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Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats (aka Scotcheroos)

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scotcharoos peanut butter rice krispie treats - square, side view-2

Serious question: is there anything better than peanut butter and chocolate? Maybe only these Peanut Butter Rice Krispie treats (aka Scotcheroos. Chances are you’ve had them if you live in the mid-western U.S.). Soft but crisp, sweet but salty – it’s just a chewy square of indulgent perfection is what it is. Have you ever made these and had them come out too dry? It’s not rocket science but does require some attentive direction-following to achieve that chewy softness. We’ve got you covered. Let us help you nail these crowd-pleasing treats and you’ll be the talk of your next get-together (or church function).

scotcharoos peanut butter rice krispie treats - gigi eating, from front-5

You will probably convey your chocolate onto your treats in a more desirable, less glob-y fashion that we did 😉

scotcharoos peanut butter rice krispie treats - in pan-1

Unlike many Scotcheroo recipes, this one doesn’t call for butterscotch chips. We are thankful for this as we feel like butterscotch chips dilute that salty/sweet, peanutty flavor that we regard so highly.

scotcharoos peanut butter rice krispie treats - squares from above-4

Is this something you could sink your teeth into?:

scotcharoos peanut butter rice krispie treats - square, head-on-3

She’s a goofball, but we think she likes them:

scotcharoos peanut butter rice krispie treats - gigi eating, from side-6

Have your kids help drizzle these treats with chocolate.

scotcheroos collage

Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats (aka Scotcheroos)
 
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Difficulty: Easy
Serves: 12 large squares
Ingredients
  • Cooking spray
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup light corn syrup
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter (not natural)
  • 6 cups crispy rice cereal
  • 2-3 T shortening
  • 1 large Hershey milk chocolate bar, broken into pieces
Instructions
  1. Spray a 9X13 inch pan with cooking spray.
  2. Combine the sugar and corn syrup in a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until the sugar dissolves and the mixture just begins a soft boil, about 3.5 to 4 minutes (it will depend on your stovetop. Just look for the sugar granules to be mostly dissolved).
  3. Remove from heat and stir in the peanut butter.
  4. Quickly add the crispy rice cereal and stir. Pour into your prepared dish and let cool about 10 minutes.
  5. Combine the chocolate and shortening in a small, microwave-safe bowl and heat, checking and stirring every 20 seconds or so, until chocolate is melted. Drizzle over treats. Let cool before cutting.

 

 

Chipotle Veggie Burritos

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chipotle veggie burritos -2

Meatless meals can be bland and leave one feeling jipped. These Chipotle Veggie Burritos are the antitheses of bland and unsatisfying – they’re stuffed with flavorful and healthful ingredients, and using chipotle chile powder lends a smoky uniqueness. There are three truly delicious components involved here: you start out by cooking rice in a simmering mixture of cilantro, garlic, (water), and chipotle chile powder. The second component is black bean soup with spinach. The third is a salsa of corn, tomato, lime, and more cilantro & chipotle chile powder. Wrap it all up with some pepper jack cheese in a soft tortilla and you’ve got yourself a really fantastic burrito… and you won’t even notice there’s no meat.

Tips (unsponsored): we use the Sam’s Choice brand Spicy Black Bean Soup from Walmart, as well as canned fire-roasted corn from Walmart.

These aren’t extremely low-calorie. To make these a bit more healthful, loose the cheese and tortilla and have a lettuce wrap or bowl. You could also ditch the rice and cheese and enjoy the black bean and salsa mixtures in a smaller tortilla.

chipotle veggie burritos components-1

Have your kids help you dump, mix, and layer ingredients. As you prepare and enjoy this meal with those you love, teach them a few things about the ingredients:

  • Black beans are helpful if you have diabetes because they are high in fiber and help keep the sugars in your blood at healthy levels.
  • Spinach is high in vitamin K, which helps your bones stay healthy.
  • Corn has a lot of lutein, which is great for your eyes.

