Recipe: Virginique (nonalcoholic mocktail)

What better way to celebrate a baby shower than with a summery, refreshing mocktail? If you want an alocholic version of this, just add vodka or rum and replace the elderflower syrup with St. Germaine or some other elderflower liqueur.

Virginique
makes: 1 mocktail

1 oz elderflower syrup
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
3 oz club soda
ice cubes
lime wheel for garnish

Directions
1. Mix together elderflower syrup, lime juice and club soda in a low ball glass. Add ice cubes and garnish with the lime wheel.

Recipe: Lemony Grilled Asparagus with Goat Cheese

Here is another recipe included in the baby shower menu for my friend last week. It’s a Pip’s Plate original, and we sort of winged it last Sunday. It turned out incredibly yummy – this recipe is a great way to jazz up plain boring grilled asparagus.

We served this alongside Grilled Turkey, Bacon and Blue Cheese Sandwiches.

Lemony Grilled Asparagus with Goat Cheese
makes: 12 servings (6 pieces of asparagus per person)

Grilled Asparagus
3 bundles of asparagus (enough for 6 spears per person)
juice of 1 lemon
3 T olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Garnishes
1 lemon for zesting
3 oz chevre goat cheese

Directions
1. Prepare the asparagus by bending it from each end to determine the ripe part of the asparagus. Snap off the woody ends – you don’t want to eat these.

2. Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Dress the asparagus and let marinate in a plastic bag for at least 20 minutes.

3. Heat grill to medium high heat. Put asparagus directly onto the grill. Cook for about 8 minutes, turning occasionally to avoid burning.

4. Remove from grill. You can place them on a platter or you can put them on individual plates for serving. Either way, once the asparagus is on a plate, use a microplane grater to zest the lemon over the asparagus. You should use the entire lemon. Then, take the chevre and crumble it on top of the asparagus.

Recipe: Watermelon, Feta and Mint Salad

Here is another recipe included in the menu for my friend’s baby shower last week. It’s refreshing, but make sure you are making this when watermelon is in season – the success of this recipe is heavily dependent upon a great tasting watermelon.

We served this along side the Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps as part of the first course.

served in ramekins so the juice wouldn't run into the lettuce wraps

Watermelon, Feta and Mint Salad
makes: 12 servings (about 1 cup each)

3 cups 2-inch chunks fresh watermelon
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 T chopped fresh mint

Directions
1. Combine all ingredients together in a bowl then serve. It’s that easy.

recipe adapted from epicurious

Recipe: Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Here is another recipe included on the menu for my friend’s baby shower last week. Something else she loves other than grilled turkey and bacon sandwiches? Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps. We wanted to make something with a peanut dressing, so we ended up at this one.

We served this with the Watermelon Feta and Mint Salad in a little ramekin side bowl.

This is a great summer salad recipe, too. You don’t have to put it in the lettuce wraps – instead, you can just mix it up, leave it in the fridge and have it around for a satisfying and pretty healthy snack.

Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps
makes: 36 lettuce wraps (plus some leftover salad for later)

Peanut Dressing
8 large garlic cloves
1/2 cup soy sauce
2/3 cup fresh lime juice
4 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons peanut butter (smooth or chunky – it doesn’t matter)
4 teaspoons chopped peeled fresh ginger root
1 Tablespoon chili garlic sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Salad
9 oz rice stick noodles (vermicelli size – very thin)
2 pounds boneless, skinless hormone-free chicken breasts
3 medium carrots, peeled and julienned (cut into about 3-inch long pieces)
3 medium cucumbers, peeled seeded and julienned (cut into about 3-inch long pieces)
1 cup shelled edamame (soy beans)
1/3 cup coarsely chopped roasted salted peanuts
2 heads Boston or Bibb lettuce, washed

Directions
1. To make the dressing, combine garlic through pepper in a food processor. Process until smooth, then add oil to combine all ingredients. Put half aside for the salad dressing, and use the remaining half to marinate the chicken breasts.

2. Cook rice noodles according to package. When drained, cut the noodles into 3-4 inch pieces using a scissors then add to a large mixing bowl.

