WOW.  I cannot believe it's been a year since we first started posted our recipes!  I mean can you believe it?  I can hardly believe it (say that like an old man from Long Island and then tell me what movie that line is from!).

For our 1st anniversary we thought it would be fun to have a virtual progressive dinner at each of our houses, since we wish we could actually do that in real life!   So we are  going to start with drinks and apps at my house in Michigan (Rachel), then move to dinner at Emily's in New Jersey, and finally finish the night with dessert with Mandy in New Hampshire.  We hope you enjoy having dinner with us!

Come on over for cocktails at my house...Refreshing Watermelon Margaritas!

For these fresh and sweet treats you will need:
1/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1/3 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
3 Tbs granulated sugar (plus more for sugaring the rims of your glasses)
3 cups of cubed watermelon (I like to freeze the watermelon first so your drink is automatically cold when you blend it!)
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup tequila
Club Soda (enough to fill each glass 1/3 of the way)
Strawberries and limes for garnish

Run a lime wedge around the edge or your glass and then dip into a plate or bowl of sugar to sugar the rim.  Cut a strawberry and a lime and garnish on the edge of your glass.

Put all ingredients EXCEPT CLUB SODA into the blender.  If your watermelon is not frozen, add a couple ice cubes and leave out the water.  Blend until creamy.

Fill your glass 1/3 of the way full with club soda, then top off with your blended mix.  Give a little stir and enjoy!

And then some appetizers...Sun-Dried Tomato Bruschetta!

This bruschetta is so delicious...I served it with thinly sliced french bread (I know, I should have used Italian since it's Italian food - but French is smaller and more sturdy!).  I also served marinated fresh slices of mozzarella cheese (marinated in olive oil, basil, oregano and S&P).
For the bruschetta you will need:
6-8 roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil, chopped small (I did this in my food processor)
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed 
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar 
1 cup loosely packed fresh basil, chopped
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper (or to taste)
1/2-1 cup fresh parmesan, shredded
1/2 red onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
1 lemon wedge
1 French baguette, cut in 1/2 inch slices
The prep is super easy - just chop it all up nice and tidy and then squeeze the juice from the lemon wedge over the top (just a spritz otherwise it will taste lemony!) and then serve with the baguette slices.  Thanks for coming over to my house!!

Next stop...Emily's for Grilled Scallops & Tuna Bites

For the scallops you will need:
20 jumbo scallops or about 40 regular sized
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp minced fresh oregano
1 tsp minced fresh flat leaf parsley
sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Using a paper towel, brush a little olive oil on the grill grates so the fish doesn't stick when grilling.  Preheat grill to high.  

Rinse and pat dry scallops with a paper towel.  In a small bowl, combine garlic with lemon zest and juice.  Add 1/4 cup olive oil and whisk for 1 minute.  Stir in oregano.  Set this aside to spoon atop grilled scallops.

Brush scallops on both sides with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Grill about 2 minutes on each side.  Arrange on serving platter and spoon sauce on top, then top with fresh parsley garnish.

For the tuna you will need:
1 1/2 - 2 lbs fresh sushi-grade tuna
1 Tbs fresh ground pepper (this is important for a really peppery taste)
1 Tbs sea salt
1 tsp paprika
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon cut into small pcs to serve with tuna

Same as for scallops; using a paper towel, brush a little olive oil on the grill grates so the fish doesn't stick when grilling.  Preheat grill to high.  

Grind your fresh pepper  (you can grind whole peppercorns in a coffee grinder or mini cuisenart, or just use a table pepper grinder and try to measure out a Tablespoon before your arm falls off).  

In a bowl, combine ground pepper, salt and paprika.  Rinse and pat dry tuna with paper towels.  Cut tuna into long thick strips, 1 or 1 1/2" thick.  Roll each pc in the pepper mixture and set on a plate.  Drizzle tuna with 1/4 cup of the olive oil and grill tuna about 1 minute on each of the 4 sides - just until seared.  (see below ***) Set on a plate for a few minutes before checking.  Then cut tuna into equal sized cubes.  Drizzle with remaining olive oil and serve with lemon wedges.

***4 minutes of total grill time should give you medium rare tuna, but cook to your liking. Mine is cooked through in the pics but ideally you want pink centers. 

Now don't eat too much, otherwise you will fall asleep on the ride to Mandy's house like they little cuties...

Last stop...Miranda's for Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Bars!

