Progressive Dinner: Dessert

Melissa  had the great idea to organize a Progressive Dinner this year as a little holiday party before we all disappeared  home for Christmas.  For those of you who are like me and had no clue what she was talking about when she asked if I would participate, a Progressive Dinner is when each course of the meal is served at someone else's home and you move from apartment to apartment (at least in our case).  She asked me if I would be willing to take care of the dessert for this event and I couldn't say no to that.  

Compliments of Melissa's boyfriend Kurt

The difficult part was figuring out what to make to serve 10 to 12 people that was gluten free.  I had just made these pumpkin trifles and had thought about making something similar with rum, but decided it was too soon.  I also didn't feel like making a flour-less cake or a pudding or mousse like thing, I don't know why.  We were all keeping our courses secret, so I had no idea what I should be trying to compliment.  I found this recipe in Great Food Fast, and decided it would be easy to prep and throw in the oven while we enjoyed our entree next door.  I figured it would be kind of light and not too sweet after the previous three courses, which were amazing!  

Before roasting...

The grocery store ended up being the actual problem, which I kind of suspected might be the case and I was prepared to make some substitutions before I even arrived.  I couldn't find any plums and the peaches were tiny so I replaced the plums with pears.  Of course after I bought my supplies, I found out two more decided they would join us for the event and went out in search of plums at a different grocery store.   Of course there were none so I went with apples.  My other change was to use the lemons I had at home instead of buying limes and I didn't really measure so much, just kind of scooped some sugar in.  All in all it was really tasty and the rosemary adds a wonderful touch.   I need to learn how to cut peaches and nectarines though, that didn't go so well...

Roasted Fruit with Ice Cream

serves 12 to 16

After Roasting!

• 6 small peaches
• 5 nectarines
• 2 apples
• 3 pears
• 6 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 7 tablespoons sugar
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter- cut into chunks
• juice from 3 fresh lemons
• vanilla ice cream

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prick skins of fruit with a fork, then quarter and pit the peaches and nectarines, slice the apples and pears. 
2. In a 9-by-13-inch roasting pan, toss fruit with the sprigs fresh rosemary, tablespoons sugar, butter, and lemon juice.
3. Roast fruit until fork-tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Discard rosemary the sprigs but leave some of the leaves.
4. Serve warm over ice cream. 

mmm mmm mmm

Enjoy and have a great Christmas! 

Creamy Avocado Pasta

I have been on a bit of an avocado kick lately.  It is just so yummy and versatile.  Last week I came across a guest post by Angela from  Oh She Glows for Creamy Avocado Pasta.  I remember reading the post, but I can't find it anymore, so I apologize.  Anyway it was the perfect thing to make because I had and leftover half of a lemon and some basil I needed to use ASAP and  I was glad I remembered the post and found the recipe.

This recipe is super yummy and so easy to make.  If you need a quick meal for two, I highly recommend it.  Just remember that since it is avocado, the leftovers do not really heat up well or look very edible either.  I don't have a food processor, just a blender and there was not enough liquid to throw it in there, so I just finely chopped everything and mixed it with a hand mixer to get it all creamy.  I did not or do not care that the recipe is vegan, so I added some cheese.  And really, can you go wrong with Cheese?  I think not. 

Ingredients

This does not do it justice. I promise it's good.

• 1 medium sized ripe Avocado, pitted& cut into chunks
• 1/2 lemon, juiced + lemon zest to garnish
• 2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
• 1/4 cup Fresh Basil, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 servings/6 oz of your choice of pasta (I used angel hair spaghetti)
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste 
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese 

Directions:

1. Bring several cups of water to a boil in a medium sized pot. Add in your pasta, reduce heat to medium, and cook until Al Dente, about 8-10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, make the sauce by placing the garlic cloves, lemon juice, and olive oil into a medium bowl.  Mix with hand mixer until smooth. Now add in the pitted avocado, basil, and salt. Mix until smooth and creamy.
3. When pasta is done cooking, drain and rinse in a strainer and place pasta into the bowl of sauce.  Toss until fully combined. Garnish with cheese, lemon zest and black pepper. 
4. Serve immediately. Makes 2 servings.

Enjoy!

A Time to Celebrate!