Let’s celebrate burritos by learning a few things about Mexico and it’s people:

  • People LOVE soccer in Mexico. Like a lot.
  • Children usually have 2 last names – their father’s last name plus their mother’s.
  • A traditional food, called tamales (a dough made of corn flour and filled, usually with meat and spices), are steamed in corn husks.

chipotle veggie burritos collage

From: Chipotle Veggie Burritos

Chipotle Veggie Burritos
 
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Difficulty: Easy
Est. Cost: $13
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic
  • ½ teaspoon chipotle chile powder, plus more to taste
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 cup white rice
  • 1 15 -ounce can black bean soup (preferably spicy)
  • 1 10 -ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
  • 2 cups frozen corn (preferably fire-roasted), thawed
  • 1 large tomato, diced
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 4 burrito-size flour tortillas
  • 2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese (about 8 ounces)
Instructions
  1. Puree all but 3 tablespoons cilantro with 2 cups water, the garlic, chile powder and ¾ teaspoon salt in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a medium saucepan along with the rice and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low; cover and cook until the liquid is absorbed, about 18 minutes. Uncover, stir and let cool 5 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, bring the black bean soup to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and cook until the liquid is slightly reduced, about 3 minutes. Stir in the spinach and return to a simmer. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.
  3. Toss the corn, tomato, lime juice, the reserved 3 tablespoons cilantro, ½ teaspoon salt, and chile powder to taste in a large bowl.
  4. Warm the tortillas in a dry skillet or in the microwave. Divide the rice, bean mixture and cheese among the tortillas; top with some of the corn salsa. Fold up the bottoms of the tortillas, then fold in the sides and roll up. Serve with the remaining corn salsa.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 934 Fat: 27 g Saturated fat: 12 g Carbohydrates: 140 g Sodium: 1,436 mg Fiber: 11 g Protein: 34 g Cholesterol: 51 mg

 

Artichoke-Salami Stromboli

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artichoke-salami stromboli plated, further out-3

Savory: “pleasing, delicious in flavor.” Is this ever. This Artichoke-Salami Stromboli is positively bursting at the seams with cured, briny, fresh flavor. With only 10 minutes prep time, store-bought pizza dough make this a cinch and this salad is one of the simplest and best we’ve ever made, consisting of nothing but spinach, toasted pecans, thinly sliced celery, lemon, olive oil, salt & pepper. For the Stromboli, soft (although not soggy) pizza crust houses fresh spinach, marinated artichoke hearts, salami, provolone and parmesan – all of which marry together in the oven into a melty, toasty packet of Italian flavors.

artichoke-salami stromboli, raw-1

To ensure a crisp, non-soggy bottom, we suggest baking on a pizza stone, if you have one. We usually pick our pizza dough up from Trader Joe’s and we grabbed some thinly sliced salami at Walmart’s deli (unsponsored).

artichoke-salami stromboli baked, whole-2

You’re going to love this crunchy, bright-flavored green salad. We suggest using a food processor to quickly achieve a thin slice on the celery.

artichoke-salami stromboli, plated, closer-up-4

Have your kids help you layer ingredients on the dough. As you enjoy this dish with those you love, teach them a few things about the ingredients being used:

  • Spinach has powerful antioxidants, which help you stay healthy all-around.
  • Celery has potassium, which may help to lower high blood pressure.
  • Pecans are high in healthy fats and can help lower bad cholesterol.

There is a bit of controversy surrounding the origin of the Stromboli: some claim it was first made in an Italian restaurant in Philadelphia, while others insist it was first made by a guy in Spokane. Some think it was named after the Italian island region of Stromboli, others after a movie titled ‘Stromboli.’ Either way, it originated in the U.S. in the 1950’s and we’re truly grateful that it did.

