Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings

In honor of the blog's namesake (thanks, Mom), and the fact that I don't typically gnaw on chicken wings by myself for dinner, I made my mom's chicken wings for Superbowl XLVI to go along with this. They're so easy but so good!

Ingredients

1 bag frozen chicken drummettes (from the freezer section at your grocery store)

Lemon-pepper seasoning

Olive oil

3-4 garlic cloves, finely minced

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Thaw the chicken drummettes, either in the refrigerator overnight or by running under cold water until thawed.

3. Pat dry the drummettes and spread out in an even layer on a baking sheet.

4. Drizzle the drummettes with olive oil and sprinkle evenly with minced garlic. Season generously with the lemon-pepper seasoning.

5. Bake for 25-35 minutes (depending on the size of your drummettes) until golden and cooked through.

6. Serve hot, either on their own or with your favorite dip. 

Pizza Pull-Apart Bread

Superbowl time! That's how late I am in posting these recipes...4 months?! Even more fun than watching the game (or any game, really) is having people over and making some party food that otherwise would seem out of place at the dinner table. I loved the idea of a pull-apart bread that could easy be pulled, dipped and eaten with little muss or fuss. I found several variations of pull-apart bread and had to decide between cheesy-jalapeno bread, bacon-cheesey-ranch bread...the options go on and on. Why I decided on a pizza version, I have no idea, but I have plenty of games in my future at which to try the others. Or my favorite type of game night...BOARD game night! Who's in?

Ingredients

1 round loaf of sourdough bread

16 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

3.5 oz sliced pepperoni, cut in half

3-4 baby bella mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 small can black olives, drained and sliced

3 tbsp. butter, melted

1/2 tsp. Italian seasonings

2 tbsp. parmesan cheese, shredded

Pizza sauce, for dipping

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

2. Without cutting all the way through the crust, cut the bread both length- and width-wise using a good serrated knife.

3. Place the bread on the baking sheet. Insert the pepperoni, mushrooms and olives into the bread.

4. Sprinkle the cheese all over the bread.

5. Combine the melted butter and seasonings. Pour evenly over the bread.

6. Wrap the bread tightly in foil and bake for 15 minutes.

7. After 15 minutes, unwrap the bread.

8. Bake for another 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and the bread turns brown and slightly crispy.

Lemon-Parmesan Tilapia

It's funny to stop and think about how I fell in love with cooking. Despite growing up with  a mother who catered for years, it never struck me that I could actually make her recipes on my own rather than having to wait to visit and then ask her...beg her...to make my favorites. So in college, when I finally had an apartment and was out of the dorms (sorry Garner Hall...I didn't love you as much as everyone else), I began really exploring recipes. Now, six years later, I can't believe there was a time when I didn't do this! While my tastes have changed and I have a greater awareness of ingredients (thanks to Food Network, fresh farmers' markets and living in urban areas with great, non-chain restaurants), this is an "oldie but goodie" recipe that I still make every once in awhile...despite it being the most unhealthy fish recipe I have in my arsenal!

Ingredients

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup butter, at room temperature

3 tbsp. mayonnaise

2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp. dried basil

1/4 tsp. black pepper  

1/8 tsp. onion powder

1/8 tsp. celery salt

4 tilapia fillets

Directions

1. Preheat the oven's broiler.

2. In a small bowl, combine the butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice.

3. Season with dried basil, black pepper, onion powder and celery salt.

4. Add the parmesan cheese and stir well.

5. Arrange the tilapia filets in a single layer in a 9x13" casserole dish.

6. Broil for 2-3 minutes and flip, broiling for another 2 minutes.

7. Remove from the oven and cover with the cheese mixture.

8. Broil for another 2-3 minutes until the topping is crisp and golden brown. It will sizzle slightly.

9. Serve hot.

Lime Cake

When I found this recipe while perusing smitten kitchen, it reminded me of a very successful lemon cake I have made a few times. I thought it might be a faster, smaller version of the cake to make for weekend guests. Enter a weekend a few months back when my best friend was coming to visit (who happens to love key lime pie), and I had the perfect opportunity to try it out.

Needless to say, I didn't fall in love like I have with the lemon cake. It was good, don't get me wrong, but the blackberry sauce is very tart, and make sure you like the tartness of limes too. It was very refreshing though, and a perfect cake for summer.

(That reminds me: I've never added the lemon cake recipe to the blog. I'll make it again if I have some takers to come over and eat it with me! Anyone?!)

Ingredients

For the cake:

1 cup whole milk plain yogurt, unsweetened

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 cup sugar

Zest of one lime

1/4 lime juice

2 eggs, at room temperature

1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/8 tsp. salt

For the sauce:

12 oz. fresh blackberries

1/4 cup water

3 tbsp. sugar

1 tbsp. fresh lime juice

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan, and grease both the sides and the paper on the bottom.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt, oil, sugar, lime zest and juice.

3. Add the eggs one at a time, combing well after each addition.

4. In another mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 

5. Add to the yogurt mixture and stir until just combined. 

6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean

7. Let stand for 10 minutes, and then invert onto a cooling rack, running your knife along the sides of the pan before turning it over to make sure that nothing sticks. 

8. Remove the parchment paper and flip back over to cool.

9. While the cake is cooling, prepare the sauce by combining the blackberries, water, sugar and lime juice in a food processor.

