Melt In Your Mouth Lemony Goodness

Who doesn't love a good lemon bar?  Ok, I guess not everyone is keen on lemon flavored sweetness, but here they are nonetheless!

I found this lemon bar recipe shortly after we got married when I was searching for more ways to use all those lemons falling off the tree in my front yard.  What I didn't notice when I made them the first time was that it called for "confectioner's sugar" (aka powdered sugar), and I used good ol' granulated sugar.  When I realized my mistake (about the 4th time I made these bars), I figured...  it works, why change it?!  I have to admit I did try using powdered sugar for the "crust" once, and they tasted funny!  My hint is to mix the crust just enough that it sticks together, but that it's still crumbly, and to make sure you dust the bars with powdered sugar just before they are served because otherwise it just soaks in.

The Very Best Brownies

My mom & I found this recipe for Easy Double Chocolate Chip Brownies when I was in middle school trying to raise funds for winter camp.  Years later, while trying to impress my boyfriend (now husband) with my mad baking skills, everything went wrong and the charred brownies flew out of the oven and onto the floor barely missing my beau's feet!  We had a good laugh about it, but they've turned out right every time since then...  I still can't believe he actually let me try again!  That's true love!

My tips:
I keep my giant 72 ounce bag o' chips from Costco in the freezer at all times!  I don't put nuts in the brownies because I don't always know if the people I plan to share with can have them.  I only bake them for 17 minutes and serve them quickly after they come out of the oven with whipped cream, chocolate sauce & caramel sauce.  They just melt in your mouth, and the little bits of chips that you stir in at the end add that extra-chocolatey-ooey-gooey-goodness!

Unbaked #6 - The Shell Scarf

I saw this scarf pattern in a craft store and wouldn't you know they had free copies hanging right next to the example scarf!  I thought I'd try it out & share.  Well, my first run was a bust!  So I searched for the shell stitch as the pattern suggested, and to no avail I just couldn't seem to find what I was looking for... but since my dear friend Google rarely leads me astray, I eventually found this Front Post Stitch link that looked like the scarf I saw hanging in the aisle!  Hooray!  So here it goes...  I changed it around a bit to make it work for me.  I used a large wooden crochet hook that was my great-grandmother's, and some "country blue" yarn that cost a whopping $2.97 (+tax) at Wally World.

If you take the instructions one step at a time with patience, you will be happy with the outcome.  I pulled out my scarf at least 5 times before getting it right!  Once you get it down, it's a piece of cake!

In the first three steps, every time you seen chain, it is referring to the beginning chain of 20.

SECTION ONE:

Getting Started:

1. Chain 20 stitches loosely
2. Going backwards down the chain from where your hook is, in 4th chain from the hook, create 2 double crochets, chain 2, and 3 more double crochets in same stitch (or 4th chain).
3. Continuing down the chain, skip 3 chains.  In 4th chain, create 3 double crochets, chain 2, and 3 more double crochet in same stitch (or 4th chain. 

REPEAT STEP 3, 3 TIMES.  You should be at the end of your original 20 chains.  

SECTION TWO:

For the remainder of the scarf:

From here on, you will continue to repeat the following instructions until the scarf gets to your desired length.

1. Chain 3, turn.   Create a front post double crochet in the next 2 double crochets of the previous row.  (This is where is gets tricky & you might need to glance at the link if you don't already know this stitch)  Chain 2, then 3 double crochets in the chain 2 of the previous row.
2. Skip the next 3 double crochets and skip that next chain 2 also.
3. In the NEXT set of double crochets, create a front post double crochet in each of the three double crochets, chain 2, and then 3 double crochets in the chain 2 of the previous row.  

REPEAT STEP 3, 3 TIMES.

REPEAT SECTION TWO UNTIL YOUR SCARF IS AS LONG AS YOU WANT IT TO BE!

Good luck and have fun!

