This herbed lemon rice salad would make a fun and unique addition to any summer potluck or picnic. It is a great replacement for a traditional pasta salad, and it combines some wonderful flavors.  I love lemon as a summer flavor, but the varied herbs in this salad really give it a different taste, in a good way. I never would have thought to put all those flavors together, but once I tasted them in the salad, I really liked the end result. The herbs and vegetables really made this salad taste like Summer. We ate this for a few days, but it was definitely best on the first day. I would make it the day you’re planning to serve it, and not add the peanuts until the last minute. That way they’ll be sure to keep their salty crunch.

Herbed Lemon Rice Salad

Ingredients:

2 lemons
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups long-grain white rice
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tsps packed light brown sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 medium cucumber, seeded and diced
1/2 cup chopped salted roasted peanuts
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1/2 cup fresh mint, roughly chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
1 bunch watercress, tough stems removed, leaves torn

Directions:

Remove 2 wide strips of zest from one lemon with a vegetable peeler. Combine 1 strip with the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat and let cook until the edges of the zest turn slightly golden, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the rice according to the directions on the package, adding the second lemon zest strip to the water. Transfer the rice to a large bowl, discarding the zest, and fluff with a fork. Let cool to room temperature.

To make the dressing, juice both lemons into a medium bowl. Add the vinegar, brown sugar, 1 1/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper and whisk together. Discard the zest from the lemon oil, then whisk the oil into the dressing Add the onion slices and let sit for 15 minutes.

Add the carrot, cucumber, peanuts, cilantro, mint, basil and watercress to the bowl with the rice. Add the dressing mixture and gently toss to combine.

from Food Network Magazine, May 2012

I have an AWESOME giveaway to share with you guys today! The winner of the giveaway will receive an Epiphanie camera bag – style and color of your choosing! I seriously am so excited to be able to offer this giveaway for you. I have an Epiphanie camera bag myself and I love how stylish it is, and of course how it safely holds my camera equipment. It’s so nice to be able to travel with a camera bag that doubles as a purse! As their website states it, ”Epiphanie bags are a stylish and functional way to transport your camera every where you go.”

I own the Lyric bag in slate blue and as I mentioned above, I love it! It’s cute and functional, transports my camera safely, and even has a pocket that perfectly fits an iPad! This is an awesome bag to travel with. All of their bags look pretty amazing, though. Epiphanie sent me some sneak peaks of the new Spring colors that comes out this month! How cute is this Clover bag in pink??

Plus, look at how much room it has inside!

Another one I love is the Lola. I think this is one of the cutest styles. Plus the new teal color is pretty cool too.

And again, very roomy inside!

Can you see why I love my Epiphanie bag so much?  And I’m so happy to be able to give one away. For a chance to win, check out the Epiphanie Bags website, then leave a comment on this post letting me know which bag and color you would choose if you won! For an extra entry, click over to facebook and “like” What Megan’s Making on Facebook, then leave a separate comment on this post letting me know.  For another extra entry, “like” Epiphanie Bags on Facebook and leave another comment here letting me know. (*Note: Do not leave comments on Facebook, make sure to come back to this post and comment here instead.*) Contest ends Monday, May 21 at noon.

Good luck!! And make sure to check out Epiphanie Bags on Twitter as well!

*Contest provided by Epiphanie Bags. As always, all opinions are my own.

I was very pleasantly surprised by these chicken soft tacos. I knew I would like them – I tend to like anything that involves limes and cilantro, but I didn’t realize how easy they were to make, or how good the end result would be. My mom sent me this recipe over a year ago after she and my dad both liked them. I’m not sure why it took me so long to try them, but I’m pretty sure they will be a staple in our house from now on. The chicken is tender and flavorful, and as I mentioned above, I absolutely love the flavors of lime and cilantro together! This was definitely a pleasant change from the typical taco seasoning and salsa version I usually make. They really only took about 30 minutes to make, which was an added benefit. If you’re looking for a quick and simple meal that tastes refreshingly different, give these a try. I know we’ll be having them again and again!

Chicken Soft Tacos

Ingredients:

8 – 12 (6 in) corn or flour tortillas
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3), trimmed
Salt and ground black pepper
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 medium onion, minced
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 Tbsp)
2 tsp minced chipotle chile in adobo sauce
1/4 tsp ground cumin
2 scallions, sliced thin
2 T juice from 1 lime
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
shredded cheese, for serving

Directions:

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 200 degrees. Wrap the tortillas in foil and warm on a baking sheet in the oven.

