It’s funny how you can go through life without ever experiencing a category of food until it suddenly gets introduced to you decades later. This has happened to me several times, but today I’m talking about sweet dips. When I think of dip, I think of spinach and artichoke dip, Mexican layer dip, hummus, salsa – basically everything savory. Little did I know, there is a whole plethora of sweet dessert dips out there!

Do you have any sweet dips you like? If you’ve never had or heard of a dessert dip before, the whole concept of it sounds very odd, at least I thought so. A few years ago at work we were going to have a dip party where everyone would bring in different dips and all these dessert dips got mentioned. I did some Google searching and stumbled across a sweet dip that sounded amazing: Lemon Cream Pie Dip.

The recipe was simple, like four ingredients simple, so I made it and the rest is history. By that I mean it’s absolutely amazing and I’ve made it over and over ever since then. Cream cheese and powdered sugar get whipped together until fluffy. Then tangy lemon curd gets mixed in – feel free to use store-bought or homemade – followed by folding in some whipped topping or homemade whipped cream. I’ve made it with store-bought lemon curd and whipped topping and I’ve also made it with homemade versions of both. Each time it was delicious so use whatever you prefer.

So now that you have the Lemon Cream Pie Dip what do you do with it? I love to serve it with mini Nilla Wafer cookies, graham crackers, fresh fruit or cannoli chips. You could even frost some vanilla cupcakes with it for a lemon-packed treat.

However, you will have to wait until Wednesday to see my personal favorite use for this dip, but I promise the wait will be worth it. Enjoy!

Lemon Cream Pie Dip

 

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Yield: about 4½ cups

Ingredients

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened (see note)
• ¼ cup powdered sugar
• 10 ounces lemon curd (usually found near jelly in the grocery store)
• 8 ounces whipped topping, such as Cool Whip, thawed (see note)

Directions

1. Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer until fluffy and smooth, about 2 minutes.
2. Add the lemon curd and beat until combined.
3. Gently fold in the whipped topping until blended. Serve cold with mini Nilla wafers, graham crackers, fresh fruit or cannoli chips.

Notes

You must use block cream cheese. You can substitute ⅓ less fat block cream cheese if you prefer.
If you want to use homemade whipped cream, follow these instructions: In a cold metal bowl of a stand mixer or in a large cold metal mixing bowl with a hand mixer, use cold beaters to beat 1½ cups cold heavy whipping cream, ¾ cup powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. Also feel free to substitute Lite Cool Whip.

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Lauren Uncategorized 2 Comments

My summer cupcake post is here! I loved all the cupcake toppers my goddaughter sent me, but I think I was most excited about the summer ones. Look how adorable they are! The crab googly eyes get me every time. Since they are beach themed it felt appropriate to post them at the end of my family’s annual beach week.

I know we’re already halfway through August (UGH), but thankfully these cupcakes are not just summer cupcakes. These are classic vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream. And by classic I mean perfectly moist, extra fluffy, damn good vanilla cupcakes. Do you know how difficult it is to find a homemade vanilla cupcake recipe that tastes just as good – or better – than those made from a box mix? I’ve tried several over the years and I’ve been disappointed every single time.

Last week I stumbled upon this delicious vanilla cupcake recipe through a happy accident. I initially was planning on making nectarine cupcakes for the summer cupcake post that were an absolute flop. I plan to revisit that recipe idea, but until then I really wanted to bake and photo something for this post before leaving for beach week the next day.

Deciding to revisit my perfect vanilla cupcake search I looked through all my cookbooks and Googled plenty, but there was one problem with every recipe: we only had one egg left in the fridge and I didn’t want to go to the store. I know, so lazy, but at least it led me to this recipe! Apparently there’s an old-fashioned recipe called a One Egg Cake from the Joy of Cooking and it requires minimal ingredients, is very simple and makes outrageously fluffy cupcakes!

