Prosciutto Rolls with Goat Cheese, Arugula and Fig Spread

Believe it or not, it's now March and I am still working my way through some of the very many wonderful cooking-related goodies I got for Christmas, and one of those goodies was completely perfect for this latest entry in the Friday Night Lights series of nibbly suppers the Southern husband and I are having on, um, Friday nights.   And that goodie is this:

A beautiful jar full of rich, tantalizing, gorgeous...

Fig jam.  I have a long-standing love affair going with fig jam, and in my humble opinion, a person can't have enough of this stuff around the place.  In a pinch you can sub in apricot, or even peach, but if you can find fig jam, the real thing, you will be in such a happy, happy place.

So, this particular jar of fig jam came in handy for this latest appetizer recipe, which goes like this:  Get some nice thin prosciutto and lay it out in nice long strips.  it might tear here and there but don't worry, because by the time you roll it up, the layers will hide any rips or tears.  Now you spread a thin layer of soft goat cheese that has been mixed with a little minced garlic onto the prosciutto.  Next comes the fig jam - thin layer spread on the goat cheese.  Lay a couple of arugula leaves on top, and then drizzle with a mixture of olive oil, lemon peel and lemon juice.

Now cut the piece in half, right down the middle (otherwise the rolls will be too thick), and roll them up.  You are now done, and you have a lovely plate of prosciutto/goat cheese/fig jam/arugula heaven.  I decorated mine with some fresh oregano sprigs, because my Aerogarden is still in full tilt.

Easy, right?  And on Friday nights, that is the name of the game. 

Prosciutto Rolls, from Saveur 

2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp. grated lemon zest
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
6 oz. soft goat cheese, at room temperature
2–3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
12 slices (not paper-thin) prosciutto, halved crosswise
1⁄2 cup fig preserves
1⁄2 bunch arugula, trimmed
Freshly ground black pepper


1. Whisk oil, lemon zest, and lemon juice together in a small bowl and set aside. Mix goat cheese and garlic together in another small bowl and set aside.
2. Spread a thin layer of the goat cheese mixture on each piece of prosciutto, spread a thin layer of fig preserves over cheese, and top with 1–2 arugula leaves. Drizzle with some of the lemon vinaigrette and season to taste with pepper. Roll prosciutto up around filling and arrange on serving platter, seam side down.  Garnish with fresh herbs if desired.

  Print this!

Caramel Walnut Dream Bars

I am usually all about making cakes and cookies and other treats from scratch, but every once in a while I run across one of those recipes that combine using some kind of prepared mix with enough "scratch" ingredients that it seems just close enough, and this is the kind of recipe that can completely shock you (in the best possible way) with how good it is.  I'm talking Ridiculously Easy Peach Crumble.  I'm talking Butterfinger Cake.  And I'm talking these Caramel Walnut Dream Bars, which sucked me in on the basis of the title alone.  Caramel, Walnut and Dream all in the same title.  Oh yeah, I'm there.

As you can tell, this is a delectably sweet treat.  Sweet, sweet, sweet.  Want to know something else that is impossibly sweet?  (This has nothing to do with food in any way, so if you just want the recipe, feel free to skip on down to the bottom.  It's just too good a story to NOT tell, so I'm a-telling it.)

The teenager and her adorable boyfriend have been going out for a year now, which is like 50 years in teenage time.  And so the boyfriend brought her a t-shirt on which he had painted the words

Happy Anniversary

I Love You 

Emma

♥

She loved it, of course. Then he started pestering her to wash it. Wash it, wash it, wash it, said he. Tonight she finally did -- and most of the letters came off in the wash. Except for the ones P R O M and the question mark, which was part of the heart. She wrote the answer in herself once the shirt came out of the dryer.

Now if that isn't sweet, I just don't know what is!

Meanwhile, back at this sweet recipe, here's the scoop.  You make a base out of cake mix that has been moistened with butter and egg and press it into the bottom of a baking pan.  Then you mix up a topping of condensed milk, another egg, some vanilla, some chopped walnuts and some toffee bits, and pour that on top.  Bake, cool, cut 'em into squares, and give one to someone you have or would like to take to the prom. 

Sweet!!

