Author Archives: deliciousonadollar

About deliciousonadollar

Hi! I'm Carolyn, the author of this blog, cook, amateur photographer and retired healthcare professional. I have been cooking since I was a teenager when I first began to cook with my mother. I have loved cooking ever since! Upon entering the healthcare profession, I was introduced to foods & nutrition, and the relationship between the foods we eat and health. As the saying goes, "You are what you eat". Not entirely, of course, since heredity and lifestyle also play a very big role. However, this blog will concentrate on the food part. In addition to cooking I am an avid ballroom dancer. I have been dancing for over 6 years, and thus far "dance fever" is as strong as ever. I take private and group lessons, and dance 4-5 times a week. I am also an amateur ballroom competitor, having competed last year in Las Vegas. I received some publicity recently when I wrote a letter to the editor of Cooking Light magazine entitled "Lessons Learned". It was in response to his request for feed-back from readers about what they know about cooking. He liked it enough to have it posted on the Cooking Light daily Blog. I live in the Northeast, and I am the mother of three children, who are grown and no longer live at home. I still enjoy cooking as much as ever, but these days I cook for just my husband and myself. I take many opportunities to cook and bake for others, especially for bake sales and other fund raisers. My hope in writing this blog is that I can share my passion for cooking, and my experience in the kitchen with you. I want to inspire you to try some new foods and some new ways of preparing them. I firmly believe that preparing delicious, nutritious foods for those you love is one of the most important things you can do. Bon Appetit!

Braised Chicken with Honey Lemon Leeks

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Main Dish and tagged with chicken thighs, dinner entree, food, honey, leeks, lemon, recipe June 4, 2014

Chicken Thighs with Honey Lemon Leeks

Some of the earliest vegetables to be harvested from the garden are those from the onion family. Known as alliums, there’s more to these beauties than just the round white onions that we all know. If you peel back the layers you’ll discover the delicate flavor of leeks, chives and young green onions. Even the flowers taste good, and they make a lovely garnish on a platter when onions are in a starring role.

Leeks were in abundance at the farmer’s market this week; big, fat ones with long white stalks.

Big fat leeks, honey and lemon.

If they have been growing in particularly wet, muddy soil, they can be somewhat of a challenge to clean, requiring much rinsing to remove the grit. However these were exceptionally clean, and I couldn’t wait to cook something with them. Mr. D’s most favorite soup is potato-leek soup, and that is what I usually make (I probably will still make some), but I decided to give this recipe a trial run because it incorporates honey to help caramelize the leeks.

Using chicken thighs with bone, allows you to cook this dish slowly so all the flavors blend. Lemon partners well with the leeks, which cook twice. They are first sautéed, then roasted to meld with the honey and lemon. This is a dish that takes you by surprise at how “stinking” good it is; nicely browned chicken, and tender roasted leeks nestled together. Serve with a salad and some garlic bread, or rice and a green vegetable. I think you will love this chicken dish.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH HONEY-LEMON LEEKS

Yield: serves 4

Ingredients:

4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
8 bone-in skinless chicken thighs
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
4 cups thinly sliced leek (about 3 large)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or chives (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400*F.

2. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add 2 teaspoons oil; swirl to coat. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Massage lemon rind into chicken.

3. Place chicken in pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove chicken from pan and keep warm.

Browning the chicken.

4. Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to pan swirl to coat. Add leek and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook 15 minutes or until leek begins too brown, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Remove pan from heat; stir in lemon juice and honey.

Sautéing the leeks.

5. Return chicken to pan. Mound leeks on top of chicken thighs. Bake at 400*F. for 20 – 25 minutes or until a thermometer registers 165*, and juices run clear. Garnish with fresh parsley or chives, if desired.

SOURCE: Cooking Light

Check out these other recipes that also incorporate leeks:

Pappardelle with Salmon and Leeks

Brown Rice Pilaf

Mushroom, Leek and Cheese Frittata

Whole Grain Blueberry Spice Muffins

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Muffins & Scones and tagged with Blueberries, breakfast, healthy, muffins, oats, recipe, vegetarian, whole grain June 3, 2014

Whole-Grain Blueberry Spice Muffins

Muffins are the ultimate quick breakfast or snack, and the healthier they are, the better for you. I’ve been experimenting with converting some of my older muffin recipes into ones that have healthier ingredients in them. These are not the kind of muffins that could be a dessert or sweet snack. These are great for breakfast because they will provide the energy you need to get going and will keep you satisfied until lunchtime.

