LAMB CHOPS WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATO BUTTER

SERVES4

• ACTIVE TIME:15 MIN
• START TO FINISH:25 MIN

• 1 garlic clove
• 1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 8 rib lamb chops (3/4 inch thick; 2 lb)

• GARNISH:

  lemon wedges

• Mince and mash garlic to a paste with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Transfer paste to a food processor and pulse with sun-dried tomatoes, walnuts, coriander, cayenne, parsley, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper until finely chopped. Blend in butter and lemon juice, then season with salt.
• Preheat broiler. Lightly oil rack of a broiler pan.
• Pat lamb chops dry and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper (total), then broil on rack of broiler pan 4 to 5 inches from heat, turning once, 6 to 7 minutes total for medium-rare. Spread tomato butter over chops.

VEAL SCALLOPINI WITH BROWN BUTTER AND CAPERS

SERVES 4

• ACTIVE TIME:10 MIN
• START TO FINISH:10 MIN

• 3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 lb thin veal scallopini (less than 1/4 inch thick)
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 1/2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons drained small capers
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

• Heat a 12-inch heavy skillet (not nonstick) over high heat until hot, then add oil and heat until it shimmers.
• Meanwhile, stir together flour, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper, then pat veal dry and dredge in flour, knocking off excess.
• Cook veal in 2 batches, turning once, until browned and just cooked through, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate.
• Discard oil from skillet, then add butter and cook over medium heat, shaking skillet frequently, until browned and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in vinegar, capers, and 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper. Return veal to skillet just to heat through, then sprinkle with parsley.

Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie

This is my favorite pie of all time. No joke. It’s so quick and easy but tastes like it took 3 days to make. Easy to make it dairy free as well… just substitute tofutti cream cheese for regular cream cheese, you’ll never know the difference! (Who would’ve thought Cool Whip has no milk in it?)

Peanut Butter and Banana Cream Pie

Makes 8-10 servings (or less if you go back for 2nds or 3rds… hehe)

INGREDIENTS
1 cup vanilla wafer cookies
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (4 oz.) cream cheese
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 oz. frozen whipped topping
1 1/2 cups (2 whole) sliced bananas
1/4 cup chocolate sundae syrup

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350Ëš F. To prepare crust, place cookies in a food processor and process until finely ground. Add 1/3 cup brown sugar and melted butter; pulse 2 or 3 times or just until combined. Press into bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Bake for 10 minutes; cool completely on wire rack. (Or, do it the easy way and buy a pre-made Nilla wafer crust).

To prepare filling, place 3/4 cup brown sugar, cream cheese, peanut butter, and vanilla in a bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Fold in whipped topping.

Arrange banana in bottom of prepared crust. Spread peanut butter mixture over banana; drizzle with syrup. Cover and freeze 8 hours; let stand at room temperature 15 minutes before serving.

Peanut Butter & Oatmeal Chippers

The. World’s. Greatest. Cookies. Period. I mean, chocolate chips, peanut butter, oatmeal? Can it get any better than that? Didn’t think so. The secret ingredient in these yummy cookies is definitely the honey. It keeps the cookies moist and sweet. I recommend doubling this recipe, as these cookies won’t last long! :)

Peanut Butter & Oatmeal Chippers

Makes 2 dozen cookies.

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup old-fashioned chunky peanut butter
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter or margarine, room temperature
1/4 cup honey
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 oz. semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
Mix flour, oats, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat peanut butter, brown sugar, butter, honey, egg and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. Stir dry ingredients into peanut butter mixture in 2 additions. Stir in chocolate. Cover and refrigerate until dough is firm and no longer sticky, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 2 heavy large baking sheets. With hands, roll 1 heaping tablespoonful of dough for each cookie into 1 3/4-inch-diameter ball. Arrange cookies on prepared baking sheets, spacing 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake cookies until puffed, beginning to brown on top and still very soft to touch, about 12 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheets 5 minutes. Using metal spatula, transfer cookies to rack and cool completely. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.)

Wild Mushroom Ravioli with Hazelnut Butter Sauce

We had found a recipe for mushroom ravioli, but once we found out the filling was nothing more than sautéed mushrooms we were slightly disappointed. So we took it up a notch, and added our own touch using leftover ingredients in our fridge.