Caramel Walnut Dream Bars, adapted from Anita's Recipes

• One box yellow cake mix (18.5 ounces)
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• One 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup toffee bits (I used the Heath Bar, brand, usually found near the chocolate chips)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a 13"x9" pan with cooking spray; set aside.
2. To prepare base, combine cake mix, butter, and one egg in a mixing bowl. Mix until crumbly. Press mixture onto bottom of prepared pan; set aside.
3. In another mixing bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, remaining egg, vanilla extract, walnuts, and toffee bits. Mix well. Pour over base in pan.
4. Bake for 35 minutes or until light brown on top.  Cool and cut into squares.

Print this!

Savory Oatmeal with Soft-Cooked Egg and Cheddar

I have so many, many things to say about this recipe.

First, I think oatmeal is one of the more under-appreciated things in life.  Somehow it has gotten a bad rap over the years...as a matter of fact, the teenager said to me just this morning, "Mom, you and Dad are the only people in the world that actually LIKE oatmeal."  I don't think this is completely true, but I also think the world doesn't fully understand and appreciate the wonder that is oatmeal.

First of all, it is actually good for you.  Unlike some of my other favorite food groups, oatmeal is full of fiber and not full of other less-good stuff, so there's that.  But I think that folks have gotten stuck in the usual ordinary ways of making oatmeal, which is basically boiling it up in some water, or milk if they go really crazy.  Maybe tossing some brown sugar on top.  But people!  There is so much more to be done!  And one of my favorite, favorite approaches to oatmeal is the savory approach - going cheesy and a little salty instead of sweet and sugary.  (Yes, I know, I am messing a little bit with the whole healthy part, but really, it's just a little bit.  There's no butter or cream or even bacon involved, I promise.)

So here's the drill.  Cook up the oatmeal the way you usually do, but at the end, toss in a handful of shredded cheddar cheese and stir it up.  Taste it to see if it needs a little more salt - it might not with the cheese going on.  Now sprinkle a little more cheese on top and then (brace yourself for happiness) place a soft-cooked egg on top.  Poached, soft-boiled, over-easy...it's your choice, just so long as the yolk is still nice and creamy.  Because now you are going to break the egg up just a little so the yolk melts into your cheesy oatmeal.  Scatter a few scallions on top, and then a grinding of fresh pepper.  

You'll never look at your box of Quaker Oats the same way again now, will you?  We usually have this for a light supper, but it would, of course, be an AMAZING breakfast as well.

Go give your oatmeal some love and respect now, okay?

Savory Oatmeal with  Soft-Cooked Egg and Cheddar, adapted from Everyday Food

• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar
• 1 tablespoon sliced scallions

1. Bring 1 cup water to boil in small saucepan.  Add oats and pinch of salt and simmer until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add 1/4 cup cheddar and stir.

2. Meanwhile, soft-cook the egg in whatever way you like best.  Soft-boiled, poached or over easy will all work, so long as the egg yolk is still a little liquid and creamy.

3. Ladle oatmeal into bowl.  Sprinkle with remaining cheddar and top with cooked egg.  Scatter scallions on top and eat at once.

Click here for printable recipe

Zucchini Carpaccio

Here's the latest in the Friday Night Lights series of light suppers the Southern husband and I have been having lately.   It's nice and light and involves one of my favorite things in life, which is fresh ricotta cheese.  First of all, I love to make ricotta.  It is one of the easiest things in the world to make and when you are done (in about 10 minutes) you feel supremely worldly and intelligent for being able to make your own ricotta cheese.  I use a recipe you can find by clicking here, but I add in about 1/4 cup of heavy cream, which makes it, well, creamier.

Second of all, I love to eat ricotta, and therein lies a confession about this particular post.  After I took that picture up there, and the one below, I went back and added a bunch more ricotta.  I wanted you to be able to see all the nice layered zucchini slices, but I also wanted to be able to eat lots and lots of fresh ricotta, and there you go.

Once you've made the ricotta the rest of this dish is a snap.  Slice the zucchini as thin as you can get it.  I used a  Mandoline Slicer, but you could also use just a plain old knife, if you are a really good thin zucchini slicing type of person.  Then arrange them in a pretty pattern on a pretty plate.  Drizzle with a mixture of fresh lemon juice and nice olive oil, scatter on some chopped scallions, grind on some fresh pepper, and spoon on as much ricotta as you can handle.  (I can handle a LOT).  Then chop up a handful of fresh basil (or any other herb that catches your fancy), and that's it!  We ate this in our usual Friday Night Lights style - cuddled up on the couch from one plate with some jazz on the stereo -- but it would be a great side dish for grilled steak or chicken.  And its almost, almost grilling season!