For this recipe I used half whole wheat flour along with regular all-purpose flour, and added whole-grain oats. Quick oats could be used, but I like the rough texture and fiber that whole oats provide. I also took out granulated sugar, and substituted brown sugar instead, making the muffins less sweet, but just sweet enough. There is very little fat in this recipe since I used fat-free milk, and left in only 3 tablespoons of butter. Add in some spices that can be apple pie spice, or pumpkin pie spice, or just plain cinnamon and nutmeg to make these muffins your own. I like a little something on my muffin tops (not the ones at my waist 🙂 ) so I sprinkled a little sugar on them before baking, giving the tops a little sparkle and crunch.

These muffins bake up nice and high, and they are easy, nutritious and delicious. They freeze very well so one or two will be readily available to defrost and reheat in the microwave whenever you want one. To freeze muffins, let cool completely, then place desired quantity on a baking sheet and freeze individually before transferring to a zip-lock freezer bag.

WHOLE GRAIN BLUEBERRY SPICE MUFFINS

Yield: Makes 16 muffins

Ingredients:

2 cups flour (I used 1cup all-purpose, and 1 cup whole wheat.)
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice (or pumpkin pie spice)
1 cup fat free milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries (keep frozen until ready to use)
cooking spray
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400*F. Grease or paper-line 16 muffin cups.

2. In a large bowl combine all dry ingredients. ( flour through pie spice)

Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl.

3. In a separate smaller bowl or measuring cup, whisk together wet ingredients. ( milk through egg)

4. Combine wet ingredients with dry, stirring only enough to incorporate. Fold in the blueberries.

5. Divide batter evenly between 16 muffin cups. Sprinkle tops of batter with granulated sugar.

6. Bake at 400*F. for 16 – 18 minutes, till tops spring back when touched. Cool on a wire rack.

SOURCE: Carolyn’s Originals

Broccoli Calzones

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Main Dish and tagged with Broccoli, calzones, cheese, easy recipe, food, freezable, Italian American, pizza dough, recipe, vegetarian June 2, 2014

Broccoli Calzones

Oh. My. Gosh. These are soooo good, I did not want to stop eating them. Do I have any regrets? Yes, I wish I had made more to freeze.

Some calzones can be rather heavy because they are so loaded with filling that includes meat and cheeses, that after eating one, you’re done. These, however, are lighter than that. The filling consists of chopped broccoli, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese and mozzarella used in moderation. A pizza dough makes the outside, holding all that great filling. Served with warm tomato sauce, i.e., spaghetti or pizza sauce, and a side salad, this is a delicious and satisfying meatless meal.

This recipe makes eight calzones that can be frozen before baking, so when you’re in the mood for one–or two–, just remove the quantity you want, and bake them frozen. I made only half the recipe for a quantity of four calzones, and I’m regretting that I didn’t make the whole recipe. It doesn’t take much extra time or effort to make more to freeze, and you’ll be so glad you did. One of these would be great with a bowl of soup, or with a salad for a light meal.

Note: the following recipe calls for frozen, chopped broccoli, but fresh broccoli may also be used. Cut the broccoli into small florets and steam until tender before proceeding with the recipe. The convenience of frozen store-bought pizza dough helps to speed up and simplify making this recipe, as does jarred tomato sauce.

BROCCOLI CALZONES

Yield: 8 calzones

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 packages (10 oz.) chopped broccoli, thawed
4 garlic cloves, chopped
red pepper flakes to taste
2 ( 1 pound) packages frozen pizza dough, thawed
1 cup ricotta cheese ( can use small curd cottage cheese instead)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella, or pizza blend cheese
salt and pepper to taste
tomato sauce

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook till soft ( 4-5 minutes). Add broccoli, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Cook 5-7 minutes till any liquid has evaporated and mixture is hot. Set aside to cool.

2. Preheat the oven to 400*F. Prepare 2 baking sheets by lining with parchment paper.

3. Divide each ball of dough into four ( 4) pieces. On a lightly floured surface stretch each piece out. First to a 3 x 4″ oval, then stretch again to 6 x 8″ oval. Let dough rest as needed to relax before continuing to stretch it. Don’t worry if the ovals are not perfect, they almost never are.

Stretch dough pieces out into oval shapes.

4. Stir cheeses into cooled broccoli mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

Add cheeses to broccoli mixture.

5. To assemble: Spread about 1/2 cup broccoli mixture onto half of each dough piece. Leave 1/2-inch border all around. Fold over to form a semi-circle/ half moon. Press edges to seal. Cut two slits in the top of each one.

