Orange Dreamsicle Cake

What better way to top of Sue's birthday dinner of Tuscan Chicken with Lemon Couscous than with this dreamy, creamy Orange Dreamsicle Cake? There's  nothing like homemade birthday cake - and this one is definitely a winner.

Ingredients:

• 1 (18 1/4 oz) box orange cake mix
• 1 (3 oz) box orange Jell-O
• 1 C boiling water
• 1 (3 1/2 oz) box instant French vanilla pudding
• 1 C milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp orange extract
• 1 (8 oz) container Cool Whip
• 1 Tbsp orange zest

Method

1. Set out Cool Whip to thaw.
2. Prepare cake mix according to directions for a 9X13 pan.
3. After the cake is done, remove from oven and poke holes throughout cake with a fork.
4. Prepare the orange Jell-O with 1 C of boiling water. Pour over cake.
5. Allow to cool 30 minutes or overnight, covered tightly and stored in fridge.
6. In a large mixing bowl, mix together pudding and milk. Stir in extracts and zest. Mix well.
7. Fold in Cool Whip.
8. Spread over cake and chill additional 2 - 3 hours before serving.
9. Store tightly covered in fridge.

Source: Food.com

Tuscan Chicken with Lemon Couscous

In celebration of Sue's birthday, Brian and I made dinner tonight on the Plum. This is a new recipe from the American Heart Association. If you didn't know it is heart healthy ("HH," as Brian refers to it), you'd never know. Big flavors in a nice, easy, delicious meal!

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• Zest of one lemon, divided
• 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp  chopped fresh rosemary or 1 tsp dried
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 16 cubes
• 16 whole crimini mushrooms, stemmed and cleaned
• 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 16 pieces
• 16 cherry tomatoes
• 1 small onion, quartered, then chopped in eigths
• cooking spray
• 1 box parmesan couscous
• 1 1/4 C chicken stock
• 2 scallions, diced

Method:

1. In a large freezer bag, stir together 1/2 the lemon zest, lemon juice, rosemary, oil. garlic, oregan and red pepper flake.
2. Add the chicken and stir to coat.
3. Refrigerate at least 15 minutes or up to 8 hours. (Turn several times if marinating longer than 30 minutes.)
4. When ready to cook, preheat grill on medium high.
5. Drain the chicken and discard the marinade.
6. Alternately thread chicken and vegetables onto 4 metal skeweres.
7. Lightly spray all sides with cooking spray.
8. Grill the kebobs 2 - 3 minutes on each side (8 - 12 minutes total), or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center and the vegetables are tender.
9. Meanwhile, cook the couscous according to the package directions, using the chicken stock instead of water. When done, fluff with fork, adding in the remaining zest and half of the scallions.
10. Serve kebobs over the couscous, and garnish with remaining scallions.

Foolproof Quiche

Almost two months to the day from my last post - yikes. I'm not sure where the time went,  until I consider the packing, unpacking, organizing, cleaning, and shopping that consumed all of March and much of early April. A resolution when we moved was to eat in much more often, so hopefully I'll have many more recipes to share.

When we were talking about making a quiche for Easter brunch, Brian stumbled upon this recipe. It's more a guideline than a recipe with specific measurements and ingredients, and it's exactly the way I like to cook...with what's on hand, what sounds good, with just a few "rules" to make sure it all comes together well.

How to Make a Foolproof Quiche

I made a quiche again yesterday for brunch with some great friends - my first official company in our new home! This is what I did this time...

Ingredients

• 9" prepared pie crust
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup fat free half and half
• pinch of salt
• half of a large onion, chopped
• 8 oz. Cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 8 spears of asparagus, cut in half
• 2 cups freshly grated Gruyere

Method

1. Roll out the pie crust and fit it into straight-edged pie plate - I used Polish pottery. Trim away any overhang and reserve for patching up any cracks that appear during baking. Freeze the crust for 30 minutes.
2. Heat the oven to 350°F. Line the pie crust with parchment and fill with pie weights or beans. Bake for 20 minutes and remove the weights and parchment. Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until just starting to brown. Cool.
3. While the crust is baking, saute onions and mushrooms in oil and butter until soft and mushrooms have given off all of their liquid. Cut asparagus spears so each top piece will fit nicely into the pie dish, from the center to the edge. Grate cheese.
4. Sprinkle half the cheese over the bottom of the pie crust and top with the fillings. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over top. 
5. Whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, and salt until frothy. Pour the custard into the pie crust.
6. Bake the quiche at 350°F for 30 to 40 minutes, until the edges are set but the quiche still jiggles a little in the center. Cool for at least 20 minutes.

At Easter, we baked the quiche on Saturday night, cooled it, then stored in the fridge overnight, as instructed on the site. We warmed it in a 325°F oven for nearly 40 minutes on Sunday morning, and it was still so cold in the middle we had to heat the slices in the microwave (since everything else was ready). Yesterday, I put the entire thing together in the morning and it was pretty quick and easy. At the most, I might prepare the filling and crust the night before, but put it together and bake it fresh when I'm ready to serve.

A Tale of Two Bruschetta

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... 

Wait - we're talking crunchy bread, cheese and delicious toppings...what's the"worst" part of that?!

Both of these delicious apps start with a French baguette, sliced on the bias and crisped in the oven. Let's say 10 - 15 mins., in a 350 - 400 degree oven....depending on how thickly you slice the bread and how hot your oven is. 

Change up the cheese and the veggies and you have two very diferent - but equally delicious - appetizers. Both came from food blogs I follow and admire - check them out!
Creamy Mushroom Bruchetta

Ingredients:

• 1 baguette,  sliced on the bias and crisped in the oven
• 2 8-oz. containers mascarpone cheese, room temp
• 1 lb. mixed mushrooms, diced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• juice of half a lemon
• truffle salt (optional)
• chopped chives (optional)

Method:

1. Using a damp paper towel or clean sponge, brush the caps of each mushroom then remove and discard any hard stems. Chop mushrooms into large dice.
2. Preheat a large skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil, and then sauté mushrooms, stirring until golden brown, 5-8 minutes. Sprinkle in a teaspoon of salt, butter, thyme and garlic and sauté, stirring until the butter has absorbed then squeeze lemon juice over the mushrooms.
3. To assemble, spread mascarpone cheese onto each bread slice then top with mushrooms and a pinch of truffle salt and chopped chives.

Check out the original recipe here.

 Goat Cheese, Red Pepper & Caper Bruchetta

Ingredients:

• 5 oz. spreadable goat cheese
• 1/2 cup diced roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
• 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 1/2 cup capers, drained
• zest of one lemon

Method:

1. Heat vegetable oil in a small skillet over med-high heat until shimmering. Pat capers dry with paper towels, add to skillet (they should be just covered with oil) and fry until lightly browned and they open like flowers, about 1-2 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
2. Assemble bruschetta: place a tablespoon of goat cheese onto crostini; add red peppers, capers and lemon zest.

Check out the original recipe here.

Crimson Pear

This martini is from one of my favorite bars in Newburyport, 10 Center Street.

All you need is one part pear vodka, one part pomegranate juice, one part champagne.

Shake the vodka and juice in a martini shaker with plenty of ice. Pour into martini glass, and finish with champagne. Garnish with a lime wedge is desired.

Sip and enjoy.  Happy Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Saturday!