artichoke-salami stromboli collage

Adapted only slightly from: Artichoke-Salami Stromboli

Artichoke-Salami Stromboli
 
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Difficulty: Easy
Est. Cost: $13
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 pound refrigerated pizza dough, at room temperature
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for stretching
  • 6 cups lightly packed baby spinach (about 5 ounces)
  • ½ cup chopped marinated artichoke hearts, drained (an entire small jar)
  • 4 ounces thinly sliced Genoa salami
  • 4 ounces thinly sliced provolone cheese
  • 2 tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese
  • ⅓ cup chopped walnuts (TAC prefers pecans)
  • 4 stalks celery (with leaves), thinly sliced
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
  1. Put an inverted baking sheet on the lowest oven rack and preheat to 400 degrees F. Divide the pizza dough in half. Press and stretch 1 piece into an 8-by-10-inch rectangle on an oiled surface using oiled hands; brush with 2 teaspoons olive oil.
  2. Layer 1 cup spinach, half each of the artichokes, salami, ½ tablespoon parmesan and provolone on the dough, leaving a 1-inch border on the short sides and a 2-inch border on the long sides. Fold in the short sides, then the long sides, stretching to cover the filling; pinch at the seam. Repeat to make a second stromboli.
  3. Arrange the stromboli seam-side down, 2 to 3 inches apart, on a piece of parchment; slide onto another inverted baking sheet. Cut a few slits into the tops and brush each with 2 teaspoons olive oil; sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon parmesan. Slide the stromboli (on the parchment) onto the hot baking sheet. Bake until the crust is golden brown, about 22-25 minutes. Cool slightly.
  4. Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, 5 minutes; cool. Toss the celery, the remaining 4 cups spinach and 2 tablespoons olive oil, the lemon juice and walnuts in a large bowl; season with salt and pepper. Cut each stromboli in half and serve with the salad.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 680 Fat: 38 g Saturated fat: 11 g Carbohydrates: 63 g Sodium: 1,490 mg Fiber: 4 g Protein: 26 g Cholesterol: 40 mg

 

Frozen Lemonade Pie

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frozen lemonade pie - single pie on blue pedestal-3

frozen lemonade pie - multiple on pedestal-5

We don’t love lemonade. The only way we can tolerate it is in it’s diet form and severely diluted with water/ice. It’s usually just too sweet and, often, we feel like it must taste how lemon-scented cleaning product smell. However, we have a weakness for creamy textures and natural lemon flavor, so (years ago) we figured we’d give this Frozen Lemonade Pie recipe a chance. Let us tell you that the texture is absolute perfection – so, so creamy and never icy – and the flavor is just as praiseworthy: the lemon presence is just right and balanced by heavy cream, rendering it not too tart and not too sweet. It feels light and is just gorgeous in contrast to it’s bright berry topping. Can you tell how creamy this thing is?:

frozen lemonade pie - eaten-6

This is a delicious and vibrant way to use up some of your imperfect summer berries.

frozen lemonade pie - sugared berries-2

Hopefully your graham cracker crumb mixture makes into your pie pan, because ours barely does. When we arrive in heaven (fingers crossed), we fully expect to behold a huge tureen full of graham cracker crumb mixture on the banquet table. It smells irresistible and tastes even better – that grainy texture that’s soft at the same time because of the warm butter?! Sheesh!

juel about to eat graham cracker crumbs-1

You can make a regular-size pie or 6 individual tarts, like we did. You will even have extra filling leftover – perfect for scooping up with graham crackers.

frozen lemonade pie - juel making-1

This dessert screams “patriotic” and would be a gorgeous addition to your Independence Day feast.

frozen lemonade pie - juel spooning berries-4

As you enjoy this dessert with those you love, teach them a couple things about berries:

  • Raspberries have a flavonoid that can help you have a good memory.
  • Blueberries are wonderful for a healthy heart, thanks to their potassium and fiber contents. They also help to regulate the sugars in your blood so they stay at a healthy level.
  • Lemons have tons of vitamin C, which may make it harder to develop asthma.

 

frozen lemonade pie collage

From: Frozen Lemonade Pie

Frozen Lemonade Pie
 
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Difficulty: Easy
Serves: 8 servings
Ingredients
  • For the Crust:
  • 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • For the Filling:
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 14 -ounce can sweetened condensed milk, chilled
  • 1 6 -ounce can frozen lemonade concentrate (do not thaw) *TAC note: we've only ever come across 12 -ounce cans of lemonade so we cut the can in half using a knife while it's frozen and use half.
  • For the Topping:
  • 1 cup blueberries
  • 1 cup raspberries
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
  1. *This recipe requires over-night freezing.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Make the crust: In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Press firmly on the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake for 7 minutes; cool completely.
  3. Make the filling: In a cold medium bowl, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. In another bowl, stir together the condensed milk and frozen lemonade. Gently fold the lemonade mixture into the whipped cream. Pour the filling into the crust; freeze overnight.
  4. About an hour before you serve the pie, make the topping: Toss the berries in a medium bowl with the sugar and lemon juice. Set aside until ready to serve.
  5. Let the pie come to room temperature for 10 minutes before cutting. Top each slice with berries.

