Featured Recipe: Asian Spinach Salad

I've been using your summer meal suggestions and have not disappointed yet! I am so glad I did that 'Call for Recipes'...you guys know what you're doing. :)


We had this Asian Spinach Salad on Sunday. It really was the perfect summer dinner.

A few additions:
- I added fresh green bell pepper (had one from the garden) & some green onion (had it in the fridge)
- I didn't have lemon pepper on hand, so I cooked my chicken on the stovetop with olive oil, a little soy sauce, ginger, S&P and garlic. The flavors worked nicely with the sweetness of dressing.

All I have to say is...YUM. Thank you, Kristy, for sharing the recipe!

Chocolate Zucchini Bread Success!

The zucchini 'Call for Recipes' yielded so many great recipes, I don't even know where to begin. Actually, that's not true. I know right where to begin...with the chocolate.


Thanks to reader Elise for a fabulous Chocolate Zucchini Bread recipe. Love it! Very moist, just chocolaty enough, great blend of flavors.


Just one question, does anyone have a good technique for squeezing water out of shredded zucchini?

The Cheater's Guide to Great Guacamole - And Guac Myths Debunked

Time to make some guacamole, the perfect 4th of July dip! Okay, maybe more appropriate for Cinco de Mayo, but whatever. I have a few tips I'd like to share that will cut down on prep time and pump up the flavor.


INGREDIENTS:
- Avocado (let's base this recipe on 4 avocados)
- Chunky Salsa (to taste, not too much, 1/8 - 1/4 cupish?)
- Dollop of sour cream (if desired, but not too much...and, honestly, you don't really need it)
- Garlic Powder to taste (yes powder, put that garlic press away!)
- Dried minced onion to taste (yes, dried, put your knife away!)
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- Red Pepper flakes (if you want it spicier)
- Lime juice (I just use my little squeezie lime juice from the fridge - a few squirts should do it - if you have a fresh lime, go for it)
- Fresh cilantro (if you have it), chopped
- Mix all together

TIPS:
- To remove the pit, whack it with the blade of your knife. It will stick and you can pull it right out. You can use a towel to pull the pit off your knife to reduce risk of cutting your hand off, but I like to live dangerously.

- Use a pastry blender to mix it up. It's perfect for mashing up the avocado, but keeps you from overmixing. You don't want to overmix - chunkier is better. Pasty, not so good.

- Salsa is my "secret" ingredient - you get hunks of tomato, onion and pepper, but you don't have to do any chopping. And it adds nice flavor.

- About the cilantro - I almost never have fresh cilantro on hand. The guac is delicious without it, I promise. But if you DO have it, it adds a nice fresh flavor.

- Make sure you salt it enough. This is important. Add a little bit at a time so you don't oversalt.

- You can tell when an avocado is ready because it's soft to the touch (not too soft!), dark in color, and when you pop the little stem thingy off the end, it will be green in the hole.

MYTHS DEBUNKED:
- Lemon and lime juice do NOT keep your guacamole from going brown. I use lime juice just because it tastes good.

- Putting the pit in the guacamole will NOT keep it from going brown. The reason avocados go brown is from contact with oxygen. The best way to keep it green is to put plastic wrap directly on the guac when you store it. It's still going to go a little brown on you. There's just no getting around that. The brown is a-okay to eat, but you can always skim it off the top if you don't like how it looks.

I'm telling you, my guacamole is GOOD. It's EASY. You can make it with whatever you have in the cupboard and fridge. I always have lime juice & salsa in the fridge and spices in the cupboard. All I need is the avocados and I'm set!

Call for Recipes: Zucchini!

Remember my friend Natalee's crazy zucchini? She seriously has zucchini coming out of her ears, which means I now have zucchini coming out of MY ears.


Natalee is out of town and I'm in charge of watering her garden. Which means I get to eat as much zucchini as I want. Here's where you come into the picture...what shall I do with all this zucchini?!?!

Please share your favorite zucchini recipes! I definitely want a good bread recipe, but anything else you have is of course welcome!

(PS - How pretty is that zucchini plant? I never knew! I should mention...it's also huge. If you've never planted zucchini and you plan to at some point, it gets HUGE. You've been warned.)

Featured Recipe: Easy Apricot Chicken

Today's featured recipe is EASY and DELICIOUS. That's about all I have to say about it.


EASY APRICOT CHICKEN
4 - 8 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 8-oz bottle of Russian salad dressing
1 Cup Apricot Preserves/Jam
1 Package Lipton Onion Soup Mix

If your chicken breasts are frozen, no need to defrost - just place them in your baking dish. Sprinkle the entire Onion Soup Mix over the top then pour the Russian Dressing and Apricot preserves over the top and kind of "mush" it all together with a spoon.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for ~1.5 hours. (You can cook it for a shorter time if the chicken isn't frozen)

Eat with rice.

Jane Notes:
- I rarely cook 4-8 chicken breasts at once...but this makes enough sauce for that much chicken. I just do 2 breasts and have lots of leftover sauce.
- I mix the onion soup, russian dressing and apricot preserves with a spoon in the casserole dish and then add the chicken.
- I don't use the entire onion soup mix packet - I like about 1/2 - 3/4 of the packet. Just a personal preference.
- You can just add half the apricot preserves if you have an 18 oz jar. Half the jar is about 1 cup, and you won't have to wash a measuring cup. One of the reasons I love this recipe is because there are no dishes to wash except the dish it cooks in!!

Week 71 Menu

Sorry, no menu again this week...finishing up the trip in Utah then hitting the road. And when we get home, my mom is in town - yea! Even though I don't have a menu, I DO have a picture of the yummy Creamy Chicken Enchiladas I made the other week. It's a great recipe - try them! Warning...there are a lot of steps to make them, but it's worth the work.


Okay, people, last week I didn't have a menu, and only 3 people posted theirs! Memorial Day is a pretty good excuse...but the holiday is over. So get your menus up here! :)

The Perfect Picnic

It's Memorial Day weekend, which means BBQs and picnics galore! Reader Kiasa emailed asking me for some picnic ideas, specifically:
- Not-so-typical sandwiches
- Salads sans mayo
- Desserts that travel well


Here are a few of my ideas...and please leave a comment with your own ideas! If you have specific recipes for the above, that would be great, but I'm sure Kiasa (and everyone else) would love any great picnic ideas you might have!

My ideas are yummy yummy, but I'm also suggesting things that are easy to prep and carry. I'm all about EASY.

NOT-SO-TYPICAL SANDWICHES
- Caprese Sandwich: Slice a baguette, sprinkle with a bit of olive oil (not too much so you don't get soggy). Top with sliced fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, sliced tomatoes, salt & pepper.
- Turkey Boursin Baguette: Slice a baguette, spread with Boursin cheese, top with sliced pepper turkey and leaf of romaine lettuce (or spinach for more vitamin punch)

SALAD SANS MAYO
- Alfredo Tortellini Salad: My friend made this for an outdoor party once and it was AWESOME. She used jarred Alfredo sauce from Trader Joe's, cheese tortellini (cook & drain), sliced and cooked zucchini, mushrooms and onions. Mix all together and serve cold. You could throw in whatever vegetables you like!

DESSERTS THAT TRAVEL WELL
- Chocolate Oatmeal Coconut Cookies: I know, cookies don't seem all that inspired, however these cookies are AMAZING and cookies travel well, so it fits the bill!


If I were packing this picnic today (I wish I was!), I'd also throw in a bag of chips and some Hansen's sodas and call it a day.

Time for your Perfect Picnic ideas!

Call for Recipes! Bran Muffins

This is a sad little bran muffin. He tastes okay, but knows he could be MUCH better. Please help him! Please share your best bran muffin recipes so this little guy can live up to his potential!!!

I won't tell you what recipe book I got this muffin recipe from because normally that book is no-fail. But these muffins just did not cut it...and I really want some yummy bran muffins right now! I know I can just walk to Starbucks and get one, but I'd rather make it myself so I can get one hot out of the oven. Can't wait to see what you got!

Featured Recipe: Creamy Holiday Potatoes

Today's featured recipe comes from a reader named Michelle. She shared this simple recipe over a year ago. It is a great recipe. Easy, delicious...and you don't have to just cook it for a holiday dinner...I just couldn't come up with a better name. ;)


My friend Lindsay and I split the cooking responsibilities for Easter this year. Lindsay was in charge of making these potatoes. Since she's way gourmet, she actually used fresh potatoes. As you can see in the picture, they came out great...although, since I'm a big cheat in the kitchen I'm pretty sure I'll still use frozen hash browns in the future, but it was excellent cooked this way. One more thing - Lindsay made one dish with fresh garlic added and it was a good addition.

CREAMY HOLIDAY POTATOES
From TWFD Reader Michelle
Buy frozen, shredded hash brown potatoes, put a layer in a baking dish, sprinkle salt over the potatoes, continue layering potatoes and salt until dish is 3/4 full. Pour heavy cream over all until potatoes are not quite covered. Bake at about 300 degrees for several hours (see comments for more specifics on how long) until done. They will be golden brown and a little crunchy on top but creamy and yummy under the crust. If you are using a dish the size of a 9 x 13 cake pan, you will use about 3 cups of cream.

Featured Recipe: Roasted Asparagus

For Easter we had asparagus as one of our side dishes. Lindsay sent me this link to a roasted asparagus recipe. I gave it a try and it was great, so time to share it with you!


Since videos on YouTube don't always stick around forever, here's a quick run down of what to do. Super easy:
1. Spread your asparagus on a cookie sheet - a big enough tray that they aren't crowded and touching too much.
2. Drizzle olive oil, salt & pepper (I used Onera seasoned salt and pepper)
3. Toss the asparagus with your hands to evenly coat.
4. Roast in 400 degree oven for 20 minutes (although, my asparagus were very skinny, so I only did 10 minutes...I don't like overdone asparagus)

That's it. Easy and yummy. I've been using Onera on asparagus for a long time and love it. I usually saute, but I think the asparagus seemed less oily when it was roasted and it was easier, so I'm roasting from now on. Thanks for the link, Lindsay!

Chocolate Lava...What Could Be Better?

Today's featured recipe is one of my most favorite recipes ever - Mini Molten Chocolate Cakes. Oh so good. Better than any lava cake I've had at any restaurant, except Rialto in Harvard Square, although it looks like the lava cakes are no longer on the menu. SO SAD. It is still an excellent restaurant. I mean excellent.


Okay, focus Jane, back to the recipe. It comes from the Better Homes & Gardens New Baking Book. It's way gourmet but super easy to make. Definitely one of my favorite desserts. Of course this is coming from a person who doesn't eat dessert unless chocolate is involved...and my tolerance for rich chocolate desserts is OFF THE CHARTS. But that means I'm picky about my chocolate, and these cakes get an A+. Click on over to the Recipes-Sweet Things and scroll to the bottom of the page for the recipe.

A few quick notes:

Before I had my KitchenAid I would just use my hand mixer to beat the egg mixture. That worked just fine...but the KitchenAid is pretty awesome at getting the eggs oh so light and fluffy.


The recipe calls for melting the chocolate & butter in a heavy pan on low heat, but I usually use a double boiler (pyrex bowl over slowly simmering water). I trust myself more this way...less chance of me burning the chocolate. Also, you can just use chocolate chips - they taste great. I'm sure fancy chocolate would taste even better, but the chocolate chips work very well. If I wasn't the cook, I would never guess it wasn't the highest quality chocolate being used.


I use 6 small Crate & Barrel ramekins for this recipe. It's the perfect ramekin:batter ratio. Don't forget to butter and sugar the ramekins before pouring in the batter. When you invert your cakes onto plates after cooling, they'll come out pretty nicely (sometimes you need a knife to loosen them around the edges a bit first). The sugar also gives the cakes a nice outer edge.


The only tricky part is taking them out of the oven at the right time. I used to always cook them too long, turning them into plain old cakes, no molteness to be found. Now I tend cook them too short, making them too reminiscent of a real live volcano. It you find that happy medium, you end up with the perfect amount of molten goodness. The edges should looked cooked and the center should be firm, but not as cooked as the edges. You just need to experiment with your oven to get it right. The picture here is of a lava cake that is NOT cooked enough. Hopefully that can help you gauge correctly! I know, so helpful. Sorry! If you don't cook them long enough, inverting them onto a plate will be disastrous...still tasty, but not so pretty. We usually just eat them right of the ramekins, anyway...less dishes to wash. And, unless you burn them or completely undercook them, they are still mighty good even if they're not perfect.


I've been wanting to share these cakes with you for some time. Enjoy!

Featured Recipe: 60-Second Brussel Sprouts

Remember my friend Lindsay? Today I'm finally sharing one of her recipes with you! It's a simple recipe actually...but delicious!