Happy sigh.

Zucchini Carpaccio,  from Bon Appetit

• 5 medium zucchini, trimmed
• Coarse kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• One cup ricotta cheese, preferably fresh
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1. Using knife or mandoline slicer, cut zucchini into paper-thin rounds. 

2. Arrange rounds, slightly overlapping, on large platter. Sprinkle lightly with coarse salt and pepper, then green onions. 

3. Whisk lemon juice and oil in small bowl. Drizzle dressing evenly over zucchini. 

4. Drop small spoonfuls of cheese all over zucchini. Sprinkle with basil and serve.

Click here for printable recipe

Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels

This is one of those thunk yourself on the forehead recipes where you think to yourself, now WHY didn't I think of that?  Pretzels?  Cinnamon?  Sweet? Salty?  Yes please, and thank you.  I ran into this one on the Baking Junkie blog, and then ran right out and bought a bag of pretzels.  I think she used the bigger twists - I went for the smaller ones, both because they were on sale and because I thought they might slow me down a little in terms of the number of them that I would eat when I was done.  (Not.)

As for the cinnamon, there is only one cinnamon in life for me, and that is this one:

If you haven't yet, you have to order yourself some Penzey's Cinnamon at least once in your lifetime.  It is the cinnamon to end all cinnamons.  It has ruined all other cinnamon for me, forever and ever.  

Anyway.  This recipe calls for mixing up some cinnamon with some sugar and some vegetable oil and stirring that around with a bag of pretzel twists.  You then bake them for about 30 minutes and then try and restrain yourself from burning your mouth by eating one the second they come out of the oven.   For the 15 minutes that I have been writing this post, the usually-non-snack-eating Southern husband has quietly been in and out of the kitchen twice to grab another handful.  The Stealth Snack Grabbing Seal Of Approval...it's all I need to know that I have a hit on my hands!

A new twist on pretzels...how great is that??

(Sorry, I'm unable to restrain myself from bad puns.)

Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels, from Baking Junkie

1 (16 oz) bag pretzel twists
⅔ cup vegetable oil
½ cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. 

2. Pour pretzels into a roasting pan. In a medium sized bowl mix together vegetable oil, cinnamon and sugar. 

3. Pour over pretzels and stir to coat. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes, removing twice to stir.

4. Cool and serve!

Click here for printable recipe

Braised Chicken with Spring Vegetables

I love, love, love, love, love this recipe.  Not just because it tastes SO good.  Not just because it is fabulously good for you, being made up of chicken, veggies and a delightful broth-based braised sauce.  But also because it means (and I know, I am tempting fate and potentially bringing one last snowfall down on our heads) that Spring is pretty close to being right around the corner.

I know this because at a certain point in time, the wonderful farm market near our house starts carrying these...

And these...

And that point in time was this past weekend.  And that is the weekend each year that I haul out this recipe, and starting thinking positive thoughts about daffodils and grilling supper outside and the fact that one day, the relentless pile of snow at the corner of my driveway will actually be GONE.

Just a quick word about the recipe that is the actual point of this post:  it's a sweet and simple one where you sear chicken (bone-in variety please) in a teeny bit of olive oil.  When the chicken is gorgeously brown, take it out and pour in some chicken broth (I love the Imagine and Pacific brands in the box, not the can) and scrape up all that browned goodness on the bottom of the pot.  Now toss in some radishes and carrots, nestle the chicken pieces on top of the veggies, and cover the pot.  About twenty-five minutes later you will have perfect, tender chicken, delicious cooked spring veggies and a rich, perfect sauce from the braising liquid.  Dish it out, sprinkle with chives, and be happy with the thought that when the spring veggies appear, can these be far behind?

Think SPRING!!

Braised Chicken with Spring Vegetables, adapted from Real Simple

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 1/2 pounds bone-in chicken breast pieces
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 12 medium radishes, halved
• 3/4 pound carrots (about 4), cut into sticks
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

1. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
2. Season the chicken with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook until browned, 6 to 7 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
3. Spoon off and discard the fat. Return the pot to medium-high heat. Add the broth and scrape up any brown bits.
4. Stir in the radishes, carrots, and sugar.
5. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables and gently simmer, partly covered, until it is cooked through, about 25 minutes. Sprinkle with the chives. 