Let me just say, if you’re looking to indulge, or looking to impressive some important dinner guests, this is the way to do it. And it’s really not hard or time consuming at all. Granted, you could make your own pasta, but why bother when wonton wrappers work just as well.

Next time, because our hearts can’t take browned butter and hazelnut sauce every night of the week (boy, is it rich!), we’ll use the same filling but try out maybe a lighter sauce, something with white or even red wine, maybe lemon… mmmm…. we’ll have to play around with that one!

Wild Mushroom Ravioli with Hazlenut Butter Sauce

Makes 4 servings.

INGREDIENTS
1 package square wonton wrappers (your probably won’t use them all)
1 tablespoon olive oil
12 oz (ish) mixed mushrooms (we used some crimini and some porcini)
1 shallot, minced
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 tablespoons tomato paste
salt and pepper, to taste

For sauce:
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup hazelnuts, roasted, skinned, and chopped

DIRECTIONS
Heat oil in skillet. Add mushrooms, and cook until most of liquid is gone (maybe 5 minutes). Push mushrooms to edge of skillet, and add shallot to center. Cook for 1-2 minutes.

Add tomato paste and stir until well combined. Add parsley, season with salt and pepper, and sauté for 1 more minute. Remove from heat and let cool.

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil.

Place a small spoonful of cooled filling on wonton wrapper. Brush edges lightly with water, and top with another wrapper. Carefully seal edges, pressing as much air out of the center as possible. Repeat until all of the filling is gone.

Add to boiling water 4 or 5 at a time (you don’t want them to stick together) and let cook for about 3 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and drain well. Repeat with remaining raviolis.

For sauce, heat butter in small saucepan until barely browned. Toss in hazelnuts. Drizzle over ravioli and sprinkle with parmesan.

Crunchy Peanut Butter and Fudge Brownies

Well, after so many cupcakes, we decided we needed a break. And. Oh. My. God. These may just be the best brownies ever. I think the picture pretty much speaks for itself…

Crunchy Peanut Butter and Fudge Brownies

Makes 30 brownies. Recipe from Epicurious.

INGREDIENTS
Brownies
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
7 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup roasted salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Frosting and ganache
1 cup chunky peanut butter (do not use natural or old-fashioned)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided, room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

7 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

DIRECTIONS
For brownies:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325°F. Line 13×9x2-inch metal baking pan with foil, leaving long overhang; butter foil.

Place 3/4 cup butter in heavy large saucepan. Add both chocolates; stir over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat. Whisk in sugar, vanilla, and salt, then eggs, 1 at a time. Fold in flour, then nuts. Spread in prepared pan. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 30 minutes. Place pan on rack; cool.

For frosting and ganache:
Using electric mixer, beat peanut butter and 1/4 cup butter in medium bowl to blend. Beat in powdered sugar, salt, and nutmeg, then milk and vanilla. Spread frosting over brownies.

Stir chocolate and 1/4 cup butter in heavy small saucepan over low heat until smooth. Drop ganache all over frosting; spread to cover. Chill until set, about 1 1/2 hours. Do ahead Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep chilled.

Using foil as aid, transfer brownie cake to work surface; cut into squares. Bring to room temperature; serve.

Salmon over Creamed Leeks with Apple Butter Sauce

This sounded interesting, so we thought we’d try it. We had apples leftover from last weeks Pork that needed to be used, so why not? It was an involved recipe, to think that this guy made this for a ton of people under pressure is really unbelievable (the show Dinner Impossible on the Food Network – very entertaining if you haven’t seen it before!).

Next time… we’d cook the leeks differently. Boiling them didn’t give them much flavor. We’d sauté them first, then braise them in broth and white wine until they practically fell apart.

But the salmon was good and the apple sauce was a unique combination. A very apt meal for fall, and a great way to use up all those apples!

Salmon over Creamed Leeks with Apple Butter Sauce

Makes 6 servings. Recipe from Robert Irvine.