 

 

Grilled Pita Pizzas

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grilled pita pizzas from side-2

Pizza comes in many forms and finding a gross pizza isn’t an easy task (how could something where the basics involve dough and melted cheese go too awry?). Having established that most pizza is good, let’s talk about where these particular pizzas fit on the pizza scale from “good” to “fantastic.” They’re fantastic. They’re fresh and simple and beautiful. You’ll brush your favorite pocketless pitas with olive oil and grill, then top with a mixture of tomatoes, kalamatas, and fresh rosemary. Ricotta and fresh mozzarella comes next, followed by grilled red onion. The pizzas will return to the grill to crisp up just a bit, allowing the cheeses to melt. Arugula tossed with the juices of the aforementioned tomatoes, olive oil and salt top it off with a green halo of peppery vibrance. Another sprinkle of salt and red pepper flakes add a layer of heat and flavor. As if that isn’t enough, other virtues of these Grilled Pita Pizzas are that they involve very few dishes, are 564 calories per serving, and only cost about $13 to make, thanks to their lack of meat. At 5 minutes prep time, give them a try and you’ll be sold.

grilled pita pizzas - onions and pitas on grill-1

Have your kids help you remove thyme leaves from their sprigs, noting the pungent, woodsy aroma. Let them help you toss and layer ingredients on each pita. As you prepare and enjoy these pizzas with those you love, teach them a few things about the ingredients:

  • Arugula is high in vitamin K, which makes your bones strong and your brain healthy.
  • Red onions help your heart stay strong by keeping your blood vessels healthy.
  • Olives are super high in antioxidants, which help keep your body “clean” from harmful toxins.

grilled pita pizzas from above-1

Clearly Italian, let’s learn a few things about Italy and it’s people:

  • The very first battery was invented by an Italian by the name of Volta in the 1800’s.
  • Pasta dates back to the 4th century BC.
  • Italian women usually only have one child.

grilled pita pizzas collage

Adapted only slightly from: Pita Pizzas

Grilled Pita Pizzas
 
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Difficulty: Easy
Est. Cost: $13
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 3 medium tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing and drizzling
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 3 cups baby arugula
  • ½ cup pitted kalamata olives, roughly chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, roughly chopped
  • 1 large red onion, cut into ½ to ¼-inch-thick rounds
  • 4 6 -to-8-inch pocketless pitas
  • ½ cup ricotta cheese
  • ¼ pound fresh mozzarella, sliced and broken into smaller peices
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes
Instructions
  1. Core the tomatoes and halve them crosswise, then squeeze the juices and seeds into a large bowl. Whisk in 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add the arugula but don't toss; set aside. Dice the tomatoes and toss in a separate bowl with the olives and rosemary.
  2. Preheat a grill to medium high. Brush the onion rounds with olive oil and season with salt. Grill until soft, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and separate the rings. Reduce the grill heat to medium.
  3. Brush both sides of the pitas with olive oil and grill until marked, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Top with some of the tomato-olive mixture, ricotta, mozzarella and onion. Cover and grill until the cheese melts, 2 to 3 minutes.
  4. Toss the arugula with the dressing and pile on top of the pitas. Season with salt and the red pepper flakes and drizzle with olive oil.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 564 Fat: 35 g Saturated fat: 9 g Carbohydrates: 46 g Sodium: 798 mg Fiber: 3 g Protein: 18 g Cholesterol: 31 mg

 

 

Blueberry Dumplings

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blueberry dumplings - eating-6

We have an affinity for warm desserts with vanilla ice cream. This love runs very deeply. In the winter, it manifests itself in (mostly) chocolate and (sometimes) apples. In the summer, warm berry desserts, such as pie, are our obsession. The best part of a pie, for us, is the crust, and – more specifically – the part where the crust meets the fruit filling. You know – not the crisp part that touches the pie pan, but the soft, and – for lack of a better-liked word – moist part. The thing with these Blueberry Dumplings is that it’s a whole lot of the best parts of a pie: soft dough (that isn’s too sweet) cooked in vibrant, fresh blueberries and their sweet juices, enjoyed warm with vanilla ice cream. With so many so-called blueberry desserts, you only get a faint hint of blueberry flavor. These dumplings are literally swimming in simmering blueberries, which you proceed to ladle into your bowl along with the dumplings afterwards.

blueberry dumplings - blueberries in pot-1

Have your kids help you mix ingredients. As you enjoy this dessert with those you love, teach them a few things about blueberries:

