Quick and Delicious Dinner

Sisters,

Life has been very busy lately, all good stuff, but my goal of cooking more frequently has gone out the window.  Last night I couldn't stand the thought of another peanut butter sandwich or yet another night of sushi carryout, so I took myself to the grocery store.  Overwhelmed by the idea of having to come up with a menu and hating the idea of turning on the oven when its 90+ outside,  I ended up buying chicken sausage (for the grill), asparagus, 2 apples, 2 mangoes, blueberries and a carton of cottage cheese.  Thank goodness I went to the farmers market recently and had tomatoes and squash in my fridge, because I ended up with this dish.  So simple and so delicious!

 

Here is my "recipe":

1. Buy and unwrap your choice sausage.  I quickly picked a chicken sausage. I have tried aidells sausage before and actually prefer the portobello over the artichoke and garlic, but it did the trick.

2.  Clean and chop fresh vegetables and place them on tin foil.  Add a small amount of olive oil and salt.

3. Fold the tin foil (channel outdoor ed from 5th grade).  Place tin foil container and sausage on the grill.

Take it off the grill and enjoy!

 

Summertime Pie

Ok Sisters - LOOK AT THIS PIE!  I wish I could take credit for this beautiful creation, but we all know better.  This is yet another perfect pie at the hands of To Kiss the Cook.  While Bob and I were in Maine (more to come on this topic later) I attempted my very first pie with the help of Amy.  It went well, but I called my dear friend, and pie extrodenaire, for a proper pie lesson.  I chose strawberry rhubarb because it seems to be a summer favorite and strawberries were on sale.  I do not regret my choice!

PIE FILLING 
1.5 containers (16 oz) of strawberries
3 stalks of rhubarb cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp of clove
Juice from 1/4 of an orange
A pinch of salt

PIE CRUST AND BAKING INSTRUCTIONS

Check out the most recent pie post at TKTC for full instructions! 

Lessons Learned:

1. Making your own pie crust is simpler than I had expected and the end result is totally worth it.
2. Many pie recipes call for more sugar than is needed.  Enjoy nature's sweetness and cut the sugar in half or so. 
3. Practice makes perfect and even the "failed" attempts taste pretty good.
4. A cute apron makes baking so much better.  Here is the adorable TKTC in her cute apron showing off her impressively large bag of brown sugar.

 

  Happy Baking!

Pancakes and Bacon in the North Woods

Sisters,

This lovely location is where we spent three days with our good friends Megan and Mike and their beautiful daughter Ruthie. We had a good time thanks to their unbelievable hospitality, great conversation that led to some serious laughs, and delicious food. Since high school Megan has made cooking look effortless and with consistently perfect results. This weekend was no different, she dazzled us with her blueberry pancakes....and with a baby in her arms no less.

Blueberry Pancakes

• 1 cup white flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/3-1/2 cups of vegetable oil (use more than 1/3 and less than a 1/2 - it will be a game-time decision)
• 2 cups milk (2% or whole milk preferred)
• Blueberries (fresh preferred, if frozen use the large blueberries and defrost before adding)

Fork fluff the flour, this is crucial for the success of pancakes. Mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Separately, mix together eggs, vegetable oil and milk. Add the dry and liquid bowls together, mix in the defrosted blueberries.

Bacon Prepared in the Oven

• Line a baking sheet with tin foil
• Lay the bacon strips with a small amount of space between each piece
• Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Flip at 20 minutes.

I am not a big bacon eater, but I have been converted. The bacon came out perfectly crispy and the cleanup was WAY easier than bacon on the stove.

The beautiful house, perfect Wisconsin lake and unbelievable food all paled in comparison to the main attraction. Please meet Ruth Littell...have you EVER seen a cuter baby?

1/2 Homemade Fruit Tart

Hi sisters,
Here are those yummy tarts I was telling you about on Tuesday. When my friends over at Parker, etc. and Lulu Grace Vintage told me about their trunk show, I volunteered to make some tasty treats for the occasion. And then the days got away from me (lots of work, Nathan's cousin from Hong Kong visiting, a weekend trip to Minneapolis, and then a visit by Nathan's siblings) and I found myself in the grocery store at 9pm on Friday trying to figure out what to make. When I saw the fresh blackberries and raspberries in the produce isle I remembered this quick, easy, and smart looking dessert my friend taught me how to make.

