Lemon Spaghetti

(adapted from Giada De Laurentiis' Everyday Italian)

This was a really easy weeknight dinner that looked and tasted great! Very light- perfect for a summer evening. I followed Giada's recipe but added a few ingredients I had in the fridge- steamed broccoli, artichokes and arugula. That's it!

Ingredients

1 pound spaghetti
2/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves (I used arugula instead)

Directions

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the oil, Parmesan, and lemon juice in a large bowl to blend.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the pasta with the lemon sauce, and the reserved cooking liquid, adding 1/4 cup at a time as needed to moisten. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with lemon zest and chopped basil.

Classic Summertime Dinner

I hosted our book club meeting this month. We read I Was Told There'd Be Cake by Sloane Crosley. It was a fun book to read for the summer and made for some interesting discussions. The author is our age (29) and the book is a collection of humorous essays about a number of topics we could all relate to including childhood, first job, moving, college experiences and family drama. For dinner I prepared a light and summery meal:

Lemonade
Watermelon and Feta Salad
Pressed Panini Sandwiches
Strawberry Shortcake

Watermelon and Feta Salad

Ingredients

1 small seedless watermelon, cut into small cubes
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
Mixed lettuce (I used red leaf and arugula)
4 ounces feta cheese
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
Salt and pepper

Directions

In a small bowl whisk together the vinegar, oil, honey, salt, and pepper to create the dressing. In a large bowl, combine lettuce, onion, watermelon and feta. Toss with dressing to taste.

Pressed Panini Sandwiches

Using my Cuisinart Griddler, I made an assortment of pressed panini sandwiches:

Grilled eggplant, mozzarella and tomato

Grilled zucchini, yellow squash and mozzarella

Prosciutto, arugula and mozzarella

Directions

First, heat up the Griddler and prepare the vegetables for grilling. Cut the eggplant and tomato into thin rounds. Slice the zucchini and squash lengthwise into thin strips. Drizzle with olive oil and grill the vegetables until soft and tender. In the meantime, begin to slice Italian bread to make as many individual sandwiches as you need. I used a baguette for the prosciutto sandwiches (cut lengthwise and then across) and extra large Italian rolls for the grilled vegetable sandwiches (cut lengthwise and then in half).

Next, in a small bowl whisk together a generous amount of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper. Using a grill brush, sweep the olive oil mixture over each half of the bread, creating a base coat. Once the breads are prepared, begin to layer the assorted grilled vegetables and sliced mozzarella onto your breads (careful not to stuff them too full). Place the completed sandwiches in the Griddler and press in batches until the cheese is melted and the bread is crisp.

For the prosciutto sandwiches, I brushed the baguette with olive oil, salt and pepper and layered thin slices of prosciutto, mozzarella and arugula. I then heated the individual sandwiches in the toaster over at 350 degrees until the bread is just lightly toasted and the cheese is soft.

Blueberry Buckle

(adapted from http://www.marthastewart.com/)

What is a buckle? Well, not only is it delicious but it was a perfect solution for the heaping pile of blueberries in my fridge. It is also basically the same thing as a crumb cake. It was excellent! The blueberries stayed plump and the cake was moist and not at all soggy.

Ingredients

1 9X9 inch pan
10 tablespoons (about 1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon lemon zest
4 cups blueberries
Streusel Topping

Streusel Topping

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Using a pastry blender or fork, cut in the butter until fine crumbs form. Using hands, squeeze together most of the mixture to form large clumps.

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Butter baking pan, and dust with flour, tapping out excess. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar and lemon zest on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

5. Reduce mixer speed to low, and add egg and vanilla, beating until fully combined. 6. With mixer running at low speed, gradually add in flour mixture; beat until flour is incorporated, about 20 seconds.

6. Remove bowl from mixer. Using a rubber spatula gently fold in blueberries.

7. Pour batter into prepared pan.

8. Sprinkle streusel topping over cake.

9. Bake until toothpick comes out batter-free, about 60 minutes.

10. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.

11. Remove from pan; cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Classic Apple Pie

That’s why my friend Jackie requested when I asked her what I should make to bring to her birthday BBQ. So I did! It came out really great- particularly the top. I am usually a lattice-style pie girl, but I am glad I decided to go with a closed top pie with this one because the dough fell perfectly into the apples beneath and created this rippled, lumpy, delicious look! Served with vanilla ice cream, you can’t go wrong!

Old Fashioned Apple Pie

Martha Stewart Living (November/December 1991)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
Pie Dough (I used store bought- two deep dish pie crusts)
12 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (I used 9 apples)
3/4 cup sugar, plus additional for pie top
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch ground cloves (I omitted b/c I didn’t have any!)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large egg, beaten


Directions

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine apples, sugar, lemon zest and juice, spices, and flour. Toss well. Spoon apples into pie pan. Dot with butter, and cover with remaining pie crust. Cut several steam vents across top. Seal by crimping edges as desired. Brush with beaten egg, and sprinkle with additional sugar. Bake until crust is brown and juices are bubbling, about 1 hour. Let cool on wire rack before serving.

Mango Oatmeal

I recently ordered the most amazing thing for breakfast- mango oatmeal. I couldn’t resist the description on the menu and the dish fully lived up to all of my expectations. I have developed a strong love for oatmeal over the years and this was a take on the oats that I never considered. I’ve been dreaming of it ever since… So, when Tony brought home a canister of steel cut oats AND a jar of mangoes from Trader Joe’s I knew exactly what to do! I’ve never made steel cut oatmeal before so that was a challenge. I am a fan of Quaker Oats Old Fashioned Rolled Oats (and believe me, I’ve tried many brands). For my first try I think the oats came out well. However, I did burn the bottom of the pot so I lost a good portion of the oats… Steel cut oatmeal takes A LOT longer than regular oats. I usually make my Quaker Oats in the microwave for 1 minute and 33 seconds (exactly) plus a half cup of water. Simple. Steel cut oats are very demanding and require a lot of attention and stirring (lest they burn!). The result is definitely worth it- but it’s a commitment.

I didn’t follow any particular recipe- I just added a number of ingredients to taste.

I started with a ½ cup of steel cut oats and cooked them on the stove following the directions on the can. Once cooked, I added pieces of mango and cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar. Perfect!

Heaven!

Blueberries are one my FAVORITE foods, if not my absolute favorite. So imagine how excited I was to come home and find that Tony had bought TWO POUNDS of these!:

Now all I have to do is figure out the best way to use them!

Happy Birthday to Me!

My parents gave me this wonderful gadget for my birthday this year:

Behold the Cuisinart Griddler!I have been eyeing my parents’ Griddler for awhile now, and the last time I was at their house they took note! This guy does everything! There are four separate cooking options: closed Grill, a Panini Press, or an extended double Open Grill or Griddle. I’ve only touched the surface of its possibilities. So far we have grilled vegetables, meat, fruit and made paninis. We have yet to use the “open griddle,” but there are definitely some pancakes in our near future.

Tomato, Eggplant and Mozzarella Panini

Grilled Peaches with Vanilla Ice Cream