Fold dough over filing the press edges to seal.

Fold dough over filling then press edges to seal.

6. Using a wide spatula or bench knife, transfer the calzones to the baking sheets. Reshape as needed.

7. Bake at 400*F for about 25 minutes, till golden brown. Serve with warm sauce.

Serve with warm sauce.

To freeze for later use: Proceed through step #5 above, then tightly wrap each calzone in plastic wrap, freeze until firm. Transfer to zip-lock bags; label and date. Freeze up to 2 months. To cook and serve, unwrap and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake without thawing until golden, 35 – 40 minutes.

SOURCE: MarthaStewart.com

Hash Browns, Bacon and Egg Bake

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Breakfast, Carolyn's Originals and tagged with bacon, breakfast, cheese, eggs, hash browns, recipe May 30, 2014

Hash Browns, Bacon and Egg Bake

It was a holiday weekend with time to prepare a leisurely breakfast. One of our favorite breakfasts consists of bacon and eggs with home fries or hash browns. But instead of preparing them all separately, my thought was to mix them all up into a baked casserole. This is how it all came together….

It took about 15 minutes to assemble, and 45 – 50 minutes baking time, so while it baked I was able to make a fresh fruit salad to go along with it. This turned out to be a savory mixture of eggs, cheese, bacon, hash brown, and spices, that got us off to a great start. Keep this one in mind if you’re planning a busy weekend, and need a hearty start to get you going.

HASH BROWNS, BACON AND EGG BAKE

Yield: about 6 servings

Ingredients:

4 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes,
1 1/2 cups shredded Colby-Jack cheese blend
6 eggs, or 3 whole eggs, and 1/2 cup egg beater substitute
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon garlic-herb seasoning blend
1/2 tsp. red pepper sauce
4 – 5 slices bacon, precooked and crumbled
jarred salsa, if desired, for serving

Directions:

1. Spray an 8-inch square baking dish with non-stick spray. Preheat the oven to 350*F.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the potatoes, crumbled bacon, and 1 cup of cheese. Spread evenly in the baking dish.

Spread potatoes, bacon and cheese evenly in bottom of baking dish,

3. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs thoroughly with a wire whisk. Add the milk, herb blend seasoning and hot sauce. Blend well. Pour over potato-cheese mixture.

Mix up egg mixture and pour over potato layer,

Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese evenly over all.

Top with remaining cheese.

4. Bake in 350* oven for 45-50 minutes. When cooked, a knife inserted just off-center, should be “clean” when removed. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting into squares for serving. Serve with salsa if desired.

Cheese on top gets browned and crusty.

Cut into squares to serve.

Nice with a little salsa to spice it up.

SOURCE: A Carolyn’s Original

Bacon-Cheddar Chicken Tenders

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Main Dish, Quick Meals and tagged with baked dish, chicken fingers, dipping sauce, food, quick meal, recipe May 29, 2014

Bacon-Cheddar Chicken Tenders

Kids love chicken nuggets or chicken tenders, but how about adults? Do you love them, too? I know I do, yet I hardly ever think to make them. With the laid-back holiday weekend just past, I wasn’t doing any heavy-duty cooking. I just wanted to eat foods that were easy, and able to lend themselves to a picnic on the back porch. No fancy serving dishes, or china plates with this meal.

So with a package of boneless chicken breasts on hand, I cut them into “fingers” and came up with this way of cooking them in the oven that resulted in crispy cheesy chicken dippers that were so easy to make and seriously delicious to eat. These are friendly to kids and adults alike. They can be used for snacking or as the basis for a whole meal, as I did here. They were served with my mashed potato salad, celery and carrot sticks and ranch dressing to dip them in. Mr. D. thought they were wonderful, and claimed the left-overs for his lunch this week. What was the perfect dessert with this meal? Brownie sundaes, of course 🙂

BACON-CHEDDAR CHICKEN TENDERS

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

Line up pans in the order chicken will be dipped.

non-stick pan spray
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 egg
1/2 cup plain panko crispy bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese, about 2 oz.
1 (3-0z.) jar cooked real bacon bits
1 pkg. uncooked chicken tenders, or skinless, boneless breasts, cut into strips
Ranch dressing for dipping, or make a chive and sour cream sauce, or
For sauce with a kick to it, try equal amounts mayo and sour cream plus add some sriracha sauce to it.

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400*F. Spray a large cookie sheet with cooking spray.

