Poppy Seed Squares

There is a German Bakery in our area that makes the most amazing poppy seed squares.  They are a favorite of ours.  I used to work around the corner from the bakery and as a treat, I would bring them home.  Now that I no longer work there, we don't have them very often because it is about a 45 minutes drive away.  So I decided to see if I could make them.  I took a number of different recipes and combine them to make something that is fairly close.

Filling:
1 12 1/2-ounce can poppy seed filling for cakes, pastries and desserts

4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg white


Top & Bottom:
2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 large egg

1/4 cup sour cream


Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 8-inch square baking pan. Mix poppy seed filling, lemon juice, lemon peel and vanilla in medium bowl. Beat egg white in small bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold white into filling. Set aside.


Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Using fingertips, rub butter into dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix egg and sour cream in small bowl. Add to flour mixture; stir until moist clumps form. Gather dough together; divide in half. Press 1 dough piece onto bottom of prepare pan.

Bake crust until golden, about 15 minutes. Spread filling over crust. On floured surface, press second dough piece out to 8-inch square. Place atop filling; press to adhere.

Bake until crust is golden, about 35 minutes.  Cool in pan on rack.

Top with an icing glaze.  I used 2 Cups powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla (you could use lemon too for a different flavor), 1/8 Cup milk (more if you want it a little thinner).  Mix together and pour over slightly warm squares.  Cut into squares and serve.


Bulk of the recipe found at www.epicurious.com

Grilled Balsamic Chicken

1 whole chicken, cut into pieces

MARINADE


1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon cracked pepper
1/3 cup chopped green onion

Rinse and dry chicken pieces. Place breasts, thighs and drumsticks in a large ziplock bag. (Save the back and wings for Homemade Chicken Stock.) Mix marinade ingredients and pour over chicken. Seal bag and refrigerate for 24 hours, keeping meat submerged, turning if needed.

Preheat oven to 325F. Place chicken in a baking dish in a single layer, pour marinade over top. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes. (If making in advance, cover and refrigerate. Return to room temperature.)

Heat grill, wipe rack with wad of paper towels dipped in vegetable oil. Finish chicken on the grill, cooking each side 4 - 5 minutes, brushing with marinade.

***I used chicken breast, not whole chicken***

Recipe Found on the Kitchen Parade Website.

Quinoa & Black Bean Salad

I found this recipe when I was searching for summer BBQ ideas. It intriqued me because I have always wanted to try Quinoa.

The flavor is really fresh and I think it would be a real crowd pleaser. I am going to take this to the next BBQ we go to. I did not have the jalepeno, so I did not include it the first time I made this, but I will definately try it next time.

3 cups water
1-1/2 cups quinoa
2 teaspoons table salt

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
Zest & juice from 3 limes (about 5 tablespoons juice)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1-1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
15 ounces canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1-1/2 cups frozen corn (no need to thaw or cook)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 jalapeño peppers, minced
2 cups cilantro (about 1 bunch), chopped

Bring water to boil in a medium saucepan over medium high. Rinse quinoa well under cold running water. Add salt and quinoa to water, return to boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Transfer to colander to drain and cool slightly.

Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add quinoa. Taste and add salt if needed. Let cool at least 30 minutes. Serve at room temperature.

Makes 8 cups
NUTRITION ESTIMATE Per Half Cup Serving: 153 Cal; 5g Protein; 5g Tot Fat; 1g Sat Fat; 23g Carb; 4g Fiber; 449mg Sodium; 0mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 3 points
Recipe found on the Kitchen Parade Website.

Turkey Chipotle Meat Loaf

Here is a recipe that I made last week. It was really a 'throw it into a bowl' sort of thing, but here are some rough measurements. Adjust to your taste.

2 pounds ground turkey (you can use beef too)
1 egg
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1 packgage dried onion soup mix
1/3 cup BBQ sauce
2 cloves garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 tsp ground chipotle chilli pepper spice (you can also add drained, chopped chipotle chilli's from a jar)

Mix all ingredients together (I use my kitchenaid mixer so I don't have to get my hands messy). Place in greased loaf pan and cover with foil.

Top with:
1/4 cup BBQ sauce

Bake at 375, covered for 45 mins. Remove foil and bake for 10 more minutes, topping with more BBQ sauce if necessary. Let stand for 5-10 minutes, flip out of loaf pan and serve.

Spice Rub for Meat

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons white sugar
4 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon paprika
2 tablespoons mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pinch dried oregano
1 pinch dried thyme

Directions:
1.In a small bowl, combine the sugar, salt, paprika, mustard, pepper, oregano and thyme.
2.To use: coat meat in mixture, and then grill as desired.

Found at Allrecipes.com