honey beer chicken

 have i mentioned that my parents have fake grand kids?

well... i got to hang out with them yesterday and they are the cutest ever.

you can follow their adventures here.

last night my mom was our guest chef and as these kids were

running around being adorable, we cooked up some of this honey beer chicken.

i thought it was great.

my mom said she would do the following things differently:

1. use smaller chicken slices, to better coat them with flavor

2. reduce the sauce down more before serving

recipe via cooking light

ingredients

2 teaspoons canola oil

4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons thinly sliced shallots

1/2 cup beer

2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon whole-grain dijon mustard

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

directions

1. heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.

add oil to pan; swirl to coat.

sprinkle chicken evenly with pepper and salt.

add chicken to pan; sauté 6 minutes on each side or until done.

remove chicken from pan; keep warm.

2. add shallots to pan; cook 1 minute or until translucent.

3. combine beer and next 3 ingredients (through honey)

in a small bowl; stir with a whisk.

3. add beer mixture to pan; bring to a boil,

scraping pan to loosen browned bits.

cook 3 minutes or until liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup.

4. return chicken to pan; turn to coat with sauce.

sprinkle evenly with parsley.

(the side by side comparison) :)

enjoy!

cucumber salad



i'm a bit scattered.

(understatement)

and every once in a while i accidentally leave the house

and later realize i haven't put on any deodorant.

PLEASE tell me this has happened to you.

please? :)

(like 5 times a year)

anyway, i was on my way to meet a friend for a walk

on one of the hottest days of the summer

and realized this very thing.

good thing i practically live out of my car.

a light bulb went on and i decided it was highly likely

that somewhere in my mess of a car i could find some.

sure enough after rummaging in the trunk for all of 30 seconds... BINGO!

i knew all that stuff would come in handy someday :)

recipe via america's test kitchen

ingredients

2 small cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise,

seeded, and sliced thin

2.5 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon sugar

3/4 teaspoon lemon juice

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons chopped pitted kalamata olives

1 small shallot, sliced thin

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh oregano

1.5 tablespoons sliced almonds,

toasted and chopped coarse

*i was super generous with the almonds, olives, and oregano.

directions

1. line baking sheet with paper towels and evenly spread cucumber slices on sheet.

refrigerate while preparing dressing.

2. bring vinegar to simmer in small saucepan over medium-low heat;

continue to simmer until reduced to 1 tablespoon, 3-5 minutes.

transfer to large bowl and let cool to room temperature, about 5 minutes.

3. whisk in oil, sugar, lemon juice, 1.2 teaspoon salt,

and a pinch of pepper until well combined.

4. add cucumbers, olives, shallot, and oregano to dressing and toss to combine.

let sit for 5 minutes, then toss to redistribute dressing.

season with salt and pepper to taste, and sprinkle with almonds.

5. serve & enjoy :)

i LOVED this salad. amazing crisp with awesome flavors.

chocolate kiss cookies

confession:

i'm kind of glad the olympics are over.

it's such an emotional journey for me.

i get so wrapped up in the spirit of it all!

i love the stories of the olympians and how far

they've come to accomplish their life long dream.

i love seeing them on the podium, hearing their national anthem.

i cry during every single event!

now at least i can just go back to making cookies,

drinking wine, and watching gossip girl in the evenings :)

recipe via the curvy carrot

ingredients

2/3 cup salted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1.5 cups chocolate or multicolor sprinkles

1 package hershey kisses

(this recipe made about 22 cookies)

directions

1. preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. in a large mixing bowl, beat butter on medium-high speed for 30 seconds.

add sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. 

beat until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally.

beat in egg and vanilla until combined.

beat in the flour.

3. your dough should be at ball-rolling consistency at this point. 

if it’s not, let it chill in the refrigerator for a while to firm up a little.

once easily handled, roll dough into 1-inch balls.

roll balls in sprinkles to coat.

4. place balls 2 inches apart on your lined cookie sheets,

and using your thumb make an indentation in the center of each cookie.