Click here for printable recipe

Shrimp and Pineapple Kebabs with Lime Viniagriette

Okay, so I will once again admit it: I am a complete sucker for shrimp cocktail.  There's something about chilled shrimp in a glass that just has me at hello, so it is pretty much a done deal that I will be working this into the Southern husband and my Friday Night Lights approach to Friday dinners in any way I can, and I have to say that so far....this may be my favorite.

It's got shrimp.  It's got pineapple.  It's got cherry tomatoes.  It's got a light lime vinaigrette.  It's served on skewers, which makes it oh-so-easy to eat when you are on the couch watching a movie while your teenager is out gallivanting.

I love the word gallivating.  Somehow I never look like this when I do it.

Anyway.

This is one of those ecipes that looks like you spent all day creating a wonderful seafood concoction when you really only spent about 15 minutes cooking up some shrimp, chopping up some tomatoes and pineapple and whisking together a super-simple line dressing.  You mix the whole thing together and skewer the pieces together,  Then chop up a little lettuce (I used Bibb lettuce for this and it was just about perfect.)  Now comes the fun part: choose whatever glasses you have that have a wide opening.  Margarita glasses would actually be perfect, and if I had any that's what I would have used.  Make a nice soft bed of lettuce in the glass and arrange a few skewer inside.  Drizzle the whole thing with the leftover lime dressing from the mixing bowl, and then hand them out.

Now comes the REALLY fun part.  The eating.  Because this is one of those dishes with just the right amount of tangy and sweet and wonderful.  We had these for our light supper, but I can totally picture them as the perfect summertime appetizer before you grill whatever it is you are going to grill.  And I'm beginning to believe that grilling season might just get here one day.

In the meantime, cuddle up inside on the sofa with some of these and March won't seem so March-like.

Shrimp and Pineapple Kebabs with Lime Vinaigrette, adapted from a WeightWatchers recipe.  (5 points, if anyone's counting!)

	8 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
	1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
	2 tsp honey
	1 tsp olive oil, extra-virgin
	1 tsp apple cider vinegar
	1 tsp Dijon mustard, coarse-grained
	1 tsp cilantro, chopped
	1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
	8 chunks fresh pineapple
	4 medium cherry tomato(es), halved
	1 1/2 cup(s) mixed baby greens
	2 Tbsp red onion(s), finely chopped

• Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil; add the shrimp. Reduce the heat and simmer until the shrimp are just opaque in the center, 3–4 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water to stop the cooking. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels.
  
• Stir together the lime juice, honey, oil, vinegar, mustard, cilantro, and crushed red pepper in a bowl until blended. Stir in the shrimp, pineapple, and tomatoes; gently toss to coat.
  
• Alternately thread the shrimp, pineapple, and tomatoes on 4 (6-inch) wooden skewers; reserve any vinaigrette remaining in the bowl. Divide the greens between 2 glasses; place 2 kebabs in each glass. Sprinkle with the onion and drizzle with the reserved vinaigrette. 

Click here for printable recipe

Ravioli with Baby Spinach and Bacon

Okay, so here's my philosophy: anything that involves spinach, which I actually LOVE,  counts as health food.  It completely cancels out any non-healthy contributions that the bacon may make to this dish.  And the ravioli, well that is just neutral.  Scrumptious, but the its the food equivalent of Switzerland.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

In the meantime, this is another super easy dish that is a wonderful combo of three things that you might not occur to you to put in the same pan, but that actually work PERFECTLY together.  The spinach is sauteed quickly with a little garlic while the ravioli cooks.  In the meantime,  put the bacon in the oven for about ten minutes until it is crisp and get someone reliable to chop it into bite-sized pieces while you are sauteing the spinach.

Sorry, but not you.

Stir the chopped bacon into the spinach, squeeze in a little fresh lemon juice and when you have all that done, toss the ravioli with the tiniest bit of olive oil, and then spoon the spinach and bacon mixture over the top.  A little fresh-ground pepper, and dinner is on the table.

Isn't it great when dinner is both fabulous AND ready in 15 minutes?

Ravioli with Baby Spinach and Bacon, from Real Simple

• 1 pound ravioli (fresh or frozen)
• 6 slices bacon
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 8 cups baby spinach
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1. Cook the ravioli according to the package directions. Drain and divide among bowls.
2. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes; transfer to a paper towel–lined plate. Crumble.
3. Wipe out the skillet and heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the spinach, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, tossing, until just wilted, 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Stir the bacon and lemon juice into the spinach. Spoon the mixture over the ravioli.

