BACON GOAT CHEESE BITES

Hello, dear reader. And happy summer!

We had our first cookout a few weeks ago. The older I get, the more I love cooking out. In our circle of friends lately, we've been really into "bring your own meat" cookouts, which make for really easy prep. Plus they make hosting a large crowd a lot more manageable (especially on a grad student budget, which most of us are on).

My menu was extremely easy (and quick) to prepare, and everything on it keeps well as leftovers. Here's what I did:
     bruschetta
     quinoa salad
     big bowl of edamame
     bacon goat cheese bites (and a basket of crackers)
     cheesecake tartlets

Does anyone have any suggestions for refreshing hot-weather alcoholic drinks that are good for pitchers/large batches? For the party I made this white sangria, but it wasn't much of a hit. I let the fruit soak for 24 hours, and it was still pretty bland. Next time I'll opt for some bourbon iced tea or maybe a some kind of gin drink.

These adorable bite-sized cheese balls were my favorite. (And that's saying something, because I love bruschetta probably too much.) They were a huge hit, and I recommend them highly! They're easy to make and look VERY cute, and they're perfect for parties. This recipe stays at the front of my party book.

BACON GOAT CHEESE BITESadapted from this recipe

8 ounces goat cheese
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons dried herbs (I used oregano, basil, and thyme)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
large pinch salt
12 slices bacon, cooked till crispy
1/2 cup walnuts

*This recipe would be easily halved, but this amount disappeared quickly in a crowd.
**You can easily make these 2 - 3 days ahead. Just store in the fridge on parchment paper in an airtight container.

First cook the bacon. I like to bake mine on a foil-lined baking sheet - about 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove from oven when bacon is just crisp, and soak up the grease with a paper towel. Let cool.

Combine goat cheese and softened cream cheese and mix well. Stir in herbs, garlic, pepper, and salt. Put the mixture in the fridge.

Once bacon is cool, chop roughly. Place in a blender or food processor with walnuts, and process until minced. Pour into a bowl.

Remove cheese mixture from fridge. Use your hands to roll spoonfuls of the mixture into balls - about 3/4-inch wide. Roll balls in bacon mixture so they are well coated. Store in fridge until ready to serve.

TINY ADORABLE HYDRANGEA CAKES

Photo Disclaimer: I tired a new way of compressing my images for this post, and sadly they didn't turn out well at all. Even sadder yet is that I forgot to copy the originals beforehand :( 

I'm sorry for the poor quality of the images... sad day!

I love hydrangeas. They're so bold and striking with their unreal blues and purples, yet there's something so old-fashioned and simple about them. I couldn't pass up these large, beautiful $5 bouquets at farmers' market and ended up with two big vases of them in the apartment. For the first few days, I couldn't help but imagine all kinds of dramatic uses for them. Some combination of my artistic urges and my sweet tooth resulted in these darling little cakes.

Now, beauty and drama aside, hydrangeas are toxic - do NOT eat them! I was pretty careful to have very few petals actually touching the cake. I placed wax paper underneath the large whole flower on top of the tall cake. Of course if I really wanted to be safe, I should have used silk flowers. But, yeah... no one was eating these cakes except my husband and me, and I was pretty sure we'd be okay being careful...

VANILLA CAKE: Nothing special here, just use your favorite recipe. I just doctored up a vanilla cake mix by adding one extra egg and a small package of instant pudding mix to the batter.

BLUEBERRY BUTTERCREAM

1/2 cup blueberries
1 cup butter, softened
3 - 4 cups powdered sugar
2 - 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

In a large bowl, mash blueberries with a fork. Add butter and beat well. Gradually add 3 cups sugar and beat until smooth. Stir in whipping cream to combine, then beat for one more minute.

LEMON BUTTERCREAM (for filling)

1 cup butter, softened
3 - 4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 teaspoons lemon juice

Combine butter and 3 cups sugar until smooth. Add vanilla and lemon and stir until smooth. Taste, and add lemon juice by teaspoon if needed, to taste. Adjust powdered sugar for consistency.

BLUEBERRY-VANILLA CAKE (w. lemon buttercream)

Hi, dear reader. Hope you're ready for SEPTEMBER. That's right. Summer flitted by as quickly as it does every year, and September is braced to help us let go by giving us some cooler nights and teasing us with pretty fall things to come. And most of us, I think, probably need those pretty things to comfort us during our good-byes to summer skin, late nights outside, and, especially, lots of sunshine hours.

I do love season changes. They're always bittersweet (yes, even winter to spring). Life transitions are the same. I'm starting grad school next week (yay!), and I couldn't be more ready. At the same time, I've so been missing the little munchkins I nannied this year. And believe it or not, I've even missed seeing their nursery school teachers, who were perfectly inspiring and loving, and who taught heaps to their toddlers and pre-school-aged children.

This cake was for them. Thanks, teachers, for doing one of the most important jobs in the world.

It's a vanilla cake with lemon buttercream, filled with a layer of blueberry buttercream. The cake is a little heavy in order to accommodate the heap of blueberry buttercream I wanted to fill it with :)

I do love how the "grid"of berries turned out. Cool, yeah? Actually, I thought that part would be super fun, and though the first few rows were fun, the subsequent tens of blueberries took a lot of patience...

