Smoked Mozzarella and Penne Salad

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I'm lucky there is a Whole Foods right across the street from my work, as well as about two minutes from my house. I love their selection of fresh and organic products so it is a real convenience that their store is only a few steps away.

Sometimes Chris and I will walk to Whole Foods to get lunch at one of their many hot bars. The selection is always so extensive, but I have a few regulars that I always gravitate towards. This Smoked Mozzarella and Penne Salad is one of them. I was stoked to find a duplicate recipe online so that I can now make this in the comfort of my own home. Smoked Mozzarella gives the salad a really unique flavor, while the Parmesan dressing makes it fresh and light. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Parmesan dressing:                                                

• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (1 and 1/2 tsp.)
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Salad:

• 1/2 pound penne pasta
• 2 cups packed baby spinach, washed and stemmed
• 2 small jars roasted red peppers, diced
• 1/2 pound smoked Mozzarella cheese, diced

For dressing: Combine the Parmesan cheese, parsley, mayonnaise, vinegar, garlic, cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper with a hand mixer or in the bowl of food processor or in a blender until the dressing is smooth.

For salad: In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until it is al dente. Drain the pasta into a colander, run cold water over it or submerge it in ice water until chilled through, and drain well.  

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked pasta, spinach, roasted red peppers, and smoked mozzarella. Pour dressing over top and chill until ready to serve.

Source: Group Recipes

Ranch Turkey Burgers

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My wonderful husband made these Ranch Turkey Burgers for my birthday eve dinner. Usually I need to douse my burgers with loads of ketchup, mustard, and maybe even light mayo if I'm feeling rebellious. But these needed absolutely nothing. Nada.

The ranch flavor was very evident in these burgers and there was enough moistness and amazing flavors going on that I didn't want to spoil it by using condiments. Just to get my filling of veggies in, I topped mine with lettuce, tomatoes and avocado slices, and it just amped up the flavor and added some texture. Chris played around with the ingredients a little and modified the original recipe, and these turned out perfect. They would definitely be a nice addition to your Memorial Day weekend bar-b-que. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1 (1 oz.) package ranch dressing mix
• 1 tsp. garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
• 4 buns
• Tomato, sliced (optional)
• Lettuce (optional)
• Avocado, sliced (optional)

Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat, and lightly oil the grate.

Knead together the turkey, ranch mix, garlic, onion powder, Worcestershire sauce, and breadcrumbs in a bowl until evenly combined; divide into 4 equal portions and form into patties.

Cook on the preheated grill about 5 minutes per side for well done. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

Serve on buns and top with tomato, lettuce and avocado.

Source: Adapted from All Recipes

Lavender Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting

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I really enjoy making birthday treats for family and friends, especially if I have a good idea of something new they might like. For example, my mother-in-law is a lover of lavender, so I knew I wanted to try to make a dessert with lavender for her birthday celebration the other weekend.

I had never cooked with lavender before, so it was a new experience for me. I allowed the buds to sit in the milk for a few hours to soften up and flavor the milk. The aroma coming from the oven while these were baking was delightful, and the lavender flavor in the cupcakes afterwards was mild, yet noticeable. My favorite part was probably the frosting. Using a fresh vanilla bean gave it a strong vanilla flavor, while the buttercream practically melted in our mouths. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 tbsp. dried edible lavender
• 1 1/3 cups cake flour
• 1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp. agave nectar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. blue food coloring
• 1/4 tsp. red food coloring

Vanilla Bean Frosting:

• 1/2 cup salted butter
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• Seeds of 1 vanilla bean
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp. whole milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a food processor, combine milk and lavender and pulse about 1 - 1 1/2 minutes until lavender is well chopped, scrapping down inside of processor once during processing. Pour into liquid measuring cup (be sure to scrape out all of milk and lavender from sides and lid), and allow to sit for at least one hour or overnight in the refrigerator.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, whip butter and sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Blend in agave nectar. Add eggs one at a time and mix just until combined after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Working in 3 separate batches beginning and ending with flour mixture, add dry ingredients alternating with milk mixture, mixing just until combined after each addition. Mix in the blue and red food coloring just until combined.

Fill paper lined muffin cups 2/3 full and bake in preheated oven 19 - 21 minutes, until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Allow to cool several minutes in muffin tin before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Cool completely then frost with Vanilla Bean Frosting. Store in an airtight container.

For the Vanilla Bean Frosting: In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip butter and vanilla bean seeds on medium-high speed until nearly white and very fluffy, about 7 - 8 minutes, frequently scrapping down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add in powdered sugar, heavy cream and vanilla extract and mix on low speed until blended, then increase speed to medium and beat until very light and fluffy, about 5 - 6 minutes, frequently scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Pipe or spread over cupcakes. For best results use the day prepared.

Source: Adapted from Cooking Classy

Garlic Parmesan Pull-Apart Bread

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Whenever we have pasta for dinner, we need to have some kind of bread. There's always sauce that needs to be sopped up, and we never intend to let it go to waste. Chris usually stops by Panera on the way home from work to get a fresh loaf, but every once in a while I like to try something new.

I had some refrigerated biscuits on hand that I was going to make plain, but I decided to spruce it up a little. Since I was serving the biscuits with the Turkey and Artichoke Stuffed Shells with Arrabbiata Sauce I made, I wanted them to have some flavor. Pouring a mixture of butter, Parmesan cheese, garlic and Italian seasoning over top of the biscuits while they baked gave the outside great flavor and some crisp, while the outside remained soft and flaky. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 6 refrigerated junior buttermilk biscuits
• 3 tbsp. light butter, melted
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 tsp. garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a mini loaf pan with cooking spray.

Line the 6 biscuits top to bottom across the loaf pan, allowing to run down the sides.

Mix melted butter, Parmesan cheese, garlic and Italian seasoning in a small bowl. Pour over biscuits in pan.

Place loaf pan on a baking sheet (to catch any overflow). Bake for 15-20 minutes or until biscuits are light brown and cooked through. Enjoy!

Source: SK Original