3. Cook the chicken. You may grill or roast the chicken. We grilled the chicken since it was such a beautiful day and we didn’t want to heat the house too much before the guests came over.

• To Grill: Heat grill to medium-high heat. Cook chicken for about 10-12 minutes, turning once.
• To Roast: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place chicken in a roasting pan and roast for about 12-15 minutes.

When chicken is cooked through, move to a cutting board and slice. Add chicken to the noodle bowl.

4. Add carrots, cucumbers and edamame to the noodle and chicken bowl. Toss with the reserved peanut dressing.

5. To assemble, put about 1/2 cup of the noodle salad into one leave of lettuce. Serve with crushed peanuts as a garnish.

recipe adapted from epicurious

Recipe: Grilled Turkey, Bacon and Blue Cheese Sandwiches

This recipe was a part of the baby shower I recently threw with 2 friends. It was a huge hit! Really quite delicious: savory, crunchy, smooth – the textures in this sandwich were out of this world.

If you’re worried about the blue cheese overpowering the flavor in this sandwich, I wouldn’t worry. Mixing it with the mayo mellows the flavor. You can also choose a milder blue cheese such as gorgonzola. Even blue cheese haters at the table loved this sandwich! This would also be a great turkey sandwich with leftover turkey from Thanksgiving.

We served these with Lemony Grilled Asparagus with Goat Cheese.

I realize that damn green tray shows up in a lot of my pictures – as pointed out by the owner, Maxine. Apparently because it sits on top of her microwave, it tends to be the first thing I reach for. Oh well.

The sandwiches before hitting the grill

Grilled Turkey, Bacon and Blue Cheese Sandwiches
makes: 12 sandwiches
this can easily be cut in half to make only 6 sandwiches

18 slices bacon (not thick cut)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 1/2 pounds of thinly sliced turkey
1 small head of radicchio
12 large slices good bread (ciabatta works well)
1 stick of butter at room temperature

Directions
1. Cook bacon until crispy. I like to bake it in the oven at 400 for about 12-15 minutes. Drain on a paper towel.

2. Mix mayo and blue cheese together.

3. Create an assembly line to put the sandwiches together in this order:

• First, butter one side of all bread slices.
• Second, spread blue cheese mixture on the other side of all bread slices.
• Third, divide turkey slices evenly among 6 slices of bread.
• Fourth, add 2-3 pieces of radicchio on top of the turkey.
• Fifth, add 3 pieces of bacon on top of the radicchio.
• Lastly, top each sandwich with the other side of bread.

4. Heat your grill to medium (about 350 degrees). When it’s ready, put the sandwiches on the grill. Grill each side for about 5-6 minutes or until bread is nicely toasted.

5. Cut each sandwich in half and serve.

recipe from epicurious

Baby Shower Success!

Me and two friends threw a baby shower last weekend for our good friend Jill. It’s her first baby, and what do you know, she’s having a girl! She’s due on 7/19/2009 so we should be seeing that little tyke running around soon.

We decided to make a day of the event – which for anyone who knows us, is no surprise. First off, lunch at the house. Next up, mini golfing! Last, back to the house for pie, coffee and gifts.

The menu was outstanding: we made all of Jill’s favorite foods…

First Course: Cold Appetizers
Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Watermelon, Feta and Mint Salad

Second Course: Warm Bites
Grilled Turkey, Bacon, Blue Cheese Sandwiches
Lemony Grilled Asparagus with Goat Cheese

Served with Gloria Ferrer rose champagne toast and Virginique (a nonalcoholic “mocktail”)

Followed up by a little sweet snack of Coconut Macaroons

Dessert Course: Post Mini Golf Sweets
5 Layer Chocolate Pie (my mom’s recipe – the same one baked at The Rustic Inn Cafe & Betty’s Pies in northern MN)
Lemon Meringue Pie

Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps

This menu was created with my favorite partner in crime, Maxine. I wouldn’t be able to do nearly as much in the kitchen nor be as inspired to try new things if it weren’t for her.

We went shopping the day before and made quite a bit the day before, so you can plan ahead for this menu. We were able to make the cookies, pies, and the chicken for the noodle salad. Pretty much everything else we did the morning of the shower.

