Garlic-Balsamic Asparagus

There's not much new going on with Jonathan and me. We're just trying to enjoy a few laid-back weekends before this fall gets CRAZY! Anywho, this is a quick, tasty side item that can accompany lots of different dishes:

1 pound asparagus
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. minced garlic

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Wash asparagus and snap woody ends off the bottom of each stem. In a small bowl, combine satl, pepper, olive oil, and garlic. Drizzle over asparagus and toss to coat.

Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with Pam. Arrange the asparagus in a single layer on the baking sseet. Drizzle any remaining oil and vinegar mixture over the asparagus.

Roast in the oven for 10 minutes, turning once.

Faux-Fried Squash

Here's one of my favorite ways to cook summer squash. This is a recipe I sort-of made up based on lots of recipes I had seen.

4-5 medium squash, sliced
3/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
Salt, to taste
Black Pepper, to taste
Olive oil

Combine breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl. Put sliced squash in a separate bowl and toss with some olive oil to coat. Dip each piece of squash into breadcrumbs, coating both sides. Place on a baking sheet, and cook in preheated oven for around 20 minutes, or to desired tenderness.

Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

One of my sweet friends is getting married soon, and some of the girls in our class threw her a couples fiesta shower. I made these jalapeno poppers, and they were gone in about 2.3 seconds. I literally turned around and the plate was empty, and that made me happy. I liked that they weren't very spicy at all but were savory and creamy. Here's the recipe (found on Pioneer Woman's cooking site):


20 whole fresh jalapenos (about 2-3 inches in size)
2 blocks light cream cheese, softened
1 lb. thin-sliced bacon, sliced into thirds

Note: Wear gloves while removing seeds and membranes from the jalapenos, or your hands will be burning for hours like mine were (literally 6 hours on fire!!). Cut jalapenos in half, lengthwise, and remove the white membrane and seeds. Smear cream cheese into each pepper half, and wrap with bacon piece. Secure with a toothpick.

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven on a pan with a rack for 20-25 minutes (use a pan with a rack so that the grease from the bacon can drip off). Broil for 2-3 minutes at the end to crisp the bacon.

Barbecue Chicken

We don't have a grill, and we can't have one in our apartment complex, so I have to come up with my own way of barbecuing. I have found that baking chicken in the oven "low and slow" results in a very tender, melt-in-your-mouth result. Plus, once it's in the oven, you can walk away and forget about it for over and hour and get back to other important matters. This is a recipe for a homemade BBQ sauce that we love, but if you're in a huge hurry, I'm sure you could just buy a bottle and get similar results.

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. ketchup
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. dry mustard
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. onion powder
1 package boneless chicken thighs or breasts (Hint: thighs are so much more tender and moist, but breasts work well, too)

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir together the ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt, mustard powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and chili powder. Simmer the sauce for 15 minutes. Add cornstarch, if needed, to thicken.

Place the chicken thighs into a baking dish, and pour the sauce over them. Cover tightly with foil.Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce the temperature to 300 degrees F, and bake for one hour. Remove cover, stir and bake uncovered for 15 minutes.

I have no picture for this one. There's just no way to make BBQ look pretty in a picture. But I assure you, this is a regular meal in our house because it really is great.

Strawberry Shortcake Trifle

I have decided that every recipe my mom gives me is going to be a home-run. This one is no exception. I actually made this on Memorial Day to go with our barbecue, pasta salad, and corn on the cob, and we couldn't stop eating it. The picture doesn't do it justice:

It's one of those recipes that just gets better and better as the days pass and the flavors meld.

1 Angel Food cake
1 (8 oz.) package light cream cheese, at room temperature
1 (14 oz.) can fat free sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 oz.) container fat free Cool Whip
1 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. corn starch
3 Tbsp. strawberry gelatin (I used Jello brand)
1 cup water
2 cups fresh strawberries, cut into thick slices

Pinch cake into large bite-sized pieces. For the custard: Mix together cream cheese, condensed milk, and Cool Whip in a large bowl and set aside. For the glaze: In a medium saucepan, stir together sugar, cornstarch, and gelatin; add water. Cook stirring over medium heat until thick. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. When cooled, fold in strawberries.

To assemble, place 1/3 of angel food cake in bottom of a trifle bowl. Top with 1/3 of the glaze, and 1/3 of the custard mixture. Repeat layers in this order for the remaining cake, glaze, and custard. Top with more Cool Whip and fresh strawberries.

We're seniors!

Buckle your seatbelts...we're seniors!!I went to lunch today with some of my classmates to catch up over summer break. It was wonderful seeing everyone again :)

Homemade Salsa

I got a nice Cuisinart food processor for our wedding that never worked. It broke my little heart, but I've kept it in the cabinet hoping it would eventually "magically" work. My cute hubby decided to make it his little project. He took it apart, got out his soldering kit, soldered a few wires together, and ta-da...it works!!!

In the process of repair:All done!
I knew immediately what I wanted to make first. I cannot stand jarred salsa, and I love, love, love restaurant-style salsa. This recipe found on Brown Eyed Baker turned out great!! So tasty and fresh!
Here's what you'll need:

14 oz. can whole tomatoes (peeled) with juice
1 (10 oz.) can original Rotel
2 Tbsp. chopped onion
1/2 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 jalepeño, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro
Juice from 1/4 a fresh lime
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin

Add all ingredients to a food processor. Pulse until you get desired consistency. Refrigerate for at least two hours (but trust me, this tastes 10X better the next day), and then serve with your favorite tortilla chips.

Enjoy!!

In other news, I start my senior year of dental school tomorrow. I'm having mixed emotions...I SO do not want to go back, but I'm ready to get this year over and on to the exciting things God has planned for me after dental school. Here's to a fresh start for senior year!