INGREDIENTS
Apple Butter Sauce:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 apples (your choice of variety), peeled, cored and diced small
2 cups apple juice
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water

Cream sauce for leeks:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 onions, chopped
1 cup white wine
6 leeks, white and tender green parts only, cut into 12 pieces lengthwise and thoroughly soaked in salt water to release grit
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fish:
6 (8-ounce) salmon fillets
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Cayenne pepper, to taste
2 to 3 tablespoons oil
1/4 pound vermicelli, deep-fried or 2 tablespoons chopped lemon thyme, for garnish

DIRECTIONS
For the apple butter sauce:
Melt butter in a saute pan and add apples, cooking over medium heat for a few minutes until they begin to soften. Add apple juice, orange juice and rice wine vinegar, cover and allow the apples to cook until very soft. Then uncover and allow liquid to reduce to about 1/3 of what you started with. Puree in a blender or food processor. Create a slurry by gradually whisking cornstarch into about 1/4 cup water and blend the slurry into the sauce. Return the sauce to the pot and allow to cook for a few minutes to thicken. Season with salt, if needed.

Begin the creamed leeks while the apples are cooking.
Heat the olive oil and butter in a medium saute pan over medium heat and saute onion until translucent. Deglaze the pan with wine and reduce until the liquid is almost all gone. (While you are waiting for the wine to reduce, start cooking the leeks.) Cook the leeks in simmering water until tender. Drain and set aside. When the wine has mostly evaporated, stir in the cream, season with salt and pepper, and lower heat to a simmer to allow to reduce and thicken. Strain this sauce and pour over the leeks and set aside briefly in a warm place.

For the fish:
Season the salmon fillets with coarse sea salt and both peppers. Place a little oil into the saute pan and bring to smoking point (you need a hot pan in order to get a crispy outside). Cook the salmon, skin side down leaving undisturbed (no peeking) for about 5 minutes, or until the skin begins to get crispy, then turn and begin cooking for 4 minutes more. This allows the surface of the fish to “caramelize.” (You may need more time on the salmon depending on the thickness). You can, if you wish, finish the salmon in a preheated 350 degree F oven. However, DO NOT OVERCOOK THE SALMON. Once you touch the flesh and it springs back up, it’s cooked. Remember, because of carryover cooking, the fish will continue to cook after it is removed from the oven.

Reheat the apple butter sauce if necessary. Place 4 lengths of the creamed leeks on one side the serving plate, with a salmon fillet on the other. Spoon apple butter sauce on the fish and garnish with lemon thyme. (Please note: In the episode, since we had the deep- fryer going, we deep-fried some vermicelli pasta for a garnish with a flourish. You can do the same or use lemon thyme.)

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

You know the cookies that are just the right size, and just the right sweetness? The kind that ‘mysteriously’ disappear from the counter?

These are those cookies.

There were 4 left when I took this picture. I had also made a batch of mypumpkin chocolate chip cookies (can you say, sugar craving?) which as good as they are, didn’t disappear as quickly.

I came back later and there was one peanut butter cookie missing – it had been mysteriously swapped for a pumpkin cookie. A few hours later, another switch had occurred (might I add that the cookies were still aligned in a perfect row). Before I knew it, there were three pumpkin cookies in this arrangement and only one peanut butter bite left. Hmmm. Supernatural forces maybe? Ghosts of peanut-butter-loving pasts?

I never waited to find out, because I ate the last one before some(thing) else did.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes: Not enough (approx. 4 dozen).
Recipe from the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook (someone buy this for me? please?)

INGREDIENTS
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter or margarine, softened
1 cup peanut butter at room temperature (smooth is what we used, but I am pretty sure they use chunky at the bakery)
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon (for sprinkling) sugar
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tablespoon milk or soymilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup peanut butter chips
½ cup chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, the baking soda, the baking powder, and the salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and the peanut butter together until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the egg and mix well. Add the milk and the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Stir in the peanut butter chips. Place sprinkling sugar on a plate. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls into the sugar, then onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion. Using a fork, lightly indent with a crissscross pattern (if you happen to get so excited about these cookies that you forget this step *cough*likeme*cough* not all is lost. actually, nothing is lost at all), but do not overly flatten cookies. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Do not overbake. Cookies may appear to be underdone, but they are not.

Cool the cookies on the sheets for 1 minute, then remove to a rack to cool completely.

