I was drawn to this recipe because I wanted to make something with rhubarb, but I wasn’t up to a pie. These cakey bars turned out really well and are a great way to enjoy rhubarb while it’s in season.
Restaurant-Style Quesadillas
The first time I made these, I was amazed at how something so simple could taste complicated and felt satisfied that this quesadilla recipe had reached perfection. These are easy enough to be a go-to recipe, and yet extremely wonderful. Enjoy!
Quesadillas
8 flour tortillas
1 8-oz. bottle roasted red peppers, liquid drained and chopped, or 1/2 c. favorite bottled salsa
1 chipotle chile from a can of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T. cilantro, sprigs removed and roughly chopped
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 c. shredded chicken (optional)
2 c. monterey jack cheese, shredded
2 T. vegetable oil
Combine chile, garlic, cilantro, and red peppers (or salsa) in a small bowl. Heat a skillet to medium heat. Brush one side of a tortilla with vegetable oil, place oil-side down in the skillet, then spread 1/4 of the chile mixture on the top of the tortilla, place a few rings of onion on top, then top with chicken and cheese. Place another tortilla on top, then place a heavy-bottomed pan or skillet on top of the quesadilla (to flatten it down and even it out during cooking). Cook for 3-4 minutes, take the pan off the quesadilla, brush the top tortilla with oil, and flip with a large spatula. Place the large skillet/pan on top of the quesadilla again and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and using a pizza cutter, slice into six pie pieces. Repeat process 3 more times to make 4 quesadillas.
Top with sour cream, quacamole, etc.
Note: These are absolutely terrific with homemade tortillas!
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Parsley Hummus
For our wedding, some friends got us this nifty contraption called the AeroGrow. It utilizes “aeroponics” to grow herbs and vegetables. It was an awesome present because we love it, but it’s not anything we would have ever bought for ourselves because it’s kind of expensive. So far it has been a surefire way to grow herbs quickly. Once the plant outgrows the AeroGrow, you can transplant it to a pot. I still have some chives growing in the dining room that started in the AeroGrow in March 2008.
Parsley grows like crazy in the AeroGrow and threatens to take over the kitchen (along with its buddy, the dill), but I never really know what to use it for. Until now. Kalyn at Kalyn’s Kitchen (another of my favorite recipe blogs) posted an awesome-sounding recipe for Parsley Hummus recently. We’re having some people over tomorrow so I thought I would whip up a batch and serve it with veggies and pita bread. Well, I just finished making it and it’s fabulous. I could eat it with a spoon. It’s heavy on the tahini and sesame oil so I almost want to call it Sesame Parsley Hummus.
Also, for any Rhode Islanders who haven’t discovered Not Just Spices yet, check it out. I got a giant jar of tahini there for $6 and they have piles of spices and chutneys and all sorts of good things for making authentic Indian and Middle Eastern fare.
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Lemon Curd Pancakes
I have long had a love-affair with the smell and taste of fresh lemons and this recipe is no exception to that affair. I purposefully buy lemons so I can make these pancakes and request them on all my special days (bday, Mother’s Day, Wednesdays . . . ) I hope you enjoy them, too!
Lemon Curd Pancakes
6 large eggs, separated
6 Tbsp melted butter
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
Juice from one lemon
Zest from one lemon
5 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup flour
Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Set aside. In separate bowl, combine egg yolks, butter, and cottage cheese. (Note: You can gently blend up the cottage cheese if you prefer a smoother consistency.) Add lemon juice and zest. In small bowl, combine sugar, salt and flour. Add to batter. Gently fold in egg whites until completely incorporated. Cook on preheated griddle, prepared with cooking spray, until brown on both sides. Eat plain or with maple syrup.
These store pretty well in the fridge if wrapped well. We’ve taken them with us as snacks on hikes or long car rides. They have a lot of protein and are very filling.
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Gooey Rice Krispie Treats
In honor of the 4th of July, I’m posting my favorite 4th of July treat. Probably most people think it’s hard to mess up Rice Krispie treats, but not with the recipe that’s on most packages. My brother Jeff discovered a secret, though, to great rice krispie treats, which is to double the butter and the marshmallows from the amount that’s on almost every Rice Krispies box and marshmallow bags. Most of these recipes only use 1/4 c. butter and a bag of marshmellows to a box of Rice Krispies. Try this ratio instead.