Click here for printable recipe

Brie Croque Monsieur Sandwiches

There are grilled cheese sandwiches, and then there are Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.  I have always been helplessly enthralled with any menu that has the words Croque Monsieur on it.  Because that basically translates to a rocking great grilled cheese sandwich that involves thin-sliced ham, swiss cheese, an egg batter that the whole thing has been dipped in, and some deep-frying.  Usually with some fries on the side, to make sure your calorie intake is high enough.

So imagine this: the very same thing...except instead of the swiss cheese, you use Brie cheese.  And in  my case, I used D'Affinois, which is the cheese I would choose to take with me if I was ever banished forever to a desert island and could only choose one cheese to take with me.  (These are the things I think about, just so you know.  It never hurts to have a plan.)

Now, some Croque Monsieurs out there in the world use a much thicker batter, but I think the light (and I use that word loosely, given what we are talking about here) french toast-type egg mixture approach is actually kinda better.  It lets the whole cheese and ham end of things shine through in all their glory.  And this is one of those recipes that is, well, glorious.  You practically have to eat it with your eyes closed just to make sure nothing else in the world interferes.

Please go make this right now.  Time's a wasting.

Brie Croque Monsieur Sandwiches, adapted from Ile de France Cheeses

9 oz.  Brie or D'Affinois cheese, cut into 12 thin slices

3 large eggs

3/4 cup milk

1/4 tsp Salt

1/8 tsp Pepper

6 slices thin sliced ham

12 slices white bread

4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted, divided

• In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk salt and pepper. Set aside.
  
  
• Assemble six sandwiches, each with one slice of ham and two slices of cheese between two slices of bread. Cut each sandwich into quarters.
  
  
• Heat half of the melted butter in a large nonstick pan on medium heat, swirling to coat bottom of pan.
  
  
• Dip half of the sandwich quarters into the egg and milk mixture, turning to coat. Immediately place in preheated pan, and cook for 2-3 minutes per side or until bread is golden brown and cheese is melting. Repeat with remaining butter and  sandwiches. Serve hot.

Click here for printable recipe

Tuna Tartare

I know that when it comes to raw fish, the world divides into two distinct camps.  There is the "I love it SO much I could eat it every day" camp.  That is the one I live in.  Then there is the "Get away from me with that raw fish" camp, and that is the one that the teenager lives in.  And while it is possible every once in a blue moon to get someone to cross from the teenager's camp to mine (I did it with the southern husband but it was before we were married and for all I know it was one of his tricky dating techniques), I'm not even gonna try.  All you anti-sushi people out there?  I love you anyway, and I will be back in a couple of days with something that is completely cooked.

In the meantime, however, we must discuss the tuna tartare recipe from the fabulous STONEWALL KITCHEN FAVORITES.  This is an amazingly quick, easy and (if you are pro-raw fish) spectacularly delicious little number.   You need to get sushi-grade tuna, which I promise is not hard...go to wherever you usually buy your fresh fish and ask.  You chop it up in tiny little pieces and mix it up with chopped tomato, scallions, some ginger and sesame oil and rice vinegar, and then scoop it out onto sliced cucumber rounds.  

It obviously makes a fabulous, dramatic appetizer, but the sushi-loving southern husband and I had it for a Friday Night Lights dinner and were deliriously happy.  Raw-fishing-eating people that we are.

Recipe below, and next post I will return you to your regularly scheduled cooked food.

Tuna Tartare, adapted from Stonewall Kitchen Favorites

8 ounces sushi-grade tuna, cut into 1.2 inch cubes

2 sliced scallions, white and green parts
I large tomato, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1 tablespoon grated, peeled fresh ginger

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil

1 seedless cucumber, sliced diagonally into 1/4 inch thick rounds

1. Place the tuna, scallions, cilantro, ginger, soy sauce and sesame oil in a medium bowl and mix gently until well-blended.

2. Arrange the cucumber slices on a large serving tray and pile a generous tablespoon of the tuna mixture on each cucumber slice.  Serve immediately.

Click here for printable recipe

Carrot Puree

I know, I know, you are looking at that picture and saying, she's really gone off the deep end now.  She's gotten just a little bit too obsessed with those addictive E-Trade baby commercials and is now making and showing us pictures of baby food.



And okay, while I freely admit that I truly AM obsessed with those commercials, hang in there with me on this recipe, because it really is something both easy and delicious, and contains a couple of things that you probably don't want to be feeding your baby.

