Winter Squash Soup with Chipotle Peppers

Winter squash is here! The Farmer's Market had tons of pie pumpkins, acorn squash, butternut squash, etc. I picked up some carnival and butternut squash without having any clear idea of what to make with it. The carnival squash is in the acorn family, so I paired it with the butternut to make winter squash soup. On it's own it has a texture close to a chestnut, but it pureed well with the butternut for the soup, too.

Ingredients
1 small butternut squash
1 small acorn squash
4 tbsp olive oil
1 carrots, coarsely chopped
1 ribs of celery, coarsely chopped
1/2 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups vegetable broth
1/4 tsp chipotle seasoning or cayenne pepper/red pepper flakes
1/2 cup whipping cream (I used milk)
Salt and pepper to taste

Toppings
Sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
Chipotle peppers in adobo

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2) Cut butternut and acorn squash in half lengthwise. Use 2 tablespoons of olive oil to coat insides of squash. Lay face down on baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes or until tender.
3) Remove squash from oven and let cool. The squash can be cooked and cooled overnight, or well in advance of the soup preparation.

4) Use the reamining olive oil to saute carrots, celery, and onion in a medium sized stock pot until tender. Add garlic, salt, pepper, and chipotle seasoning, then saute an additional 2-3 minutes. 

5) Scoop meat from squash and add to pot with vegetables. Add vegetable broth, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. 
6) When vegetables are very tender use an immersion blender or food processor to puree the soup.
7) Add whipping cream or milk to the pureed soup, stir to blend and return to heat until ready to serve. Top with cilantro, a dollop of sour cream, and chipotle.

Serves 4

Pregnancy can be a b!#$(

It's been an interesting few months :) First, I waited over a month to get my camera back from the shop. I knew that they needed to order parts for the repair, so I was willing to give them a bit of time to do the things that they needed to do. These guys are amazing, and they are the only ones that I trust. They are complete camera geeks. I mean...they are the camera version of gamers. And I think that they still live in the the film era (they certainly look like it), despite their in-depth knowledge of the digital camera. 

After about two weeks, I called them to see how they were progressing with the camera. Their phone wasn't disconnected, but it also didn't really give me an explicit error. It's almost as if my call just went into some sort of phone call limbo. So, I tried again the next day and got the same results. OK, I thought to give them another week to figure out their phone issues. They always call me when the repairs are finished, so I wasn't too concerned. If it was ready, they would call once they have a working phone. If it takes too long, they will probably call me using one of their cell phones.

A week later, I still couldn't get through via phone, so I decided to drive over there. That evening, Mark told me that I received a letter in the mail from them. This is when I started to worry...their building caught on fire and my camera was on-site....they were robbed and can't locate my camera. GAH! I opened the letter, and it told me that my camera was ready for pick-up. Wha...?? Of course....why would they call to tell me? Their phone is broke, and neither of them probably own a cell phone. No one that dresses like a computer engineer from the 1980's would own a cell phone. But I'm sure that they still own Atari stations.

Finally, with camera in hand, I was ready to start blogging again. But....I was so nauseous from the pregnancy that the thought of eating anything but crackers and cereal made me want to crawl under a rock. I also didn't have the energy to stay awake past 7:30 PM.

It's almost November, and 4 months since my last post. It's taken a long time to get back into the swing of things. We're finally going to the Farmer's Market every week again, and I'm back in the kitchen making goodies most nights. Keep your eye open for some new recipes coming soon!

Have Not Camera. Will Starve.

Not really. I'll still cook, but I can't post anything.

I was trying to take a picture of the strawberries for Strawberry Cupcakes, and....what is this? CF Error? The camera refused to do anything but blink "CF Error" at me repeatedly. Normally that means that the Compact Flash card is corrupt, but in my case none of my cards worked. I have had issues with the CF slot on the camera in the past, so back to the shop it goes. Hopefully I won't be without the camera for long, but it did take about 4 weeks to fix last time I had a CF slot issue because they had to send for parts.

In the meantime, here is something to keep you entertained. If you don't like strong, offensive language, drunkenness, or watching someone chop food directly on the counter, DO NOT watch this. But I love this guy. A true inspiration :) The Drunk Cook

Sauteed Eggplant with Garlic, Cumin & Feta

A promised, more eggplant recipes! This one was made as an accompaniment to the Feta Cucumber sandwiches in my last post.