5. bake for 7 to 8 minutes or until edges are firm. 

immediately press a chocolate kiss into each cookie’s center. 

transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

6. enjoy!

and feel free to change up the sprinkles... :)

lightened up lemon bars

i love my friends.

they inspire me, encourage me, and amaze me.

one of them is emily...  here is a glimpse into her life...

jealous? me too :)

recipe via cooking light

ingredients

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup powdered sugar

3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

2 tablespoons canola oil

cooking spray

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

2 large eggs

1 large egg white

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

directions

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife.

place flour, 1/4 cup powdered sugar, pine nuts, and salt in a food processor;

pulse 2 times to combine. add butter and canola oil.

pulse 3 to 5 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal.

3. place mixture into the bottom of an 8-inch square glass

or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray; press into bottom of pan.

bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. reduce oven temperature to 325°.

(i didn't have a square baking dish, so i used a pie pan) :)

before

after

4. combine granulated sugar and next 5 ingredients (through egg white)

in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth.

pour mixture over crust.

5. bake at 325° for 20 minutes or until set.

remove from oven, and cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

cover and chill for at least 2 hours.

6. sprinkle squares evenly with 2 tablespoons powdered sugar.

cut into squares & enjoy!!

these lemon bars were amazing, and i got tons of compliments on them.

and you couldn't even tell that they were a 'light' version. perf!

only 124 calories each!

zucchini tomato pasta

my commute to work is about 1.5 hours door to door.

and since i don't have to make the trek every single day,

i've actually learned to enjoy it, especially on these sunny summer days.

yesterday on my way home, i was in the zone...

the AC was on full blast and all the windows were down.

my hair was blowing around all wild and crazy.

then i turned on my M83 pandora station....

and that's when it happened.

i just felt like i was in a dream.

or a car commercial.

either way. you should do yourself a favor and listen to some M83 today.

it might change your life :)

recipe via the food network

ingredients

kosher salt

2 large zucchini, coarsely grated

12 ounces lasagna noodles (not no-boil), broken into bite-size pieces

or other pasta of your choice. i used a bow-tie :)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cups cherry tomatoes (1 cup whole, 1 cup halved)

1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping

1 small bunch chives, cut into 1-inch pieces

directions

 1. bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

meanwhile, toss the zucchini with 1/2 teaspoon salt in a colander set over a large bowl.

let stand 10 minutes, then gently squeeze out the excess moisture.

2. add the pasta to the boiling water and stir vigorously to prevent it from sticking.

cook until al dente, about 12 minutes.

reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta.

3. meanwhile, heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

add the cherry tomatoes and cook until blistered and slightly softened, about 4 minutes.

stir in the zucchini and lemon zest and cook,

lightly crushing the tomatoes with a wooden spoon,

until the zucchini is crisp-tender, about 4 minutes.

season with salt and pepper.

4. transfer the zucchini-tomato mixture to a large bowl.

add the pasta and cheese and toss.

stir in half of the chives and about 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking water,

adding more to loosen, if needed. season with salt and pepper.

5. divide among bowls and top with more cheese and the remaining chives.

corn on the corn in the microwave?

yes. that's what's happening in my kitchen today.

i know what you're thinking. you have reached an all time low.

you can't even cook your corn on the stove, or on the grill?

well, i could.

but i wouldn't be able to test out this awesome little trick i found here:

and hello, how cute is this grandpa?

so... i had to try it out for myself...

1. place corn (husk and all) in the microwave for 4 minutes for each ear

2. remove with oven mit and place on a cutting board

3. cut off the end

4. pick up with your oven mit and let the corn slide out the bottom

5. use for anything your heart desires,

or eat it plain, like i did :)

leavenworth top ten

oh, just a little top ten list about marcy's bachelorette weekend :)

1. cute little leavenworth

2. the bavarian lodge

3. south

4. kestrel vineyards

5. pasek cellars

6. ryan patrick vineyards

7. bergdorf cellars

8. dinner & shenanigans

9. nutcrackers and other knickknacks

10. amazing friends & an amazing bride to be!