I paired these with a traditional vanilla buttercream because sometimes you’re just dying for a classic vanilla-vanilla combo piled high with frosting like you would get at a birthday party. I used a pastry bag fitted with a Wilton 2D tip to frost these cupcakes. If you want something lighter and less sweet then I recommend my mascarpone frosting. Or if you want something chocolatey then definitely make my Perfect Chocolate Frosting. Of course, if you want to turn them into summer cupcakes then make sure to dye the frosting blue and add cute cupcake toppers! Enjoy, friends!

Classic Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

 

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Yield: 16 cupcakes

Ingredients

for the cupcakes

• ⅓ cup butter, room temperature
• 1½ cups granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 2½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk, any fat percentage you prefer

for the frosting

• 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), room temperature
• 2½ cups powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

for the cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 cupcake pans with cupcake liners so you have enough for 16 cupcakes.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined with a whisk attachment, scraping down the sides as needed.
3. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the large bowl and beat on low with the whisk attachment until just combined. Add the milk and beat with the whisk attachment until combined. If the batter is lumpy keep whisking until it isn’t lumpy.
4. Use a cookie scoop or batter spoon to fill the cupcake liners so they’re half full. You should get 15-16 cupcakes. Bake the cupcakes for 20-22 minutes. They are done with they are golden, the tops spring back when you touch them and just a few moist crumbs come out when you stick a toothpick in the center. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.

for the frosting

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft and fluffy, scraping down the sides as needed. Add the powdered sugar and the vanilla and beat on low until combined, scraping down the sides as needed. I used a pastry bag fitted with a 2D Wilton tip to frost these cupcakes.

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Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

I’m so excited to share this recipe! Matt and I have been to San Diego together twice now and both times we went to different Ballast Point breweries. Matt is a big fan of their beers and, as we discovered on our first visit, they also serve awesome food. The first time we ordered their duck confit nachos: fresh tortilla chips piled high with crispy duck, a creamy blue cheese sauce, pickled red onions and a tangy sour ale blackberry sauce.

The combination had us dreaming about this appetizer until we were back in San Diego two years later and could order it again. I decided this summer I needed to at least attempt to re-create this dish so we wouldn’t have to wait until our next San Diego trip to eat it again.

I loved how my Elote Wonton Bites turned out so instead of a full plate of nachos we have Duck Carnitas Nacho Bites with Blue Cheese and Blackberry Ale Sauce. These little wonton cups have a lot of components, but a bite of everything all together is pure magic. It helps that you can make the duck carnitas, wonton cups, blackberry ale sauce and pickled red onions ahead of time.

I was most concerned about making the duck because I have never cooked or even bought duck before except at a restaurant. The larger Whole Foods near me stocks duck legs so I placed those in my dutch oven along with orange juice, orange wedges and some seasonings. The duck legs came out so crispy and juicy! Considering how simple it was to just put everything in the pot and let it cook I will definitely be cooking duck again for Matt and I! Who knew it was so easy to get such restaurant-worthy results?

Since we want the tender duck to be crispy for these nacho bites, I turned them into duck carnitas by shredding the duck meat and searing it on the stove-top for twenty minutes. Delicious! I love that we can eat this dish now whenever we feel that craving hit to hold us over until we can get back to San Diego again!

Duck Carnitas Nacho Bites with Blue Cheese and Blackberry Ale Sauce

 

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Yield: 24 wonton bites

Ingredients

for the duck carnitas

• 1 pound fresh duck legs, about 2 legs
• 1 orange
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• Pinch of cinnamon

for the pickled red onions

• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 1½ teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced

for the blue cheese sauce

• ¼ cup heavy cream
• ⅓ cup blue cheese crumbles

for the blackberry reduction

• 4 ounces fresh blackberries
• ⅓ cup sour ale
• 1 tablespoon sugar

for the wonton cups

• 24 wonton wrappers
• ⅔ cup blue cheese crumbles

Directions

for the duck carnitas

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place the duck legs, skin side up, in a Dutch oven or other heavy oven safe pot with a lid. Add juice of the whole orange and the seasonings to the pot. Stir to combine then cut up the spent orange into wedges and toss in as well. Put on the lid and cook 1½ hours. Remove from the oven. Once it’s cool enough to handle, shred the meat and skin, discarding the bones, any excess fat and orange wedges. I also discarded some of the skin. Heat the Dutch oven over medium-high heat and cook until the shredded duck is crispy, about 20 minutes, stirring often and being sure to scrape the bottom of the pot.