I promise, it's easy and looks way harder to make than it actually is :)

Graham Cracker Crust Fruit Tart

Ingredients
Topping
- 1 package of fresh blackberries
- 1 package of fresh raspberries
- 2 tablespoons of apricot preserves

Filling
- One 8 ounce package of cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- 1 cup of heavy cream
*I said this was an easy and good looking dessert, not a healthy one

Crust
- Pre-made graham cracker crusts (for this I chose the smaller crusts)
- 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions
Step 1.
Melt the chocolate chips in a heat proof bowl over simmering water.
As the chips are melting, add in 1 tablespoon of heavy whipping cream.
Stir until chocolate is melted.
Using a spoon, drip the melted chocolate into the bottom of each individual graham cracker crust.
Spread the chocolate across the bottom of the crust and up onto the sides with the back of the spoon.
This should create a thin layer of chocolate coating on each crust.
Place the crusts in the freezer.

Step 2.
Place the cream cheese in a mixing bowl.
Pour in the sugar and beat the cream cheese and sugar together.
Slowly mix in the cup of heavy cream until it is fluffy and smooth.
Pour the filling into each of the cups when the chocolate is fully hardened.

Step 3.
Arrange the blackberries and raspberries on top.
Place the 2 tablespoons of apricot jam and 1 tablespoon of water into a saucepan.
Heat the jam slowly, stirring frequently with a small whisk.
When the jam has thinned to a liquid, remove from stove.

Step 4.
Drizzle the thinned jam over the fruit on each tart.
Place finished tarts in the refrigerator to chill.

Step 5.
Serve and enjoy!

Sweet Tea for Me

Last week was a warm one in Chicago. To beat the heat I traded my coffee addiction with a need for iced tea, and more recently sweet tea. I highly recommend the sweet tea at Lovely and at Cafe Streets, both of which are in Wicker Park and deserve an upcoming blog post all of their own. My goal for the week is to get in the kitchen and make my own batch of sweet tea. I am going to try this easy recipe and I will come back with my recommendations.

The recipe with the most stars on allrecipes.com:

1 pinch baking soda

2 cups boiling water

6 tea bags

3/4 cup white sugar

6 cups cool water

Sprinkle a pinch of baking soda into a 64-ounce, heat-proof, glass pitcher. Pour in boiling water, and add tea bags. Cover, and allow to steep for 15 minutes.

Remove tea bags, and discard; stir in sugar until dissolved. Pour in cool water, then refrigerate until cold.


In true Dawson fashion, I have spent more time looking up glassware and dreamy tablesettings, than looking up recipes. Don't you think that if I serve sweet tea in this pitcher and drink it out of this glass it would taste like heaven no matter what recipe is used?

Anthropologie

Anthropologie



Have a great week!

Pan Browned Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

Sisters,
I have recently discovered I like brussels sprouts! Especially when they are fried up with some bacon, now that I think about though, I like anything fried up with bacon. Here's a quick and easy side dish for you...

Ingredients

- 1 pound of Brussels sprouts, cleaned and cut in half

- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

- 1 cup of onions diced

- 5 strips of bacon

 
Directions

Step 1.
Cook bacon over medium heat in a large pan
When done, remove from pan and place on cutting board

Step 2.
Add the diced onions to the bacon grease, let simmer for 2 minutes
Add Brussel's sprouts and butter, stir until pale golden color
Crumble bacon strips on top, stir and let simmer for 2 more minutes

Step 3.
Serve and EAT.


 

Love from NYC :)
P.S. How cute is the container that the sprouts came in?

The Perfect Tuna Salad for Summer

Sisters,

Lately I have been thinking that I should bite the bullet and grow my cullinary skills. So I have started with something simple: Tuna Salad. I am not a huge mayonaise fan and so I emailed the lovely bloggers at The Bitten Word and asked for a recommendation on how to prepare tuna mayonaise free. They passed along this recipe for Mediterranean Tuna Salad.

The Bitten Word: Mediterranean Tuna Salad

Mediterranean Tuna Salad

4 6-oz. cans tuna, packed in olive oil
1 15-oz. can garbanzo beans or cannellini beans (white beans), drained and rinsed
1 medium red onion, diced
1/2 cup olive oil, plus more to taste
2 tsp lemon zest
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp Italian parsley, finely chopped
2 tsp salt
2 tsp fresh ground pepper

All you have to do is mix it together! It is so easy and so delicious. I normally eat it with pita bread or pita chips.
 

Much love from Chicago!

Buttermilk Cole Slaw

Hi sisters,
Happy Tuesday! I made this buttermilk cole slaw the other day to go with those turkey burgers I was telling you about :) It's so easy, give it a try...

