Hope everyone had a fun Father’s Day!

At this point in our kitchen remodel I have no counter tops or sink! I was going to have Father’s Day at my house this year, but quickly realized…WHAT WAS I THINKING? There’s no way I could possibly pull together a dinner without a sink!

In preparation for dinner at my parents, I spent the morning pitting some cherries on my back porch. I got a huge dose Vitamin D in the process….and have to admit it was kinda fun spraying my cutting board off with my garden hose. The power! If only I could put a drain hole in my kitchen floor! Imagine….

And then I hijacked my mom’s kitchen and started making the cherry tart for dessert:

and tada!

OK! First off…it was good! Soooo good. I had two pieces (well, one normal…and a sliver…and my dad did too!) It was a hit! Think: LIGHT + FLUFFY + CHEESECAKE

Fresh Cherry Tart
(Everyday Food Magazine)

- 9 graham crackers (each 2 1/2 by 5 inches)
- 2 tablespoons plus cup sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 6 ounces bar cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 pound fresh sweet cherries pitted and halved
- 1 tablespoon seedless raspberry jam

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, pulse graham crackers and 2 tablespoons sugar until finely ground. Add butter, and process until combined. Transfer mixture to a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Using the base of a dry measuring cup, firmly press mixture into bottom and up sides of pan. Bake until browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese, vanilla, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add cream, and beat until soft peaks form; spread mixture in cooled crust. Scatter cherries on top.

3. In a small saucepan, combine jam and 1 teaspoon water; heat over low until liquefied, about 2 minutes. Using a pastry brush, dab cherries with glaze. Refrigerate tart at least 30 minutes or, covered, up to 1 day.

And because I’m feeling generous…I’ll show you the rest of the meal I made:

Here’s the spread:

My plate- cowboy rubbed steak, cauliflower puree, roasted peppers & mushroom couscous :

I grilled some mushrooms for my vegan bro:

And here’s the vegan dessert- Dark Chocolate Fondue:

And here’s my dad DIGGING into to it:

Happy Father’s Day! I love you Dad!

this week’s girl’s night was LIME themed!

(Everyday Food recipe-makes 16)

For the crust:

-4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted & cooled, plus more for the pan
-2/3 cup shelled pistachios
-1 cup graham cracker crumbs
-1/4 cup sugar
-1 tablespoon grated lime zest

For the Filling:

-2 large egg yolks
-1 can (14oz.) sweetened condensed milk (I used the fat free version)
-1/2 cup lime juice
-1 tablespoon grated lime zest (this wasn’t in the original recipe- I added this)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush an 8 inch square baking dish with melted butter. Line bottom with parchment paper, leaving a 2 inch overhang on two sides.

2. In a food processor, finely grind pistachios with graham-cracker crumbs, sugar, and zest. Blend in butter. Press mixture into bottom and 1 inch up sides of prepared pan. Bake until lightly browned, 8 to 12 minutes. Cool crust, 30 minutes.

3. To make filling: In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and condensed milk. Add lime juice and lime zest. Whisk until smooth. Pour mixture into cooled crust; carefully spreading to edges.

4. Bake until set, about 15 minutes. Cool in pan on rack; then chill at least 1 hour before serving. Using parchment paper overhang, lift out of pan, and transfer to a cutting board. With a serrated knife, cut into 16 squares, wiping knife with a damp kitchen towel between each cut.

and for dinner….

Chinese Chicken Salad
Serves 4 (ish)

Chinese Mustard Vinaigrette:
-1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
-3 tablespoons peanut oil
-2 tablespoons light sesame oil
-1 1/2 tablespoons honey
-3 teaspoons Chinese mustard (more if you like it spicy!)
-Salt & Pepper (to taste)

In the salad:
-1 head of napa cabbage chopped
-1 head of romaine lettuce chopped
-2 cooked chicken breasts shredded (I used a rotisserie chicken to save time)
-2 cups shredded carrots
-1 bunch of cilantro chopped
-1 cup roasted peanuts
-1 LARGE handful of fried chow mein noodles

1. In a medium size bowl, mix all of the vinaigrette ingredients with a whisk. Whisk very well and you have yourself a great dressing!

2. Put shredded chicken in your salad bowl, add a little bit of the vinaigrette and mix well. Start adding the rest of your ingredients. Toss well!! Dig in!

3. Garnish with lime slices. Squeeze some juice on your salad. It’s fantastic!

***I love this salad because it’s so versatile! It’s fresh, crisp, light & easy to whip up. It’s also a good one to improvise. Add some sesame seeds! Add different types of lettuce! Use beef or tofu! It’s really all about the dressing…..Which is scrumptious. I hope you enjoy! ***

This weekend I had one of those moments…the kind where you get this craving for something and you satisfy your craving….and it’s just serendipitous!!! I thought of dinner at 11am and spent all day dreaming about it…and when it finally happened I ate it soo fast….but was left soo satisfied! You would have thought I hadn’t eaten for days…

It started off with a craving for grilled peppers…

…and then I added some hot Italian sausage & some mushrooms to the grill…

and then i set it all up in the living room…

look at those peppers & mushrooms!!!

