Blueberry Lemon Tart

I was very excited to host a dinner for
friends this weekend. It was so much fun!

The menu was Italian, of course.
For appetizers I made Stuffed Cherry
Tomatoes (the recipe is on blog) and
Italian Bread with Basil Pesto.
Dinner was Sausage or Cheese Stuffed Shells
and salad.
For dessert I made both a Chocolate Nanaimo Bars
and a Blueberry Lemon Tart.

I believe that the Blueberry Lemon Tart was
a huge hit. This tart is a nice dessert because
it is both delicious and pretty.

The original recipe is from the
Food Network by Tyler Florence.
I decided on a few minor changes when I made
this recipe. Instead of adding a 1 1/2 cups
of flour for the pastry I added 1 cup flour
and 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs.
I also added 3/4 of a cup of lemon juice
instead of the whole cup after reading the online
reviews.

Blueberry Lemon Tart

Pastry:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour ( Add one cup flour
and exchange the 1/2 cup flour for graham cracker crumbs)
2 tablespoons sugar
Pinch kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold, in chunks
1 large egg, separated
2 tablespoons ice water, plus 1 teaspoon

Filling:
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup fresh lemon juice ( a little less than a cup)
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 lemon, zested
Pinch kosher salt
1 pint blueberries

Directions
To make the pastry, pulse the flour, sugar, and salt together in a food processor. Add the butter and pulse until the dough resembles cornmeal. Add the egg yolk and 2 tablespoons ice water and pulse again until the dough pulls together. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch circle. Roll the dough up onto the pin and lay it inside a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough into the edges of the pan and fold the excess dough inside to reinforce the rim. Cover the tart pan with plastic wrap and put it into the refrigerator for another 30 minutes to rest.

To bake the shell, heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and prick the bottom of the dough with a fork. Cover the shell with a piece of parchment paper and fill it with pie weights or dry beans. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove the parchment and weights. Lightly beat the egg white with 1 teaspoon water and brush it onto the bottom and sides of the tart shell; set aside to cool.

Whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon juice, cream, zest, and salt. Add the blueberries to the cooled tart shell and pour the filling over the blueberries. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. The curd should jiggle slightly when done. Cool to room temperature, remove from the tart ring, and serve.

You are definately going to want to make this dessert ~ trust me!

Blueberry Lemon Tart

Tandoori Chicken Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

Relaxing with a Taco dinner and movie.

Tandoori Chicken Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
1 cup packed fresh cilantro
4 cloves garlic
1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
1/4 - 1/2 cup corn
Chicken Thighs 8-10
Vegetable oil, for oiling grill pan/grate
Tortillas, warmed

Place chicken in a large bowl. Place the yogurt,
cilantro, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, salt
in a blender and pulse until all the ingredients combine.
Pour the marinade over the chicken,
cover, and refrigerate for a few hours.

Remove chicken from marinade and place in a skillet.
Cook for 7-10 minutes browning the skin.

Let chicken cool a little. Pull chicken from bone
and cut into small pieces. Stir in the corn.

Serve the Chicken Tandoori Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

Pineapple Salsa
1 1/2 cup finely chopped pineapple
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
Salt

Chicken and Broccoli Gratin

Sometimes you just need comfort food.
For me "comfort food" tends to be dishes
that contain cheese ~ they always make me
feel better. Even though I consider this dish
comfort food it does contain a vegetable that is
very good for you - broccoli.

Broccoli contains a high amount of vitamin C which helps
fights off the common cold. The potassium in broccoli
helps to lower high blood pressure. This little green
vegetable is also rich in fiber. With all this goodness
I should really make an effort to eat more broccoli.

Chicken and Broccoli Gratin
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
11/2 lb. broccoli
2 leeks
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 bay leaf
1 cup grated Gruyère cheese
1 cup panko
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp ground sage
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat an oven to 350ºF.

Cut the broccoli into small florets. Add the broccoli to the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes. Don't overcook the broccoli. You want to leave it crunchy because it is going to cook again later. Put the broccoli into an ice bath to cool it down quickly. Then drain.

Sprinkle the thyme, sage, salt and pepper over the chicken. Cook the chicken in a little oil. Remove the chicken from the pan and cut it into bit size pieces. Set aside. Wash, dice and saute the leeks in a little bit of oil.

Melt the butter. Add the flour and stir until well blended, 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, add the leeks and bay leaf and simmer, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens, about 8 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Add the Gruyère, stirring until the cheese is melted. Season with salt and pepper. Gently mix in the broccoli and chicken. Pour this mixture into a baking dish and spread it in an even layer.

