missjunebug’s Not Key Lime Pie

Posted by missjunebug on Thursday August 5th, 2010

Oh. My. Yes. Not Key Lime Pie Perfection! Photo by mjb2010

missjunebug thinks the lazy days of summer call for lazy desserts like her missjunebug’s Not Key Lime Pie, a cool and citrusy dessert that’s…well…as easy as pie!

Here’s all you need to do to make a delightful summery dessert that’s fresh and delicious!

Everything you need for the crust! Photo by mjb2010

Graham Cracker Pie Crust

1 pkg. graham crackers (1 ¼ cups)

3 T. sugar

5 T. butter, melted

Rolling pin the graham crackers into crumbs in a large Ziploc bag. Pour into 9” pie plate. Add sugar and blend with crumbs. Add melted butter and press down into pie pan as well as up the sides of the pie plate.

Not Key Lime Pie Filling

3 eggs yolks

1 can Carnation Sweetened Condensed Milk

½ c. lime juice (Larger Persian limes work just fine for Not Key Lime Pie!)

2 tsp. lime zest

Beat egg yolks with hand mixer until smooth and creamy looking, about 2-3 minutes.

Add condensed milk slowly, using hand mixer to incorporate, about 3-4 minutes.

Blend in the lime juice and zest. Pour into pie filling and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until firm.

Add three egg yolks and voila! Photo by mjb2010

Separate yolks in the palm of your hand. Photo by mjb2010

Mix until smooth. Photo by mjb2010

Mix in the sweetened condensed milk! Photo by mjb2010

Add the not key lime juice. Photo by mjb2010

Don't forget the not key lime zest! Photo by mjb2010

Pour into graham cracker pie crust! Photo by mjb2010

Ready for the oven! Photo by mjb2010

The delightful result: Not Key Lime Pie! Photo by mjb2010

Optional Topping

1 cup Horizon Organic Heavy Whipped Cream

2-3 T. granulated sugar

Whip up the cream with a hand mixer. Gradually add the sugar and whip until the cream forms soft peaks. Slather on top of the Not Key Lime Pie and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Yum x 10!

missjunebug’s Lemony Good Sour Cream Muffins!

Posted by missjunebug on Friday July 23rd, 2010

Lemony x 10! Photo by mjb2010

missjunebug loves muffins and occasionally indulges in the semi-healthy mega-delicious varieties. The missjunebug Lemony Good Sour Cream Muffin recipe definitely qualifies for that designation. For all health foodies out there, please feel free to adapt away with whole wheat flour and less sugar and no butter, but for missjunebug, she’ll keep the white ingredients and only eat these delicious lemony treats every once in a while! The perfect compromise for optimal eating! And missjunebug can’t think of a better spring or summer breakfast treat served along side a slab o’ slices of Farmer John’s Classic Bacon, cooked up crisp-delicious! (jk, health foodies!)

missjunebug’s Lemony Good Sour Cream Muffins

(adapted from 1-2-3 Bake in Parade July 11, 2010)

2 cups King Arthur unbleached white flour or white whole wheat flour (for your h.f’s out there)

2/3 cup C & H sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. Kosher salt

1 lemon, zested and juiced

3/4 cup Daisy or TJ’s sour cream

2 large organic eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. lemon extract

1 stick butter, melted

India Tree Sparkling Sugar-Bright White (optional)

Prep dry ingredients first: Mix together with a whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and lemon zest.

Prep wet ingredients next: Mix together lemon juice, sour cream, eggs, vanilla and lemon extracts, and melted butter.

Prep dry and wet ingredients separately! Photo by mjb2010

Mix the dry and the wet ingredients together. Stir in a kind and gentle way, just enough to combine. Don’t worry about any tiny lumps!

Mix Gently! Tiny Lumps Allowed! Photo by mjb2010

Spoon batter into paper-lined muffin tin. Sprinkle with India Tree Sparkling Sugar-Bright White for a bakery finish! Bake 20-22 minutes at 350 degrees. Let rest five minutes before sampling! Enjoy!

Any Old Muffin Tin Will Do!! Photo by mjb2010

Let rest five minutes before sampling! Enjoy!

