Crunchy Broccoli Slaw

I could have eaten the entire bowl of this myself. While I was making it, I was a little afraid that it would be overly sweet with all of the sweeter components, but the smoky salty bacon and sharp red onion flavors really helped balance the sweetness.

Crunchy Broccoli Slaw
Courtesy of All You



8 slices bacon
1 large head broccoli
1 small red onion, minced (1/2 cup)
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
Salt and pepper

Cook bacon in a large skillet or on a griddle over medium heat until browned and crisp. Drain on paper towels. Crumble into 1/2-inch pieces; set aside.

Cut florets from broccoli stems and chop into small pieces. Transfer to a salad bowl and toss with minced onion and raisins.

In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise and vinegar until smooth. Add honey, salt and pepper, whisking to combine. Pour dressing over broccoli mixture and toss to coat evenly. Crumble bacon pieces over broccoli slaw and serve immediately.

Flag Cupcakes

Yummy treat for a summer picnic. The original recipe is for a sheet cake, but since I didn't have a pan that was big enough to accommodate the recipe, I made cupcakes instead. I also decided to cut strawberries into star shapes since I couldn't do the whole flag thing. It was fun!

Flag Cupcakes
A variation on this recipe from Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa)



For the cupcakes:
18 tablespoons (2 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
3 cups sugar
6 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

For the icing:
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese at room temperature
1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

To assemble:
Blueberries
Strawberries

Heat the oven to 350°F.

Line 2 muffin pans with muffin liners or grease with cooking spray.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed, until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add the eggs, 2 at a time, then add the sour cream and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and stir until smooth.

Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until just combined. Use ice cream scoop or spoons to fill muffin pans. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool to room temperature.

For the icing, combine the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mixing just until smooth.

Put icing in piping bag with a star tip attached, and ice cupcakes in swirl pattern. You can also spread icing on with a spatula. Place blueberries and strawberries on top and enjoy.

Spinach-Black Bean Lasagna

This is incredibly delicious. Seriously awesome. I love the flavor the black beans, cumin, and pepper jack give the dish. I also love that I've found that cottage cheese is a delightful substitution for the ricotta cheese that I just can't seem to ever enjoy. Woot!

Please excuse my messy picture. I'm no good at getting a pretty lasagna picture.

Spinach-Black Bean Lasagna
A variation on this recipe from Southern Living



2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 (15-ounce) container cottage cheese
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups (16 ounces) shredded pepper jack cheese, divided
2 (16-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (2-pound, 13-ounce) jar pasta sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
9 precooked lasagna noodles
Garnish: chopped fresh cilantro

Stir together first 5 ingredients and 1 cup pepper jack cheese; set aside.

Mash beans with a potato masher or fork in a large bowl; stir in pasta sauce and cumin. Spread one-third of bean mixture on bottom of a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.

Layer with 3 noodles, half of spinach mixture, and 1 cup pepper jack cheese; repeat layers. Spread with one-third bean mixture; top with remaining 3 noodles and remaining bean mixture.

Bake, covered, at 350°F for 1 hour; uncover and top with remaining pepper jack cheese. Bake 5 more minutes or until cheese melts. Garnish, if desired.

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Muffins

In my continuing efforts to snack on homemade goodies and use the lovely fresh strawberries in the market, I made these for this week. Yum yum yum. I didn't have any orange extract and didn't want to add almonds, so I used almond extract instead. I also used mini semisweet chocolate chips because that's what I had on hand. Yum yum yum yum.

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Muffins
A variation on this recipe from The Budding Cook



1 ¾ cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg
½ cup oil
¾ cup milk
¼ cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoon pure almond extract
½ cup chocolate chips
1 ½ cups fresh strawberries, chopped

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.

In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well until the whole batter comes together. (Too much stirring/mixing will result in muffins that are too dense/heavy.)

Fold in the strawberries and chocolate chips. Spoon the batter and place in each paper-lined muffin cup till it is two-thirds full.

Bake for 25 minutes or so till the tops are nice and brown or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the muffin comes out clean.

Spicy Tofu, Mushrooms and Tomato Brown Rice Bowl

Very tasty and satisfying dish. I think Rachael Ray's portions are a bit flawed though. I had way too much rice, so I edited the recipe accordingly.