2. In a shallow foil pan or bowl, place the flour; in another similar pan or bowl, place the egg. With a wire whisk, lightly beat the egg with 1-2 teaspoons of water.

3. In another deeper container, place the panko crumbs, cheese and bacon bits.

Panko, bacon, cheese mixure.

Dip the chicken first into the flour to coat, then the egg, and then into the crumb mixture, turning to cover all sides. Place chicken on the cookie sheet.

4. Bake 15 – 20 minutes, turning once, until chicken is no longer pink in center and bread crumbs are golden brown. Serve with dipping sauce.

SOURCE: A major adaptation of a recipe from Pillsbury

Mashed Potato Salad

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Salads, Side Dish and tagged with Potato salad, recipe, salad, side dish, sweet pickle relish, vegetarian, Yukon Gold potatoes May 28, 2014

Mashed Potato Salad

Unlike most potato salads that have chunks or cubes of potato in them, this one is a mashed potato salad. A friend of mine made this for a pot-luck dinner, and we thought it was so different and tasty that I had to have the recipe. This style potato salad has now become our favorite. It is absolutely awesome. It is super popular whenever I bring it anywhere, and I get asked for the recipe all the time.

The recipe is easy to prepare and very flexible allowing you to include additional ingredients that you love, but this is the way we like it best. It can be served warm or chilled, its just great either way. You can include or omit the chopped egg, and sometimes I add some cooked, crumbled bacon. Mr. D. asks for it whenever we have a picnic meal. Try it the next time you’re making a potato salad, and you’ll see why we like it so much.

The best darn potato salad!!

When I mash the potatoes, I leave them a little rough for more texture, but some people like their potatoes mashed well so the salad is more creamy. It’s really just a matter of personal preference. Also, some people have told me they use dill pickle relish and dill pickle juice, and some folks don’t peel their potatoes. Leaving the skins on the potatoes makes the salad more “rustic”, but good never-the-less.

MASHED POTATO SALAD

Yield: Serves 8

Ingredients:

2 pounds potatoes, white or Yukon Gold
1 small sweet onion, or scallions, chopped
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
1/2 cup diced celery
1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
salt and black pepper to taste
1 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons prepared yellow mustard
2-3 tablespoons sweet pickle juice

Directions:

1. Peel potatoes, cut into chunks, and place into a large saucepan. Cover with cold water and salt lightly. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and transfer potatoes to a large bowl.

2. Mash potatoes with a potato masher. Stir in onion or scallion, eggs, celery, pickles, salt and black pepper.

Add eggs, celery, onion or scallion and salt and pepper to mashed potatoes.

Mix mayonnaise, pickle juice, and mustard in a separate small bowl; pour over potatoes and mix well. Salad may be served at this point while it is still warm, or cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour to chill before serving.

SOURCE: adapted from a friend’s recipe

Whole Wheat Brownies

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Bars and Cookies and tagged with applesauce, Brownies, dessert, healthy, recipe, snack, whole wheat flour May 27, 2014

Whole Wheat Brownies

The start of the holiday weekend, and there we were with no desserts on hand. Horrors!! How can you even think of having a cookout without some kind of dessert to end the meal. Just about everybody loves brownies, the fudgy-er the better. And if a person wanted to add a scoop of ice cream and maybe a tiny drizzle of chocolate sauce, I certainly would be the last one to object. Sooooo, brownies it is.

Was that a brownie sundae you wanted?

Let me see what I can do to make them “healthy”. Gee, is there really such a thing as a healthy brownie? Martha Stewart seems to think so, therefore I’ll take her word for it. These whole wheat brownies get a healthy boost from whole wheat flour and applesauce, while cocoa powder and semisweet chocolate make them nice and fudgy; really deep, dark and moist, but not heavy.

WHOLE WHEAT BROWNIES

Yield: Makes 16

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons ( 3/4 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce, or Lighter Bake
1 large egg
8 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

Lighter Bake is made from applesauce.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Butter or spray an 8-inch square baking dish. Line it with parchment paper; leaving a 2″ overhang on all sides. Butter or spray the parchment paper.

2. Place butter and 6-oz. of the chocolate in a heat proof bowl set over (not in) a pot of simmering water; stir until melted. remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

Butter and chocolate melted together.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and soda.

Mix dry ingredients together.

4. In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, applesauce and egg. Stir chocolate mixture into sugar mixture. Add flour mixture and stir just to blend.

Pour into prepared baking dish and top with the remaining 2 ounces of chopped chocolate.

