Strawberry Shortcake Popsicles

Strawberry Shortcake Popsicles

We just got back from vacation to some hot New Jersey weather so I decided to make these refreshing treats.  I used some 3 oz cups I had on hand (leftover from Jello shots I had made), 1 lb of strawberries, 12 golden Oreo's, and 2 cups of vanilla yogurt.  They did take longer to freeze all the way through than the recipe suggested, but it's worth the wait.  They were extremely easy and definitely hit the spot on this hot summer day, I'm happy to say I have several more in my freezer waiting to be eaten.  I'll be making these again, possibly adding some rum or other sort of alcohol.

Corn and Tomato Scramble

Corn and Tomato Scramble

This corn and tomato scramble from Epicurious is one of my favorite side dishes, especially when I can find some fresh corn on the cob (which I didn't this time, but it's still tasty).  The only changes I make to this are using balsamic vinegar instead of cider vinegar, I also try to use about a 1/2 to 2/3 of the butter it recommends, and sometimes I throw in avocados.  As soon as you can find corn on the cob at your market, do yourself a favor and make this.

Mexican Lasagna

I had some ground turkey in fridge and enchilada sauce in my pantry so decided to throw together this Mexican Lasagna.  It's another one of those dishes that didn't photograph too pretty, but I'm about the taste.  It was a quick and easy weeknight meal, that also made tasty leftovers.  See below for instructions.

Ingredients
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup green bell pepper
1 can of pinto beans
1 TB minced garlic
1 teaspoon of cumin
6-8 6" corn tortillas
1 cup shredded jack cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 can of enchilada sauce

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Add ground turkey, diced onion, green peppers,  pinto beans (or black),  garlic, cumin to large pan and cook over medium-high heat until turkey is browned and mixture is heated through.
3.  Place corn tortillas on bottom of 8" baking dish, sprinkle a layer of jack cheese, spoon 1/2 of turkey mixture on top, and spread 1/3 of enchilada sauce on top. Repeat this process, but layer cheddar cheese on tortilla this time.  Place third tortilla on top, spread last 1/3 of enchilada sauce and sprinkle combination of jack and cheddar cheese.
4. Heat in oven for 20 minutes.
5. Enjoy!

Easy Baked Fish Fillets

Easy Baked Fish Fillets

This recipe from MyRecipes.com is a perfect weeknight meal.  I'm training for a triathlon right now so by the time I get home from the office, workout and am finally ready to cook I'm looking for something quick and easy like this recipe.  The recipe calls for Grouper, or any white fish really.  Pollock was on sale at my store and it looked white so I went with that.  I've never had it before, but wikipedia tells me it's a cheap substitution for Cod or Haddock.  The recipe calls for drizzling it with butter before placing it in the oven, but I sprayed it with a little cooking spray instead.  It turned out well, and I'll definitely be making it again.  Although, next time I will most likely use panko breadcrumbs.  

Poached Eggs

I love poached eggs, but I've always been a bit intimidated to try to make them on my own.  The Easter Bunny was nice enough to give me these egg poachers from Crate and Barrel in my Easter basket, so I figured I should give it a whirl.  Below you can see how to poach an egg, or at least how I did it.

1. Bring salted water to its almost boiling point.
2. While water is heating up, crack egg into a bowl or ramekin
3. Hang the egg poacher on the side of a pot.
4. When water is almost at it's boiling point, place egg in the egg poacher
5. Keep water just below its boiling point, and cook for about 4 minutes (longer if you do not want a runny yolk).

I cooked some spinach leaves with a little pepper and pecorino romano cheese, placed it on toast, and then put the poached egg on top.  It was a good way to start the day!

I Love Sushi

Spicy Yellowtail Roll and Rainbow Roll

California Roll & Sushi Assortment

I told you that we would be eating a lot of takeout and leftovers this past week due to hectic schedules, and I wanted to share my favorite choice for delivery.  I love sushi, we order it once a week (twice if I'm lucky) for delivery, but if it was up to me and mercury poisoning didn't exist I'd eat it 5 times a week.  Our order usually consists of shumai, a rainbow roll, assortment of sushi,a  california roll (it comes with the sushi assortment), and a spicy yellowtail or spicy scallop roll.   Our go to sushi place for delivery in Jersey City is Honshu Sushi.  When I used to live on the East Side in NYC our favorite place was Iron Sushi.  Okay, I just wanted to confess that I have a sushi addiction.

Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb

Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb

It's going to be a hectic week of eating leftovers and takeout, so I thought I'd share this lamb recipe from Cooking Light that I made this summer.  Lamb is delicious, and this is an easy recipe that would be perfect to serve to any meat lovers you have over for dinner.  Since it was summer time and Jersey tomatoes and sweet corn were fresh, I layered sliced tomatoes, onions, avocado, and corn (cut off the cob) to have on the side.

Chicken and Summer Vegetable Tostadas & Guacamole

MyRecipes Chicken and Summer Vegetable Tostadas

I saw this recipe from Cooking Light and I've had my eye on it for awhile.  I decided not to wait until the summer vegetables were actually ready, so I used a can of corn instead of fresh corn off the cob.  I also used pepper jack cheese in lieu of monterey jack cheese to add a little extra flavor, and as you can see in the picture I probably could have used less cheese.  A lot of the reviews said that the bottom of the tostadas were soggy, so to prevent that I broiled both sides of the tortilla and there were no issues with sogginess.  When I re-heat the leftovers I'm going to add a little tabasco to the chicken and vegetable mixture to add a little spice.  I can't wait to try this one again when summer vegetables are fresh at the farmer's market.

I love my molcajete, it's a completely unnecessary but fun addition to my kitchen.  I make pretty standard guacamole; 2 avocadoes, a handful or two of chopped tomatoes, a handful of chopped onions, 1 chopped jalapeño, some cilantro, and kosher salt.  This Molcajete link on Williams-Sonoma has a helpful video of how to whip up some guacamole with the mortar and pestle.  I've also decided that it's impossible to get an appetizing picture of guacamole.

Cinco De Mayo Mexican Martini

A Mexican Martini is a great way to treat yourself on Cinco de Mayo.  Shake together 2 parts good tequila (we used Patron), 1-2 parts sprite, 1 part orange juice, 1 part triple sec, and the juice of 1 lime.  Thanks to my brother for passing along this drink idea to me.  More on the guacamole and tostada we had with it tomorrow.  Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Pasta With Mascarpone, Chicken, Sun Dried Tomatoes & Spinach

I thawed some chicken and was in the mood for pasta; this recipe from Italian Food Forever hit the spot. I used some whole wheat pasta shells I had on hand and otherwise followed the recipe.  It got a 'will you please make this again' response from my husband who claims he doesn't like sun dried tomatoes.