Watermelon & Feta Salad

I have been intrigued by the combination of Feta and watermelon for a long time now and today was the perfect, warm, sunny day to experiment. I'm not usually a person who mixes foods that do not "seem" to go together, but I knew that I love Feta cheese and I love watermelon, so what's not to love when you put them together?

I found many recipes online calling for a dressing for the salad, for red onions, etc... I chose not to go with any of those recipes, but to take bits of each and put them together into an easy and refreshing salad that I'm happy to say was delicious!

Watermelon & Feta Salad

Ingredients

• 2 cups of diced, cold watermelon (seedless, preferably)
• 1/2 cup of Feta cheese crumbles
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp. of black pepper
• 6 mint leaves, chopped

Directions
Mix all ingredients together and serve! Easy enough for you?

Lemon Pepper Grilled Scallops

For this beautiful, sunny day, my husband and I took a trip to our local Farmer's Market and to our local grocery store to gather items for tonight's dinner. Nothing sounded better than a plate of grilled scallops and a light, refreshing salad...so that's exactly what we got! Along with these scallops, we had a dish new to us, Watermelon & Feta Salad.

Lemon Pepper Grilled Scallops

Ingredients

• 1 lb. large fresh scallops
• 2 tbs. olive oil
• 1 tsp. Lemon Pepper seasoning
• 1 tsp. fresh lemon zest
• 1 tbs. fresh lemon juice

Directions

Pat scallops dry and place into a medium sized container. Pour olive oil and lemon juice over the scallops, then sprinkle with the Lemon Pepper seasoning, stirring to combine. Let sit and marinate in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes until you are ready to grill.

While scallops are marinating, pre-heat grill to high, 15 minutes later, clean grates with a brush then wipe the grates with a paper towel dipped in vegetable oil (holding the paper towel with a pair of tongs).

After cleaning, place scallops directly on the grill, cover and let cook for 3-4 minutes on first side, then flip and continue cooking for about 3 minutes on the second side. Remove and enjoy!!!

(Key) Lime Pie

The minute I saw this dessert on the Pioneer Woman's website, I knew I had to make it. It looked way too good and better than that, way too easy. So, one night when my parents were coming over for dinner, I wanted to find something light and refreshing to eat afterward. This dessert was perfect.

It was REALLY simple to make, especially since I used a pre-made graham cracker crust because I was running short on time, but besides that, it came together in a cinch and tasted delicious!!! It tasted like "Key Lime Pie" but since we don't have access to Key Limes much here in Michigan, I loved that it used regular limes. I would highly recommend you try this and I will definitely be making it again.

Pioneer Womans Key Lime Pie. Sorta.
Recipe courtesy of The Pioneer Woman Cooks
Ingredients
Crust
18 graham crackers (the 4-section large pieces)
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted butter

Filling
1 heaping tablespoon lime zest
1/2 cup lime juice
2 egg yolks
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

For the crust: Crush crackers in a food processor or Ziploc bag. Pour them into a bowl & stir in sugar & melted butter. Press into a pie pan & bake for 5 minutes or until golden & set. Remove from oven & set aside to cool slightly. (Or, as I did, buy a pre-made graham cracker crust in your local baking aisle)

For the filling: Mix lime zest, lime juice & egg yolks in a mixing bowl. Add in condensed milk and mix on high until smooth & thick. Pour mixture into crust & bake for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven, cool, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour or more.

Serve with whipped cream & grated lime zest.

Chicken with Mustard Marscapone Marsala Sauce
Recipe courtesy of Giada DeLaurentiis

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, each breast cut crosswise into 3 pieces
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 tablespoons butter, divided
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 cup dry Marsala wine
• 1 cup (8 ounces) mascarpone cheese
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves, plus whole sprigs, for garnish
• 12 ounces dried fettuccine

Directions

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and cook just until brown, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and cool slightly.