Gooey Rice Krispie Treats
1/2 c. butter
6 c. mini marshmallows (it’s important that they’re mini)
5 c. Rice Krispies
1 t. vanilla
1 c. chocolate chips, or m&m’s, or colored sprinkles, etc. (optional)
Butter a 9×13″ pan (and line with wax paper, if you want). In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat (cut it into pieces to speed up the process). Add the marshmallows, and stir constantly until most the marshmallows have lost shape, but not all of them (if you wait too long and all the marshmallows have melted, you will have a firmer rice krispie treat). Take the pan off the heat, add the vanilla (the mixture will bubble), and stir in the rice krispies, as well as any optional ingredient. Mix thoroughly and then immediately spoon into the prepared pan. Wait ten minutes, and then push the top of the rice krispies down to pat them in more uniformly, either with your fingers or the bottom of a measuring cup. Wait an hour or so in order to cut them, but they will be sticky!
Note: if you add chocolate chips, they will melt and you will have chocolate rice krispie treats. If this is not what you want, consider sprinkling chocolate chips on the top of the rice krispies after they have cooled a little or using m&m’s instead.
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Ham and Egg Fried Rice
This recipe is another of my favorites from Everyday Food. It comes together quickly and is really great. We usually eat it as a main, and have broccoli or stir-fried vegetables on the side. And, thanks to a great tip from Amy, I mostly use turkey ham as a substitute for the ham in it. If you’ve never heard of it before, it’s sold in small-ish quantities, comes as a steak (no bones), and is usually sold by the hams. The benefits are that it’s small, affordable, and it’s turkey. Another tip: instead of placing on egg on top, you can scoot the vegetables and rice to the side of the skillet, scramble the eggs in the middle of the skillet, and then mix back together. For some reason, the scrambled eggs are much more appealing to the crowd here. Last tip: definitely use fresh ginger–it really makes a difference.
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 thick slice ham (8 ounces), cut into 1/4-by-1-inch strips
- 1 bunch scallions, white and green parts separated and cut into 1-inch lengths
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- 1 1/4 cups cooked white rice, rinsed and drained
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 4 large eggs
- In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add ham, scallion whites, garlic, and ginger; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to brown, 2 to 4 minutes.
- Add rice, scallion greens, vinegar, and soy sauce. Cook, stirring, until heated through, 2 to 4 minutes. Divide fried rice among four serving bowls.
- Wipe out skillet with a paper towel. Heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium. Gently crack eggs into skillet; season with salt, and cook until whites are set, 2 to 4 minutes. Top each bowl of rice with a fried egg.
Note: Instead of peeling ginger root with a knife, scrape off the peel using the edge of a spoon. This way, more ginger goes into your fried rice and less into the garbage.
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Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
I worked with a recipe I already had to come up with these. These cookies are particularly popular with my kids (because anything with powdered sugar on top is popular with my kids) but they’re a good chocolate fix for anyone who needs one!
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
2 c. flour
2 t. baking powder (the large amount of powder will make these cookies collapse, causing the crinkles)
1/2 t. salt
8 T. butter
2 T. semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
4 T. cocoa
1 3/4 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1/2 c. powdered sugar, for rolling
Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set aside. Combine the butter and semisweet chocolate, and melt them in the microwave or stove over medium heat until melted. Stir in the cocoa, and let cool briefly. Meanwhile, combine granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a mixer and slowly add the chocolate mixture. Then, add the flour mixture and combine (the dough will be soft). Divide the dough into two portions, flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic and place in the fridge for one hour, or the freezer for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350. Place powdered sugar in a small bowl. Take the dough out and pinch off 1″ sized pieces, roll into balls, and then roll in the powdered sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheets, 2″ apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes, let cool for 2 minutes, then remove to wire racks.
Let me know what you think!
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Stuffed French Toast
I needed to do something fast but festive for Father’s Day breakfast, so I tried this recipe and it’s a knockout. The french toast ends up tasting a bit like a really good danish, and well, that’s a good enough recommendation for me. So, if you’re needing something for your next brunch, here’s a great idea.