The original recipe called for the Garlic-Cumin concoction to be used as a vinaigrette, but I wanted something with cooked garlic, so I ended up throwing the vinaigrette in the pan with the eggplants at the last minute for a minute or two. Also, since I only had fingerling eggplants, I opted to sauté the eggplants instead of grilling them. 

Here is the original recipe, from Kalyn's Kitchen: Grilled Eggplant Recipe with Garlic-Cumin Vinaigrette, Feta, and Two Herbs

Ingredients
1 large fingerling eggplant, cut in uniform slices 3/4 inch thick
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup crumbled feta
1/2 tsp crushed garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 shallot, finely minced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
pinch cayenne pepper
3 T extra-virgin olive oil

Directions
1. Put garlic, salt, lemon juice, and shallots or red onion into food processor fitted with steel blade, Pulse until all ingredients are well combined, then let sit for 10 minutes. (This could also be done in a blender.) After ten minutes, put mixture in small bowl, stir in ground cumin and cayenne pepper, then whisk in olive oil.
2. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat, and saute the eggplants for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic-cumin mixture to the pan and stir. Let it simmer with the eggplants for about a minute or two.
3. To serve, top with crumbled feta and herbs.

Hummus and Feta Sandwiches

I had a can of chickpeas sitting in the cupboard collecting dust, but I wanted to try something new (well, new to me). I love hummus, but Mark is not the kind of eater to eat finger foods unless it's at a party. We were planning on having some people over on the weekend, so I wanted to try making it before then. But that didn't solve the dilemma of having Mark try it unless it was incorporated into a meal, so that is where this recipe came in. I found some great Whole Grain Italian bread which was perfect for these sandwiches. The bread was lightweight but had a great texture to go with the hummus.  

The first time I made the sandwiches they seemed sort of dry, so I brushed some extra virgin olive oil on the bread before spreading the hummus. That really did the trick! Also, I only had crumbled Feta on hand but I used the biggest pieces, so it seemed to work without falling apart to much. If you slice from a block of feta, I would recommend using thinner slices if you don't want to overpower the hummus. Personally, I liked the thicker slices but Mark preferred the crumbles because he wanted to taste more of the hummus rather than the feta. Next time, I'll just slice the feta thinner for him :) 

A nice companion dish to the sandwiches is eggplant with garlic and cumin.

Adapted from bonappitit.com

Hummus

1 14- to 15-ounce can organic garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
1 garlic clove, peeled
3 tablespoons (or more) fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons minced seeded jalapeño chile

Using on/off turns, finely chop garbanzo beans and garlic in processor. Add 3 tablespoons lemon juice and remaining ingredients; process to coarse puree. Season to taste with salt and pepper and more lemon juice, if desired.

Note: Can be made 1 week ahead. Transfer to airtight container and chill.

Sandwiches
4 slices whole grain bread
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
8 fresh mint leaves
4 fresh cilantro sprigs
4 ounces feta cheese, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Brush one side of each bread slice with olive oil then spread 2 tablespoons hummus. Top 2 bread slices with sliced cucumber, mint, and cilantro, dividing equally. Arrange slices of feta atop cilantro. Top each with second bread slice and press gently to compact slightly.

Makes 2 sandwiches

Seared Baby Eggplant with Mozzarella and Basil Oil

Local summer vegetables are so easy to come by right now, and I always look forward to going to the Green Market to get my weekly supply. One vegetable that is at its peak now is eggplant, and I was getting my weekly supply from the farmers each Saturday. Lately, however, Natalie has been providing us with beautiful Japanese and baby eggplants from her parents' garden. We're on an eggplant-eating kick now, so be prepared to see alot of eggplant recipes!

I found this one in a Vegetarian Times magazine, but I didn't have enough fresh basil to make the oil myself so I bought some Basil Olive Oil that I found at the Fresh Market. Also, none of the farmers had any leeks today, so I used scallions instead. Use the link above to use the original recipe: I am posting the modifications that I needed to make.