Our dad is a huge fan of strawberry rhubarb anything.  A few years ago I wanted to make him a delicious dessert but couldnt find a recipe anywhere for what i was picturing, so I came up with this.  I make it multiple times every summer now and have even made it with different fruit combinations.  
For the shortbread crust you will need:
1/2 cup butter (1 stick) room temp.
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
1 cup flour

For the fruit middle you will need:
1 1/2 cup rhubarb stalks chopped into 1/2 inch chunks
1 1/2 cup chopped strawberries
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp cornstarch

For the crumb topping you will need:
1 cup flour
1 cup oats
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 tsp baking soda 
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.  Grease 8x8 inch baking pan (or a pie plate works).  Combine crust butter and conf. sugar in mixer until smooth.  Add crust flour until JUST BARELY combined- overmixing it makes it difficult to spread in pan.  Mixture should still look pretty floury.  Press dough evenly into bottom of pan and bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Meanwhile, heat rhubarb and strawberries in saucepan over medium heat, mashing and stirring it so it gets juicy and doesnt burn on bottom, until tender and juicy.  Stir in the 1/2 cup sugar.  Whisk cornstarch and lemon juice together until smooth and then add to the fruit and boil 1 minute until it thickens slightly.  Set aside. 
Mix all topping ingredients except butter in a bowl.  Then pour melted butter over that and toss with a fork until combined and crumbly.  When shortbread bottom is done, pour fruit over bottom crust.  Pour crumbly topping evenly over fruit.  Bake in oven for approx 25-30 minutes more or until topping is slightly browned and fruit is bubbling.  Cool completely before cutting into squares.  You may make a drizzle for the top with 1/2 cup conf. sugar mixed with 1-2 Tbsp milk if you want (makes a glaze icing).
We really hope you have enjoyed our progressive dinner as much as Remy (above) is enjoying her berry crumble!  It's been a really fun and busy year of creating and cooking and sharing...thanks for visiting and trying our concoction out!  

And a special thanks to my sisters Emily and Mandy for doing this with me - I love you both so much and have had so much fun!  I cannot WAIT to see you both next week!

That reminds me, next week is our family reunion at our parents cabin, so even though we probably won't be posting anything new while we are there, we will be sure to come back with some pictures and new recipes to share after! 

Enjoy your day, week or however long it is until we post again! 

CIAO!

 

made my Emily

Happy 4th of July!  This is a great summery dessert that I have been making for 5 years now.  I don't know why it wasn't one of the first things I posted, but anyway, better late than never.  I make it when we have friends over because it looks good, individual portions, and after eating and drinking a lot, it's not too too heavy in the whole spectrum of desserts.  
So, here it is:  

Step 1, fruit:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tsp real vanilla extract
4 cups of berries of your choice, washed and set aside in a bowl: raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries...
 
Combine sugar, water and vanilla in small saucepan and cook on high.  Let boil only about 2-3 minutes until sugar dissolves.  Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.  Once cooled, add 1/2 amount to fruit and toss gently.  Set the rest aside to use in the parfait cream (Step 3), or another use.
***use extra syrup in your morning coffee or in whipped cream.  Keeps in fridge for about 5 days.
Step 2, oats:
2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 Tbs butter
2 Tbs packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp sea salt 
1/4 cup chopped nuts (I used a combo of sliced almonds and pecans, and smashed them up in a plastic bag first)
1 cup Quaker "Old Fashioned" oats (these are the big oats)

Preheat to 350'.  In a medium non-stick pan, mix all above ingredients together -EXCEPT OATS- over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon.  Once this heats up and gets bubbly, add "old fashioned oats" and toss to coat thoroughly (I use two wooden spoons to toss).  Keep tossing as it continues to cook for another 2 minutes or so.  Then remove from heat, and spread the mixture evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake for about 10 minutes at 350', just until slightly browned.  Set aside to cool.  The oat topping will get crunchy once it cools.    
Step 3, parfait cream:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 Tbs simple syrup (you'll make this in Step 1)
1 cup sour cream
1 Tbs acacia honey (or a good honey.  plain honey is ok too but not quite as tasty)

Whip heavy cream, simple syrup and honey in the mixer with wire whisk attachment, on highest speed, about 3 minutes, until looking solid like whipped cream.  Then add the sour cream and whip for 30 seconds more on high.  

