Key Lime Pie for Cheaters. No Apology Necessary.

For Father's Day this year I had my dad and stepmom over for a nice lunch. I made chicken fried chicken, chipotle and white cheddar garlic mashed potatoes, spinach salad and key lime pie.

My dad has a huge sweet tooth so initially I had higher ambitions than key lime pie using bottled key lime juice. But being pretty pregnant at that point something had to give and as I looked at the cheesecake recipe I'd pulled out the night before I realized it was a little ambitious in addition to making everything else including the salad dressing from scratch.

I found a bottle of Nellie and Joe's Key West Lime Juice in my pantry along with a chocolate graham cracker pie crust and off we went. And here's the thing. It didn't matter. I'd put this pie up against a made from scratch one any day. I jazzed things up a little with a sweetened sour cream topping and fresh lime zest. The sour cream topping was a component of my mom's cheesecake growing up and it added a nice counterpart to the sweet key lime filling (something a little different than whipped cream.)

If I had one thing to do over I'd have made the chocolate graham cracker crust from scratch. It wouldn't have added much time to the recipe and probably would've taken it up a whole other level but in a pinch you can't beat a tasty pie that you can whip together in five minutes flat.

Nellie and Joe's Key Lime Pie
*Slightly Adapted by Alisa Wixom

Ingredients:
1 (9 inch) prepared chocolate graham cracker pie shell (regular is fine too)
14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup Nellie and Joe's Key West Lime Juice (from a bottle found in grocery store)
1 (16 oz) carton sour cream
heaping 1/4 cup powdered sugar
zest of 1 lime

How To:
Preheat oven to 350. Combine the condensed milk, egg yolks and lime juice together in a medium bowl. Blend until smooth. Pour the filling into the prepared pie shell and bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes on a pie rack. While the pie cools, combine the sour cream and powdered sugar together until well mixed. Spread the mixture evenly over the whole pie (you probably won't need or want all of it but up to you.) Garnish the top with lime zest and a thin slice of lime if desired.

Cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled. Will last for 3 days in the fridge.

Giada's Lemon Cumin Chicken

This is the simplest yet tastiest marinade I've tried in a long time. I plan to use it on steak. And salmon. And pretty much anything but horse. Seriously what gives Oklahoma? Lifting the horse slaughter ban? WTH??

Speaking of horses mine's name is Layla and she's the color of a rainstorm. I wish I could pack her in my suitcase when I go out of town along with my dog and DVR player.

But back to the marinade. I haven't been this excited about grilled chicken since I became pregnant. It is SO good. It made me think I was eating something sexy like a bacon double cheeseburger or chili cheese fries instead of lean 'ol boneless skinless chicken breasts.

So there you have it. Magical, transformative, bringing-chicken's-sexy-back marinade.

Lemon-Cumin Chicken

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Marinade:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Zest of 1 large lemon
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Four 4- to 6-ounce boneless skinless chicken breasts

Pesto:
1 1/2 packed cups fresh mint leaves (about 1 large bunch)
1 packed cup baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (see Cook's Note)
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (from 1/2 a large lemon)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Vegetable oil cooking spray

Directions:
For the marinade: In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper flakes until smooth. Add the chicken and toss until coated with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight. (Can also be made in a resealable plastic bag.)

For the pesto: In a food processor, blend the mint, spinach, cheese, walnuts, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper until chunky. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil until smooth.

Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Spray the grill lightly with vegetable oil cooking spray. Remove the chicken from the marinade. Discard the marinade. Grill the chicken until cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Place on a platter and serve with the pesto.

Marilyn's Peach Crisp

This is my mom's crisp. Or depending on where you from - cobbler, crumble, buckle, etc. Basically a quick dough poured over fruit and baked until the fruit is sweeter and more sinful than it could have ever dreamed of being.

The only other peach cobbler I've made was Rebecca Rather's and it was delicious so I couldn't help but be suspicious of a recipe this simple. Then my sister made it and got raves so of course I had to make it.

We were in a hurry to get to Corpus for the weekend so I went ahead and mixed the dry ingredients together in a large ziploc and packed the butter separate in the cooler, softening it later in the microwave until just slightly melty but still generally together. Out of laziness (and not wanting to dirty another dish in a stranger's kitchen) I tossed the butter in the ziploc, smushed it around until all blended then poured the mixture over the sliced peaches. Not sure if I'll do it any other way from here on out. This was the devil in a blue dress. Or a glass baking dish, as was the case here.

Here's to the ziploc method! And to moms!

