Although our “summer” in the Bay Area is supposedly just beginning, I wanted to get some lemon bars made at least before September arrived.  There was a BBQ on Saturday that we planned to attend (we never made it, due to Alex’s insane on call weekend, boo) and I thought they would be a great treat. I ended up eating half the batch, no exaggeration.

Lately, I’ve been addicted to buying those seasonal Taste of Home magazines that show up at Costco. I have a very hard time resisting them, even more so when they’re 30% off…. I was browsing through one titled “Best Summer Desserts.” There are 2 lemon bar recipes in the magazine- I went with lemon-lime, since I had a few limes in the fridge. The crust for these bars reminds me of a sugar cookie and the lime zest gives it a subtle tanginess.

These are a great lemon bar version that is just a teeny bit variant from the traditional version. If possible, please use fresh lemon juice, it’s so much more flavorful than store-bought, and totally worth the extra effort! Also, I halved the recipe and put it in an 8-by-8 inch baking dish- it worked great.

Lemon-Lime Bars

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons lime zest
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

FILLING:
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream the butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the lime zest. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.Press into a greased 9-by-13 inch baking dish. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or just until edges are lightly browned.

Meanwhile, in another large bowl, beat eggs and sugar. Combine the flour and baking powder. Gradually add to egg mixture. Stir in lemon juice and zest; beat until frothy. Pour over hot crust. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar. Cut into squares and store in the fridge. Makes 4 dozen.

It’s been a CRAZY week. Both of our families were visiting for Lizzie’s blessing so we were out and about non-stop. The last of the family left yesterday and now I’m stuck with a lack of cooking motivation. I really need to get back in the swing of things. And to top it off, Lizzie is sore from her shots yesterday. It just breaks my heart to see her sad little eyes.

I wanted needed an easy dinner dish that was satisfying and would ease me back into the cooking routine. So, what book do I revert to? America’s Test Kitchen, of course! Enchiladas have been lingering in my mind lately (I can’t get enough of that red sauce), so when I saw this, I knew it would fit my mood to a T. I used La Tortilla Factory’s low carb wheat tortillas, which are my absolute favorite. They have a unique taste I can’t really describe  that isn’t like a traditional flour tortilla, but I love the chewiness and the taste won me over on the first bite. I even have to admit that I very frequently eat the tortillas slathered with peanut butter. Costco sells a big pack of them for $4.99. Awesome.

Anyway, these are an ideal quick and simple dinner. Just what an enchilada should be. No frills. Delicious.

P.S. – I made half of this recipe in an 8-by-8 glass baking dish for the 2 of us. It worked great.

Easy Chicken Enchiladas, adapted from ATK Family Cookbook

3 cups shredded cooked chicken
12 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (3 cups)
2 1/2 cups enchilada sauce (canned or your own recipe)
1 to 2 cans chopped green chiles, drained
salt and pepper
8 to 12 tortillas, depending on the size you use

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine the chicken, 2 cups of cheddar, 1/2 cup enchilada sauce and the chiles. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Microwave the stack of tortillas on high until warm, 40 to 60 seconds.

Spread the tortillas out on a clean counter. Place 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture evenly down the venter of each tortilla. Tightly roll the tortilla around the filling, then lay seam-side down in a 9×13-inch baking dish. Pour 1 cup of the remaining sauce over the enchiladas to coat thoroughly. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup cheddar down the center of the enchiladas. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake until the enchiladas are heated through, 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove the foil and continue to bake until the cheddar browns, about 5 minutes more. Serve with the remaining 1 cup sauce passed around as extra.

I decided to call these brownies “killer” because no other adjective seems to convey their power. Seriously, they are intense. Alex declared them the best brownies he’s ever tasted. My family was visiting and couldn’t stop eating them. The base is super simple, just use any box of brownie mix you have. As for the topping, this is where all the fun lies. The pretzels provide a perfect saltiness and crunch that balances out the chocolate and peanut butter. Adding a bit more crunch and texture are Rice Krispies.