To Assemble:
Layer oats, berries, cream in a glass of some sort to see the layers.  Eat immediately, or within a couple hrs (not to be made ahead).  Garnish with fresh mint leaves, if desired.   
 

made by Rachel

I absolutely love guacamole - good old fashioned guac with avocado, lime, red onion, and jalapenos.  But my whole avocado loving world changed when my friend brought over guacamole with FETA cheese in it.  Not normal, I know, but please trust me on this and try it out.  This "guacamole" recipe is so good you will probably want to eat the whole bowl yourself...oh wait, that's what my husband did with the bowl Kim brought over!  Ok, ok fine that also what I did when I made my own version the next day!  Point being, it's awesome.
This is what I came up with when I tried to re-invent Kim's awesome guac...

You will need:
2 large tomatoes, chopped
2-3 ripe avocados - chopped
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1 large clove garlic, minced/pressed
1 Tbs parsley, chopped
1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs red wine vinegar
1/2 cup feta cheese, chopped (I prefer to use the block of feta and cut it up yourself so you can control how large the chunks are)
S&P to taste

To Make:
Now here is the complicated part...but if I can do it, you can do it!  In a bowl, combine everything but the feta and toss.  Tough stuff, I know, I will try for something a little more challenging next time.

The avocado will break apart a bit but I think leaving it chunkier is better (as opposed to smooth creamy like in traditional guac).  Chop feta and add to bowl and toss.  
Serve with tortilla chips and be careful to not eat the whole bowl before your guests arrive (or just make a double batch so you can eat as much as you want).

And thanks Kim for the great idea!  Feta really does make everything BETTA! 
 

made by Emily

This is a recipe for a breakfast dish involving grits.  Being a Jersey girl, this was the first time I made anything with grits, the first time I ever bought grits, and I think the second time ever eating them.  But, they work in this recipe, and I actually like them, which surprised me.  So if you're a Yankee too and haven't had grits, maybe it's time to try them!
You'll Need:
small amount of butter for pan
Quaker grits, or any other brand you like
1/3-1/2 lb pancetta, chopped up small bite sized pcs
Approx 5 oz (fresh) baby spinach
salt and pepper
2 sprigs of fresh thyme (use leaves only and chop)
3 or 4 oz soft goat cheese
1/3 cup fresh grated parmesan
4 eggs
pinch of grated nutmeg

To Make:
Butter a small baking dish, about 8" diameter and at least 3 1/2 to 4" tall because you'll be layering a few things and you'll need the height (I used a large porcelain ramekin, smaller than a pie dish but much taller).

Preheat oven to 375'.

Cook 2 servings of grits as package indicates to do so.  

In the meantime, cook pancetta in a large frying pan on Medium heat until crispy and browned on all sides (toss every few minutes so it doesn't burn).  Remove and set aside on paper towel.  If there is more than 1 TB of oil in the pan, drain it out until there is only about a tablespoon remaining.  Add the fresh spinach to the hot pan and sprinkle with S & P.   Toss as it wilts and cooks, about 5 minutes.  Add thyme.  Set pan aside off of heat.  

To assemble:
Sprinkle cooked pancetta in the bottom of the buttered baking dish.  When grits are done cooking, season them with S & P and layer them on top of the pancetta in the baking dish.  Sprinkle with half the fresh grated parmesan.  Then top that layer with the cooked spinach/thyme, then the goat cheese.  

Crack 4 eggs on top of everything. 

Top with remaining parmesan and a pinch of nutmeg.
Place in oven on a baking sheet, in case it overflows a bit.  Cook about 20-25 minutes.  (this will vary upon what kind of baking dish you use, but you want the eggs cooked over easy, meaning yolks still runny).

ENJOY!
 

made by Miranda

This potato salad was always a favorite of mine from the deli I worked at growing up.  I don't have their recipe but I think this is pretty close.  It's a great addition to any cookout - just brought this one to a party today and came home with an empty bowl.  You can make it creamier by adding more sourcream (duh) but I tend to make mine slightly dry.
You will need:
5 lb bag of redskin potatoes, washed and quartered
1 cup sourcream
3/4 cup mayo
3/4 cup loosely packed fresh dill, rinsed and chopped
3 Tbsp white vinegar
1/4 tsp salt plus 1 Tbsp for cooking potatoes
1/2 tsp white sugar
Pepper to taste

To make:
Place quartered potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water.  Add 1 Tbsp salt.  Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer and cook, uncovered for about 20 minutes or until tender.  Drain in a colander and immediately sprinkle 3 Tbsp white vinegar over hot potatoes (they absorb it more when hot/warm).  