Marilyn's Peach Crisp
Ingredients:
4-5 large peaches, or about 8 of the smaller kind (ones slightly large than a golf ball, a la Fredericksburg peaches this time of year)
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt (I use kosher)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cups salted butter, softened (see method below)

vanilla extract (couple dashes)

Method:
Preheat the oven to 375. Butter or spray a 9x9 (8x8 works too) glass or pyrex dish and set aside.

If you're up to it, peel the peaches. I generally peel the first few then stop out of laziness and an urgency to get the crisp in the oven. Cut them into smaller 1/2 inch thick slices and add to the prepared dish, spreading out into an even layer. Make sure you leave out the pits;)

Sprinkle the peaches with a couple dashes pure vanilla extract (not necessary but my addition.)

In a large bowl (or ziploc), mix the flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon together. Set aside while you soften the butter.

Soften the butter in the microwave on a small plate for just a few seconds until softened. In other words, the butter should still be cohesive, but just melty enough to have a little pool of its own goldenness around it.

Add the butter to the flour mixture and stir around (or smush if using the ziploc) until just blended together.

Crumble over the prepared peaches, in as even as a layer as possible.

Bake for 45-50 minutes until the top is just golden bronze (do not burn though) and the peaches are bubbling away underneath. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving with ice cream or whipped cream.

Buffalo Chicken Kabobs with Blue Cheese Dip

                                      

I got psyched when I daydreamed this recipe. Mostly because I like anything with the word 'buffalo' in the name. I'm super original that way.

But after making them, I got even more excited. They're almost like tandoori (super moist delicious Indian kabobs) but buffalo flavored. And spicy as an ant pile.

As for the sauce, I have no words. Hide your kids. Hide your wife. It's about to get crazy up in here.

I could make this recipe every day for the rest of my life, just swapping out different kinds of meat for the chicken. Salmon would be amazing. Beef would make me weep. And if the squirrels don't stop chewing on the side of my house they too might be bound for buffalo glory.

Buffalo Chicken Kabobs with Blue Cheese Dip

Kabob Marinade:
1 package boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch cubes
7 oz greek yogurt, either 2% or whole (not fat free)
1/4 cup Frank's Red Hot sauce, or your favorite brand hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon vegetable or canola oil
2 fat green onions (white and green parts), chopped
2 smashed garlic cloves, or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
zest of 1 small lime
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (use less if using table salt!)
fresh ground black pepper
Wooden skewers (soak in water for 30 minutes before skewing/grilling)

Mix the marinade ingredients (yogurt through the black pepper) together until all blended and friendly in a medium bowl. Transfer to a large ziploc and add the chicken smushing around until all pieces are well coated. Refrigerate overnight, removing half an hour before threading onto skewers and grilling. THERE IS NO NEED TO SALT THE KABOBS BEFORE GRILLING AS THE MARINADE IS QUITE SALTY.

To grill, heat an outdoor grill to 375. Oil the grates so the kabobs won't stick (grease a folded paper towel with peanut or veg oil use tongs to swipe it along the grates.) Add the kabobs 'against the grain' from where the grates are positioned so no chicken falls through, and close the lid for 4 minutes. Try picking up to see if you have grill marks on the underside. If so, flip over and cook another 4-5 minutes until cooked through, if not cook another 1-2 minutes before checking again and flipping.

Remove and serve with dip, below.

Dip (would also make a killer dip for veg/crackers/etc:)
zest of a small lemon
1-2 green onions, sliced thin
1/3 cup light sour cream
1/4 cup light mayo
1/4 cup blue cheese or gorgonzola
salt, but only if needed after tasting and to taste

Mix altogether and store in the refrigerator until needed. Can be made the day before. Serve with the kabobs. Or as a dip for veg and crackers. Or fingers.

Zesty Chopped Chicken Salad with Vibrant Verde Dressing

Oh hi. How are you? Long time no talk.

It's my fault. Between work and a bad run of luck with my animals I haven't been in the mood to write lately. But I'm putting the 'woe is me' behind and getting back in the saddle, starting with...a salad.

I know I know. It's hard to get jazzed about salad. But when my husband (who has the palate of a 12 year old) got jazzed about this salad I knew I had to share it.

As for me, I'm perfectly happy with some arugula dressed with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and parmesan. But my husband is not. He calls this 'half ass salad.' So if I want to serve salad as dinner I have to go all out. Lots of textures, lots of surprises, LOTS of flavor.

I will now utter the phrase I most detest from fellow foodies. Deep breath... Making your own croutons really makes a difference here. Like a major, ginormous, cute and perky Lindsay Lohan in Mean Girls versus scary plastic Lindsay Lohan today difference. See how much I feel like I have to justify sounding like a douche? Okay I feel better.

