It's summer time .. and the livin' is easy....

Ahh summer! BBQs.pools.sun tans.margaritas. Its my second favorite season. (Lets face it, I'm really a cold weather girl.) There is nothing better than the smell of a charcoal grill, a nice cool beverage in hand - hanging out with your best buds.

This is the season for our favorite potluck type dishes. When its hot, and we'd rather be socializing, slaving over a hot stove just isn't in our agenda. Fear not, my friends. You can still make fabulous dishes that take just  minutes of prep and will still wow your friends and family. A couple of my absolute summer favorites are potato salad and blackberry cobbler. Ooooh yum. And nothing beats fresh picked blackberries, if you are lucky enough to live somewhere where you have some. Sadly, I am not at the moment. But some day .. oh some day I'll send my darling cherubs out to the edge of the yard to prick their fingers and bring me back a basket of blackberries ... purple stained fingers and lips because they've snuck some on the way back. ;)

But first, lets cover potato salad. Generally, potato salad is that "obligatory" food at a cook out. No one really ENJOYS eating it, but it pairs decent with brats, burgers and 'dogs. Potato salad comes in two basic types: with mustard and without. I love mustard. So mine is a "with mustard" dish. But its so remarkably unforgettable your friends might actually eat it all and then beg you to tell them how you did it, or where you bought it. -- When that happens, smile to yourself. You've turned one boring side dish into a desirable event. And give them the recipe if you want, or hold onto it as a family secret. I won't tell. ;)

Potato Salad with Peas and Bacon

I don't usually have a preference for potatoes. All things being what they are I buy what gives me the most bang for my stretched buck these days -- which is almost always Russet potatoes. So that's what I used here -- but feel free to use your favorite!

2 pounds potatoes
1 Teaspoon salt
2 hard boiled eggs
1 Cup cooked frozen peas
1 Cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoons sour cream
3 Teaspoons yellow mustard
2 Tablespoons bacon bits

Step 1.

Peel and dice the potatoes. Add the teaspoon of salt to a saucepan filled with water and boil the potatoes, about 20 minutes or until tender.

Step 2.
Chop eggs and cook the frozen peas.

Step 3.
toss the eggs, peas and potatoes together and refrigerate until chilled.

Step 4.
Mix mayo, sour cream, bacon bits and mustard together in a small bowl.

Step 5.
Gently coat the potatoes with the mayo/mustard mixture. Salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve!

*** WAIT! Lets cover one thing real fast : hard boiling eggs. Now, for years I've wondered HOW you go about hard-boiling an egg .. and everyone has a different theory. Start with the water cold, drop in eggs, and then simmer for X minutes ... bring water to boil THEN drop in eggs (this almost always results in cracking) ... and I always wonder whether or not they are actually done in the middle. -- Have you tried shaking it to see if you can hear sloshing? I have. Not an effective method. 

My 1000 Best Recipes cookbook from America's Test Kitchen solved my dilemma. I've made 2 batches of hard boiled eggs with their method and its been complete egg perfection. So here goes:

Put your eggs in a pot of cool water and bring to a boil. When the water starts to boil, take it off the heat, cover and let the eggs sit for 10 minutes.  TADA. That.easy.

Ok.. moving on. 

Blackberry Cobbler

This recipe comes from my favorite food blogger thepioneerwoman.com. Blackberries were on sale at my local grocer and I just LOVE blackberry cobbler. Its like biting into a tiny piece of my childhood. This recipe is more cake like and it should be noted that it does not keep well... so save this dish for a gathering ... unless you want to keep it all for yourself! 

1/2 Cups melted butter (I use salted butter, if you don't add 1/2 tsp of salt)
1 1/2 Teaspoons baking powder
1 Cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 Cups sugar
1 Cup milk
2 Pints blackberries

Step 1.
Melt butter in a microwavable dish. Preheat oven to 350.

Step 2.
Pour 1 cup of sugar, baking powder and flour into a mixing bowl, whisking in milk. Mix well. (if you are adding salt, do it here.)

Step3.
Pour in melted butter and whisk it all well together.

Step 4.
Butter a baking dish.

Step 5.
Now rinse and pat dry the blackberries.

Step 6.
Pour the batter into the buttered baking dish. Sprinkle blackberries over the top of the batter; distributing evenly. Sprinkle ¼ cup sugar over the top.

Step7.
Bake 1 hour, or until golden and bubbly.

** for a little extra crunch to the top - sprinkle an additional teaspoon of sugar over the cobbler 10 minutes before it’s done.

So there you have it!  Two classic summer dishes with slightly new twists. Give 'em a try, share them with friends, raise your glasses and embrace your lives -- you only get this one, so start now. Here's to an AWESOME time! <3

Knock You Naked ...

Brownies. 

Yep.

Mmmmmm....

OK, to dive -- this is a layered brownie "classic". I say that with one raised eye brow because I've never heard of this recipe before and classic dessert recipes to me are like chocolate chip cookies, fudge brownies, or apple pie. But somewhere in the culinary world, this is ranked as a classic. And I absolutely understand why! These are so.amazing -- just take a moment to savor these ingredients: delicious chocolatey brownies, smooth ooey-gooey caramel, crunchy walnuts... oh.em.gee. -- and so.easy you aren't even going to believe it!

I was scouring through my  favorite food blog (thepoineerwoman.com) and came across this recipe. I needed something to serve as dessert with chicken cesar salad as the main course with some new friends. My first choice was a chocolate mouse cake, but I didn't have enough time to refrigerate it properly. So -- brownies it was! I had 90% of the ingredients I needed on hand, so with just a quick stop by the supermarket I was on my way to brownie bliss!