10. Puree until very smooth.

11. To remove the seeds, push the puree through a fine mesh strainer over a bowl.

 

12. Cover and refrigerate until cold. 

13. Serve the cake slightly warm or at room temperature with the sauce drizzled on top. 

Apple Sharlotka

If you've been reading this blog for awhile, you may have already guessed why it's been a whole two months since I last posted. It's not that I haven't been cooking...or baking...no, no, no. There were midterms, then finals, then spring break. And now I'm back and ready to catch up on many, many recipes...

On that note...

I love how God always provides for us in the craziest ways. Moving out to LA was scary, even if I was excited and ready for this next phase of life. As I was getting serious about apartment hunting (which you can imagine was difficult, since I was doing all my searches from halfway across the country), I remembered that friends of mine from college had moved out here several years before. I reached out to Emily, who I lived with during my last year at U of I, and she so kindly helped me get my hands on a neat apartment. My subsequent move to LA allowed me to reconnect with Emily and her hubby, Reggie, who I also got to know in college. We didn't stay in close contact after graduating but it worked out that I moved into an apartment just a couple miles from where they were living.

They made my first months in LA so much better, their friendly faces and generous spirits so willing to help me settle in and get acclimated. Unfortunately for me (but exciting for them), they re-located back to Illinois a few months ago, but I'm thankful for the months that we had here to reconnect.

(I've been told that Reggie reads this once in awhile...so Emily and Reggie, if you're reading this...I miss you guys!)

This is a recipe I made for their goodbye shindig, which I took from one of my favorite blogs. It's really simple...and really tasty...and even better served with vanilla bean ice cream!

Ingredients

6 large Granny Smith apples

3 eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

Ground cinnamon

Powdered sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper, and then butter the paper and the sides of the pan.

3. Prepare the apples. After peeling, slice them in half and core them. Then give them a large dice.

4. Place the apples in the prepared pan.

5. In a medium mixing bowl, using a hand- or stand-mixer, combine the eggs and sugar until thick.

*Note: You will know it's ready when "ribbons" form on the surface.

6. Beat in the vanilla extract.

7. Stir in the flour with a spatula until just combined. It's gonna be a thick batter.

8. Pour the batter over the apples and smooth it to cover the entire surface of the pan.

9. Bake for one hour or until a tester comes out clean.

10. Cool for 10 minutes, then flip it out of the pan and gently peel away the parchment paper.

11. Flip back onto a serving platter and dust lightly with powdered sugar and cinnamon.

Note: you can serve it warm or at room temperature. I like it warm with some vanilla bean ice cream. Yum yum!

Quinoa Burgers

When I think back on the many moves I've made since I left home at 18 to go to U of I, I can remember the ways my dad has supported me in each one. He's the kind of dad that is always there to listen to me whine about one thing or another regarding my new location, and he has that "special power" that only dads have to put everything back in the right perspective. He's also that dad that will put together an IKEA bed frame that barely fits in the new bedroom for which I bought it, or hang bookshelves that might look cute but are treacherous to try and hang correctly, even though he does not love doing either of those things. For my most recent move, my dad was thoughtful enough not only to ship me some things that I left behind (because I didn't have room to drive them across the country with me) and to send me a care package of odds and ends that he thought I might need. In one of these packages were a couple boxes of quinoa...which I am still cooking my way through. Here's a recipe I found (and altered ever so slightly) to use the quinoa in a new way...thanks, Dad!


Ingredients
1 cup uncooked quinoa (equals 2 cups cooked)
3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1 medium carrot, finely grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 eggs
3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. salt
 Olive oil
Sour cream, for serving


Directions
1. Cook the quinoa as directed on the package.

2. Meanwhile, grate the cheese and carrot, mince the garlic and dice the green onions.
3. In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients (except olive oil and sour cream).
*Note: the mixture should be slightly sticky.

4. Heat olive oil in a large skillet until hot. With a 1/4 cup measuring cup, drop the mixture onto the skillet and gently flatten with the back of the measuring cup until it looks like a patty.

5. Fry until golden, approximately four to five minutes on each side.
*Note: when flipping, do so gently so the patties do not break apart.
6. Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream, if desired.

Roasted Chick Peas

Whether you call them chickpeas (from the French word chiche) or garbanzo beans (from the Old Spanish word, garroba), chances are you've come to love these meaty beans once you try them. I love to eat them as hummus...or straight from the can on salads...or cooked in a hot soup. So when I saw a recipe for roasted chickpeas, I thought it a great way to showcase the heartiness of the beans, and get a salty snack with lots of protein and fiber. I was surprised when I made this and it reminded me in some ways of popcorn. Here's what you do:

Ingredients

1 (15 oz) can chickpeas

1 tsp. olive oil

Salt and black pepper

Other spices, to taste

Directions

1. Drain and rinse the chickpeas.

2. Transfer to a paper towel and pat very dry. Let stand for at least one hour to aid in the drying process.

3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

4. Transfer the dry chickpeas to a baking sheet.

5. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, black pepper and desired spices.

*I used garlic powder and lemon pepper, but you can use any combination of spices...the combinations are endless.

6. Toss to ensure that all the beans are coated.

7. Roast for 30-45 minutes, tossing every 10-15 minutes, to ensure they do not burn.

*Note: you may hear them popping, and that's okay. The chickpeas are going to shrink in size and get darker. Don't be afraid to let them really cook. The longer you allow, the crunchier they get! Just watch them toward the end so they don't burn.