lemon zucchini pasta

Remember those zucchini appetizers I made a little while ago? I ended up with an extra zucchini left over, rolling around my fridge drawer. It became tonight's featured ingredient in a light, fresh, and lemon-y vegetable pasta.

This meal is really simple, healthy, and fun to make. I made up the recipe as I went along, pouring in some white wine that smelled amazing with the lemon juice as I sauteed the garlic, onion, and zucchini.

When everything was mixed together, and my apartment smelled fragrant and delicious, I sprinkled some shredded cheese atop the pasta. It was a very nice accent to the hint of lemon flavor the pasta had soaked up, and the zucchini added just the right texture and bit of sweetness to the plate.

I won't give you an exact recipe because I didn't measure. You may have realized by now that I pretty much reserve measuring for baking only, which is odd because half the time I don't know what I'm actually doing in the kitchen. (And yet I have a food blog? Of course!) But I will share with you the ingredients I used and wish you the best of luck replicating this! It is a truly tasty, light meal that dishes out a serving of your daily greens. Gotta get those veggies in somehow.

Lemon Zucchini Pasta

3 cloves garlic, minced

about 1/4 onion, diced

1 zucchini, sliced

olive oil

lemon juice

white wine

salt and pepper

basil

parsley

cheese, shredded (I used cheddar, but parmesan or asiago would be great here)

angel hair pasta

Begin by boiling the pasta in hot, salted water for added flavor. As the pasta boils, sautee the garlic in a thin layer of olive oil. Add the onion and some dashes of white wine and bring to a strong simmer. Add the sliced zucchini, squirt in a couple tablespoons of lemon juice, and take a few spoonfuls of the pasta water and transfer them to the saucepan. Drain the pasta as it reaches al dente, and add it to the saucepan to warm. Stir everything together, toss in the spices, and top with yummy shredded cheese.

the heart breaker crepe

Hungry yet? I don't see how you couldn't be.

I've been meaning to post about crepes for a while. I don't make them very often, but they are waaay up there in my favorite breakfast foods (or maybe I should say dessert foods?). Delicious!

One of my favorite places to snack in Burlington is at The Skinny Pancake. Their Cheesy Pesto crepe is crazy, all hot and melty cheddar and mozzarella cheese and homemade pesto. Their Hot Apple Crispy is dreamy, so comforting with warmed cinnamon apples and a healthy dollop of whipped cream. But it was their Heart Breaker that sent me over the edge. Filled with Nutella, strawberries, and bananas, I'd been avoiding it for months because it sounded TOO GOOD. I knew once I had it, I would want it again and again and again.

Well, last weekend I caved. I ordered it. It was delightful, as I knew it would be. And so, when I decided to make crepes this afternoon, and I just happened to have on hand perfectly ripe bananas and strawberries... well, I knew that's what I would try to recreate.

However, my crepe-making skills leave a lot to be desired. Maybe it's my itty bitty nonstick pan-- too small to work with?-- but almost every crepe I made today was a little bit torn. Luckily, I'm not too picky about how my food looks. Plus, once you smother the crepe in fruit and chocolate, you can't even tell I goofed... hopefully. Right?

So go to and make. Make and enjoy. Get your heart broken by this Heart Breaker. Here's one time you won't regret it.

Crepes

Crepe recipe: adapted from Alton Brown

2 eggs

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1 cup flour

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix together all the ingredients and let chill in the fridge for about an hour.

Coat a nonstick pan in butter and warm it to medium heat. Pour in a small amount of batter and swirl to cover the entire pan. Cook about 30 seconds to 1 minute, then flip and cook about 30 seconds more.

Chocolate sauce filling:

baking cocoa

unsweetened butter

milk

I improvised measurements with these ingredients. I started by melting about 1 tablespoon butter over low heat, and then added in around 3 tablespoons baking cocoa. Then I poured in a dash of milk here and there to get a nice thick, creamy consistency.

To fill the crepes:

Lay the cooked crepe flat on a plate. Fill with a scattering of sliced strawberries and bananas, then cover with a thin layer of the chocolate sauce. Roll the crepe up, and garnish with extra chocolate and fruit. EAT!

risotto cake!

Look at me getting all excited over leftovers. But if I'm honest, the only reason I made risotto last night was so I could give it a makeover into risotto cakes tonight.

Mmm, risotto cake. If you've never had it, you're seriously missing out-- just like I was up until last fall. Dave took me out to a fancypants dinner at Butler's Restaurant at the Inn at Essex to celebrate our one year anniversary (of dating, that is. I'm only 21!). I ordered a heart-meltingly delicious and sweet butternut squash-filled penne dish (oh. my. god. I didn't even know I liked squash!). But Dave ordered a pork entree that was served alongside... you guessed it... a hot, crunchy on the outside, soft and creamy and swoon-inducing on the inside risotto cake.

Yeah.

