S'mores Bars

Where has this dessert been all my life?? So very yum!! 10+/10!

Link to original recipe: https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/smores-bars-marshmallow-meringue

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

bottom layer--

3 c. finely crushed graham crackers

1 1/2 sticks (12 T.) unsalted butter, melted

2 T. light brown sugar (packed)

1/4 tsp. fine sea salt

middle layer--

1 stick cold, unsalted butter, cut in large pats

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, broken into pieces

1 1/4 c. sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. fine sea salt

2 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 c. all-purpose flour

top layer--

3 large egg whites

3/4 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

Directions:

1. For the bottom layer: Heat oven to 350°F. Line a 9" square baking pan with aluminum foil, with overhang on at least 2 sides. 

2. In a medium bowl, mix all bottom layer ingredients together (graham crackers, melted butter, brown sugar, and sea salt) until well combined (it will be a crumbly texture). Press crumbs  into prepared baking pan in an even layer. Bake for 8-10 min, until lightly browned. Let cool completely.

3. For the middle layer: Heat oven to 350°F. In a double boiler, melt and stir together the butter and chocolate, until smooth and completely combined.

4. Remove top pan from the double boiler (to remove from heat). Whisk in the sugar, vanilla extract, and sea salt. Then whisk in the eggs until smooth, followed by the flour, stirring until just combined.

5. Pour the chocolate mixture and spread evenly over the cooled bottom layer. Bake for 25 minutes; edges will be set, middle will be slightly jiggly. Let cool completely.

6. For the top layer: Heat broiler (hi) with rack 8" from boiler. Broil for 1 min, just enough to brown the tips. (Alternatively, this could be done with a kitchen torch.)

Chicken Cordon Bleu En Croûte

Fancy dinner that's not terribly time-consuming? Yes, it does exist, and it's this very recipe! This is soooo very tasty, absolutely wonderful.

Original recipe credit: https://railroadwifeintexas.wordpress.com/2018/02/17/chicken-cordon-bleu-en-croute/

Recipe below contains my modifications. We made this for 5 people, thus the ingredients reflect this.

Ingredients:

5 portions of boneless, skinless chicken breasts (around 5-6 oz. each), pounded to around 1/2" thick, around 4" x 3" each

salt and pepper, to taste

~1 T. olive oil

1 T. butter

2 sheets puff pastry dough (you will not use all of this; we made cinnamon twists out of the remainder), rolled out to around twice its size (for each)

10 slices Swiss cheese (we tried to slice from a chunk of Swiss, came out on the thick side, so I'm approximating here)

5 slices Black Forest ham (from deli counter; we used Kretschmar brand, sliced thickness level 3)

1 egg beaten with 1 T. water

for the pan sauce--

2 T. butter

1 small shallot, minced

2 T. all-purpose flour

1/2 c. Chardonnay (we used Barefoot)

3/4 c. chicken broth

1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, chopped

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400°F. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment and set aside.

2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and butter together over medium to medium-high heat. Brown the chicken pieces in batches (do NOT crowd!), around 3 min. per side (they do not have to be cooked all the way through). Transfer to a plate and do NOT clean the skillet.

3. Cut each puff pastry sheet into fourths. One each fourth, place a slice of the ham, 2 slices of the Swiss cheese, and one of the pieces of chicken. Pull the edges of the dough up/over/around to cover everything and press to close/seal as best you can (don't worry if there are some little holes/cheese poking through/whatever). Place each on the prepared baking sheet.

4. Brush the tops of the dough of each "package" with the beaten egg/water mixture. Transfer to oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. After removing from oven, let cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet.

5. While the chicken is baking, about 15 minutes before it is done, start the sauce. Return the chicken skillet to medium heat and add the butter (from the sauce ingredients list). Once it is heated, add the shallot and cook until softened and slightly browned.

6. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for around 1 minute. Add the wine to deglaze the pan, scraping the browned bits up as you stir.

7. Add the chicken broth and continue, cooking and stirring until reduced by around half.

8. Serve the sauce alongside the baked chicken and enjoy!

Ritz Cracker Crumb Baked Cod

Very tasty! This may be the first time I've ever made a cod dish, and it was quite good. The package I got was just 3 filets (from Aldi); the original recipe had 4, so I adapted a bit, but should have done more. I believe I should have reduced the liquid slightly, and definitely did not need nearly so much of the breading mixture (should have also not put any excess in the liquid; will not add the excess to the sauce area going forward--directions reflect this change).

Link to original recipe: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/baked-cod-with-garlic-and-herb-ritz-crumbs-11982578

Recipe below contains my modifications (I am listing what I think will work best next time I make this).

Ingredients:

1 1/2 T. olive oil

3/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. coarse ground black pepper

10 Ritz crackers, crushed to crumbs

3 T. panko

1 1/2 T. curly parsley, chopped

1/2 T. bottled minced garlic

1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest

2 T. unsalted butter, melted

3 T. dry white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc)

1 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400°F. Pour the olive oil in a 9" x 9" (or 10" x 7.5", which is what I used) ceramic baking dish. Place the cod filets in the olive oil, then turn to coat. Season with the kosher salt and pepper, then transfer to the oven. Bake for 10 min.

2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the Ritz crumbs, panko, garlic, lemon zest, and melted butter.

3. When the fish has finished baking for 10 minutes, remove from oven. Pour the white wine and lemon juice over the fish, then top the filets with the crumb mixture (it's okay if a few crumbs get in the liquid surrounding the fish, but try to avoid it as much as possible).