Fruity Chicken Salad Sandwiches With Helpful Chicken Boiling & Shredding Tips

I am notorious for making food that is not "in season."  While the rest of the country is making comfort foods, I am busy in my California home preparing summer picnic dishes like chicken salad sandwiches and lemon bars!  This chicken salad is one of the most flexible recipes I make, and it's great to have on hand for quick lunches.  Here's what you need to have a taste of summer all year long:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, boiled & shredded - see below for tips (I boiled enough chicken for this and my enchilada recipe...  Yay for a time saver!)
mayonnaise (or greek yogurt - thanks to my dear friend Kerry for that idea!)
1 celery stalk, chopped
1/2 apple, thinly sliced & chopped (the size of the pieces matter only to your palate)
1/2 cup dried cranberries

salt
pepper
garlic powder
your favorite bread

1. Put the shredded chicken in a bowl and mix in mayonnaise about a Tbs full at a time (I end up using about 3 Tbs) until the chicken kind of sticks together.  If you like your salad really moist, you'll want more mayo.  
2. Add the celery, apple, and cranberries, and stir until mixed.
3. Add salt, pepper & garlic powder to taste.  (I probably use 1/8 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of pepper & 1 tsp of garlic powder...  We love garlic, what can I say?!)
4. Grab 2 pieces of your favorite bread, spread a little mayo on (if you like), and put the salad in between!

There's your sandwich!

When grapes are on sale I like to use them instead of cranberries.  Also, if I know we won't be around other people after we eat, I add some thinly chopped onion too.  The garlic alone is enough to keep even our closest friends away!

Chicken Boiling & Shredding Tips: 

A little hint on the chicken...  I buy a 10 pound bag of frozen chicken from Costco every few months.  I stick how ever many frozen chicken breasts I need for my meal into my largest saucepan, and fill it with water until the chicken is just covered.  I put the saucepan over high heat and let it boil until the chicken is no longer pink.  It takes about 30-40 minutes depending on how many chicken breasts I'm cooking.  If is starts to boil over, I pour in about a tsp of olive oil, and/or turn it down to medium high (salmonella scares me, so I don't usually turn it down unless I need to go out of the kitchen).  Once the chicken is cooked, dump it into a colander and rinse it under cold water for a moment.  Take two forks and use them to pull the breasts apart in opposite directions.  Do this until the chicken is shredded to your liking.  If the chicken is too hot to handle and you're not planning to eat it for a few hours, or until the next day, stick it in the fridge!  Or better yet, make extra & freeze it for next time :)

Enjoy!

Beef For Dinner? Yep, In My House!

Thanks once again to my mother-in-law for the magazine subscription or else I would not have stumbled upon this simple beef stir-fry that has become a monthly staple in my house!  About a year after my hubby & I were married, he asked me sweetly "do you think you could make red meat once in a while?"  I have never liked the taste of beef, but in order to score some points in the wifey book and make something I could stomach I went on the hunt!  I substitute Trader Joe's brand instant chicken broth packets.  Since I use chicken more than beef anyway I figured it wouldn't make a huge difference.  We didn't notice a change in the taste, and now I don't have to waste a can or box of broth.  I just use the full cup of the broth packet mixed with water.  The trick is to mix the cornstarch with all the other ingredients before adding it to the broth or it will get all clumpy & gross.

I also made a cold cucumber "salad" with thinly sliced cucumbers using my mandoline, a little soy sauce and some rice vinegar.  I tossed it all in a bowl together and stuck it in the fridge when I put the meat in to marinate.  That way it was chilled by the time we ate.  It was a nice addition to the meal!

Apples in My Muffins!

I received a new cookbook for Christmas!  I found a recipe that I had most of the ingredients for, and it had apples so I had to try it!  Instead of running to the store, I just improvised!


2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. raw sugar
2 t. baking powder
2 t. baking soda
2 t. cinnamon
2  eggs
1/2 c. oil
4 medium apples, peeled, cored & chopped (I used Galas)
1/2 c. pecans
1/2 c. dried cranberries

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Grease that muffin tin!
2. Mix flour, sugar, powder, soda, and cinnamon (in your mixer, YES, I finally used mine again).
3. Separately, in a medium bowl, mix eggs, oil, apples, pecans, and dried cranberries.
4. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and set that mixer on slow speed, and make sure to scrape the sides & bottom of the bowl.
5. Spoon the mix into muffin cups until it just reaches the top.  Use less if you don't want that nice "muffin top" experience.
6. Bake for 20 minutes and cool muffins on cooling rack.

These are not very visually appealing when they come out of the oven, but I had friends over the morning that I baked them, and they pretty much devoured them!

A Whole Chicken, It's What's For Dinner!

I know I've mentioned before that my mixer is one of the appliances I fear in my kitchen, but my Crock-Pot is a very close second!  Since I'm apparently into facing my fears these days, I looked up a chicken recipe to try out in the ol' slow cooker (I have a feeling that I will become a frequent reader of this Crock-Pot blog).

