Rose Victoria's Lemon Bars

 Rose Victoria's Lemon Bars (Makes 20 squares or 40 triangles)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. For the crust:
1/2 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

For the filling:
6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons)
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup all-purpose flour
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting 

For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into a 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Chill.

Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.

For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.

Cut into triangles and dust with confectioners’ sugar. 

Mandarin Pasta Spinach Salad with Teriyaki Dressing

Mandarin Pasta Spinach Salad with Teriyaki Dressing – this salad is easy, quick, healthy, and tossed in the most addictive teriyaki vinaigrette dressing! 

Happy Salad Monday!!! I’ve been looking forward to this moment because this salad is my new obsession. I mean… it’s not like I’ve already made it three times in the past five days or anything…
Oh wait. yes I have.
Once for my husband and myself, then for a neighbor (and myself), and then for a huge family gathering on Sunday (where I was present). Every single time it completely disappeared and everyone raved about it.

And I’m just going to be totally honest – this dressing is positively addictive. It completely makes the salad. And that’s saying something because the combination of craisins + spinach + mandarin oranges + pine nuts + cilantro borders on magical. But the dressing. THE DRESSING.
It makes me want to cry.
Tears of blissful heavenly joy.

I’ve actually doubled the dressing recipe and saved half to keep in the fridge. All day long I find myself looking for anything and everything to dip in this stuff. Pasta, chicken, pretzels, cucumbers. And yes, once or twice I may have opted to go straight for the spoon.
One taste and you will understand what I’m talking about. I am begging you. Make this salad.
Pretty pretty pretty please. Something this incredible has to be shared.

 

 

This salad is easy, quick, healthy, and tossed in the most addictive teriyaki vinaigrette dressing!

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 8 ounces bowtie pasta noodles
• 4 cups spinach leaves
• ½ cup craisins
• ⅓ cup cashews or Diamond of California Pine Nuts
• 1 4-ounce can mandarin oranges, drained
• ¼ cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

dressing

• ⅓ cup teriyaki sauce (the thicker, the better!)
• ⅓ cup rice wine vinegar (may sub apple cider vinegar)
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder (if you have it)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ½ cup oil (such as vegetable oil, canola oil, olive oil)

Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions, drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
2. While pasta is boiling, prepare the dressing. In a jar combine all dressing ingredients. Cover and shake to combine. Chill until ready to use.
3. In a large bowl toss together pasta, spinach, raisins, nuts, mandarin oranges, and cilantro. Just before serving pour dressing over salad, toss, and serve.

One-Skillet 20-Minute Mac and Cheese with Broccoli

Everyone in my house absolutely loves mac and cheese!  It’s pasta covered in cheese, how can you go wrong? Well, some recipes call for up to 3 pots to make that simple dish. Honestly, I could stand in the kitchen and cook all day if I didn’t have to do the dishes – I think washing dishes is my least favorite chore. So when I can make a scrumptious one skillet meal and only have one pan to wash I am doubly thrilled!

This Cheese Lover’s Mac and Cheese is cooked in butter and milk, then its loaded with oodles of cheddar and broccoli.  You could even add leftover chicken if you are looking for a meaty dish.  This fabulous one skillet meal goes from prep to plate in just 20 minutes and will be on our table again and again.
With love from our Simple Kitchen to yours!

• Serves

  4
  

• Active Time

  10 min.
  

• Total Time

  20 min.
  

Ingredients

• ¼ cup (4 Tbsp) unsalted butter
• ½ tsp dried chipotle chile pepper
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 3 cups + 2 Tbsp whole milk
• 8 oz dried elbow macaroni
• 2 cups frozen broccoli florets
• 12 oz shredded mild cheddar cheese
• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

Directions

1. In a large skillet over medium high; add butter, chipotle pepper, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Add 3 cups of milk, then cover.
2. Once milk starts bubbling add macaroni. Allow to bubble for 4-5 minutes, until pasta is almost cooked though, stirring occasionally.
3. Add broccoli and stir to combine. Bubble for 2 minutes.
4. Meanwhile in a resealable jar create slurry; combine 2 Tbsp milk and 2 Tbsp flour. Shake until well combined. Set aside.
5. Preheat oven to broil. Stir in 8 ounces cheese. Add slurry. Stir to combine. Sprinkle with remaining 4 ounces of cheese. Place under broiler for 2-4 minutes until cheese is melted and golden browned.
6. Serve and enjoy!

Serves 4.

Cinnamon Roll Cake

Try this Coffee cake recipe today!

Who doesn’t love a good coffee cake? You are going to love this fun twist to a traditional coffee cake recipe. You can eat it with breakfast since it has the words ‘cinnamon roll’ in the title. 😉 This also makes a good dessert after other meals if you can’t bring yourself to eat ‘cake’ with breakfast. Either way, this is a moist and delicious cake.
Don’t be scared off by the long list of ingredients. I bet you have all of them in your pantry now. Enjoy!

Ingredients you need:

Ingredients For the Cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/3 cup melted butter
for the Topping:
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
For the Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

How to make this easy Cinnamon Roll Cake recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 9 x 13 pan with non stick spray.
2. In a large bowl, mix everything together for the ingredients of the cake.
3. Pour batter into prepared pan.
4. For the topping, mix all of the ingredients well in a small bowl.
   