Cate and I got to eat dinner at Lindsay & Aaron's house the other evening when Nate was working late (the PhD is ALMOST DONE!). Anyway, everything tasted awesome, as usual. Even these brussel sprouts! Who'd have thought? :) Seriously, I actually like brussel sprouts pretty well, and these are the best ones I've had. Aaron just talked trash about how they smelled...yeah, he doesn't like them. So, I've warned you - if you hate brussel sprouts, this recipe still may not be for you. But I thought it was yummy.

Click here to learn how to make 60-Second Brussel Sprouts. Lindsay was saying one of the reasons they are so good is because you don't have to cook them for very long, so they don't get that sulfur-y flavor. Plus, anything with butter is bound to be good. ;)

Milkshake

I like milkshakes. They're yummy. And, believe it or not, I didn't discover them until Nate's mom came onto the scene. That's right, yet another thing for Nate to add to the "I can't believe Jane hadn't tried this until she met me" list...like relish on a hot dog. It's true. I'm a weirdo.


Okay, back to milkshakes. They're easy and way good. All you do is blend milk, ice, sugar (to taste) and a bit of vanilla (chocolate syrup is, of course, another option). That's it. So yummy. And the good news is that it tastes a lot like an ice cream shake, minus all that crazy fat and sugar. I would say it may even be a bit more refreshing.

I did mess it up a little the other night by adding too much ice. Well, I suppose some people would have liked it better - it got much thicker and foamier. I thought it was too much...although it made for a better picture. :) Figured I'd mention it so you could finesse this super fancy recipe to your liking.

Wait - I need to do a little mother-in-law heckling. I just want to say I think it ironic that she gives me such a hard time for Milk on the Rocks...um, isn't this just Milk on the Rocks in a blender? :P

Truffles cont'd...the secret ingredient

While my attempt at chocolate truffles may not have been stellar, I did forget to mention something I discovered that I HAVE to share with you all...something I did RIGHT.


I've always heard that coffee enhances the flavor of chocolate. I'm not a big coffee fan, so usually when a chocolate recipe calls for it, oops, I left it out. However, I decided to give it a try this time around. Let me tell ya, what they say is true. The truffles do not taste like coffee at all AND the chocolate taste is so much richer. (As if you need to make truffles as rich as possible...but if you're gonna go, go all the way, right?) ANYWAY...it's true, it's true. The coffee definitely gave the chocolate taste more depth. It's an amazing little trick.

For all you coffee drinkers out there, yes, I used nasty instant granules. I know, I know. NASTY. But when you only need 1 tablespoon in a recipe AND you know you're not going to taste the coffee anyway...well, instant granules here I come.

If your truffle recipe doesn't have coffee in it, you could probably just add 1 Tbsp and be safe. I would just add it at the end when you add in the other flavorings, like liqueur or oils.

So far my friend Dottie is the only one to share a recipe and truffle techniques (thank you, Dottie!!). I know there are more experts out there! Get over to my original truffle post and help me out already! :)

Wanted: Truffle Teacher

I ventured into the world of chocolate truffle making the other night, with mixed results. The truffles TASTE great, but are far from culinarily artistic perfection. I thought today I'd share what I did along with my questions, hoping you can teach me the right way to do this!


Want the job as Truffle Teacher? All you have to do is post a comment! I'm mostly concerned with technique, but of course if you have a good recipe please share that as well!

For reference, THIS (click here) is the recipe I primarily used (although I referenced a few others as well).

Okay, the Truffle 101 Discussion Group is now beginning.

Jane Observations:
- When they say finely chop the chocolate, they mean FINELY chop the chocolate. I just had a few small pieces here and there (see pic), but they were just too big to melt in the heated cream.


- You can store your finished truffles in the fridge for weeks, but eat them at room temp - so much better when they are nice and soft.

Jane's Questions:
- I wanted to do some hazelnut-flavored truffles. I split the recipe in half and added ~1 1/2 tsp of hazelnut oil, but you honestly cannot tell that they were flavored. Has anyone used hazelnut oil in a similar situation? How much should I use?