  • Blueberries are wonderful for a healthy heart, thanks to their potassium and fiber contents.
  • They also help to regulate the sugars in your blood so they stay at a healthy level.
  • Blueberries provide your body with unique antioxidants that it needs to keep from getting sick.

blueberry dumplings - blueberries boiling-3

The dough is the epitome of simple, but the result is incredible.

blueberry dumplings - mixing dough with pastry cutter-2

blueberry dumplings - spooning dough into boiling blueberries-4

blueberry dumplings - scooping ice cream -5

When you can’t wait another minute to try it (shoulda had him wash all the sunscreen off his face):

blueberry dumplings - dad feeding asher a bite-7

blueberry dumplings collage

From: Blueberry Dumplings

Blueberry Dumplings
 
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Author:
Difficulty: Easy
Serves: 6-8 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar, plus 1½ cups
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • Pinch salt
  • ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
  • ¼ cup milk
  • 1 quart fresh or frozen blueberries
  • 2 cups water
  • Vanilla ice cream or fresh cream, for serving
Instructions
  1. Stir flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl.
  2. Cut butter into dry ingredients, using a pastry cutter or fork. Add milk to form dough. Set dumpling dough aside.
  3. In a large saucepan, combine berries, 1½ cups sugar, and water and bring to a boil.
  4. Drop dumplings into hot boiling berries by the tablespoonful. Cover pot, reduce heat to low, and cook slowly for 20 to 30 minutes. Do not remove the lid before 20 minutes has passed, and do not stir dumplings.
  5. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or fresh cream.

 

Rosemary Pork Kebabs With Fennel And Figs

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rosemary pork with fennel and figs kabobs - white board, from above-9

Figs are mysterious. Have you had a fresh fig? They’re delicate, soft, sweet, and fruity – but not tart or acidic. Fennel possesses a certain kind of mystique as well. Unlike fresh figs, the bulbs are very firm in texture, and have a liquorice-y, aromatic sort of flavor. It is a bit sweet and so pairs wonderfully well with figs. Pork is not mysterious, but we all know that pork is at it’s best when enjoyed with the sweetness of fruit (think ham & pineapple or pork tacos with mango salsa). These Rosemary Pork Kebabs With Fennel And Figs truly are a symphony of perfectly matched flavors. A marinade of honey, olive oil, and lemon juice brings everything together in a bright and succulent crescendo of enjoyment.

rosemary pork with fennel and figs kabobs - black board-1

Fennel feels sort of high-class, and it’s unique flavor is truly a refreshing change from the vegetable norm.

rosemary pork with fennel and figs kabobs - fennel and figs-1

Fig season is anywhere between June and October (there are two harvests in there). They are simply gorgeous and a good fig is heavenly.

rosemary pork with fennel and figs kabobs - figs-2

rosemary pork with fennel and figs kabobs - raw on board-4

Tip (unsponsored): All pork tenderloins aren’t created equal. We’ve found the smaller loins (weighing around a pound, usually no more than two) are more natural and offer the best texture and flavor. In our experience, the larger pork loins, weighing two pounds or more, are more like meat that’s been pressed into the shape of a pork tenderloin, but have a gelatinous texture. Buy smaller pork tenderloins when you need to hit a certain weight and steer clear of the larger pieces of… meat(?) that are labeled as pork loins. We found ours at Trader Joe’s. T.J.’s is also good about carrying fennel bulbs (you’ll get 2 per container). We found our figs at our local Asian market.

rosemary pork with fennel and figs kabobs - me holding raw on board-5

Tip: Be careful when brushing the kebabs with the honey mixture. The flames can get high and result in a burn:

rosemary pork with fennel and figs kabobs - on grill-6

It’s difficult to make an unattractive kebab, and these are among the prettiest around.

rosemary pork with fennel and figs kabobs - white board, close-up-7

Have your kids help you thread figs onto the skewers (you may want to handle the meat and fennel if they’re little).

rosemary pork with fennel and figs kabobs - kids eating-2

As you prepare and enjoy these kebabs with those you love, teach them a few things about the ingredients:

  • Fennel has lots of fiber, which is good for your heart.
  • Fennel has lots of potassium, which is great for your metabolism.
  • Figs also offer potassium, which help keep your blood pressure healthy.

rosemary pork with fennel and figs kabobs - white board, further out-8

This dish doesn’t really scream any specific ethnicity, but when we think of kebabs (or kabobs), the first country that comes to mind is Turkey, so let’s learn a few things about Turkey:

  • Even though the country of Turkey is only a little bigger than Texas, about 80 million people live in Turkey while about 27 million live in Texas!
  • Istanbul is commonly thought to be the capital of Turkey because SO many people live there, but Ankara is actually the capital.
  • Turkey is warm and crops grow well there.

