Grilled Lamb Chops

I made a marinade of fresh rosemary, dried mint (didn't have any fresh but I do think dried is good enough), garlic, EVOO, cumin, S&P and let the lamb chops marinade until it's time to grill. Serve with mint jelly

I served 90-second brown rice and canned green beans alongside.

Avocado & Banana Smoothie

I've been thinking of this kind of smoothie for quite some time now and while at the store, I decided to go for it. Unfortunately my blender broke some time ago so I used my Cuisinart instead

2 bananas chopped
1 avocado chopped
about 2 tablespoons of honey (eyeball)
about 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
about 2 pinches of nutmeg
a pinch of salt
about a cup of plain yogurt (eyeball)

blend it all together, put in glass and enjoy

Corn & Peas Mac & Cheese

Ingredients:
2 cans of corn, drained
1 small container of mascarpone cheese
1 small pint of ricotta cheese
1 cup or so of Parmesan cheese
1 box of Elbows macaroni
1 cup of frozen sweet peas, thawed
1 tablespoon of fresh tarragon, chopped
2 tablespoons of butter
a little bit of milk (eyeball)

Method:
Boil water, add in some salt and elbow pasta (as followed on the box instructions)

In the Cuisinart- put in corn to give it a couple of pulses like a chunky puree before adding in the mascarpone and ricotta (both cheese room tempature).
In a small saucepan- melt butter before adding some milk (eyeball it, I poured enough to cover the base of the saucepan) to simmer with steam but not boil. Add the parmesan cheese, stirring until melted. Add the corn and cheese mixture to heat through. Let it slightly boil before adding in the thawed-sweet peas and tarragon, fold them in and let them heat through for a few minutes.

Drain the pasta (save some pasta water for the cheese sauce in case too thick) and back in the pot before pouring in the corn, pea and cheese mixture to mix together before serving.

Yellow Pepper-Peas Stuffed Mushrooms

I honestly eyeballed everything, I didn't measure other than sizing up the mushrooms and guessed the measurements. It was also a throw-together using whatever I found in the pantry, refrigerator and freezer. 

button mushrooms with stems removed (save them!), seasoned with EVOO and S&P. Saute filling of yellow pepper, mushroom stems, peas & garlic putting them in food processor. Join in bowl with croutons crushed as bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Bake in 400° oven for about 20 minutes till golden brown on top.

Grilled Chicken with Red Pepper Orzo

Grilled Chicken:
4 chicken cutlets
salt
pepper
EVOO
McCormick's Grill Mater's Roasted Garlic & Herb
mix together and marinade for about 30 minutes
heat up grill and cook the chicken for about 5-7 minutes on each side. Let rest for about 5 minutes off the heat before chopping up the chicken

Red Pepper Orzo:
about 2 tablespoons of butter
1 shallot chopped
1 red pepper chopped
1 cup of orzo
1 2/3 cups of chicken broth
salt
pepper
melt the butter in a small or medium sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add shallot and cook for about 5 minutes until translucent before adding in the red pepper for another 5 minutes or so. Add orzo to let toast for a few minutes before adding in the broth. Cover, come to a boil and then lower the heat to Low (as low as you can go) to let simmer for 20-25 minutes. Use fork to fluff up the pasta before putting it in the serving bowl

In a serving bowl, mix red pepper orzo and the chopped grilled chicken together, season with salt and pepper to taste and a little drizzle of EVOO before serving.
Optional: sprinkle chopped parsley as garnish

Dolley Madison's Recipes

We are going back in time to when Dolley Madison was First Lady of the United States. She happens to be my favorite First Lady, especially after I learned that she was quite a 'foodie' in her day. It was said that she and President Thomas Jefferson introduced ice cream to their guests when they hosted (he was a widower when he arrived at the White House, President Jefferson asked Dolley help with the social events). I found some of her own recipes (at least I think they were hers, according to their sources that seem to be legit) on the internet. 

Soft Gingerbread
Mix 1 cup molasses with 2/3 cup fresh butter. Add 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water. Sift your dry ingredients: 2 1/4 cups flour, 4 teaspoons ginger, and 1 tablespoon cinnamon. Next pour 3/4 cup hot water which has almost reached the boiling point into the molasses mixture alternately with the flour mixture. Beat thoroughly with mixer or beater. The dough should be soft enough to pour. Bake in a shallow, well-greased baking dish in a preheated medium (350 degrees F.) oven 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Delicious served warm, sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Layer Cake
Beat the whites of 8 eggs until stiff and in peaks. Put aside. Cream 1 cup butter with 2 1/2 cups sugar. Add 1 cup milk slowly, mixing well. Add 3/4 cup cornstarch and 3 cups sifted flour to the butter-egg mixture. Mix well and add 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla. Fold in the egg whites carefully. Bake in 4 layer pans, well-greased. Bake in a medium (350 degrees F.) oven 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cake springs bake when touched lightly. Cool on racks and frost with Dolley Madison's Caramel

Caramel
Mix well 3 cups brown sugar, 1 cup cream, and 2 tablespoons butter. Put mixture in the top of a double boiled and cook gently for 20 minutes. Just before removing from the stove, after the caramel has thickened, add 1 teaspoon vanilla, stir constantly. Remove and cool. Fill the layers of the cake and put icing on top as well.

Source: The Food Timeline

Mariska Hargitay's Joyful Heart Fudge Chip Muffins

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Makes 8 muffins

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
1 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon canola oil
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup oat flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup semisweet dairy- and gluten-free chocolate chips
Powdered sugar (optional)

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Place 8 paper liners in muffin tin; coat with cooking spray.

2. Combine applesauce and next 4 ingredients. In a sepa-rate bowl, whisk together the next 6 ingredients. Add oat mixture to applesauce mixture; stir until blended. Stir in chocolate chips.

3. Spoon batter into muffin cups. Bake for 20–22 minutes, rotating the pan a half-turn after 10 minutes. Muffins are done when tops are firm to the touch.

4. Cool slightly. Top with powdered sugar, if desired. (Serving size: 1 muffin)

Nutrition:
Calories 154 (24% from fat); Fat 5g (sat 2g, mono 1g, poly 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Protein 2g; Carbohydrate 30g; Sugars 21g; Fiber 3g; Iron 2mg; Sodium 331mg; Calcium 86mg.