Russian Dressing

In my family, russian dressing was always mayonnaise plus ketchup.  This is a more sophisticated version, with more complex flavors.  It is great on salads, as a sandwich spread, or  dip for fresh vegetables.  I was surprised by the chopped pickle, but it makes perfect sense, and gives a nice sour note!

Russian Dressing
Adapted from Jeff Mauro


1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
2/3 cup chili sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 dill pickle, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Combine the mayonnaise, chili sauce, sour cream, horseradish, lemon juice, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, smoked paprika, dill pickles and shallots in a food processor until thoroughly mixed. Do not over-blend, you still want texture. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate in a covered jar until serving time.

Sweet and Spicy Cucumbers

Step away from the cucumbers.  

These will keep you coming back to the bowl.  They are a great cool snack, appetizer, salad.  Sweet, a little (very little) spicy, and crisp.

Sweet and Spicy Cucumber Slices
Adapted from Our Best Bites


1-1/2 lbs cucumber (about 3 medium), peeled, halved lengthwise & thinly sliced
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 c rice vinegar, seasoned or regular
1/2 c water
3 Tbs sugar
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 Tbs minced red onion


Place cucumber slices in a colander sitting over a bowl, sprinkle with salt and toss well.  Let sit for 1 hour refrigerated.  Toss the cukes a few times while they drain as well.  While cucumber slices are draining, prepare marinade.

Combine vinegar, water, sugar and red pepper in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cook until reduced to a 1/3 cup (about 10 minutes).  Remove reduction from heat and add onion.  Let mixture cool to room temp.

When cucumbers are done resting, pat them dry by tossing around in the bowl with a few paper towels and then combine with the vinegar reduction.  This can be served immediately, but are best well chilled.

Sugar Cookie Playdough

I love the smell of vanilla.  Unlike store bought play dough, this stuff smells AMAZING, and is just the stuff to use when your little ones want to use cookie cutters while you bake.  It keeps a really long time- ll that salt is essential to help preserve it, so don't be shy in using it.  This make a great DIY gift in a mason jar!

Sugar Cookie Playdough
Adapted from Sweet Sugarbelle

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup salt
2 tsp. cream of tartar
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 cup water
1 tsp vanilla extract
Seeds from 1 vanilla bean


In a medium saucepan whisk together dry ingredients. Next mix in the water, oil, vanilla bean seeds, and vanilla extract and stir until a thick batter is formed. Cook the mixture over low/medium heat until a thick dough forms. Turn out onto parchment paper and knead until smooth. Makes about 2 cups of dough.

Buckeyes

I had these first when I was at my MIL's.  They were so delicious!! Her recipe did not have cream cheese or graham crackers, and I really think they are essential to the success of this recipe.  It keeps these "peanut butter balls" from being overly sweet, and makes them slightly less awful for you.

Slightly.



Buckeyes
adapted from Baked Explorations


Ingredients
1/4 cup (2 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups (18 oz) peanut butter
1 cup (5 oz) graham cracker crumbs (about 14 graham crackers)
3 cups (13 oz) confectioners’ sugar
10 Tb (1 1/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted & cooled
12 oz good quality dark chocolate (60-72%), coarsely chopped


VARIATION: ADD 3/4 CUP CRUSHED PRETZELS FOR CHUBBY HUBBY VARIATION

     In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and peanut butter until combined. Add the graham cracker crumbs and beat on medium speed for 10-20 seconds. Add the confectioners’ sugar and butter. Beat at low speed for 30-60 seconds to prevent the sugar from spilling over, then gradually increase the speed until the mixture is completely combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat again.

Set the peanut butter filling aside while you melt the chocolate.

In the top of a double boiler set over hot water, melt the chocolate, stirring frequently until it is completely smooth. Pour the chocolate into a small, deep bowl. Let it cool to barely warm, while you shape the peanut butter centers.