Rosemary Pork Kebabs collage

Adapted only slightly from: Rosemary Pork with Fennel and Figs

Rosemary Pork Kebabs With Fennel And Figs
 
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Author:
Difficulty: Easy
Est. Cost: $19
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • Vegetable oil, for the grill
  • 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
  • Kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 bay leaves, torn
  • 1½ pounds pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1 teaspoon roughly chopped fresh rosemary
  • 2 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 1 bulb fennel, cored and cut into ½-inch chunks
  • 12 mission figs, stemmed and halved
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • Juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
  1. Preheat a grill to medium and brush the grates with vegetable oil. Combine the fennel seeds, 1 teaspoon salt, the red pepper flakes and bay leaves in a spice grinder and pulse until powdery. Toss with the pork, rosemary and garlic in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 4 hours.
  2. Thread the fennel, figs and pork onto eight 10-inch skewers (TAC note: making sure you have either meat or fennel at either end of your skewer will ensure you don't loose your soft figs to sliding off); set aside. Mix the honey, olive oil and lemon juice in a small bowl. Grill the kebabs, turning occasionally, until marked and cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes, brushing with the honey mixture during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Drizzle with olive oil before serving.

 

 

Ice Cream Profiteroles (aka Easiest “Fancy Dessert” Ever)

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profiteroles using puff pastry, plated, diagonal view-2

Flaky pastry, creamy vanilla bean ice cream, and melty dark chocolate is a very French-feeling combination, and these bite-size Ice Cream Profiteroles are easy as can be while possessing a truly fancy-feel. Using Puff Pastry is the big short-cut here (honestly, what did we do before we could open the refrigerated case at Walmart and grab a box of Puff Pastry?). These petite morsels are perfect for serving guests for dessert: you can have the pastry baked and ready to fill with ice cream. The chocolate can quickly be melted while guests chat or reheated come serving time. The soft pastry, cold ice cream, and bittersweetness of the chocolate really is a marriage of flavors and textures made in pastry heaven.

profiteroles using puff pastry, plated, arial view-3

Your bigger kids can totally make this dessert on their own (with your supervision at the stove). All they need to do is roll out the Puff Pastry sheet and cut out 2-inch rounds (we used a jar that had an approximate 2-inch mouth). They’ll brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar:

profiteroles using puff pastry, juel brushing with egg wash-1

profiteroles using puff pastry, juel sprinkling with sugar-2

Then into the oven they’ll go. The dough will puff and look like this:

profiteroles using puff pastry, after baking dough-3

They’ll then split each round in half horizontally. Many of the balls will tear naturally to create a separate top and bottom half. They’ll melt some chopped bittersweet chocolate with a little cream in a double-boiler (which is a fancy term for a bowl over a pot of simmering water), then dip the top pastry halves in the chocolate. Fill with a tiny scoop of ice cream and voila! The cutest little desserts you’ve ever seen.

profiteroles using puff pastry, plated, horizontal view-1

Tip: you can fill these with real whipped cream as well, or any flavor of ice cream that you prefer. Mint or cherry ice cream would be delicious and beautiful.

Clearly a French-inspired dessert, let’s learn a few things about France and it’s people:

  • Most kids in France go to school from 8am-4pm and get 2 hours for lunch.
  • Kids usually have Wednesdays off of school but they have a half-day on Saturdays.
  • Kids play a game like hopscotch but it is in the swirly shape of snail and they only use one foot.

Ice Cream Profiteroles Collage

From: 50 Puff Pastry Treats , #50

Ice Cream Profiteroles (aka Easiest "Fancy Dessert" Ever)
 
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Author:
Difficulty: Easy
Serves: 25 mini profiteroles
Ingredients
  • 1 puff pastry sheet
  • Egg wash (whisk 1 egg with 2 tsp water)
  • Sugar, for sprinkling
  • 4 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate
  • 3 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 25 tiny scoops of ice cream
Instructions
  1. Roll out the puff pastry sheet into a 10-inch square; cut out 2-inch rounds (25 total).
  2. Brush the rounds with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.
  3. Bake at 400 degrees F until golden, 14 minutes. Let cool.
  4. Melt the chocolate with the heavy cream in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring.
  5. Split the profiteroles and sandwich with small scoops of ice cream; top with the chocolate sauce.