More photos if you

Healthy Recipe: Turkey Sausages with Apricot Mustard Sauce

I’ve never made homemade sausages before, but these were very good and I will make them again. These sausages are formed into patties, so I didn’t have to bother with the casings and all of that.

I made these for a book club brunch, and they were met with rave reviews. Because these are so lean, you may need to use more breadcrumbs than what I’ve listed here – just work with the consistency until it will form a patty. I know they look somewhat like crab cakes or fish cakes, but there’s nothing fishy about them – just herby savoriness.

Turkey Sausages with Apricot Mustard Sauce
Makes: about 2 dozen 3-inch patties
Time: under 60 minutes

Get the recipe when you

Cocktail Recipe: Valoma

What better way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo than with a delicious cocktail? Seriously, give me a cocktail with vodka and citrus, and I’ll be happy.

This recipe is a take on the classic tequila cocktail Paloma. But I didn’t want or have tequila, so I used vodka. If you want to make this cocktail a little more foodie, use key limes.

Valoma
makes: 1

Ingredients
1 1/2 oz vodka
1 1/2 oz fresh lime juice (or key lime juice)
2 oz  sparkling grapefruit juice (such as Izze)
ice
salt for rim
lime wheel for garnish

Directions
1. Wipe a lime slice around the edge of a low ball glass. Dip rim in salt. Fill the low ball glass with ice.

2. Pour vodka and lime juice into a shaker and shake well with ice. Pour into glass. Top with sparkling grapefruit juice and garnish with a lime wheel.

Happy Cinco de Mayo it’s Chicken Taco Night!

I think tacos are my favorite food of all time. Wow do I love them. I think if I were on a deserted island and could only have 1 food for the rest of my life, it would be tacos. With margaritas, of course.

Last night I made a new recipe for chicken tacos that were just beyond delicious. These tacos were pretty healthy too – full of vegetables and fruit. Use light sour cream for the chipotle cream and you’ve got a light taco recipe full of flavor.

Spice Rubbed Chicken Tacos with Chipotle Cream and Pineapple Slaw

Serves: 6
Time: under 60 minutes (less if you purchase pre-sliced pineapple)

Get the recipe

Recipe: Pressed Chicken Breasts with Squash and Tomatoes

I’ve been on a healthy food kick lately – which is a good thing. My boyfriend has lymphoedema, so he has to have an extremely low fat diet. He has challenged me recently to cook very low fat recipes that still have a lot of flavor – as if I couldn’t! Ha! Turns out, we’re eating better than we ever have AND we’re sticking to the low fat diet.

I’ve never cooked pressed chicken before, and I have no idea why because this is a really great way to cook chicken. Often when I cook chicken breasts in a skillet on the stove, it splatters all over the place. This cooking style avoids all of the splatter and it cooks the chicken evenly while adding a nice crust without having skin.

Here’s another healthy and low fat recipe that is full of flavor.

Pressed Chicken Breasts with Squash and Tomatoes
Makes: 6 servings
Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients
6 boneless, skinless hormone-free chicken breasts (about 4-6 ounces each)
2 T olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 package cherry tomatoes, halved
3 medium yellow squash
zest from half a lemon
3 T chopped fresh marjoram or thyme

Directions
1. Cut out a circle of parchment paper that will cover a large skillet.

2. Heat 1 T oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle one side of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Add chicken breasts to the pan seasoned side down. Sprinkle the tops of the chicken with salt and pepper. Cover with parchment paper, then top with another heavy skillet (like a cast iron pan), and top with about 2 pounds of weight (broth cans work well).

3. Cook chicken breasts for about 8 minutes on first side, then turn. Place parchment paper, skillet and weights on chicken again. Cook for another 8 minutes or until done.

4. When chicken is fully cooked, remove from the pan and keep warm. You can either put them in a 200 degree F oven, or put them on a plate and cover with foil.

5. Heat the remaining 1 T olive oil in the same pan that you just removed the chicken from. When hot, add garlic, tomatoes, squash, lemon zest, and 2 T marjoram. Saute for about 4 to 5 minutes or until soft. Toss with remaining 1 T marjoram and pour over chicken breasts.

Recipe adapted from Epicurious