30 July 2011

Cookin' Up Somethin' New

So, I obviously haven't posted much this summer.  At all.  Ugh.  This is the one time of year when I actually have time to do lots of cooking and write ups and I have not taken advantage of it.  That makes me sad.

The truth of the matter is that I just haven't felt much like cooking.  What have I done a lot of?  Napping.  And snacking.  And then napping some more.  And avoiding strong smells.  Basically, I haven't been very productive when it comes to things around the house this summer.

So what have I been doing?  Surviving my first trimester. 

Turns out this Cookin' Up a baby thing is hard work!  So glad these first 3 months have passed and so looking forward to that 2nd trimester burst of energy that should show up any day now...

01 July 2011

Foil Dinners... Italian Style

Any former Girl Scouts out there who fondly remember the requisite foil dinners you would make on every troop camp out?  I loved those things.  Such a nice combo of chicken, potatoes, green beans, carrots and spicy seasoning (Lantana was my favorite!)... Mmm, my mouth is watering just thinking about them.  In fact, both my sister and I loved them so much my mom used to let us make them at home and cook them in the oven or on the grill.  I guess she gave in because they were not fussy, quite healthy, cleanup was a breeze and everyone could make their meal to suit their own taste. 


Turns out you can make lasagna foil dinners!  I had no clue you could make lasagna on the grill until I read the most recent issue of Food Network magazine.  The method works so well with my summertime aversion to oven usage.  The process is really simple and easily customizable since you're making individual serving packets and not an entire pan, which is great for a families where everyone wants something different! 

Lasagna Foil Dinners
(adapted from Food Network Magazine July/August 2011; serves 4)

12 no-boil (oven-ready) lasagna noodles
10 oz fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
pinch red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 T olive oil, plus more for drizzling
3 large tomatoes (2 sliced and 1 chopped) or 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1/4 c pesto
5 oz baby spinach
1 c Italian sausage, browned
1/3 c ricotta cheese
1/3 c fresh herbs, chopped (parsley, basil and/or mint)

1) Preheat grill to medium. Combine mozzarella, grated parmesan, red pepper flakes, 1/2 t salt and all but 1/4 t of the garlic in a bowl.  Drizzle with olive oil and toss to combine. Season the sliced tomatoes with salt.

Lasagna Foil Dinners assembly line

2) Lay out 4 double-layer sheets of non-stick foil (or just PAM you're regular foil).  Drizzle each with a little bit of olive oil, top it with a noodle and sprinkle a generous T of water on the noodle. 


First layers

 3) Divide half of the pesto, tomatoes, spinach and Italian sausage among the 4 noodles. 


My packet - all veggies, no sausage

4) Repeat steps 3 and 4 to make another layer of noodle, water, pesto, tomato, spinach and sausage.  Then finish each stack with a noodle, another T of water and a drizzle of olive oil. 


The Hubs' - diced tomatoes and Italian Sausage

5) Bring the foil together and tightly crimp to create 4 flat packets. 

6) Grill the packets with the lid closed, until they are tender.  It takes about 10 - 12 minutes per side.  Let them rest 5 minutes.

7) Meanwhile, combine the chopped tomatoes with the T of olive oil, 1/4 t garlic and chopped herbs in a small bowl. 



8) To serve: Open the packets and cut each "lasagna" in half and top with one fourth of the ricotta cheese and the tomato and herb mixture.

Add a simple green salad or some grilled green veggies to these little lasagna packets and you've got yourself one heck of a tasty meal. 

24 June 2011

Lazy Girl Mini Key Lime Pies

The Hubs loves key lime pies and I make a really mean one (if I do say so myself), but my "go-to" recipe involves baking.  And right now it's way too hot outside to even think about turning on the oven.  Solution: the Lazy Girl mini key lime pies. While they don't pack quite the intense key lime punch that a regular pie does, they're a pretty darned good summer substitute.




There's something just perfect about citrus flavors in the summertime. I found the recipe via foodgawker the other day and couldn't get it out of my mind. The only cooking is on the stove top to make the lime curd (8 minutes tops), but if you were really feeling lazy you could just substitute a jarred version.  Also, it looked as if she made her own tart shells, but since my whole goal was to avoid using the oven I made a Lazy Girl substitution and just used Keebler mini graham cracker crusts (6/pkg). 



Basically all you do is fold lime curd into the some sweetened whipped cream, fill the crusts, garnish and let them chill a few hours.  Could it be any easier?!?!  I was really pleased with how the little pies turned out.  I had exactly the amount of filling for my 6 shells, making this recipe perfect for a dinner party.  They are super cute and make for a nice, refreshing dessert. 



The only change I'll make next time is to increase the ratio of lime curd to whipping cream.  She has it at 1:1 and I'm thinking 1.5:1  would provide a more key lime-y punch.  I also think this would be great if you swapped lemon curd for the lime curd and garnished it with fresh berries.