Sugar Cookies with Lime Zest

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This is a particularly memorable sugar cookie, despite the zillions of recipes there are for sugar cookies. I actually prefer it with a little

Love these!

cornmeal (it reminds me of a cookie I’ve had from a nearby bakery), but that’s definitely optional, according to your taste, and if you’ll like the extra crunch. For that matter, the lime is optional as well, but it’s also what makes the cookie distinctive. Note: this is not a cookie cutter recipe!

Sugar Cookies with Lime Zest

2 c. all-purpose flour (or 1 3/4 c. flour with 1/4 c. cornmeal)
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
2 sticks (1 c.) butter, softened
1 c. granulated sugar, plus 1/4 c. for rolling cookies
1 large egg
2 t. lime zest
2 t. vanilla

Heat oven to 375, with racks in the upper-middle and lower-middle positions. Whisk dry ingredients together in a bowl (flour, baking powder, salt), and set aside. In another bowl (by hand or mixer), cream butter and 1 c.. sugar until fluffy (about 3 minutes by mixer). Scrape the bowl down and add the egg, 1 t. lime zest, and vanilla. Beat for 30 seconds, until combined, and then add the dry ingredients, and beat until just combined, another 30 seconds.

Place remaining 1/4 c. sugar in a food processor, add the other 1 t. lime zest, and pulse until the sugar becomes green, about 10 seconds. (Alternatively, place the sugar and lime zest in a baggie and crush together with a rolling pin or a potato masher) Place sugar mixture in a  shallow bowl. Roll 1 1/2 T. of  dough in the sugar mixture and place on ungreased cookie sheets, spaced 2″ apart. After all the cookies are rolled, butter the bottom of a drinking glass (with a flat underside), dip it into the sugar, and smash the cookies down until they are about 1/2 inch thick, redipping the glass every 2-3 cookies.

Bake, reversing the cookie sheets front to back and top to bottom midway through, for 10-11 minutes, or until pale golden. Let the cookies cool on the sheets for 2-3 minutes, and then move to wire racks.

Key Lime Pie

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This is one of my favorite summer desserts, and surprisingly easy to make. It needs to refrigerate before serving, so make sure to plan ahead a little.

Key Lime Pie

Filling:
4 t. lime zest (from app. 4 limes–I like Microplane graters the best for zesting)
4 egg yolks
1/2 c. lime juice (from the zested limes; strained, if necessary)
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Crust:
9 graham crackers, broken up
2 T. sugar
5 T. melted butter, still warm

Whipped Cream
3/4 c. heavy or whipping cream
1/4 c. powdered sugar
1/2 t. vanilla

In a glass, stainless steel, or porcelain bowl, whisk the egg yolks and the zest together for about two minutes, or until the mixture becomes light green (it’s a subtle color difference, but the mixture does become green-ish). Continue to whisk while slowly adding the sweetened condensed milk, and then add the lime juice. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (if fruit flies are a problem in your house, like they are in mine) and set aside to thicken for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 325. Put graham crackers in a food processor and grind until sand-like, then add the sugar, pulse, and then add the butter and pulse. The mixture should look like wet sand. (If you don’t have a food processor, place crackers in a quart baggie, and roll over them with a rolling pin until they are smashed; place in a bowl and add the sugar and butter and mix together). Place the crust mixture in a 8″ pie plate, and using the bottom of a measuring cup, press the crumbs into the plate until they are uniformly pressed against the bottom and the sides of the pan. Bake the crust for 15-17 minutes, or until goldened and fragrant. Remove from oven and let cool on a rack about 20-30 minutes (room temperature).

Once the crust has cooled, pour the filling into it, smooth over the top of the filling with a spatula to make the appearance even, and bake for 15-18 minutes (in the 325 degree oven). The pie is done when the center is set (doesn’t jiggle when you shake it).

Let the pie cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate for 3 hours before serving. Two hours before serving, whip the cream, sugar and vanilla together, and smooth on top of the pie. For decoration, you can thinly slice another lime, dip it into sugar, and place it around the edges of the pie.

