Polenta Vegetable Lasagna

While browsing around on Tasty Kitchen, this recipe for polenta lasagna caught my eye. I’ve had polenta before and I like it, but I wasn’t really too keen on making it. Then on a recent grocery trip to Trader Joe’s I saw they sold premade polenta.

I picked it up and came home to create my own version of polenta lasagna, which turned out really tasty. I was going to freeze some leftovers, but my boyfriend liked it so much it didn’t last very long. Next time I might try to bake or fry the polenta to see if that would help firm up the polenta a bit so it doesn't fall apart so easily. Fresh basil would be amazing in this, but unfortunately my basil plants aren't quite ready.

Spring Vegetable Orzo Salad

A nice, light dish perfect for any variety of seasonal vegetables. I came up with this recipe to use up some odd and end ingredients I came across while cleaning out the fridge and pantry. I threw them together to make this simple dish and I’m so pleased with how it turned out. The raw bell pepper and pinenuts add a nice crunch. Some fresh cucumber would be great in this, too. It was a great accompaniment to the lemon thyme grilled chicken we had for dinner. You could use any type of vinaigrette, bottled or homemade. If you like cheese it would be a nice addition. It was even better the next day when I had some for lunch. I added a bit more dressing to my lunch serving since I love love love vinegar (my boyfriend, not so much, just the smell is enough to turn his stomach). I will definitely make this again, maybe experimenting with different veggies.

Mini Cappuccino Brownies

I love the combination of coffee and chocolate; I like to add espresso powder to regular chocolate desserts. While browsing Martha Stewart’s website these brownies caught my eye. I was intrigued by the addition of cinnamon and nutmeg. Usually, recipes just call for adding espresso or espresso powder to make a dessert cappuccino flavored whereas, this recipe also called for spices. I was anxious to make them and finally I felt well enough yesterday to make a simple dessert. They had great coffee flavor with hints of warm cinnamon; moist and almost fudgy. Even better the next day.

Berry Crumble

I really haven’t done much cooking recently because I have been too sick to eat, let alone cook. I have wanted to post this crumble recipe for awhile, but haven’t because I can’t get a good picture. So here is a half-hearted post with a ho-hum photo. Once I’m better I’ll replace this version with a better post and picture. These are so good; I wish the picture did them justice.

I’m so glad spring is here and the weather is warming up. I love fresh berries and will be making these crumbles a lot. The topping makes too much, and I usually store the remainder in the fridge in an airtight container and make 2 more crumbles the next night. Or, sometimes, I’ll reduce the amounts in the topping to cover just the two crumbles. I left the original proportions in the recipe below.

I had trouble finding 12 oz ramekins. I have some Emile Henry ramekins (I think they are technically called soufflé dishes) that were only 10 oz. After much searching, I finally found 12 oz ramekins at Williams-Sonoma. They are Apilco #3. I had to ask a sales associate for the 12 oz size and he found some in the back for me. I could not find them on the website, but if you go in to the store they should have them in the tableware section with the other Apilco porcelain. Again, I think it may be called a 12 oz soufflé dish. Just look for the #3 on the bottom. Of course you could just divide it among smaller ramekins and have smaller portions if you don’t want to buy new ramekins.

The lemon/lime zest is optional, but it really brightens up the flavor. In the future I may experiment with an orange. I top with either ice cream or freshly made whipped cream. Delicious.