Line a sheet pan with parchment or wax paper. Scoop out slightly more than 1 tablespoon’s worth of filling and use your hands to form it into a ball. Place the ball on the prepared sheet pan and repeat the process until all the filling has been shaped.

One by one, using a fork or large skewer, dip each ball into the chocolate. Roll the ball around from side to side to cover almost the entire peanut butter center, leaving a small part uncovered.

 Refrigerate the entire sheet pan for about 30 minutes to set the chocolate before serving. Buckeyes will keep well for at least 3 days in the refrigerator, tightly covered.  Once set, they can be placed in tupperware haphazardly.

Homemade Fresh Strawberry Margaritas

It's been a margarita summer.  This summer has basically sucked, not to mince words or anything.  But so be it.

As my mom would say, "it is what it is."

These margaritas are delicious- so wonderful and fresh.  They are very easy to put together, and a great use for strawberries about to turn!

Strawberry Margaritas

Strawberry Simple Syrup
Adapted from How Sweet It Is
Combine equal parts sugar and water, heat for about 2 minutes in the microwave until sugar melts.   Roughly 3/4 cup sugar plus 3/4 cup water will be close.  Then add 1 cup of the simple syrup and 1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries.

Margaritas
adapted from foodie bride

1 cup lime juice
3/4 cup silver tequila
1/2 cup triple sec
1 cup strawberry simple syrup

Combine.  

Homemade Nutter Butters

Yup.  You heard me.  Homemade nutter butters.  It just struck me that filling the oreos with this filling would be quite the treat, but these babies are perfect just as they are.

They are fresh, and soft, and utterly representative of everything you love about the commercial version.  But made by you.



Peanut Butter Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies
Adapted from Annie's Eats

Ingredients:
For the cookies:
¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup quick-cooking oats

For the filling:
4 1/2 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
4 1/2 tbsp. heavy cream

To make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350˚ F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.  In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Stir together with a fork to blend.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, peanut butter and sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.  Blend in the egg and vanilla extract.  Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until incorporated.  Stir in the oats until evenly blended.

Use a small cookie dough scoop to portion out the dough (about 2 teaspoons), rolling each portion into a ball, and place them on the prepared cookie sheet, a couple inches apart.  Bake about 10 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through baking.  The cookies will be light golden brown and slightly puffed.  Let cool on the baking sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cook completely.  Repeat with the remaining dough.

To make the filling, combine the butter, peanut butter, confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Cream together until well combined.  Mix in the heavy cream until smooth and fluffy.  Use a pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip to pipe a blob or swirl of filling onto the flat side of half of the cookies.  Sandwich together with the remaining cookies and press down so that the filling reaches the edges.

Eat.

Homemade Oreos

I am in awe that I can make these.  The black cocoa really adds to the recipe- you can find it at King Arthur flour.  I made these with oatmeal cream pies, and homemade nutter butters.  I mean, what else would they go with?
The cream "stuff" is spot on.  Spot on.  I doubled the amount for my taste.  Do not omit the shortening. It's trans fat free now, and critical to the flavor.  This was the recipe that made me realize....I love shortening.  And so do you if you love oreo stuff!

Homemade Oreos
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen


For the chocolate wafers:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa or Black Cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar [see recipe note]
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1 large egg

For the filling:
1/2 cup (1 stick) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Set two racks in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 375°F.
In a bowl of an electric mixer, thoroughly mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar.  On low speed, add the butter, and then the egg. Continue processing or mixing until dough comes together in a mass.
Take rounded teaspoons of batter and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet approximately two inches apart. With moistened hands, slightly flatten the dough. Bake for 9 minutes, rotating once for even baking. Set baking sheets on a rack to cool.

To make the cream, place butter and shortening in a mixing bowl, and at low speed, gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla. Turn the mixer on high and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy.
To assemble the cookies, in a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch, round tip, pipe teaspoon-size blobs of cream into the center of one cookie. Place another cookie, equal in size to the first, on top of the cream. Lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream.

Eat.