Chile-Corn Custard Squares

• This turned out to be a fun, quick and easy side dish, app, or just a snack. The brown crunchy cheese top was the best!  Nice and corny=) Big bonus is you could make a bunch ahead of time for a party and serve at room temp.
• From Bon Appetit
• 3 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 2/3 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend or 1/3 cup sharp cheddar cheese mixed with 1/3 cup crumbled queso fresco, divided
• 1/2 cup sour cream plus additional for garnish
• 1/2 cup canned creamed corn
• 2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño chiles
• Tomato salsa (for garnish)

Preparation

• Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add finely chopped onion and sauté until soft and beginning to brown, stirring often, about 12 minutes. Cool.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 8x8x2-inch metal baking pan with nonstick spray. Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in small bowl. Whisk egg, 1/3 cup cheese blend, 1/2 cup sour cream, creamed corn, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil in large bowl. Add flour mixture; stir to blend. Stir in jalapeño and caramelized onions. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Sprinkle remaining 1/3 cup cheese blend over.
• Bake until puffed and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool completely. DO AHEAD Custard squares can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.
• Cut into squares. Place on platter. Top each square with dollop of sour cream, then small spoonful of salsa and cilantro.

Beet Risotto

Beet Risotto

My son and I are beet freaks! I have always loved them, and once I let my son taste them when he was 2 he was also hooked! He could eat a whole can of them in one sitting if I let him. So with the farmers market booming we have been picking up fresh beets and roasting them. After having our fill of beet salad I decided to try something a little different. Risotto is already a favorite in our house, but why not add some beets.  As you stir in the puree of beets the color is so vibrant, the dish almost looks like some type of candy!  This turned out great, with just a mild beet flavor. Trust me even people who are not beet lovers will gobble this up (the hubby did). Give this dish a try, the color alone will put a smile on your face. Happy eating!

From Rachael Ray

• 4 medium beets, scrubbed, stems and root ends trimmed and greens chopped and reserved for garnish
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus additional for drizzling
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups water
• 1 quart chicken or vegetable stock (use vegetable to make it vegetarian)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
• 2 cups arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine or dry sherry

• 1/2 cup (2 or 3 handfuls) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus additional

Yields: 4 servings

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Place the beets on a large piece of aluminum foil and drizzle with some EVOO. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and fold the foil into a pouch. Roast the beets inside the pouch until tender, about 45 minutes.

When the beets are done roasting, remove them from the pouch and let cool for a few minutes. When they're cool enough to handle, lightly rub the outside of them with a paper towel to remove the skins. Transfer the beets to a food processor and puree them until smooth. Reserve the puree until the risotto is finished cooking.

Bring the water and stock to a boil in a saucepot, then reduce heat to low to keep warm.

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, and butter. Add the onions and garlic, and sauté until the onions begin to get tender, 4-5 minutes. Add the arborio rice and toast it in the pan, stirring constantly with the veggies, 2-3 minutes more. Add wine or sherry and cook until the liquid has absorbed, 1 minute.

Ladle about a third of the stock or broth into the pan with the rice and bring it up to a bubble, stirring constantly. Simmer the mixture, stirring frequently, until all the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Ladle another third of the remaining liquid and continue stirring the rice until that liquid has fully absorbed, 4-5 minutes. Ladle in half of the remaining stock and stir the rice another 4-5 minutes. Add in the beet puree and the rest of the stock and cook an additional 4-5 minutes, until the rice is al dente. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and stir in the Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Ok, so I am just going to come out with it.....this stuff is AMAZING!!!!!!! I think my hubby called it "scary good"! Even if you are not the biggest fan of spinach  it is so worth trying! I have some leftover of the spinach goodness, and I am already thinking about what to slap it on. Maybe some grilled meat, salmon or chicken perhaps. So, to get right to the point you just have to try this! I found a nice soft, fresh loaf of whole wheat bread at the store. I think the was the perfect match for it. You can really put it on anything thing and it would be amazing. It would go as a great side to any meal!  Enjoy, have a wonderful safe weekend!

From Rachael Ray!!

Spinach Garlic Bread

Ingredients

• 4 cups baby spinach leaves, stemmed
• 4 cloves garlic, cracked from skin
• 1 stick softened butter
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1 loaf good quality Italian bread( I used a thick whole wheat french loaf)

Preparation

Preheat broiler or oven to 400ºF.