While the chicken cools, melt 2 tablespoons of butter to the same skillet over medium-high heat, then add the onion and saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and saute until the mushrooms are tender and the juices evaporate, about 12 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Stir in the mascarpone and mustard. Cut the chicken breasts crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through and the sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Stir in the chopped parsley. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fettuccine and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain. Toss the fettuccine with 3 tablespoons of butter and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Swirl the fettuccine onto serving plates. Spoon the chicken mixture over top. Garnish with parsley sprigs and serve.

Calzones

I've had this recipe starred from Annie's Eats since she posted it & decided to take advantage of some free time this afternoon to make them for dinner. Though I did change the filling, these were indeed wonderful...not TOO time consuming, with the hours of inactive prep time (dough rising).

I made two calzones, one for me & one for my husband. Mine had pesto, mushrooms, onions, garlic & mozzarella...Paul's had pizza sauce, pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, garlic & mozzarella.

Here is the recipe for the dough, you can use this for delicious pizzas or calzones, whatever suits your fancy!

Pizza Dough
Recipe courtesy of Annie's Eats, originally from Baking Illustrated
Ingredients

• ½ cup warm water (about 110°)
• 1 envelope (2 ¼ tsp.) instant yeast
• 1 ¼ cups water, at room temperature
• 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 cups (22 oz.) bread flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 ½ tsp. salt
• olive oil or non-stick cooking spray for greasing the bowl

Directions

Measure the warm water into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Sprinkle in the yeast & let stand until the yeast dissolves & swells, about 5 minutes. Add the room temperature water & oil & stir to combine.

Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Briefly combine the dry ingredients at low speed. Slowly add the liquid ingredients & continue to mix at low speed until a cohesive mass forms. Stop the mixer & replace the paddle with the dough hook. Knead until the dough is smooth & elastic, about 5 minutes. Form the dough into a ball, put it in a deep oiled bowl & cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 ½ to 2 hours. Press the dough to deflate it.

To bake, place a pizza stone in the lower third of the oven. Heat the oven to 500° for at least 30 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Form both pieces of dough into smooth, round balls & cover with a damp cloth. Let the dough relax for at least 10 minutes but no more than 30 minutes.

Working with one piece of dough & keeping the other covered, shape the dough & transfer to a pizza peel or round of parchment dusted with semolina or cornmeal. Top as desired. Slide the dough onto the pizza stone. Bake until the crust edges brown & cheese is golden brown in spots, about 8 to 12 minutes.

For Calzones: Roll out dough to the desired size & top with desired sauce and toppings on one half of the circle, leaving about a half inch around all sides to ensure a good seal. Fold un-topped half over & pinch/crimp the edges together well so the filling doesn't leak. Brush top with olive oil & bake 12-15 minutes.

Repeat with remaining ball of dough or freeze for later use.

Philadelphia-Style Vanilla Ice Cream

I had previously made the French-style Vanilla ice cream from The Perfect Scoop cookbook and though it was a bit time consuming, it was spectacular... This time I wanted to try the less time consuming variation in the cookbook and try the recipe without egg yolks in it. This was much simpler to make and churn, however, I must say, it lacked the depth and richness of the ice cream with the yolks in the custard and the texture was more..."grainy", if that's the word... Still a good ice cream overall, I can't complain too much, but I personally prefer my previous attempt.

Vanilla Ice Cream, Philadelphia-style
Recipe courtesy of The Perfect Scoop, by David Lebovitz, page 25

Ingredients

• 3 cups heavy cream, or 2 cups heavy cream and 1 cup whole milk
• ¾ cup sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
• ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Pour 1 cup of the cream into a medium saucepan and add the sugar and salt. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the saucepan and add the pod to the pot. Warm over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved.

Remove from the heat and add the remaining 2 cups cream (or the remaining 1 cup cream and the milk) and the vanilla extract.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator. When ready to churn, remove the vanilla bean, rinsing and reserving it for another use, and then freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Hot Dog Buns

These made a perfect little pillow for our Memorial Day grilled hot dogs to lay on. :) Easy and tasted much better than any store bought I've ever had.

The recipe below is the full recipe, but when I made it, I cut it in half for the two of us.
Hot Dog Buns
Recipe courtesy of AllRecipes.com
Ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup butter
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 (.25 ounce) package instant yeast
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 egg
• I added this step: I melted 1/4 stick of butter and added onion powder & garlic powder, I brushed the buns with it before baking and again immediately after they were out of the oven.
  