5. Drop spoonfuls of topping on the batter and then swirl it around with a knife.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes.
   
7. Drizzle glaze over warm cake. (You can reduce the glaze and the cake would still be yummy.)

Cherry Cheesecake Cookies

Cherry Cheesecake Cookies

Yield: 16 cookies
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 32 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups finely crushed graham crackers (about 1 sleeve)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg, separated
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For Topping

• cherry pie filling

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the graham cracker crumbs, flour and baking powder.
3. In a medium bowl, with an electric mixer, beat together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy; about 2 minutes. Add the egg white and beat until well combined.
4. Stir graham cracker mixture into butter mixture until just combined.
5. In another medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese and granulated sugar until combined. Add in egg yolk and vanilla and mix until smooth.
6. Using a medium cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons), scoop out the cookie dough and place on prepared baking sheets. Flatten slightly, pressing your thumb or a round measuring teaspoon into the center of the ball to create a small bowl shape. Repeat with the remaining dough.
7. Spoon or pipe the cream cheese mixture into the indents of the cookies.
8. Bake in preheated oven for 12 minutes or until the filling is barely set and the cookies are lightly golden.
9. Allow to cool 5 minutes on the baking sheets before removing them and cooling completely on a wire rack.
10. Spoon cherry pie filling onto cooled cookies just before serving.

Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe   ​If Rome has the carbonara, and Bologna has the fettuccine in Bolognase sauce, than Puglia’s dish to fame is Orecchietti with Sausages and Broccoli Rabe! Puglia is a region in Southern Italy and being a Southerner myself, its cuisine is certainly something I enjoy eating and preparing. I recall growing up in Calabria and being surrounded by wonderful produce. My father was a produce merchant, so we certainly never lacked for great produce around the house.  Summertime favorites growing up were zucchini and their delicate blossoms, eggplants and of course, tomatoes! If you have never had a freshly plucked tomato in August in Calabria, well, I will go so far as to say that you’ve never had a really delicious tomato! They are just amazing simply sliced with salt and olive oil. A fresh mozzarella next to them always helps too! ;-) One vegetable that is versatile and found year-round is broccoli and also broccoli rabe, or rapini. I really enjoy both and one of my favorite ways of preparing the rabe is in this typical Pugliese dish. The Pugliese are known for their orecchiette shaped pasta. Orecchiette means little ears, although I think they look like small caps more than little ears! It’s very typical to walk in the streets of Bari and find local women making these fresh and selling them right on the streets. If you happen to find yourself there, I highly recommend buying a kilo or two, you will not be disappointed.  The ladies of Bari are selling their handmade orecchiette.  ​This is my version of how to make this classic dish. Everyone has his or her own way but I have found I rather like my version, if I do say so myself! Many do not use the onion that I add, but I really like it and find that it adds lots of flavor, so I use it. Add garlic too, if you wish, although I do not in this dish. This dish serves about 4 people. Orecchietti with Sausages & Broccoli Rabe Ingredients  2 bunches broccoli rabe, trimmed, and washed 2 teaspoons salt 4 tablespoons of olive oil 2 Tablespoons chopped parsley 1 small onion, chopped 1 – 2 teaspoons salt (or to taste) 4 pre-cooked sausages of your choice (pork, chicken, hot, sweet) 1/2  pound orecchietti pasta Directions Bring a medium pan of salted water to boil. Clean your broccoli rabe by discarding the leaves on the lower end of the stem. With a paring knife, trim the stem by removing the outer layer. Wash the broccoli rabe and give it a rough chop, cutting each stem into about 3 - 4 pieces. Blanch them on the boiling water for about 5 - 6 minutes.  Do not overcook. With kitchen tongs or spotted spoon, remove the broccoli rabe from the boiling water and place them in a dish, set aside. Bring the water that the broccoli rabe cooked in back to a full boil and add the pasta, cook for 1 – 2 minutes less than the package instructs. While the pasta is cooking, prepare your sausage. In a large skillet with the heat on medium, add the oil, parsley, onion, salt and sausages that have been thinly sliced. Cook until the onion wilts just slightly.  (I like using pre-cooked sausage because it cuts the cooking time, you can use raw sausage instead, if you wish.) Add the broccoli rabe to the skillet and toss around to coat in the oil. Drain pasta and add it to the skilled containing the sausage and broccoli rabe. Lower the heat to low and mix well so the oil coats all ingredients and all the flavors have been absorbed. Plate and serve hot and top with grated parmigiano, if desired and drizzle additional oil, if needed.

Rose Victoria's Italian Ricotta/Farina Cake

1 1/2 lb ricotta cheese, whole milk

6 large eggs

1 c sugar

1 qt milk, whole milk

1/2 c farina

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 lemon, just the juice

Directions

Add milk to pot and as soon as it starts boiling add Farina.stir till it starts to thicken and remove from heat, and stir until cool.mix eggs, sugar, vanilla,lemon juice and beat until fluffy. add ricotta cheese and continue beating until totally incorporated. grease a 9x13 cake pan with butter. pour mixture in pan and bake at 350f for about 45 minutes or until top browns.toothpick method should be fairly clean but a little wet is ok as cake will gel as it cools. once cool cover with tin foil and leave in refrigerator over night. dust with confection sugar.

I have decided to make it in a round pan....Came out great.....