Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Perfect Pairing: Spring loaded scoop

Finally!  The start of summer is here!  No wonder record levels of people are hitting the roads this weekend.  This winter made everyone crazy for warm weather and warm weather activities.  I can’t wait!

There has been a lack of posting in May on Perfecting the Pairing, mainly because of an  incredible trip to France.  I just got home a couple days ago and I am adjusting to real life.  I was in Paris for work and then extended for a few days of vacation in Nice.  I studied for a semester in Nice and this was my first time back.  I still adore it!  The trip was absolutely wonderful, mainly because I was joined by my fabulous boyfriend.  Talk about romantic!  Some highlights??  Well don’t mind if I do!

Exploring Paris, walks along the Seine, and Montmarte

Top of the Eiffel Tower at sunset

Speaking of the Eiffel Tower, my welcome reception dinner room (I was the meeting planner) had a pretty insane view.

The food and wine, obviously!

Clearly we hated this meal.

We finished our time in Paris with a dinner cruise on the Seine.  Wow.  Just.... wow.

My favorite part of Nice is the old section of the town, Vieux Nice.  Filled with tiny streets, old buildings, shops, and charm.

Eze is a medieval village between Nice and Monaco and is pretty much heaven on earth. 

 

This would be the most expensive mojito and gin and tonic in history but totally worth it because it came with a view.

On our last morning we went to the flower and produce markets in Vieux Nice.  

We couldn’t resist buying some strawberries to enjoy with our baguette sandwiches.  I forgot strawberries could be so good.  

Until next time Nice!

So, it was pretty a pretty amazing trip.  Fortunately, the best part of vacation (the man) came back to Chicago with me!

Muffins!  One weekend morning I was craving muffins and came up with these lemon poppy seed muffins with a lemon glaze.  They were so easy and tasty.  The glaze puts them over the top!

I have talked about spring loaded scoops on here many times, but I am going to keep pushing them.  They are the perfect tool for muffins, cookies, truffles, etc.  Every kitchen needs a set in various sizes!

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing:  Sweet Potato and Sausage Breakfast Hash

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing:  Spinach and Artichoke Grilled Cheese

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Lemon Cream Pasta

Perfect Pairing: Grilled Shrimp

I just got back from a wonderful vacation in Mexico.  While I was there I soaked up a lot of sunshine and enjoyed some gorgeous views.  I had a fabulous time and met some great new friends, but it is nice to be home.  

News flash... it still very cold in Chicago.  That apparently did not change while I was out of the country.  It is a good day to be cozy inside!  Which is exactly what I am doing with my boyfriend today. 

Oh goodness, this pasta.  My cousin made this for me a couple of times before I tried it myself.  It is decadent and amazing.  You can always count on the Barefoot Contessa to have fantastic recipes. I am actually making it for my boyfriend for dinner tonight.

The pasta is tossed with slightly crisp broccoli, tomatoes, and greens and coated in a lemony cream sauce.  I followed this recipe with a couple of minor changes.  I substituted half of the cream for half and half, and used mache instead of arugula.  It is truly mouth watering.  We didn’t have any leftovers, but my cousin told me that if you do plan on having some leftover skip adding the whole pieces of lemon at the end.  They tend to make the dish bitter after it sits.

The pasta is fabulous on its own, but I loved the addition of grilled shrimp.  I used my favorite marinade, which is 2 parts Italian dressing to 1 part honey.  Just whisk it up and let the shrimp marinate it in for about 1 hour.  You can brush on the remaining marinade while you grill up the shrimp. 

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Limoncello Cheesecake Squares

Perfect Pairing: Almond biscotti

Recently I was invited to participate in a cooking club.  I didn’t have to think twice, that sort of thing is totally up my alley.  It is organized by a friendly neighbor I met at a block party.  We spent all of ten minutes together at the party, but I am so glad she thought to include me on this fun activity! 

For each meeting of the cooking club the members are assigned a course and a theme.  The first ever cooking club gathering had an Italian theme, and I was assigned dessert.  I immediately started researching because my knowledge of Italian desserts taps out at tiramisu, and I didn’t want to bring that.  Too obvious, right? 

It just made sense to search through Giada’s library of desserts.  I trust her and love her style of cooking.  I came across this Limoncello Cheesecake recipe and knew it would be perfect. 

Instead of the traditional graham cracker crust this one is made with biscotti.  Brilliant!!  I used Nonni’s original biscotti and it worked really well.  I loved the almond flavor in the crust.  The cheesecake is flavored with lemon zest and limoncello.  I am now in the market for cocktail recipes using limoncello since I have a bottle hanging out in the cabinet.  Another Italian nod is using ricotta in the base. 

I pretty much followed Giada’s recipe, but I do have a few comments.  I made the dessert in an 11x7 inch baking dish rather than a 9x9.  I just thought that seemed really small.  The recipe calls for 8 oz of biscotti.  The Nonni’s comes in 5.52 oz packages, so I bought two.  After some fancy math I ended up using 13 cookies for the crust.  The recipe recommends draining the ricotta.  I did this by letting it hang out in a strainer for about 15 minutes.  It is really important to process the ricotta for a long time in the food processor to remove the grainy texture.  Final note, I used light cream cheese and it was perfect.  Every little bit helps, right?

Everyone at the dinner party loved this recipe.  I will definitely make these again, even if it is not an Italian theme.

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing:  Arugula and Parmesan Stuffed Potatoes

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing:  Cucumber Sandwiches
 

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Sgroppino Cocktail and a Pinterest Update

Perfect Pairing:  Holiday party     

I really love entertaining in my home around the holidays.  I figure if I am going to decorate my place I want to have someone else there to enjoy it with me.

