Brie is a heavenly cheese. Encased inside an edible rind, brie has a creamy and buttery texture with a mild taste. When I was younger I used to take my best friend up to New Hampshire to go skiing with me and my family. Her parents used to give us a little food-packed thank you basket every time. The sole reason I remember this is because of the brie.

Oh the brie! There was always a wheel of it and my friend and I would dive right in, no serving dishes needed.

Brie’s versatility makes it pair well with everything from turkey artichoke paninis to wedges of apple. Sweeter flavors also complement brie well because it’s so mild and you know how I feel about my sweets.

This honey walnut topped baked brie is a simple and addictive happy hour appetizer or dinner party dessert. Well, pre-dessert, actual dessert must still be involved.

Brie is already a spreadable cheese, but when you melt it into warm gooey deliciousness it becomes both spreadable and habit-forming. The honey and walnuts on top add just the right amount of sweetness, earthiness and texture to really elevate the baked brie. And doesn’t the topping make it look fancy? You can serve this baked brie on its own, but I like to serve it with warm soft bread or raisin crostini.

Honey Walnut Baked Brie

 

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Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 wheel of brie
• ¼ cup honey
• ½ cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place the brie in a baking dish. Top with the honey and the walnuts then bake for 15 minutes.
3. Serve hot with crostini, slices of bread or crackers.

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Recipe slightly adapted The Food Network.

Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

My stepmom’s orzo pasta salad is a delicious regular at all our family barbecues. It has a great combination of ingredients with the saltiness from the feta cheese and the sweetness from the bell peppers and grape tomatoes. Also whole olives which olive lovers enjoy and non-olive lovers rejoice that they can easily pick them out and plop them on their fellow olive lovers’ plates.

The best part is the orzo tossed in the simple vinaigrette. What is orzo? Although it may be shaped like rice pilaf, orzo is a pasta. It is typically made with semolina flour, which is denser than white flour and helps the orzo keep its shape and bite after being cooked. This makes it the perfect choice for a make ahead pasta salad since most traditional pasta can get mushy from sitting in a vinaigrette overnight. Not this dish!

My stepmom has been making this exact winning combination of ingredients for the Greek orzo pasta salad for years so it would be ill-advised to mess with the best.

However, as with any pasta salad one of the beauties is that with a good base and vinaigrette you can mix and match according to your own tastes and preferences.

Not a feta fan? Swap in some goat cheese. Not big on bell peppers? Toss in some sliced snow peas. The possibilities are endless! But make sure you try this possibility first

Diane's Orzo Pasta Salad

 

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Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound box orzo, cooked as directed being sure not to overcook
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into ¼” by 1” pieces
• 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into ¼” by 1” pieces
• 1 orange bell pepper, cut into ¼” by 1” pieces
• 1 large cucumber, peeled and cut into ¼” by 1” pieces
• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 4-5 leaves fresh basil, chopped
• 1 can large black olives, drained
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. In a large bowl combine the cooked orzo with the olive oil until completely coated. Add the bell peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, basil, olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Mix until combined.
2. Mix in the feta cheese. Adjust salt and pepper according to taste. Refrigerate until serving, making sure to mix well before serving.

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Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

I ate a lot of delicious dishes at my family’s beach trip earlier this month, but my new favorite was my Uncle Rob’s tailgate filet sandwiches with whiskey marinade. He wanted to do something for Lemon & Mocha so I told him to come up with his signature dish for me to photograph while we were down at the beach. He did not disappoint with these succulent steak sandwiches.

During football season my Uncle is a regular tailgater at his alma mater, Villanova. He makes these regularly and I am sure they go fast. They certainly would if I was there!

My Uncle Rob and my Aunt Dottie, who hails from the University of Delaware, have a fun football rivalry tradition. Every fall Villanova and the University of Delaware play a big game. The person with the losing school has to place the winning school’s vanity plate on their car for the entirety of the year. My Uncle Rob wanted me to be sure to point out that Villanova has been on quite the winning streak 😉

No matter what team you’re rooting for this fall these delicious sandwiches will soften even the fiercest rivalry!

Matt and I don’t have steak often as it is usually our splurge meal, but I will definitely be making these sandwiches soon especially since I was already craving them the next morning. Enjoy!