 

Foil Packet Salmon with Ginger-Scallion Butter

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foil packet salmon - on foil, cooked, further out-4

There’s a little joke in our house: a kid will exclaim, “This dinner is so good. Too bad we’ll never have it again.” We don’t repeat recipes terribly often – not because we don’t like them, but because we feel that there are too many of interest to try and not enough days in a lifetime to try them.  However, after importing the photos for this dish, we were wiping the drool from our gaping jaws as we recalled the… uncalled for level of deliciousness that occurred at this particular dinnertime. We repeated it the following evening. Salmon (good salmon) is fantastic in and of itself and so we are rarely lured in by salmon recipes where a sauce or a glaze is involved because it just feels unnecessary. We did want to give this one a whirl because a foil packet meal with an Asian flare seemed intriguing, and it was worth the gamble.

foil packet salmon - plated, from side-6

This Foil Packet Salmon with Ginger-Scallion Butter simply gushes with bright piquancy: spinach, carrots and mushrooms compose the base of your foil packet, followed by an herb of your choice, salt, pepper, and a splash of white wine. Salmon filets rest atop the vegetables and each flavors the other as they roast, resulting in a succulent and tender foil packet. As if that isn’t enough, dollops of vibrant, green butter containing ginger, scallions and sesame oil slowly melt down each salmon filet. It’s absolute heaven.

foil packet salmon - ingredients-1

Tip (unsponsored):  We suggest wild salmon, and have had great success with Costco’s fresh, skin-on salmon filet, usually sockeye (you will want to skim the skin off with a filet knife for this dish). We love Costco’s quality of fish/seafood. We have also been very happy with the salmon we’ve gotten from our local Asian market, so give that a try if you’ve got one. The prices are often quite good. You will want to slice the carrots and mushrooms very thinly on a mandolin or in a food processor so that they cook as quickly as the salmon does.

foil packet salmon - on foil, raw-2

Have your kids help you layer ingredients down on the foil. As you prepare and enjoy this meal with those you love, teach them a few things about the ingredients:

  • Spinach is high in vitamin K, which helps your bones stay healthy.
  • Carrots are one of the best things to eat to prevent heart disease.
  • Salmon contain a lot of marvelous nutrients, but are most well-known for their omega-3 fats, which are great for your brain and which your body can’t make on it’s own so you must supply it through the food you eat.

foil packet salmon - on foil, cooked, close-up-3

Since this meal has an Asian flare, let’s learn a few things about Taiwan (just to pick a random place):

  • Many of the garbage trucks play music to encourage people to bring out their trash.
  • Taiwan has one of the lowest fertility rates in the world.
  • People love to ride bikes in Taiwan.

foil packet salmon - plated, from above-5

foil packet salmon collage

From: Foil Packet Fish

Foil Packet Salmon with Ginger-Scallion Butter
 
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Author:
Difficulty: Easy
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • Salmon, four 6-ounce skinless fillets (we highly recommend wild sockeye)
  • 2 cups spinach
  • 1 cup carrots, very thinly sliced
  • 1 cup mushrooms, very thinly sliced
  • 2 springs fresh thyme
  • 2 splashes white wine
  • Kosher salt, pepper
  • For the Ginger-Scallion Butter:
  • ½ stick softened butter
  • 3 sliced scallions
  • 2 teaspoons grated peeled ginger
  • ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • *You will need some heavy-duty tin foil.
Instructions
  1. Make the Ginger-Scallion Butter:
  2. Pulse the butter, 3 scallions, ginger, sesame oil, and salt in a mini food processor until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.
  3. Lay out 2 large sheets of heavy-duty foil.
  4. Mound 2 cup vegetables in the center of each, season with salt and pepper and top with a sprig of thyme.
  5. Place the fish on top of the vegetables; season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.
  6. Add a splash of white wine.
  7. Bring the short ends of the foil together and fold twice to seal; fold in the sides to seal, leaving room for steam.
  8. Grill or campfire method: Preheat a grill to medium high or light a campfire and put a cooking grate in place. Grill the foil packets until the fish is just cooked through, 12 minutes.
  9. Let the packets sit 5 minutes, then carefully open and top with the ginger-scallion butter.
  10. Oven method: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Put the foil packets on a baking sheet; bake until the fish is just cooked through, about 12 minutes. Let the packets sit 5 minutes, then carefully open and top with the ginger-scallion butter.

