Hey, Hey, Blondie!

Ahhhhhhh, Spring!

And let's not forget the upcoming hide-those-eggs holiday!

It's time for fresh food to tickle those hibernating taste buds.

How about a dessert that's from scratch, but so easy you'll

forget you skipped the boxed mix?

 Blondies fit the bill.

What's a blondie?

It's a chewy, moist, delicious brownie sans the cocoa,

which allows the add-ins to shine,

and this one showcases dark chocolate-mint M&M's.

Ready to do some baking?

Preheat that oven to 325 and grab an apron!

Sunny's Blondie Bars

2¼ cups all-purpose flour

½ tsp salt

½ tsp baking soda

12 Tbsp butter, melted

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup white sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

2 tsps vanilla extract

1 bag of Dark Chocolate Mint M&M’s, divided

This is super easy. Mix the flour, salt, and baking soda in a bowl and set it out of the reach of the cat.

Cream the butter and sugars in another bowl, add the eggs, and then the vanilla. Mix in the flour and combine until moist. Now add half of the M&M's. 

Take a 9x13" baking pan and slather it but good with cooking spray.

Press the batter into it. Try not to lick your fingers.

Now press the remaining M&M's into the surface and pop that sucker in the oven

for 45 minutes. You want the edges just golden. Don't overdo it.

Remove and cool completely, Then loosen the edges, turn it out onto a cutting

board, slice into absolutely perfect squares

and garnish with fresh mint for presentation;

that way your guests have something to flick off of their plates.

Or don't tell anyone they're ready, make yourself some tea,

and curl up with your own slice of Spring, enjoying the quiet,

which probably won't last any longer than your dessert.

Enjoy!

Company Worthy Food in a Flash

I had a crowd last weekend, and with everything going on,

 I wanted to put together a good meal that would wow my guests

 and meet all the dietary needs of the throng,

such as the vegetarians.

It was also important that it pack a nutritious, high fiber punch.

And it even includes an appetizer!

Crispy Asparagus Spears

2 pounds of fresh asparagus

Cooking spray

Lemon pepper seasoning

Set the oven for 450.

Rinse the asparagus and cut off the woody ends. In a pot large enough

to immerse the spears, bring enough water to a boil to cover the veggies.

Once it's boiling, add the asparagus for three minutes.

Drain and rinse with cold water.

Lay the spears on a broiler pan, spray with cooking spray,

sprinkle lightly with lemon paper, and place in the oven close to the top element

until they start to brown slightly and crisp, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Arrange on a platter and send them out to be devoured. 

Leave the oven on.

Mini Caprese Salad

This has a bright, amazing flavor just like its more formal cousin

but without the high maintenance fuss.

 

1 pound of grape tomatoes

1 pound of golden pear tomatoes, or yellow cherry tomatoes

1 can of medium pitted black olives, drained

1 tub of buffalo mozzarella pearls, drained

1/2 bottle of fat free balsamic vinagrette

10 to 12 fresh basil leaves, washed and cut into thin strips

Rinse the tomatoes. Dump everything into a bowl. Toss gently and fall in love.

Wild Mushroom Pasta

  A half hour total is all you'll need to make a gourmet dish that's creamy and 

satisfying without the high calorie consequences.

A 16 ounce box of fettuccine, cooked according to package directions

8 ounces of baby portobellas, sliced

8 ounces of shitake mushrooms

2 large portobellas

8 ounces of cremini mushrooms

1/2 a bag of fresh spinach

1 bunch of scallions, sliced

1 cup dry white wine, such as chardonnay

Olive oil

1/2 cup skim milk

1 tbsp roasted garlic seasoning, such as Montreal

1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese

Drain the cooked pasta, rinse in cold water, and return it to the pot.

In the meantime, in a large saute pan on medium high heat, coat the bottom with olive oil,

wait one minute, then add the mushrooms and roasted garlic seasoning.

Saute for five minutes, then add the wine and scrape the bottom of the pan.

Toss in the scallions.

Add the milk and cheese, stirring until smooth,

then the spinach until it wilts.

Add it to the pot of pasta and toss over low heat until you're

ready to serve.

All you have to do now is make dessert.

That'll take hours, right?

WRONG.

Tropical Sauce

1 fresh pineapple

1 cup light brown sugar

Vanilla ice cream

Cut the rind off the pineapple, core and chunk it.

Lightly spritz a baking dish with cooking spray, and the pineapple

and sugar, and mix.

It makes its own sauce!

Put the dish in the oven 10 minutes before serving until the sauce caramelizes slightly. 

spoon over ice cream, and enjoy!

Sure, it's a little decadent.

Actually, it only tastes that way.

But this is a special occasion, and you still spent less than an hour in the kitchen!

Get Your Irish On!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

 It's time for a little wearing o'the green!

Nothing wrong with that, right?

 Okay, maybe there are a few things wrong.

However there's nothing wrong with the following recipe,

straight from my BFF, Michael, owner of the blog
Diabetes Done Right. 

Making soda bread with a little twist will surprise and delight your family,

and the prep time is under 15 minutes.

Lord Reilly’s Irish Soda Bread

  

3 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

16 oz. container sour cream

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 cup Craisins…. YES CRAISINS!!!

  

Mix all dry ingredients well. Add egg and sour cream. Fold ingredients with floured hands until well combined, but not overly mixed. Bake at 375 degrees in greased 9” cake pan for about 50-60 minutes or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Enjoy!

Do yourself a favor and double this...you're going to want some for breakfast! 

For more of my favorite Irish recipes, click HERE.