Uncle Rob's Tailgate Filet Sandwiches with Whiskey Marinade

 

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Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• ¼ cup whiskey
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup dijon mustard
• ¼ packed light brown sugar
• ¼ cup minced green onions
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Dash of worcestershire sauce
• Ground pepper to taste
• 6 1" thick filets
• 6 pretzel buns
• Pepper jack cheese, horseradish sauce and lettuce for serving, optional
• 6 pack of beer for the chef, age permitting

Directions

1. Combine the whiskey, soy sauce, mustard, brown sugar, onions, salt, worcestershire and pepper in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Place the filets on a cutting board and top with plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet pound filets until they are ½" thick.
3. Combine the filets and marinade in a large plastic bag to marinate for 6-8 hours.
4. Heat grill to high heat. Grill according to desired doneness. For medium-rare, grill for 3 minutes on one side, flip and grill for 2 more minutes before letting rest for 3-5 minutes before eating.

Notes

If you can't find filet, possible substitutions include eye of round steak or hanger steak.

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Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

Can you believe summer is already almost over? Not to remind you or anything, but it’s August! Where does the time go? I don’t have nearly enough time to cook all the dishes I would like to, so it’s very rare when there’s a dish I go back to again and again. This watermelon salad is one of those dishes.

Simple as it seems, this watermelon salad with feta and a citrus mint vinaigrette was my favorite recipe I discovered all last summer. Everyone I made it for requested the recipe. It is refreshing, healthy and has a surprisingly delightful flavor profile.

I remember looking at the list of ingredients on the Food Network website and thinking, “this is going to be interesting…” But it all works and comes together in a seriously tasty way.

The vinaigrette consists of lemon and orange juices, minced shallots, honey for some sweetness and to brighten the salad some fresh mint. Of course some olive oil, salt and pepper are added to the mix. The little cubes of watermelon soak up just the right amount of the dressing and the feta adds some saltiness to balance the dish.

Eat this as a snack, appetizer or side dish along with your summer meals.

Watermelon & Feta Salad

 

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Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• ¼ cup orange juice
• ¼ cup lemon juice, about 2 lemons
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 1 tablespoon honey
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ seedless watermelon, rind removed and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 6 ounces crumbled feta cheese
• 3-4 large fresh mint leaves, julienned

Directions

1. In a large measuring cup or small bowl whisk together the orange juice, lemon juice, shallot, honey, salt and pepper. While continuing to whisk carefully pour in the olive oil. Continue whisking until combined well.
2. Place the watermelon in a large serving bowl, top with the feta and mint, then top with enough of the vinaigrette to coat the watermelon. Gently toss. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed then serve immediately.

Notes

Do not combine the vinaigrette with the watermelon until right before serving.

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Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

What wondrous sight do you see before you? Alas! Lemon & Mocha’s first ever drink post! Time to break out the cups, ice and don’t forget the vodka!

We aren’t just saying “cheers” to this post though, we are wishing my amazing dad a happy birthday. My dad is known for his Leebreezes so there seemed to be no better fitting tribute than this perfect summer cocktail.

The Leebreeze is a variation of the traditional sea breeze drink, and by variation I mean it’s the same thing with a different name. A sea breeze consists of cranberry juice, grapefruit juice and vodka. Don’t forget the vodka. While you can make little onesies and twosies of this drink it is best prepared in a big pitcher for all party-goers and barbecue attendees to enjoy.

For those of you that don’t know or haven’t guessed thus far, my dad’s first name is Lee, hence the Leebreeze. The naming was the genius work of one of my cousins a couple years ago. While my dad certainly didn’t invent the sea breeze, nor the Leebreeze for that matter, he brought the sea breeze a certain attitude that only my dad could.

My dad is often the life of the party with his laugh heard from three rooms over and he wants everyone to have a great time. The Leebreeze isn’t just a relaxing fruity cocktail; it’s a let’s-get-this-party-started-go-to. So when your barbecue needs a little perk this summer, break out a pitcher of Leebreezes and turn it up a notch.

Leebreeze

 

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Yield: 8 servings or 1 drink

Ingredients

for a pitcher

• 12 ounces vodka, room temperature
• 30 ounces cranberry juice
• 16 ounces grapefruit juice
• Ice cubes
• Grapefruit slices for garnish

for a single drink

• 1.5 ounces vodka, room temperature
• Cranberry juice
• Grapefruit juice
• Ice cubes
• Grapefruit slice for garnish

Directions

for a pitcher

1. Fill a standard gallon pitcher half to three quarters full with ice. Pour the vodka, cranberry juice and grapefruit juice over top then stir. Taste and adjust amounts of ingredients if needed. Pour into glasses and garnish with grapefruit slices.

for a single drink

1. Fill a glass with ice. Pour the vodka over top. Pour in cranberry juice until the glass is three quarters full. Top off the remaining quarter with grapefruit juice. Stir, taste and adjust amounts of ingredients if needed. Garnish with a grapefruit slice.

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Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments