Key Lime Pie

Key Lime Pie is one of my very favorite desserts. I love it, but it is so much better with a big swirl of raspberry sauce served on the side. Divine! So anytime I make key lime pie I have to make a raspberry sauce to go along with it. It is a good thing I have a great raspberry supplier (thanks AnnaLee)! My aunt picked an entire flat of raspberries for me the last time I went to visit and I made it into all things raspberry...jam, sauce, pie, etc.
I also took some of the sauce to serve alongside this key lime pie last week when we went to a friends' house for a fish fry. It was delicious!

Key Lime Pie
1 10-inch graham cracker crust (I used premade)
3 cups sweetened condensed milk (a little over 2 cans)
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup key lime juice (about 20 limes)
1 T lime zest (zest from about 3-4 regular limes)
whipped cream
raspberries, lime, or mint for garnish

Combine milk, sour cream, lime juice, and zest. Pour into prepared graham cracker crust. Bake for 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Let cool. Refrigerate until chilled. Top entire pie with whipped cream and garnish with raspberries, lime slices, or a sprig of mint. Serve with raspberry sauce.

Raspberry Sauce
1 pint fresh raspberries
1/4 cup sugar
1 T cornstarch
2 T lemon juice
1 cup water

Heat pot or medium heat. Whisk the sugar and cornstarch together. Add raspberries to the pot and pour sugar mixture over. Stir in the lemon juice juice and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Once mixture is cooled, but not cold, strain it through a fine sieve. The sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks or you can freeze it.

Peanut Butter Cookie Sandwiches

These peanut butter cookie sandwiches are pretty delicious. They are definitely fun to make and they were a hit with the kids. They are reminiscent of a nutter butter...but better!

I even tried a Nutella filling in half of the "sandwiches" making a doubly delicious combination. A big glass of cold milk is a must with these treats!

Peanut Butter Sandwiches
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup old fashioned oats

1 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
2 1/2 tablespoons milk

Cream together 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup peanut butter, white sugar, brown sugar, and the vanilla. Next add the egg and beat well.
In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Stir to combine. Place oats in a food processor and pulse for about 5 seconds. Add the oatmeal to the mixture and stir.
Lightly roll a heaping tablespoon of dough into a ball and then roll in white sugar. Place onto a parchment lined baking sheet, press each cookie down with a fork and then a second time in the opposite direction. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes, or until cookies are a light brown.

For the Filling: Cream 1 tablespoon butter with the confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter, and the milk. Add more milk to thin if necessary. Spread filling onto half of the cooled cookies, then top with the other half to form sandwiches.

(For the Nutella filling I simply took 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1-2 tablespoons milk, and 1/4 cup Nutella and stirred to combine.)

Coleslaw

This coleslaw recipe is easy and delicious. I like it because you can make it ahead of time and let it rest in the fridge until you're ready to serve lunch or dinner. I even bought the prepackaged coleslaw cabbage mix at the grocery store so all I had to do was make the dressing and toss it together. Easy peasy!
Coleslaw
1 package coleslaw cabbage mix
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 lemon, juiced
1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

In the bottom of a large bowl mix all ingredients except cabbage mix. Whisk together until sugar begins to dissolve. Add cabbage mix. Toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2-4 hours before serving to allow the cabbage to soak up the marinade.

First Day of School Treats

Today was my son's first full day of kindergarten. We made these super adorable "Teacher Treats" for his new teacher. They were pretty straight forward to make and easy enough to assemble the night before. For a full tutorial click here. The treats in the tutorial look more professional, but ours worked out well too. You can also find free printables for parties and other occasions on Shindig Parties.
We used regular chocolate oreo cookies and we used sticks of gum for the leaf. I found that if the chocolate gets too hard, you can heat a butter knife, touch it to the chocolate to melt it slightly, and stick the leaf on securely.

Beef Lo Mein

The other day I had a few minutes to kill and decided to swing through the asian grocery store that was nearby. I thought I might pick up a few supplies for my son's bento box and thought it would be fun to browse as well. I did in fact find a few cute things for his lunch and I also picked up a pair of beginner chopsticks. On my way out I also grabbed up a couple boxes of lo mein noodles to take home.
Even though I didn't have a plan, I ended up having everything I needed for a quick and tasty beef lo mein. This dish is great because you can use whatever combination of veggies you have and it will taste great.
The kids loved having a chance to use the chopsticks we had picked up and they gobbled up their entire dinner. My son had three helpings...he was a fan of this dish. I will be adding it to the rotation! Beef Lo Mein
8 oz chuck roast, sliced thinly
1 small onion sliced, julienned
1 small zucchini, julienned
1 small summer squash, julienned
2 carrots, sliced
2 cups cabbage, chopped
1/4 cup soy sauce
sesame oil
1 T sugar
2 t cornstarch

Cook lo mein noodles according to directions. While noodles are cooking, heat large frying pan on med high and add a tablespoon of vegetable or peanut oil. Season beef with salt and pepper and add to hot oil. Fry until just cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside. Add all remaining vegetables to hot oil and cook for 3-4 minutes or until desired doneness. Add beef and cooked noodles to hot pan. Stir soy sauce, sugar, and cornstarch together. Pour over noodles. Stir and cook until everything is coated in sauce. Add about a teaspoon of sesame oil to finish dish, add more soy sauce and/or sesame oil to taste.