for the pickled red onions

1. Combine the water, apple cider vinegar, sugar and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves then remove from the heat.
2. Place the sliced red onions in a bowl then pour the vinegar mixture over top. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour

for the blue cheese sauce

1. Gently heat the cream in a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Once the cream starts to bubble, add the blue cheese crumbles. Stir and whisk while the blue cheese melts until the sauce is smooth. Remove from the heat.

for the blackberry reduction

1. Heat the blackberries, ⅓ cup of the beer and the sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Let cook for 10 minutes while the blackberries reduce. Remove from the heat and let cool. Once cool, either use a fine mesh strainer to strain out the seeds or puree in a high speed blender.

for the wonton cups

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spray a mini muffin pan then place the wrappers into the cavities so they create little wonton bowls. Lightly spray the wonton wrappers in the pan then bake for 5-7 minutes. Set aside.
3. After the wontons have baked on their own, spoon the duck into the wontons in the mini muffin pan, evenly dividing between them. Top with the blue cheese crumbles. Bake for 6-8 more minutes. Top with the pickled red onions, a drizzle of blue cheese sauce and a generous drizzle of blackberry reduction then serve hot.

Notes

Duck can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple days. No need to reheat the duck before baking in the wonton cups.
Pickled red onions can be made and kept in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 weeks. Drain the onions before using.
Blackberry reduction can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a week. Reheat gently on the stove-top or in the microwave at half power.

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Lauren Uncategorized 2 Comments

Sometimes it takes a little while for me to remake a recipe. And sometimes that little while is ten years, but that’s okay, as long as it means I eventually got back to it. This Pasta with Shrimp and Roasted Veggies in a Garlic Lemon Sauce recipe comes deep from the archives of recipes I printed, made and tucked away in one of my binders.

Way back when, I only read a handful of food blogs and one of them was For the Love of Cooking. This recipe is extremely important because it introduced Matt and I to the amazingness that is roasted garlic. How little we knew of life before that moment!

We made this pasta dish in Matt’s off-campus apartment the summer after junior year of college and with our limited space and kitchen equipment it was quite the ordeal. The recipe is fairly simple, there’s just a lot of ingredients and most of them require some chopping, shredding or zesting.

I love this dish because it’s so fresh, but all the veggies get a nice depth of flavor from being roasted. Asparagus, zucchini and grape tomatoes all get roasted before being tossed with pasta, toasted pine nuts, fresh Parmesan cheese and plenty of fresh herbs. There’s two standout other mix-ins, though. The first is the tender shrimp that get marinated in olive oil, lemon zest, basil parsley and garlic. The second is that zesty roasted garlic lemon sauce that should be used on every pasta, chicken and seafood dish from now until forever.

This dish is the perfect example of how some basic ingredients, like lemon, fresh herbs and roasted garlic, can take an ordinary pasta dish to a flavor-packed one that you don’t forget about for ten years. I’m so glad I finally made this dish again and with it fresh on our minds, I’m sure it won’t be another ten years until we have it again!

Pasta with Shrimp and Roasted Veggies in a Garlic Lemon Sauce

 

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Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

for the shrimp

• 1½ pounds shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails removed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh basil, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Zest of half a lemon
• Salt and pepper

for the pasta

• 1 bulb garlic
• 4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 8 ounces farfalle pasta
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1 bunch of asparagus, ends removed and spears cut into thirds
• 2 cups grape tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• Zest of half a lemon
• Juice of 1 lemon
• ¼ cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
• 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
• Sal and pepper

Directions

for the shrimp

1. Combine the shrimp, olive oil, parsley, basil, garlic and lemon zest in a bowl or plastic container. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and put in the fridge to marinate for at least 2 hours.