I'm talking butter.

I'm talking sour cream.

I'm talking fresh ground pepper and coarse salt, baby.

I'm the first one to admit that I am a little side-dish-challenged, so when I come across one that is as easy and silkily scrumptious as this one, I hang on for dear life.  So the next time you are going to make plain old carrots as a side dish, trust me and give this one a spin.  All it involves is boiling up a bunch of peeled and chopped carrots until they are nice and tender, and then whirling them in your food processor with yes, some butter, some sour cream and some salt and pepper until they are a smooth, creamy, carroty delight.  

Now, THAT'S a side dish.

And that's definitely something to smile about, baby.

Carrot Puree,  from Everyday Foods

• 2 pounds carrots, cut into 2-inch lengths
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1. Place carrots in a large saucepan. Fill with water to cover by 1 inch; add salt. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce to a simmer. Cook until carrots are very tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
2. Drain and transfer to a food processor. Add butter and sour cream; season with salt and pepper. Process until smooth, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of processor with a rubber spatula as needed. Serve.

Click here for printable recipe

Raspberry Crumble Squares

Okay, so I think it's been a while since I mentioned how much I love and adore the Stonewall Kitchen Cookbook, and pretty much anything that Stonewall Kitchen makes.  As you may remember from earlier posts, I pretty much keeled over with excitement the first time I saw this:

In this case, however, I went for something that actually didn't involve chocolate, if you can believe that!  This recipe is a quick and easy one that is all about raspberries...and it works PERFECTLY with the frozen bags of raspberries you can get in the supermarket freezer section, and that is exactly what I used.  What's basically going on here is this: you make a super-simple shortbread recipe - flour, sugar and butter - and bake it until it is just set.  Then you heat up some raspberry jam just until it is melted, and you brush it onto the shortbread. (I used the spectacular Stonewall Kitchen variety.  Of course.)  Sprinkle on those raspberries, and then top the whole thing with a crumble topping of butter, flour and brown sugar.

Now pop it in the oven until the whole thing is golden brown and bubbling.  The next part is definitely the hardest: having the self-control to wait until it is fully cooled before you cut it into little squares fo raspberry heaven.  Now, these guys are very delicate and fragile and, well, crumbly when they are at room temperature, which is perfectly fine, but if you prefer your raspberry crumble squares a little less crumbly, they are equally wonderful cold.

That's my Stonewall Kitchen fix for today...but I'm still working my way through this fabulous cookbook, so I will probably be back, Stonewall Kitchen-wise.

Raspberry Crumble Squares, from Stonewall Kitchen Favorites

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sifted confectioner's sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 sticks cold butter, cut into 8 pieces

• 1/2 cup raspberry jam
• 4 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
• 3 tablespoons flour

• 1 stick cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375.  Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, confectioner's sugar, salt and butter in food processor and pulse about 30 times, until the butter is the size of small peas or smaller.  Sprinkle the mixture into an ungreased 9 x 13 inch pan.  Press into the bottom of the pan and about 1/2 inch up the sides.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until firm and just beginning to brown.

2. Melt the jam in a small saucepan over medium heat until thinned and liquified.  In a medium bowl, mix the berries with 3 tablespoons flour until well coated.

3. For the topping, combine 1 stick cubed butter, 1 cup flour and brown sugar in food processor  and pulse until the mixture comes together.  

4. When the shortbread comes out of the oven, spread the liquid jam over the crust.  Sprinkle the berries and any remaining flour on top of the jam.  Sprinkle the brown sugar topping over all.  Return to oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden.

5. Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting into squares.  Serve room temperature or cold.

Click here for printable recipe

Lobster Bruschetta

So, the Southern husband and I have this thing we do on Saturday nights called The Restaurant Project, and it goes like this: every Saturday night we go to a new restaurant we have never been before.  We started it about a year ago and it has been a year of fabulous dinners, a few clunkers, and some adventurous expeditions where I have said fervent prayers of thanksgiving that someone out there invented the GPS.

One of the rules of the restaurant project is that in addition to getting two different entrees, we also must order at least one dessert.  All of which adds up to good substantial eats on Saturday nights...and why I have decided I need to institute an addition weekly tradition which I am kicking off with this scrumptious lobster recipe, and which I am christening "Friday Night Lights." 

