SK week 26 | Spaghetti al Limone

Week 26. Do you know what that means? We are HALFWAY THROUGH #AYearOfSmittenKitchen! That's wild. :)

It's funny--I actually did pick 52 recipes before I started, but I bet I've only made half of what I planned on. Everything else has happened because Deb has posted something and I've thought, "Well, that sounds way better than what I was planning on making this week." Like this spaghetti! It's perfectly light for summer and can be the main dish or just a side. AND it's super easy. :)

(Here's the Smitten Kitchen post)

You'll need:
1/2 pound dry spaghetti
1 lemon
3 1/2 ounces parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
fresh basil
(Note--I doubled the whole recipe except for the lemon, and it was perfect. Any more lemon would have been too much for me)

Bring your water to a boil for the pasta. In a serving bowl, zest half the lemon and juice the whole thing.

Grate the parmesan into the same bowl. I used a microplane for both the lemon and the cheese.

Add the olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of pepper.

Cook your spaghetti according to instructions. (The cooking water from gluten-free pasta always looks this cloudy). :)

Before you drain the pasta, reserve some of the cooking liquid. You may need it for the sauce later.

Add the hot pasta to the bowl of cheese and toss well.

Add a few splashes of the cooking liquid if you need to.

Add basil and toss again.

I personally would have just eaten the pasta, but I live with a growing boy who requires protein at every meal, so I grilled a few chicken breasts I had in the freezer. And since the basil was the only green thing on the plate, I also made a quick salad. ;)

Final verdict: Big winner! We all loved it (including said growing boy, who devoured his plate--and then some--after lacrosse practice). It was really delicious and so easy to make. I always know I've got Dan's vote if I hear "Feel free to add this to the rotation." So, I will!

Summer check-in!

I explained back in May that I was not going to be posting "Summer of Fun" photos every day this summer. We're a few weeks into our summer, and I can confidently say I am so happy with that decision. :) Because guess what? Even though I'm not documenting our fun daily doesn't mean it's not being had, and it all just feels more my speed.

We're only halfway through week #3, and we already have so much to show for ourselves!

Jack plays lacrosse all the freaking time, and it's still super fun to watch. We're dealing with a very different dynamic this year, in that his team has lost far more than won. But I think we're all learning a lot. :) He has also been working out with a personal trainer (AKA, my brother, who is a CrossFit coach) on a weekly basis. Sean kicks Jack's butt, and Jack actually enjoys it!

Leah plays soccer (and Dan coaches her team) and they haven't lost yet! She has so much fun on the field and makes me very nervous when she's goalie. She has discovered a love of audiobooks, giving her CD player a break from Pentatonix and Lauren Daigle once in a while. ;)

Will, as of last week, is also playing soccer this summer and IT'S SO CUTE. Seriously, there's something so adorable about 5- and 6-year-olds running around on the soccer field. They don't keep score during games, but Will does. He's always very concerned with who's winning. :) He also made it through two weeks of swimming lessons with the nicest teacher ever.

We raised three caterpillars at the end of last summer and loved it so much that we decided to get an earlier start this year. Right now we have four chrysalises--we bought two from the Butterfly Memories woman at the farmers market and rescued two from the outside. We should have some emerging this weekend. The whole process is so amazing to me, and the kids love keeping tabs on what they're doing.

Dan and I had birthdays and have now entered our 43rd and 40th years, respectively. My mom said it's weird to have a kid who's 39. I said "It's weird to BE 39!"

We have passes to the nearby swimming pond and have gone a couple of times. Now that Minnesota seems content to stay in this current season, we'll be there more often.

And so we are finishing out June and entering July--more heat, more birthdays, and more activities. Bring it on!

SK week 25 | Chocolate Budino

We bid farewell to one of our sweet Tuesday Night Dinner friends this week. Josie is moving to Colorado and we're all going to miss her terribly! Our goodbye dinner was simple chicken on the grill with salad and roasted potatoes, but I decided to make something a little fancier for dessert. Deb had posted this chocolate budino a couple weeks ago and I knew it would fit the bill perfectly!

(Here's the Smitten Kitchen post)

You'll need:
5 large egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream (plus more to make whipped cream for topping)
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
two pinches sea salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
(Note: One recipe should make 8 small servings. I doubled it and made it into 12 bigger servings)

Finely chop your chocolate and set aside.

In a large pot, whisk the egg yolks and sugar well. 

Slowly drizzle in the heavy cream, whisking the whole time. 

Ready to cook!

Slowly warm over medium-low heat, stirring frequently.

You want to keep cooking it like this until it thickens enough to coat your spoon or spatula. It takes a while, but if you're not patient you'll end up with scrambled eggs.

Strain the cream mixture over the chopped chocolate.

Stir to combine.

Add the butter, salt, and vanilla.

Mix well. 

Divide into your cups or ramekins. Refrigerate until cold and set. I made these in the morning for dessert that night. But they don't need that long--it's already quite pudding-consistency when it goes into the fridge.

Top with whipped cream and a wafer cookie. Serve to your sweet Denver-bound friend. ;)

Final verdict: Delicious. It's SO rich, though. Only a few people actually finished it. So maybe smaller servings are the way to go. But definite winner and really pretty easy. Perfect when you need something a little "fancier" than a pan of brownies. :)

SK week 24 | Strawberry Chiffon Shortcake

Dan's birthday was yesterday and we celebrated with my side of the family last weekend. He's a big fan of strawberry shortcake, so when I saw this cake, I knew it was perfect. And thanks to a quick google search for a gluten-free chiffon cake, I was able to find the right flour combination to make this recipe gluten free!

(Here's the Smitten Kitchen post)

You'll need:
(for the cake)
2 1/4 cups cake flour (for GF: 1 1/4 cups + 2 tablespoons white rice flour, 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon potato starch, 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon tapioca starch, and 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum)
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 large egg yolks at room temperature (pro tip from the GF recipe, eggs separate more easily when they're cold, so separate them and then let them come to room temp)
8 large egg whites at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
(for the filling)
2 cups heavy cream
6 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 quarts strawberries, sliced
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice

First, wash and slice the berries. Mix in the 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Stick in the fridge until you're ready for it. (Stir it once in a while).

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prep cake pans by lightly spraying with cooking spray and lining with parchment. (You can see her note about how many cakes to do, etc. I used three round cake pans and it worked well).

Sift together the flour, 1 1/4 cups sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.

In another bowl, beat egg yolks, water, oil, and vanilla until smooth.

Stir in the flour mixture until smooth.

Get your egg whites and cream of tartar into a stand mixer (or mix it by hand, but the whisk feature is literally one of the main reasons I even have my Kitchenaid).

Once you're at soft peaks, add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar.

And beat until you have stiff peaks. Like this. :)

Use a rubber spatula to fold about a quarter of the egg whites into the batter.

Then carefully fold in the rest until it looks just uniform. Don't overmix!

Divide among your prepared cake pans. Bake 40-50 minutes, but start checking around 30 minutes.

You want them to look nice and golden, and for a toothpick to come out clean. Let cool like this for an hour, then carefully remove from the pan and cool completely before assembling.

Once you're ready, whip your heavy cream and powdered sugar. I tend to prefer a softer peak for whipped cream, but for this particular recipe, you're going to want to go for stiff peaks. Just don't make butter. ;)

For assembly, dollop some whipped cream on a cake layer, arrange strawberries on the cream, and repeat for all three layers. If you have extra whipped cream, you can make the top pretty. :) Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Final verdict? Definite winner! And it was pretty easy to make. The cake was a little tedious, but it was much better than angelfood cake. This will definitely be made again in our house!

SK week 23 | Frozen Hot Chocolate

It's finally summer here, and the toasty temps make me want all the frozen drinks. So when Smitten Kitchen posted this last week, I knew it had to happen soon. :)

(Here's the Smitten Kitchen post)

You'll need:
3 ounces semi- or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 cold milk, preferably whole
3 cups ice
1/2 cup heavy cream
chocolate shavings for garnish

Melt the chopped chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly. (I microwaved it and it worked fine--just 30 seconds at a time at 50% power until it was melted).

Whisk in the cocoa powder and 2 tablespoons of sugar.

Slowly whisk in 1/2 cup of the cold milk.

Then whisk in the remaining cup of milk. (At this point, set aside and make your whipped cream--whip the heavy cream and remaining sugar).

Pour chocolate mixture over ice in a blender.

Blend well.

Top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings (which were unnecessary, but cute) ;) And enjoy! Slowly, so you don't get brain freeze.

Final verdict: This was pretty good. It was a little icy for my taste--I think I was expecting more of a milkshake vibe, which is definitely isn't. But it was good! And perfect for a hot day. :)