In place of the pretzels, you could use chopped mini peanut butter cups. Also, instead of the milk chocolate chips and dark chocolate, 2 cups of semisweet chocolate chips would be a fine substitute. And, if you wanted to get even more “killer”, use Cocoa Krispies for the Rice Krispies! These are quite rich and decadent, so I’d recommend cutting them in small squares. A little goes a long way

Killer Brownies

1 package dark chocolate brownie mix
2/3 cup pretzels, chopped
1/2 cup peanuts, chopped
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup chopped dark chocolate (I used Trader Joe’s 72% dark chocolate)
1 1/4 cups creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups Rice Krispies cereal
1 teaspoon vanilla

Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Spread into a greased 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs.

Sprinkle with pretzels and peanuts and semisweet chocolate chips. Bake 4 to 6 minutes longer, or until chocolate is melted. Cool on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the milk chocolate chips, dark chocolate, peanut butter, butter and salt. Cook and stire until the chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat, stir in the cereal and vanilla. Carefully spread over the brownies. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cutting.

Makes about 3 dozen.

Another treat with peanut butter. Really, I cannot get enough, EVER. It is by far my favorite spread, condiment, whatever you want to call it. I put it on everything I can think of- ice cream, waffles, Oreo’s, carrots. I even put it on a chicken burger the other night (it was a success!). My obsession with the stuff was sparked a few years ago when I decided to buy Adams instead of Jif or Skippy. Previously, I had shied away from the natural kind because of the oil separation. I was too lazy to stir. That was dumb. Now, except for baking reasons, I only eat the natural peanut butters! Even the “natural” line of Jif and Skippy still have added palm oil, which, to me, takes away some of the peanut flavor. One of my surprise favorite brands is actually Archer Farms, from Target. It has a strong nutty flavor and smooth consistency with just a bit of grittiness so you know it’s natural. Other brands I regularly buy are Costco’s Kirkland Signature, Laura Scudder’s and Trader Joe’s. As for the oil separation, I learned a trick: take your hand-held electric mixer and attach one beater. Put it in the jar and turn it on low, and mix it up!

Ironically enough, I used conventional peanut butter for this cookie since natural peanut butter isn’t supposed to hold up for baking. Although, I’ve actually never tested it out, so who knows? These cookies are everything that a simple and true peanut butter cookie should be. Soft and chewy, with just a bite of crispness and a powerful peanut butter taste. How could it not with a whole cup in there?

On a side note, if you’re as into peanut butter as myself, head on over to The Peanut Butter Boy. He’s quite the connoisseur if I ever saw one. Now, onto the cookie recipe….

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 egg

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat together the butter, both sugars and peanut butter on medium speed just until smooth. Beat in the egg. Add the flour mixture and mix just until the dough comes together.

Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours or up to overnight. Remove the dough from the fridge and let it come to room temperature.

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.  Pour some granulated sugar into a small bowl.

Pinch off pieces of dough and roll them into 1-inch balls Roll the balls in the granulated sugar and place them 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. When you’ve filled the baking sheets, flatten and make a crosshatch pattern on each cookie by pressing down on the ball with the back of the tines of a fork.

Bake until the cookies begin to brown around the edges but the centers still look somewhat uncooked, 9-10 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets until firm enough to handle, then use a spatula to transfer them to a wire rack.

Makes about 40 cookies.

Thank you for all your sweet comments regarding our little babe. She is such a blessing and we can’t seem to get enough of her. But, I’ll keep the photos under control so this doesn’t become the baby/food blog

My family was in town a couple weeks ago to meet Lizzie, so we ventured out to the farmer’s market near Piedmont. With the exception of the obvious, this is so far my favorite farmer’s market in the Bay Area. It’s in a fun neighborhood with quite a bit personality. My mom picked up some fresh pluots while we were there since she’d never tried them before. We’re so lucky to live in CA with the wide array of produce, so pluots seem commonplace to me. Basically they’re just a mix of a plum and an apricot, and are quite tasty. After the fam left, there were a few lingering pluots in the fridge, so I pulled out my trusty baking cookbook and found a promising recipe. The original recipe is called summer fruit snack cake, so you can any fruit from peaches to cherries to blueberries, whatever you want! The cake itself was moist with a sweet vanilla flavor. The pluots has a nice little tartness to them that balanced out the cake. It kept in the fridge for about 5 days and I have to say, I snacked on this thing like no other.

