. Sometimes I'll do a grilled chicken Caesar salad, or maybe a big chef's salad, or maybe just some iceberg wedges and sliced Jersey tomatoes. And whenever I go on a salad kick, I like to try to come up with different kinds of salad dressings. Most times it's some sort of quick vinaigrette, but this time it's a creamy ranch dressing. It's rich and yummy and SO flavorful! I made it for Jerry, who was an immediate fan, and I also won raves when I brought some to Danny and Emma. Just a few fresh ingredients, whisk them together, and boom, you're good to go. I think this is my new go-to ranch dressing! Maybe it'll be yours too. Try it!

1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tbs fresh lemon juice
1 tbs chopped fresh basil
1 tsp chopped fresh herbs (thyme, oregano, and rosemary)
1/4 cup half and half
4 oz crumbled feta cheese

Simply place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir well to combine. Easy, right?
This dressing sets up a bit when you chill it in the fridge. If it gets too thick after you chill it, just add a few drops of half and half until you reach the right consistency. Then again you could leave it thick and serve it as a FABULOUS veggie dip. Seriously, it's SO good with carrots and celery sticks. Speaking of celery sticks, you could even crumble bleu cheese into it instead of feta and serve it with buffalo wings. If you're not a fan a feta or bleu cheese, just omit them and enjoy a delicious creamy herbed ranch! Yum.

Tips:
The key to this recipe is using fresh herbs. I suppose you can use dried herbs, but in this case, it's that green freshness that I was looking for. I like to grow lots of herbs on my window sills and then just snip off a few sprigs for whatever I'm making. Btw, listed above is 1 tsp chopped fresh herbs.. I just took a few leaves of each herb and chopped them up to make a TOTAL of 1 tsp. Hope that was clear enough. If you're not a fan of any of the herbs I used, try a few others! Perhaps a different kind of basil, flat leaf parsley, or maybe some chives. Whatever you like!

Joey's Summer Tomato Salad

 Here's a quick and easy summer salad that goes great with any cookout menu. I came up with it just because I wanted something cool and fresh to go with all the heavier items that sometimes go at a picnic. Sometimes when you have burgers, or hot dogs, or potato salad, or baked beans...you want something lighter on the plate to balance everything out. And that's exactly what this salad does. It's light and fresh and the dressing kind of reminds you of the mixture to which you add spinach for spinach dip. Know what I mean? It kind of has that same sort of flavor and it goes GREAT with tomatoes and fresh basil! Yes, of course, you can add cucumbers or peppers or whatever you want, but I liked it just with the tomatoes and fresh basil. Give it a try!

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper

vine ripened tomatoes
fresh basil

Mix together the dressing ingredients. Cut the tomatoes in halves or in quarters. Chop the fresh basil. Give everything a quick toss together. Serve immediately.


Tips:
I also like to use cherry or grape tomatoes. Even though they're small, I still like to cut them in half. The juice from the tomatoes adds to the dressing. Love it.
Make sure you don't mix it up too far in advance, otherwise the tomatoes might become too soggy. Best to toss it together and then serve it right away. Great then.

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Basil

I've never met a sweet potato I didn't like. From candied sweet potatoes to casseroles and even to cupcakes, I love them all. But this time, I was kind of feeling like it would be nice to set aside the sugary sweet and go for something a little more savory. I wanted to keep with my latest "fresh and light" mood, so I decided to do a yummy salad. And here it is! Just a few fresh ingredients, tossed with a simple home made vinaigrette and there you have it. It was SO delicious! Perfect for a light lunch. I think I need to make this again.
 Hope you like it!

4-5 large sweet potatoes or yams
a few glugs of canola oil
salt and pepper
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 tbs chopped scallion
big handful of fresh basil, chopped
Dijon Vinaigrette

 Heat oven to 400F.
Peel sweet potatoes and cut them into chunks. In a large bowl, toss them with the canola oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Arrange them in one layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes or until tender. Cool completely. In the meantime, chop the bell pepper, scallion, and basil, and make the vinaigrette. Toss everything together and serve. That's it!

Tips:
For me, the key to this dish is the fresh basil. Be generous with it!
This is actually better if you make it in advance, just enough to let the flavors get to know each other a little.
Be careful not to add too much of the green onion. As much as I usually say "more is more", in this case, it can easily overpower the whole salad. You just need a little hint of onion flavor!

Kim's Rosemary Olive Bread

As I was browsing around Facebook, I noticed on my fabulous friend Kim's status that she was about to make rosemary bread. Of course, I immediately emailed her and asked if she'd take a picture of it and send it to me along with the recipe, so I could share it with everyone. And she did!
Thanx Kim!!!!!



OK, Joey-here it is. I don't know if you know but I have food "issues." I can't eat anything with yeast in it and I don't do well with sugar. PLUS, I'm vegan by choice. So coming up with recipes that work is sometimes a trick. I took this recipe from a Christina Pirello source (cookbook, on-line recipe, pulled from her TV show - I forget). So this is the Rosemary Bread. I'm not sure how the average bear would feel about it but I like it. It's a rather dense bread - as you can imagine - but it feels very hearty and I like it with soup and a nice green salad.
-Kim


2 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 tablespoons dried rosemary
1 cup unflavored rice or soy milk
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons brown rice syrup
1/2 cup olives (the recipe says halved, I slice mine)
1 cup coarsely chopped walnut pieces

Preheat oven to 325 prepare 9x5" pan

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add in rosemary. Whisk milk into oil and rice syrup in another bowl. Stir into flour mixture until just moistened (sometimes depending on the weather or whatever it needs just a touch more moisture. If so, I add JUST A TOUCH of water until all the flour is absorbed - it's a very thick batter). Fold in olives and walnuts. Spoon batter evenly into prepared pan.

Bake 45-50 minutes until the bread is golden and the top springs back to the touch. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing from pan and cooling on wire rack.

Tip from Kim:
Rice syrup is a sweetener that I can tolerate and is frequently used in macrobiotic cooking. I buy mine at Whole Foods. I'm not sure that you could substitute honey for this particular recipe as I think it would probably be too sweet.