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in a 2 inch nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned on one side, about 3 minutes. Flip the chicken over, add 1/2 cup of chicken broth, reduce the heat to medium, and cover. Cook until the chicken is cooked through, 5 to 7 min. longer. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred into bite sized pieces.

Wipe out the skillet with paper towels, then heat the remaining 1 Tbsp oil in the skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and 1/2 t salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chipotle, and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 30 sec. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Return the shredded chicken to the skillet and cook until warmed through, about 30 sec.

Stir in the cilantro, scallions, and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with the warmed tortillas and shredded cheese.

from The Best Chicken Recipes

I’m so glad I discovered the Penzey’s Spice Catalog! This is the second recipe (the first was chewy peanut butter brownies!) I’ve made from there and both have turned out perfectly. I’ve got my eye on a few more as well, but at the moment I can’t imagine anything better than these marble blondies. Just like the peanut butter brownies, these are incredibly simple to make and they taste AMAZING. Yes, I made that word all capitals on purpose, that’s how good these are! The recipe is a basic cookie/blondie base, but then you sprinkle chocolate and white chocolate chips all over the top. After they melt for a few minutes in the oven, you swirl them around throughout the pan, resulting in chewy blondies interspersed with huge swirls of chocolate and white chocolate. YUM! As I’m sure you figured out by now, I absolutely loved these, and I’m already dreaming up new combinations – like peanut butter, or butterscotch! Please try these marble blondies, and let me know what you think.

Marble Blondies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375. Grease a square baking pan (I used a 9x9 pan) and set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugars and vanilla until fluffy. Add the egg and mix. Blend in the flour, baking soda and salt, and mix well. Spread evenly in the pan. Sprinkle with the chips. Bake for 3 minutes, then remove from the oven and run a knife through the blondies in a zigzag pattern to make a nice marble swirl. Return to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool and then cut into squares.

the Penzey's Spice catalog

I cannot say enough good things about these southwestern stuffed peppers. This dish ranks right up there as one of my favorite meals.  I was pretty certain I would like this meal, but what I didn’t realize was just how much Mike would love it. Stuffed peppers aren’t really his thing, so I was a little hesitant in telling him what was for dinner. When he asked, I said something like: “stuffed peppers, but I really think you’ll like them, so please keep an open mind!” Thankfully he did, and now this is one of his favorite meals as well. He even went so far as to tell me that I could make them any time I wanted! They are quick to prepare, and the stuffing inside these peppers is wonderful – full of meat, rice, corn, cheese, and delicious southwest flavor. Plus, they look impressive! Suffice it to say, if you’re invited to dinner over here any time in the near future, this will probably be on the menu.

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

1 cup long grain white rice
1 Tbsp olive oil
6 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
1/2 pound ground beef
1 cup frozen corn
1 4.5 oz can chopped green chilies
1 tsp ground cumin
4 oz Monterey Jack cheese, grated (1 cup)
salt and pepper
4 large bell peppers, halved lengthwise, ribs and seeds removed
1/2 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt
salsa, for serving

Directions:

Heat the oven to 375. Cook the rice according to the package directions.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the scallion whites and beef and cook, breaking the beef up with a spoon, until no longer pink. Stir in the corn, chilies, cumin, cooked rice, 1/2 cup of cheese, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper.

Arrange the bell peppers, cut-side up, in a 9x13 baking dish. Divide the beef mixture among the bell peppers. Add 1/2 cup water to the dish, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and bake until the peppers are soft, 30-40 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese, and bake until browned, 5-7 minutes more.

In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt and 1/4 cup water. Drizzle over the peppers and top with the salsa and scallion greens.

*The peppers can be stuffed up to 12 hours in advance; refrigerate, covered. Bake as directed, adding 5-10 minutes to the original baking time.

from Real Simple, February 2012

Beware: this dip is addicting. At first glance I wasn’t sure I would like it. I’m not a huge fan of feta cheese, and jalapenos aren’t normally my thing. But Jessica (from How Sweet It Is) raved about it, so I decided to try it for one of Mike’s work potlucks. When in doubt, try out a new recipe on a group of people you don’t know, right? Lucky for me, it turned out great. The tangy lemon and the kick of the jalapeno peppers really gave this dip a wonderful flavor. And if you serve it at room temperature, it becomes deliciously creamy. I served it with pretzel crisps and pita chips, but I think it would be wondeful served with fresh bread, warm from the oven, or as a sandwich spread. I’ll be trying both of those ideas out next time I make this dip!