Knock You Naked Brownies

From the original I substituted walnuts for pecans, added a handful of bittersweet (60%) chocolate chips and a bottom layer soak of coffee liqour. 


Ingredients:
1 box German Chocolate Cake Mix
1 Cup(s) finely chopped walnuts
3/4 Cup(s) evaporated milk
1/2 Cup(s) melted butter
60 whole unwrapped caramels
1/3 Cup(s) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 Cup(s) powdered sugar
1 Ounce(s) coffee liqour
1/4 Cup(s) bittersweet chocolate chips

Step 1.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Step 2.
In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, chopped walnuts, 1/3 cup evaporated milk, and melted butter. Stir together until totally combined. The mixture will be very thick.

Step 3.
Press half the mixture into a well-greased 9 x 9 inch square baking pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove pan from the oven, pour coffee liquor over it and set aside.

Step 4.
In a double boiler (or a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water) melt caramels with additional 1/2 cup evaporated milk. Sprinkle bittersweet chips over the brownie. When melted and combined, pour the caramel over the brownie base. Sprinkle the semi-sweet chocolate chips as evenly as you can over the caramel.

Step 5.
Turn out remaining brownie dough on work surface. Use your hands to press it into a large square a little smaller than the pan. Use a spatula to remove it from the surface, then set it on top of the caramel and chocolate chips.

Step 6.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Allow the dish to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for several hours.

Step 7.
When ready to serve, generously sift powdered sugar over the surface of the brownies. Cut into either nine or twelve helpings, and carefully remove from the pan. 

-- You can see in the pictures I used a 9x13 dish -- if you choose to do so as well, double the German chocolate cake mix, butter and evaporated milk to ensure thicker brownie layer goodness. They will make for better photos that way too ;)

Now go on, bake yourself up a little slice of heaven -- you'll be wondering where these little devils have been your whole life! 

Easiest summer dessert...

I've been a little busy the last couple of weeks, my son turned 4 and its the end of my semester so I've been working on my finals. Along with being super busy at home, I've completely set my Yoga practice on the back burner - and I'm paying the price for it. Since I have next month off from one of my obligations, I'm going to make sure I get a good routine established! I have resolutions to complete! =) .. Now, on to the treats!

As you have probably noticed .. I am in love with raspberries right now. They are so refreshing, the perfect addition to the slowly.warming.up.spring weather we are having here in Maryland. This is an AMAZINGLY easy no-bake pie that will win over the masses. Seriously. I could eat the whole dish! And my boy licked the beaters clean! ;)  Want to make your mom a special treat on a budget? Wow her with this pie and she'll remember you all year! 

The recipe is from my absolute favorite food-blogger/photographer/cookbook and fiction author The Pioneer Woman: Ree Drummond  -- if you haven't gone to check her, and her amazing dishes, out yet you really should!! (Just as soon as you're done reading this! =) ) 


Raspberry Cream Pie

This pie comes together in a snap, is a little heavy but not excessively sweet. Its cool, its smooth, its the perfect dish for spring and summer. And the raspberries at just the perfect pinch of intensity that makes this dessert stand out.


*if you don't like raspberries, you could certainly trade out different fruit combinations ...Blueberry yogurt and blueberries or try a graham cracker crust with strawberries and strawberry yogurt. Have fun with the fruits that are in season! 


Ingredients:


25 Oreo cookies
4 tablespoons of butter, melted.
2 containers of Original Yoplait Yogurt (Red Raspberry)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 heaping cup of fresh raspberries
3 tablespoons of sugar
1 box vanilla Jell-o pudding

Step 1.
Preheat the oven to 350. Pour the raspberries in to a small dish and mash them up a little with a fork, leaving a few chunks for texture. Sprinkle the sugar over them, mix in and set them aside .

Step 2.
Toss your Oreos in a food process or blend there aren't any large chunks of cookie left. (if you don't have a food processor, a ziplock baggy and a wooden rolling pin will work just fine, and probably help you relieve some stress!)

Step 3. 
Mix the Oreos and the melted butter together in a bowl until well coated and crumbly.

Step 4. 
Pour and press the cookie mixture in to a 9 in pie dish, pressing the crust about halfway up the sides.

Step 5.
Bake for about 5 minutes so the crust is set and won't fall apart! Set aside to cool.

Step 6.
In a large bowl or stand mixer, mix together yogurt and vanilla pudding mix (just the mix, we're not actually making the pudding) until its well combined, low speed for about a minute. Make sure you scrap the sides a few times to get all the clumps of pudding mix out.

Step 7.
Slowly pour in the heavy cream. When combined crank it up to med-high and whip for about 2 minutes, or until the mixture is thick and fluffy.

Step 8.
Gently fold in those raspberries that have been sitting there taunting you, until well integrated. Does it look beautiful?

Step 9.
Pour the raspberry cream mixture into your prepared Oreo crust, smooth out and put in the freezer for 2 hours. (After about 30 minutes you could cover the top of the pie with tin foil.)

Let the pie rest on the counter at room temperature for about 15 minutes before you try to cut into it. Longer, if you leave it in the freezer, say, overnight. You can serve as is, and your guests will keep coming back for seconds and thirds, or serve with a dollop of whip cream and totally blow them away.

Or keep it all for yourself. That's what I am going to do with the next one! ;) 

Happy Spring!