The Perfect Summer Muffin! Photo by mjb2010

Tiny Things Part Trois

Posted by missjunebug on Sunday July 18th, 2010

Tiny Pancakes for Le Petit Dejeuner! Get it??? Photo by mjb2010

missjunebug made pancakes this morning, nice and thin like her dear JBGranny used to make a long, long day ago. JBG always used Bisquick, but missjunebug prefers the efficacy of Krusteaz Pancake Mix! Still, it didn’t take long before mjb got a little silly doing it. JBGranny’s were always silver dollar sized and she and her JBBro just loved them with the Log Cabin! But missjunebug did JBG one better and made pancakes that fit right in with her Tiny Things Collection–remember Petite Pirate, Nifty Ninja, Small Ball, and the World’s Tiniest Pencil?

If these little pancakes were a constellation they’d look a little like the Pleiades viewed from Earth, of course, to approximate the tininess of them!

Sometimes when the larger things in life get too serious and too complicated, it’s good to get a little silly and go really, really tiny. It never fails to bring a tiny smile to missjunebug’s face!

missjunebug’s Homemade Breakfast Bars: Semi-Healthy, Mega Delicious!

Posted by missjunebug on Friday June 4th, 2010

A Plateful of Goodness: missjunebug's Homemade Breakfast Bars!! Photo by mjb2010

missjunebug has been comfort cooking lately and one of her fav comfort foods is a little breakfast treat called missjunebug’s Homemade Breakfast Bars which she adapted from a recipe given to her by one of her best students at the community college where she taught a long day ago.

missjunebug can’t say enough good things about these treats: grainy, sweet, easy to make and oh so easy to eat! Without further ado, missjunebug introduces you to

missjunebug’s Homemade Breakfast Bars

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour (mjbTip: store in frig to keep fresh!)

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 cups Quaker Oats Old-Fashioned Oatmeal

1/4 cup Kretschmer Wheat Germ (Also store in frig after opening!)

1 1/2 cups jam of your choice (mjbFavs: boisenberry, raspberry, red plum, and blackberry)

Directions

Cream butter and sugar until well blended in your Kitchen-Aid mixer…you have one, don’t you? Mix in remaining ingredients except for the jam.

Press down well 1/2 the mixture into a buttered-down 13″ X 9″ glass baking dish. Spread jam evenly over the top using an offset spatula for smooth and even distribution of the jam.

Top with remaining crumble mixture, pressing lightly.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 25-30 minutes or until light brown. While warm, cut into bars, 2″ X 1 1/2.” As they cool, they will set up nicely.

Enjoy for breakfast with a big glass of milk or a warm cup of coffee. Delicious!! You’ll never need to buy Nutri-Grain bars again…no offense NG.

missjunebug’s Marvy Marinade for Flank Steak: Delicious x 10!!

Posted by missjunebug on Saturday May 29th, 2010

Flank Steak with missjunebug's Marvy Marinade! Photo by mjb2010

missjunebug and Mr.JB recently collaborated on a great send-off dinner for ElderJB. (We miss him tons already, but what a great visit!!) Flank steak, a relatively inexpensive cut of meat, can be dressed up to perfection with a good pounding and the right marinade. missjunebug suggests you find the right culinary tenderizing hammer and then slather the pounded-not-quite-to-a-pulp flank steak with this marinade. Throw it on the barbie (not the doll, please!) and grill until medium rare, about six minutes a side. Cook up some grilled veggies: mushrooms, yellow, red, orange, and green bell peppers–the more color, the better, and lots and lots of onions for the perfect side dish. Throw a baked potato on the plate and missjunebug assures you, you will have the best meal ever to serve to family and friends.

missjunebug’s Marvy Marinade

1 cup Kikkoman Soy Sauce

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon Colman’s Mustard Powder (dry mustard)

A generous grind of black pepper (1/4 teaspoon-1/2 teaspoon)

A sprinkle of Kosher salt

A sprinkle of garlic powder

Whisk together all the ingredients in a shallow baking dish large enough to hold the flank steak. Be sure to mix in all the mustard. It will try to clump up in the liquid. Carefully place the meat in the dish and press it down so that the top is covered with the marinade. Flip the meat over and press down gently again so the marinade completely covers the meat. Place in the frig for up to 3 hours so the marinade can work its magic. Grill 6 minutes a side, slice on the bias, nice and thin and serve with grilled veggies and a big ole baked potato with all the toppings!

Delicious Sides: Grilled Veggies and Baked Potato Piled High! Photo by mjb2010

Flank Steak: Up Close and Delicious! Photo by mjb2010

Side Dish Extraordinaire! missjunebug’s Golden Beets and Brussel Sprouts!

Posted by missjunebug on Tuesday May 4th, 2010

Golden Beets Pre-Roasting! Beautiful! Photo by mjb2010

missjunebug knows what you are thinking. Beets?? Puhleeze. Brussel sprouts? She has got to be kidding. But trust her. This is one of the tastiest vegetable side dishes you will ever eat. Alone beets can be a little hard to take. And those little green mini-cabbages can sometimes be a little bitter. But with a light hand, a little olive oil, a handful of sliced shallots, and toasted almonds: Voilà!! You have just created an extraordinarily tasty and colorful sidedish! missjunebug won’t even mention how healthy it is for you!

Try this little photo recipe on for size and flavor! You won’t be sorry!

missjunebug’s Golden Beets and Brussel Sprouts (adapted from an online recipe from missjunebug can’t remember where)

Ingredients

10 or so medium-sized golden beets

12 or so brussels sprouts

1 shallot, peeled and sliced

Olive oil

2-3 Tbsp sliced almonds, toasted

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Step 1

1. Roast the beets in the oven at 350°F for an hour or so. Roasting will allow the flavor of the beets to develop fully. After roasting, let them cool enough so that you can easily peel them. Then chop into 1 x 1/2 inch chunks.

Golden Beets Post Roasting! Delicious! Photo by mjb2010

After Roasting, Give Those Beets a Little Trim! Photo by mjb2010

2. Peel outer leaves of the brussel sprouts and trim stems. On the stem mark a little X with your knife to ensure even cooking. Parboil brussel sprouts in a small saucepan of boiling water for 3 minutes. Test for doneness by cutting one in half. They should be not quite done. They will finish cooking when they are added to the beets. Cut each sprout in half and set aside.

The Side Dish Extraordinaire Triumvirate: Golden Beets, Brussel Sprouts, Shallots! Photo by mjb2010

3. Slice the shallots then grab a good-sized skillet. Heat 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat and add the shallot slices. Stir and cook until the shallots are translucent. Add one more tablespoon of the oil and turn up the heat a just a little.

4. Gently toast almond slices in a skillet on the stove top at medium heat. Stir frequently until lightly brown. Set aside to cool.

The Secret Ingredient! Sliced Almonds, Gently Toasted! Photo by mjb2010

5. Add the brussel sprouts and beets to the skillet. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook for another minute or two, then add those delicious almond slices for the finishing touch!

Ta Da! Golden Beets and Brussel Sprouts Ready to Serve! Photo by mjb2010

Serves 3-4.

missjunebug encourages you to say “Yes!!” to vegetables, even the strange ones like golden beets and brussel sprouts!

KFC Coleslaw: missjunebug Style

Posted by missjunebug on Friday April 9th, 2010

Simple and Simply Delicious Coleslaw Ingredients! Photo by mjb2010

When missjunebug gets a craving for fast food her top pick is KFC. But missjunebug does fast food with a difference. She skips the chicken and goes straight to the sides: green beans (oniony-good), mashed potatoes (reminiscent of her high school cafeteria m.p.! Go Cougars!), coleslaw (creamy and crispy simultaneously!) and a peach ice tea for her beverage. This is mjb’s idea of the perfect fast food lunch!

missjunebug makes her choices partly on taste and partly on principle. The KFC sides taste delicious and are very calorie conservative. But matters of taste are not everything.  Michael Pollan (Food Rules “eat food.” “mostly plants.” “not too much.”) and Mark Bittman (How to Cook Everything; How to Cook Everything Vegetarian; Food Matters) have been instrumental in reforming her eating habits into vegetarian by day, omnivore by night, where meat, chicken, and fish assume the role of mere condiments on her veggie and whole-grain filled dinner plate. Eating low on the food chain just feels better to missjunebug!

Does that mean she doesn’t enjoy the occasional In-N-Out Burger? Absolutely not! But she does go with a single with cheese instead of a double-double or a 4×4 animal style! There really is something to be said for moderation in all things, but believe her when she says it’s taken missjunebug a lifetime to learn that lesson!

So last night when missjunebug was preparing pulled pork sandwiches for Mr.JB and ElderJB, she decided to whip up some KFC-style coleslaw, too. The pulled pork was super easy to pull off because missjunebug just opened up the StoneRidge Ranch Pulled Pork in BBQ Sauce package, plopped it in a baking dish, and heated it up for 2o minutes at 350 in the oven. Could not be simpler or more delicious. Which brings missjunebug back to her Coleslaw Homage to KFC Recipe:

KFC Coleslaw: missjunebug Style

8 cups finely diced cabbage (about 1 head)

1/3 cup diced carrot

1/3 cup diced green bell pepper

3 tablespoons minced red onion

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar

2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions

Finely dice cabbage, carrots, and green bell pepper.

