Best EVER Snickerdoodles

Brother-in-law, Eric, likes snickerdoodles. This post is dedicated to him and his fascination with all things fried, rolled in sugar, and topped with bacon. Oh, and these cookies are REALLY something snickerdoodle special.
Cream together:
1 cup butter flavored Crisco
1 ½ cup sugar
2 eggs

Blend together dry ingredients:
2 ¾ cup flour (usually don’t need all of that)
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp soda
¼ tsp salt

Combine wet & dry ingredients. Form into balls and roll in cinnamon/sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Summer Salad

First of all, I'm Michelle (not Heidi). Secondly, I'm on a diet. Okay. I said it. Sausage and pasta are not on my diet. So, this is my most current healthy and simple summer dish. It's called Michelle's Famous Chop & Chomp (yes, I just made that up--culinary creativity oozes from my being).

Here's what I do.

1. I go to Costco (any day BUT Saturday--because that's shopping suicide) and purchase some vine ripened tomatoes & some of those baby cucumbers that come in a bag.
2. I wash and chop the tomatoes and cucumbers (I don't want a worm--though it might be easier than a diet).
3. With a dash of olive oil and a helping of balsamic vinegar, I dress my veggies to perfection.
4. Add a little salt and pepper and a pretty dish and you're ready to dine on a most lovely summer dish.

NO oven. Healthy. Lovely to look at. Filling (kind of). Size 6 jeans--HERE I COME (or 8--I'm not picky).

Special thanks to Annette & Aubri for the inspiration for this now daily dish. I can feel my thighs shrinking already.

This is another wonderful recipe found on dietrecipesblog.com. I'm going to try this version just as soon as I get sick of my own. It's ONLY 44 calories, people. 44 calories. Do I need to say it one more time 44 calories. Praise be!

Fresh Tomato And Cucumber Salad recipe - 44 calories

Ingredients:
2 large tomatoes, diced
2 large cucumbers, diced
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup diced green pepper
1 (8 ounce) bottle fat-free Italian salad dressing
sugar substitute, to equal 2 teaspoons sugar

Preparation:
1. Mix all the vegetables in a bowl.
2. Combine the dressing and sugar substitute.
3. Pour the dressing over the vegetables.
4. Chill before serving.

Servings: 8

Nutritional information for one serving:
Calories: 44
Calories from fat: 4
Total fat: 0.5g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Total carbs: 9.9g
Fiber: 1.7g
Protein: 1.5g
WW points: 1

Photo credit: Loves2Teach

Rustic Penne with rosemary grilled tomatoes, peppers, sausage and chicken

This is a Sunday afternoon invention that came out very well. Hearty, filling and satisfying without being too heavy. The quantities listed will feed 4-6 adults, depending on appetites. It looks like a lot of ingredients, but it really came together pretty quickly and with little fuss. The rosemary was far less prominent in the finished dish than I thought it would be, so in the future I'll add a bit of fresh stuff at the very end.

1/2 pound of penne pasta, cooked according to package directions (I prefer Barilla Plus)
3 mild italian sausages or bratwurst
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
salt, pepper
3 T. minced fresh rosemary, divided
5 T. good quality balsamic vinegar, divided
1 lemon, juiced and zested
3-4 T. olive oil, divided
2 sweet bell peppers, seeds removed and quartered (I used a red and a yellow)
3 roma tomatoes, seeds and core removed
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 shallots, minced
15 ounce can of tomato sauce
parmesan cheese for garnish

Fire up the grill to preheat and start a large pot of water to cook the pasta. Sprinkle salt, pepper and rosemary generously over the chicken breasts and put them on the grill along with the sausages. In a small bowl, mix together 2 T. balsamic vinegar, the lemon juice and zest and a tablespoon of olive oil. Once the chicken is opaque and has nice grill marks on the bottom, brush the vinegar mixture over the top and flip over, then brush it on the bottom as well.

Add the pasta to the pot as soon as the water boils, then work on preparing the vegetables as directed. Drizzle the peppers and tomatoes with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper and rosemary, and add them to the grill. They will cook much more quickly than the meat, so watch them closely. You want them to have a little bit of char, but to still be firm enough to hold their form. Once the meat and veggies are cooked, pull them off to a plate and cover for a few minutes to let the meat juices settle.

Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat up a couple tablespoons of olive oil, then add the garlic and shallots. Saute for a couple minutes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then put the lid on and allow them to sweat for another 2-3 minutes. Add a splash of balsamic vinegar and stir it in, then pour in the tomato sauce. If the sauce is on the flat and bland side like mine was, add another splash of balsamic vinegar. Simmer with the lid partially cocked to the side to allow it to reduce by half without making a complete mess of your kitchen.

Dice the tomatoes, and add them into the sauce. Slice the peppers into 1/4" x 1" strips. Slice the sausages lengthwise, then into "rainbow" slices. Slice the chicken into thin strips. Dump the drained noodles into a large serving bowl, add the peppers and meat, then pour in the sauce and toss until everything is well coated. If it's too thick, add a spoonfull of pasta water and a splash of olive oil until it's how you like it. Sprinkle with a generous handful of grated parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

Rosemary Focaccia

This recipe is the sole reason I decided I needed the 75th anniversary version of the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. Well, maybe not the sole, but it contributed strongly. My sister Amy made it for me and then showed me the cookbook, and it was enough different from the standard version I got for our wedding that I was delighted to receive it as a Christmas present a couple months later.