Last week I had some of my favorite girls over for a holiday get together.  I tried a few new appetizers (stay tuned), and kept some of my old favorites on the menu like everyone’s favorite ham and cheese sliders, roasted vegetable dip, and green herb dip. 

I wanted a unique cocktail to round out the menu.  Last year I made a St. Germain Champagne cocktail, which I loved, but wanted something new.  I knew exactly what to do after seeing Giada make this Sgroppino cocktail on the Food Network.  It is a combination of prosecco, a dash of chilled vodka, and a scoop of lemon sorbet.  Giada added fresh mint, but I did not use it in my version.  It was delicious and refreshing. It would be great at any holiday party.

I don’t know why I waited so long, but I finally joined the ranks of Pinterest users.  I suffer from board envy because mine look pretty bare so far.  I’m excited to fill them up with great recipes and ideas.  

I also created a Perfecting the Pairing Pinterest page.  There is a board for each recipe category and links to every recipe on the site.  I know I love having the visual, so hopefully you will find this helpful as well. 

Also, I changed a few things on my site to make it more pin-friendly.  Now there is a “Pin it” button next to each picture, and a link to Perfecting the Pairing’s boards on the right side.

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing:  German Sugar Cut-Out Cookies

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing:  Chili Spiced Soup with Stoplight Peppers and Avocado Relish

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Lemon Orzo Salad

Perfect Pairing: Summer Songs

I made this salad for my family over vacation and it was a hit.   The almonds give it a little crunch, cranberries a little sweetness, and the lemon dressing keeps it fresh.  Quick, simple, delish. 

I like to cook my orzo in chicken broth to give it some depth, but that is optional.  You can certainly use water or veggie broth if you are keeping it vegetarian.

It has been awhile since I provided some tune suggestions.  Overdue!  Below are my personal songs of the summer.  I have listened to each of them an obnoxious amount of times.  I just got a new car that lets me plug in my iphone.  Life changer.  

Make Me Crazy, Brett Dennen and Femi Kuti – No surprise I like this one, it has a great reggae feel to it.

Addicted, Morgan Page and Greg Laswell – I’m addicted to this song.  On repeat.

Pressing on a Bruise, Brad Paisley and Matt Kearny – I am on a major country kick this summer.  Can’t get enough of it!

Springsteen, Eric Church – My dad introduced me to this song.  That was a new experience!  I was proud of him.  Side note for the ladies…. Notice Eric in the hat and sunglasses at towards the end.  That alone makes this worth watching.  Smokin.  I’m a sucker for a guy in a ball cap.

Don’t Ya, Brett Eldredge – He’s not hard on the eyes either…

 

Cold Chicago, Humming House - I hate thinking about Chicago being cold, but this song is so fun.  It is hard to not tap your toe to this one.

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Quinoa Produce Salad

Perfect Pairing:  Summer meal

I don’t think you can have too many good quinoa salad recipes.  This Quinoa Produce Salad is perfect for summer. 

It finally feels like summer around here!  I had a wonderful weekend celebrating Father's Day and all things summer.  My dad came home from his week of fishing in Manada (more appropriate than Canada).  Apparently he caught so many fish his hands hurt from reeling and cleaning the fish.  We did all of our favorite warm-weather activities like boating, swimming (more like bobbing on floats), sunset cruises, grilling, and doing everything we can outside.  It was a perfect weekend.

Quinoa Produce Salad is filled with fresh ingredients like multi-colored grape tomatoes, corn, green onions, and basil.  It is simply dressed with a little olive oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper.

You wouldn’t think that something so simple could be so tasty.  I love the slight sweetness from the corn and nuttiness of the quinoa.  You could easily adapt this recipe by adding other favorite produce like roasted asparagus, edamame, roasted peppers, or other fresh herbs like tarragon or thyme.

This healthy and delicious salad is going to be a regular on my summer menu!

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Un-Recipe Files – Simple Lemon Green Beans

I have been guilty of overcomplicating menus.  I think I am finally learning to focus on a few special items and keep the rest of the menu simple.  If I try to make everything fancy and special it rarely comes out the way I intended it, and I become a little overwhelmed.  These simple lemon green beans make a great side dish that is super easy to prepare.

I buy the pre-trimmed thin green beans (also called haricot vert) from the store and steam them until they are crisp tender.  I love to use my silicone steamer, which I wrote about on my ham, cheese, and asparagus croissant post. Once the green beans are cooked I toss them with a bit of olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper.  Fresh and delicious!

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Lemon Cream Pie

Perfect Pairing:  Easter

I absolutely adore lemon desserts, especially lemon pie.  It always reminds me of my sweet grandpa who always said that was his favorite.  Every time I make this pie someone in my family comments on how much grandpa would love it.

This version of lemon pie does not have a meringue topping.  Instead, on top of the standard lemon filling it has a layer of lemon flavored cream cheese and is topped off with whipped cream or whipped topping.  It is so good. 

There is a fair amount of sugar and egg yolk involved in this recipe.  Needless to say, it will not filed under, “healthy”.   It is more of a celebration type of dessert.  I made this last year for Easter and it was the perfect ending for our family meal.  I am hoping to make it again this year.  I may also repeat these deviled eggs with goat cheese and herbs as an appetizer.  They are just so springy!
 

 

This post also gives me a chance to rave about my favorite pressed pie crust recipe.  The crust is made right in the pie plate (nothing to roll out) and it is the best pie crust I have ever had.  My tomato pie (sounds weird, but it is crazy good) post gives step by step instructions with pictures on how to make the crust.

I hope you all have a blessed holiday spent with loved ones celebrating the resurrection of our Savior!

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead… 1 Peter 1:3

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