Simple Garlic Bread

I hate to admit when I love things that are most likely bad for me.  I love that garlic bread that you buy in the supermarket and put it in the oven.  I am assuming it contains a lot of things that are artificial .... sigh.  So instead here is a recipe for really great garlic bread that will be a great substitute for the one in the store.  It does not taste the same. . . but it is really good and easy to make.   This bread is perfect for mopping up extra sauce from pasta or dunking in your soup.  Yum!

All you need are slices of sourdough bread, softened butter, parsley flakes, and of course roasted garlic (one to two cloves per slice of bread- depending on the size of bread or how garlicky you want it to be).  Just butter the bread, spread one clove of roasted garlic on each slice, sprinkle with parsley and bake in a 350 F oven for about 10 minutes until nice and toasty.

Grilled Vegetable Vegetarian Lasagna

DH and I are definitely one-hundred percent omnivores and eat a wide range of foods, but I would say that we are part-time vegetarians.  We eat meatless meals at least twice a week. 

Like many of my meal decisions, I made this recipe up based on what we had in the house.  Often I go through the cupboards, fridge, and freezer to decide what to make.  It usually turns out great, but sometimes it turns out simply amazing. . . this was one of those cases.

Why does grilling vegetables take them from ordinary to phenomenal? I will admit that it adds more time to the recipe, but it is well worth the time.  It adds so much flavor to the lasagna.  This is one of those vegetarian meals, where you don't miss the meat at all.

If you have a summer garden, most of ingredients (if not all) can come directly from it.  Of course the vegetables I list for ingredients can easily be substituted for different ones depending on what's available.   

Grilled Vegetable Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe 

Ingredients for Lasagna:

 For the Grilled Veggies:

• 2 Tomatoes, grilled then chopped
• 2 Red bell peppers-quarter, then grill and slice
• 1 large onion, sliced, then grilled
• 2 large zucchini, sliced longways into 4 strips, grilled, then sliced into thin strips

Other Veggies/Herbs: 

• 8 oz. frozen artichoke hearts
• 1/4 c basil, chiffonade
• 6 c chopped greens (spinach, kale, Swiss chard or a combination)- steamed  or sauteed until slightly wilted

For the Sauce: 

• 5 T unsalted butter
• 4T flour
• 4 c milk
• 1 head garlic, roasted- - reserve 4 cloves for garlic bread (recipe here), if desired

• Lasagna Noodles- Cooked according to package instructions.

About 1/2 box.  I used 14 total noodles, but that is mainly because it is what I had left.

The all important cheese:

• 6.5 oz soft herbed cheese ( I used Boursin herb and garlic, but herbed goat cheese would also be good)
• 
  
• 1 c shredded mozzarella, divided

Preparation of the Lasagna:

Before

1. Roast garlic, but slicing off the very top of the head of garlic to expose cloves, place in an oven proof dish, drizzle top with olive oil, and roast at 400 F for 30-45 minutes until cloves are golden and soft.

After

2. Grill vegetables and chop or slice accordingly.

3. Chop and wilt greens

4. Chiffonade basil:
If you have never done this before, its rather simple.  Take several basil leaves and stack them on top of one anther.  Roll basil tightly along the long side of the leaves.  Slice into thin ribbons.

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Make sauce for lasagna:
Melt  butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add flour and allow to cook for about a minute.   Add milk in a steady stream gradually while whisking continuously.  At first it will form a paste and then gradually become "liquidy" again.

Once garlic is done roasting, blend roasted garlic (minus 4 cloves if you are making garlic bread) and sauce in a blender.  Allow sauce to cool a bit before blending.  If it is too hot and you try blending the steam will build up under the lid in the blender causing it to pop the lid and splash hot sauce all over the place and yourself. 

Assembling & Baking the Lasagna: 

1. In a large baking dish ( preferably 9 x 13) spread a thin layer of sauce along the bottom. 

I had to use a 10 x 15" glass baking dish, because years ago my cat broke my 9 x 13.  He had crawled into my kitchen cupboard and when I yelled at him  he scrambled out of the cupboard knocking out my dish resulting in a spectacular glass explosion and one shell-shocked cat.  There have been too many things that I have needed instead of investing money in replacing the broken dish.
But I digress. . .

