Need a Few Good Recipes?

Here are 3 new recipes I've tried this weekend. We have enjoyed each one and even though they are on the "light" side, my hubby loved them too!

{Click on each one to go to the page w/the recipe}

The Pioneer Woman's Spinach Salad

*I used turkey bacon since we don't eat pork and replaced the bacon grease in the dressing with extra-virgin olive oil. I also cut the recipe in half for the 2 of us.

Grilled Chicken Salad with Feta, Fresh Corn, and Blueberries

*I replaced the lemon with a lime and cut this recipe in half too.

Browned Butter Blueberry Muffins

Muffins are one of my very favorite things to bake (and eat) and I've tried a TON of different recipes. These muffins are outstanding. You will not be disappointed!!

I hope you enjoy these recipes and savor the goodness that is in each one.

Happy Eating!

Easy Strawberry Pie

Like strawberries? Got some to use up?

Our Whole Foods recently had organic strawberries on sale for $1.99/lb ... so after saving some for Carter's snack and then using some in a DELICIOUS spinach salad (spinach, grilled chicken, strawberries, feta cheese, & balsamic vinaigrette) for Sunday lunch... I still had a whole pound left. I decided to make this yummy and EASY Strawberry Pie. It's one of my mom's old recipes and I hope you enjoy it!

STRAWBERRY PIE

2 quarts fresh strawberries (I used 1 lb and it was plenty)

1 1/4 cups sugar

3/4 cup water

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 package strawberry Jell-O

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 pie crust shell

Bake pie shell as directed. Let cool.

Mix together 1 cup of the strawberries, cornstarch, water, Jell-O, sugar, & lemon juice. Boil for approximately 2 minutes or until clear. Cool. {I didn't cool it all the way.. just so that it was warm and not scalding hot from boiling} Mix this mixture with the remaining strawberries.

Pour into baked pie shell. Refrigerate for 3 hours.

Top with whipped cream or Cool Whip if desired.

photo credit

"Mimosa"

I adore mimosas. I think I first fell in love with them when we were on our honeymoon and the waiter brought us complimentary ones every single morning. I'm pretty sure I drank both mine and Jeremy's :)

This pregnant lady isn't drinking mimosas these days, but I have found a concoction that is just as good... well, not really... but it is as close as I'm going to get right now. I've been combining half (maybe a little less) a glass of orange juice with half a glass of ginger ale... NOT Sprite (it's too sweet). I like to call them virgin mimosas! Delicious.

Photo Credit

Lemon Loaf Cake Recipe

Many of you saw the picture (on facebook) of the Lemon Loaf Cake I made and asked for the recipe. It's from a cooking blog I love called Two Peas and Their Pod. They adapted their recipe from the Barefoot Contessa's Lemon Yogurt Cake. You can find the recipe and pictures HERE or I've posted the recipe from their website below.

Beware, we ate the whole thing in less than 24 hours. It is THAT good!

Let me know if you make it and enjoy it!

Lemon Loaf Cake

Adapted From Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients

1 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 C. plain whole-milk yogurt (I used sour cream)
1 1/3 C. sugar, divided
3 extra-large eggs
2 tsp. grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 C. vegetable oil
1/3 C. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Glaze:
1 C. confectioners’ sugar
2 Tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it’s all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 C. lemon juice and remaining 1/3 C. sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.

For the glaze, combine the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice and pour over the cake.

My Favorite Pie Crust

photo credit

Having a good, reliable pie crust is SUCH a blessing in the kitchen.. especially this time of year! I have tried a lot of different recipes, but fell in love with this crust at first bite. It's buttery (no shortening) and light, but not flaky. It is originally from Melissa d'Arabian's Potato Bacon Torte recipe, which can be found here. I have used this to make everything from apple pie to chicken pot pie- and it never fails! It also freezes really well, so make a few to keep on hand. You won't regret it.

Pie Crust

(makes 2 crusts)

1 cup butter (2 sticks), cubed and chilled

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

8-10 tablespoons ice water

Put the butter, flour, and salt in the food processor, and pulse lightly just until the mixture resembles wet sand. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing briefly after each spoonful of water. Keep adding water until the dough just begins to gather into larger clumps. Transfer equal amounts of the dough into 2 resealable plastic bags and pat each into a disk. Let rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Remove 1 of the disks from the bag to a flour coated surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to a 10-inch round. Gently fit the rolled dough into a 9-inch pie pan.

*At this point, you can add the pie filling and then top with the 2nd crust or just toss the 2nd crust into the freezer and save for later.

New Adventures

Tonight was the beginning of a new adventure. I am co-leading a 7th and 8th grade small group through our church and tonight was our first meeting. It went really well, though somehow I forgot how much life and energy they have!! And the talking ... ohhhh the talking... :) That aside, I'm so thankful for this opportunity and can't wait to see what God does in the lives of these girls (and me!) through this journey.

On a completely separate note, please tell me that you love The Pioneer Woman as much as I do! If you don't know who she is, then it is quite possible that you've been living under a rock for the past year ;) Kidding. Sort of. Anyways, I'm ALWAYS on the hunt for new recipes {side note about myself: i like having "the good ol' tried and true recipes" but i really don't enjoy making the same recipes over and over}. I digress. So I made her Tequila-Lime Chicken with nearly every side dish she mentions. Homemade tortillas. Homemade mexican rice. Homemade refried beans. Homemade pico de gallo. Oh yes, it was worth every single ounce of effort. Please try it soon!

48 Hours

48 Hours. That's all we had with Jer this weekend.

He flew here today:

*Phoenix, Arizona*

Carter and Daddy enjoyed lots of time together this weekend, which made both of them very happy :)

After taking him to the airport, I came home and made this recipe from Farming on Faith. Probably not the best decision to make this when at home alone with a 1 year {meaning I'm the only one around to eat it...}, but it is goooood and ridiculously easy.

HOT CARAMEL APPLE DIP

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1 cup brown sugar

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Mix all ingredients together and put in Crock Pot on low for 3 hours.

Yep, it's that easy! Cut up some apples and dip away :)