In a nutshell, we are going to cuddle up on the sofa every Friday night while the teenager is out gallivanting around, and we are going to have a light but still wonderful supper that is an appetizer only...something new every Friday night.  This will both balance out (I hope) the Saturday extravaganza, and also give me the chance to work my way through my teeteringly tall pile of appetizer recipes.  Because while I would love to have weekly fancy dinner parties wherein I make fancy finger foods, somehow I haven't figured out a way to work that into my life yet.  I'll try to be organized enough to post these on Thursdays so you can follow along with us on Fridays if you want to!

So here you go, the first Friday Night Lights supper: a quick and easy bruschetta.  Lightly toasted slices of Italian bread brushed with olive oil and topped with a mixture of chopped lobster, red onion, shallots, tomato and fresh torn basil, all tossed with a little bit of Madeira wine.  

Where did I get the fresh basil in the midst of the winter, you ask?   Well let's just say that the Aerogarden has been so successful that I am now making herb bouquets and distributing them around the house.

But that is a topic for a whole 'nother post.  Meantime, Friday Night Lights, baby.  It's not just a great television series anymore.

Lobster Bruschetta, adapted from Bon Appetit

• 2 1 1/2- to 13/4-pound lobster, steamed, shelled and torn into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 8 ounces tomatoes (about 2 medium), each cut into 6 wedges
• 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
• 1 small shallot, finely minced
• 2 peeled garlic cloves; 1 minced, 1 whole
• 2 tablespoons Madeira
• 3 extra-large basil leaves, torn
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus additional (for drizzling)
• 4 5x4x1/2-inch slices sourdough bread

1.  Mix onion and vinegar in large bowl; let stand 5 minutes.
2. Add lobster meat, tomatoes, celery, shallot, minced garlic, Madeira, basil, and 1/4 cup oil to bowl with onions. Toss to coat. Let stand 30 minutes for flavors to blend.
3. Lightly toast bread. Rub with whole garlic clove. Drizzle with oil. Divide lobster salad among toasts.  

Click here for printable recipe

Linguine in Herbed Artichoke Sauce

This recipe dates WAY back to the days when the Southern husband and I were young and carefree, spending our Saturdays browsing around antique shops and street fairs and used bookstores.  We would wander here and there with our string shopping bags and not a care in the world, picking up this and that, and me being me, a lot of what we picked up were interesting cookbooks, often ones that were stacked in corners of little bookstores.  This particular recipe comes from one of those books - a terrific cookbook called SIMPLY ELEGANT COUNTRY FOODS.  The price is still there, written in pencil on the inside front cover.

Let's take a closer look at that price, shall we?

Now THAT'S what I call a bargain.  About five minutes ago when I started writing this post, I made a bet with the Southern husband about whether you would even be able to find this cookbook anywhere, lo these 20 years later.  He said no way.  I said absolutely yes.

Simply Elegant Country Foods : Downhome Goes Uptown

All I will say about THIS is that he is a gracious loser, and I am a nyah-nyah-nyah-ha-ha-ha-told-you-so type of winner.  And that I just LOVE being right.

Meanwhile, back at the recipe, it is every bit as easy and simple and elegant and delicious as it was all those years ago, and as an added bonus, it involves one of my very, very favorite vegetables.  (This picture may look familiar to my beloved frequent readers.  I love you guys.)

And before you worry, you can and should use frozen artichoke hearts - you don't have to mess with stripping and prepping fresh artichokes.  I just had this artichoke picture hanging around and I love looking at artichokes whenever possible.  Anyway,  besides the artichokes, the rest of the dish is a fast and simple concoction of onions, garlic, white wine, a teeny bit of tomato paste and heavy cream, and some herbs and spices, all tossed around with linguine.  Perfect, simple, delicious and you get to have artichokes.  Life is good.

Linguine in Herbed Artichoke Sauce, adapted from Simply Elegant Country Foods : Downhome Goes Uptown 

• One pound linguine
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 cup chicken broth
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil, or one teaspoon dried
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 ten ounce package frozen quartered artichoke hearts, thawed
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

1. Heat butter and oil in skillet and add onions and garlic.  Saute for 3 minutes.

2. Raise heat and add wine and broth.  Stir until boiling, then stir in herbs and tomato paste.  Simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Add artichoke hearts and simmer for 2-3 more minutes.

4. Meanwhile, cook pasta and drain.  Return to pot.

5. Stir cream into the sauce, heat to almost boiling and then pour sauce over pasta and toss.

6. Grind fresh pepper over top and serve.

Click here for printable recipe.