Lemon Pasta with Green Beans and Broccoli

by penji1
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Lemon Pasta with Green Beans and Broccoli

Dinner last night, yummy!!! And super easy!

1 cup trimmed fresh green beans

7 cups broccoli florets

1 pound pasta

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon freshly pressed or minced garlic

2 lemons, zested

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 teaspoons salt

2 – 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts (to toast pine nuts, put them in a dry sauce pan over medium low heat and cook, tossing often, for about 5 minutes, until light golden brown)

grated Parmesan cheese

1  Cook green beans for 2 minutes in a pot of salted boiling water.  Add broccoli and boil for an additional 3 minutes.  Remove veggies from water with slotted spoon or sieve and place in large bowl.

2  Cook pasta according to package directions in same water/pot.  Drain well and add to veggies in bowl.

3  In a small saute pan, melt butter with oil over medium low heat then add garlic and lemon zest and cook for 1 minute.  Remove from heat and add salt, pepper and lemon juice then add to pasta/veggies and toss well.  Sprinkle with pine nuts and Parmesan.

recipe from The Food Network

Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas

by penji1
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Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas

These were so good!  I made them last week for Cinco de Mayo and we ate them like rice bowls over this One Pot Mexican Rice Casserole.  You should definitely give them a try.

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes

1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies

1 each red, orange and yellow bell peppers, julienned

1 large onion, sliced

4 cloves garlic, pressed

2 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 tablespoon honey

1  Pour half the tomatoes and half the chilies in the bottom of a crock pot and spread to cover bottom.  Top with half the peppers and half the onions.  Sprinkle with garlic.  Top with chicken.

2  Combine chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Sprinkle half the seasoning over chicken breasts then flip them over and sprinkle the rest over the other side.  Top with remaining tomatoes, chilies, peppers and onion.

3  Cook on high 3 – 4 hours or low 6 – 8 hours, until chicken is cooked through and veggies are tender.

4  Remove chicken and cut into strips or shred.  Using a slotted spoon, remove peppers and onion.  Put chicken and veggies in a bowl and add back in as much liquid as desired, adding lime juice and honey to mix.

recipe from Cooking Classy

Copycat Swig Sugar Cookies

by penji1
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Copycat Swig Sugar Cookies

Soda shops are all the rage here where I live.  There are many different ones but my favorite is Sodalicious because my two good friends started it and my daughter Courtney manages their original location and because truly it is the best soda shop, their customer service can’t be beat!  Swig is another one and this is the recipe for a knockoff of their cookies  although all the shops seem to have similar menu items with different names.  I’m not gonna lie, I love these cookies and these are pretty close to the ones you can find in the soda shops, I made mine a little too thin, I shouldn’t have pressed them as flat as I did but they were still soft and delicious!

cookies

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup oil

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1/4 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

5 1/2 cups flour

frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sour cream

2 pounds powdered sugar

red food coloring

1  For the cookies, preheat oven to 350.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

2  Cream together butter, oil and sugar then add eggs, sour cream, extracts and mix until well combined.  Add dry ingredients a cup at a time and mix until soft dough forms.

3  Roll or scoop dough into golf ball size balls and place on cookie sheets, 6 to a sheet.  Dip the bottom of a drinking glass in sugar and press balls into circles about 1/2″ thick.

4  Bake 8 – 10 minutes, do not let cookies get brown at all.  Allow to cool on sheets for 5 minutes before removing to cooling racks.

5  For the frosting, whip butter until light and fluffy.  Add sour cream and just a drop or two of red food coloring and mix well then gradually add powdered sugar, a cup at a time.  Frosting should be stiff.

recipe from Everyday Jenny

Afternoon Tea at the Grand America Hotel

by penji1
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Afternoon Tea at the Grand America Hotel

My friend Stefonee mentioned to me that she wanted to go to tea at the Grand America so off we went and it was so much fun!  The tea is served right off the lobby in this eating/lounge area.  We were seated at a little couch in front of this table.

