Homemade Lemoncello!

When life gives you lemons...soak 'em in booze! 

I love the idea of homemade booze...who knew?  When I think about all the stuff you could soak in Vodka it makes me all woozy!   Vodka is a neutral spirit, it goes with everything!

This is stuper easy (a little boozy  humor).  Steep lemon peels in your favorite vodka for about 5-7 days...add some simple syrup and you are locked and loaded (more boozy  humor)...crack myself up!  Oh yeah, fun photo shoot friends, very fun photo shoot...hicuup.

Ingredients

1 fifth Vodka
2 pounds lemons (about 10)
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
Sterilized container with tight fitting lid (like a large jar)

Peel yellow skin off of lemons being careful not to get the white pith (it will make your Lemoncello bitter and kinda pith ya off).

Mix Lemon peelings and vodka in large jar with tight fitting lid.
Store for 5-7 days in a cool dark place.  Give it a shake a day if you can...

Combine sugar and water in saucepan.  Heat to boiling and cook for 10 minutes until all sugar is dissolved.  Cool to room temperature.

Drain lemon peels from vodka and toss.  Pour desired amount of sugar mixture into vodka.  I used about 1 1/2 cups...but whatever tastes good to you!

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Blueberry Pie Bars

If I were a Blueberry, I would want to land my big blue butt in this pan...what a way to go out...if your a Blueberry I mean.  Seriously, these are some killer bar cookies...and easy?...oh, get me started! 

 I found several variations of this recipe on Pinterest (cause' that's where all the groovy recipes are).   I eventually settled on Kleinworth & Co. version.  Why?.. well they had the best picture of course so they must be the best, turns out I was right!

 You can use fresh or frozen blueberries and I'll just bet you could substitute Raspberries, Apples or Peaches...oh yum, Peaches sound perfect for next time!



Blueberry Pie Bars

Topping

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2  cup sugar
pinch salt
1 1/2 sticks cold butter (cubed)


Filling

 2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup sour cream
pinch salt
3 cups fresh blueberries

Instructions

Grease 9x13 glass baking dish- set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Add flour, sugar, salt and cubed butter to mixing bowl, beat until combined and crumbly.

Take 1 cup of mixture and set aside. (I really tried to forget this step so I'm giving you a visual)

• Take remaining mixture and firmly press into your baking dish, covering the bottom. Bake 15 minutes.
• While crust is baking- whisk eggs in a large bowl.
• Add sugar, sour cream, flour and salt.
• Gently fold in blueberries. (if frozen, you may want to wait just until you are ready to pour into the crust so they don't go all purple on ya)
• When crust is ready - remove from oven and add filling. Gently spooning over the top of the crust.
• Sprinkle with remaining crust mixture you had set aside.
• Bake 1 hour or until top is lightly browned.
• Cool a bit before serving to make easier to cut.
• Print and save this recipe...your going to be making it a lot!

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BBQ Chicken Soup with Cornbread Croutons

Soup with a twist and a secret ingredient...I LOVE secret ingredients! 

 I've never heard of BBQ Chicken Soup until I had it at SODO Kitchen, a lovely restaurant located in the Seattle Starbucks Headquarters building. The food is fresh from local Farmers and the staff is lovely! The Catering Manager was nice enough to share this recipe with...Thank you Laura! 

 This has turned out to be one of my all time soup faves and I love me some soup so that says alot.

So, what is that secret ingredient??  It's a cup of brewed coffee and of course I used Starbucks...I got a few pounds of it hanging around.

NOTES:

• This soup is as good as the BBQ sauce you use...so be sure and use one you like.
• Perfect recipe to use grocery store purchased Rotisserie Chicken!

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Artisanal Crackers with Olive Oil & Rosemary

 

Every once in awhile you run into a recipe that makes all this blogging worth it!  And this my friends is it!

It is everything I want my recipes to be.    Simple, fresh, easy to make, versatile and yummy!  I can hardly wait to make them again! 

And where did I run across this piece of recipe perfection?  If you have read my blog at all, you will see my pal Rob's name throughout.  Rob is my Blog Muse.   But this recipe came from Rob's partner, David!  David is an uber talented decorator...their home is simply amazing...and apparently he is working on his culinary skills as well!   Thanks for sharing David!

 Couple notes:

•  Roll  out as thin as possible.  They transfer to a baking sheet easily, even though they are paper thin. 
• After topping with salt, use a rolling pin to gently press the salt into the dough before baking.
• Use good salt (I used Kosher). Use good Olive Oil (Extra Virgin) and fresh Rosemary.
• I made mine rustic, but you can cut into any shape you prefer.
• Vary this recipe easily with any herb or leave plain...good no matter what! 
• Oh and each large cracker only has 66 calories...munch on!

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups flour

2/3 cup water

1/4 cup good olive oil 

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat to 425

Mix all ingredients in your *Kitchen Aid using the bread hook.  Knead for 5 minutes or so until dough is silky smooth  

Let it rest for 20 minutes. 

 (*if you don't have a Kitchen Aid, your hands will work just fine! Just make sure you knead it well.) 

  



   

Cut dough into 8 small pieces. 

 

 

 Roll out each piece on well floured board until very thin. Each piece will make 2 long crackers. 

 

 

 

 

Place on silicone mat, parchment paper or spray cooking pan lightly with non stick spray.



Bake for 10-15 minutes or until lightly brown.



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Jelly Donut Muffins

I've been making these for years.  The recipe is from my favorite cookbook of all time.  The Complete Cooking Light Cookbook.  They are called Raspberry Filled Cinnamon  Muffins in the book but they are so tender, like a donut, I changed the name and the filling!



I am not sure, but I think this was the first edition printed.  There have been several since, but none as good as this version from 2000.  I use this book more than all my cookbooks.... combined and I got a few books!  It's my moms favorite too.

These are tender, very delicate and super easy to make.  I use seedless strawberry jam to mimic the filling of a jelly donut but you could use whatever you have on hand.

When my daughter was little and had a bad day...we used to make muffins...because when the going gets tough, the tough make muffins!

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Magic Cake - One Batter, 3 Layers!

The first time I tried to bake this I killed it...a total disaster!  The recipe is from Europe, totally confusing...it's no wonder their food is so bland...they probably only use half the ingredients because the recipes are so confusing!  After I put the cake in the oven and was cleaning up, it was not a big surprise to see the 2 cups of milk I should have added,  still in the measuring cup, sitting on the counter.  Of course I took the cake out of the oven, (what else ya gonna do?) mixed in the milk and re-baked it...oh sure, that's gonna work!  I set the timer for 60 minutes but must have somehow turned off the oven...one hour later?  Raw uncooked cake....what a cook huh?


In comes my daughter Rachel to save the day!  She not only baked the cake perfectly, she set up the photo shoot!  That's my girl! 

Needless to say, I've re-written the recipe and made this a 'piece of cake' for you to bake!

NOTE: Eggs need to be at room temperature.  Take them out about 15-20 minutes before you start. 

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Slow Cooker Sausage, Mushroom and Orzo Soup

Spring is in the air in Seattle (well as much as Spring can ever be in the air in Seattle), so I thought I'd get soup out of my system until fall!

This can be prepared stove top or slow cooker. Slow cooker works a little better because the sausage has time to marry with the rest of the ingredients.

Feel free to mix up the pasta a bit, I just thought Orzo would be a nice change. I used a real rough chop on everything for a bit of a rustic soup.

...and yes, that is chopped lettuce on top, it was the only green thing I had in my fridge besides left over St Patrick day cupcakes, and those don't look good sprinkled on soup.

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Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes

My friend Christina got engaged last week,  and her new fiance proposed using 'thier kids'. (see below pic)...how cute is that!

Christina is known for her uber picky eating habits, so when I heard she loves cupcakes I knew that store bought would just not do!

