Lemon Bars

Lemon Bars are something I remember as being a "grown-up" dessert when I was a kid.  My mom would make them occasionally and I don't remember particularly liking them.  Funny how as you grow up so does your taste.  Now that I'm an adult I love lemon desserts - and lemon bars are at the top of the list!

2 cups Flour

1/2 cup Powdered Sugar

2 TBSP Cornstarch

1/4 tsp Salt

1 cup butter

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 tsp finely shredded lemon peel

3/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (or bottled is fine too)

1/4 cup heavy cream, half and half, or milk

powdered sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 cake pan with foil, leaving two ends long.  Spray the foil with non-stick spray. Combine flour, powdered sugar, cornstarch and salt.  Using a pastry blender blend in the butter until is resembles coarse crumbs.  Press mixture into the bottom of you pan.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until the edges are golden.

With a hand or stand mixer mix the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and cream until well combined.  Pour over hot crust and return to oven for 18-20 minutes.  Let completely cool on wire rack.  Once cooled lift the entire thing out of the pan using the long ends of the foil as handles.  Cut into squares, sprinkle with powdered sugar and refrigerate in a covered container.

Homemade Chipotle Salsa

One of the things I love about eating at a place like Baja Fresh or Rubios is the Chipotle Salsa.  I love smooth, pureed salsa with lots of flavor and kick.  This salsa recipe is just that!  My husband loved this stuff and requested that it be made again - that is always a good sign!

1 can (14 oz) Fire Roasted Tomatoes

1 cup fresh cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup white onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 whole jalapeno, chopped

4 chipotle peppers in adobo, plus 2 tsp of the adobo sauce

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 bunch of cilantro

1 lime, juiced

Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree.  Transfer to a container and refrigerate. 

Vegetarian Mexican Stuffed Peppers

My husband recently read a book that inspired him to completely change his diet.

I'm talking green smoothies with a million different greens (bok choy? seriously?), no dairy, only 1 cup of 100% whole wheat grains daily (did you know that a food product only needs 51% whole wheat grain to label itself as 'whole wheat'?), the occasional lean meat, and obviously no sweets or fat. 

Good for him, right?

Not good for wifey.

Bad for wifey....

Dinners have been challenging to say the least, and I've certainly missed some of my favorite foods!

BUT, there is a bright side people.

I'm like master chef-reinvented. Booyeah.

Here, I present my own version of Stuffed Peppers!

I'm sure you heard about the quinoa hype, and I'm officially converted. It's basically identical to brown rice on steroids. More protein, more fiber, tastes great, it's pretty much amazing.

First, you want to throw half of a diced onion, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1/2 c quinoa (rinsed), and 1 c chicken broth in a saucepan.

Bring it to a boil, then simmer 5 minutes uncovered.

Turn the heat off, cover, and let sit 15 minutes.

While the quinoa's cooking, throw a can of black beans (rinsed), a can of green chilies, 2 tomatoes, 1 c corn, and cilantro in a bowl. Make it look pretty. 

Because this is what your daily cooking looks like, right?

Fluff said quinoa with a fork and stir it into the bowl of veggie and protein goodness.

Season mixture with cumin, chili powder, and cayenne.

You can add cheese into this mixture here to make the whole pepper full of cheesiness, but I just sprinkle it on top at the end.

Slice tops off and insides out of your bell peppers (I did two, this recipe makes enough for four) and rinse. Cover with a damp paper towel or two, set on a plate and microwave 2 minutes to soften them.

After they've been nooked, fill peppers with quinoa mixture.

For the sauce, I used a can of tomato sauce and seasoned it with cumin, chili powder, cayenne, and onion powder. Place sauce in pan, top with peppers.

Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

 Top with cheese, sour cream, whatever suits your Vegetarian Mexican fancy!

Spniach Artichoke Pasta

       I am always looking for new delicious pasta recipes that can be filling and made within a 30 minutes and this one I found on ioawgirleats.com and she adapted it from Pioneer Woman! It really is so good and easy to make even if you don't normally cook!  Enjoy!

Creamy Artichoke Pasta for Two  

 {Print this Recipe!}

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon butter

1 Tablespoon olive oil

salt & pepper

2 green onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 can whole artichoke hearts, drained & quartered

1/2 can petite diced tomatoes with juice

1/4 cup half & half

1/4 cup chicken broth

6oz dry long pasta, like fettuccini or spaghetti

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Cook pasta in salted, boiling water. Drain and return to the hot pot.

2. Meanwhile, melt butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add green onions, salt and pepper, then sauté until slightly softened, ~2 minutes. Add minced garlic and sauté for 1 more minute.

3. Add artichoke hearts and tomatoes into the skillet. Season with a bit more salt and pepper, then cook for 8 minutes, stirring every so often. Add in half & half and chicken broth, then cook for 30 more seconds.

4. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the cooked pasta then add in the tomato artichoke sauce. Stir to combine, and serve!

Chicken and Pasta with Peanut Sauce

If you want a meal that literally takes minutes to prepare - this is your dish!  Jim and I love toe at this and it is a cinch to whip up!  The only thing you have to cook is the pasta! This has been a long time favorite at our house!

Ingredients

6 ounces dried fettuccine or linguine

1 cups snow peas

1 cup cooked chicken strips (I like to use part of a roitisserrie chicken)

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh pineapple or one 8-ounce can pineapple chunks, drained

1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon lime juice or lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Place the snow peas and chicken in a large colander. Pour hot cooking liquid from pasta over pea pods and chicken in colander; drain well. Return pasta, pea pods, and chicken to the hot pan. Add pineapple.

2. Meanwhile, for sauce, in a small saucepan stir chicken broth into peanut butter. Heat and stir with a whisk until peanut butter melts. Stir in soy sauce, lime juice, red pepper, and garlic; heat through.

3. Add sauce to the pasta mixture. Gently stir to coat pasta with sauce. Makes 4 servings.

Strawberry Coconut Cake

Easter is one of those holidays where you always look forward to your mom's ham, potatoes, green beans and rolls. YUM! My family's in Texas, so our friends here are our second family.

We had a little shindig to celebrate, and I signed up to bring dessert. 

Because I love dessert like a fat kid loves cake...

I found this cake here and knew I had to make it!

Sadly, I didn't take any pics during the baking process, so just use your imagination.

But seriously, this cake is BOMB.

And quite the impressive-looking cake, so make it!

1 (18.5 oz) box white cake mix

4 T strawberry jello powder

2 T flour

1 t baking powder

2 T sugar

3/4 c canola oil

4 eggs

1/4 c water

1/2 c pureed strawberries

1 t vanilla

1/2 t coconut extract

1/2 c fresh strawberries, diced

1 c coconut, shredded finely in food processor

sliced strawberries for filling

shredded coconut to make it pretty

strawberries to make it pretty

Mix dry ingredients in bowl, then mix in oil, eggs, water, pureed strawberries, vanilla and coconut extracts. Don't overmix!!! This will ruin your moist, delicious cake.

Stir in diced strawberries and shredded coconut.

Pour into two greased and floured 8 or 9-inch round pans and bake at 350 for 25-35 minutes, or until toothpick is clean when inserted and cake perimeter is pulling away from pan.

Leave cakes in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes.

Then do that cool trick where you put a cooling rack on the top of the cake pan and flip it over onto the cooling rack in one fluid motion. Continue to cool completely.

Make the icing:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 c butter, softened

32 oz. powdered sugar

1 t vanilla

Beat cream cheese and butter, add in vanilla, slowly beat in powdered sugar. BAM. Done.

Place one cake layer on serving plate or cake stand. Ice top of first layer, top with sliced strawberries. Add second layer of cake and frost top and sides of complete cake.

Now here's the tricky part. 

Coat entire cake with shredded coconut.

Not gonna lie, it was quite the messy process, but then you clean it up, garnish with strawberries, and voila!

Then you slice into it and everybody's jaw drops 

because of how pretty it is and how amazing it tastes.

Bob's Guacamole

My husband, Jim, grew up in a town in northern San Diego called Fallbrook.  The town is known for its avocado groves.  They claim the title of "The Avocado Capitol of the Country."  They even have an avocado festival there each year.  So -people that grew up there probably know a thing or two about avocados. :)  Jim's brother, Bob, makes this guacamole and it's awesome!  I hate having big chunks of onion or cilantro in my guac so this recipe is right up my alley!  You get all the flavor without the chunks!  Thanks Bob for a great recipe!

2 Large Avocados

1/4 Onion

1 Serrano Chili Pepper, seeds removed

1 Lime

1 Large Roma Tomato

Salt to Taste

1. In a Blender puree juice from lime, onion, serrano chili (seeds removed) and 1/3 of the tomato.

2. Pour Mixutre into a bowl and add avocados

3. Pulse remaining tomato in blender until chopped. Add to bowl and stir/mash to desired consistency.  I like to use a potato masher.

5. Add salt to taste