Place cabbage and carrot/bell pepper mixture into large bowl and add minced red onion.

Whisk together remaining ingredients to form a creamy dressing.

Pour over vegetable mixture and mix thoroughly.

Cover bowl and refrigerate several hours or overnight before serving.

Makes a crap-ton and is the perfect accompaniment to Pulled Pork Sammiches in Q Sauce! Enjoy!

GiNormous Amounts of missjunebug's Coleslaw! Photo by mjb2010

Up Close and Coleslaw-y! Photo by mjb2010

El Fenix Tacos missjunebug Style

Posted by missjunebug on Friday October 9th, 2009

Mr. TacoHead Says "Plate Me Up!" Photo by mjb2009

missjunebug craves Tex-Mex food on a regular basis. Unfortunately, she’s about 1500 miles from Texas so it’s not so easy to find. She’s tried to replicate a few Tex-Mex dishes in her own kitchen with some success. Recently, she created her version of El Fenix Tacos that were reminiscent of the crunchy, creamy, meaty tacos the classic restaurant offers up by the hundreds on any given day in Dallas, Texas.

Here’s missjunebug’s El Fenix Taco Facsimile in Photos!

Step One:

Start With Some Basics! Photo by mjb2009

Step Two:

The Secret Ingredient? Add a couple of cooked potatoes to the ground beef mixture! Photo by mjb2009

Step Three:

Stir in the water and the Taco Seasoning! Yum! Photo by mjb2009

Step Four:

Cut up the veggie & cheese accoutrement! Photo by mjb2009

Step Five:

Add a little squeeze of lemon, a little sugar, salt, and pepper. Mix! Stuff taco! Photo by mjb2009

Step Six:

Eat The Delicious Result! Viva El Fenix! Photo by mjb2009

Nostalgic for Magic Cookie Bars missjunebug Style

Posted by missjunebug on Thursday September 24th, 2009

The Square Perfected! Photo by mjb2009

There’s nothing to eat in missjunebug’s home right now. She has no eggs, no milk, one or two sad pieces of fruit, a few brussel sprouts, some ho-hum cereals, and a few cartons of yogurt. But she found a goldmine in her pantry and decided to skip making dinner and go straight to dessert. She grabbed some graham crackers, a stick of butter, some Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk, some chocolate chips, some butterscotch chips, sweetened shredded coconut, and she was in business. This is the world’s easiest recipe and affords the most delicious result.

Here’s the general procedure: Smash up a package of graham crackers in a Ziploc bag using a rolling pin. Pour them in a 9×13 glass baking dish and mix with the melted stick of butter. Pat down, throw on a layer of chocolate chips a cup or so, some butterscotch chips a cup or so, a good scattering of coconut, a cup or so, and yes, a cup or so of pecans. Pour on the sweetened condensed milk and pat down with an off-set spatula. Bake at 325° for about 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a rack, cut into tiny squares, because these are rich, and enjoy! Calorie count? missjunebug’s guess is around 100 per tiny square, but so worth it!

Perfect Poached Eggs? Yes We Can!

Posted by missjunebug on Saturday September 19th, 2009

Pefection Plated! Photo by mjb2009

Pefect Solid to Liquid Ratio, N'est-ce pas? Photo by mjb2009

missjunebug finds herself with no eggs in the frig this Saturday morning. Not one. So she decided to write about eggs instead of going all the way out to the market to buy some.

Lately, missjunebug has had a wonderful time savoring many pages of that classic cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child et al. She ordered the new edition on Amazon the day after she saw the movie Julie and Julia (reviewed in August on another post). Someone told mjb that the cookbook was #1 with a bullet on Amazon.com after the movie opened. She doesn’t doubt that one little bit. It reminded her of the Oprah effect, but mjb digresses.

Thanks to the fabulous instructions there in, missjunebug was able to master the art of making the perfect poached egg, a skill that had thus far eluded her. The tricks are a wooden spoon, simmering water, and a little white vinegar. Gossamer threads of scattering white can be coaxed back onto the poaching egg with the wooden spoon so that when the 3 or 4 minutes have elapsed, Voilà! the cook can turn out the perfect poached egg on the plate. missjunebug assures you, it will be delicious.

In the meantime, hey, Mr.JB, pass the Cheerios.