Ingredients
1 large baby eggplant, sliced into 1/4-inch thick rounds
1 scallion, finely chopped
2 tbsp basil oil, divided
1/4 cup tightly packed basil leaves
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
fresh mozzarella, sliced into thick rounds
1 tbsp capers

Directions
1. Generously salt the eggplant slices and place in a colander to release the liquid for 45 minutes. Rinse, and pat dry.
2. Heat the basil oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add the eggplant slices and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until lightly browned. Flip the eggplant and add the white wine vinegar. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the pan. Cook for another 3-4 minutes or until the white wine vinegar has evaporated and the second side of the eggplant is lightly browned.
3. Meanwhile, finely chop the basil. 
4. To serve, place a small dollops of basil oil on the plate, and sprinkle each dollop with basil. top with mozzarella. Add a sprinkle of basil and a slice of eggplant to each piece of mozzarella and repeat this layering until you have run out of eggplant slices. Top each stack with basil, chopped scallions, and capers.

Serves 2

Lemon Blueberry Trifle

If you have noticed a pattern in the recipes in this blog, it's that the ingredients are rarely over-processed. This recipe does not fall into that pattern, so if this is not your thing, don't look! This is 99% over-processed goods that barely pass for food, but I don't care. This trifle is so easy to make and is a repeat crowd-pleaser. You could certainly put the homemade twist on this recipe by making your own cake and whipping your own cream. I'm sure it would taste heavenly, but I love the "throw it together" nature of the original recipe. 

Normally, the only berries in this trifle are blueberries but today is the 4th of July. I had to make it red-white-and-blue, so I topped it off with raspberries for the occasion. Also, the original recipe from Pampered Chef uses two packages of lemon pudding. I found that it was too much lemon, so substituting one of those packages with the cheesecake flavor helped to balance out the flavor better. I also doubled the amount of white chocolate because chocolate is not something that should you should be stingy about!

Ingredients
1 large frozen pound cake
2 lemons
1 & 1/2 cups milk
1 (12oz.) container Cool Whip, thawed
1 small package lemon instant pudding & pie filling
1 small package cheesecake flavored instant pudding & pie filling
2 to 3 clam shell packs blueberries (approx 1 pint)
4 squares (1 oz. each) white baking chocolate

Directions
1. Cut pound cake into 1-inch cubes; place in large colander bowl. Using a lemon Zester, make several lengthwise scores in one lemon, top to bottom; slice into 6 slices. Cut each slice in half and set aside for garnish. Zest remaining lemon using short strokes; set aside. Juice lemon. Sprinkle lemon juice over pound cake; toss . 
2. In a bowl, combine milk, sour cream, half of the whipped topping and reserved lemon zest; whisk until smooth. Add pudding mix; whisk until mixture begins to thicken. 
3. Set aside 12 blueberries for garnish. To assemble trifle, place 1/3 of the cake cubes into bottom of chilled bowl. Top with 1/3 of the blueberries. Grate 1/4 of the chocolate over blueberries. Top with of the pudding mixture, pressing lightly. Repeat layers 2 more times, reserving the remaining grated chocolate for garnish. Spread remaining pudding over entire top of trifle, creating a smooth surface. 
4. Attach open star tip to a decorator; fill with remaining whipped topping. Decorate by piping 12 rosettes around edge of bowl. Place one lemon slice between rosettes and one reserved blueberry on each rosette. Grate remaining chocolate in center. 

Serves 10

Watermelon Cucumber Salad

Normally, I would never buy a whole watermelon for just me and Mark. But a farmer at the Green Market was selling watermelon, which was one of the tastiest watermelons I've ever had. A week later, we still had half of the thing using more than its fair share of real estate in our fridge, so it was time to find something useful to do with it. This is a creative salad that will help use up your watermelon. It's pretty quick, and it is really, really yummy.

Adapted from Food Network

Ingredients
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
4 cups diced watermelon
1 cucumber, seeded and diced
handful thinly sliced mint
chopped cashews
1/4 cup olive oil
juice from 1/2 a lemon

Directions
Soak the red onion in cold water. Pat the diced watermelon and cucumber dry, then toss with the mint. Drain the onion, squeeze it dry and add to the salad along with the cashews. To make the dressing, whip the olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. Gently toss the watermelon mixture with the dressing.