Top batter with remaining chopped chocolate.

5. Bake about 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs attached. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Use the parchment to lift from the pan, cut into 16 squares.

Lift brownies from pan with parchment paper.

Cut into squares to serve.

SOURCE: MarthaStewart.com

Greek-Style Chicken Breasts

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Main Dish, Quick Meals, Side Dish, Vegetables and tagged with boneless chicken breasts, chicken breasts, feta cheese, kalamata olives, outdoor grilling, quick meal, recipe, tomato, Yukon Gold potatoes May 26, 2014

Greek-Style Chicken Breasts

Do you like to buy olives from the olive bar in the supermarket? I love them, and frequently buy an assortment to have on hand. I like to include olives in a mixed green salad, or add them to the salads I prepare for our lunches. As luck would have it, I had just returned from my grocery shopping on the very day that I came across this recipe for Greek-Style Chicken that called for kalamata olives. With the olives on hand I knew I had everything necessary to prepare this fantastic entree.

Grilled Chicken goes Greek!

Besides being very tasty, this meal can be prepared in just about 30 minutes. The recipe as it was printed contained a recipe for herbed potatoes, and when I cooked the chicken, I prepared the herbed potatoes as well. So I’m including them here for you also. This meal goes together so easily and is really good. I would not hesitate to serve this to guests, who would think you spent longer on its preparation than you actually did. Many of you may be grilling now that summer has officially arrived, and the chicken would be lovely cooked out on the grill, then topped with the onion-tomato-olive mixture.

GREEK-STYLE CHICKEN BREASTS

Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 3/4 cups vertically sliced onion
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
12 – 14 pitted kalamata olives, chopped
1 medium tomato, halved and sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp. chopped fresh oregano (or 3/4 tsp. dried)
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 ounce feta cheese, crumbled (about 1/4 cup)

Tomatoes and olives ready for the pan.

Directions:

1. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to pan; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done.

Grilling the chicken

2. Heat a large skillet per medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion and garlic, sauté 4 minutes.

Add olives and tomatoes; cook 3 minutes or until tomato begins to break down, stirring occasionally.

This smells fantastic!!

Remove pan from heat; stir in parsley, oregano and lemon juice. Top chicken with tomato and olive mixture; sprinkle feta evenly over chicken.

Spoon sauce over chicken and sprinkle with feta cheese.

HERBED POTATOES

Place 1 1/4 pounds baby gold potatoes – or medium yukon gold potatoes, quartered – in a large saucepan. Cover with water and cook 14 minutes or until potatoes are tender; drain.

Combine 1 tablespoon melted butter, 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano leaves, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt in a large bowl, storing with a whisk. Add potatoes and toss to coat. Garnish with parsley or oregano leaves, if desired.

If you have extra time you can roast rather than boil the potatoes. Toss them in the vinaigrette mixture, and bake at 400*F for 30 minutes, stirring after 20 minutes. This is what I did to get the version you see below.

Oven Roasted Potatoes

SOURCE: Cooking Light

Lemon Tarts

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Bars and Cookies and tagged with cookies, dessert, finger-foods, lemon, recipe, sugar cookie tarts May 23, 2014

Lemon Tarts

Sometimes being put on the spot with only a short amount of time does wonders for the imagination. With very little time to plan and pull this off in grand style, I was asked to provide a dessert; a “small finger-food” type that would not require a fork to eat it. As most of you know by now, I would not be one to turn up with a pan of brownies cut into small squares. I needed to come up with something with a little more pizzazz!!

So, an idea clicked into my head based on a picture I had seen of lemon-filled cookies. I expanded on that concept and turned what would have been the cookie into a small tart, by pressing the dough into mini muffin pan/cups. Once baked, but still warm, I made a depression in the center of each one with a cork, then I filled it with lemon curd. For this recipe I made a sugar cookie dough because I thought the sweetness of sugar cookie would be a nice contrast to the tart lemon curd. As a time saver you could use a roll of refrigerated sugar cookie dough sliced and pressed into the mini-muffin pans to make the tart. Lemon curd is available at the supermarket in the area where jams and jelly are displayed, or of course, you could make your own, but this is intended as a quick recipe….let’s not do extra work here.

These are as yummy as they look.

For a quickie dessert recipe, it got lots of compliments. For the presentation, I dusted the whole tray of lemon tarts with confectioners’ sugar and topped each one with a small wedge of citrus-flavored jellied fruit slice candy. When Mr. D. saw these going out the door with me, he said, “did you save any for us?’ Unfortunately I didn’t, so I really hoped I would be able to bring one or two home for him to sample. (P.S. I rescued four. You know—just to keep him happy.)

LEMON TARTS

Yield: Makes 36

Ingredients:

Simple Sugar Cookies:

1 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt

Filling:

1 ( 10-ounce) jar lemon curd

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Shape into 2 rolls, wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour or until firm.

2. Preheat oven to 350*F. Lightly grease each cup of the mini-muffin pans. (Need 3 mini-muffin pans)

3. Unwrap dough; slice into 36 slices. Place each slice into a mini-muffin cup. Using your fingers press the dough up the sides of the pan to form a “cup”.

Form dough into “cups” with your fingers.

4. Bake at 350*F. for 8 – 10 minutes.

5. While the tarts are still warm, use a cork or small spoon to make a depression in the top of each one. Do not go all the way to the bottom. When the tarts have cooled, remove from the pans, and fill the depressions with lemon curd.

Make perfect depressions with a cork.

These will keep at room temperature for 2-3 days.

6. To serve, dust the tops with a light coat of confectioners’ sugar, and decorate as desired.

SOURCE: Carolyn’s Originals, cookie recipe from Taste of Home

Avocado-Mango Salsa (with roasted corn chips)

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Appetizers, Snacks and tagged with appetizers, avocado, corn chips, mango, recipe, salsa, snacks, vegan, vegetarian May 22, 2014

Avocado-Mango Salsa with roast corn chips.

Sometimes you just gotta have a snack! And if that snack is good for you, you’ll have waaay less guilt while you munch away. So is anything better to snack on than salsa and chips? Not in my house there isn’t.

Munch away on this!!

I think most people know how good avocados are for us. Each serving of this snack provides more than half the daily requirement of potassium and is also a good source of fiber and monounsaturated fat. A serving of 3 tablespoons of salsa and 6 chips is only 92 calories. Use your own judgement in deciding if you can have more than 1 serving????? It is so good I think you will want to have more.

Whoever had the idea to combine these ingredients was really on to something: creamy avocado, sweet mango, spicy cilantro, and tangy lime. They just belong together. Add in the crispiness of corn tortillas sprinkled with a little salt. WOW! Mr. D. says it’s the best salsa he’s ever had. He’s become bored with the usual red salsa(s) that are tangy and spicy. This makes a nice change from all that and it might even be considered “addicting”.

If you would love to have a bowl of this yumminess pop up in front of you right now, you are not alone. But hang on for a bit, because it only takes a few minutes to make it. Part of the enjoyment of this salsa is the chunkiness of the avocado and mango, so don’t mash them. Once mixed, let the mixture stand for 10 minutes to allow flavors to blend. We loved the home-made chips too. They are very crisp and have just a tad of salt sprinkled on them. A tiny bit more salt in the salsa is all that’s needed to bring this whole taste experience together in a big way.

AVOCADO-MANGO SALSA with ROASTED CORN CHIPS

Yield: about 12 servings (serving size is 3 tablespoons salsa and 6 chips)

The colors of the ingredients make it appetizing.

Ingredients:

12 (6-inch) corn tortillas, each cut into 6 wedges
cooking spray
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 1/4 cups chopped peeled avocado
1 cup chopped peeled mango (the golden mango is an Ataulfo mango)
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
4 teaspoons fresh lime juice
cilantro sprigs, for garnish, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425*F.

2. Arrange tortillas wedges in a single layer on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Coat wedges with cooking spray. Sprinkle 1/8 teaspoon salt evenly over the wedges. Bake at 425* for 8 minutes or until crisp.

Cut each tortilla into 6 wedges.

Spread out on a baking sheet and spray with cooking spray,

They become crispy and golden.

3. Combine remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, avocado, mango, chopped cilantro, and juice, tossing gently. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired. Let stand 10 minutes. Serve with chips.

SOURCE: Cooking Light

Delicious on a Dollar

Devoted to the preparation of healthy & economical foods that taste fabulous!

Author Archives: deliciousonadollar

About deliciousonadollar

Braised Chicken with Honey Lemon Leeks

Whole Grain Blueberry Spice Muffins

Broccoli Calzones

Hash Browns, Bacon and Egg Bake

Bacon-Cheddar Chicken Tenders

Mashed Potato Salad

Whole Wheat Brownies

Greek-Style Chicken Breasts

Avocado-Mango Salsa (with roasted corn chips)

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