Directions

• In a small saucepan, heat milk, water and butter until very warm, 120 degrees F (50 degrees C).
• In a large bowl, mix together 1 3/4 cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Mix milk mixture into flour mixture, and then mix in egg. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
• Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Shape into smooth balls, and place on a greased baking sheet. Flatten slightly. Cover, and let rise for 30 to 35 minutes.
• Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
• For Hot Dog Buns: Shape each piece into a 6x4 inch rectangle. Starting with the longer side, roll up tightly, and pinch edges and ends to seal. Let rise about 20 to 25 minutes. (I let them rise about an hour)
  

Jalapeno Popper Dip

*Forgive the picture, I didn't snap it until the dip was almost gone!*

I am a wuss when it comes to spice & heat in my foods....but for some reason, I love the Jalapeno Poppers with the cream cheese in them...but those aren't usually TOO hot. I made this dip after seeing it on AllRecipes & on Cooking This and That and it was a huge hit...I really thought it had the perfect amount of heat to it & I liked the baked version of it to serve warm. It was great with either crackers or tortilla chips!

Jalapeno Popper Dip
Recipe seen on Cooking This and That, originally from AllRecipes

Ingredients

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
• 2 ounces canned diced jalapeno peppers, drained (I used jarred and minced finely)
  
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I used Monterrey Jack cheese - 1 cup)
  

Directions

• Stir together cream cheese & mayonnaise in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in green chiles & jalapeno peppers. Pour mixture into a microwave safe serving dish & sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. (I stirred the Monterrey Jack cheese in with the dip)
  
• Microwave on high until hot, about 3 minutes OR bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes, which I would recommend.

Red Wings Cupcakes!!!

I've made this recipe in cake form in the past, but decided that the "red" and white of this would be perfect in my Red Wings cupcakes! :) I also decorated them with players "pennants" I made from paper/toothpicks. Forgive my icing, I used the spray-type Cool-whip, but as you can see, it wasn't quite working out for me....but again, it tasted great and that's what matters.

Jell-o Cupcakes

Ingredients

• Box cake mix (I used white cake mix & added vanilla extract to boost flavor)
• 1 pkg. jell-o flavor of your choice
• Cool-whip or whipped topping of your choice

Directions
Make cake batter as directed and put in individual cupcake tins. Bake as directed and let cool. While cupcakes are baking, mix jell-o per directions, but don't put in fridge to chill...let mixture cool down to room temperature.

After cupcakes have cooled, poke thoroughly with toothpicks or a fork so it's pierced well. Slowly pour the jell-o liquid over the cupcakes so they soak up a good amount, but don't totally soak them so they are soggy. When ready to serve, top with whipped cream and enjoy!

If you have leftovers, be sure to store them in the refrigerator due to the dairy in the "frosting".

Dinner Spanakopita

I had a small bag of spinach needing to be used & I've been eating Feta like it's going to be pulled from the shelves any day...don't ask me why, I've been on a major Feta kick & this little recipe popped into my head. I cracked open my Back to Basics cookbook I scored at TJ Maxx and trusted Ina with her recipe for a good spinach pie...she sure did deliver! My husband took one bite & told me that this was the best spinach pie he's EVER had....then ate 2 more of them! I'll be making this again for sure. Just forgive my bad filo dough folding....it tasted good, that's all that matters.

Dinner Spanakopita
Adapted from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics
Makes approximately 6 dinner-sized strudels

• Olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
• 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Plain dry bread crumbs
• 1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups small-diced feta cheese (12 oz.)
• 3 tbsp. toasted pine nuts - I omitted
  
• 24 sheets frozen filo dough, defrosted
• Flaked sea salt, for sprinkling
• I added 2 cloves minced garlic to the onion sautee mixture
  

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Heat a medium saute pan over medium heat and add just enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add the scallions and cook for another 2 minutes until the scallions are wilted but still green. Meanwhile, gently squeeze most of the water out of the spinach and place it in a large bowl.