I've made it many times since and have learned a few things in the process. First, it really is important to start the starter the night before. You miss out on a lot of flavor and texture if you don't allow enough time for fermentation. Second, form it on parchment paper (really, there isn't much to forming - I just flip it out of the bowl gently, and cover it with a bigger bowl to rise, and it tends to nicely spread out to just the right size and thickness). That way you can preheat the pizza stone, which really helps the crust crisp up nicely. Third, be generous with the olive oil. Just like with the grilled pizza recipe, skimping on oil = way less flavor. Fourth, fresh rosemary really is worth it. Any of you in the neighborhood are welcome to come help trim back my rapidly growing enormous rosemary bush. It's in the front yard, so snip away whether I'm home or not.

Rosemary Focaccia Bread
4 – 4 ½ cups all purpose flour
½ cup warm water
1 t. dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2 t. salt
2 t. snipped fresh rosemary or 1 t. dried rosemary
1 T. olive oil, plus additional for drizzling
Kosher salt

The night before: combine ½ cup flour, ½ cup warm water and the yeast in a medium size bowl. Beat with a spoon until smooth. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let sponge stand overnight to ferment.

About 2 1/2 hours before you want to eat it, gradually stir in the 1 cup of warm water, the 2 t. salt, rosemary, and enough of the remaining flour to make a dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a bowl greased with a tablespoon of olive oil, turning once. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Carefully slide the dough out onto a large piece of parchment paper, then place a large bowl over the dough round and let it rest for an additional 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven and breadstone (or cookie sheet if you don’t have one) to 475 degrees. Carefully shape the dough into a circle about 11 inches in diameter by pulling and stretching with your fingers, being careful not to deflate the dough. Make ½ inch deep indentations every 2 inches in the dough. Brush dough with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with coarse salt. Carefully slide the dough round (still on the parchment paper) on to the breadstone or cookie sheet. (For this, I slide it off the countertop onto the back side of a cookiesheet, then slide it onto the preheated stone.) Bake for 15-20 minutes or until uniformly golden. I find that it works best to cook for 13 minutes, then rotate it to get it uniformly golden. Avoid overcooking it. Cool on a wire rack for about 15 minutes before slicing and serve warm. It is fabulous dipped in balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

For sandwiches, it is best to allow the bread to be a day old. Slice the loaf in half, then carefully slice sideways through the loaf. Open the loaf so that the cut sides are exposed and lightly toast under the broiler. Layer your favorite toppings – meats, cheeses, pesto, vegetables, etc. and serve immediately. The salt tends to dissolve into the crust of the bread and it looks a little weird the second day, but it truly makes fabulous sandwiches once toasted.

Red, white and blue tart

This is a spinoff and simpler version of my favorite lemon curd and cream cheese tart. I was looking for a pronounced lemon flavor but without the fuss of making lemon curd (even though it's just so darn delicious, it's totally worth the effort...I just simply ran out of time). I used the same cookie base. If you want a finer, shortbread like texture, cut the butter in cold rather than smushing softened butter into the flour. I found that the texture of the crust improved and the lemon flavor deepened after a day in the fridge, which makes this a super duper make ahead recipe. As long as you dry your berries thoroughly before placing them on top and choose strawberries that aren't even a little bit mushy, it'll be fine.

Cookie crust:
1 ½ cups flour
¼ cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1/4 cup finely ground pecans or almonds, optional

Mix crust ingredients together until dough forms. Press firmly and evenly against the bottom and side of ungreased 10 or 11 inch tart pan. Bake 10-12 minutes or until light brown, cool.

Lemony cream cheese:

1 8 ounce brick cream cheese

zest and juice of one lemon

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Blueberries and strawberries, washed and thoroughly dried

Do NOT microwave the cream cheese. Beat it chilled. I promise it'll whip up fine given a few minutes and a little patience. If you nuke it, it'll go runny on you. Beat the cream cheese until it's lump free, then beat in the lemon juice and zest, and then the sugar. Beat for several minutes on high until it is fluffy and the sugar has dissolved sufficiently to no longer give a granular texture. (I used granulated rather than powdered sugar, because powdered sugar in small quantities added to cream cheese tends to contributed to runniness. Not sure why, but it consistently happens to me.) Spread into the cooled crust, arrange the berries over the top and chill for at least an hour before serving.

Mango Salsa, Heidi style

I've made this and fed it to other people a few times recently, and had requests for the recipe each time. This is something that I've tweaked quite a bit over the last few years, and am pleased with my current version. It is absolutely heavenly when the produce is ripe and perfect - fresh tomatoes and peppers out of the garden pack such a flavor punch. If you can manage to pick a mango that is sweet and ripe, but not yet mushy, then you've really scored. This is the sort of recipe that you can alter the quantities of each ingredient to suit your tastes. Just use my recipe as a loose guideline. My own batches never come out the same either.