Stir Fried Zucchini and Baby Bok Choy

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We’re getting the majority of our vegetables lately from the farm share I signed us up for.  Since the first Thursday in June, every week I go pick up a bunch of veggies that a local farmer brings to a church hall.  With most farm shares, the farmer puts together a box of produce and you take whatever the farmer feels like giving you.  I like my farmer’s system because he displays all of his food like you would at a market and we get a certain amount of “money” to spend.  Like last week, I had $10 to spend.  He sets up a chalkboard with all of the per pound prices of the vegetables.  In addition, everyone got a pound of peas, a pound of zucchini and a pound of patty pan squash.  Since all of his zucchini were HUGE, he told us to just take one.  Mine wound up weighing almost 2 pounds.

So I have a bunch of zucchini and a bunch of baby bok choy from the farm share and I want to do something with an Asian flavor to compliment the Miso-Glazed Salmon.  I found a recipe for stir fried asparagus and tweaked it to make the following.

I’m actually contemplating chopping up some more veggies and making some more – that’s how good it was.

Stir Fried Zucchini and Baby Bok Choy

  • 2 Tbs. soy sauce
  • 1 tsp. sugar
  • 1 Tbs. sesame oil (use less if you don’t like this or use olive oil)
  • 2 cloves garlic – minced
  • 1 zucchini (or half a giant zucchini)
  • 3 bunches of baby bok choy
  • 4 tsp. sesame seeds
Slice zucchini into 2-inch chunks  Separate the leaves of the bok choy from the stems.  Chop the stems into 2-inch pieces and shred the leaves.  You will need to cook the vegetables for different amounts of time, so put the zucchini, stems and leaves into 3 different bowls.

Stir soy sauce and sugar together. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat and add garlic. Cook for 15 seconds. Add zucchini and stir-fry for 1 minute.  Add bok choy stems and stir-fry for 1 minute.  Add bok-choy leaves and stir fry for about 30 seconds. Add soy sauce mix and simmer – tossing to coat. Continue cooking for a few more minutes, until the zucchini is soft enough to eat, but still slightly firm.

Remove from pan and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Miso-Glazed Salmon

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Usually I make my salmon with a little lemon juice and a little dill.  But our dill plant just died.  So I went looking for alternatives for tonight’s dinner.  I have seen this recipe at Cooking Light’s website before, and had it tucked away in the back of my mind.  All I can say is, yum!  After it finished cooking, I sprinkled the top with the chopped chives and also with some toasted sesame seeds and it looked so pretty.  I should have taken a picture.  Next time I cook it, I will.

Coming up: the stir fried zucchini and baby bok choy that I made as the side dish.


Miso-Glazed Salmon

  • 1/4  cup  packed brown sugar
  • 2  tablespoons  low-sodium soy sauce
  • 2  tablespoons  hot water
  • 2  tablespoons  miso (soybean paste)
  • 4  (6-ounce) salmon fillets (about 1 inch thick)
  • Cooking spray
  • 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh chives
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Preheat broiler.

Combine first 4 ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Arrange fish in a shallow baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spoon miso mixture evenly over fish.

Broil 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork, basting twice with miso mixture. Sprinkle with chives and sesame seeds.

From: Cooking Light

Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges

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This is definitely my favorite side dish. I like to have 2-3 sweet potatoes on hand just to make these, if the occasion arises. It’s also incredibly simple and can cook while you prepare the rest of dinner.

Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges
Serves 3-4 people

2-3 sweet potatoes, skins on (if you like them, of course)
3-4 T. olive oil
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tinfoil. Cut each potato in half lengthwise and in half width-wise. Then, turn them with the flat surface touching the board, and cut them into wedges by slicing them lengthwise. Toss them in a large bowl, and drizzle with 3 T. olive oil (the oil should coat all slices of the sweet potato well, and there should be a little excess in the bottom of the bowl. Add more, if needed). Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to completely coat. Spread in a single layer over the baking sheet, and roast for 30-35 minutes, stirring and flipping the fries once or twice during baking. The fries are done when the are tender to a fork’s prick.

Veggie Burgers with Bulgur Wheat and Tahini

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I’m not an expert of veggie burgers, but I think this is a good one. If you’re expecting it to taste like beef, it doesn’t, but it has a nice flavor and texture and is another way to use beans (if you happen to have lots of them on hand, like me). Plus, they’re a great alternative to the sometimes unending amount of hamburgers and hotdogs we seem to eat in the summertime . . .