When the onion and scallions are done, add them to the spinach. Mix in the eggs, Parmesan cheese, 3 tbsp. bread crumbs, the nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Gently fold in the feta and pine nuts.

Place on sheet of filo dough flat on a work surface with the long end in front of you. Brush the dough lightly with olive oil and sprinkle it with a teaspoon of bread crumbs. Working quickly, slide another sheet of filo dough on top of the first, brush with olive oil, and sprinkle lightly with bread crumbs. (Use just enough bread crumbs so the layers of filo don't stick together.) Pile 4 layers on top of each other this way brushing each with olive oil and sprinkling each with bread crumbs.

Cut the sheets of filo in thirds lengthwise. Place 1/3 cup spinach filling on the shorter end and roll the filo up diagonally as if folding a flag. They fold the triangle of filo over straight and then diagonally again. Continue folding first diagonally and then straight until you reach the end of the sheet. The filling should be totally enclosed. Place each finished strudel, seam side down, on a baking sheet and brush lightly with olive oil.

Continue assembling filo layers and folding the filling until all of the filling or all of the sheets have been used. Sprinkle sea salt over the finished strudels and bake for 30-35 minutes until the filo is browned and crisp. Serve hot.

Bagels - Take 2!

The last time I made bagels, I came out with a cross between a pretzel & a bagel because I followed someone's suggestion online to add baking powder to the water bath to keep them fluffy instead of shrinking & shriveling. They tasted good & I ate them, don't get me wrong, but they were definitely not the traditional bagel I was after.

This time, I followed this recipe and used bread flour, which I am very hopeful will help keep them puffy. I added onion & garlic powder to the dough to give it flavor & topped them with an egg wash, toasted sesame seeds & salt. They turned out wonderfully & my husband said these are the best batch I've made! *Edited: I broke down and had one for my *very* late dinner...these turned out SO.SO.SO.SO.SO FABULOUS. I think the bread flour made all the difference in the fluffiness and the inner texture....

Here is the recipe I followed, courtesy of Baking Bites.

Onion & Garlic Bagels
Ingredients
1 tbsp active dry yeast
1 tbsp sugar
1 3/4 cups water, warm (100-110F)
4 cups bread flour (not all purpose)
1 tbsp salt
1 egg, for egg wash
I added: 1/2 tbs. Onion powder & 1/2 tbs. garlic powder to the dough while kneading
1 tbs. honey to the boiling water

Directions

In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer) combine yeast, sugar & water. Let stand for 5 minutes, then stir in flour & salt. Mix dough thoroughly until it comes together in a large ball, pulling away from the sides of the bowl. Add an additional tablespoon of flour or water, if needed.
If kneading by hand, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface & knead until very smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. If using a stand mixer, knead dough with the dough hook until elastic, about 8 minutes on a low speed. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap & let rise for 1 hour.

Bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil & preheat the oven to 400F.

When dough has risen, turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured surface & divide into 12 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a tight ball. When all the balls are shaped, let the dough rest for 30 minutes covered with a clean dish towel.

Once dough balls have rested, the bagel shape can be formed. Using your fingers, poke a hole through the center of each dough ball. Stretch out the dough into a ring with your fingers & make the hole a little larger than you want the finished bagel to have, as it will shrink slightly while the bagel is expanding during the baking process. Let bagels rest for about 10 minutes.

Working four at a time, drop the bagels carefully into the boiling water. Boil for 1 minute on the first side, then flip & boil for an additional minute. Using a slotted spoon or strainer, transfer bagels to a clean towel to drain for a moment, then place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Brush boiled bagels with lightly beaten egg & bake for 20-24 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on a rack.

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

I finally got the KitchenAid Stand Mixer attachment I've been wanting for a while now - the coveted Ice Cream maker attachment - and at such a steal too during an Amazon sale - which was a good $20 less than the regular "sale" price! With free shipping, I couldn't resist.

My first batch of ice cream had to be the classic and beloved Vanilla. This turned out so wonderful, beautifully-flecked with vanilla and had such a rich, creamy flavor, a little went a long way...spectacular! I give this attachment (and the following Vanilla ice cream recipe) two big thumbs way up!