Spicy Tofu, Mushrooms and Tomato Brown Rice Bowl
A variation on this recipe from Rachael Ray

1 cup long-grain brown rice, rinsed
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces, white and green parts separated
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
Salt and black pepper
One 14-ounce container firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
2 tablespoons oyster sauce

In a medium saucepan, cook rice according to package directions. Fluff with a fork.

Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, scallion whites and crushed red pepper and stir until fragrant. Add the mushrooms and season with salt and black pepper. Cook until the mushroom liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a plate.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and the tofu to the pan and cook until golden on one side, then toss to brown throughout, about 3 minutes. Push the tofu to the side of the pan and add the tomatoes and oyster sauce. Cook until the tomatoes begin to soften, about 1 minute. Return the mushrooms to the pan and stir in the scallion greens. Serve with the rice

Combination Butter and Shortening Crust

I felt like this crust deserved its own post since I use and refer to it constantly. It's my favorite crust that I've tried so far in my crust-making adventures.

Combination Butter and Shortening Crust
Courtesy of Simply Recipes

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup (a stick and a half) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1/2 cup of all-vegetable shortening (8 tablespoons)
6-8 tablespoons ice water

Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor; pulse to mix. Add the butter and pulse 4 times. Add shortening in tablespoon sized chunks, and pulse 4 more times. The mixture should resemble coarse cornmeal, with butter bits no bigger than peas. Sprinkle 6 tablespoons of ice water over flour mixture. Pulse a couple times. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it's ready. If the dough doesn't hold together, keep adding water, a tablespoon at a time, pulsing once after each addition, until the mixture just begins to clump together.

Remove dough from machine and place in a mound on a clean surface. Divide the dough into 2 balls and flatten each into 4-inch wide disks. Do not over-knead the dough! Dust the disks lightly with flour, wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate for at least an hour, or up to 2 days before rolling out.

After the dough has chilled in the refrigerator for an hour, you can take it out to roll. If it is too stiff, you may need to let it sit for 5-10 minutes at room temperature before rolling. Sprinkle a little flour on a flat, clean work surface and on top of the disk of dough you intend to roll out. Using a rolling pin, apply light pressure while rolling outwards from the center of the dough. Every once in a while you may need to gently lift under the dough (a pastry scraper works great for this) to make sure it is not sticking. You have a big enough piece of dough when you place the pie tin or pie dish upside down on the dough and the dough extends by at least 2 inches all around.

When the dough has reached the right size, gently fold it in half. Lift up the dough and place it so that the folded edge is along the center line of the pie dish. Gently unfold. Do not stretch the dough.

Peach-Blueberry Pie

Meh. Not my favorite pie. I don't know if maybe it was because I had to use frozen fruit. Peaches aren't in season, and the blueberries I saw at the market looked pretty sad, so I went with frozen. It was also soupier than I like, and I think that's because of the addition of quick-cooking tapioca rather than cornstarch. I also made this strawberry-rhubarb pie this weekend, it uses cornstarch, and it held together so much better. So I've learned that if you like soupy pie, then go with quick-cooking tapioca. If you're into a more solid pie that holds together better when you cut it, then cornstarch is the way to go.

This was my first try doing a lattice crust. I really enjoyed it! I used this site to help me figure it out.

Peach-Blueberry Pie
Courtesy of Martha Stewart Everyday Food Magazine



1 1/2 cups sugar
5 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
3 pounds peaches, peeled and sliced (6 cups)
12 ounces blueberries (2 cups)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
All-purpose flour for rolling
1 homemade or store-bought double-crust pie dough (I used this)
1 large egg, separated, white lightly beaten
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 425°F. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, tapioca, and salt. Add peaches, blueberries, and lemon juice and toss to combine; let sit 15 minutes. Lightly flour a rolling rolling pin and work surface and roll out half the dough to a 12-inch round. Place in a 9-inch glass pie plate and brush with egg white. Pour in fruit filling and dot with butter.

Roll out remaining dough to a 12-inch round and place over fruit filling (or do a lattice top). Trim excess and crimp edges to seal. In a small bowl, lightly beat egg yolk with 1 tablespoon cold water. Brush top of dough with egg yolk mixture. With a paring knife, cut several small slits on top to vent. Set on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until crust is deep golden brown and juices are bubbling, about 50 minutes. (Tent loosely with foil if crust browns too quickly.) Let pie cool completely on a wire rack, about 3 hours. (Store, covered, up to overnight.)