The family Salad Queen title goes to daughter, Sarah, who makes amazing salads. Recently she made this salad for a large family gathering with rave reviews. The salad shown below was made with salad greens vs. arugula. Arugula gives the salad even more punch. You can store the fruit/grain mixture and the dressing separately to make smaller salads over a few days. A great choice for cool summer salads.
Arugula Salad with Strawberries
INGREDIENTS:
FOR THE SALAD
2 cups chopped strawberries
2 cups chopped cucumbers
1 cup farro, cooked, then cooled (we use Trader Joe’s Harvest Blend of Pearled Couscous, Orzo, Split Baby Garbanzo Beans & Red Quinoa)
1/ 2 cup pistachios, chopped
1/ 2 cup fresh mint leaves (or basil)
1/ 3 cup ricotta salata, feta, or goat cheese
12 ounces arugula (can substitute other greens)
FOR THE DRESSING
1/ 3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1 small shallot
1/ 2 orange, juiced
1/ 4 cup fresh mint (or basil)
1/ 2 teaspoon kosher salt
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large bowl, combine strawberries, cucumbers, farro, pistachios, mint, and cheese.
2. Separately, add all the dressing ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Coat all the ingredients in the bowl with the dressing, but don’t add the arugula until you are ready to serve. Once you’ve added the arugula, mix well to incorporate with all the other ingredients and dressing. Enjoy!
A few years ago I have a plethora of fresh apricots, more than I could eat. I looked for an apricot sauce recipe and enjoyed the results. I froze much of the sauce and found it to be just as delicious a few weeks later!
Apricot Sauce
INGREDIENTS:
3 tablespoons sugar, plus more to taste
½ pound apricots, pitted and cut into chunks
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
DIRECTIONS:
In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, bring sugar, 1/2 cup water, and the apricots to a simmer. Cover and cook until apricots are completely tender, about 4 minutes.
Carefully transfer apricot mixture and lemon juice to a food processor and pulse until sauce is blended but still slightly chunky. Taste and add more sugar if you like. Transfer to a serving bowl. Serve warm or chilled.
Simple combination with an explosion of flavors! I first experienced this appetizer (or salad) at a restaurant with my friend, Jan. It was amazing and, yet, so simple. It was easy to replicate at home with four ingredients: watermelon, goat cheese, pecans and balsamic reduction. Done!
Watermelon Goat Cheese Appetizer
INGREDIENTS:
Cubed Seedless Watermelon
Crumbled Goat Cheese
Chopped Pecans
Balsamic Reduction (I used purchased balsamic reduction but you can make your own)
Breakast for dinner is a thing. I fondly remember my Mother making pancakes and sausage for dinner on occasion and we loved it. My oldest grandson loves breakfast for any meal and typically requested breakfast for all three meals on his birthday. One day he was at my house and asked for breakfast for dinner and what to make? I found this easy, yet delicious recipe, and we both enjoyed our unusual dinner. Eggs in Hole it is!
Sheet Pan Egg in a Hole
INGREDIENTS:
1 dozen eggs (I made 1/4 of a recipe)
12 slices bread
softened butter
seasoning like fresh-ground salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder
1 bag shredded cheese
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Lay the non-stick silicone baking mat in your large baking sheet and spray the edges of your baking sheet with cooking spray (as the bread and cheese will touch the ends).
Lay your slices of bread on the silicone baking mat and puzzle piece so they fit tight and nicely.
Use the edge of your teaspoon to make a rectangle in the bread, pressing down hard to create a “well” where the egg will lay once cracked. Press down in the well to ensure the bread is as flat as possible, providing the egg as much room as it needs.
Using a small basting brush, spread softened butter on the bread edges that weren’t pressed. The butter adds a wonderful flavor and helps the cheese stay on the bread.
Season your bread all over.
Crack an egg into each well for every piece of bread.
Season lightly over top.
Generously add the shredded cheese to all the buttered parts of the bread.
Bake in the preheated oven on the top rack for 15-20 minutes.
Place the pan on the bottom rack for 5-10 more minutes depending upon how you’d like your egg cooked.
Funfetti Dip is an easy dessert, especially for kids. Who doesn’t love to dunk a Nilla Wafer or animal cracker into a yummy dip. We served this for a baby shower but it would be great for a kids or adult party.