Vanilla Ice Cream
Recipe Courtesy of David Lebovitz, The Perfect Scoop
Ingredients

1 cup milk
A pinch of salt
3/4 cups sugar
1 vanilla bean
5 egg yolks
2 cup heavy cream
A few drops of vanilla extract

1. Heat the milk, salt, and sugar in a saucepan. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the milk with the tip of a paring knife. Add the bean pod to the milk.

2. Stir together the egg yolks in a bowl and gradually add some of the warmed milk, stirring constantly as you pour. Pour the warmed yolks back into the saucepan.

3. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heat-resistant spatula until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula. Strain the custard into the heavy cream. Rinse the vanilla bean and put it back into the custard and cream to continue steeping. Chill thoroughly, then remove the vanilla bean and freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturers instructions.

I made what?!?

There was a time when I was kinda "ehhhhh...." about sushi. Then, it took hold and grew on me. And grew. And now I get a craving for it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not an adventurous person shoving raw fish down my throat, but I do love a good California Roll, which contains no raw anything...

I recently discovered this little gem of a Japanese foods/sushi store only about a mile from where I work, so after work this week, I stopped by and stocked up on sushi-making supplies and lookie here what I made!
It was so much easier than I ever imagined and the price is so much lower to make these yourself, I highly recommend trying these at home yourself!!

California Roll
Recipe inspired by The Pioneer Woman Cooks - Sushi

Sushi Rice Recipe
Courtesy of Alton Brown

Ingredients

• Nori
• 2 cups prepared sushi rice - see Alton Brown recipe above
• Sticks of imitation crab (Surimi)
• Cucumber - cut into matchstick sized pieces
• Avocado - cut into thin slices

Directions
Follow PW's tutorial in the link above :) That's what I did, so I will just direct you to her...and her sushi chef expert.

Mini Cheesecakes

Of course, every gathering needs a dessert, so I decided to make some mini cheesecakes using my regular size muffin tin. I lined it with silver wrappers in honor of the Stanley Cup and they turned out great! Even though they puffed up and then caved in the middle, it made a perfect indention to fill in with cherry pie filling!

Mini Cheesecakes
Recipe courtesy of All Recipes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups of crushed vanilla wafers
• 2 pkg. cream cheese
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 can cherry pie filling

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line miniature muffin tins (tassie pans) with miniature paper liners.
• Crush the vanilla wafers, and place 1/2 teaspoon of the crushed vanilla wafers into each paper cup.
• In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy. Fill each miniature muffin liner with this mixture, almost to the top.
• Bake for 15 minutes. Cool. Top with a teaspoonful of cherry pie filling.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Since I was having some family over today, I wanted to make sure everyone had something that they liked...I know my husband and his brother love hot sauce and Buffalo wings, so this dip was my first choice...I am not a fan of chicken wings or hot sauce, but I will admit that this was an awesome dip! It wasn't TOO hot, but it definitely had a kick to it. I doubled the recipe below, but it reflects the original measurements.

Franks Redhot Buffalo Chicken Dip
Recipe courtesy of Frank's Hot Sauce Website

INGREDIENTS:

8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup blue cheese or ranch salad dressing (I used 1/2 c. blue cheese & 1/2 c. ranch)
1/2 cup any flavor FRANK'S® REDHOT® Sauce
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese or shredded mozzarella cheese (I used mozzarella & cheddar mix)
2 cans (9.75 oz. each) SWANSON® White Premium Chunk Chicken Breast in Water, drained (I used 1/5 lbs. of chicken breast, boiled, shredded & cooled)

DIRECTIONS: (I just mixed all ingredients in one bowl, then poured into the baking dish - topped with cheese)

1.HEAT oven to 350°F. Place cream cheese into deep baking dish. Stir until smooth.
2.MIX in salad dressing, Frank's RedHot Sauce and cheese. Stir in chicken.
3.BAKE 20 min. or until mixture is heated through; stir. Garnish as desired. Serve with crackers or vegetables.