BLUEBERRY BUTTERCREAM (for filling layer)

1/2 cup blueberries
1 cup butter, softened
3 - 4 cups powdered sugar
2 - 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

In a large bowl, mash blueberries with a fork. Add butter and beat well. Gradually add 3 cups sugar and beat until smooth. Stir in whipping cream to combine, then beat for one more minute.

LEMON BUTTERCREAM

1 cup butter, softened
3 - 4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 teaspoons lemon juice

Combine butter and 3 cups sugar until smooth. Add vanilla and lemon and stir until smooth. Taste, and add lemon juice by teaspoon if needed, to taste. Adjust powdered sugar for consistency.

PLUM GINGERSNAP ICE CREAM SANDWICHES

I wanted to follow up on my last post to let you know that I made ice cream sandwiches with that plum ice cream. They're perfect little treats!

I mentioned in my last post that the ice cream seemed like it'd be a great consistency for ice cream sandwiches: it firms up well, but it doesn't get rock solid. It ended up working PERFECTLY for sandwiches. They don't slide apart when you bite into them. And the cookie recipe I used even stays a little soft when frozen (so you don't feel like you're eating a rock).

And don't gingersnaps sound good with plum ice cream? Mmm. They are. I made smallish gingersnaps (for smallish ice cream sandwiches). They're 1.5 inches wide (great for snacking, *cough). I realized a few sandwiches in that they should be assembled with the bottoms of the cookies facing out - that way they sit flat. I wrapped the sandwiches individually in saran wrap and put them in the freezer to firm up.



Now I didn't consider the fact that the saran wrap's wrinkles would leave their impressions in the ice cream and make the ice cream sandwiches look like wrinkly little messes. Of course, let's be honest, if I had realized that, I probably wouldn't have spent too much time trying to make sure the saran wrap was perfect, anyway.

Here's the recipe I used for the plum ice cream.
Here's the recipe I used for the gingersnaps.

Enjoy!

PLUM ICE CREAM

Happy stone fruit season, everyone! I realized recently that plum season doesn't last as long as peach season does, and I've definitely been favoriting peaches lately... So I thought I'd fix it by eating lots of plums this week while they're still sweet and beautiful. And, wouldn't you know it, I made some ice cream, too.

This recipe is from David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop (but paraphrased...). It has only 5 ingredients (yay). For some reason, I've had better luck getting the perfect ice cream consistency in recipes that don't contain eggs. So generally I skip over recipes that do. Plus, holy cow, this recipe is so simple.

The ice cream was very creamy, indeed. It firmed up very quickly in the freezer but never became super hard. For that reason, I think it would be perfect for ice cream sandwiches... hm... I'll keep you updated! I made the batter the day before and it saved perfectly. 

Now the recipe calls for Kirsch (a liqueur), but I used some vanilla extract instead. Also, a few of my plums weren't very ripe, so I peeled some skin off of those. I also added an extra spoonful of sugar. 

Plum Ice Cream

Adapted slightly from David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop

1 pound red plums
1/3 cup water
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar (+ a little extra, if your plums aren't too sweet)
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (or Kirsch cherry liqueur)

Cut the plums into 8ths, removing the pits. Add to saucepan with the water and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tender (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Cool to room temperature. Add heavy cream and vanilla extract (or Kirsch) and puree. Cover batter and chill in refrigerator. Freeze according to ice cream maker's instructions. Makes 1 quart.

VANILLA BEAN ICE CREAM

Well, I'm back with more ice cream. Just what you needed, maybe? Hope so.

In case you saw my recent post about making vanilla extract and were inspired to order vanilla beans in bulk, here is a great way to use some of them. Good ice cream is such a fresh, delicious way to show off and indulge in that pure vanilla bean flavor. This recipe is very creamy. Unlike other ice cream recipes I've made, this one stays relatively soft when frozen. Don't be alarmed as I was when, after 24 hours of occasionally checking it, I started thinking there might be something wrong with my freezer. It's not going to get totally hard.

And have you ever had Trader Joe's brand vanilla bean wafers? Holy crap. They're so stinking good.

VANILLA BEAN ICE CREAM

1 cup whole milk
¾ cup granulated sugar
pinch salt
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 - 2 vanilla beans, scraped (or 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract)

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Follow ice cream maker instructions.

[HEALTHY] SNICKERDOODLE GREEK YOGURT DIP

It's happened again. Summer clothes are upon us, and I'm not ready! It's that winter-ish little layer of cuddly flub that I built up during hibernation. Actually to be honest, when spring first comes it never really matters how pale or flabby I am: At the start of warm weather, I'm always so happy to feel the sun on my shoulders that I don't care if my arms are toned up for a sundress.

But that wears off.

And the cuddly winter-ish flub has to go.

True to my springtime routine (though I'm a little late in getting to it this year), I have been eating well, working out more, and in general making healthier choices for my body. But we all have weaknesses...