So meanwhile, wanna have a little fun?

I went to one of those sites where you supply your on-hand ingredients

 and they give you a recipe using them:

Pineapple

Insecticide

Adobo

Window cleaner

Crystal doorknob

I've never seen automated profanity before. 

And I appear to have been blocked.

The Hard Hearted Chef: Decadent Stuffed Artichokes

 Behold the artichoke.

An intimidating morsel that most are afraid to tackle.

You're about to be amazed at how easy an elegant side dish is to create.

Gather the following and get ready to wow your crew!

• 6 whole artichokes
• 3 cups Italian bread crumbs
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/8 cup chopped fresh parsley

• 1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• salt and pepper to taste

 Snip off the points of the leaves and cut off the very top of the choke.

 Cut off the stems, leaving a flat bottom.

 This is what you should have.

 Now, take those tight little veggies...

 ...grasp it firmly by the base and give it a firm rap on the cutting board.

 You want it open and the leaves loose.

 Smack it again if necessary.

Take out a little aggression.

 This is what you're looking for.

Mix the remaining ingredients into a paste, drizzling in more oil if needed.

 Stuff the mixture into each artichoke as shown.

Place them in a dutch oven, filling any empty space with crumpled foil

to keep them upright.

Add water and 2 tablespoons of oil up to the top of the lower leaves.

Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cover.

This will take about an hour.

When the leaves are tender and pull out easily, you're ready to serve them

with a little melted butter for dipping.

You just elevated Tuesday past hotdog night.

It's not a tough recipe, it's good for you, and you can tell the kids it's from another planet.

They'll scarf it up.  

Emergency Romance!

 Is your dessert menu for tonight as empty as this bowl???

It's okay, Besties, we're here for you.

If you have 20 minutes, I can have a spread as decadent as original sin in your

fridge waiting to spark romance!

Easy and inexpensive, this will become your go to dessert spread!

 You'll need 5 packages of semi sweet baking chocolate.

Unwrap two and break them up into a microwave safe bowl.

Take one can of this stuff...

Pour it over the chocolate.

Microwave this for 1 1/2 minutes, stir it thoroughly,

 then zap it for 30 more seconds.

Stir it until smooth.

This is my new best friend.

Available in the craft section at Walmart, this is flavoring on steroids.

Pour one of these suckers in and mix it up.

Toss in two cups of shredded coconut, blending thoroughly.

Scrape the whole mess into a 9x9 greased pan and refrigerate.

You just made my Sunshine State Fudge.

Don't wash that bowl yet!

 You're about to use it again.

 Bust up the next 3 boxes of chocolate,

 Pour one cup of this stuff over it and nuke...er...MICROWAVE it for two minutes.

It'll look like this.

Don't panic.

Stir until it looks more like this.

This is a basic truffle recipe.

 You'll need one of these bad boys.

Yes, you could make your own, but the clock is ticking!

 There's no time!

 Pour the chocolate into the shell.

Remove the plastic first.

I shouldn't have to say that, but there's a reason curling irons

are marked "For External Use Only."

I want to meet the person that made that necessary.

Seriously.

 Now grab a jar of this.

Glop it on the pie with an ordinary spoon.

 Use the spoon to swirl it in loosely.

 Garnish with something non-poisonous.

Again, I should not have to tell you that.

I used fresh mint.

Pop it in the fridge til set.

That would be Sunny's Raspberry Truffle Pie.

Notice, you have a bowl, a spatula, and a spoon to wash,

and two gourmet desserts in the fridge.

When both are chilled, cut the fudge into squares and amaze your Valentines!

The kids are coming home tonight, and I'm soooo ready!

For a heart healthy and diabetes friendly start to your night,

visit my real life BFF Michael's blog for some delicious entrees 

that might just counteract what I just made.

The Hard Hearted Chef: Roasted Shrimp & Broccoli

Consider this a drive by...

I'm out shopping for the boys!

But a promise is a promise, and I did emphatically indicate 

that I'd leave you with a delicious dish for your weekend dining pleasure.

Special thanks to my BFF, Michael Reilly, 

for cooking up this masterpiece!

Roasted Shrimp & Broccoli

Ingredients:

·        1 lb large cleaned shrimp

·        2 lbs fresh broccoli (main stems get tossed)

·        4 tbsp Olive oil

·        1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds (or 1/2 tsp. ground),

·        1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds (or 1/2 tsp. ground)

·        1 tsp salt

·        1 tsp black pepper

·        1/8 tsp chili powder

·        zest from one lemon or lemon juice

Preparation:

1. Heat the oven to 425.

2. On a large cookie sheet, toss together 2 lbs of broccoli cut up into florets (but not teensy tiny florets, I like a little stem attached), 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp whole coriander seeds (or 1/2 tsp ground), 1 tsp whole cumin seeds (or 1/2 tsp ground), 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and 1/8th tsp hot chili powder. Spread into a single layer and pop into the oven for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, toss together 1 lb large raw shrimp, shelled and deveined, with 2 tbsp olive oil, lemon zest from one lemon (or juice to taste), 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper in a bowl. When the broccoli’s been in the oven 10 minutes, add the shrimp to the broccoli and toss carefully.

3. Roast another 10 minutes, tossing once halfway through, until the shrimp is cooked the broccoli is tender and golden around the edges.

Serve with a yogurt/lemon based cucumber salad to balance the heat.

 G'head...tell me you aren't drooling!

Join us tomorrow for the boys' apartments,

which is our next decorating-on-the-cheap challenge!