Serves 4

Capellini with Lemon Basil Summer Squash

This is a delicious light and summery dish that can be made fairly quickly. When summer squash is unavailable, I will use zucchini.

Ingredients
1 pound summer squash, washed and gently patted dry
1 pound capellini, or angel hair pasta
6 large cloves garlic, crushed
4 tbsp olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
6 large basil leaves, coarsely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Prepare pasta according to package directions.

2. While pasta is cooking, heat the oil and butter in a small pan.

3. Add the zucchini or summer squash with garlic and cook until almost tender (about 2-3 minutes).

4. Add the lemon juice until heated.

5. Remove from heat and at the last moment add the basil.

6. Season with salt and pepper and serve over the hot pasta.

Serves 6

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes

This is the second beer cupcake recipe that I tried, and it turned out better than the first one. The cupcakes actually dome - not sink like the former recipe. 

Although this recipe calls for Guinness, I used Sam Adams Boston Ale. I chose it by accident while I was experimenting with the Sam Adams 25th Anniversary cupcakes. I wanted to use the same beer to maintain some sort of common ground to compare the recipes, but I grabbed the ale instead of the Boston Lager. The ale added a really subtle punch to the recipe, and I would certainly make this again with the ale. But I think that I will try the stout next time, as the recipe calls for.

Also, I used the icing from the Sam Adams recipe. If you decide to use the icing from this recipe, let me know how it is!

Adapted from Big City, Little Kitchen

Cupcakes
1 cup Guinness
1 stick, plus 1 tb, unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups dark brown sugar
3/4 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 tb vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking soda

Combine the Guinness and the butter, chopped into 1-inch chunks, in a large sauce pan, and heat to melt the butter. Remove from heat, and whisk in the cocoa and sugar. In a bowl, whisk the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla, then add to the beer mixture. Sift together the flour and baking soda, and fold into the batter. Pour into muffin molds and bake for 25 minutes, or until inserted cake tester comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes, remove from muffin tin, and cool completely on a rack.

Icing
8 oz cream cheese
1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/3 cup milk

Using a mixer, whip cream cheese until smooth, sift in sugar, and beat. Add milk, and beat until smooth. Spread glaze over cooled cupcakes.

NOTE: To create a thinner glaze, use a tablespoon or two more milk; for a topping more akin to icing, use less milk, and perhaps more sugar. In either case, add a little sugar or milk at a time, mix, and check for desired consistency.

Boston Lager 25th Anniversary Cupcakes

I got so excited when I saw this recipe! I found it in The Florida Times-Union, and was just about to toss it aside, when I saw the picture of a bottle of beer next to a pretty cupcake. To celebrate 25 years of brewing deliciousness, Sam Adams's chef partner concocted this beer-infused cupcake. When we went to the Beer Festival in 2009, I was highly impressed with the beer-food pairings that the Sam Adams tent had. No other vendors were as enthusiastic about pairing beer with food, or incorporating their beers into new recipes. This cupcake recipe was so full of promise!

Alas, as you can see by the original recipe, there is a HUGE gap in the directions. Although it lists  flour, baking powder, and baking soda as ingredients, it doesn't tell you when or how to use them. Every single recipe that I found online were printed in the exact same manner. During my first attempt, I whisked the sugar, cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and soda together then mixed in the butter until the concoction had the consistency of coarse crumbs. The next time, I tried melting the butter like in this recipe by Big City, Little Kitchen. In my last attempt I added the flour, baking powder and soda to the bowls after adding the eggs. Each time, the cupcakes came out very flat. The recipe wasn't a complete loss, though.

The icing is absolutely amazing. It was a nice beer kick to it, and when placed on top of the right beer cupcake, really brings out the beer in the cake itself. On an aesthetic note, it resembles the head on a perfectly poured glass of beer. So, if you want to try a good beer cupcake recipe, try the recipe that I mentioned above. But, use the recipe for the icing that follows. 

