Summertime Salad

May 24, 2012 by Mackenzie

After cleaning out our pantry the other day, I found several ingredients that I didn’t know we had, but will definitely be using in the near future!

On the simpler side, I found some cranberries, sunflower seeds and almonds and thought it would make for a yummy summer salad!

Summertime Salad

2 handfuls of mixed greens

1/2 apple, chopped

cranberries

almonds

sunflower seeds

Feta

Poppyseed dressing (I used a storebought)

Mix it all together – use as much of the toppings as you like!

Lemonade Cake

May 24, 2012 by Mackenzie

I know you’re saying, “what?! lemonade in a cake?!”

Yeah. I did too. So I made it. And woah. Woah. WOAH.

Lemonade Cake

Cake:

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

6 Tbsp. butter, softened

1 Tbsp. grated lemon rind

3 Tbsp. thawed lemonade concentrate

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 large egg whites

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 cups fat-free buttermilk

Cooking spray

Frosting:

2 Tbsp. butter, softened

2 tsp. grated lemon rind

2 tsp. thawed lemonade concentrate

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

8 oz. 1/3-less-fat cream cheese

3 1/2 cups powdered sugarServe with raspberries and yogurt ice cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To prepare cake, place sugar, butter, lemon rind, lemonade concentrate and vanilla in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add eggs and egg whites, 1 at at time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda; stir well with a whisk. Add flour mixture; beat well after each addition.

Using wax paper, trace two circles of the bottom of a round 9-inch cake pan and cut out. Place into the bottom of the pan and it will really help the cake to come out cleanly after it is baked. Pour batter into 2 (9-inch) round cake pans coated with cooking spray; sharply tap pans once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes on a wire rack, remove from pans. Cool completely on a wire rack and remove wax paper from bottom once cooled.

To prepare frosting, place 2 tablespoons butter, lemon rind, lemonade concentrate, vanilla extract and cream cheese in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, and beat at low speed just until blended (do not overbeat). Chill 1 hour.

Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread with 1/2 cup frosting. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Store cake loosely covered in the refrigerator.

Grilled Peach Salad with Mozzarella and Arugula

May 23, 2012 by Mackenzie

This is probably the best salad I have ever had. Grilling the peaches and nestling them into this salad with fresh mozarrella makes for a sweet but fresh and summery salad. You have got to make this!

Grilled Peach Salad with Mozzarella and Arugula

Serves 6

(Recipe from Farmhouse Table)

6 peaches, cut in half and pitted

Salt

3-4 large handfuls arugula, washed and dried

1 small red onion, slivered (We just used 1/2)

5 oz. buffalo mozarella or other fresh mozzarella, torn into bite-size pieces

4 Tbs. white balsamic vinegar

2 tsp. honey

2 tsp. dijon or whole grain mustard

2 Tbs. minced chives

1/3 C olive oil

2 Tbs. creme fraiche or 1 Tbs. heavy cream

1/2 cup pecans

Coarse sea salt to sprinkle on top

1. There are two ways you can grill the peaches. One way is to do it on a barbecque, the other way – use a George Foreman or something similar if you have one. We used a George Foreman because it was raining outside and we didn’t want to be cold and wet. However, if you do use a grill, light a fire in grill and let it burn down to medium hot – or turn on the george foreman :D.

Lighly salt the cut sides of the peaches and drizzle very lightly with olive oil and place cut side down on the grill.

When the peaches are charred and just beginning to soften, remove, place on a platter and set aside.

Make the dressing: place vinegar, honey, mustard and chives in a small bowl. While whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in olive oil until emulsified. Whisk in the creme faiche or cream.

Toss arugula, onion and pecans with vinaigrette and place on serving platter or bowl.

Nestle peaches and mozzarela amongst greens and drizzle with a little more dressing. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and serve.

Perfect Pizza Sauce

May 23, 2012 by Mackenzie

Check out my previous post for homemade calzones! We made our own pizza sauce and it was delicious! I highly recommend making your own pizza sauce next time you make pizza!

Perfect Pizza Sauce

(Recipe from Life’s Ambrosia)

1 (14.5 oz.) can tomato sauce

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

1 garlic clove, finely minced

1/2 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/4-1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper, depending on how much spice you like

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/8 tsp. sugar

1/8 tsp. allspice

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until it starts to bubble slightly, about five minutes. Reduce heat and let simmer for 15-20 minutes. Done!

Braided Calzones

May 23, 2012 by Mackenzie

The other night we had a bunch of family in town and so my uncle and I made calzones! It was a fun way to make a classic meal but be able to customize it for each family member!

We used homemade pizza dough and a homemade pizza sauce and they were both fantastic!

Here is the recipe for the dough… I’ll post our pizza sauce in the next post!
And don’t worry about how complicated it looks to braid them like this! I’m including step by step pictures and I promise it really isn’t all that hard!

Braided Calzones

Calzone Dough

(Recipe Adapted from Allrecipes.com and Amy’s Cafe)

Makes four personal-size calzones or one large calzone.

1 C lukewarm water

1 pkg. active dry yeast

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. dry milk powder

3 C bread flour

3 Tbsp. olive oil (aprox.) plus more for drizzle

1 egg (beaten)

2 tsp. water

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the water, yeast, salt and sugar and stir to combine. Set aside for 15 minutes and then stir in (with dough hook attachment) the dry milk powder, flour and olive oil and mix until a dough forms. Turn onto a floured surfact and knead for ten minutes (seriously, knead it for that long!). The dough should feel smooth and elastic. Drizzle olive oil over outside of dough to cover and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and place in a warm place for 1-2 hours – or until doubled in size.

Beat down the dough and split into four balls. Place into a 9×13, cover, and let rise again for 15 minutes.

Roll out each ball of dough on a lightly floured surface and shape into a rectangle.

Side tip: When I rolled out the dough… it helped to become a professional pizza thrower and toss my dough! ha!

Transfer to a cookie sheet, especially if you are doing one giant one. Spoon pizza sauce (check out next post for homemade pizza sauce recipe) onto the middle of the calzone and then top with your favorite pizza toppings (pepperoni, sausage, red onions, red peppers, black olives, mushrooms…)

and finally cover with cheese! Now for the braiding part: using a sharp knife, make diagonal cuts one inch apart, down both long sides of the rectangle. Don’t cut all the way to the fillings.

To wrap it up, fold up the bottom and starting at the bottom and alternating sides, overlap the strips of dough onto the filling in a lattice pattern. Stretch the pieces all the way to the other sides and tuck the strips underneath the filling. Pretend you are wrapping up a baby!

The above picture is what happens if you cut the strips too close to the filling – the filling will kind of burst out of the dough.

And ta da! (At the top, just kind of do the same and fold it over and tuck it all in… I haven’t found a good way to end it yet)

Brush calzone with an egg wash (1 egg beaten with 2 tsp. water). And bake at 375 degrees for 20 (several small calzones) or 30 (one large calzone) minutes.

We topped the calzones with the leftover pizza sauce so add even more flavor 🙂

Chicken and Black Bean-Stuffed Burritos

May 17, 2012 by Mackenzie

We had some leftover chicken from our BBQ this past weekend and so I scrolled through my pinterest boards to find something new and fun to do with it. I got the okay from Spencer to make these (big deal! haha!) and they turned out great! A quick and easy meal!

Chicken and Black Bean-Stuffed Burritos

(Recipe from My Recipes)

Makes 4 burritos

1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken breast
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
3/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup refrigerated fresh salsa
4 (8-inch) flour tortillas
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Cooking spray

1. Bring first 6 ingredients to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in shredded chicken and green onions.

2. Combine beans and salsa. Spoon 1/4 cup bean mixture and 1/2 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cheese. Roll up.

3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add 2 burritos. Place a cast-iron or other heavy skillet on top of burritos, and cook for 3 minutes on each side. Remove from pan, and repeat procedure with the remaining 2 burritos.

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