Stuffed French Toast
Filling:
6 oz. cream cheese, softened (you can do this in the microwave for 25-30 seconds at low power, if necessary)
3 T. sugar
1/4 t. cinnamon
French Toast:
8 slices good quality sandwich bread or french bread, sliced
1 c. cold water
1 egg
1/2 c. flour
1 t. vanilla
4 T. butter
Combine cream cheese, sugar, and cinnamon for the filling in a small bowl, then spread it on the inside of two slices of bread, and then sandwich the two slices together. In a pie plate, combine water, egg, flour, and vanilla and whisk together. Preheat a skillet or griddle to med/med-high and place 2 T. of the butter in the skillet. Dip the outsides of each sandwich in the egg mixture and place in the griddle, cooking until golden brown on each side. Repeat, using the remaining butter and french toast. Serve immediately with maple syrup or powdered sugar.
Note: you can add other things to the cream cheese mixture if you want. I sprinkled frozen blueberries on the top of the cream cheese mixture before I sandwiched the bread together. Adding jam or other berries directly into the mixture would also, I’m sure, be delicious.
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Pão de Queijo
If you have been to Brazil, or know anyone who has (like my husband), they will undoubtedly know what these divine little cheese breads are. If you haven’t yet been introduced, pão de queijo are street food throughout Brazil, and they are unbelievably terrific. A batch of these makes about 200, and we usually eat 100 of them the night we make them (and all feel a little sick, of course, too). Tonight, Peter stuffed three in his mouth all at the same time, and then lowered his face to the table to pick up another. Sadly, Henry too had four in his mouth. Definitely a safety hazard.
Pão de Queijo
4 c. milk
1 c. vegetable oil
2 lbs. polvilho doce/sweet yucca starch (in Rhode Island, this is found on the international food aisles of almost all grocery stores, by the bagged beans. It’s white and powdery–looks like corn starch. Out of state, it might be found in latin markets. I’m not sure.)
1 lb. mineiro cheese or 12 oz. parmesan (or romano) cheese, grated
1 T. salt
5 eggs, lightly beaten
Place yucca starch in a large bowl. Boil the milk and oil in a large pot, watching carefully since it can quickly bubble over the sides. Remove milk mixture from the heat and pour over the starch, and mix together well with a large wooden spoon. Let the mixture cool (about 25 minutes).
Preheat the oven to 350. Once the mixture is cooled, add the cheese to the milk mixture, and knead well, until mostly incorporated. Add the beaten eggs and salt, and knead thoroughly (I do this by hand and it’s extremely messy, but I can’t get them to turn out correctly otherwise). The dough will be soft and sticky. With wet hands, form the dough into teaspoon-sized balls, rewetting your hands as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. Placed on greased sheets and cook for 30 minutes. (I usually use 3 baking sheets total to make a full batch).
If you can find the ingredients, I would really recommend making these. If you can’t, next time you come over, I’ll make them for you.
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Crock Pot Rotisserie-Style Chicken
This winter I discovered the joys of the crock pot. My husband and I both work until anywhere from 6:45-8:30 at night and it’s so nice to know I don’t have to come home and still figure out what we’re going to eat. And then cook it.
One of my favorite recipe blogs is Crock Pot 365. The author cooked something in her crock pot every day in 2008, and then wrote a recipe book. As you do. I haven’t tried nearly all the recipes I want to from her site, but there’s a standby that I keep coming back to again and again: Crock Pot Rotisserie-Style Chicken.
The chicken is juicy and amazingly tender and flavorful. Jason (the husband) proclaimed it the best chicken ever! (We’re all about hyperbole in our house. See my previous broccoli post.)
Like the author, I skin my chicken because the idea of the chicken skin bubbling away in the crock pot for 8 hours gives me the willies. In fact, I recently discovered that skinning chicken is pretty darn easy and will no longer pay extra for The Man to skin my chicken.
Crock Pot Rotisserie-Style Chicken
–1 whole chicken, skinned (4-5 pounds)
–2 tsp kosher salt (if you’d like it as salty as the ones in the store, add another 1 tsp.)
–1 tsp paprika
–1 tsp onion powder
–1/2 tsp dried thyme
–1 tsp Italian seasoning
–1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
–1/2 tsp black pepper
–pinch of chili pepper (probably not necessary)
–4 whole garlic cloves (optional)
–1 yellow onion, quartered (optional)
Skin the chicken and get rid of the neck and other stuff from the cavity.
In a bowl, combine all of dried spices. Rub the spice mixture all over the bird, inside and out. Plop the bird breast-side down into the crockpot.
If desired, shove 4 whole garlic cloves and a quartered onion inside the bird.
Do not add water.
Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours, or on low for 8. The meat is done when it is fully cooked and has reached desired tenderness. The longer you cook it, the more tender the meat.
Bees Knees Recipes 