I am not much of a perfectionist when it comes to baking.  I prefer a more 'rustic' approach.    Piped on frosting and sprinkly little things are just not me.  But with some store bought caramel topping drizzled on top and a wafer cookies from Trader Joes,  I think they came out okay!    Christina loved them and that's what counts...I believe she downed 2 of them!  (oops, didn't mean to tell!).

The secret to these beauties is using Jumbo cupcake liners in your regular size muffin tin.  It turns ordinary cupcakes into big beautiful cupcakes!

You can use a homemade cake mix (see below) or a box mix.    If you choose a box, try to go with Duncan Hines.  I think their mix is superior.  Devils Food would work nicely for this recipe.  

Congratulations Christina and Neil! 

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Salmon Cakes - Lightened Up!

 I've been reposting some of my prior recipes so I can improve the photo's, and in this case I am reducing the fat while I am at it! 

See my previous ugly photo and fattening recipe!   

This is a rendition of Ina Gartens Salmon Cake recipe.  Like a lot of her recipes she is heavy on the butta.     I tweaked it a bit to make it healthy and really, no difference in flavor at all...none, zip, nada.    I saved a butt-load (pun intended) of fat!  My arteries are thanking me today!  I also left off the Tarragon Vinigerette  in my previous posting,but you can sure add it if you would like! 

How I did it:     I sauteed the veggies in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and omitted the butter. Reduced the mayo by 1/4 cup and decreased the eggs from 2 to 1. I also increased the Dijon to make the patties hold together. I sauted in olive oil instead of the suggested butter and olive oil combo and they came out brown and crispy just like they should!

 

 

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Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup

I love secret ingredients!  Something that makes a recipe really different and stand out.  The secret to this soup is... a bottle of beer!  Beer instead of broth, now that's my kind of recipe! (especially if you throw this together in the morning and take a little taster before dumping it in the pot..who doesn't like a little beer breath in the morning?).

You can't really 'taste' the beer but it does add a certain depth of flavor.  If you don't drink alcohol, you can substitute chicken broth...but try the beer, the chances of any alcohol being left after 5 hours in a slow cooker are pretty slim.

You can also substitute kidney beans for chili beans, regular canned diced tomatoes instead of those with green chilies, I  think you could go with just about anything you got in your cupboard on this and not mess it up too bad!

 

 

 

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Lemon Crinkle Cookies - Made with Cake Mix!

I have this pretty amazing kid.  Ya, I know, spoken like a Mom, but I do, I do, I really, really do!

She is 23, (where did the time go) and she has always had a very natural instict when it comes to cooking and food.  She was 5 when she fell in love with Pesto.... so much for PBJ's!

Like her Father, she loves to dine out and try new food.  Like her Mom, she cooks when she is bored or inspired, either emotion usually turns out something pretty yummy.  She is very good at cooking with what's on hand and that's where this came from.  We must have had a box of Lemon Cake mix in the cupboard...lucky us!

She found this recipe on browneyedbaker.com.    You can substitute any flavor of cake mix and create a multitude of crinkle cookies.  Spice cookies, chocolate cookies, confetti cookies, any cake mix will work!  (just omit the lemon zest and lemon juice and substitute with a spice and/or extract that matches the cake mix that you are using).

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Skinny Caeser Dressing

Personally, I love Blue Cheese Dressing...Marie's Blue Cheese Dressing to be exact. However,  there comes a time when you have to make a change for the sake of your waistline and arteries....and up until now, I really couldn't find anything that was a decent substitute. But this stuff is good...really good!  2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil in the whole recipe makes it artery friendly.

I adopted this from skinnytaste.com.  A blog I have mentioned several times.  I love her low cal stuff and I don't really like low cal stuff, so that's quite a compliment.
 I modified this recipe a bit, to increase the yield and I used anchovies paste opposed to a jar of anchovies.  Anchovy paste will last a good long time, a jar of anchovies...not so much.

The first thing my blogging muse, Rob said to me when I told him I made this is:  'ewwww Anchovies, I hate Anchovies!' (just want you to know, he said it like a girl).  Now I love Rob, but he doesn't  'do fish',  so I don't think he properly represents the  Anchovy.  Let me just say, if you do not use Anchovies in this recipe, I do not see the point in calling iti Caeser.   Caesar dressing IS all about the Anchovies. It is what made you fall in love with the dressing in the first place!  If  you choose to ignore me and make it anyway,  it will still be good, but it will not be Caesar, it will be Creamy Dijon with Lemon.  Do whatever, I'm  just sayin'...


Ingredients

1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 large garlic clove
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon anchovies paste
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup Plain Greek Yogurt

Directions:
In a food processor or blender, add the cheese, lemon juice, garlic clove, mustard and  anchovies paste. Blend for about 20 seconds. Add the oil and yogurt and blend for another 30 seconds or so.

Makes about a cup.
 
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Chicken Enchilada's in Creamy Avocado Sauce

Another home run recipe from my pal Rob...he is a bloggers best friend!  Rob knows that the best recipes come from home cooks and he finds a lot of his favorites on Pinterest and, if they are a winner, he sends them on to me to post...like I said, a bloggers best friend! Rob found this recipe on  Closet Cooking. It is my new favorite blog.  He has some really easy, yummy stuff. 

I used store bought Rotisserie Chicken for these Enchilada's.    I'm mildly obsessed with Rotisserie chicken. (can you be 'mildly obsessed' or is that like being a 'little bit pregnant'?)  I've even dedicated a Pinterest Board to it, ( not to being a 'little pregnant' but to Rotisserie chicken...jeesh, where am I going with this???)

I modified this recipe slightly.   The original called for fresh Jalapeno.   I knew it would be too much heat for my family.  Turns out Rob excluded the Jalapeno as well and achieved the same great results.  But, if you want more heat, seed and chop a Jalapeno,  toss it in the food processor with the rest of the sauce ingredients.  Either way, give this recipe a try!

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Black Bottom Cupcakes

This is a tried and true recipe.  It has been around since at least 1982. And how do I know that?  I know that because my parents had a small restaurant and I used to bake these cupcakes every morning.  Yup,  just me and the crickets that found there way under our refrigerator from the pet store next to our restaurant...oh yeah, those were the days. Who wouldn't wanna eat at a restaurant with crickets and cupcakes?  We did serve Starbucks though, one of the first restaurants to carry it south of Seattle,  and I'm sure the first to serve it with crickets.

My little sister Kelli and I cooked and ran the restaurant. We were famous...famous for arguing all day and stealing beer all night.  I'm happy to say, we sold the restaurant after few years, we started buying are own beer and my sister and I are pretty good pals.

The good thing about running my folks restaurant is that it culminated  my love of cooking...the second thing is it taught me to never, ever, ever consider opening up a restaurant of my own!  It is back breaking work and unless you have a trust fund with an endless supply of cash,  I suggest you get a real job and feed your foodie needs with a food blog!  
Back to the recipe.   Super easy and no frosting required!

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Skillet Pasta with Italian Sausage

Another Skillet Dish recipe!  The working girl (and guy) has gotta love these.  One pan, a few common ingredients and dinner is on the table.

I adapted this dish from Country Cooks magazine.   A subscription I sometimes love.  Not all their recipes works for me, which is a bit bizarre since the entire premise of the show and magazine is that each recipe be honed to perfection...tried and retried, using every method possible until they reach recipe perfection! So why don't they work for me?  and why do I keep up my subscription and why do I continue to cook from it? 
I guess I keep hoping that one day, that nice man in the round glasses and bow tie will put out something that cooks up just the way he says!  I'll certainly let ya know if that ever happens...but in the meantime, I've performed my own 'test kitchen' on this recipe and it's pretty close to perfect!

You could certainly change this up a hundred different ways by using different pasta, meat and sauce but keep the liquid measurements the same or you might get some underdone pasta.

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