Roasted Garlic, Jalapeno and Feta Dip

Yield: about 2 cups

Ingredients:

2 bricks of feta cheese, 8 ounces each
3 jalapeno peppers
1/4 cup olive oil + 1 tablespoon
1 head garlic
the juice of half a lemon
the zest of half a lemon
salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop the top off the garlic bulb and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap it in foil and roast for 25-30 minutes, or until garlic is soft. At the same time, brush the jalapenos with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast them with the garlic just until charred. (I just peeked at them every few minutes or so). Remove both from oven and let cool. Remove the jalapeno skins, cut in half and discard the seeds, then dice.

In a large bowl, crumble the feta bricks. Add the diced jalapenos, the zest of half a lemon, and the juice of half a lemon. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of the bulb directly into the feta. Add 1/4 cup of olive oil and mash with a fork. Taste the feta and season with salt and pepper or extra lemon juice or olive oil. Serve with pita chips, warm pita or naan, or spread it on sandwiches. Store it in the fridge for up to one week. It is best served at room temperature.

from How Sweet It Is

This is a great Spring dish with lots of vegetables. Of course the heavy cream and parmesan cheese don’t exactly make this a healthy meal, but I say just ignore that part and think about the veggies.   This was a great quick meal, and something different than we usually have. We love stir-fry, but we usually make it with soy sauce and serve it over rice. Combining stir fried veggies with pasta and a delicious cream sauce is something we’ll definitely be repeating. The vegetables stayed nice and crisp, and the sauce didn’t taste heavy at all. If you’re looking for a tasty way to get some more veggies into your dinner, this recipe is for you. Oh, and the re-heated leftovers were delicious as well!

Stir-Fried Pasta Primavera

Ingredients:

3 cups broccoli florets
12 ounces fettuccine pasta
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 red onion, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch thick
4 carrots, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
Salt and pepper
3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Directions:

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the broccoli until bright green, about 60 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the broccoli to a colander, reserving the water in the pot. Add the pasta to the pot and cook according to the package, until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water.
Meanwhile, heat a large skillet or wok over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes upon contact. Swirl in 1 tablespoon oil. Add the onion and stir-fry until it is fragrant, about 1 minute. Swirl in the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add the broccoli and carrots and stir-fry until the carrots begin to wilt, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and stir-fry for 1 minute. Stir in the cream, bring to a boil and remove from the heat. Stir in the parmesan and basil.
Add the pasta and the reserved cooking water to the wok and toss to coat; season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

from Rachael Ray Magazine

I used to think I didn’t like cream cheese brownies. I like my brownies the traditional way – soft and chewy, and without any “extras” mixed it, unless it’s extra chocolate of course. However, I ran across this recipe for cream cheese brownies in my copy of Baking Illustrated and, since the amazing people at America’s Test Kitchen seem to do everything perfectly, I figured I might as well try it.  I made them as part of a meal I was taking to a friend who just had a baby, and once I tasted one, I didn’t want to give them away!

The brownies themselves are intensely chocolately, and the cream cheese swirls provide a great tangy contrast. I ate one while it was still warm and the texture seemed almost “cakey”, which I normally don’t really like. But somehow the cake-like texture seemed to go well with the swirls of soft cream cheese interspersed throughout. When I ate a brownie the following day, once they were cool, the texture had settled into something fudgy, chewy and amazing. It’s very tempting to eat brownies as soon as they come out of the oven, but you really should wait and let these cool completely. You’ll be glad you did.

Cream Cheese Brownies

Ingredients:

Brownies:
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
4 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into quarters
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 large eggs

Cream Cheese Filling:
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg yolk

Directions:

Adjust an oven rack to the lower middle position and pre-heat the oven to 325. Spray an 8-inch or 9-inch square pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt, and set aside.

In a medium heatproof bowl, melt the chocolate and butter together. You can set the bowl over a pan of almost simmering water on the stove, stirring occasionally, or you can use the microwave. If using the microwave, heat at 50% power for a minute at a time, stirring at each interval, until melted.

Whisk the sugar and vanilla into the melted chocolate and let cool slightly. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, making sure each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Whisk until the mixture is completely smooth, then add the dry ingredients and whisk until just incorporated. Set aside.

In a small bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and egg yolk until evenly blended.

Pour half the brownie batter into the prepared pan. Drop half the cream cheese mixture by spoonfuls over the batter. Pour the other half of the brownie batter on top, then drop the rest of the cream cheese mixture on top of that. Use the blade of a knife to gently swirl the brownie batter and cream cheese filling together.

Bake until the edges of the brownies have puffed slightly, and center feels not quite firm when touched lightly, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs - 50-60 minutes.

from Baking Illustrated

*amazon links are affiliates

There is not much better than a homemade bagel fresh out of the oven.  I couldn’t believe how good these were. They tasted so fresh and chewy! This is actually the third time I’ve made homemade bagels. For the first batch, I wasn’t a big fan of the recipe I used. For the second batch I used the recipe I’m sharing with you today, but I didn’t add enough flour so the bagels were very flat. They tasted great, but they looked kind of funny. So I decided to make a third batch and perfect my technique. Mike wasn’t complaining about this at all – he loved eating all the bagel rejects! These ones turned out great – soft, chewy, and with that unmistakable bagel flavor. Plus, now that I’ve had so much practice, the process of making these isn’t intimidating at all! If you like homemade bread (who doesn’t??), give these a try. And if for some reason they don’t turn out right the first time, they’re definitely worth the extra effort of trying again!

Homemade Bagels

Ingredients:

Bagel Dough:
1 tablespoon instant yeast
4 - 4 1/2 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) warm water

Water Bath
2 quarts water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Directions:

Combine all of the dough ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and use the dough hook to knead on medium low speed for 5-10 minutes. You can also knead by hand for 10 to 15 minutes. Start with 4 cups of flour and add extra if needed as kneading. The dough should be stiff enough not to stick to your fingers much, but will still be pliable and smooth once it has finished kneading. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with lightly greased plastic wrap. Set it aside to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until it is noticeably puffy.

Transfer the risen dough to a work surface and divide the dough into eight equal pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth, round ball. Place the balls on a lined or lightly greased baking tray and cover lightly. Let them rest for 30 minutes. They’ll puff up very slightly.

Once they have rested, use your thumb to poke a hole through the center of each ball then twirl the dough and use your other fingers to stretch the hole until it is about 1 to 2 inches in diameter. The entire bagel will be around 4 inches across. Place the shaped bagels on a lined baking tray (the same one that you’ll bake them on).

Prepare the water bath by heating the water and sugars to a very gentle boil in a large, wide-diameter pan. Preheat your oven to 425.

Transfer the bagels, three or four at a time, to the simmering water. Increase the heat under the pan to bring the water back up to a gently simmering boil, if necessary. Cook the bagels for 2 minutes, flip them over using a wide spatula, and cook 1 minute more. Using a wide spatula, carefully remove the bagels from the water and place them back on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining bagels.

Top the bagels with your desired ingredients. If you are going to use a dry topping, such as sesame seeds or poppy seeds, whisk together 1 egg white with 1 tablespoon water and brush each bagel with the mixture before topping heavily with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, etc. If using cheese, there is no need to brush the bagels with an egg white glaze, simply place the shredded cheese on the bagels.

Bake the bagels for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they’re deep brown. Remove the bagels from the oven, and cool completely on a wire rack.

from King Arthur Flour, as seen on Mel's Kitchen Cafe

A few weeks ago, our local grocery store had avocadoes on sale for $1 each. Of course, I had to buy a couple. I love avocadoes on sandwiches and we ate quite a few paninis with avocado slices that week! It wasn’t until I was down to my last avocado that I thought of making guacamole. I’ve made it in the past, but wasn’t very happy with the results. I had just run across a new recipe in my new favorite cookbook (Cooking from the Farmer’s Market – love it!), and knew I had to give it a try. This guacamole is delicious. It’s simple and basic, but it has the perfect blend of flavors. I couldn’t stop eating it! Feel free to play around with the recipe and add in any extras that you like. I’m a big fan of tomatoes in my guacamole, so I may try that next time. But if you’re looking for a simple and classic guacamole recipe, this one is for you.

Classic Guacamole

Ingredients:

1 ripe avocado
juice from 1/2 lime
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
1 green onion, chopped
1 serrano chile, seeded and minced
1 clove garlic, minced
salt
tortilla chips, for serving

Directions:

Halve the avocado lengthwise and scoop out the flesh, discarding the pit. Place the avocado in a small bowl and mash with a fork. Add the lime juice, cilantro, green onion, serrano chile, and garlic. Mix until well incorporated. Season to taste with salt. Serve immediately with tortilla chips.

from Cooking from The Farmer's Market

*Note: Amazon links are affiliates