for the pasta

1. Roast the garlic. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut off the top of the head of garlic so almost all the cloves are exposed. Place the head of garlic in a little square of aluminum foil and curve up the sides. Lightly drizzle the garlic with some olive oil then season with salt and pepper. Seal up the foil to make a little packet. Roast for 35 minutes then carefully open the foil packet to let cool. Once it's cool enough to handle, squeeze out the roasted garlic cloves.
2. When the garlic has 15 minutes left, start the onions. Heat 1 teaspoon of the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, lightly season with salt and pepper, and sauté for 15-20 minutes, until tender. Remove the onions to a large serving bowl then sear the shrimp in the same skillet, trying not to get too much of the marinade in the skillet. Cook for 3 minutes on each side, or until shrimp are pink and no longer translucent. Remove from the pan and add to the serving bowl.
3. While the onions are cooking, start boiling the water for the pasta. Cook the farfalle according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain and add to the large serving bowl.
4. On a large baking sheet lined with nonstick aluminum foil, spread out the zucchini, asparagus and grape tomatoes. Drizzle with 2 of the teaspoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. When you take the garlic out of the oven, add the baking sheet of veggies and cook for 7 minutes. Remove from the oven and add to the serving bowl.
5. While the vegetables are roasting, roughly chop the roasted garlic cloves that you squeezed out of the skin. Combine in a small bowl with the butter, lemon zest, lemon juice and the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Pour into the serving bowl.
6. When the onions, pasta, shrimp, veggies and roasted garlic lemon sauce have all been cooked and added to the serving bowl, toss to combine along with the Parmesan, parsley, basil and toasted pine nuts. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with more Parmesan on top, if desired.

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Lauren Uncategorized 2 Comments

Nutella. S’mores. Bars. Yes, you read that correctly. Graham blondies, Nutella and melted marshmallows combine together for the ultimate on-the-go s’mores treat. Also, tomorrow is National S’mores Day. Not like you need another reason to make these Nutella S’mores Bars as soon as possible.

I made these bars for family visiting last summer and they were such a big hit that I look for any excuse to make them now. The graham blondie is made with all brown sugar so it’s perfectly chewy. Layered on top of that is Nutella and then gooey marshmallows. The original recipe calls for marshmallow fluff and I’ve made them both ways. I personally prefer the mini marshmallows because it’s easier to just sprinkle them all over the Nutella layer instead of trying to spread sticky fluff on top of Nutella.

Speaking of the Nutella, if you wanted to make these, but someone has a nut allergy, there is a note in the recipe below for swapping it out with chocolate. If no one has a nut allergy then definitely load up on that creamy chocolate hazelnut spread!

Finally, a second layer of the graham blondie gets put on top and it gets the slightest bit crunchy in the oven. Chewy, gooey and crunchy – yes, please!

Not that you will have any leftover, but these bars do freeze well. I know this because Matt and I have tried putting some in the freezer to avoid eating them all right away, which has only ever resulted in us each eating them out of the freezer every single day after I’ve frozen them until they’re gone. Hmm, I guess that trick doesn’t work well for us, but at least now I know they taste fine after being frozen! I know you all will love these bars just as much as we do – enjoy!

Nutella S'mores Bars

 

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Yield: 12 bars

Ingredients

• 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• ⅓ cup marshmallow fluff or 1½ cups mini marshmallows (enough to form a single layer)
• ⅓ cup Nutella (see note)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 8x8-inch pan with parchment paper and set aside. I find it easier to line if I crumple the parchment paper first.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking soda and salt.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the butter and brown sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and egg, beat until combined. Add the graham mixture and beat on low until just combined.
4. Spread out half the dough into the prepared baking sheet. Spread the Nutella on top of the dough then top with the fluff or mini marshmallows. Place pieces of the remaining dough on top, lightly pressing down, to form the top crust.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool in the pan on a wire cooling rack. Cool completely before cutting.

Notes

If you have a nut allergy, you can substitute the Nutella with a single layer of chocolate chips or Hershey bar squares.

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Lauren Uncategorized 2 Comments