In a bowl mix together the panko, Parmigiano-Reggiano and olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the panko mixture over the mixture. Transfer the baking dish to the oven and bake until the gratin is golden and bubbly, 40 to 45 minutes. Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.


I hope you enjoy this fantastic Chicken and Broccoli Gratin.

Baked Penne with Corn, Zuchinni and Basil

These past couple of nights I have done
absolutely nothing to make dinner, except,
plan out the menu for the week.

I have come home from work exhausted
partly because I seem to be suffering
from allergies. Itchy eyes, congestion
and sore throat just like all the other
Georgians!

I am so lucky though, because my husband
has been making dinner! Eating all the
fresh food we bought at the market is
so much better than ordering out.

This recipe from William Sonoma
is a keeper even though there
are many steps. Trust me when I
say the end result is worth it.

Baked Penne with Corn, Zuchinni and Basil

Ingredients:
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 lb. penne
6 Tbs. olive oil, plus more as needed
1/2 cup corn or 2 ears of fresh corn
6 zucchini, cut into half-moons
1/2 yellow onion, diced
4 tomatoes, cored, seeded and diced
1 Tbs. sliced garlic
1 tsp. chopped fresh oregano
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 Tbs. tomato paste
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
6 oz. mozzarella cheese, grated
2 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated

Directions:
Preheat an oven to 400ºF.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.
Generously salt the water, add the pasta and cook,
stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 8 minutes.
Drain the pasta and rinse under cold running water. Set aside.

In a 12-inch nonstick fry pan over medium-high heat,
warm 3 Tbs. of the olive oil. Add the corn,
season with salt and black pepper and cook,
stirring occasionally, until the corn is lightly golden,
6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Set aside.

Return the pan to medium-high heat and warm
the remaining 3 Tbs. olive oil. Working in batches,
add the zucchini, season with salt and cook,
stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is
tender and golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes.
Add to the bowl with the corn. Repeat with
remaining zucchini, adding more oil to the pan as needed.

Set the pan over medium-low heat.
Add the onion, 1 tsp. salt and black pepper, to taste.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent,
about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, garlic, oregano
and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally,
until the tomatoes soften and begin to form a sauce,
about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook
for 1 minute. Add the wine and cook until the wine
has reduced and the sauce is fairly thick,
about 3 minutes more.

Add the pasta, tomato sauce, basil,
mozzarella and half of the Parmigiano-Reggiano
to the bowl with the vegetables and stir to combine.
Transfer to the fry pan and sprinkle the remaining
Parmigiano-Reggiano on top. Transfer the pan to the
oven and bake until golden brown on top,
20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm.

This was very good!
You can't see all the good stuff that it is inside
trust me ~ it is in there!

A Rainbow of Carrots

These carrots are so beautiful!
Aren't they?
I mean look at their colors.





They get major points for being colorful however
they taste the same as regular carrots to me.

I cooked them with a little butter and some
fresh thyme.

Chocolate Spiced Pork Chops

I came across this recipe by Paula Deen
a few weeks ago and thought it sounded
interesting. I have made a lot of
different things with chocolate
but chocolate and pork?
My love for chocolate made me think
we should give it a try.

Chocolate Spiced Pork Chops

2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 (1 1/2-inch-thick) bone-in pork chops
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar,
Italian seasoning, onion powder, cocoa powder,
garlic powder, paprika, red pepper, cumin, salt,
and black pepper. Rub the mixture evenly over pork chops.

Add the oil to a large cast iron skillet
over medium-high heat. Add the pork chops
and cook for 3 minutes per side.
Put the skillet in oven and bake the
pork chops until cooked through, about 3 minutes.

Remove the skillet from the oven,
transfer the chops to a serving platter and serve.


I thought this dry rub was very good. It is
packed full of flavor so be careful not to
put too much on your chops.

Green Beans with Tomato and Feta

I was at the Dekalb Farmer's Market
this past weekend and scooped up
a couple of handfuls of these
good looking green beans.

This green bean side dish
is healthy and good. It would
a nice compliment to chicken or pork.

Green Beans with Tomato and Feta

Wash and cut your green beans.
Toss them with a little olive oil,
salt and pepper.
Roast them in the oven for about 7 -10
until they are the texture you like.
I left mine a little bit crunchy.


Cut about a half cup to one cup of feta
cheese in cubes.
Chop two tomatoes.

Mix the feta and tomatoes with the green beans.
Sprinkle a little balsamic vinegar over
the beans and give them one last toss.


YUM! I am pretty sure you will like this recipe.