Bento Boxes

Years ago I came across a few blogs that focus in on bentos...Japanese style lunch boxes that are super cute. At the time I had just had my son and dreamed about making him cute appealing lunches to take to school. Fast forward 5 years and it's finally time for me to pack his first school lunch.
A few weeks ago I started to acquire a few tools to make fun bento boxes. The first thing I ordered was a book by a fellow blogger called Yum-Yum Bento Box. It has pictures of cute bento boxes and lots of ideas for creating your own unique lunches. While many of the lunches are centered around Japanese cuisine they show you lots of examples that will appeal to the American palette as well. My son happens to love sushi and chinese food in general, so this works quite well for our family.
I also ordered two very cute Bento boxes, a travel utensil kit, a few sandwich cutters and rice molds. It is really quite fun to browse through the bento sites and see just how many cute things there are out there for creating cute lunches. Who knew??
Today I filled the bento boxes with a small lunch/snack to take with us in the car while we were out. I wanted to get my son acquainted with the box before heading off to school so that he could see how to use it. I made a version of a rice caterpillar with fruit and veggies. It was super easy and it only took me about 15 minutes, but both of the kids were delighted with their lunches and gobbled up everything. For myself and my husband I made larger onigiri (rice balls), filled with ham and I folded a piece of nori (seaweed) over it to make it more traditional looking. I was really surprised by how tasty it was and the kids both said they liked it a lot.
My son is excited about his new lunch box and says he can't wait to eat at school. I'm happy that he is excited and hopefully it will make sending him off to kindergarten for the whole day a little easier. I can put a little extra love into his lunch box and let him know that I'm thinking about him even while he is away.

Check out a few of these bento sites for more inspiration.

Bento Lunch

Just Bento

Cute Obento

Yum Yum Bento Box Book

Broccoli Salad

I ate my first bowl of this broccoli salad when I was in college and I was instantly hooked. It is such an interesting combination of ingredients, but it all works wonderfully together. I have had it many many times since, but friends of ours recently made it with big chunks of cashews and I fell in love with it again!

Broccoli Salad

1 large head broccoli
1/2 cup bacon bits
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1/2 cups dried cranberries or raisins
1/2 cup cashews
1 cup mayonnaise
2 T white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Wash broccoli thoroughly and cut florets into bite-sized pieces. Place in a colander to dry for a few minutes. In a large bowl combine mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Whisk until smooth. Add all remaining ingredients to large bowl and stir to coat with dressing.

Breakfast Toasts

These two breakfast toasts were inspired by two Barefoot Contessa recipes I have made before as appetizers. The first makes a great appetizer without the egg on top...but makes an even more delicious and complete breakfast "toast." I think the egg really enhances the entire dish. The second is super simple. Here I used a store-bought ricotta cheese and added a little flavor with green onions. The original recipe uses multiple herbs with dill being the main flavor component you taste...but this simpler version turned out super tasty as well.
1 Tuscan-style loaf, sliced
1 clove garlic, peeled
3-4 oz. prosciutto
6 eggs, cooked over easy
fresh mozzarella cheese
1 cup fresh ricotta cheese
2 green onions, thinly sliced
parsley
salt and pepper

Cut 6 slices of toast in half and lay out on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place under broiler until browned and crisp on edges. Remove and rub with clove of garlic while still the bread is still hot.
Lay a few slices of prosciutto on 6 of the slices of bread. Place a slice of fresh mozzarella on top of each or grate some regular mozzarella cheese on top. Place one egg on top of each toast and sprinkle with chopped parsley. In a bowl, mix ricotta cheese, sliced green onion, salt and pepper. Spread mixture onto each of the remaining 6 slices of toast. Enjoy with a hot cup of tea for a delicious breakfast!

Corn salsa a.k.a Cowboy Caviar

This is my go-to pantry appetizer. I love it because I always have the supplies on hand and I can whip it up in a matter of minutes and everybody loves it with some crunchy corn chips...or even by the spoonful! I've even been known to take a gallon of it to the church coffee hour and return home with an empty bowl...and I never even got a bite of it!

Corn Salsa
1/2 bag frozen corn...I like the tender and sweet white and yellow mixed variety
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 avocado, diced
1 lime
cilantro
1 tsp chili pepper
1 tsp cumin
salt

Mix everything together in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Add more seasoning, depending on your taste. Try to make ahead at least 2 hours so the flavors have time to develop. This will easily keep for a few days in the refrigerator.

Carnitas

These carnitas are so easy and super delicious! This makes the best party food...it basically cooks itself and everyone can assemble their own tacos. I usually set it up buffet style and have a "taco bar" set up with all sorts of toppings from guac to sour cream, pickled jalapenos, and fresh cilantro. It is always a crowd pleaser!

Carnitas
One 4-5 pound Boston Butt (bone-in pork shoulder)
salt and pepper
3-4 cups water or chicken broth
2 onions
1 T dried oregano
1 t cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Heat a large heavy, oven safe pot on medium heat. Add onions to bottom of pan. Coat meat with salt and pepper and place on top of onions. Add liquid and stir in remaining seasonings. Bring to a boil and then transfer to a 350 degree oven for about 4 hours or until tender.
Remove pot and transfer meat to a large sheet pan. Discard any fat or pieces of bone and break up meat to managible chunks. Return to pot and cook over medium heat, stirring until meat is broken up and liquid is evaporated.
Serve with warm tortillas and toppings of your choice!