Italian Grinders!

2 egg yolks
1 1/2 T. lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. olive oil
Salt and pepper
Hoagie rolls
Pepperoncinis
12 thin slices of mortadella
18 thin slices of salami
6 thin slices of prosciutto
12 thin slices of provolone cheese
3 tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 t. Italian seasoning
2 c. shredded Iceberg lettuce
1/4 c. red wine vinegar

Whisk the egg yolks with the lemon juice in garlic in a bowl.  Gradually whisk in drops of vegetable oil until it starts to thicken.  Gradually add in the remaining vegetable oil and olive oil until thick.  Season with salt and pepper.  Bake the closed hoagie rolls at 375 degrees for 3 minutes, until warm.  Spread the aioli on the cut sides.  Top the bottom halves with the peppers, meats, and cheese.  Bake for 5 minutes until the cheese melts.  Top with the tomatoes and oregano and season with salt and pepper.  Pile lettuce on top and drizzle with vinegar before serving.

Raspberry Lemon Bars!

                    1                                     

1 c. butter, softened

2 c. flour                               

1/4 c. brown sugar 

1/2 t. salt

3/4 c. raspberry jam

2 c. fresh raspberries                                    

8 oz. cream cheese, softened                                    

1/2 c. sugar                                   

1T. flour                                  

1 egg + 1 egg yolk                                    

2 lemons, zested and juiced                                    

1 t. vanilla

 

Beat 1 c. butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Beat in 2 cups flour, brown sugar, and salt until combined. Press mixture evenly onto the bottom of a foil-lined baking pan. Bake about 20 minutes or until set and light brown. Cool for 5 minutes.  Carefully spread jam evenly over crust. Sprinkle with raspberries.  For the filling, in a large mixing bowl beat cream cheese on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Beat in granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon flour until combined. Beat in egg, egg yolk, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla until smooth. Pour filling over raspberries.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until set. Cool for 1 hour. Cover and chill for 2 hours before serving.

Meat Potato Pie!

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 small onion, diced
1/4 c. ketchup
1 c. instant potato flakes
1 clove garlic, minced
1 egg, slightly beaten
Instant mashed potatoes, 8 servings
1 c. cheese

Combine beef, onion, ketchup, potato flakes, garlic, and egg in a large bowl.  Press into a pie pan and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.  Remove from oven and top with prepared potatoes and cheese.  Bake for 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted.

Layered Salad!

1 head iceberg lettuce

1/4 c. chopped onion

12 oz. package frozen peas, thawed

2 c.mayonnaise

2 T. honey

1/4 lb. shredded cheddar cheese

1 lb. bacon, fried, cooled and crumbled

Remove core from head of lettuce. Cut head into quarters. Carefully separate the lettuce layers. Put half of them in the bottom of a bowl. Top with half of the onion and half of the peas. Combine the mayo with the honey. Spread half of the mayo mixture over the salad. Top with half of the cheese and half of the bacon. Repeat with another salad layer, starting with lettuce and ending with bacon. Place in refrigerator and chill for 12 hours before serving.



Homemade Chicken Nuggets!

 

1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into pieces

1 T. potato flakes 

1/3 c. cold water

1 t. garlic powder 

1/8 t. black pepper

2 1/2 c. corn flakes cereal 

1/4 c. parmesan cheese

 

Pulse2½ c. corn flakes in a food processor until fine crumbs form.  In a shallow bowl, stir together  crumbs and  parmesan.  In the bowl of your clean food processor, combine chicken pieces, potato flakes,  water, garlic powder, and black pepper. Pulse until chicken is finely chopped.  Roll and flatten chicken into small nugget patties, using about 1 T. of the meat mixture for each nugget. Roll the nugget into bread crumbs, pressing gently for crumbs to adhere. Transfer nuggets to a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 375˚F for 15 min on the middle rack or just until cooked through, flipping them over half way through baking.

Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes!

For the cupcakes:
2 c. plus 6 T. flour
2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
3 c. blueberries
1/2 c. plain greek yogurt
1/2 c. whole milk
2 t. vanilla
1/2  lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 c. butter, room temperature
1 1/2 c. white sugar
4 eggs

Sift dry ingredients into medium bowl. Transfer 1 T. flour mixture to larger bowl. Add  blueberries and toss to coat them with flour. Set remaining flour mixture and blueberries aside.  Stir milk, sour cream, vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest in small bowl. With  a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar, until pale yellow and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, until well combined. Mix in flour mixture alternately with milk mixture, starting and ending with flour mixture. Stir until just combined. Gently fold in blueberries. Divide batter equally among cupcake liners.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Let cool.

For the Lemon Curd:
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. lemon juice
zest of 2 lemons
3/4 c. sugar
1 t. cornstarch
pinch of salt
6 egg yolks

Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat.  Remove from heat and add the lemon juice and zest.
Mix together the sugar, salt and cornstarch and add it to the pan.  Whisk in the egg yolks until smooth and return to heat. Cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes until the mixture has thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Do not allow the mixture to boil.  Once thickened, strain the mixture though a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl. Allow to chill in the refrigerator completely before using.

For the frosting:
1 lb. mascarpone cheese
2/3 c. lemon curd
2 c. heavy cream
7 T. sugar

Beat the sugar and cream to soft peaks in stand mixer.  Combine the mascarpone and lemon curd in a separate bowl and mix. Add the cream to the mascarpone mixture. Gently fold to combine. Measure out the 2/3 cup of lemon curd for the frosting and set aside. After the cupcakes are finished cooling, cut a cone shape out of the middle and remove the tops and put a tablespoon or so of lemon curd in the whole.  Cover with frosting.