- When should you form your truffle balls? One recipe said to leave the mixture out for 1 hour then make the balls. I did that - the chocolate was still so soft it was nearly impossible to work with. Another recipe said to refrigerate for 1 hour then make the balls...so I put the mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes. When I tried to make the truffles I actually BROKE the melon baller the chocolate was so hard. It was the biggest pain making the balls (which is why mine look so lumpy). What technique do you suggest? Do you use a melon baller, fingers, two spoons? HELP!


- What is your favorite flavoring and in what quantities should they go into the recipe?

I THINK that was all the questions/troubles I had. Seriously, if you've made truffles and they came out, tell us what you did!

Even though my truffles don't LOOK as pretty as I would have liked...it's not stopping us from eating them! :)

A Chocolate Valentine for You!

Time for your chocolate valentine! Seriously, what is Valentine's Day without chocolate?


Adrianne made this beautiful Chocolate Ganache Tart (click for recipe) today. She even shared a few slices with us! Adrianne and I did a little taste test during the photo shoot...it's sooooo rich and sooooo good. I'm going to be a good girl and eat ALL of my dinner tonight...don't want to miss dessert!

Featured Recipe: Banana Crumb Muffins

My friend Adrianne sent me this awesome Banana Crumb Muffin recipe. Cate and I made them last night. They're awesome. Nuf said.

Featured Recipe: Stuffed Shells

Last night we were spoiled big time. Our good friend Brittany brought us dinner because we had a baby...8 weeks ago. She felt bad that she didn't get dinner to us sooner, but that's silly. It was AWESOME getting dinner now. What a treat, and still a huge help. Just because Anna isn't a few days old doesn't mean we're not tired or in need of a yummy meal. :)

ANYWAY, Brit made us the BEST stuffed shells I've ever had. Click through for the recipe: Spinach & Pancetta Stuffed Shells w/Asiago Cream Sauce. You all really must try them! Brit also brought blueberries & whipped cream for dessert. She added a bit of hazelnut syrup to the cream in addition to sugar and vanilla. It was AWESOME. Good tip, Brit!


BIG THANKS to Brittany and all of our friends who have brought meals over since Anna was born. I can't tell you how GRATEFUL we are and how great all your food was!!!

I also need to share another Brittany creation with you today. We went to her house for the Super Bowl, where we had lots of fun (despite the game) and lots of great food. What I really wanted to share with you was Brittany's table runner: real grass! That's right, in honor of the Super Bowl, she actually bought sod and put it on her table. It was an adorable and affordable idea for a Super Bowl party. I forgot my camera, but Brit let me borrow hers to grab a couple shots...much to everyone else's annoyance. "Hold on! You can't eat yet! I need to take tons of pictures of the food that's quickly growing cold!" Yup, I think everyone was wishing Brittany didn't have a camera for me to use. :) Oh, and that's my guacamole and chex mix!

Superbowl Eats!

Mi madre-in-law requested ideas for Superbowl snacks in her non-cookie-dough-cookie-dough comment today...I was going to do a Superbowl post laster this week, but let's get the ball rolling! Time to share your favorite foods and recipes for the Big Game! Sweet, salty, fancy, easy...anything you've got! (Although, Pat, the mom-in-law, is looking for yummy and easy or make-ahead ideas...so that would be good too! Help me keep her happy...she's a bear of an in-law. hee hee.)


My favorite sweet treat is the Sweet Chex Mix recipe. Yum.

Cookie Dough 101 Pop Quiz

Way back when I made these amazing chocolate cookies (thanks to my blogger friend Lindsey who created this perfect recipe). If you haven't made these cookies yet, you really should. This recipe is a keeper. The best chocolate cookie recipe I've used. Awesome, delicious, perfect. Enough gushing? Okay.

Now for today's POP QUIZ. A simple True or False question for you.

When you make cookies, you should cook all the dough at once.
T or F?


Get out your red pencils...here comes the answer...I would put it upside down at the bottom of the post, but I don't want you hurting yourself lifting the big heavy computer monitor...FALSE!!! Unless you have 13 children (which I was nearly forced to have thanks to Pottery Barn, more on that another day), when you make your cookie dough, simply cook one tray of cookies. Stick the rest of the dough in the fridge for later. Why, you may ask? Well, what is better than fresh-out-of-the-oven cookies? Why fresh-out-of-the-oven cookies day after day, of course! :)

If you got the answer right, A+. If you didn't, you fail...but it won't go on your permanent record. Promise.