Pluot (or any summer fruit) Snack Cake, adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar, divided
2 eggs. room temperature
1 egg white, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk, room temperature (I used 2 %)
2 cups ripe sliced pluots or berries, plums, peaches, etc.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil and grease the foil. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and 3/4 cup sugar together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs and egg white, one at a time, until combined, about 3o seconds. Beat in the vanilla until incorporated. Reduce the mixer to low and beat in one-third of the flour mixture, followed by half of the milk. Repeat with half of the remaining flour mixture and remaining milk. beat in the remaining flour mixture until just incorporated. Gently fold in the fruit with a rubber spatula.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top and gently tap the pan on the counter to settle the batter. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup sugar evenly over the top. Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 45 to 50 minutes. Let the cake cool slightly in the pan, about 30 minutes. Remove cake from the pan, if desired, using the foil, cut and serve.

A wonderful resource that I use quite frequently for trying out cookbooks is the library. It’s a great way to test out a book to see if it’s worth buying. When we lived in SF, I had a massive collection available, and with a library across the street, I couldn’t resist. Now, since we live in between Berkeley and Oakland, I’m able to take advantage of both library systems! Hit up your local library, and if there’s a specific cookbook you’re looking for, search for it online and have it sent to your branch. And, if it’s not offered, you could always request it and see what happens. SO, I checked out Eating Well’s 500 Calorie Dinners and I wasn’t disappointed! The recipes are easy to follow and most include healthy ingredients that are convenient and easy to find. If I wasn’t trying to limit my cookbook additions, I’d definitely consider purchasing this book.

Like most everything else, I buy my broccoli at Costco. This leaves me searching for new and exciting ways to use it so that Alex will actually touch the stuff. I couldn’t wait to try this recipe, and I can’t wait to make it again! It’s a perfect way to get kids, or anyone for that matter, to eat their veggies. It’s a healthy take on mashed potatoes. I can’t wait for Lizzie to be old enough to try this. Actually, I can wait, she’s already growing up too fast

Cheesy Broccoli-Potato Mash Eating Well 500 Calorie Dinners

1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into wedges

3/4 pound broccoli florets (about 4 cups)

3/4 cup shredded cheese (I used 1/2 cup cheddar and 1/4 cup Parmesan)

1/2 cup nonfat milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

ground pepper to taste

Bring an inch of water to a boil in a large saucepan fitted with a steamer basket. Add potatoes, cover and steam for 10 minutes. Place broccoli on top, cover and steam until the potatoes and broccoli are tender, 6 to 8 minutes more. Transfer the broccoli to a large bowl and coarsely mash with a potato masher. Add the potatoes, cheese, milk, salt and pepper and continue mashing to desired consistency. Serve immediately.

I needed a quick and easy dessert to complement a meal that my friend and I had made for a couple. I seem to have an unlimited supply of frozen bananas on hand these days, and since I keep forgetting to buy spinach at the store to make green smoothies, I guess I just need to keep baking banana treats! These definitely were fast to put together and easy, and they didn’t need too much time to cool for me to cut them up. As much as I love the ease of baking brownies, I wanted something with a bit more substance.

I saw this recipe on foodgawker, which I have on my google reader. Foodgawker is the best, I could just stare at that site all day long. It amazes me that so many people can take such sharp and attractive photos. So, I didn’t even have to search for this treat- it just happened to be sitting in the Reader waiting to be discovered As the original blogger says, these are actually quite healthy for their level of deliciousness. The ingredient list is short and there is nothing out of the ordinary that you shouldn’t have sitting in your kitchen. It could also be customized for your taste buds, for example, with peanut butter or sliced almonds instead of walnuts. For an even healthier spin, maybe some dried fruit…? Also, I could see these being a perfect breakfast bite or after-school snack!

Banana Oat Squares, adapted from Notecook

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 to 1 cup mashed bananas
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg and beat well. Add salt and mashed banana and mix until incorporated . Add oats and nuts. Stir. Spread in greased 8×8 inch pan. Bake for almost an hour until firm. Cool and cut into squares.

Well, I was planning to get right back on the blogging bandwagon after Lizzie arrived, but it got a bit hectic around here. My family came in town for the 4th, then my mom stayed the week after. It was sad to see her go, but now I have no excuse for not cooking or baking! For my first post-partum dish, I decided it had to be from my new America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. A friend of mine couldn’t stop raving about this cookbook, so I finally caved and ordered it about a month ago on Amazon. Of course, due to my major life interruption, I hadn’t got around to discovering this miracle book until now.

