Memorial Day BBQ

This was a perfect first weekend to kick off summer. We spent time upstate with my family which consisted of a lot of time by the lake; boating, bon fires and of course, making s'mores. Then on Monday we had friends over for a BBQ. After a long and busy winter (which included having my second daughter in January... Hence why I haven't been on here very much in the past few months) 

I'm so looking forward to the warm summer days ahead and getting back into cooking and entertaining. 

For our BBQ today we served ribs and burgers and kept it simple for sides; tomato & mozzarella, Cole slaw and a deconstructed Mexican street corn salad. It was so delicious and really simple to make. I'm sharing the recipe below. I insist you try it for your next BBQ, or even for dinner tonight.

Your guests will thank you!

Deconstructed Mexican Street Corn 

What you'll need:

6 ears of corn, husked 

4 tablespoons mayo

3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon paprika, plus more for garnish

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish

salt & pepper

Directions:

Husk and boil corn for about 12 minutes. 

Prepare the grill and grill corn, turning occasionally, until charred. (about 10-15 minutes). Take off and let cool. Cut the kernels from the cob and transfer to a bowl.

In a separate bowl whisk together the mayo, lime juice, paprika, Parmesan cheese and cilantro. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Add this mixture to the corn and toss. Top with a sprinkle of paprika and cilantro. You can also add a few extra pinches of Parmesan cheese on top.

Enjoy!

Easiest Blueberry Galette

I am not usually a baker. I can easily spend hours in the kitchen whipping up a braised short rib or home made pasta but something about dessert scares me. Maybe it's all the precision and measuring that goes into. (Math is not my forte). However the below galette recipe is so simple it's basically foolproof. 

It takes all of 5 minutes to prepare, 25 minutes in the oven and guaranteed delicious. Top with a dollop of vanilla ice cream and I promise rave reviews.

If you are looking for a dessert to bring to a Memorial Day party this weekend this is sure to be a hit!

You could use a mix of blueberries and raspberries for that red, white and blue spirit.

recipe below.

What you'll need:

3 cups berries of your choice (I used a mixture of blueberries and blackberries)

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar, plus 1 teaspoon for dusting crust

1 (9 inch) frozen pie dough (thawed) 

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, in small cubes

1 egg, beaten

Directions

Pre heat the oven to 425 degrees.

In a bowl stir together the berries, cornstarch, lemon juice, zest and sugar. 

Unfold the pie crust on a greased baking sheet. 

Spoon the berry mixture onto the center of the dough, leaving about an inch or so at the edges. 

Fold the edges of the dough over the berry mixture, pleating the dough where necessary. You can just use your fingers to pinch together. 

Brush the pie crust with beaten the egg & sprinkle with the teaspoon of sugar. Place the cubes of butter on top of the berries. 

Bake about 25 minutes, until berries are bubbling and crust is golden. Let cool and top with vanilla ice cream. Serve warm.

Sweet as Sugar Cookies XO

Once again this weekend brought snow and once again we found ourselves spending another Saturday indoors. Luckily I had all the ingredients on hand to make these yummy and easy sugar cookies. I had bought these adorable "XO" cookie cutters before Valentines Day and then never got the chance to use them. So I guess the snow keeping us inside kinda worked out perfectly.

cookie recipe below.

What you'll need:

-1 cup unsalted butter, softened

-1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

-1 egg

-1 teaspoon vanilla

-1 teaspoon baking soda 

-2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer. Once they are mixed add the egg, vanilla and baking soda. Then sift in the flour one cup at a time. Transfer the dough to a floured surface & knead the dough until it forms a solid ball.  You can add more flour if it seems too sticky.

Use a rolling pin and roll out the dough to about 1/2" thickness. (If you like your cookies crispier then go with 3/8".)

Once you have cut out your cookies transfer to a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Make sure to leave about 2" between each since they will grow in the oven.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes. They cook quick so keep an eye on them. If you made them thinner then 1/2" they will take less time to cook. Once the edges brown they are ready to come out. 

Let cool and frost to your delight!

XO

Happy 2014!

Happy New Year!

This New Years we had over our friends and their son and had a nice low key evening. We nibbled on a ton of appetizers and had a lot of decadent desserts post midnight. 

For cocktails (what's New Years without a festive drink?) I rimmed champagne glasses with gold sugar I got from dellcovespices and filled them with prosecco and pomegranate seeds.

I found these "Pop Fizz Clink" balloons on etsy from The Flair Exchange and the Happy New Year Garland at The Land of Nod

For one of the many desserts, I baked cupcakes with gold sprinkles. I got the gold confetti plates at The Land of Nod as well.

Harper and Hunter had so much fun playing together and almost made it to watch the ball drop. 

Wishing everyone a fabulous 2014 filled with much health and happiness! 

Pretty Pumpkins!

Fall is my absolute favorite time of year! 

I love the crisp chill in the morning air, the smell of burning apple and cinnamon candles, spiced cider and pumpkin coffees. Cozy fall sweaters, the changing color of the leaves.

If you love pumpkins as I do but want to "jazz" up your display a little bit this fall, I pasted some pretty pumpkin photos below. Whether you prefer chevron, chalkboard paint or glitter, sky is the limit on how fun and creative you can be.

Send me some pics of your decorated pumpkins and I will display on the blog!