2. Put a layer of cooked noodles on top of the sauce, half of the cooked greens,  veggies,  basil,  herbed cheese, and sauce.  Sprinkle with 1/4 c mozzarella cheese.

3. Repeat with another layer of noodles and the remaining greens, veggies, basil, herbed cheese, and sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 c mozzarella cheese.



4. Top with one more layer of noodles and 1/2 c mozzarella cheese.

5. Bake lasagna at 375 F for 30- 45 minutes.  Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Cake Pops (100 % From Scratch)

There are a plethora of cake pop recipes available, but when it comes to recipes that are completely from scratch, they are very few and far between. Most recipes call for box cake mix, canned frosting and/or candy melts. I personally do not like to use cake mix or canned frosting, because I don't think they are cost effective and I like to be able to control what I put in my food. Candy melts contain sugar, milk solids, vegetable oils, flavorings, (Which flavorings? Where do the flavorings come from?) and colors (I personally don't like food coloring). So I decided to come up with my own recipes to control what is in the cake pops and create my own combination of flavors. Besides, food made from scratch always tastes better.

I started out by finding recipes for basic layer cakes and halving the recipe so I would end up with only one of the layers.

On a side note, my mom taught me a trick for keeping the cake from sticking to the cake pan.   I am assuming she learned it from my grandmother and maybe even my great grandmother.  It is not as essential of a tip if you have nonstick pans (I would like to eventually find a non-coated cake pan), but it still makes it a lot easier to get the cake out of the pan.  Although, as you will see, it really doesn't matter how nicely the cake comes out of the pan in this case, because you are going to destroy the integrity of the cake anyway.  It's still a helpful technique if you want to make a cake in the future and have it come out intact. 

 If you are making two single layer cakes or a double layer cake cut and fold a piece of parchment paper (you can also use wax paper) in half so it is double layered.  If you are only making a single cake, then you only need to cut the paper so it is slightly larger than the cake plate.  Set the cake plate on top and in the center of the paper.


               Next, open scissors all of the way up.  Using one of the 
                         blades, carefully trace around the cake pan etching
                         the parchment paper in the exact size and shape of
                         the cake pan. 

It should look something like this

Then cut out the circle(s).

Butter or oil the bottom and sides of the cake pans and place the parchment circles in the pan. You can pour the cake batter directly on the paper and your cake won't stick.  

Chocolate Cake Pops 

Variations: Chocolate Raspberry Cake Pops & Chocolate Orange Cake Pops

There are 3 basic components to cake pops: the cake, the frosting, and the covering.

First make a basic chocolate cake (the measurements are a little odd, because the recipe was cut in half to make only one of the two layer cakes:

Chocolate Cake (makes 1 (9-inch round) cake)

1 egg
1 c sugar
1 c + 2 T all purpose flour
1/4 c + 2 T cocoa powder
3/4 t baking soda
3/4 t baking powder
1/2 c boiling water
1/4 c vegetable oil
1/2 c milk
pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease 1 (9-inch) cake pan

2. Beat eggs and oil using an electric mixer
 
3. Add sugar and beat well

4. Whisk together four, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. (I use aluminum free baking powder to keep aluminum out of my body.)

5. Gradually add some (about 1/4) of the four mixture to the sugar mixture and blend.

6. Add milk and water, beat until well mixed.

7. Then add the remaining flour mixture and mix until combined.

8.   Pour cake batter into prepared cake pan and bake for 25-30 minutes until toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

A lot of recipes call for butter cream frosting.  The problem with this is it is kind of heavy and makes the cake pops really sweet (for my own tastes, it almost makes them sickeningly sweet).  The cream cheese frosting is light and so good.  I promise it won't disappoint.

2 T unsalted butter, softened
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 oz (If using ghirardelli it comes to 3 squares) unsweetened chocolate, melted
1 1/2 c confectioner's (powdered) sugar
8 t half and half
1/2 t vanilla

1. Combine butter and cream cheese and beat until light and fluffy with an electric mixer.

2. Add melted chocolate, sugar, half and half, and vanilla and beat until well combined.

Chocolate Raspberry Cake Pop Variation

Add 1/2 c raspberry jelly or jam to the frosting in step 2.  If using jam and you don't want any seeds, you can warm the jam and put through a strainer to remove the seeds.

Chocolate Orange Cake Pop Variation

Add 1/2 t orange extract to the frosting in step 2. 

"Variety Pack" Variation

I wanted a variety of different cake pops, so I divided the frosting after step 2 into two small mixing bowls. I put 1/4 c of the "de-seeded" raspberry jam in one bowl and 1/4 t orange extract in the other and beat until each was well combined. 

Assembling the Cake Pops:

Materials Needed:

• Cake/cookie lollypop sticks
• 12-16 oz  milk, or dark chocolate chopped
• Double Boiler or bowl on top of simmering water
• Room in the freezer
• Styrofoam block or small cardboard box with holes punched in it                                                 (I used an egg carton the first time and I didn't feel like it worked that well and decided to move to using the cardboard box)
• 2-4 oz chopped white chocolate, melted (optional for decorating) or zest of one orange mixed with 1 T granulated sugar (optional for decorating)
• Pastry bag or zip-lock bag with corner one cut to pipe the melted white chocolate if using

*For "Variety Pack"Variation: 

Divide the cake in half and put each half in two separate bowls. Then continue following the directions.

Assembly For all of the Chocolate Cake Pop Variations:

Using a fork (or your hands if you like) crumble the cake. (This step always seems weird to me.  Normally I try so hard to keep the cake looking beautiful and here it gets destroyed into a crumbled mess).

Next mix in frosting and shape into cake balls. Melt 1/4 c chopped  chocolate in a double boiler or a bowl set on top of a pot of simmering water.  Dip cake pops in melted chocolate and then into cake balls (the melted chocolate acts like glue to hold the sticks in place). Place in freezer for a minimum of 15 minutes. 

Melt 8-12 oz chocolate and then put in a small bowl for dipping.  The smaller the bowl, the better.  I used one of my anchor glass ramekins and it worked really well.  Dip cake balls into chocolate and tap stick gently on the edge of the bowl to remove excess chocolate.  Stick cake pops into styrofoam block or cardboard box to dry (if you want to expedite this process you can place the block or box in the freezer once you get the cake pops made).

Chocolate Raspberry Cake Pop Variation

Add 1/8 t to 1/4 t of raspberry extract (to taste) to the melted chocolate before dipping.

Chocolate Orange Cake Pop Variation

Add 1/4 t to 1/2 t of orange extract (to taste) to the melted chocolate before dipping.

"Variety Pack" Variation

Divide the chopped chocolate  in half and melt half of the chocolate and dip half of the chocolate cake pops at a time.  To one half of the melted chocolate, add 1/8 t raspberry extract (or a little less depending on the strength of your extract) and add 1/8 to 1/4 t orange extract to the other half of the melted chocolate.

Decorating the cake pops:

If desired, pipe melted white chocolate on top.  If you want the white chocolate to be pink to reflect the chocolate raspberry variation, add a small amount of raspberry jelly or "de-seeded" raspberry jam if you don't want to use food dye. 

For the chocolate orange variation, sprinkle orange zest (from one orange) mixed with 1 T sugar immediately after dipping in melted chocolate so it sticks to the top (see picture below).

Lemon Cake Pops

 If you have ever had See's Candies' Lemon Truffles, these cake pops taste just like them. They are so incredibly good and they are my favorite of all the types I have made.  You can coat them in white, milk, or dark chocolate (my personal preference is the dark chocolate---simply amazing).

 First make the cake:

Lemon Cake (makes 1 (9-inch round) cake)

1 1/2 c cake flour
3/4 t baking powder
1/2 t ground ginger
1/4 t salt
6 T unsalted butter
1 c sugar
2 eggs, separated
1 T lemon juice
1/2 t vanilla
3/4 c buttermilk
1/8 t cream of tartar

1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9-inch cake pan

2. Combine flour, baking powder, ginger, and salt and whisk together.

3. Beat butter and sugar at medium speed until fluffy

4. Beat in yolks, 1 at a time

5. Beat in lemon juice and vanilla

6. Beat in the flour mixture and buttermilk, about a quarter at at time of each, alternating between flour and buttermilk.   Start with about one quarter of the flour mixture and then add 1/4 c buttermilk.  Repeat, ending with the flour mixture.