1 large mango, peeled and diced**
1 red, orange or yellow bell pepper, diced
1-2 large annaheim peppers, diced
3-4 roma tomatoes, seeds and core removed
1 shallot, minced
2-3 T. minced fresh cilantro
2 juicy limes
1-2 t. sugar (depending on how sweet your mango is)
1/2-1 t. salt, to taste
dash garlic powder and coriander
1/4 t. chipotle chili powder

Mix everything up in a medium bowl, and squeeze the lime juice over it. Let it sit for 30-60 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to mix. Easy peasy, and delicious. If I can find an amazing avocado, I'll dice it and throw it in too. I've also added fresh pineapple with good results. We particularly like this in shredded pork tacos, and on top of quesadillas made with chunks of chicken, barbeque sauce and chedder cheese inside.

I used to make this with scallions (green onions). I've found that they can tend to overpower the salsa with onion flavor, and also get wilty very quickly. This salsa is obviously best served fresh, but if you happen to have some leftovers, shallots will hold up better. I love shallots because we're not huge onion eaters. They're the perfect size for me to use one or two at a time, rather than cutting off a hunk of onion and then having the rest of it go bad. Most shallots are more mildly flavored than regular onions as well.

You really, really can't skip the chipotle chili powder. That's the secret ingredient. A little goes a long way, and you can adjust the heat accordingly. It gives such a nice, full bodied, smoky heat. I use it all the time in Mexican cooking. Friends that have made my salsa and skipped the chipotle have come back asking me why theirs wasn't as good - trust me, it's worth the investment.

**A note about slicing mangos: mangos are oblong and flatter on two sides. With a sharp knife, cut as close to the center as you can without chopping into the pit and cut a wide flat slab off of each side. If you are so inclined, you can go back and trim the remaining two skinny sections off the pit. Then, score the mango flesh in cubes down to the peel but not through it. Pop the peel inside out, and voila, you now have perfectly portioned cubes of mango poking up and ready to be sliced off the peel. Very easy.

Sorry for the lack of picture with this post. Next time I make it, I'll snap one and add it. Tonight it all got scarfed up too fast.

Quick Grilled Fajitas

Ever get that hankering for fajitas at 5:30? A little late to start marinating meat. I used to always fry my fajitas up in a skillet with everything pre-cut. I've lately found that I definitely prefer grilled anything, and that grilling fajitas in whole chunks then slicing them after yields tasty results. Of course, the meat is better marinated. But if you're a slacker like me, you can still pull off a really good meal in 30 minutes flat that will fool your hubby into thinking you slaved all day in the kitchen.

Oooooh, grill mark perfection! After being the head griller at our house for the last 4 years or so since we got the gas BBQ, I'd say that I've finally hit my stride. Lately I've had to clear bird nest beginnings out every time I fire it up, even though it gets used at least 2-3 times per week. The birds haven't gotten the hint yet.

I'm not a fan of raw onions, but grilled, and especially a bit on the charred side, I can't get enough of them! I have been known to snitch chunks right off the grill.

Peppers too. The more colors the better. Red and green are usually always available. Sometimes the orange and yellow ones are reasonably priced enough for me to buy them too. Really, I just can't wait for my garden. The flavor of a garden grown pepper is about 10x as intense.

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On with the recipe:

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (thawed if you're using frozen)

3-4 limes

1/2 t. each cumin, coriander, garlic powder, salt, chili powder and ground pepper

1/4 t. chipotle chili powder (this is a conservative amount, and can be increased if you like heat)

3 T. honey

3 bell peppers, seeds removed and quartered

1 large purple onion, peeled and cut into 1/4" thick slices

olive oil

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"Fixin's" - warm tortillas, black beans (seasoned with a splash of lemon juice and cumin if desired), diced avocados and tomatoes, minced cilantro, sour cream, salsa and cheese

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Prep the grill by spraying the rack with PAM, then fire it up to medium heat. Squeeze a lime over the chicken breasts. Mix together the seasonings in a small bowl, then sprinkle evenly over the tops of the chicken breasts. Toss them onto the grill and then prep the veggies by drizzling them with olive oil until evenly coated. Squeeze the remaining limes into a small bowl and mix the honey into it. After the chicken has been cooking about ten minutes and is opaque throughout, brush the honey/lime mixture over the spices carefully, then flip over and baste on the back side as well. Put the veggies on the grill at this point and brush them all with the honey/lime mixture. I generally put the peppers on the top rack so that they won't overcook as easily, but the onions do fine on the bottom.

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Once the chicken breasts have reduced in size by about 25% and are nicely bronzed (about another 7-8 minutes of grill time), flip them over one more time and baste them with the honey/lime mixture, then use up whatever is left on the veggies when you flip them as well. Close the lid for another couple of minutes, then remove all of the meat and veggies to a plate. Cover with foil or another plate and let it rest for 3-5 minutes, then slice the meat and veggies into strips.

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Serve immediately with your favorite goodies. I really love the grilled flavor, and the ease of not having to plan ahead.