I have a serious sweet tooth (as you can probably tell from all the baking I post about), and my husband really likes to keep ice cream in the freezer, which is BAD for me. In terms of something cold sweet to enjoy in warm weather (especially when Nate's eating ice cream next to me), this dip is one of my favorites.

It's loaded with protein (that can vary depending on the yogurt you choose). It's cold, creamy, and sweet. This recipe lasts me a few days - though if you're not careful it can be gone in one sitting :)

HEALTHY SNICKERDOODLE GREEK YOGURT DIP

12 oz. nonfat honey Greek yogurt
3 - 4 tablespoons creamy peanut butter (to your taste)
drizzle of honey (optional)
sprinkle of cinnamon

Stir together ingredients until smooth. Store in airtight container for 7 - 10 days.

BRAZILIAN LEMONADE

Happy weekend, dear reader! Happy, indeed. I'm so ready for it. This was a long work week for me, with a few added weeknight babysitting gigs scattered into the schedule. Each babysitting session was for a 2-year-old girl, each of them sweet and very snuggly, so I really, really can't complain. Two-year-old girls have a magical way of making late nights completely worth it.

As for the homefront, I got pretty much nothing accomplished this week. Not even in the kitchen.

So I'm sharing this recipe I made a couple weeks ago, on a hot, hot day when my mom was visiting. I'd actually never heard of Brazilian lemonade before, but it's a pretty special drink. Frothy, sweet, and cold. It hit the spot.



Brazilian lemonade is typically made with lime juice and sweetened condensed milk (no lemon), but it seems we still call it by the same name even when lemons are substituted. I chose to do a combination of lemons and limes - good choice, Alyssa. :)

While my mom was visiting, she and I stumbled across 10-cent lemons and managed to come home with at least 30 of them. We tried this Brazilian and then juiced the rest for regular lemonade - enough to last the whole week of her visit! You know, with some raspberry vodka added... :)

Brazilian Lemonade
makes 4 cups

1/2 cup lemon juice (3 - 4 medium lemons)
1/3 cup lime juice (2 - 3 limes)
3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
3 cups cold water
pinch salt

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  Will be frothy.
Serve over ice.

Fresh Summer Salsa

I've been wanting to try my own salsa for a while now. And because this week my farmers market was an endless walk of beautiful (inexpensive) peppers and tomatoes, I had no excuse not to. The recipe I came up with makes quite a lot - we ended up eating it with chips, on tacos, and even on salads. You could even jar some up and give it to a friend! It's delicious and tastes so fresh. (That said, use the freshest produce you can!)

Here's what I came up with:

1 can (15 oz.) garbanzo beans
1 cup yellow corn
1 medium avocado (not too ripe - mine was a tad under-ripe), chopped**
4 - 5 aruba sweet peppers (combination red, yellow, and orange), chopped

• You can use bell peppers instead -  I used aruba peppers because they were dirt cheap and overflowing from my local farmers market :)

1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, diced
4 roma tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
4 T cilantro
1 lime (for juice)
black pepper
olive oil

**If you don't have an avocado that's a bit under-ripe, or if that just doesn't sound good to you, I'd leave out the avocado unless you're going to eat it right away. Ripe avocado browns quickly.

Drain garbanzo beans and place in medium bowl. Squeeze lime juice over beans.
Press garlic into beans, and add about 1/2 tsp. black pepper. Stir well.
Stir in corn and avocado.
Place bowl (uncovered) in refrigerator.

Chop the peppers and tomatoes. Be careful with that jalapeno ;)

Now put everything together!
Remove bean mixture from fridge.
Place 1/2 bean mixture in large bowl, followed by 1/2 pepper mixture, 2 T cilantro, and sprinkling of black pepper.
Mix gently with hands, just until incorporated.
Repeat the process (in the same bowl) for the rest.
Finally, drizzle with olive oil and mix one last time.

Buen apetito!

Best Fresh Lemonade

Good afternoon, dear Reader! It's a clear 68 degrees here in Redwood City, California, where the sun shines most all the time. Actually, the city's motto is "Climate Best by Government Test," as it once tied for world's best climate (with the Canary Islands and North Africa's Mediterranean Coast). Great job, little Redwood City!

Well, dear Reader, it's not that I don't enjoy the utopian weather - the crystal blue skies, the cotton candy clouds, the warm sun on my skin softened by a perfect breeze. But it's September. I've lived all my life in the Midwest, where September is the transition month to fall. It's supposed to be getting... fall-y-er - you know, with the chilly nights, the crisp mornings, and the leaves just beginning to turn?

Anyway I suppose I can't complain about getting to do more summer things, including indulging in the refreshing tastiness of perfect lemonade. So here we are with my new favorite lemonade recipe:

Best Fresh Lemonade - makes 1/2 gallon

1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup water
1 cup lemon juice
7 cups cold water
lemon slices, for garnish
fresh mint leaves, for garnish



Boil 3/4 cup water. Remove from heat, add sugar, and stir until dissolved. Refrigerate to cool. Once cooled, transfer to pitcher. Stir in 1 cup lemon juice and 7 cups cold water.
Garnish with lemon and mint.