7. In a glass or stainless steel (nonreactive metal) bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form.  Gently fold into batter.

8. Pour batter into prepared cake pan and bake for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean with inserted in the center.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

4 oz. cream cheese, softened
6 T unsalted butter, softened
1 c confectioners (powdered) sugar
2 T heavy cream
2 T + 8 t lemon curd (It adds a lot of the yummy lemony flavor to the cake)

1. Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy.
2. Add butter, sugar, cream, and lemon curd and beat until blended and whipped.

Assembling the Cake Pops: 

Materials Needed:

• Cake/cookie lollypop sticks
• 12-16 oz white, milk, or dark chocolate chopped
• Double Boiler or bowl on top of simmering water
• Room in the freezer
• Styrofoam block or small cardboard box with holes punched in it
• 2 T lemon curd, warmed (optional) 
• Pastry bag or ziplock bag with corner one cut to pipe the curd if using

Using a fork (or your hands if you like) crumble the cake.

Next mix in frosting and shape into cake balls. Melt 1/4 c chopped  chocolate in a double boiler or a bowl set on top of a pot of simmering water.  Dip cake pops in melted chocolate and then into cake balls (the melted chocolate acts like glue to hold the sticks in place). Place in freezer for a minimum of 15 minutes.  (See the pictures for the chocolate cake pops if needed for assembly.)

Melt 8-12 oz chocolate and then put in a small bowl for dipping.  The smaller the bowl, the better.  I used one of my anchor glass ramekins and it worked really well.  Dip cake balls into chocolate and tap stick gently on the edge of the bowl to remove excess chocolate.  Stick cake pops into styrofoam block or cardboard box to dry (if you want to expedite this process you can place the block or box in the freezer once you get the cake pops made).

If desired, pipe warmed lemon curd on top for decoration. 

Grilled Lamb with Yogurt Sauce

This recipe can be made with either back strap medallions (like what I had) or lamb chops.  Last year we raised 3 grass-fed lambs, so we are lucky that we can have this luxury meat often. I served it with a baked potato, garden salad, and grilled corn.  It would also be excellent with my recipe for "Garden" Tabbouleh Salad.

DH loves meat with sauces.  The cucumber-yogurt sauce is a great accompaniment to the lamb.  If you have leftovers you can put the meat in a pita pocket with tomatoes and lettuce and have a great lunch or dinner. 

Yogurt is one of those miracle foods.  The bacteria in it can strengthen the immune system and help ulcers heal more quickly.  It may also help prevent yeast infections.  Some evidence shows that yogurt may also work against bacterial infections.  As we all know there are large amounts of calcium in milk, but millions of people are lactose intolerant.  Yogurt is an easy-to-digest alternative to milk for a couple of reasons.  Reason #1: the live bacteria help the body break down the lactose for you, making it less likely to cause discomfort.  Reason #2: yogurt contains more calcium per serving than milk.  Just 1 cup of yogurt provides more than 40% of the daily value at 414 mg whereas one serving of milk contains only 300mg.

Grilled Lamb with Yogurt Sauce Recipe

Ingredients: 
1 lb. lamb (backstrap medallions or chops)
salt and pepper

SAUCE
1/2 c plain yogurt
1/2 T lemon juice
1/8 t paprika
1/8 t cumin
1/4 to 1/3 c cucumber, diced small

Directions: 
1. Season both sides of lamb with salt and pepper.

2. Prepare grill or grill pan- lightly oil and heat high.

3. Grill lamb for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side for rare.

If you like your meat more done than rare follow the next direction: 
4. Turn off grill and leave lamb on the grill for 5 minutes longer to reach medium-rare or around 7 or 8 minutes longer -depending on thickness- to reach medium doneness.
(A lot of people like lamb rare.  I personally do not. I cooked mine to medium.)

