Lemon Cucumber Salad

<p>This is the simplest, shortest ingredient list recipe I have posted and possibly will ever post in the future but its worth taking the time to share it.</p>
<p>This summer I have been fortunate to share a very productive produce garden with my mother. We have ended up with so much more we know how to deal with. English cucumbers, wax beans, green beans, eggplant, several varieties of peppers most of which sweet, carrots which are yet to be harvested, orange pear tomatoes producing 2-3 cups per day, and then there's the squash. You cannot imagine the amount of summer squash and patty pans that can be produced by three plants in one summer...</p>
<p>None of these, however are the subject of tonights writings. When looking the catalogues of seeds and plants I saw a picture that jogged a very fond memory. I can't for the life of me remember where I originally had them but I remembered biting into it like an apple and loving it. The catalogue was showing lemon cucumbers. </p>
<p>They are named such not because of a lemony flavor but because of their yellow color and round shape. The are sweeter than a normal cucumber and are just all around amazing. I had to plant some. </p>
<p>The crop is coming in now and its wonderful. I've been taking one for lunch and just eating it like an apple but I've been thinking it needed just a little something extra to enhance their natural flavors. </p>
<p>Well today as I was harvesting them one dropped and split open partially. It was still usable but needed to be used immediately. Now was my chance to try it out. It was as simple as I had imagined and even better tasting. This was all done to taste but I would suggest adding all of these things with a very light hand.</p><p>Lemon cucumbers dived bite sized</p><p>Salt</p><p>Sugar</p><p>Lemon juice</p><p>Toss these things together ever so lightly so there is just enough to taste them subtlely in every bite. Enjoy this light and refreshing summer salad!

Roasted Potato Salad

This one felt genius before I made it and turned out ever better once it was made. My mother, my two year old and even my 8 month old could not get enough and I was right there with them.

It's so basic and simple I can't believe I never thought of it before.

Ingredients:
1 lb bag of red fingerling potatoes
1/4 c olive oil
Dried mint
Salt
Ground black pepper (better if you have a grinder)
1 tbs chopped fresh chives
1/4 c light sour cream

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Slice the potatoes into bite sized pieces and toss them in the bowl with the olive oil, mint, sea salt and pepper. Once mixed spread across a foiled oven safe pan and pour the extra oil over the top of it. Roast for 30-45 min, stirring only once or twice to make sure both sides of the potatoes are nicely browned.

Once browned remove them from the oven and let them cool. Once they are cooled toss with the chives and sour cream. Serve and enjoy!!

Homemade Cheese Tortellini with Pesto Hollandaise Sauce

I have learned by now that watching Chopped at 6 in the morning leads to a full day of plotting what I'm going to make for dinner. To be honest, for the life of me I can't even remember what gave me the original spark but by 6:30 this morning and had settled on the fact that I was going to make homemade cheese tortellini and grilled salmon both with a pesto hollandaise sauce. So the journey ensued.

This is the second time I've made fresh pasta and I have to say its really fairly easy. Granted I have a secret weapon that makes it a little easier for me. Before I was born my parents were given a pasta maker, which rolls the dough thinner and thinner and if I wanted to has a setting to cut it into one of two different spaghetti thicknesses. I have actually had this in my possession for years, but never got up the guts to try it. The idea of making your own pasta sounds so laborious and I was so scared I was going to mess it up. Finally a few weeks ago I decided I was going to try it. I bought some semolina flour and found that it was shockingly easy. I'm sure similar results could be obtained with a rolling pin and a little more diligence than what was require from the pasta maker, but I promise you, its worth it!

I was cooking for 3-4, but I like to have leftovers so I made a little extra. In a food processor combine 2 1/4 cup semolina flour and 3 eggs. If when you are done blending it it is still a little stiff and dry add the tiniest amount of water. You are looking for it to be no longer crumbly when you fold it and just the slightest bit sticky (too sticky and you won't be able to work with it). Roll the dough out in sheets. As thin as you feel comfortable with because remember it will expand when you cook it so if you start fairly thick it will end up being chewier once its cooked. Use a glass or a round cookie cutter to cut the dough into circles.