Anyway, they really do make a difference. And if lazy a#$ like me can do it, you can do it. You get crunch from the freshly toasted ciabatta chunks, toasted pecans and juicy tart apple, creamy savoriness from black beans and cheddar cheese, and a kick of flavor from jalapeño slices and chopped green onion. Chicken breast seasoned with coriander makes it a meal (for the guys) while a bright yet creamy green onion dressing (honestly you would think it had cream in it - it's awesome) keeps every bite as refreshing as the one before.

I used bagged shredded ice burg mixed with a couple handfuls of arugula but I think any kind of lettuce would do.

Alright then. Just wanted to say I'm back and am dying to know everything you're up to. And remember the proportions below are up to you. If you like something a lot, just add more of it.

PS - this dressing would be good on an old shoe. I have half a mind to bottle and sell it.

Zesty Chopped Chicken Salad with Vibrant Verde Dressing
Serves 2 hungry people as a main or 4-6 as a side. And as a side, I'd probably omit the chicken!
* Feel free to sub roasting your own chicken breast for the white meat from a rotisserie chicken - about 3/4 cup.

Vibrant Verde Green Onion Dressing:
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon honey, or more to taste
1/2 jalapeño (deseeded, deveined) chopped
1/2 cup canola oil or olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (or half teaspoon jalapeño salt and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, if you don't have a jalapeño)
Good pinch freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cumin

In a blender or food processor, blend the green onions through the cumin until gorgeous, smooth and bright greenl. Store in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before tasting, then make any adjustments as far as salt or pepper. If you feel it needs to be sweeter, stir in a pinch of sugar (honey won't break down once the dressing is cold - sugar's your gal.)

Salad Ingredients:
1 (8 oz) bag of shredded iceberg lettuce
large handful of arugula
3 tablespoons black beans, rinsed and patted dry
2-3 tablespoons pecan pieces, toasted
1/3 cup shredded cheddar (I use 2%) or more to taste
1/4 cup pickled jalepeno slices, mild or hot, to taste
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup cubed apple
3/4 cup homemade croutons (1 ciabatta roll, cut into 1/2 inch cubes seasoned with coriander, salt pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil, baked at 325 for 18 minutes or just until golden brown. Let cool to room temp before serving. Extras can be stored in a plastic bag for 5 days.)
1 boneless skinless chicken breast, patted dry, seasoned with salt, pepper and coriander and a dash of olive oil, baked at 375 for 15-18 minutes (depending on size) torn into chunks
pinch black pepper and tiny pinch of salt
Vibrant Verde Dressing (above), to taste

In a large bowl, toss all ingredients (iceberg through the chicken and salt and pepper.) Add the dressing, a tablespoon at a time until to the consistency/flavor you like. Adjust any salt/pepper and serve.

Juicy Lucies (cheese-stuffed burgers) with Texas Tapenade

Have you ever had a Juicy Lucy? I hadn't even heard of them until I moved to Minneapolis several years ago. I have to say, they may be the sole reason worth suffering through a midwest winter. A Juicy Lucy is just a burger with a pocket of gooey molten cheese hidden inside. Our favorites were the lucies at Adrian's Bar and Grill - a wonderful old dive bar in south Minneapolis. Dang they were GOOOOD...

Adrian's I believe were made with cheddar but cheddar didn't seem quite right with turkey burgers for some reason so I decided to try a trio of white cheeses here and wasn't disappointed. The accompaniment - Texas Tapenade - is more a sun dried tomato pesto than a true tapenade, the Texan element being jalapeno stuffed olives. If you don't have those on hand, feel free to substitute regular jumbo green olives or even kalamata or black olives along with a good pinch of red pepper flakes for that southern heat wave element. Yeee haw!

PS - don't be upset if your burgers separate into two patties by the end of cooking exposing the cheesy goodness inside. That's just Lucy flirting with you....

Juicy Lucies with Texas Tapenade
Serves 4.
* The tapenade is great on crostini or with crackers as an appetizer or snack or on any number of sandwiches.

Burgers:
1 package (1.3 pounds) ground lean turkey
1/4 cup minced shallots (2 regular)
1 garlic clove, minced
zest of 1 large lemon
2 tablespoons shredded parmesan
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
fresh cracked pepper
4 English muffins, toasted or griddled

In a large bowl, combine the minced shallots, garlic, lemon zest, parmesan, salt, and pepper with a fork until evenly mixed. Add the turkey meat and gently combine with your hands trying to incorporate everything evenly but not overwork the meat. Set aside while you make the juicy filling.