Place the spinach in a food processor with garlic, butter, salt, freshly ground black pepper and cheese, and process until smooth.

Cut the bread in half lengthwise and slather each side with the spinach butter. Broil or bake the toast until crispy, about 3 minutes under the broiler or 6-7 minutes in the hot oven.

Chunky White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

One of my favorite treats, came from Starbucks @ Barnes and Noble. They had the best white chocolate macadamia nut cookies! They were huge and packed full of chunky pieces of both the chocolate and the nuts. Since our last move I have not been able to find them at any Barnes and Noble in town (sad face). So had to find something to fill the void. These did the trick!

Adapted from Field Guide to Cookies

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 13 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted & cooled
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup of white chocolate chunks
• 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped into large chunks macadamia nuts

1. Adjust an oven rack to lower-middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.

2. In a large bowl, beat the melted butter and sugars together with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Beat in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until combined.

3. Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture until combined. Mix in the white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts until incorporated.

4. Working with 2 tablespoons of dough at a time, roll the dough into even balls and lay them on the baking sheets, spaced about 2 inches apart.

5. Bake the cookies until the edges are set and beginning to brown but the centers are still soft and puffy, about 16 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes, then serve warm or transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Big Bowl of Goodness!

I did not leave you hanging, this is the final product from the previous post of the herbed oyster crackers with the smoked salmon chowder. What a beauty and equally delish! So I heated up the smoked salmon chowder, which is a winner on it own, but needed to bump up a little! So I added some of my hubby's secret recipe smoked salmon(far better then anything you can buy in the store). Then the star of it all was the beautiful sea scallops! A little fresh dill and a squeeze of lemon.

My Sea Scallop Tips
*Start with very large scallops, the bigger the better
*Get them as dry as you can with a paper towel, I mean pat them as much as you can the drier the better
*Heat a skillet over medium heat and add a good amount of butter to melt.
* Do not crowd the pan, only cook 3-4 scallops at a time
*Put the dry scallops in the pan, and don't move them.
*When they are no longer sticking to the pan and they give away it is time to flip.
*You should have a perfectly browned scallops
*Only cook a min or two more, test it with your finger, you don't want it too firm!
* DONT OVERCOOK THEM!!!!
These will be the best things ever, melt in your mouth good! You can top almost anything with these beauties! Enjoy, now go eat up!!!

Herbed Oyster Crackers

These are a snap to make and amazing delish on soups and salad or just to snack on.

From Emeril!

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
• 3/4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black or white pepper
• 2 cups packaged oyster crackers

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium skillet, melt the butter and add the garlic, thyme, parsley, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the crackers and toss to coat thoroughly. Transfer to a small baking sheet and bake until crisp and lightly golden, about 10 minutes.

I think they will be amazing on top on a hot bowl of 

Promise I will post the finished dish along with all my added toppers...think some big beautiful scallops!

Rhubarb Custard Bars

I love all things rhubarb! I get so excited when it is "rhubarb season". My go to rhubarb recipe is a strawberry rhubarb crisp, but this time I wanted to mix it up a little. Thought about doing a rhubarb custard pie, but not always the biggest fan of pies. I know something must be wrong with me,but if it is not a pot pie or a pumpkin pie, I tend to not be that interested...dont hate me for it=) So any who, I found this bar recipe on Taste of Home and decided it would be perfect. They came out delish, but i must warn you they make a butt load of bars! So you may want to half the recipe or be ready for to share with friends or family or the bum on the street.

From Taste of Home

36 ServingsPrep: 25 min. + chilling Bake: 50 min. + chilling

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup cold butter
• 
  FILLING:
• 2 cups sugar
• 7 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 5 cups finely chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb, thawed and drained
• 
  TOPPING:
• 2 packages  PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped

Directions

• In a bowl, combine the flour and sugar; cut in butter until the
• mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press into a greased 13-in. x 9-in.
• baking pan. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, for filling, combine sugar and flour in a bowl. Whisk in
• cream and eggs. Stir in the rhubarb. Pour over crust. Bake at
• 350° for 40-45 minutes or until custard is set. Cool.
• For topping, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth; fold
• in whipped cream. Spread over top. Cover and chill. Cut into bars.
• Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 3 dozen.
•