Peanut Butter Bars

I already have a few similar recipes on here, but there's always room for more. I discovered Preppy Kitchen vids on YouTube, and I love watching his calming cooking videos. This is the first one I saw. It was a Sunday afternoon and I got up and made these right away after watching the vid. He mentions in the vid that he likes leaving some bigger chunks of graham crackers for a different texture- I did the same, mostly because I was too lazy to crush them up any more, and I loved the result. 

Peanut Butter Bars

adapted from Preppy Kitchen

For the Base:

1 cup butter melted and slightly cooled (210g)
1 cup creamy peanut butter (300g)
1 ¾ cups powdered sugar (210g)
2 cups graham cracker crumbs (240g)

For the chocolate topping:

1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips (280g)
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (65g)

1. Line a 8x8 or 9x9 dish with parchment paper or foil.

2. Crush graham crackers in a ziploc bag using a rolling pin or blitz using a food processor. Melt butter in a large bowl add peanut butter and mix until smooth. Beat in powdered sugar then fold in the crumbs. Transfer to lined dish and smooth.

3. Melt chocolate and peanut butter, pour over the peanut butter base, smooth then chill for at least 90 minutes. Cut into bars and enjoy.

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Rosemary Ranch Grilled Chicken

The whole fam loved this grilled chicken. It was quick and easy to prepare, too. I set aside some of the marinade to brush on veggie skewers that we also threw on the grill. We had homemade Ranch (from the packet) in our fridge so we used that. If you have bottled Ranch on hand, I'd just use that- I wouldn't make homemade just for this. After making this, I started brushing veggies with just Ranch before grilling them; it's pretty good, and provides a lot of flavor. (I use bottled salad dressings often for a grilled veggie marinade; they're always tasty.)        

Rosemary Ranch Grilled Chicken

adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

¼ cup olive oil
½ cup ranch salad dressing 
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 ½ – 2 pounds chicken breasts (I like chicken tenders)

1. For the marinade, whisk together all the ingredients except the chicken until well-combined.
Place chicken in shallow dish or a large ziplock bag and pour the marinade over the chicken, turning the chicken to coat evenly. Cover the dish and refrigerate for 8-12 hours.

2. Grill the chicken on medium-high, about 3-4 minutes per side (exact time will depend on the thickness of the chicken) until cooked through and an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees F at the thickest part of the chicken. Tent the chicken with foil and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

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Classic Potato Salad

This delicious potato salad from Mel's Kitchen Cafe tastes just like my mom's. It's an old-fashioned style with mayo, mustard, and pickles. (Actually, the original recipe had olives instead of pickles, but I swapped the olives for pickles. I also added some pickle juice and increased the mustard.) We had this with fried chicken we picked up from a local chicken restaurant, and other sides like watermelon. I made it ahead of time and we ate it after a full day at the pool. Good times!

Classic Potato Salad

adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Recipe is cut in half- still makes a ton

1 cup mayonnaise 
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon dried parsley
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons pickle brine (from the pickle jar)
2-3 tablespoons yellow mustard, to taste (I like more)
2 1/2 pounds potatoes 
1/2 - 3/4 cup diced dill pickles (add more or less to taste)
4-5 diced hard-boiled eggs (see note)

1. For the dressing, whisk all dressing ingredients (up to and including yellow mustard). 

2. For the salad, peel (optional- I didn't peel), dice, and boil potatoes until tender but not mushy (I cut my potatoes into bite-size pieces and boil for about 8-10 minutes). Drain potatoes well and pour into a large bowl.

3. Add pickles and hard-boiled eggs. Pour dressing over warm potatoes until desired “dressing-level” is reached. Can make this salad the night before and pour a thin coating of dressing over the potatoes, pickles and eggs while they rest in the fridge overnight.

4. Before serving the next day, add the rest of the dressing and mix until it looks right. Most importantly be sure and taste so you can add extra salt and pepper if needed!

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Nectarine, Mascarpone, and Gingersnap Tart

This was fun to make, and the end result is beautiful, and tasty. You make a crust using gingersnaps, layer on a creamy mixture, and then top it with nectarines with a jam glaze. A tart pan with a removable bottom is used in this recipe. This recipe comes from Smitten Kitchen. 