Juicy Filling:
3 oz goat cheese
2 tablespoons parmesan
2 tablespoons shredded mozzarella
good grating fresh nutmeg
fresh cracked pepper
dash salt
splash half and half or heavy cream, just enough to bind all the cheeses together without making it too wet/mushy

Mix the cheese, nutmeg pepper and salt together with fork. Add JUST enough half and half or heavy cream to help them make friends and bind being careful not to make it to 'wet' as you'll need to form the mixture into little patties. Once combined, use your hands to make little flattened discs. I confess to getting 5 out of them and only 4 burgers of the meat mixture, so you might want to reserve the 5th patty for another use (cracker spread/etc.)

To form the juicy lucies, gather enough ground meat in your palm (about the amount it would take to make a jumbo sized meatball or a thin hamburger patty.) Gently press and turn with your hands to make a patty, ensuring you'll have enough of an 'edge' around your cheese disc so that you can seal it. Set the patty on a greased surface then set the cheese disc in the center. Create another thin patty out of the meat mixture and place it over the cheese disc. You'll need to carefully pick it up and turn the juicy lucy in your hands as you gently press and crimp the edges together, ensuring you've got a good seal. Set aside and complete the rest of the patties. (After forming, you can either refrigerate for up to 8 hours, covered, or cook right away.)

To cook, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Season the burgers on the top sides with salt and pepper. Grill or pan fry until golden on both sides - about 4 minutes per side, ensuring you don't have too high a flame so that the cheese melts through but doesn't liquify too early in the cooking process and leak out (also be careful when flipping - remembering your delicate little package inside.) Transfer to the 400 degree oven for 5 minutes to cook all the way through. Remove and let 'rest' for five minutes, lightly tented with foil, before serving.

Serve with Texas Tapenade (below) on toasted English muffins.

Texas Tapenade Ingredients:
3/4 cup sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained (reserve oil)
1 clove garlic
2 jumbo jalapeno-stuffed green olives (or regular jumbo olives plus a pinch of red pepper flakes)
zest of a small lemon (or half a large one)
2 tablespoons pine nuts (toasted)
2-3 sprigs boxwood (pistou) basil or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
1-2 teaspoons oil from the sun dried tomatoes
fresh cracked black pepper

Texas Tapenade Directions:
If you have the time or energy, give the sun dried tomatoes and garlic clove a rough chop. If not, just chuck them all into the blender and pulse a few times. Add the green olives and pulse again until there are no large chunks of olive left (unless you like your tapenade on the chunky side.) Add the lemon zest, pine nuts, basil, oil from the sun dried tomatoes and some fresh cracked pepper and pulse again until well blended. Decide wether you want to add more oil or not (there is a never ending battle at our house between my husband and me - I like my pesto on the drier side - he the liquidy side...) make any adjustments necessary and either refrigerate for up to 3 days before using or serve right away.

Balsamic Marinated Strawberry Salad with Red Onions and Goat Cheese

My new favorite summer salad. Don't skimp on the fresh black pepper - it takes it to another level. With all the bright, sharp flavors going on here, I can't help but think of this as an adult version of a strawberry milkshake. With every bite, my taste buds want to scream 'Summer!'

And to make it even more summery, it requires minimal energy on your part. No whisking up a complicated dressing or cutting up lots of different ingredients.

Viva La Summer!

Balsamic Marinated Strawberry Salad with Red Onions and Goat Cheese
Serves 2.
* Strawberries and balsamic vinegar should be combined and refrigerated at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours ahead of time.
* If you don't have lemon flavored olive oil, use regular and give the berries a spritz of lemon when you add the oil.

Ingredients:
4 large strawberries, stems removed and quartered
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Pinch salt
Good grating fresh black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon flavored olive oil
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion (about 1/4 of a medium red onion)
4 kalamata olives, pits remove and broken into small chunks with your fingers
Additional pinch salt and more pepper if desired
1/2 cup croutons
Couple hefty handfuls fresh basil leaves
1 handful fresh mint leaves
Pinch boxwood basil leaves, optional
1 oz goat cheese, divided, or more to taste

Directions:
Add the quartered strawberries, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to a large ziploc or plastic container. Toss well, seal and refrigerate for at least 2 and up to 8 hours.

Remove from fridge and add 1 tablespoon lemon flavored olive oil. Let sit while you slice the onions, then add the onions to the berries. Break up the kalamata olives and add to the mixture along with another pinch salt and pepper. If you are nearly ready to eat, stir in the croutons and set aside (you want them slightly softened by the vinegar but not obliterated by it.) If not, wait until five minutes before you eat.

Meanwhile, plate a handful of fresh basil leaves per salad plate along with some freshly torn mint and/or other fresh herbs (some boxwood basil leaves are fantastic!) to your liking. Divide the berry/balsamic/onion/olive/crouton mixture between the plates over the top of the herbs, then the goat cheese, breaking up into bits with your fingers.

Serve right away, with additional fresh cracked pepper if desired.