Funfetti Dip
INGREDIENTS:
1 box Funfetti cake mix (unprepared)
8 oz cream cheese softened
8 oz cool whip thawed
1/2 cup milk
Sprinkles for topping
DIRECTIONS:
Cream together cream cheese and whipped topping until smooth with a hand mixer.
Add cake mix (unprepared) and half of the milk and mix, gradually adding in more milk until desired texture is established.
Top with extra bright colored sprinkles
Serve with Nilla wafers, animal crackers or graham crackers
Chantilly Cake is stunning and this cake was baked by daughter, Megan. Megan is the official family baker, and no one complains!
Chantilly Cake
INGREDIENTS:
Moist Yellow Cake
3 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cup sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
½ stick unsalted butter
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoon vanilla (or sub 1 tsp almond extract)
1 cup water
1 teaspoon vinegar
Chantilly Frosting
(recipe can be halved)
1 stick unsalted butter, room temp
16 oz mascarpone cheese, room temp
8 oz. cream cheese, room temp
2½ – 3 cups confectioner’s sugar
⅛ tsp. salt
1 cup heavy whipping cream (1 half pint)
1 tsp. almond extract, optional
Berry Syrup optional
½ cup water
¼ cup sugar
2 heaping tablespoons of berry jam (I used strawberry)
Apricot Glaze
3 Tablespoons apricot jam
splash of water
Garnish
Strawberries
Blueberries
Raspberries
DIRECTIONS:
For the Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 F
In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients and mix well.
In a separate bowl or measuring cup, melt the butter and let cool slightly (it should still be melted). Then add the oil, buttermilk, water, vinegar and then the eggs. (It is best to combine the ingredients in that order so the butter is guaranteed room temperature so as not to cook the eggs).
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
Distribute between 2, 8 inch cake rounds that have been greased with butter and dusted with flour.
Lower the temperature of the oven to 325 F. (Do not wait for the oven temperature to reach 325. Put the cakes in immediately)
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a knife or cake tester comes out clean. (If baking cupcakes, bake for about 20)
Chantilly Frosting
Cream the butter, cream cheese, and mascarpone until light and fluffy. Then add the salt and confectioners sugar and mix to combine.
In a separate bowl, whip together the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Make sure not to over mix because it will become grainy and change the texture and appearance of your frosting.
Gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone cream cheese mixture until fully incorporated.
If not using immediately, cover and refrigerate and take out 10 minutes to bring to room temperature before applying to the cake.
Berry Syrup
In a small sauce pot, mix together the water, sugar and jam. Cook over medium heat until the sugar has completely dissolved. Let cool. (this can also be done in the microwave)
Assembly
If making a 4 layer cake: Using a large bread knife, trace the outside of the cake and then slowly saw back and forth through the cake, making sure the knife is as parallel as possible.
Spread a layer of the berry syrup on top of the first layer of cake (this should be the rough, cut side if making a 4 layer cake)
Pipe or spread a thin layer of icing on top of the berry syrup.
Evenly distribute sliced berries on top of the icing layer.
Place the second layer of cake on top, and so on. Do not put any berry syrup on the very top layer of the cake, because the frosting is too difficult to spread and your cake will look too crumby.
Roughly spread the frosting all over the cake to create a crumb coating. I like to refrigerate or freeze my cake for 10 minutes before proceeding. Ice the rest of the cake and garnish with fresh berries.
Glaze the berries with simple syrup or apricot glaze (microwave for about 15 seconds, or until thin and pourable) and refrigerate until serving.
Recipe Notes:
This incredibly moist cake paired with the sinful, yet not too sweet, mascarpone frosting will send you straight to cake heaven. (If you would like a lighter and fluffier frosting, use 2 cups of heavy whipping cream instead of 1, and only 8 oz of mascarpone cheese) This frosting recipe makes enough for two cakes, so if not doubling the cake recipe, cut the frosting ingredients by half.
Raspberry Crumble Bars are so delicious and easy. Daughter, Megan, introduced me to this great recipe and it hits the mark with my love of raspberries and a crunchy oatmeal base. For some reason, the childhood saying of ‘yummy, yummy in my tummy’ comes to mind.
Raspberry Crumble Bars
INGREDIENTS:
Raspberry Filling
two 12-ounce bags of frozen raspberries (see notes)
1/2 cup granulated sugar (more depending on tartness of your berries)
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
juice of one lemon
Crumble Layer
3 cups rolled oats
3 cups flour
2 cups brown sugar (loosely packed)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups melted butter (I prefer salted)
1/2 teaspoon salt
DIRECTIONS:
Prep Raspberries: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place raspberries in a large colander. Run warm water over them for a minute, and then let the liquid drain out for about an hour until softened and thoroughly drained (see notes). Mix raspberries with sugar, flour, cornstarch, and lemon juice.
Soft Delicious Crust: Mix the oats, flour, sugar, baking powder, butter, and salt together into a crumble-like mixture. Press two thirds of the crumble into the bottom of a 9×13 pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 minutes.
Bake: Arrange the raspberry layer on top of the baked bottom layer. Sprinkle with remaining crumble. Bake for another 25-30 minutes.
Finish: Remove from oven. They will need a little time to set up into “bar” formation, so chill them for a few hours to get them really solid. Orrrr… cut into it right away and eat it like a soft fruit crisp! You should be able to remove them from the pan easily by pulling up on the edges of the parchment paper.
Chocolate Crinkles were a favorite cookie of my childhood. Through the years I made them for my kids as well. Now the grandkids can enjoy them and help, especially rolling the dough in the two sugars. We made our cookies bite size and they were perfect. Little bites of chocolate perfection and…bonus…dairy free!
Chocolate Crinkles (Dairy Free)
INGREDIENTS:
1 cups all-purpose flour (130 grams)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (65 grams)
1/2 cups brown sugar, packed (165 grams)
¼ cup white sugar (50 grams)
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup oil (60 milliliters)
2 teaspoon vanilla sugar or 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
For rolling
1/2 cup white sugar (100 grams)
1/2 cup powdered sugar (65 grams)
DIRECTIONS:
Whisk together flour, cocoa, brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl.
Add eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Mix using your hands. At first it will seem like there isn’t enough liquids and like the mixture is dry and grainy. This is fine. Keep mixing until you see the mixture develop into dough.
Roll the dough into about 1 inch or 2.5 centimeters size balls.
Roll each ball first in the granulated sugar. Then roll each ball generously in powdered sugar.
Place the balls on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Add more powdered sugar on top of the balls.
Preheat the oven to 325°F or 160°C . Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.
Making pies and cakes from real dirt was part of my childhood. I gave that up years ago, but this Dirt Cake, made by daughter, Megan, was a real treat. A kid of any age loves this cake. Megan made with real whipped cream–delicious!
Gluten-free, dairy-free peanut butter cookies with only 4-5 ingredients. Wow! These cookies are amazingly good. I love the salt and sweet combination. If you don’t like the salt, leave it out. My daughter, Megan, made these and the grandkids loved them, as did the adults.
Salted Peanut Butter Cookies
INGREDIENTS:
1 3/4 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups smooth peanut butter (see note at end)
Coarse-grained sea salt, to finish
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, vigorously whisk together the light brown sugar and eggs until incorporated. Whisk in the vanilla extract. Add the peanut butter and mix with a spatula until smooth and completely incorporated, and until no ribbons of peanut butter can be seen. You know the dough is ready when it has the consistency of Play-Doh.
Using a scoop or a spoon, form the dough into 12 approximately 2-inch (2- to 2 1/4-ounce) balls and place them on the prepared rimmed sheet pan. For smaller cookies, use a heaping tablespoon.
Sprinkle the dough balls lightly with coarse-grained sea salt just before baking. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, turning the rimmed sheet pan once halfway through baking (for smaller cookies, bake for 16 to 18 minutes). When finished, the cookies will be lightly golden and cracked on top. Let cool completely before serving.
You can bake these cookies as soon as the dough is prepared, but they will retain their shape better if you freeze them for 15 minutes before baking.
Chef’s Tip: While the all-natural stuff works just fine, Skippy is our peanut butter brand of choice for this recipe as we’ve found it retains the dough shape best. These tasty cookies are gluten-free!
Fork Lore 