Holidays
I came across this recipe from Food Network. As with most of Food Network recipes this did not disappoint. The one hiccup I had was that the grocery store we stopped at in Bar Harbor did not have the phyllo cups. So what’s a girl to do? You know it, improvise! Nothing some puff pastry sheets could not take care of. Using the puff pastry added a lot more work to this dessert but worth it. I’ll be packing the cups next time!
INGREDIENTS
1 Cup fresh blueberries
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
2 Tablespoon powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 package mini phyllo shells
DIRECTIONS
Combine the blueberries , granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small sauce pan. Cook over medium high heat until the berries start to break down and the liquid is syrupy, about ten minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
Whisk together the mascarpone, powdered sugar , lemon zest and lemon juice in a medium bowl.
Spoon or pipe dollops of the mascarpone mixture into the phyllo shells, leaving room for the blueberry compote. Then top with the blueberry compote. Zest with more lemon zest if desired.
Serve immediately.
IF you get stuck like an did with no phyllo shells. You can use puff pastry sheets. I just cut the into bite size pieces and baked according to package directions.
Enjoy!
Easter was just a couple weeks ago and I realized when I was making deviled eggs I did not have that recipe on the blog and did not take a picture of just the eggs! You can spot that deviled egg on the plate next to the fruit salad and mashed potatoes! This recipe comes from food network. It’s simple with all the flavors you would expect. I always add a little extra pepper to my deviled eggs just because we like that little bite.
INGREDIENTS
12 large eggs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 or 2 dashes of hot sauce
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
Chives for garnish if desired
Smoked paprika for sprinkling
DIRECTIONS
Hard boil your eggs, I use an egg steamer but you can simply place the eggs in a single layer in a wide sauce pan, cover with one inch of water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium low and simmer ten minutes. Transfer the eggs to a boil of ice water to stop the cooking. Once cool carefully peel them.
Slice the eggs in half lengthwise. Remove the yolks to a medium bowl. Mash the yolks with a fork and add the mayonnaise, mustard, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Mix well. Transfer to a large resealable bag or pastry bag. Snip the end off of the bag. Place your egg whites on a platter and pipe the filling into the whites. Dust with smoked paprika. Refrigerate until serving.
Enjoy!
I did not have asparagus on my grocery list but my grocery store had just put some out and it looked really good. I could not resist grabbing a bunch! I did not follow a recipe but just threw this side dish together with just a couple other ingredients that I had on hand. Jim and I both really enjoyed this asparagus dish and will be making this often.
INGREDIENTS
1 bunch of Asparagus, bottoms trimmed
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
Salt
pepper
1/2 cup Gruyere cheese
DIRECTIONS
Move your oven rack onto the upper portion of your oven and turn the oven to broil. Leave the oven door ajar.
On a foil lined baking sheet add the asparagus layering them on an even layer. Drizzle with olive oil, add a pinch of salt and pepper. Grate the gruyere cheese over the asparagus. Place in the oven still leaving the door slightly open. These cook very fast so it’s important to watch them. When the cheese is melted and the asparagus is lightly crisped they are done. This took me under 10 minutes but if you have larger asparagus it may take just a slightly bit longer. Serve warm.
Enjoy!
I have been enjoying making these layer bars and so are Jim’s co-workers! I sent these bars into the flight facility with Jim and they were not disappointed. I used a raspberry jam with seeds so if you don’t care for the seeds you can get the seedless jam. These take a little bit of time to make but each step is very easy. These would be great to take to any spring or summer gathering!
INGREDIENTS
1 box of shortbread cookies (10oz.)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 Oz)
2 large lemons, zested
3/4 cup macadamia nuts, chopped
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1 cup of white chocolate chips
1 cup raspberry jam
1 package ghirardelli white melting chips (found in the baking aisle)
DIRECTIONS
Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 pan with non stick spray and set aside. Grind the package of shortbread bread cookies into fine crumbs using a food processor or blender.
In a small bowl melt the butter in the microwave for 30-45 seconds.
Pour the melted butter over the cookie crumbs and stir until the crumbs are well coated. Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan.
Pour the can of sweetened condensed milk over the cookie crumbs and spread over the bottom crust. Zest one of the lemons evenly over the sweetened condensed milk. Sprinkle the macadamia nuts , shredded coconut and white chocolate chips over the top of the sweetened condensed milk to cover evenly.
Bake the bars for 25-27 minutes. Remove the bars from the oven and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes then place the bars in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to allow the bars to firm . Remove from fridge and Gently spread the raspberry jam over the top of the bars in an even layer.
Pour the ghirardelli melting chips into In a microwave safe dish, I used a large measuring cup and melt according to the package directions. Once melted drizzle the melted chocolate over the bars then top with more lemon zest. Place back in the fridge for the melted chocolate to firm. Slice when ready to serve.
Enjoy!
One of the things Jim and I have been wanting to do for a while now is to have a crawfish boil, sadly it just hasn’t happened yet. Jim and I have been missing the motorhome this winter and were talking about all the lobster bakes we have when we are on the road so I decided it was time to order some crawfish! It’s not the crawfish boil that we are thinking about but this crawfish Alfredo is incredible. I found its best with this recipe to have everything ready to go before you start cooking as this dish came together really fast.
I did have to add some whole milk to thin the sauce as the sauce thickened up very quickly on me, although I did not measure how much milk went in I’m guessing about 1 cup. Add as much milk or as little as you need to get your desired consistency.
I purchased the crawfish from the Louisiana Crawfish Company. They have a full website with tons of choices. I purchased cooked crawfish tails that came frozen. The shipping can be pricey as it’s shipped over night.
INGREDIENTS
1 pound cooked crawfish tails
6 Tablespoon butter
2 Tablespoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons Cajun seasonings, I bought this pre mixed in the spice aisle.
Pinch of salt
Dash of cayenne pepper
1/4 cup white wine
1 pound fettuccine
16 ounces Heavy cream
1 cup whole milk, or desired amount to get the consistency you like.
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 grated gruyere cheese
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
DIRECTIONS
Cook the pasta according to the directions (Al Dante).
In a large skillet melt the butter over medium high heat. Once melted add the garlic and Cajun seasoning, salt, cayenne and cook stirring for a minute. Add the white wine, heavy cream and lemon juice stir to combine. Add the cheeses and stir until combined. If it starts to get too thick add the milk. Add the crawfish tails to heat through.
Add your cooked pasta to the skillet and mix well.
Serve warm with garlic bread and salad if desired.
Enjoy!