In a bowl mix about (I guesstimated this so thats why I say "about") 1 cup ricotta cheese, 1/4-1/2 cup cream cheese (I used the whipped kind because I wanted to keep them on the lighter and fluffier side) and 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella. Mix them thoroughly together. Depending on the size of your circles put 1-2 tsb of filling in a line in the middle of each circle, leaving room around the edges. Have a cup of water handy because you need to wet all around the edge of each circle. Once wetted slightly fold the circles in half, pinching the two edges together. Place your pinkie finger in the middle of the pillow you have just created and fold the corners around your finger and pinch them together. Set each one aside in a way that will not leave them touching each other.

Note! If your pasta at any point while you are trying to fold it has dried out and is trying to crack while you are trying to fold it, moisten towels and leave them over your pasta for about 15 min to soften them up.

You can leave these like this for a bit while you get the rest of the meal going. Get your salmon fillets out and lay them on a plate and sprinkle olive oil over them and give them a change to absorb a little bit of it while you make your sauce.

For the sauce first you want to melt 1/2 cup butter. Leave it to the side to cool a little because you don't want it curdling your eggs. In a blender mix 3 egg yolks, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp dry mustard and 1 tbs lemon juice. Once the butter is cooled and while it is blending slowly drizzle in the butter. The sauce will thicken up and you have a traditional hollandaise base. Chop up about 2 cups of basil and throw in the blender along with 1/4 cup grated Parmesan and 1/4 cup pine nuts. Blend away until it is all thoroughly chopped and mixed. It is supposed to be a thick sauce, but if it is too thick for your liking melt some more butter, LET IT COOL, and add more.

Start a pot of water going and sprinkle in a little bit of salt. If you ever wondered why recipes say to do this its not just for the flavor. It also raises the boiling temperature so by the time it boils and you're ready to use the water it is at a hotter temperature. At the same time while you're starting that start up your grill. Keep in mind that once you add the pasta it will only take a few minutes. Fresh pasta does NOT take as long as dried pasta.

Grill the salmon until you get nice char marks and it is cooked in the middle. Drop the tortellini in the water and boil for just a few minutes until it is at the texture you prefer. Plate the pasta and the salmon side by side and drizzle your sauce over both, dusting the pasta with a little more Parmesan. I also chopped up a little tomato on the side and tossed it with a sweet and sour poppy seed dressing that I had. I apologize that only have a picture of the pasta and not the salmon. It got eaten a little too quickly. :) I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do!

Baked-In-Apple Pies

I got the idea for these when I saw a picture of them a friend posted from pintrest. I thought it was a brilliant idea and one I had to make. Of course I didn't think to look at the recipe cause I knew I could wing it so they are my recipe, but someone else's brilliant initial idea.

Start by making the pie dough. Keep in mind this recipe made about 2/3 more than I needed but I figured its always good to have frozen pie dough ready, but feel free to cut it if you don't want extra.

Mix 3 cups flour and 3 tbs sugar. Cut in 1 cup of butter. After thoroughly mixed, slowly pour in 1/3 cup cold water. Put it on parchment paper and knead it into a solid mass. Wrap up and put it in the fridge while you prepare the apples.

Now I won't even try to pretend that emptying out theses apples wasn't a time consuming effort, thus why I only made six, but they were so cool looking I had to try it. You will notice the carnage from the apple massacre in the background of one of the photos. This is the technique that I used.

Cut off the tops of 6 green apples, just enough to remove most of the base of the stem. Use a small knife to go around and create the wall where you want it to be. Cut across the apple to create triangles which are easier to remove, making sure to cut around the core. After that, I used a combination of the knife and a grapefruit spoon to carve out the rest. You will accidentally poke thru once or twice but its not a big deal, they will just drip a little, but it won't change the taste or even the look much. Make sure you cut off as many usable bits from the core as you can. Put all of the usable pieces in a bowl. If them changing color bothers you toss them with the tiniest bit of lemon juice. I did but then stopped worrying about it because once they are coated they are brown anyways.

Once those are emptied take one more apple and peel and core it. Chop them into similarly sized pieces as the ones that came out of your other apples. Don't worry, no one thinks you were able to manage a consistent size, we are going for a smallish range. Mix all the apple pieces together with 1/2 cup white sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, about 1 tbs ground cinnamon and about 1-2 tbs of maple syrup. Mix together and fill the apples with the mixture, packing firm as tight as possible (you will regret missing any!) and having each apple slightly heaping is fine because the dough will hold it in.

