Blueberry Crumb Cake

Ingredients for the streusel:

1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

For the cake:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (3/4 stick)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2/3 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup fresh blueberries
Confectioners' sugar for sprinkling

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round baking pan.

For the streusel:
Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter and then the flour. Mix well and set aside. 

For the cake:
Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, lemon zest, and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Fold in the blueberries and stir with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out with a knife. With your fingers, crumble the topping evenly over the batter. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely and serve sprinkled with confectioners' sugar.

Blackberry Peaches and Cream Crumb Bars

FOR THE SHORTBREAD:

• 2 sticks Unsalted Butter, Cut Into Small Chunks
• ¼ cups Brown Sugar
• ½ teaspoons Kosher Salt
• 2 cups Flour

 FOR THE FILLING:

• 1 Tablespoon Butter
• ½ cups Blackberry Jelly ( I used my homemade seedless blackberry jelly, but any seedless jelly would probably be ok here…)
• 3  Large Peaches, Pitted And Thinly Sliced
• 12 ounces, weight Cream Cheese, Softened
• ¼ cups Sour Cream
• ½ cups Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Flour
• 2  Eggs
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla

FOR THE CRUMB TOPPING:

• 1 cup Flour
• ¼ cups Sugar
• ¼ cups Brown Sugar
• ½ teaspoons Ginger
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• 1 stick Unsalted Butter, melted

• 1. For the shortbread crust: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with foil, then grease the foil on all sides. Set the dish aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter until it begins to soften, about 30 seconds. Add sugar and salt and beat on low speed until just combined. Add the flour and beat on low speed until incorporated then increase to high speed and beat until a cohesive dough is formed. Using your fingers, press the dough into the baking dish and bake for 20 minutes or until puffy and golden brown. When it’s done remove it from the oven and start the next step.
  2. For the filling: Brush shortbread crust with 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Spread blackberry jam evenly over the crust, then layer with sliced peaches. To make the cream layer, put the cream cheese and sour cream in a bowl and beat on high speed until smooth. Add sugar and 1 tablespoon flour and beat another 30 seconds. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth and thoroughly combined. Pour cheesecake mixture over peach slices. Set aside.
  3. For the topping: In a small bowl, combine flour, sugars, ginger, cinnamon, and salt. Pour melted butter over all of it and use your fingers to mix everything together until coarse crumbles form. Sprinkle over the top of the cheesecake layer. Bake again at 350 F for 30 minutes or until crumbles are golden brown and center is set

Creamy Lemon Pasta with Spinach & Tomatoes

 Ingredients:

1-1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup heavy cream ( I used half and half)
1 lemon, zested and juice reserved
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 pound rotini pasta
3 ounces fresh baby spinach
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

Directions:

Cook the pasta according to box directions.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat; add the garlic and cook for a minute. Add the cream, the lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, until it starts to thicken, stirring frequently.

Drain the pasta and place it back into the pot. Add the cream mixture and cook it over medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes, until most of the sauce has been absorbed in the pasta.

Take the pot off heat and add the spinach, Parmesan, and tomatoes. Toss well until the spinach has wilted. Season to taste, and serve hot.  (Would be great with diced chicken added as well!)

Sweet Asian Glazed Salmon

4 Salmon fillets
½ tsp lemon pepper
¼ tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 c soy sauce
½ c brown sugar
¼ c oil

1. Season salmon fillets with lemon pepper, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
2. In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and vegetable oil until sugar is dissolved. Place fish in a large resealable plastic bag with the soy sauce mixture, seal, and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
3. Preheat grill for medium heat.
4. Lightly oil grill grate. Place salmon on the preheated grill, and discard marinade. Cook salmon for 6 to 8 minutes per side, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Chicken and Black Bean Enchilada Rice Bake

2 cups white long grain rice
2 1/2 cups cooked, shredded chicken breast
One 15-ounce can mild green enchilada sauce
One 4-ounce can sliced black olives
One 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon McCormick Gourmet Roasted Ground Cumin
One 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Cook rice according to package directions.

3. Place chicken, enchilada sauce, olives, tomatoes, sour cream, salt, pepper and cumin into a large bowl, mixing to combine. Pour cooked rice into prepared baking dish and layer beans on top of rice. Pour chicken mixture over rice and top evenly with cheddar cheese. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until cheese is melted and rice is hot.

Quinoa Patties

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups quinoa cooked in chicken broth, cooled to room temperature
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley (I used 1 T dried parsley)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced (I used ½ tsp granulated garlic)
• 1 cup finely crushed saltine or Ritz crackers or bread crumbs, plus more if needed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil for frying (plus more in needed)

Directions

1. Combine the quinoa, eggs, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir in the parsley, cheese and garlic. Add the cracker or bread crumbs. Stir the mixture until combined. If the mixture seems overly wet, add a tablespoon or two more of cracker or bread crumbs. If it seems too dry, add a tablespoon or two of water or broth. Let it stand for about five minutes so the liquid can be somewhat absorbed. Take small handfuls of the mixture and form into little patties, about 1-inch thick, yielding about 11 or 12 patties.
2. In a large, nonstick skillet, heat the tablespoon olive oil over medium heat until it is hot. Add a single layer of patties (about half of them if you are using a 12-inch skillet) and cook until the bottoms are well-browned, about 5-7 minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary to prevent burning (or increase heat if the patties aren't browning well). Flip the patties and cook about 5 minutes more until the second side is golden brown. Remove from the skillet and repeat with the remaining patties (adding a bit more olive oil, if needed). Serve warm or at room temperature.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

2-3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1 inch cubes

1-2 tbsp oil

1/4 t garlic powder

½ t salt

Black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425. Add diced sweet potatoes to a large bowl. Add oil and seasonings. Stir to coat sweet potatoes.  Pour onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Turn sweet potatoes after half way through cooking time.