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Jasmine Tea Blossom

Sitting on the table, as you can see in the picture prior to this one, is a goblet with a strange looking bud in it.  Our cute waiter poured hot water over it and it bloomed into this beautiful flower which he told us was Jasmine Tea and we could drink it if we wanted to but neither of us was brave enough to do it.

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Strawberries and Creme Chantilly

They start you off with a palate cleanser, this Chantilly Cream with Strawberries which was to die for, I wanted to eat it all but I knew there was more to come so I restrained myself.

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Finger Sandwiches

We ordered our tea, both deciding to go with the Celebration Tea which is an English Breakfast Tea with hints of Rose and Chocolate, I don’t love tea but it was really good, especially when you add large quantities of sugar cubes and cream.

First up, finger sandwiches, most of which contained cream cheese, it became a bit of  joke.  In the back right corner were cucumber sandwiches which I was really excited about since I’d never had one, it lived up to the cucumber sandwich hype, just down from those were brown bread asparagus sandwiches but I don’t love asparagus so I passed on that one, to their left are chicken and bacon sandwiches which were yummy and then to the left of those are salmon mousse macaroons which were to die for and then above those a cheese sandwich topped with almonds also delicious!

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Cranberry and Orange English Scone with Berry Jam, Clotted Cream and Lemon Curd

Scones also came with the sandwiches, if you like scones then you would love these and that lemon curd was crazy good!

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Lemon Bars topped with White Chocolate, White Chocolate Raspberry Tarts, Cream Puffs

And then the pastries arrived which, let’s face it, was the only reason I was there!  Starting in the back with Lemon Bars topped with White Chocolate, White Chocolate Raspberry Tarts and Cream Puffs, all delicious!

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Madeleines and Shortbread Cookies with Jam

Then the cookie plate, Madeleines and Shortbread Cookies with Raspberry Jam Filling, both very good.

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Macaroons Chocolate Mousse over Green Apples and Jellied Candies

And to finish, Macaroons which were probably the best macaroons I’ve ever had, Chocolate Mousse over Green Apples which was disappointing and Jellied Candies which I passed on.

There was a lady playing a harp the whole time and it was quiet and so relaxing, I would definitely go again.  My only complaint would be not enough chocolate but of course that’s probably just me! So if you are ever in Salt Lake City and looking for a fun afternoon, go try out Afternoon Tea at the Grand America Hotel.

Happy Star Wars Day!

by penji1
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Star Wars Chocolates

Celebrating Star Wars Day at the Johnson home with some Star Wars chocolates made by yours truly with some awesome Star Wars chocolate molds from Amazon.  All you need are some molds and some Wilton candy melts and you’re good to go.  Melt the candy melts according to the package directions, spoon melted chocolate into the molds, tap gently several times on the counter to get rid of air bubbles, place in fridge until set and then remove carefully from molds.

Here’s a closer look:

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Star Wars Chocolates

Storm Trooper, Millennium Falcon, Han Solo in Carbonite and Mand’alor

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Star Wars Chocolates

R2D2, Boba Fett, Darth Vader and an X Wing Fighter

I think the details with these molds is pretty amazing.

May the 4th and the Force be with you!

Cinnamon Waffle Cookies

by penji1
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Cinnamon Waffle Cookies

Cookies for a sweet friend who just had a baby, I doubled the recipe so that I could take them a bunch and still have some left over for us, they are just as yummy as they look.

cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 3/4 cup flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

icing

1 cup powdered sugar

2 – 3 tablespoons milk

1  For cookies, beat butter and sugar until well combined.  Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.

2  Add flour and cinnamon and mix until well incorporated.

3  Place 2 tablespoons of dough into each section of greased hot waffle iron and cook until done throughout, about 3 – 4 minutes.