I added some to salad with some feta…and a balsamic dressing…

here’s my plate!!!

now check out the leftovers! BAM!!

***We had some watermelon for dessert…you might notice some yellow chunks of fruit in the bowl. Those are them!***

Did you have a good meal this weekend? Share!!

I thought that I would bust this out, while I’m on a roll with Everday Food recipes. I stared at the picture in the current issue for like 10 minutes straight. I kid you not.

If that doesn’t get you to try it… Perhaps mine will?

(yes that pan is WELL-LOVED)

Now check up close!

I like a crust that’s a little over cooked and crispy!

eating it outside was the best!

Hamburger Grape Tomato Pizza (Everyday Food-May 2008 issue)

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• All-purpose flour, for work surface
• 1 pound frozen pizza dough, thawed
• 3/4 cup store-bought marinara sauce
• 1 cup grated provolone cheese (4 ounces)
• 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced (optional)
• 1/4 pound ground beef chuck
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• A handful of fresh basil! (I added this and it was PERFECT!)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Rub a large rimless baking sheet (or a rimmed one, upside down) with oil.

2. On a lightly floured work surface, use a rolling pin and your hands to roll and stretch dough into a 15-by-11-inch rectangle (if dough becomes too elastic to work with, let it rest a few minutes). Transfer to prepared sheet.

3. Spread sauce evenly over dough, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Top with provolone, tomatoes, and if desired, onion; scatter beef over top. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Bake until crust is golden, beef is cooked, and cheese is melted, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately. (it’s not as good the second day for some reason!)

ENJOY!!!!  I KNOW WE DID!

I’d like to admit right here and now that there was once a time when I was scared to make enchiladas. I’ve overcome that fear and can now look back and think how silly I was.

So I started telling you about my little Everyday Food binge huh? Well… I recently watched an episode of EVERYDAY FOOD on PBS and was immediately inspired to make some for myself. I thought that if they can do it so fast- I CERTAINLY CAN. I know you can too!

Not yet inspired? Perhaps I can tempt you with a little close up?

I just followed this recipe from Everyday Food:

Tex Mex Enchiladas (makes 8 total)

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
• 1 can (14.5 oz) reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 small canned chipotle chili in adobo, minced-plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from can
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 lb. lean ground beef
• Coarse salt & ground pepper
• 8 tortillas (6 inch)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (about 6 oz.)
• 1/4 cup cilantro

1. Make Sauce: In a medium saucepan, heat 1 ½ tablespoons oil over medium. Add flour and cook, whisking occasionally, 1 minute. Add broth, chili powder, chipotle and adobo sauce, and ¾ cup water; bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat, and simmer until lightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

2. Make Filling: In a 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat remaining ½ tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add onion, garlic, and beef; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until cooked through, about 8 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 350°. Spoon ¼ cup sauce in bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish. Set aside. Make enchiladas: Stack tortillas; wrap in foil, and warm in oven, 10 minutes. Fill each with a heaping ¼ cup beef mixture and 2 tablespoons cheese; tightly roll up.

4. Raise oven heat to 450°. Arrange enchiladas, seam side down, in baking dish. Top with remaining sauce; sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, until hot and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving. Serve garnished with cilantro and perhaps some sour cream like I did!

If you follow the link above, you will find their instructions for freezing your batch!

***Note: After assembling the enchiladas, I was concerned that there might not be enough sauce covering all the tortillas. I decided to drizzle the leftover adobo sauce on top of the assembled enchiladas. I think this added a LOT of flavor!!! ***

This will definitely be in our regular rotation. I can’t wait to experiment on different types of filling!

It’s Tuesday…and all I can think of is the past weekend and the weekend coming up. We live for weekends don’t we? Weekends seem like the only time I am able to play in the kitchen and take photos at my own pace…and this weekend I did just that.

Started off with breakfast outside on the patio….

Here I am busy working in the kitchen while Casey snoozed:

End result = eggs with chives & cheddar, toast with strawberry puree and coffee!

Our plates were licked clean…

I did some gardening…

I bought a new doormat for the patio…

A new fern for each bathroom (i love them!)

We fixed up our other deck and ate the Orange Strawberry popsicles I made on Friday to celebrate!

I stuck three cucumbers in the juicer and out came this lovely shade of green…

The cucumber pulp inspired me to make tzatziki…and then I ended up with this:

I made turkey meatballs without following a recipe…

And of course I had to use that cucumber juice so I made a delightful ginger-ale/cucumber/mint/lemon concoction…

cheers!

Also:

-watched a few movies (La Vie En Rose, Into the Wild & Alpha Dog)

-Casey continued to work on painting our kitchen cabinets

-I started a sewing project that ended terribly :(

-Took a trip to Home Depot

-Daydreamed about my perfect kitchen…..

What are you doing this weekend?