4. Return the fish to oven and bake for 12 more minutes. Serve with drizzled with the sauce and enjoy!

Stovetop Parsley Potatoes

These potatoes are simple and easy. Thank you to my mom for this recipe!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb. yellow potatoes, cut in large chunks

water, enough to almost cover potatoes

~3 T. salted butter

kosher salt, to taste

chopped fresh curly parsley, to taste

Directions:

1. Place potatoes in a medium saucepan. Pour enough water over potatoes to almost cover them (should still see tops of potatoes poking out of water).

2. Add the butter, kosher salt, and parsley to the pan and cover. Put heat to medium and bring to simmer, then open the lid but leave on pan (propped open/still sort of covering).

3. Let cook until potatoes are fork-tender. Serve using a slotted spoon (there will be some liquid still left at the bottom). Enjoy!

Broiled Salmon with Citrusy Salsa

Ohhh is this ever so good!!! Made this with my mom and we all raved about it, particularly the salsa topping. Was excellent with her stovetop parsley potatoes.

Original recipe credit: https://www.hy-vee.com/recipes-ideas/recipes/sticky-citrus-salmon-with-lemon-salsa

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

3 Meyer lemons (yes, they must be Meyer, not regular lemons), divided

2 T. Meyer lemon juice

1/2 of a shallot, thinly sliced

1/2 c. olive oil

2 T. fresh curly parsley, finely chopped

1 T. fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

2 tsp. Culinary Tours lemongrass tamarind sauce

1/4 c. dark brown sugar (packed0

6 cloves garlic, minced

4 skinless salmon filets (4 to 6 oz. each, no more than 3/4" thick)

Directions:

1. Peel 2 of the lemons. Finely chop the peel of 1 of the lemons and place in a medium bowl. Roughly chop the inner/segmented parts of both lemons and place in the bowl. Juice the remaining 1 lemon to obtain the 2 T. lemon juice, then add the juice to the bowl.

2. Add the shallot, olive oil, parsley, rosemary, pepper, and kosher salt to the bowl. Mix to combine and set aside.

3. Heat oven broiler on "high". Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

4. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the lemongrass tamarind sauce, brown sugar, and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until sauce simmers and thickens slightly (2-3 min). Remove from heat.

5. Place salmon filets on prepared baking sheet. Top each filet with a small amount of sauce and spread to cover as best you can.

6. Transfer to oven. Broil for 7-8 minutes, until salmon flakes easily / reaches 145°F internal temperature.

7. Plate the salmon, serve topped with some of the reserved salsa mixture and enjoy!

Pepper Steak Stir-Fry

Yum yum! Really loved this one, which was already easy, yet more so thanks to the pre-sliced beef specifically labeled for "stir fry" that we (my mom & I) got from her local Wal-Mart (not a place I normally shop, but not much other choices where she lives). The super thin strips cooked quickly and were the perfect texture in the stir-fry.

Link to original recipe: https://www.eatwell101.com/pepper-steak-stir-fry-recipe

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

6 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 c. brown sugar (packed)

1 c. low-sodium soy sauce (we used regular; it worked, but was a bit on the salty side)

4 tsp. toasted sesame oil

2 tsp. ground ginger

2 tsp. Frank's red hot sauce

2 T. cornstarch

2 bell peppers, thinly sliced (we used 1 orange, 1 yellow)

2 T. olive oil, divided

1 lb. stir-fry sliced beef (flank steak or skirt steak work great, too), seasoned with freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Directions:

1. In a small or medium bowl, stir together the garlic cloves, brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, Frank's sauce, and cornstarch. Set aside.

2. Heat 1 T. of the olive oil over medium to medium-high heat. Add the sliced bell peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until they have reached desired softness (we like ours barely crisp, so we went around 5 min.) Transfer to plate.

3. Add the remaining 1 T. of olive oil. Once it has heated, add the sliced beef. Cook, stirring frequently, until nearly all pink is gone. You may need to do this in batches, as you do NOT want to crowd the pan (if you crowd it, the meat will boil rather than 'fry'). Transfer to same plate as the peppers.

4. Reduce heat to medium. Add the reserved sauce mixture to pan and bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. Once it begins to simmer, return the peppers and beef to the pan. Stir to coat, cooking for around 1 more minute.

5. Serve with desired side (we made rice) and enjoy!

Prosciutto-Wrapped Grilled Pork Medallions

Ready for grilling season? Give this recipe a try, it's awesome! Super easy, too. And foil-packet potatoes and onions makes a great accompaniment. 

Original recipe credit: https://www.cuisineathome.com/recipes/lunch-dinner/prosciutto-wrapped-pork-medallions-with-fiorentina-sauce/

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

2 pork tenderloins (ours were around 2.2 lbs total), trimmed, sliced in 2 1/2" segments

olive oil, for brushing

salt, to taste

peppercorn medley, to grind/to taste

5-10 slices of prosciutto (depends on how many segments you end up with; you will need one for each)

for the sauce--

1/3 c. olive oil

2 tsp. lemon zest

1 T. fresh lemon juice

1 T. fresh, chopped sage

2 tsp. fresh, chopped rosemary

2 tsp. fresh, minced garlic

Directions:

1. Prepare/light your grill.

2. Meanwhile, brush the pork medallions all over with olive oil. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper medley. Wrap each with a slice of prosciutto and tie with kitchen string.

3. For the sauce: Combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl.

4. Grill the medallions for 5 min. per side, or until internal temperature is 145°F.

5. Transfer the medallions to a plate, cover, and let rest for 5 min. Serve topped with the sauce (or on the side, as we did) and enjoy!