Alex said this is the best chicken I have made to date. It was pretty darn good. Since I didn’t have chili powder or cayenne pepper, I used red pepper flakes. This gave it a spicy kick that blended perfectly with the sweetness of the ketchup and syrup. The ingredient list is short enough to make it worth the little extra time it takes to create your own BBQ sauce instead of store-bought, which doesn’t even compare.

I can’t wait to try more recipes out of this book. It seems like the most reliable and informational cookbook I’ve yet stumbled upon. Seriously, get yourself a copy!

Indoor BBQ Chicken, adapted from America’s Test Kitchen

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 onion, minced
1 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons molasses
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Pound the thicker ends of the chicken as needed so the breasts are the same thickness all over. Pat dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the chicken and cook until light brown on both sides, about 4 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate.

Add the onion and 1/4 teaspoon salt to the skillet and return to medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the ketchup, molasses, vinegar, Worcestershire, mustard, syrup and red pepper flakes, scraping up any browned bits.

Turn the heat to low. Return the chicken to the skillet, with any accumulated chicken juice, and coat with the sauce. Cover and simmer until the chicken is fully cooked through, about 10 minutes. Serves 4 people.

Peanut butter is one of my absolute favorite foods, and I will take any chance I can to make a baked good with it included. I’m a cupcake fanatic, I think they are the cutest things and are the perfect take-along treat, after cookies of course Sometimes, it can be a challenge to make a cupcake that isn’t dry, especially on the bottom! I can’t tell you how many times I remember eating cupcakes (mostly from cake mixes) that were dried out and just blah. It became almost like eating a muffin- eat the muffin top and no more. And then there are the wonderful store bought cupcakes with the pound of lard frosting on each one, and if they’re colored, that distinct color-dyed taste ( you know what I’m talking about). I’m glad the cupcake craze is still going strong to help raise the bar for mediocre mini cakes. A quick tip: if you’re in the bay area, other than SF, stop by a Teacake Bake Shop- they make an awesome cupcake, no matter what flavor you get (and the cookies are delish as well!).

Anyway, back to these lovelies. I found a screamin’ deal on amazon for the cookbook Cupcakes!, by Elinor Klivans. That lady makes some awesome little books. It must’ve been some kind of random special because I paid $1.86 for a brand new copy! I didn’t have the right ingredients for the milk chocolate glaze that she includes as the topping, so I found a perfect recipe on allrecipes instead. I had some evaporated milk that needed to be used, so I did the handy-dandy ingredient search and found a perfect fit.

The cupcakes were some of the moistest, perfectly peanut buttered treats I’ve tried. If you have any doubts about a peanut butter flavored cupcake, these will erase those thoughts.

Peanut Butter Cupcakes, adapted from Cupcakes!

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup chunky or smooth peanut butter (I used Safeway brand)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup milk (I used fat-free)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 muffin tin cups with paper cupcake liners. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium, beat the butter, peanut butter and brown sugar until smoothly blended and lightened in color, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. Mix in the egg. Add the vanilla and beat for 1 minute, or until the batter is smooth. On low speed, add the flour mixture in 3 additions and the milk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and mixing just until the flour is incorporated and the batter looks smooth.

Fill each paper liner with a generous 1/4 cup of batter, to about 1/3 inch below the top of the liner. Bake just until the tops feel firm and are lightly browned, about 20 minutes. There will be a few cracks on top. Cool the cupcakes for 10 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Carefully remove cupcakes from pan to finish cooling.

Creamy Chocolate Frosting

2 3/4 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons cocoa powder
6 tablespoons softened butter
5 tablespoons evaporated milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

In a medium bowl, sift together the powdered sugar and cocoa, and set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter until smooth, then gradually beat in sugar mixture alternately with evaporated milk. Blend in vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. If necessary, adjust consistency with more milk or sugar.

And, I can’t help it, I have to put up another photo of our babe

We had an unexpected early arrival this past Sunday. Alex got the perfect Father’s Day gift as Lizzie came into our world at 11:48pm. She was a bit over 3 weeks early so it was quite the surprise! So, this is the reason my posts have been lacking lately. Bear with me, I’ll be back at it soon, now with a new cooking/baking buddy