summer is coming to an end, but there’s still time for this really easy sour cream and scallion potato salad!

i made this over the labor day weekend, and it was really quick and easy. it was so easy i was able to completely concentrate on the very important programming i was watching while making it…

scallion and sour cream potato salad

adapted from martha

ingredients:

• 2 pounds white new potatoes, quartered and cut into 3/4-inch chunks (i used red potatoes)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 3/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 1/4 cup light mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions, plus more for garnish
• 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled, for garnish

directions:

1. In a large pot, cover potatoes with salted water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer until potatoes are tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp paring knife, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain well.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together sour cream and mayonnaise; add warm potatoes, and gently fold to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Cover; refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

3. To serve, season salad again with salt and pepper, if needed; fold in scallions. Garnish with bacon and more scallions, if desired.

in other news, i think i wanna get that picture of the bacon framed. i know some people who’d love it as a gift. you know who you are!!

enjoy these last days of summer!!

this is a really simple summer dish that’s really quick to throw together. it’s definitely one of my go to dinners!

pound out a boneless/skinless chicken bread to about half an inch thick and throw on some salt, pepper and italian seasoning. pour a little olive oil in a pan and cook chicken for about 3-4 minutes per side.

meanwhile, throw some halved cherry tomatoes, basil, salt, pepper and olive oil in a bowl and toss together.

add in some sliced onions if you want!

when the chicken’s done cooking, pour some balsamic vinegar in the pan to deglaze, and let it thicken up a bit.

serve the chicken over arugula, pile some tomato salad on top and then pour some of the balsamic glaze over it. yum!

anyone who knows me knows how much i love the pioneer woman. and that i’d like to be her. except i’m not sure i’d like to live in the middle of oklahoma. i’m sure it’s beautiful and all… but for some reason when i’m not on the coast i feel really claustrophobic. anyway. i check her blog all the time. i don’t make most things on there (except for the cinnamon rolls, they are worth every bit of butter) because since i work at a desk all day and i’m not out wrangling cattle, i’d be 800 pounds if i cooked like her. anyway again, i have recently become i huge fan of iced coffee. i don’t like hot coffee. just iced. and in the summer, it is the perfect thing to drink while you’re sitting at said desk job. i saw pioneer woman’s recent post on the perfect iced coffee, and new i had to try it. i think a lot of you agree with me, since i saw at least 3 posts about it on tumblr!

i halved her recipe since i don’t have a giant restaurant sized plastic bin in my tiny brooklyn apartment. i also used paper towels to strain since i kept forgetting to go buy cheesecloth. i’m happy to say they worked out just fine! i’m also happy to say that this was super easy and the coffee is AWESOME. it cost me less than what i pay for one iced coffee to make an entire pitcher full. and since, as i have previously stated, i am not pioneer woman and can’t use heavy cream in my iced coffee, i used my unsweetened vanilla almond milk. it actually worked out really well since the almond milk is flavored and creamy. delicious! thank you pioneer woman, once again.

the pitcher of liquid gold that is now sitting in my fridge. check out pioneer woman’s site for her detailed recipe!

i have read that if you freeze bananas and put them in the food processor it makes an “ice cream like” substance. i decided i needed to check it out myself!

i cut up 3 bananas and put them in the freezer overnight…

then i put them in the food processor. at first, i couldn’t believe this was gonna turn out. it just looked like little banana chunks flying around. then. THEN. after about 5 minutes, it turned into this smooth, custard like goodness.

as the processor was spinning, i added some honey just to give it a bit of sweetness. next time i think i may add some cocoa powder, or maybe peanut butter. endless possibilities! i put the banana “ice cream” back in the freezer and then a few hours later, it was perfect! if you like bananas…give this a try!

i was upstate for the weekend of the fourth for graduation parties, pool parties and some good family time. there were cannon ball contests, chicken fights and “usa” chants.

happy fourth. happy summer!

the real this time, not just the cookies! this is probably one of my favorite things.

the strawberries have been HUGE lately. they’re fun to look at, but i actually like the tiny ones better. (i know, i know, that’s what she said.)

recipe from martha’s website

serves 8

ingredients

• 1 3/4 pounds (6 cups) strawberries, rinsed, hulled, and quartered
• 1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoons cold (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, toss strawberries with 3/4 cup sugar; let sit to bring out their juices.

