07.27.09 Mojito cream cheese cakes

Well, the latest Bachelorette era came to an end when Jillian picked short-shorts Ed in the finale. Even though we were disappointed with her choice, this recipe for frozen mojito cake-tails from Rachael Ray did not disappoint. These cakes were tangy and delicious, perfect for a party! The recipe says it makes 12 servings, but I had enough filling to make at least 4 or 5 more, if I had had crusts to go with it. Instead, I refrigerated the extra cream-cheese mixture, and Robert and I ate it as a dip with graham crackers. Also, I omitted the rum because it would have required an extra trip to the store, and there isn't much that is worth that with two kiddos!

07.27.09 Grilled pizza

We made more grilled pizza this week, this time featuring a homemade pizza dough. We think the Pillsbury refrigerated crust is pretty tasty, but it's too thin and fragile to grill with. I had been wanting to try homemade dough anyway, and we were thrilled with the results! It definitely tastes more authentic, and it isn't too difficult to make, just a little time consuming because of the rising. This recipe made 2 portions - we used one immediately and froze the other. For last night's pizza, we grilled the dough for 2-3 minutes on each side over medium heat, on our grill pan on the stovetop. After grilling, we topped it with marinara sauce, cheese and pepperoni, then broiled it in the oven for 1-2 minutes, until the cheese bubbled and browned. Delicious!!

07.25.09 Buttermilk waffles

We like to make a big breakfast on Saturday mornings, and I've always wondered if waffle batter from scratch is worth the trouble over what you get from a box. And the answer is... yes! These waffles had superior taste and texture, and Robert's blueberry compote really put them over the top.

Buttermilk Waffles (recipe from America's Test Kitchen cookbook)
Makes 3-4 waffles, depending on size of waffle iron

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornmeal (optional, but contributes to the crunchy texture of waffles)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 large egg, separated
7/8 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1. Heat waffle iron. Whisk dry ingredients together in medium bowl. Whisk yolk with buttermilk and butter.

2. Beat egg white until it just holds a 2-inch peak.

3. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients in thin, steady stream while mixing gently with rubber spatula. Toward end of mixing, use folding motion to incorporate ingredients. Gently fold egg white into batter.

4. Spread appropriate amount of batter onto waffle iron (it's a thick batter, so spoon and spread instead of pour). Cook waffle until golden brown, about 2-5 minutes. Serve immediately.

07.21.09 Grilled pork with lime viniagerette and black bean & tomato quinoa

Dinner tonight was grilled pork with lime viniagerette & black bean and tomato quinoa from a cooking blog called Taste and Tell. The flavors were fantastic and the two dishes complemented each other perfectly. We are pretty new to quinoa but have had great success so far. It isn't a grain, but has a ton of nutritional value and can be substituted for most grains. Try it!

07.13.09 Cake batter ice cream

We celebrated Holly's birthday at our Bachelorette watch party, so I made cake batter ice cream for the occasion. Rich and delicious! (Candle optional).

07.11.09 Fish tacos

Last night's meal was the definition of fresh catch - Robert went on a deep-sea fishing trip on Friday and brought home some beautiful red snapper. We substituted it for mahi-mahi in this fish taco recipe from Rachael Ray. The tacos were divine - great flavor from the slaw, and great texture from the taco shell/flour tortilla combination. This is a must-try!

07.07.09 Pasta with prosciutto and melon

I was in the kitchen tonight for the first time since Sally's arrival (unless you count all those quarts of homemade ice cream), and made a bizarre-sounding but fantastic-tasting pasta recipe from Rachael Ray magazine. It's a twist on a prosciutto and melon dish that was one of Robert's favorites from our trip to Italy. I couldn't find pappardelle pasta at Kroger, so I used whole wheat, wide Fettucine instead.

Pasta with prosciutto and melon
Serves 6

1 lb broad pasta
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/4 lb thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into thin strips
1 cantaloupe, cut into small cubes
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking water.
2. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tbls olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the prosciutto and cook until browned, about 5 minutes; drain on paper towels. Add the remaining 3 tbls olive oil to the pan and increase the heat to high. Add the cantaloupe, season with salt and cook until a chunky sauce forms, about 7 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and simmer for 1 minute; stir in the lemon juice and cream and remove from the heat.
3. Add the pasta, lemon zest, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, and half of the crispy prosciutto to the sauce. Toss to combine, adding some of the reserved pasta water, if needed, to make a thinner sauce. Season with pepper, then top with the remaining prosciutto and more parmesan.

07.06.09 Peanut butter chocolate chip cookies

Last night's sweet treat for our Bachelorette watch party was flourless peanut butter chocolate chip cookies from another food blog, Two Peas and their Pod. These cookies are DELICIOUS plain, or served sandwich-style with vanilla ice cream.

07.04.09 Spicy chicken pizza - GUEST POST

Holla! (or Challa to you foodies out there) - Robert here making another guest post on Lindsay's Menu. We decided to make pizzas on 4th of July and I had the creative juices flowing. I decided on what I named the "3-pepper Firecracker Chicken Pizza" (in honor of the 4th of course). We started with Rachel Ray's simple tomato sauce (which Lindsay regularly reminds you that you need to be making!) and then roasted some peppers on the grill - 3 jalapenos, 1 pablano, and 1 red pepper. After a few minutes on high heat and sufficiently blistered, we removed the skins and seeds and julienned them.

Meanwhile we heated a pan with a few tablespoons of olive oil on high heat and added 2 chicken breasts seasoned with blackening seasoning. Once cooked we added the diced chicken, peppers, and a few small yellow and red vine tomatoes (halved) to the sauced crust, topped it with cheese and popped in in the oven.

It's good stuff! But make sure you have something to drink nearby!