My mom used to cook up whole chickens when I was young, and they were on sale for 77¢ per pound during my last shopping trip, so I thought I'd give it a shot.  Ooh, giblets for gravy!  Chicken gravy did not turn as tasty as turkey gravy, but it worked.  I also made a salad consisting of baby spinach, sliced tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, celery, goat cheese, and ranch dressing.  I sliced up some potatoes with the slicer that my grandma gave us for Christmas, and boiled them up to make mashed potatoes for the gravy.

It was a pretty yummy meal, and pretty inexpensive too.  I have leftover chicken for sandwiches now since a five pound bird is a little much for two people!

Refreshing Cucumber, How I Love You So!

It's that time of year again when I start acting like a health conscious food critic.  You know the type, I put away the chocolate cake recipes (somewhere not too secret so that I can find them again in about a week), and I start looking for those healthy alternatives for my residual holiday cravings!

This may not be the healthiest item on the menu, but it got me to eat carrots.  I got the idea for this cucumber dip from a magazine, and I don't remember which one!

Ingredients:
1/2 Cucumber, peeled
1 package (8 ounces) Neufchatel Cheese (or cream cheese if you don't want the "lite" version)
1/4 onion, grated using the small holes of the grater
1 tsp garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. In my "special blender" I stuck the cucumber in & pulsed it to a puree.
2. I poured the cucumber puree into a fine mesh strainer and got as much liquid out as possible.  (I reserved the liquid for something else, you'll see).
3. I put the cucumber puree, cheese, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper into the blender & spun it until it was all creamy & dip-like.

Pretty simple, huh?  It tastes great with carrots, and I'm not a huge carrot fan.  I used the leftover liquid to make a tasty cucumber-lemon-water.  I juiced one lemon, and poured the lemon juice and cucumber liquid into a two-liter pitcher.  I added ice and filled the pitcher with water.  It's a little tart, but very refreshing!

Unbaked #5 - Sewing! Aprons for Sisters

I have a super cute apron that I got as a wedding gift, and last year for Christmas I used it as a pattern to make a similar one for my sister.  This year I made another one for my new sister-in-law (pictured above)!

What I used:
1 yard of fabric
1 package of bias tape (3 yards)
1 spool of matching thread

What I did:

1. I ironed my new fabric.
2. I laid my apron over the new fabric.
3. I pinned my apron to the new fabric to keep it from shifting.
4. I cut around my apron (avoiding the straps on my apron so as not to cut them off).
5. I unpinned my apron.
6. I folded the new fabric in half to trim it up symmetrically.
7. I cut new straps from remaining fabric and sewed them into tubes, then turned them inside out.
8. I pinned the bias tape and straps onto the apron.
9. I sewed the whole thing together.

The pockets on my sister's from last year were very time consuming and confusing.  To be honest, I'm not a great seamstress!  I did not have the time or patience this year to try to get them onto my sister-in-law's apron.  I think it turned out pretty well without them, and my mother-in-law (my sewing teacher & only reason I currently have possession of a [her] sewing machine) said "who needs pockets on an apron?"  I agreed.

This is my sister's from last year...

My Favorite Chocolate Cake for 3 Occasions!

The picture does not do this cake justice (it always gets gobbled up before I can snap a good shot)!  I found this recipe in the September, 2008 edition of Gourmet Magazine and made it in December that year for my mother-in-law's birthday.  It was a risk for me because I'm a very visual person and there was not a corresponding picture when I found it toward the back of the mag.  Though, I could easily imagine the cake once I read over the recipe.  I've made it quite a few times in the last few years, and I made it for our New Year's Eve/friend's birthday/another friend's anniversary bash yesterday and it was a hit!  It's a very rich cake, and small pieces are advised with a dollop of whipped cream.  A word to the wise, there are 3 steps to making this cake and there is a waiting period between each step, so you might want to make the crust and the filling the day before, and then glaze it about an hour before you present it, but making it all the day of really tastes the best!  Enjoy...


The changes I made to accommodate my kitchen:


Buy one 11.5 ounce bag of Ghirardelli 60% cacao baking chips for the following - 


FOR THE FILLING -- change:  9 oz bittersweet chocolate (not more than 65% cacao if marked), chopped ---> 1 1/2 Cup Ghirardelli Chips


FOR THE GLAZE -- change: 1 3/4 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped  --->  1/3 Cup Ghirardelli Chips


I also use a 9" springform pan and it works just fine!