My next risotto cake experience just didn't compare. It was purchased from our local co-op, City Market, and once I brought it home and reheated it... well, it was salty and bland at the same time and just didn't reach that level of crunchiness I craved. Granted, my first risotto cake was made by New England Culinary Institute students, so in all likelihood, nothing else will ever measure up. But a girl can try, right? Right.

My risotto was simply the boxed kind you can find in any supermarket (I have no faith in my rice skills), and I chose a creamy parmesan risotto. Because it has such a nice cheese flavor and lots of seasonings to begin with, I didn't need to season it up much more for the cakes.

The cakes came out gorgeously browned on all sides, and smelled fantastic. I was so excited to put my fork into the thick crust of the cake and feel a slight, crispy resistance-- it meant I had success! These were the perfect texture; they were crunchy on the outside but maintained a soft and creamy tribute to my leftovers on the inside. Though nowhere near the quality of my first risotto cake, these were so filling and satisfying that I will surely be making them again.

Risotto Cake

This barely needs a recipe, but here's mine anyway.

Risotto, already made and cooled (I used a box mix, but any kind will work)

1 egg

flour

spices (I used salt, pepper, and paprika, but would add in garlic or onion next time, too.)

Take the chilled risotto and form it into thick, circular patties. In a shallow bowl, beat the egg. In another shallow bowl, sift together some flour and seasonings. Dip each risotto cake into the egg, coating it, and then cover it with a thick layer of the flour. Coat a large frying pan with a thin layer of oil, and heat to medium or medium-high. Place each cake in the pan and fry until browned on all sides. Remove from heat and place on paper towels to soak up excess oil. Eat while hot.

babcia's zucchini appetizers

Some things should never change. Some things are already perfection, defined.

I feel this way about the weekends I spend with four close friends every summer at a Vermont lake house. Each year we do the same thing. We bring up tons of food-- fruit salads, cupcakes, veggies and dip, and lots of things to grill-- and spend our time lounging on inner tubes in the water, making s'mores over a bonfire, and staying up late into the night chatting. This is perfection.

My grandmother's zucchini appetizers also reach this rare level of perfection. I'd never made them before, but when I decided to try my hand at them I knew I wouldn't change anything from her recipe. So what if the recipe calls for Bisquick, something I'm not even sure I understand. Is it weird to use Bisquick instead of combining the flour and leavening ingredients yourself? Is it old-fashioned? It doesn't really matter for the sake of this recipe.

These zucchini appetizers are addictive. Babcia (which is Ukranian for "grandmother") makes these mayyyybe once a year, freezes them, and brings them out before every family dinner. She'll warm them up in her toaster oven on a low heat for, ohh, a couple of hours to dry them out and get the outsides nice and crispy. It's totally delicious, and I always eat so many that I'm practically full before dinner. I'm not messing with what works.

I felt like I was making a garden-fresh salad as I grated all the zucchini, chopped all the onion, and minced all the garlic for this. The vibrant green of the zucchini was fabulous. Be sure to serve these warm. Do like Babcia and toast them until they're extra crispy for real success.

Zucchini Appetizers

3 cups zucchini, grated

1 cup Bisquick

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup oil

4 eggs

2 tablespoons parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1 clove garlic, minced

pepper, added to taste

paprika

breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the zucchini, onion, garlic, Parmesan, parsley, salt, oregano, and pepper in one large bowl.

In a smaller bowl, whisk the eggs and oil. Add to the larger bowl. Then add the Bisquick and stir until well combined.

Spread into a lightly greased 9 x 13" pan. Sprinkle the top lightly with breadcrumbs and paprika. Bake for 25-30 minutes, and serve hot.

heartbreak cookies

Can I be perfectly honest? Good. Thanks.

My heart's hurting. It's been having sympathy pains for one of my oldest, best friends who has been dealing with quite a heartbreak. I've been there. I don't want anyone I care about to have to be there. Heartbreaks are the worst, aren't they?

How do you fix a broken heart? I don't have any good advice, other than finding out your ex is a little piece of you-know-what, which helped me immensely at the time. But failing that... could cookies help? I think maybe they can brighten your day a little bit. So I lovingly made a batch to mail to my far-away friend.

These double chocolate cookies have some magical powers. They make things happen. I created this recipe one early morning two summers ago, improvising with ingredients from my pantry, to bring to a mountain barbeque with friends. A barbeque planned by the nice guy I had a cute little crush on from afar. I wanted him to remember me, so what did I do? I made really good cookies. Later I found out he planned the barbeque so he could get to know me. We've been together ever since. The cookies definitely worked their magic that day.

So I'm hoping these cookies work both ways. I hope they help people fall in love as much as they help people deal with losing love and moving on. I hope these at least bring a little smile to my lovely friend's face.

And in case that doesn't work, I hope the silly mix cd full of old 90s pop songs I also sent her brings out that smile.

Double Chocolate Cookies

This soft, creamy, deep brown chocolate batter turns into amazingly soft, melt-in-your-mouth cookies in the oven. But they have to be made with lots of love to work properly.

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1-1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Use an electric mixer to beat butter and sugars until fluffy (2-3 minutes). Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined. In a separate bowl, sift together cocoa powder, flour, and baking soda. Add to the wet mixture and stir well with a spoon until fully combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Let dough chill in the fridge for 5-10 minutes. Then scoop the dough into balls on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake 8-9 minutes, until the cookies are cracked but still soft. Cool 5 minutes before moving.

Eat with milk, and let the sunlight into your life.

better butter

I was thumbing through a cookbook in the farm store I work at today, and suddenly it came to me how to use up the last bit of heavy cream that's been sitting in my fridge a little too long.  I had been thinking of frostings, or creamy scrambled eggs... but then I remembered my staff orientation to the farm last summer, during which we made our own butter.

Before I get into that, check out my photos of the beautiful farm.  It makes me crave summer so much to look at them.  Oh, Vermont, will you ever warm up?

Anyway.  We were talking about butter, weren't we?  

Making butter is the easiest thing.  I'm sure we've all done it at some point in our lives, probably as kids.  The other morning I was spreading some Smart Balance on my toast, but it wasn't very soft, or spreadable, or tasty... and I wondered why I use it.  I'm not saying I'm going to churn my own butter daily (though maybe I'd get some good wrist muscles by doing that), but it was nice to know that the butter I made came just from cream... nothing else.  

And, I won't lie to you, it was fun to shake up some butter!  Food should always be this satisfying.

Home-Churned Butter

Heavy cream

Fill a small container (don't use glass; it could shatter) with heavy cream halfway full.  Add a clean marble or pebble and shake for 5-10 minutes.  Wait for the butter to separate from the whey before stopping.  

I knew mine was done by listening; when the butter separates, you can hear the thin whey sloshing loudly.  Or just take a peek in to check on it!  (Be sure your container closes well; I had to switch tupperware halfway through.)  

Pour off the whey (save it/drink it if you like-- it's like buttermilk), and dig into the butter.  

There are loads of flavored butter combinations you can try, too.  Think about it... mint and lemon butter... herb butter... lavender butter...  But that's another story for another time.  Sometimes we should just enjoy the pure and simple, right?  Right.

a very sweet weekend

Is there anything better than catching up with a friend you haven't seen in way too long over a delicous chocolate pear cake?

I'm not sure that there is.

What a sweet end to a most fantastic weekend roadtrip just outside New York City.  I arrived Saturday afternoon and Laura and I immediately left for the train ("trains" would be more accurate) that would take us into Times Square.  Then we landed awesome second-row seats to Mamma Mia!  Having highly enjoyed the over-the-top movie version, I was totally pumped to see it on Broadway, especially since I haven't been to many NYC plays in my life.  Tragic, I know, and it is something I am trying to fix.

The musical was too much fun.  All I can really say is that I've since listened to my Mamma Mia! mix cd about 11 times... and I'm still not sick of it.  Go see it, just go!

We also stopped by Rosie O'Grady's for a leisurely and very tasty dinner.  I ordered the Capellini Primavera.  Seeing my plate arrive with the vegetables covered in pasta sauce would normally leave me quite grumpy (tomato sauce on veggies? no, just... no.), but it was such a light sauce that still let a nice strong garlic and buttery flavor through that I didn't even flinch.  Yum.

Meet Laura.

But the real kicker of the weekend was the next day, when Laura and I turned to our favorite pasttime of baking.  We browsed through some of her cookbooks, but nothing was really calling out to us until we decided to utilize some of the nice, ripe bosc pears sitting in a bowl on the table in front of us.  I suddenly remembered about the bittersweet chocolate and pear cake from smitten kitchen I'd been meaning to try.  And isn't it wonderful when you realize you have exactly the variety of pear recommended, and discover bittersweet baking chocolate in the cabinets, so you don't need to go buy last-minute ingredients?

We followed the recipe exactly, something that is rare for me to do.  You may have noticed I almost always leave out the salt in my sweet recipes (I know, I know, I'm probably throwing off all the textures.... but I can always taste the salt too distinctly, and frankly, I don't think dessert should be that way), but this time we added the salt, we browned the butter, we beat the eggs for ten minutes... and oh, was it worth it.

What we were rewarded with, in just 50 minutes, was an incredibly fluffy, moist, chocolate-y, gorgeously browned cake.  It's so rich in taste, but so light in texture that we had no qualms with two large helpings each.  And maybe one more tiny portion later that day.  So go check out the recipe, one that taught me that maybe directions are there for a reason.

That's me, sprinkling on some powdered sugar to our masterpiece.

Don't we all deserve a sweet end to a sweet weekend?  I think so.