Ingredients

- 1/2 head of regular cabbage

- 1/2 head of purple cabbage

- 3 thinly sliced scallions

- 1/2 an onion sliced (red or otherwise)

- 3 carrots thinly sliced

- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped

- 1/2 cup of buttermilk

- 1/4 cup of sour cream

- 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard

- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

- 1/4 teaspoon of celery seed

* This makes a light dressing for the Cole slaw, if you prefer it heavier you can adjust the ingredients accordingly

Directions

Step 1.

In a large bowl combine the cabbage, scallions, onion, carrots, and cilantro.

Step 2.

In a separate small bowl whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, Dijon mustard, Kosher salt, pepper, and celery seed.

Step 3.

Mix together

Serve and Eat.


Love from NYC!

Coconut Dreams

Sisters,

Meet my new favorite thing....

It's SO good!!! And dairy free :) It's sold at my local grocery store, but you can always find it at any Whole Foods or here. Happy Tuesday!

Love from nyc

Turkey Burgers

It looks like it's going to be another beautiful weekend in NYC! Nathan and I are headed to Prospect Park (Brooklyn) on Saturday for a picnic to celebrate a friend's engagement and I might be grilling up some turkey burgers. Now all we need is a Frisbee, a mustached guy with a guitar, some jorts, a case of PBR, and a 20-something girl in a brightly colored head scarf with cat eye sunglasses... and we've got ourselves a good old Brooklyn BBQ :)

Thomas' Turkey Burgers
Ingredients
- 3 lbs of ground turkey
- 2 cloves of minced garlic
- 1 tsp. of olive oil
- Mrs. Dash seasoning salt
- 24 Thomas' English muffins (2 packs of 12)
*english muffins make for really soft burger buns and are an easy twist to the traditional burger
- Extra sharp cheddar cheese

Directions

Step 1.

- Lightly mix the ground turkey, a few shakes of the Mrs. Dash, the olive oil, and the minced garlic in a large bowl

(I use my hands to mix)

Step 2.

- Make small to medium sized patties (about 3/4 inch)

(3lbs of ground turkey should make around 20 patties the size of a drink coaster)

- Grill for a total of 9-10 minutes; flipping the burgers only one time around half way

(A grill is ideal, but you can also make these on a frying pan over the stove) 

- While the burgers are grilling, cut open the english muffins and place them on an open spot on the grill to toast them

- At 8 minutes place slices of the sharp cheddar cheese on top to melt

Step 3.

- Assemble burgers with a slice of tomato and a lettuce leaf

- Serve and eat :)

Bacon and Grape Chopped Salad

Sisters,
Nathan and I traveled up north to the Catskills the other month for a weekend away and happened upon this restaurant gem. I ended up ordering their 12 ingredient chopped salad and couldn't stop talking about it all weekend. The other night I tried to recreate something similar from whatever I had in the fridge. It ended up only being a 6 ingredient chopped salad, but it was delicious all the same! This has been added to my favorite spring and summer meals list.

It's so easy...

Ingredients
- bacon
- red grapes
- cucumbers
- lettuce
- feta
- yellow raisins
- fat free poppyseed dressing

Directions
Step 1.
- Cook bacon and let it sit on a paper towel to drain the grease
- Wash and dry grapes, cucumbers, and lettuce

Step 2.
- Finely chop grapes, cucumbers, lettuce, yellow raisins, and bacon

Step 3.
- Crumble feta into the salad
- Dress salad as desired and mix

With love from New York :)

Banana Cookies with Brown Sugar Frosting

Hi sisters,
I made banana cookies with brown sugar frosting the other week for my coworkers and they were a hit! They are pretty easy to make and a delicious twist to the more traditional banana bread  or muffin. These would make a great dessert to bring to an Easter gathering :)

Here's how to make them....


INGREDIENTS
Cookie
- 1/2 cup of unsalted butter softened
- 3/4 cup of packed brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 cup mashed banana (about 2 1/2 bananas)
- 2 cups of flour
- 1/2 cup of oats
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt

Frosting
- 2 tablespoons of softened butter
- 3 tablespoons of firmly packed brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons of milk
- 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS
Step 1.

- Heat oven to 350°F

- Combine 1/2 cup butter and 3/4 cup brown sugar in large bowl

- Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy

- Add bananas, egg, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; continue beating until well mixed (it should be creamy)

- Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt

- Beat until well mixed

Step 2.

- Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets

- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned

- Cool completely

Step 3.

- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in 1-quart saucepan over medium heat

- Add 3 tablespoons brown sugar and milk

- Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a boil (1 to 2 minutes)

- Remove from heat

- Add powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; beat until well mixed

- Cool slightly

Step 4.

- Frost cooled cookies

- Serve to those you love!

With love from the East Coast :)

P.S. This is my favorite banana muffin recipe from Cat Can Cook!

Parmesan Kale Chips

Hi Sisters,

People have been singing kale's leafy green praises for a long time now; it's cholesterol lowering abilities, it's role in preventing five different types of cancer (bladder, breast, colon, ovary, and prostate), and it's rich anti-oxidants. The first time I dabbled in kale was after reading this post from a Dawson sister favorite - TKTC. Christina, you have some pretty great friends over there in Chicago! Remember when the three of us walked over to Jessi's place so you could borrow a dress, and she had magically made a pie for us? Who whips up a pie when friends stop by? Jessi does, obviously. So when she said kale was a good tasting healthy food, I listened. 

I've eaten kale raw, steamed, or sauteed with garlic and olive oil, but I just learned how to roast it to a delicious crisp.

Sisters..... meet my new favorite thing- the kale chip! 

Here's how you make them:

INGREDIENTS

- a bundle of kale

- 3 tsp. olive oil

- kosher salt to taste

- grated parmesan to taste 

DIRECTIONS

Step 1.

- Heat oven to 300 degrees

- Pull apart one kale leaf at a time  

- Tear each leaf apart from the middle stem in 3-inch pieces, discard stem

Step 2.

- Place kale pieces onto a baking sheet

- Drizzle 3 tablespoons of olive oil on top of pieces (I've made the mistake before of putting too much olive oil, trust me - 2 - 3 tablespoons is enough!)

- Toss the pieces, making sure to rub each leaf to guarantee the olive oil covers it

- Separate the pieces into a single layer on the baking sheet

Step 3.

- Place in oven for 20-25 minutes 

- Each oven is different, especially each city oven, so at 20 minutes check to see if each piece has crisped (no one likes soggy chips).

- When crisped let cool for 5-10 minutes

Step 4. 

- Lightly sprinkle kosher salt over leaves

- Grate fresh parmesan on top to taste

Step 5. 

- Enjoy a healthy snack or side dish!

Saturday Morning Pancakes

Sisters,
Our little brother Robbie came to visit last weekend and after eating BBQ at Fette Sau and catching Pearl and the Beard's album release party at The Knitting Factory, we slept in late on Saturday morning and made pancakes together. I mixed the batter up and Robbie did the flipping! Pancakes are my go-to Saturday morning indulgence, and below is my go-to recipe for said indulgence.

Enjoy...

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all purpose flower (I usually do 1 cup white flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour)
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 1/4 cups of milk (you can make that 1 1/2 cups of milk if you want the pancakes to be thinner)
1 egg
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions
- Whisk all dry ingredients together (flower, baking powder, salt, and sugar) in a large bowl.
- Create a well in the center and pour in the wet ingredients (milk, egg, and butter).
- Mix until smooth.
- Heat and lightly butter a frying pan or griddle.
* Robbie took one end of the butter stick straight to the frying pan, Paula Deen would have been so proud!
- Using approximately 1/4 cup, scoop the batter onto the frying pan and brown on both sides.

With love from the East Coast :)

Baked French Toast

Sisters,

It's been nasty and cold here in NYC too. This morning I woke up to sunshine, but it was 29 degrees! I headed to a brunch at my friend's apartment, and decided to make some Baked French Toast. I figured I should take advantage of the fact that it's STILL BELOW 30 at the end of March and make something heavy, buttery, and just plain not good for you. Plus I added some bacon crumbles to the top. Soon enough it will be above 50 and my diet will mainly consist of leafy greens, I might as well say goodbye to winter with a bang, right?

Remember mom's monkey bread? This tastes just like that, but takes way less prep time! The recipe is below :)

Ingredients

5 cups bread cubes
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup white sugar, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon margarine, softened
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Top Layer

5 strips of crumbled bacon

1/2 cup of maple syrup

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). 

Lightly butter an 8x8 inch baking pan.
Line bottom of pan with bread cubes. 

In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, 2 tablespoons sugar, salt and vanilla. pour egg mixture over bread. 

Dot with margarine; let stand for 10 minutes.
Combine remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and bacon crumbles then sprinkle over the top. 

Bake in preheated oven about 45 minutes, until top is golden.

Layer the top with the 1/2 cup of syrup and place in oven for 5 more minutes.