May 24, 2013 · 11:35 am

“Grilled” Corn Salad

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Who’s grilling!? Not me.  I don’t own a grill.

I DO, however, have a gas stove which makes this grill-less life a little sweeter….because I can fake it.

flame

Guys! Corn is back!  It’s sweet.  It’s juicy.  It’s dirt cheap.  I’m all over it.

cob

Honestly, I love corn best raw, cut straight off the cob, vibrant and sweet in all its juicy glory.

corn

But hey, it’s a holiday weekend.  Let’s take things up a notch.

char

See what I did there? Who needs a grill!

grillin

Look at that char!

grilled

Tastes like summer.

charredbits

Now let’s make salad.

ingredients

This is a simple, sturdy salad for a (hopefully) sunny barbecue.

ready

The char on the corn steals the show.  You really don’t need much else..

cutchardone

just a few fresh bites.

pepper pepcut peptoss

There’s no lettuce involved to get wilty and sad.

tomato tomtoss

Just some bright summer produce at it’s finest.

onion

That’s all you really need.  Don’t mess with it too much.  Some salt and pepper, a touch of olive oil and a squeeze of lime or balsamic vinegar will finish it off perfectly.

You could add walnuts or sunflower seeds or basil or cilantro or feta or goat cheese or avocado or anything, really.

(erm…not all at once)

I leave it at this.  Whatever you do, make sure you let that corn shine.

cornshine

Enjoy!

❤ Ellen

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May 14, 2013 · 5:39 pm

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

To make these last remnants of a lollygagging winter a little brighter, you need a cookie with some spring in its step.

lemonsHow about lemon cookies?

Don’t be underwhelmed by their simplicity!

cookie

They’re sweet-tart sweethearts.  Both flavors are gentle.

scene

They’re assertively citrus without smacking you upside the head, and they have just enough sweetness to balance without making your teeth hurt.

roll

No ooey gooey chocolate peanut butter caramel marshmallow madness here.

readyInstead we have an irresistibly delicate sugar crust.  It gives way to a bright citrus center that literally melts in your mouth.  I think I’m ok with that trade, thanks.

inside2

It doesn’t actually matter what the weather is like. Every kind of weather is cookie weather, amiright??

row

Not to worry, though!  These are perfectly light enough to welcome warm sunshine (if you’re lucky enough to have that guy around!)

((Say hi for me.  Tell him to come visit.))

bite

Happy May!

Enjoy!

❤ Ellen

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

Recipe adapted slightly from Lemon Crinkle Cookies-US Masala

1/4 cup butter, softened1/4 cup coconut oil, room temperature1 cup sugar1 large eggzest and juice of one lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla1 1/2 cup flour (MINUS 1 TABLESPOON)1 tablespoon corn starch1/4 teaspoon baking powder1/4 teaspoon salt1/8 teaspoon baking powderpowdered sugar for rolling

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper
  2. In a large bowl, cream butter, coconut oil and sugar until light and fluffy.
  3. Add vanilla, egg, lemon zest and juice and beat until thoroughly combined
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and baking soda.  Slowly add dry ingredients to wet and stir until just combined.  The dough will be soft and slightly sticky.
  5. **For best results, (and easiest handling!), chill for at least 1 hour and preferably over night!
  6. Pour some powdered sugar into a bowl.  When the dough is chilled, form approximately one inch balls of dough and roll in powdered sugar to completely coat.  Place on baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
  7. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until the bottoms just barely begin to brown and the tops are just barely set.
  8. Let cool for a couple of minutes on the cookie sheet before removing to a cooling rack.  They’re very easy to handle once they’re cool so be patient!  Once cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar and store in a sealed container.  Makes about 2 dozen cookies

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April 14, 2013 · 1:19 pm

Snack Attack Cookies

Buttered popcorn.

popcorn

Peanuts.

peanuts

Pretzels.

pretzels

M&Ms.

mms2

Well gee…I like all of those things..

powerscombined

Why don’t I shove it all in a cookie?

ballrows

Crispy edges.  Chewy middles.  Sweet.  Salty.  Brilliant.

baked2

Enjoy!

bite

Snack Attack Cookies

Base recipe from the Smitten Kitchen cookbook…I just added everything but the kitchen sink

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups popped popcorn (salted and buttered!)1/2 cup M&M candies
1/4 cup roasted peanuts1/4 cup crushed pretzels

  1. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars with an electric mixer or stand mixer until the mixture is light, fluffy and smooth
  2. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until well combined.  The mixture should be smooth and pale
  3. In a separate bowl whisk the flour, baking soda and salt until well incorporated
  4. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir until a smooth dough forms and all flour is incorporated.  Fold in the M&Ms, peanut and pretzels just until evenly distributed.
  5. Fold the popped popcorn in last.  It will break down a bit as you stir.  I think it’s best if you can see some popcorn in the cookie so try not to stir too much!
  6. Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for at least 2 hours.
  7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  For pretty, round cookies roll 2 tablespoons of dough into a ball and place on the baking sheet with enough space between for spreading (about 2 inches).  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges start to brown and the middles just barely begin to set.  Do not overbake!
  8. Makes about 24 cookies

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