Veggie Burgers with Bulgur Wheat and Tahini
Makes about 4 large patties

1 15 oz. can pinto beans or 1 1/2 c. cooked pinto beans, drained
1/2 c. bulgur wheat
1/4 c. dried bread crumbs, panko, or saltines, crumbled, (whatever you have on hand)
1 egg
1 carrot, grated coarsely
4 spring onions (scallions), sliced thinly
2 T. tahini (sesame seed butter–found by the peanut butter in most markets. Not necessary, but has a great flavor and can be used in hummus, if you need another use for it)
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
2-3 T. vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste

Put the bulgur wheat in a heat-resistant bowl, pour 1 c. boiling water on top, and then cover with a plate. Let sit for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mash the beans, and then add bread crumbs, egg, carrot, spring onions, tahini, and cayenne pepper. Add the bulgur, once it has cooked, and season with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Shape the mixture into patties, or simply drop the mixture into the hot oil and flatten and shape them to look like patties. Cook on each side for approximately 5-6 minutes.

Serve on buns. You can make a tahini mayonnaise (1/2 c. mayo, 1 T. tahini, and juice from one lemon, with a little salt) to accompany. I serve these with a salad and roasted sweet potatoes.

Snickerdoodles

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Growing up, this was my favorite cookie. A typical sleepover for me usually meant making snickerdoodles, post-midnight (I now realize this  wasn’t normal–thanks to Brynn and Ali who humored me–and of course to the moms who woke up with 3 dozen cookies on their counters). I still love them, and of course, it’s fun for the whole fam to roll the cookies in the cinnamon and sugar. For some reason, the New Best Recipe doesn’t include this recipe, so this is from the first edition of The Best. Make sure not to make these cookies too big, or they don’t turn out as well.

Snickerdoodles

2 1/4 c. flour
2 t. cream of tartar (sold in the spice rack at the grocery store)
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
12 T. butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks)
1/4 c. shortening (helps with the texture–important to use)
1 1/2 c. sugar plus 3 T. for rolling
2 eggs
1 T. cinnamon

Adjust oven racks to upper and lower middle positions. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Pull out two cookie sheets.

Whisk flour, tartar, soda, and salt together. In another bowl, cream the butter, shortening and the 1 1/2 c. sugar together for about two minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each egg addition. Add the dry ingredients and stir to combine, about 30 seconds.

In a smallish bowl, combine 3 T. sugar with the cinnamon. Make the dough into 1″ balls and roll into the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Place the cookies about 2″ apart on a cookie sheet (they spread) and cook for 9-11 minutes. Let cool for 2-3 minutes before transferring to a rack.

Grilled Mexican Corn on the Cob

We’ve already made this a couple times this summer, and have become big fans. All the family likes corn on the cob (surprisingly, even the kids), so this is a terrific side dish, although my kids don’t like the topping, so I leave it off for them, and add extra to ours.

Grilled Mexican Corn on the Cob

6 large ears of fresh corn, husks and silk removed
1 T. olive oil
1/2 c. mayo
2 T. cilantro, minced
1 T. fresh limes juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1 t. chili powder
salt
1 oz. queso fresco, Mexican farmer’s cheese, or feta, crumbled (about 1/4) c.
Pepper

Adjust your oven rack to 5 inches below the broiler, and heat it to high. Line a baking sheet with foil, brush the corn on all sides with the oil, and place under the broil until browned on one side, about 10 minutes. Flip the corn, and broil another 10 minutes.

While the corn broils, stir together the mayo, cilantro, garlic, lime juice, chili powder, and 1/4 t. salt. Add the cheese and stir to combine.

Remove the corn from the oven, and brush on all sides with the mayo mixture. Return to broiler for one more minute, or until the cheese is warm and slightly browned. Season with salt and pepper and any remaining sauce.

taken from America’s Test Kitchen Annual, 2009

Quick, Slightly Sweet & Buttery Dinner Rolls

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I tried this recipe because I frequently think, “it would be great to have rolls tonight,” at about 4:00 in the afternoon. So, it’s much too late to start something. This recipe, also taken from America’s Test Kitchen 2009 annual, takes about 70 minutes from start to finish–ideal for someone like me. The appearance resembles cupcakes a bit (not the prettiest roll I’ve ever seen), but the flavor got a “This tastes like Grandma Nielson’s rolls” from Rex.  If this doesn’t mean anything to you, but you’ve eaten at the Arctic Circle in Delta, UT during the ’50s-’80s, then you’ve had a Grandma Nielson roll. If that still doesn’t mean anything, give these a try. Grandma’s rolls are great.

Quick, Slightly Sweet & Buttery Dinner Rolls

2 1/4 c. flour
1 t. salt
2 1/4 t. yeast (one packet)
1/4 c. sugar
1 c. warm water (about 110 degrees)
1 egg
6 T. butter, softened

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Keep at 200 degrees for 10 minutes, then turn off the heat. Grease a muffin tin. In a medium-sized, oven safe (glass or ceramic) bowl, whisk 1 1/4 c. flour, salt, yeast, and sugar. Add water, egg, and butter, and whisk together until smooth, about two minutes. Add remaining cup of flour, and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined. Cover the bowl with greased plastic wrap (spray with Pam), and place in warmed oven for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, remove dough (it should have doubled) and turn the oven on to 375 degrees. Deflate the dough and then using an ice cream scoop or large batter spoon, fill each muffin tin about 1/2 full. Place greased plastic wrap over the surface, and let sit for 15 minutes. Then, bake for 14-16 minutes, until browned.

For a better appearance, make an egg wash: combine an egg yolk with about a teaspoon of water, whisk together, and then brush onto the tops of the rolls right before baking.

Practically No-Knead Crusty Bread

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No Knead Crusty Bread

 

Probably some of you have been acquainted with no-knead artisan bread, for which several recipes have been popping up for lately. The idea is that for very little work, you can make an incredible, Seven-Stars-Bakery-like loaf. And it’s true. But, there are many recipes out there with different tactics. This recipe lowers the water ratio from most of the other recipes, making the loaf much rounder, and adds vinegar, giving it a slight tang. It also adds beer to enhance the yeast flavor of the dough. It’s excellent and beautiful as it is, so I’m posting the original, but it’s also not a very large round, so I’m going to experiment with it a little to see if I can change ratios that will work better for what my family will eat in one sitting. I also either want the whole bottle of beer to be used in one loaf, or to eliminate the need for it (since no one here drinks it!). Anyway,  I’ll comment on how the experimenting goes!

Note: You need to have a dutch oven in order to get a truly crusty bread. A run-of the mill one will do (the type you’ve seen at campfires) as will Le Creuset’s or other cast-iron pots. Apparently, Target has a great Le Creuset knock-off line for a fraction of the cost. And, they come in great colors.

Practically No-Knead Crusty Bread

3 c. all-purpose flour (you can substitute 1 c. whole wheat flour for 1 c. all-purpose)
1/4 t. instant yeast (I always use 1/2 t. to get a better dome)
1 t. salt (I prefer 1 1/2 t.)
3/4 c. water, at room temperature
1/2 c. mild-flavored beer (non-alcoholic beer works well, too)
1 T. white vinegar

Whisk the flour, yeast, and salt together. Add the liquid ingredients and stir to combine (this dough is very dry, but make sure to combine the flour crumbs, using your hands if necessary, so there are no lumps in the dough). Cover with plastic wrap and let sit overnight 8-16 hours.

Place a piece of parchment paper in a 10-12″ skillet and spray with Pam. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 10-15 times until its smooth and round. Pull the dough into a tight ball by bringing all edges into the middle and pinching them together (this will be the bottom of the loaf). Place the loaf onto the parchment paper, and lightly cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for 2 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.

Thirty minutes before baking, place a dutch oven on the bottom rack of your oven, with the lid on (make sure the lid has no plastic parts, or they will melt). Preheat the oven to 500 degrees (if possible :)). When loaf has finished rising, dust it with flour, make an “x” on the top with a very sharp knife, remove the lid to the dutch oven, and using the parchment paper as handles, lower the loaf into the dutch oven, keeping the parchment paper under the loaf. Cover with the lid, and then lower the temperature to 425 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on. Then, remove lid, and continue to bake for 20 minutes longer. You can then sit and marvel that you made, so simply, a gorgeous loaf of crusty bread.

Recipe from America’s Test Kitchen 2009 AnnualSliced No-Knead Artisand White Bread