Speaking of the dough, time to get it out of the fridge! Roll it out to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut in strips 1/2 inch wide and about 4-5 inch long. Weave 6 strips (3 one direction and 3 the other) into a latice work on your work surface and then transfer to the apple (trust me, its easier that way). Lightly press the ends onto the sides of the apple so it contours around the top of the apple. Bake them at 375 degrees for about 30-45 minutes, or until the crust is lightly brown. Serve and enjoy!!tec

The Pizza Of The Gods- Greek Pesto Pizza

Sometimes when inspiration strikes it is a little 'Aha!' moment that makes you smile quietly to yourself and sometimes it hits you like a clap of thunder sent upon you straight from Thor himself. This pizza was one of them. It sprung from ingredients I already had and the knowledge that I had a little time before we had to eat. It turned into a little more of a focaccia bread, but I still think of it as a pizza. Other than picking off the mushrooms it was even devoured by my not-quite-two-year-old.

You know those people who freeze leftovers if there are large amounts but never end up using them because by the time they remember they are freezer burned? Yeah, I'm one of those people. A month or two ago I made a pesto sauce for some pasta and I had twice as much as I needed so I froze half, expecting to find it in 6 months time and have to toss it and the tupperware because I was too scared to open it. Much to my surprise I not only remembered it, but I came up with an ingenious use for it!

Pesto Sauce
(Unfortunately this is one of those recipes I do by taste so I don't really have proportions for you but just add ingredients until you get the consistency you prefer)
-Fresh basil leaves
-Olive oil
-Fresh garlic
-Parmesan cheese (the fresher the better)
-Roasted pine nuts

Put everything in the food processor and blend until creamy.

One thing in my kitchen I have learned to love and don't think I could live without at this point is my bread maker. They really are amazing inventions. All I have to do is throw the ingredients in, as haphazardly as I please, and come back when it has either turned it to dough or fully baked it. It's the perfect way to make pizza dough.

Pizza Dough
-1 2/3 cup warm water
-2 Tbs oil
-2 Tbs salt
-4 1/2 cups bread flour
-2 tsp yeast

Now for the assembly of one of the tastiest pizzas ever made!
-1 jar marinated artichoke hearts
-A handful of kalamata olives, sliced.
-3/4 cup sliced mushrooms
-The pesto sauce
-Feta cheese
-2/3 of the batch of pizza dough

Divide the pizza dough in two and form into circles and press into glass pie dishes. Spread the pesto sauce across the bottom of each pie. Spread the artichoke hearts in between the two pies, crushing them up with your fingers as much as you can to get it broken up as small as you can. Spread mushrooms and olives across them. Sprinkle feta cheese over the top. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for about 12-15 min. Cut, serve and enjoy the pizza of the Greek gods! :)

Vanilla Walnut Cupcakes With Buttercream Frosting And Bananas Foster

Sometimes the Food Network gets me in trouble. This is one of those times. One show I enjoy watching is Cupcake Wars. Three teams of professional cupcake makers battle to create pretty, tasty cupcakes for some form of large event. The final challenge is to create 1,000 cupcakes in two hours for said event. I enjoy watching it because of odd flavor combinations and the amazing things they can do with decorations.

On this particular day, they commented on how a particular vanilla cake was spoungy, moist and all around tasty. I don't have much experience making cupcakes, but anytime is a good time to start. So I decided to try to come up with my own different, tasty, cupcake. I remembered that I had some over ripe bananas. I then had the thought of carmelizing them in some form of alcohol and after a little research found that this was the start of bananas foster. An idea was born!

I started out with a very tasty sounding vanilla cake recipe.
1 1/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 pinch salt
5 tbs butter, cut into pieces
2/3 cup milk
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts (or very goarsly ground)

With a preheated oven, I combined the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl. In the stand mixer I combined the butter and sugar. Once mixed well I added the eggs and the vanilla and then the dry ingredients slowly. Add in the walnuts. Scoop the batter into the muffin trays already lined with cupcake liners. bake for about 20 min or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Next I found a great recipe for buttercream icing.
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups confectioners sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup milk

In the stand mixer cream the butter. Mix in the sugar and vanilla. Add milk until it reaches the desired consistency. You probably won't need that much milk, but have it ready in case you do. This comes from a recipe that I had to cut in fourths, considering the original recipe called for 8 cups of sugar and I figured that might be a little much for my small amount of cupcakes. Technically the recipe when cut would call for 1/8 cup, but most people don't have 1/8 cup measures.

Now for the finale!!
1/4 butter
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
3 1/2 tbs rum
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 bananas, peeled and cut into coins

In a deep skillet melt the butter. Add in rum, sugar and vanilla. When it starts to bubble add the bananas and cook until they are hot.

When all of the elements are cooled ice the cupcakes and let it set for a few minutes. Next add just a few pieces of banana on top of each cupcake. In my picture I hadn't waited long enough for things to cool so it was a little messy, but it was still mighty tasty!!

Congo Squares and Too Much Nutmeg

   One of my favorite deserts growing up were Congo Squares, also known as blonde brownies. I have absolutely no idea where the name Congo Squares came from and I should really ask my mother about that, but all I know is that's what we called them growing up. My mother had (and still has) a little box of index cards with recipes in it. As a kid, it was almost a little box of joy, excitement and anticipation. If that box was on the counter you knew that one of the old favorites and family classics was in progress.
   Because of their familiarity and my comfort level with them, those recipes often became my first attempts at baking. When I was 11 I was at home, either because of a holiday or had come home at the end of the school day, and I decided I wanted to make Congo Squares. I went to that little tan box and pulled out the recipe and then called my mother to make sure she wouldn't mind if I made them. She asked me if we had all the ingredients and I told her that I had checked and we did. She gave me the go-ahead with the only caveat being that I needed to make sure to clean up afterwards.
   I rolled up my sleeves and went to work. I went about gathering my ingredients and setting them on the counter. I went down the hand-written list. Flour, check. Baking powder, check. Salt, check. Shortening, we use butter in my house so check. Eggs, check. 1 cup chopped nutmeg. Hmm, I don't remember my mother using nutmeg when she made them. Oh well, its on the recipe, I just must not remember. A package of chocolates or raisins, check.
   I mixed the dry ingredients in a small bowl, measuring them all out carefully, I do remember measuring out a cup of nutmeg and thinking my mother must go thru a lot of nutmeg since there would only be enough in the container for two batches of Congo Squares. Then I mixed the melted butter and brown sugar in the stand mixer. Next I added the eggs one at a time and slowly added the dry ingredients a little at a time. Lastly I added in the chocolate chips.
   I spread the mix in a greased baking dish and put it in the already preheated oven at 350 degrees. I set the timer and went to the other room to wait for the deliciousness to be done. When they were ready the dog and I went back into the kitchen to retrieve the tasty goodness. I pulled them out and cut them into squares and tasted one. They were terrible, absolutely inedible! The dog was still standing next to me still and I decided to try to give him my piece I had just cut myself. He took one stiff of it and walked out of the kitchen and this was the dog that had eaten three spoonfuls of ground horseradish and went back for more!! My best guess was that there must have somehow been too much nutmeg. I scraped the rest out of the pan, threw it away and put the pan in the sink to soak.
   My mother came home later and walked into the kitchen. She looked around for the Congo Squares and didn't see them anywhere, but did see the pan soaking. Amazed that I might have finished off all the Congo Squares by myself, she came and found me in the living room. She said "Ariel, where are the Congo Squares?"
I said "Oh, I threw them out. They had too much nutmeg in them."
"Nutmeg? I don't remember the recipe calling for any nutmeg..."
"Yeah, it called for a cup of chopped nutmeg."
"A CUP?!?!"
I took her into the kitchen to show her the recipe and show her that I wasn't crazy. I pulled it out and showed her where it said nutmeg. It turns out that in my mother's cursive handwriting I had read nutmeg where it really said nutmeats, a term for nuts that I had never heard before. It also turns out that nutmeg in large quantities is poisonous so its a good think that neither I or the dog ate it.
   Most people upon hearing this story asked my mother "You HAD a cup of nutmeg?!". It turns out what I thought would have been a two serving sized container of nutmeg was more like a life-time supply that would last most people at least 5 years. That is, of course, unless they are trying to make Congo Squares....

2 3/4 cup flour
2 1/1 tsp. baking powder
1.2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup shortening
2 1/4 cup brown sugar (1 lb)
3 eggs
1 cup chopped nutmeats
1 package raisins or chocolates