While potatoes are cooling, mix together in a medium bowl the sourcream, mayo, dill, 1/4 tsp salt (more to taste), sugar and pepper.  Stir until combined.  (Taste this and add more salt if needed but remember that your potatoes will be
slightly salted from the cooking water).  

When potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut into bitesize pieces (the pieces will get a bit smaller as you mix them too) and put them into a large bowl.  Gently fold the sourcream mixture into the potatoes just until potatoes are coated, being careful not to break down the potatoes too much. 

Enjoy!
 

made by Rachel

This is my attempt at recreating my brother in laws amazing pork tacos.  The pork takes a long time to cook but it is super easy considering you basically just dump it all into a crock pot and walk away!  The result is a really tender, slightly sweetened pork with a kick.  It is going to be hard to go back to chicken after this!
You will need (for the pork):
2 bottles of beer (I used lager, Dos Equis)
2 cups orange juice
2 large jalapenos, chopped big
1 large onion, chopped big
4 cloves garlic, left whole
1 habanero, left whole
1 mango, chopped big
1 peach, chopped big
Juice of one lime
4 country style ribs (about 3-4lbs)
*When I say chopped big, I mean cut up but into large enough pieces that you can pick them out later - these ingredients are for flavoring the meat, not for eating.

Combine all the above ingredients in your crock pot and set to high for 6-8 hours.  The meat should be falling off the bone when it is done.  

After the meat is done, strain the juices from the crock AND SAVE THEM!  This is what you will store the meat in (there will be leftovers unless you are making for more than 4 people).

Separate the meat from the rest of the ingredients and discard the rest of the ingredients. Pull the meat off the bone and shred with a fork or loosely chop with a knife.  Go ahead and take a bite...but be warned, if you taste it now there may not be any left for the tacos!

Taco Toppings:
Corn
Black beans
Cilantro
Cheddar
Salsa/Tomatoes
Sour Cream
Limes
You can definitely use whatever toppings you want.  I made a cilantro lime slaw the second time I made these and it was AWESOME.  I will post that recipe soon.  

For the picture above, I roasted the corn and black beans with some S&P and cumin before using as a topping.  Whatever floats your boat I say give it a try.  The real show stopper here is the meat - it's so good! 

Enjoy!
 

made by Emily

I am not a huge carrot fan, but I was looking for something to do with a ton of carrots leftover from a batch of baby food for my 5 month old.  I found this idea from an old, old cookbook that I had dusted off from college days (which is funny, because who cooks in college, besides boiling water for Ramen noodles?).  Anyway, Matt called this "20/20 soup"; because it's pretty much all carrots.  I, however, like to think of it as  "complexion soup" : )  Somehow it's a really good and light, summery soup for dinner, or a tasty starter.  It's VERY easy too.
You'll Need:
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tsp honey
3 tsp ground cumin
3 tsp coriander seeds
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp ground sea salt
Ground black pepper
3 lbs carrots, peeled and cut into even chunks about 1-1 1/2" long
3 cups chicken stock
3 1/2 oz heavy cream
3/4 cup sour cream, for garnish
A few sprigs of cilantro leaves, for garnish
To Make:
Preheat the oven to 400' F. Combine oil, honey, cumin, coriander, cinnamon sticks, 1 tsp sea salt and lots of ground pepper in a roasting pan.  Add the chunks of carrot and mix well to coat all pieces of carrot.  Roast for 1 hour until carrot is tender (toss the carrots once after 30 minutes or so).  
Transfer half the carrot chunks (minus the coriander seeds and cinnamon sticks), 1 1/2 cups of chicken stock, and 1 cup of water to a food processor or blender and blend until completely smooth.  

To get the carrots into the blender without the coriander seeds and cinnamon sticks, just use your fingers and brush them off.  It's pretty easy.  But you don't want the seeds or cinnamon in the blender because it doesn't ground up very well and then you'll have to pick them out of the soup as you eat (I did this the first time I made it and it got a little tedious).  