4  For icing, whisk together sugar and milk until smooth.  Drizzle icing over cookies and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

recipe from Jen’s Favorite Cookies

Cauliflower and Chickpea Stew with Couscous

by penji1
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Cauliflower and Chickpea Stew with Couscous

My son Zach announced last night that he was going to try and eat vegan for the next month and that he wanted to learn how to cook!  Ok.  So he found this recipe online, we made up a grocery list, off he went to the store and when he got back we made this dinner for him.  I don’t love cauliflower but I had a couple of bites without it and it was really good.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 (14.5 oz each) cans diced tomatoes with liquid

1 (15 oz) can chickpeas or garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 head cauliflower, cored and cut into small florets

1 (5 oz) package baby spinach

1 cup couscous

1  Heat oil in large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to soften, about 4 – 5 minutes.

2  Add cumin, ginger, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

3  Add tomatoes, chickpeas, cauliflower, and 1/2 – 1 cup water and bring to a boil.

4  Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender and liquid has slightly thickened, 15 – 20 minutes.

5 While stew is cooking, prepare couscous by placing it in a bowl and adding 1 cup hot tap water, stir, cover and let sit for 5 minutes.  Fluff with fork when ready to serve.

6  Fold spinach into stew and cook until just wilted, 1 – 2 minutes.

7  Serve stew over couscous.

recipe from Real Simple

Chocolate Chip Pizza

by penji1
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Chocolate Chip Pizza

Made a couple of these for an activity with the Young Women at church last night and lucky for us there were a few pieces left over and they were scrumptious!  That is all.

1 (11 oz) refrigerated thin crust pizza dough

1 (15.25 oz) yellow cake mix

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1  Preheat oven to 375 and lightly spray a 15 x 10″ pan (cookie sheet with sides) with cooking spray.

2  Press pizza dough into pan extending up sides.  Prick all over with a fork to prevent bubbles.

3  Bake 3 – 4 minutes.  While crust is baking, combine sugars in a small bowl.

4  Remove crust from oven.  Mix butter and cake mix until well combined then spread over pizza crust leaving a 1/2″ margin on sides.  Press together gently.

5  Sprinkle with chocolate chips and press chips gently into cake layer.

6  Sprinkle sugar evenly over the top, trying not to sprinkle it on edges.

7  Bake 7 – 12 minutes on upper level rack.  Cool slightly before serving.

recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything

Easy 30 Minute Minestrone Soup

by penji1
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Easy 30 Minute Minestrone Soup

This weather is maddening!  One day it is in the 70’s and gorgeous and the next it is in the 40’s and raining!  So because of the rain I made a pot of soup last night because this week isn’t looking great for any sunshine.

3 – 4 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups onion, chopped, about 1 large onion

1 1/2 cups zucchini, diced, about 1 small – medium zucchini

1 1/2 cups peeled and sliced carrots, about 1 1/2 – 2 large carrots

1 cup celery, sliced thin, about 2 – 3 stalks

4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced

64 ounces (8 cups) chicken broth

1 1/2 cups small pasta

1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (15 oz) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 oz) can Great Northern or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 oz) can cut green beans, drained and rinsed

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons dried basil

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1  Heat oil over medium high heat in large Dutch oven or stock pot.

2  Add onion, zucchini, carrots and celery and saute for about 10 minutes or until starting to soften, stirring occasionally.

3  Add garlic and saute for another 1 – 2 minutes.

4  Add broth, pasta, tomatoes, all 3 beans, bay leaves, basil, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and cook for about 10 – 15 minutes until pasta is cooked through.

recipe from Averie Cooks

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Polka Dot Fondant Birthday Cake

by penji1
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Polka Dot Fondant Birthday Cake

Fun little get together the other night at the church with all the ladies to celebrate the Relief Society’s birthday and they asked if I would make a cake with the theme of polka dots so I happily said yes.  I decided to mix it up just a bit so each level of the cake has a chocolate layer and a yellow layer made from a cake mix with a box of pudding mix added to it plus 1 extra egg which actually work out great and also tasted great (I don’t usually get to sample my cakes so this was nice to be able to see how it tasted after being all put together) topped with my favorite buttercream icing and then covered with white Wilton fondant.  The polka dots I colored from the white fondant and luckily I had both the blue and pink polka dot ribbons.  The flowers on top are from the table decorations for Courtney’s wedding luncheon which for some reason I’ve held on to for the past 3 years.  I thought it was cute and everyone else seemed to like it too.