The past couple of weeks have brought some great reasons to celebrate.  First, I was given the clearance to start riding my bike again, my elbow is all better.  Second, I finally got my Architecture license! Whoo hoo!  Third, my very great friend, Megan was in town for the weekend on her way to a conference.  Fourth, summer is officially here, this is probably reason enough.  Melissa reminded me that I have had a bottle of champagne that my boss gave me three years ago that I still had not opened.  It was time to pop open that bottle and celebrate, so that's exactly what we did this weekend.

Time to Celebrate!

I had been wanting to host a small dinner party on the roof for some time now, so that's exactly what I did.  The menu was Avacodo Dip, Spinach, Red Onion & Cherry Craison Salad, Summer Squash Ribbons with Lemon & Parmesan, Lemon & Basil Roasted Chicken and last but not least a tasty Fruit & Pudding Trifle Megan whipped up (so good- we must beg her to post it up).  Everything was gluten free and absolutely tasty.  Everything was super easy to make time so that everything was ready when needed.  Megan made the desert before everything else so that it could set up in the afternoon.  I prepped the chicken and put it in the oven.  I mixed up everything else while it was roasting.  First the avocado dip, the salad dressing and salad and finally the summer squash just before the chicken was done.
I have made two of these recipes before, but I have three to share with you today.  I followed most of the recipes pretty closely, maybe adding more or less of this or that to some of them.  I highly recommend the Sweet Paul Magazine that I found the Avocado Dip and Lemon & Basil Roasted Chicken in.  There are so many more recipes that I need to try from it.


Avocado Dip

The avocado dip was gone in an instant & look at that chicken!

• 2 ripe avocados
• 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice (I used one whole lemon)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• salt & pepper to taste

1. Peel the avocado, and mash the meat in a bowl with mayo, lemon and garlic. (I tossed it in the blender for a bit to get it nice and smooth)
2. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Serve with chips  or other tasty dipping snackers.

Summer Squash & Zucchini Ribbons with Lemon & Parmesan

Delicious ribbons of squash!

• 1 medium summer squash
• 1 medium zucchini 
  
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 cup Parmesan, shaved
• kosher salt and pepper

1. Cut the squash and zucchini into long, thin strips using a vegetable peeler (discard the seedy cores). Place in a large bowl.
2. Add the oil, lemon juice, Parmesan, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and toss gently to combine. Serve immediately.

Lemon & Basil Roasted Chicken

Read for the oven.

• 1 large chicken
• 1 bunch basil
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• salt & pepper
• 2 lemons, cut in half
• 2 pounds small potatoes
• 2 or 3 carrots cut into 2" chunks
• 8 cloves garlic, left whole

1. Preheat oven to 450ºF. 
2. Remove the gizzards and liver if inside the chicken cavity and rub chicken well with 2 tbsp olive oil.
3. Lift up the breast skin gently and place a bunch of basil in the “pocket”. 
4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper & Place in an oven-proof dish with potatoes, carrots, and garlic. 
5. Fill the cavity of the chicken with two lemon halves. 
6. Squeeze the remaining lemon over the chicken and drizzle with olive oil. 
7. Roast for 20 minutes, take it out and baste it and put it back in at 350ºF for about another 45 minutes (mine was in for 55 minutes)
8. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before serving.

We didn't even make it to our seats to eat we were so hungry & it was so good!

Take it all the to roof and Enjoy! 

Gingerbread Rhubarb Pots

Once rhubarb is in the farmers market, it is the one thing that drags me from my comfy bed early on Saturdays to trek up to the park.  I tried to plant one in my garden, but it didn't take.  Sad.  Anyway, I made the trip to the market and brought home plenty of rhubarb and some zucchini planning to make something with one or the other for the barbeques this weekend.  I also wanted something that would be transportable to the beach. 
After flipping though most of the recipes I have, I decided to go with the rhubarb version of the Gingerbread pots in my 500 Cupcakes cookbook.  I had intended to follow the recipe completely, but I was out of wheat flour and I wasn't completely sure about the rhubarb prep.  They turned out well either way.  The rhubarb flavor was subtle and and the ginger was not overwhelming.  The lemon glaze was the perfect topping to balance out the gingerbread.