Transfer the pureed carrot mixture to a soup pot and put on Medium heat.  Then repeat pureeing the remainder of the roasted carrots, another 1 1/2 c. chicken stock and another 1 c. water.  Add this to soup pot too.  Simmer this for about 10 minutes.  Add the cream and season with salt & pepper as needed.  
Garnish with 1/4 tsp sour cream and a little cilantro sprig.     
 

made by Miranda

I am way past Cinco de Mayo, but made these anyway and they were great.  You can
definitely taste the tequila and lime in them - but don't be scared, they are still sweet and delicious!  I made them with part butter and part vegetable oil because while I like the butter flavor, the oil helps them stay moist :) 
Makes about 12 cupcakes

For the cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 Tbsp soft butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
Zest and juice of 1 1/2 limes
2 Tbsp tequila (for the batter)
1/2 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1-2 Tbsp tequila (to brush on after baking)

For the frosting:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, soft
1 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp tequila
Large pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups confectioners sugar (perhaps more)

Cream butter and sugar then add oil and mix well.  Add eggs and lime and 2 Tbs of tequila.  (mixture will look curtled after this but keep going!) Add dry ingredients, alternating with buttermilk, then add vanilla.  

Bake at 325F for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean (cupcakes will still look very light when done- dont overbake).  

Brush with 1-2 Tbsp tequila when they are warm.   Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then move to wire rack to cool completely.  

To make frosting, cream butter on high for about 5 minutes.  Add lime juice, tequila, salt and vanilla until smooth (scrape sides) then add confectioners sugar and beat until smooth.  Add sugar as needed until desired consistency.  
Olè!  Oops, I mean ENJOY!

NOTE: Make sure you use good tequila because you can definitely taste it!
 

made by Rachel

Lately I have been making a lot of my own salad dressings...which I never before realized could be so simple and so delicious!  My new favorite go-to is a dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar vinaigrette.  It's a little sweet, got a bit of a kick from the dijon, and goes really well with a light, summery salad.
You will need:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup canola oil (this is what I used but I imagine any oil will do)
1 heaping Tbs good dijon mustard
2 tsp honey
S&P to taste

SO simple.  You just whisk all those ingredients together and voila!  I like to use fresh cracked pepper rather than all ready ground for a bit more flavor.  And I tend to like this dressing most on a salad with a little bit of sweetness to it (like fresh strawberries or candied walnuts or something).  

Note: You can make your own candied walnuts super easily by simply heating up granulated sugar in a saucepan.  As the sugar heats up, swirl it around until it's all melted and turning caramel colored.  Once all melted pour in a bunch of walnuts and stir to coat.  Turn the walnuts out onto a cutting board and cool.  As they cool they will harden and then you can chop them up and throw them on your salad.  YUM!
 

made by Emily

This recipe is rich and delicious comfort food, not for the dieters.... But for once in a while it's totally worth it.  It's so good.  This is from the Pioneer Woman website, which I love.  Her recipes are great, and she's so entertaining!  I love her humor.  Anyway, I only altered it slightly because I wanted to make this slightly "lighter", haha, which is funny to say when we're talking about a pasta recipe with bacon and cream and cheese.... so there's nothing light about it really, except that I wanted to remove some of the pancetta grease from the pan before cooking the leeks.  Otherwise it's pretty much the same idea. 
You'll Need:
10 oz bowtie pasta
1/2-3/4 lb pancetta, chopped small (or you can slice it large as in my picture, and break it up after cooking when it's crispy - I hate cutting pancetta!)
3-5 leeks, cleaned well and sliced into small pcs (5 thin leeks or 3 fat leeks)
1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs butter
1/2 cup white or red wine (I used red because that's all I had, Pioneer Woman uses white)
1/2 cup heavy cream
Fresh Parmesan to sprinkle on top
S & P to taste
To Make:

Start pasta water.  Cook pasta til al dente, reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, and drain the pasta.  

While waiting for pasta water to boil, cook pancetta on medium heat in a large frying pan or deep pot to avoid grease splatter (if you have a metal splatter shield that helps avoid mess/burn).  
Toss so all sides cook til crispy brown looking.  Dry on paper towels and set aside.  
Wipe pan almost clean with paper towels, leaving at most a tablespoon of grease in the pan.  Add leaks, olive oil and butter, and cook 5 minutes or so.   Add wine and stir, scrape down the pot to get all the flavors incorporated.  Cook for another minute, then turn heat off and add cream.     
Keep pan on burner, just turn the heat off while you stir in the cream.   Add cooked pasta and pancetta to the pan with leeks and toss to coat everything.  If it seems dry, you can add a little of the reserved pasta water. 
Serve with fresh grated parmesan on top - Mmmm.  This dish tastes good room temp too.