 

Tex-Mex Turkey Burgers (with Avocado Mayonnaise)

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Since we live in such a burger-loving country and we’re in the midst of burger-making season, we give you: THE BEST BURGER WE’VE MADE YET. Now, we have said that before, and it has been true. The other burgers you will find on this blog truly are fantastic. But this burger is our new favorite… and we’re not really burger people. However, given the number of times we find ourselves professing that whilst posting yet another burger recipe, we are thinking that it may be time to rethink this “not-burger-people” label we’ve assigned ourselves. Back to the amazing reason we are here: this Tex-Mex Turkey Burger with Avocado Mayo is so, so flavorful: the patty itself is mixed with garlic and paprika, but let’s start from the bottom. A toasty bun is your base, which you slather with a creamy mixture of avocado, mayo, and lime juice. Then some shredded lettuce lends a layer of freshness, followed by your juicy patty, smothered in melty, spicy pepper jack cheese. Sliced avocados and salty tortilla chips go down next, lending even more moisture and some crunch. Slather another layer of that tangy, zippy avocado mayo, squeeze down so the thing fits in your pie hole, and thank us later.

Tex-Mex Turkey Burgers - patty-1

Turkey makes for the best burgers, in our humble opinion, and avocado has a way of brightening up the flavor of a burger..

avocado-1

Tex-Mex Turkey Burger-1

Let your kids assemble their own burgers. You can even make these into little sliders so their fat little hands can get around them easier. We love fat little hands. As you prepare and enjoy these with those you love, teach them a few things about the ingredients:

  • Avocados provide your body with B vitamins, which helps it to fight off infections.
  • Turkey provides your body with protein, which you need to have strong bones and muscles.
  • Cheese contains vitamin D, which helps keep your teeth strong.

Tex-Mex Turkey Burgers - close-up-2

Since these are called Tex-Mex Burgers and Mexico gets plenty of time in the spotlight, let’s learn a few things about Texas while we’re here:

  • A whopping seventy percent of Texans live within 200 miles of Austin.
  • On the other side of the spectrum is Loving, TX, which is one of the least (if not the least) populated counties in the U.S.
  • About eighty percent of Texas is farmland.

tex-mex turkey burgers collage

From: Tex-Mex Turkey Burgers with Avocado Mayonnaise

Tex-Mex Turkey Burgers (with Avocado Mayonnaise)
 
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Prep time
Active time
Total time
 
Author:
Difficulty: Easy
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 1¼ pounds lean ground turkey
  • 2 cloves garlic, grated
  • 2 teaspoons hot smoked paprika (TAC note: if you can't find hot smoked, use ½ smoked and ½ regular paprika with a pink of cayenne pepper)
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 avocado, halved
  • 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 4 slices pepper jack cheese (about 3 ounces)
  • 4 sesame potato buns
  • Shredded lettuce and tortilla chips, for topping
Instructions
  1. Combine the turkey, garlic, paprika, ¾ teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a medium bowl; mix with your hands until just combined. Form into four ½-inch-thick patties; set aside.
  2. Combine ½ avocado, the mayonnaise, lime juice and ¼ teaspoon salt in a medium bowl; mash until smooth. Thinly slice the remaining ½ avocado and season with salt and pepper. Set aside for topping.
  3. Heat the vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat (or preheat a grill to medium high and oil the grates). Add the burgers and cook until browned, 3 minutes per side. About 30 seconds before the patties are done, top each burger with a slice of cheese; cover and cook until the cheese melts.
  4. Meanwhile, split and toast the buns; spread the avocado mayonnaise on the cut sides. Serve the burgers on the buns with lettuce, the sliced avocado and tortilla chips.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 570 Fat: 34 g Saturated fat: 8 g Carbohydrates: 26 g Sugar: 3 g Sodium: 760 mg Fiber: 4 g Protein: 42 g Cholesterol: 115 mg

 

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