Ingredients
The cupcakes:

• 1 cup chopped rhubarb
• 2 tbsp white sugar 
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup self-rising flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 4 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs 
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 tbsp roughly chopped candied ginger

glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 5 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line small terracotta pots with parchment paper (or a cupcake tin with liners). 
2. Mix rhubarb, white sugar, and water in small sauce pan over medium low heat. Stir frequently until the rhubarb has broken down and is soft.  Set aside.
3. Sift the flours, baking powder, ginger and cinnamon in a large bowl.  
4. In a medium bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and beat with an electric mixer until smooth.  Mix in rhubarb until combined. 
5. Stir into dry ingredients. 
6. Spoon batter into pots until about 3/4 full.  Place pots on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. 
7. Remove pots from oven and cool on a rack for a few minutes before removing from pots and cooling for 10 minutes.  
8. To make glaze, combine the lemon juice and powdered sugar in a small bowl.  Drizzle over the tops of the cupcakes.  Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. 

Makes 18 cupcakes.
Enjoy!

The Best of the Best: Lemon Recipes

Best Savory, Best Over All, Best Sweet

I apologize for keeping these recipes to myself for so long, but I have finally combined the top recipes from the Lemon Off.  They were all delicious so I highly recommend you try them all sometime. Here they are.
The winners better not get too used to having those awesome trophies because there are plenty of people already picking out recipes for the upcoming Rhubarb Off!

LEMON OFF!!

All the delicious Dishes

Yesterday was the big Lemon off and it was a huge success.  So many yummy things and a few amazing trophies!  In a tight race for number one the Lemon Lasagna by Hillary won Best of Show, The Lemon Pasta by Melissa was the Savory winner and the Lemon Icebox Pie by Stephanie took home the Sweet trophy by a landslide.  Truth be told they were all so good, I had trouble making my choices and honestly cannot remember which ones I picked.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Melissa, Hillary, & Stephanie with their trophies

The table after the feast

Unfortunately for me my Lemon Ricotta Tart did not win the trophy this time, but it was delicious. I found it in my Martha Stewart Fresh Flavor Fast.  I had not tried it before and the crust baked faster than the it was timed too so when the tart took longer to bake, my crust was almost over done.  It was fine, but I was still not happy that my oven has no consistency and somewhat ruined my tart.  I didn't have tart pan with a removable bottom, but I don't think that made any difference.

Lemon Ricotta Tart

• 72 vanilla wafers (from a 12-ounce box)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (from 2 lemons)
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

1. Preheat oven 375 degrees. In a food processor, pulse vanilla wafers until finely ground (to yield 2 cups). Add butter and pulse until crumbs are evenly moistened. 
2. Transfer crumb mixture to a 9-inch tart pan. Press firmly into the bottom and up the sides. Place pan on a baking sheet; bake crust until lightly browned and set, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven. 
3. In clean food processor, blend ricotta, cream cheese, eggs, granulated sugar, and lemon zest and juice until smooth. Pour into hot crust in pan; bake until filling is set and browned in spots, 30 to 35 minutes.  
4. Cool completely on a wire rack. Just before serving, dust top of tart with confectioners' sugar, if desired.

Enjoy! 

The rest of the recipes will be up soon!

One last Lemon recipe trial: Fettuccine with Lemon

The Lemon- off is tomorrow and even though I decided what I am making earlier this week, I still wanted to try out a recipe I found in a Martha Stewart magazine called Fettuccine with Lemon, Mint, and Parmesan.  I ended up making a few changes to the recipe because I am cheap and only need half the amount of pasta, so below is my version of Fettuccine with Lemon.  It turned out well, although I would say that it was not as good as the Lemon Spaghetti with Asparagus, my roommate said he liked this recipe more.  I guess you can do your own taste trial and decide for yourself. 

 

Fettuccine with Lemon

• 1/2 pound dried fettuccine
• Coarse salt
• 1/2 to 3/4cup asiago cheese
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup torn fresh mint leaves
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• Crushed red-pepper flakes (my friend who was joining me cannot handle red-pepper flakes and I forgot to sprinkle some on my own dish, but I bet it's an awesome addition)

1. Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid.
   
2. Transfer pasta to a large bowl, and mix in reserved cooking liquid, cheese, lemon zest and juice, mint, oil, and red-pepper flakes if desired. Divide among dishes, garnish with cheese, and serve immediately.
   
   Enjoy! 
    
   Picture Via