2. In a food processor, pulse flour, baking powder, 1/2 cup sugar, and the salt until combined. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal but with some pea-size bits of butter remaining, 10 to 12 times. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup cream and the eggs; pour over flour mixture, and pulse until some large clumps begin to form, 25 to 30 times.

3. Using a half-cup measuring cup, gently pack dough, invert, and then tap out onto a baking sheet. Repeat to form 8 biscuits. Bake until lightly golden, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool, about 15 minutes.

4. Beat remaining 1 1/2 cups cream and 2 tablespoons sugar with the vanilla until soft peaks form.

5. Slice biscuits in half horizontally. Spoon strawberries and their liquid over bottom halves. Spoon whipped cream on strawberries, and replace top halves of biscuits.

ps: i added to my plethora of cooking scars battle wounds while baking the shortcakes. i took the baking sheets out of the oven, put them on the stove, and bent over to reach down to pick something up. my upper arm hit the baking pan, and i almost heard a sizzle. i now have a nice puffy burn across my arm. i didn’t think it looked too bad until my boss asked me if i got in a knife fight. below is a picture i took on my crappy cell phone camera. nice, right?

mmmm berries. one of my favorite summer desserts is this trifle. to make it, you’ll need angel food cake, one box each of jello and vanilla pudding, whatever fresh fruit you want, and whipped cream. obviously, it would be easier to buy angel food cake than make your own, but the store i go to never seems to have it, so fresh angel food cake it is!

start by making the jello in your trifle bowl (any large, clear bowl would work) and then break up the angel food cake and put a layer right in the jello. put it in the fridge and let the jello firm up. i usually do this either the night before or in the morning. when the jello has firmed up, pour your layer of vanilla putting right on top of the angel food cake. then add your layer of berries, and on top of it all your layer of whipped cream. it’s a perfect, light and cool summer dessert!

these seemed liked the perfect cupcakes to make for a memorial day block party. they’re light and sweet and full of blueberries. i got the recipe from martha’s cupcake book, but she has the same recipe on her website, using huckleberries.

blueberries and cream cupcakes

makes 24 regular sized or 48 mini cupcakes

ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk, room temperature
• 2 cups blueberries, plus more for garnish
• 2 cups cold heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, plus more for dusting

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 standard muffin tins with paper liners. Sift together flours, baking powder, and salt.

2. Beat butter and granulated sugar with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, and vanilla. Reduce speed to low, and add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture; beat until combined after each addition. Fold in huckleberries by hand.

3. Divide batter among cups. Bake, rotating halfway through, until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool.

4. Beat cream and confectioners’ sugar until firm peaks form. Dollop cupcakes with whipped cream, garnish with berries, and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

perfect for a summer bbq or birthday! and happy june! i really love summer.

yay for strawberry season! while i haven’t gone to pick my own yet, i really can’t wait! there’s a “pick your own….” farm really close to my parent’s house where i grew up. i remember driving down the street and seeing all of the strawberry pickers out the window. my dad and my sister (only one sister at the time, sorry lynz!) made up a song that we used to sing whenever we’d go by:

“butts and elbows, knees and toes, KNEES AND TOES! butts and elbows, knees and toes, KNEES AND TOOOOOOES!” (to the tune of head and shoulders, knees and toes.)

anyhow, it brings back good memories, and there’s nothing better than biting into a hot strawberry straight off the vine. since strawberries are pretty cheap right now, i decided to make these, just because they looked pretty interesting and i was curious.

the dough was awesome. so pretty.

and the recipe:

strawberry shortcake cookies a la martha stewart

makes about 3 dozen

ingredients:

• 12 ounces strawberries, hulled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (2 cups)
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• Sanding sugar, for sprinkling

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining 7 tablespoons granulated sugar in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, or rub in with your fingers, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cream until dough starts to come together, then stir in strawberry mixture.

2. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment, spacing evenly apart. Sprinkle with sanding sugar, and bake until golden brown, 24 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool. Cookies are best served immediately, but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day.

these were really good right out of the oven. today they’re a bit more biscuit like than cookie like, but still really fresh and delicious. i might have baked them a bit more if i had to do it over to try to get them a little crispier on the outside.

definitely worth trying for strawberry season!