Adapted from Florida Times-Union

Boston Lager 25th Anniversary Cupcakes
1/2 cup butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup Sam Adams Boston Lager
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Place butter, sugar and cocoa powder in a large mixing bowl. Add in eggs and mix until thoroughly combined. Add flour, baking powder, and baking soda and mix until smooth. Pour in water and Boston Lager, then salt. Mix until mixture is smooth and there are no lumps.
2. Line muffin tin with muffin liners. Pour approximately 3 ounces to 4 ounces batter into each cup. Bake in oven at 325 degrees for approximately 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Yields 2 dozen cupcakes

Boston Lager Buttercream Frosting
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon whipping cream
2 tablespoons Samuel Adams Boston Lager

In a standing mixer with a whisk, mix together sugar and butter. Mix on low speed until well blended, then increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes. Add vanilla extract, Boston Lager and whipping cream and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute more, adding more cream if needed.

Spiced Chick'n with Avocado Grapefruit Relish

Citrus season is winding down here in Florida, and friends and neighbors have been giving us generous amounts of grapefruit. After getting tired of eating them plain and consuming large amounts of fruit salad with grapefruit, I had to find something new. 

I found this recipe on EatingWell.com. It nicely contrasts the spicy chili powder with cool avocado and refreshing grapefruit. It is one of my new favorite recipes and I'll be making this every citrus season from now on.

To section the grapefruit, cut off both ends with a knife. Place the grapefruit on the flat end and peel from top to bottom following the curvature of the fruit with the knife, removing all of the white pith as you go. Cut down along fruit section to the center, then turn knife to loosen section and lift out. 

Avocado Grapefruit Relish
1 large seedless grapefruit
1/2 small avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
1 small shallot, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon red-wine vinegar
1 teaspoon honey.

Remove the peel and white pith from grapefruit with a sharp knife and discard. Cut the grapefruit segments from the surrounding membrane, letting them drop into a small bowl. Squeeze out remaining juice into the bowl and discard membrane. Add avocado, shallot, cilantro, vinegar and honey. Toss well to combine.

Spiced Chick'n
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder, (see Note)
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 turkey cutlets, (8 ounces)
1 tablespoon canola oil

1. Combine chili powder, five-spice powder and salt on a plate. Dredge the Chick'n in the spice mixture.
2. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the Chick'n and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Serve the Chick'n with the avocado-grapefruit relish.

Makes 2 servings

Sage Tortellini with Asparagus

Asparagus is one of my favorite vegetables, and this is a quick and easy way to incorporate it into a main dish. 

Ingredients
1 pound fresh asparagus
1 pound cheese tortellini
1/2 packed cup finely chopped sage
6 tablespoons Extra-virgin olive oil
Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
1. Prepare the tortellini as directed on the package. 
2. While the tortellini is cooking, heat the olive oil in a medium frying pan. When hot, add the sage and cook over medium heat until the sage is crispy.
3. Drain the tortellini and toss in the sage olive oil.
4. Gently snap off the woody ends from the asparagus. If you have a steamer basket, place the asparagus in it, taking care not to overlap them. Otherwise, add about 1/2-inch of water to the sauce pan and place the asparagus stem-side down, with the tips pointing up, out of the water. Cover the sauce pan with a lid and let the water simmer for about 3 to 4 minutes, being careful not to overcook them. Remove them immediately from the steamer basket or water.
5. Carefully chop the asparagus into 1/2-inch pieces and gently toss in with the pasta.
6. Serve immediately.

Serves 6

Vegetarian Lentil Meatloaf

My friend Angie is the one that inspired this blog, and this is a recipe from her. You can visit her blog here: Zozzobra's Recipes. If you can, check out her recipe for Buffalo Chicken Dip. She makes a vegetarian version using vegetarian chicken that is making my mouth water just thinking about it.

Ingredients
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup lentils (or canned lentils)
1 small onion, diced
1 cup quick-cooking oat
3/4 cup grated cheese (cheddar, swiss, jack or american)
1 egg, beaten
4 1/2 ounces spaghetti sauce or tomato sauce
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions
1. Add salt to water and boil in a saucepan.
2. Add lentils and simmer covered 25-30 minutes, until lentils are soft and most of water is evaporated.
3. Remove from fire.
4. Drain and partially mash lentils.
5. Scrape into mixing bowl and allow to cool slightly.
6. Stir in onion, oats and cheese until mixed.
7. Add egg, tomato sauce, garlic, basil, parsley, seasoning salt and pepper.
8. Mix well.
9. Spoon into loaf pan that has been generously sprayed with Pam (non-stick cooking spray) or well-greased.
10. Smooth top with back of spoon.
11. Bake at 350 degrees for 30- 45 minutes until top of loaf is dry, firm and golden brown.
12. Cool in pan on rack for about 10 minutes.
13. Run a sharp knife around edges of pan then turn out loaf onto serving platter.