Nectarine, Mascarpone, and Gingersnap Tart

adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Crust:
37 gingersnap cookies, coarsely broken (about 9 ounces)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
1 8-ounce container mascarpone cheese
6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:
4 to 5 small nectarines, halved, pitted, cut into thin slices
1/4 cup peach jam, warmed

For crust: Preheat oven to 350°F. Finely grind gingersnaps in processor. Add butter and blend until crumbs are evenly moistened. Press mixture over bottom and up sides of 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. (Use a cold metal measuring cup to get a nice, clear distinction between the base and sides.) Bake crust until color darkens, pressing sides with back of spoon if beginning to slide, about 8 minutes. Cool completely.

For filling: Beat first 6 ingredients in medium bowl until smooth. Spread filling in prepared crust. Cover loosely and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

For topping: Overlap nectarine slices atop filling in concentric circles. Brush with jam. Serve, or refrigerate up to 6 hours.

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Zucchini Gratin

Yum- I loved this so much. In fact, I ate most of it myself over the course of a few days. My kids were scared of it and kept calling it "That Zucchini Thing". My husband liked it, but not as much as I did. I'd still make it again just for myself- lol. I've never made a zucchini gratin before. The recipe called for Gruyere cheese, but I had some Provolone Piccante on hand, so I used that, and it was perfect. I assume one could use Gruyere, Provolone, or even white Cheddar. (I didn't have quite enough Provolone on hand, so I ended up using just a bit of regular cheddar in this). 

Zucchini Gratin

adapted from the Kitchn

2 pounds zucchini (about 4 medium or 8 small)
2 medium shallots or 1 red small red onion
2 cloves garlic or 1/2 teaspoon dried minced garlic
4 ounces Gruyere cheese, Provolone, white Cheddar, or another cheese
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole or 2% milk
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 400°F. Coat an 8- or 9-inch square or other 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray or butter.

2. Trim the ends from 2 pounds zucchini and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch thick rounds. Thinly slice 2 shallots. Mince 2 garlic cloves. Grate 4 ounces Gruyere cheese (about 1 1/2 cups) on the large holes of a box grater.

3. Combine 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, and 1/4 teaspoon of the kosher salt into a medium bowl. Stir to combine.

4. Melt 6 tablespoons unsalted butter in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Transfer 2 tablespoons into the breadcrumb mixture. Stir to coat the breadcrumbs.

5. Add the shallot, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon of the kosher salt to the remaining butter in the Dutch oven and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour and stir constantly for 1 minute to cook out the floury taste. While stirring constantly, slowly pour in 1 1/4 cups whole or 2% milk and stir until no lumps remain and the flour is completely dissolved. Bring just to a full simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently. Add the Gruyère, the remaining 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling. The sauce will be thick and will thin out during baking. Remove the pot from the heat. 

6. Add the zucchini and stir to coat, making sure to separate any stuck together slices. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and spread in an even layer. Sprinkle the gratin with the breadcrumb mixture. Bake until the gratin is golden-brown on top and bubbling around the edges, 28 to 30 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

                                            **This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

Lingonberry-Buttermilk No-Churn Ice Cream

Here's a new recipe for the popular no-churn ice cream. I have a few on my blog, all using a combo of heavy cream and sweetened condensed milk to get a nice ice cream texture without the use of a home ice-cream maker. This recipe is supposed to have strawberry ice cream, but I didn't have any- I had some IKEA Lingonberry jam in the fridge, so I used that instead. Use any of your favorite jam (I think a berry jam would be best here, but go ahead and experiment). The corn syrup in here gives the ice cream a smoother texture- I've never used it in a no-churn recipe before, but I really liked what it did. It did make it pretty sweet, but hey, it's ice cream. 

Lingonberry-Buttermilk No-Churn Ice Cream 

adapted from Cook's Country

2 cups heavy cream, chilled

1 cup (NOT one can) sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup light corn syrup

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup lingonberry or strawberry jam

1. Process cream in blender until soft peaks form, 20-30 seconds (less for a Vitamix). Scrape down sides of blender jar and continue to process until stiff peaks form, about 10 seconds longer (less for a Vitamix). Using a rubber spatula, stir in condensed milk, buttermilk, corn syrup, sugar, lemon juice, salt and vanilla. Process until thoroughly combined, about 20 seconds, scraping down sides of blender jar as needed.

2. Pour cream mixture into 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch loaf pan. Dollop jam over top and swirl into cream mixture using tines of fork. Press plastic wrap flush against surface of cream mixture. Freeze until firm, at least 6 hours. Before serving, let sit at room temp 5-10 minutes to soften (will freeze very hard). 

                                            **This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **