Blueberry Crumb Bars

Clearly, some of these recipes have been waiting since summer to be put up. Oops.

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cold unsalted butter (2 sticks or 8 ounces)
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
Zest and juice of one lemon
4 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup white sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9×13 inch pan.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and lemon zest. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.

3. In another bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

from Smitten Kitchen

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

 My sister-in-law, Mandy has a huge lemon tree in her yard. I mean huge. Seriously, there are hundreds of lemons on it. So, there will be lots of lemon recipes to try. Too bad most recipes don't call for very many lemons!

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 whole egg

1 tsp lemon zest

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice- I just used one entire lemon, zest + juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease light colored baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. {I used a baking mat}

2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice.  Scrape sides and mix again.  Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar.  Scrape sides of bowl and mix again, briefly. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate.  Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in the powdered sugar.  Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte (not melted or shiny).  Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

*If using a non-stick darker baking tray, reduce baking time by about 2 minutes.

from Aunt Cindy

Coconut-Curry Chicken Soup

Ingredients

1 3 lb. whole chicken (or 1 lb. chicken breast), cooked, and shredded
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1/4 cup shallots, thinly sliced
2 carrots, peeled and grated
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced or grated
2 tsp. red curry paste
1 1/2 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
6 cups homemade or low-sodium chicken broth
1 (14 oz.) can light coconut milk
3/4 cup long grain brown rice OR 6 oz. soba noodles
1/2 cup green onions, sliced + extra for garnish
1 tsp. organic cane sugar
2 Tbsp. fish sauce
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped + extra for garnish
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
lime wedges, for serving

Directions

 1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the shallot and carrots and saute several minutes until tender. Add the garlic and ginger and saute for 1 minute. Stir in the curry paste, curry powder, cumin, and coriander and cook spices for another minute. Add the chicken broth, coconut milk, and rice (or noodles) and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for about 30 minutes, until the rice is tender (reduce the time if you're cooking noodles).

2. Stir in the shredded chicken, green onions, sugar, fish sauce, cilantro, and red pepper. Simmer just long enough to heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve sprinkled with extra green onions and cilantro and garnish with a lime wedge.


from A Hint of Honey, (Adapted from Cooking Light) 

Blueberry Muffins with Streusel Topping

Ingredients

streusel topping


4 Tbsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp flour


2 tsp melted butter

large pinch of cinnamon

 muffins

2 cups all purpose flour


1 1/2 tsp baking powder


1/2 tsp salt


1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened


1 cup sugar


2 large eggs


2 tsp vanilla extract


1/2 cup buttermilk


2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
 

Directions

 

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Lightly grease a muffin tin with cooking spray or line with paper muffin liners. Prepare streusel topping by whisking together sugar and flour. Add butter and mix together until texture is crumbly, and butter is fully mixed in.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla and buttermilk. Add flour mixture and stir until just combined.
 Gently stir in blueberries.

3. Divide batter evenly into 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle muffins with streusel topping. Bake at 350º for 20 to 25 min, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool slightly before eating.

 adapted from Barbara Bakes via The Baker Chick

Spaghetti Squash with Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

The best part of blogging for my own keeping of recipes is not feeling like I have to post. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy sharing recipes...but the sole reason this blog exists is to have a reference while I plan meals and to help me have a little extra motivation to try new recipes. Cooking for a three year old and myself doesn't always encourage creativity, but, I am proud that our dinners do not consist of frozen chicken nuggets or canned O's swimming in mystery sauce. Do we have breakfast for dinner often? Yep. Does a quesadilla qualify as the entree almost once a week? Yep. But we do our best and find some recipes worth repeating between nights of omelets or waffles (not of the frozen variety).

Ingredients

For the Spaghetti Squash
1 medium spaghetti squash
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

For the Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
2 red bell peppers
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion,chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
dash of red pepper flakes
1/2 cup packed fresh basil, coarsely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt (I used Chobani 0%)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Brush cut sides of squash with oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Place squash on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until tender, about 45 minutes.

2. While the squash is baking, make the creamy roasted red pepper sauce. Roast red peppers over gas flame, under the broiler, or on the grill. Roast for about 10 minutes, or until peppers are completely black. Place peppers in a paper bag to allow to sweat. Peel the charred skins from the peppers and remove the seeds. Chop the peppers and set aside.
3. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the red peppers and diced tomatoes. Add oregano, red pepper flakes, fresh basil, and season with salt and pepper. Simmer on stove for 10 minutes. Stir in the Greek yogurt. Purée the sauce in the pan, using an immersion blender. You can also transfer the sauce to a blender or food processor, but be careful. Make sure the sauce is not super hot so you don't get burnt. Puree until smooth, with some texture remaining.
4. When the squash is done baking, let it cool for a few minutes-until you can touch it. Scrape the squash with a fork to remove flesh in long strands. Place in a large bowl or on individual plates. Top spaghetti squash with the creamy roasted red pepper sauce and serve warm.


From Two Peas and Their Pod

Guacamole Chicken Salad

Ingredients

2 cups leftover cooked chicken, cubed or shredded
1/3 cup whole plain Greek yogurt
2-3 T salsa verde (optional)
1 green onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup crumbled Cotija cheese (feta works well)
1/2 an avocado, diced (I used more)
juice from 1/2 a lime
generous pinches of salt and ground cumin

Directions

  In a medium bowl combine the chicken, yogurt, salsa verde, onion, cilantro, and Cotija cheese. Mix thoroughly. Gently fold in the avocado. Add the lime juice, salt, and cumin and stir again gently. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Serve wrapped in a tortilla, in a pita, with chips, or over salad greens. Or by itself.

from Perry's Plate