5. Whisk plain yogurt, lemon juice, paprika, and cumin in  small bowl.  Stir in cucumber.  Serve sauce with lamb. 

Mixed Berry (with Gooseberries) and Peach Lattice Pie

This is a very versatile pie recipe and one of my favorite.   Basically you can use any combination of soft fruit (peaches, nectarines, any berries), as long as you have 5 cups worth.  This time I used strawberries, gooseberries, and canned peaches (you can use fresh).  The only reason I used the canned peaches is because I practically canned our entire peach tree last year and we still have 20 or 30 jars of them left.

This pie is so good that I ended up making two.  Originally I had intended on giving the pie away, but DH and I couldn't part with it (It's almost too embarrassing to admit that).

Assortment of gooseberries, blueberries and Josta berries from our yard

This is the first year that we have grown gooseberries.  Gooseberries can range in color from green to deep red.  They are sweet-tart in flavor right off the bush.  They make an excellent addition to pie. I like them because they seem to be high in pectin and helped the pie gel up really nicely.  It prevented the pie from being too runny.  We also started growing Josta berries which are a cross between two varieties of gooseberries and a black currant.  Currants are quite tart, but the gooseberry cross sweetens them up a bit.  We've been growing blueberries for a couple of years.  We took our original blueberry bushes with us when we moved and transplanted them.  They are recovering nicely and have actually produced berries.  We also bought another 5 that are specifically for our growing zone and they have been belting them out amazingly in the first year in the ground.

Berries are special because they contain a compound called ellagic acid.  Why is that so special? Ellagic acid is a powerful antioxidant that is believed to help prevent cellular changes that can lead to cancer.  Strawberries and blackberries contain the most.   Antioxidants help get rid of damage caused by free radicals (harmful oxygen molecules that punch holes in healthy cells and begin the cancerous process).  Antioxidants also detoxify carcinogens. Berries also are high in vitamin C, which is also a powerful antioxidant.

Mixed Berry (with Gooseberries) & Peach Lattice Pie Recipe

 Ingredients: 
5 cups assorted fruit (berries and peaches)
1/2 c to 1 c sugar, depending on sweetness of fruit (I only used 1/2 c)
1/4 c quick cooking "minute" tapioca
2 T lemon juice

Favorite Double Pie Crust (see other My Favorite Pie Crust post if you need a good one)

Directions: 
1. If using gooseberries, you have to trim both ends of the berry.

2. Mix sugar, tapioca, and lemon juice in a large bowl.  Add assorted fruit and toss gently to combine. Let stand at least 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Roll out bottom pie crust, transfer to pie dish.

This is a great tool to have but you can use a knife if you don't have one

4. Roll out top crust to measure 14" dough round and cut into 3/4" wide strips.  Place strips on pan lined with parchment paper.  Refrigerate both the bottom pie crust and the strips for 1 hour.

4. Preheat oven to 400 F. Fill bottom pie crust with fruit filling.  Make lattice. 

Lay out strips (about 6 or so) across pie using the long pieces for the center and short pieces for the ends

Fold every other strip back in half starting with the very ends

Place one strip in the center of the pie and then unfold strips back over pie

Next fold back every other strip starting with the second strip from the edge (the ones you did not fold back the first time).

Lay another strip on top and then unfold the strips back over it. 

Repeat the pattern until you reach the edge and then turn pie and repeat the steps on the other half.

Almost Done!

To finish: trim strips, fold bottom crust overhang over lattice and decoratively crimp edges.

Overhang folded over lattice

Crimping edges

Finished product

 5. Bake pie for 40 minutes. If crust gets too brown, cover edges with pie shield or aluminum foil.  Reduce oven temperature to 350 F. Bake until crust is golden brown and juices bubble, about 30-40 minutes longer.  Let cool on wire rack.

*Any remaining dough can be wrapped in plastic, placed in a ziplock bag and frozen for another use.  I collect the dough and use it to make a single pie crust for another purpose or I use it to make mini pies in my mini tart pans or to make hand pies.   It usually takes me a couple of full pie scraps worth to have enough dough to make a single pie crust.