Serves 4-6

Chickpea & Feta Veggie Burgers with Cilantro Garlic Yogurt Sauce

My friend and fellow foodie, Jeff came across this recipe and shared it with me a few months ago. I wasn't able to make it until I got a blender, but ideally this would be made in a food processor. It is reminiscent of falafels, one of my favorite foods. 

If you are in the cilantro hating camp, this sauce is not the one for you. But, if you love cilantro, I highly recommend trying this. It is not as garlicky as tzatziki sauce, but it has a more complex taste to it, probably from the mint and cayenne.

Adapted from RecipeZaar and Epicurious

Chickpea & Feta Veggie Burgers

2 scallions, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/2 large sweet onion, coarsely chopped
2 (15 ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed (3 cups)
1/4 cup tahini
3 eggs
1 medium carrot, chopped
1/4 cup feta cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
black pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cups dry breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon olive oil (to taste)

1. Set the oven at 300 degrees. In a food processor, combine the scallions, garlic, onion, chickpeas, tahini, eggs, carrot, feta, Parmesan, cilantro, salt, and pepper. Pulse the mixture until well blended. Scrape the mixture into a large bowl. Stir in the bread crumbs.
2. Shape the chick pea mixture into 8 patties. Set the oven at 300 degrees. Have on hand a rimmed baking sheet.
3. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Working in two batches, cook 4 patties for 6 minutes or until browned on the bottom. Turn and cook for 5 to 6 minutes more or until the patties are brown on the bottom and hot in the center.
4. Place the burgers on a baking sheet; keep warm in the oven. Cook the remaining patties in the same way.
5. Serve in halved pita pockets with a dollop of cilantro garlic yogurt sauce.

Makes 8 large burgers

Cilantro Garlic Yogurt Sauce

1 1/2 cups plain whole-milk Greek-style yogurt
3/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
4 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
3/4 teaspoon cayenne

Stir together all ingredients with 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste), then chill, covered, at least 30 minutes (for flavors to blend). Bring to room temperature before serving.

Makes 2 cups of sauce

Note: If you can't find Greek-style yogurt, you can thicken 3 cups regular plain whole-milk yogurt by draining it in a paper-towel-lined sieve, chilled, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day. Sauce can be chilled up to 6 hours

Homemade Girl Scout Samoa Bars

Every year several of Mark's coworkers battle it out to sell the most Girl Scout cookies for their daughters. We always buy the Samoas, and Mark always tries to ration them so that they last as long as possible. Our friend David told me that Mark was turning into a sad panda because his supply was running low, and I should surprise him by making some. I found this recipe online, and made them after I was sure that he was out of Samoas at work. I didn't even attempt to make the cookies, because the bars are exactly the same thing, but way easier to make because of the shape.

Adapted from BakingBites.com

Ingredients
Cookie Base
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

Topping

3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)

12-oz good-quality chewy caramels (I used Kraft)

1/4 tsp salt

3 tbsp milk

10 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)

Directions

Cookie Crust

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan, or line with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter, until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. 3. Working at a low speed, gradually beat in flour and salt until mixture is crumbly, like wet sand. The dough does not need to come together. Pour crumbly dough into prepapred pan and press into an even layer.

4. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until base is set and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack before topping.

Topping
5. Preheat oven to 300. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
6. Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.

Putting it together
7. Put dollops of the topping all over the shortbread base. Using the spatula, spread topping into an even layer. Let topping set until cooled.
8. When cooled, cut into 30 bars with a large knife or a pizza cutter (it’s easy to get it through the topping).
9. Once bars are cut, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the base of each bar into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment or wax paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle bars with chocolate to finish.
10. Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.