Steak with Parmesan Butter and Balsamic Glaze

It should be obvious we don’t cook steak often. Or beef of any kind for that matter. However, every once in a great while I’ll stumble upon an irresistible sounding recipe, and if it seems like we’ve got a cheap week or a short list ahead of us, we might just splurge. Which is exactly what we did here.

The ‘dressing’ is very similar to a Burgundy steak salad we’ve made in the past, except that one added in some red wine. Which might be a good idea if you want more than this recipe produces. After the steak had rested, we also added back the juices that had gathered in the foil to the sauce. No point in letting all that flavor go down the drain…

Steak with Parmesan Butter and Balsamic Glaze

Makes 2 servings. Recipe from Bon Appetit.

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese plus Parmesan cheese shavings
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 12-ounce rib-eye steak
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
1/2 teaspoon (packed) dark brown sugar
4 cups (lightly packed) arugula or mixed greens
2 large lemon wedges

DIRECTIONS
Mix grated cheese and butter in small bowl. Season generously with salt and pepper; set aside. Sprinkle steak generously with salt and pepper. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add steak; cook to desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to plate. Add vinegar, shallots, and sugar to skillet; boil until reduced to glaze, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Divide arugula and Parmesan shavings between 2 plates. Squeeze lemon over. Slice steak; place atop arugula. Top steak with Parmesan butter. Drizzle lightly with glaze.

Goat Cheese-Arugula Ravioli with Tomato-Pancetta Butter

If you follow this blog, you’ll know that despite my issues with dairy I have a strong affinity for goat cheese. I’ll gladly risk any upset feeling I might have to enjoy its creamy goodness. And so, when I stumbled across this recipe (ok, so maybe I was actively searching for a goat cheese ravioli recipe, but I found this one nonetheless), it was a no brainier that it would be on the menu that week.

The raviolis were perfect. The goat cheese and arugula are a perfect combination, and need no modifications whatsoever. Next time we make this, however, and there WILL BE a next time, we might mix it up a bit with the sauce. It was far too buttery (if you believe there is such a thing). Keep the tomatoes, keep the bacon/pancetta, but use some olive oil and maybe some white wine in place of the butter. Yes, THAT would be just divine.

You know you’ve had a good meal when you begin to crave it at 9:00 on a Sunday morning…

Goat Cheese-Arugula Ravioli with Tomato-Pancetta Butter

Makes 4-6 servings. Recipe from Epicurious.

INGREDIENTS
Ravioli
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 large shallots, minced
8 ounces arugula, chopped (about 8 cups)
6 ounces soft fresh goat cheese (such as Montrachet), crumbled
1/2 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
42 (about) wonton wrappers (from one 12-ounce package)
2 large egg whites, whisked just until foamy

Tomato-Pancetta butter
6 ounces thinly sliced pancetta or bacon, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
6 large plum tomatoes, quartered, seeds and membranes discarded, tomatoes diced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

For serving
5 tablespoons melted butter (or olive oil)
12 fresh basil leaves
Fresh thyme sprigs

DIRECTIONS
Make ravioli:
Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots; sauté 10 minutes. Add arugula; toss until wilted but still bright green, about 3 minutes. Transfer arugula mixture to large bowl and cool. Mix in goat cheese and Parmesan cheese. Season filling with salt and pepper.

Line 2 baking sheets with heavy-duty foil; spray foil with nonstick spray. Place 4 wonton wrappers on work surface; cover remaining wrappers with plastic to prevent drying. Lightly brush entire surface of each wrapper with egg white. Spoon 1 generous teaspoon filling into center of each wrapper. Fold wrappers diagonally in half, forming triangles. Press edges firmly to seal. Arrange ravioli on prepared sheets. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling. (Can be made ahead. Cover with plastic and chill up to 1 day; or cover with plastic, then heavy-duty foil, and freeze up to 1 week. If frozen, do not thaw before cooking.)

Make tomato-pancetta butter:
Cook chopped pancetta in large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp and brown. Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towel; drain. Set aside. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon drippings from skillet. Add butter to drippings in skillet; melt over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes and thyme; sauté until tomatoes are tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)

Cook and serve ravioli:
Place melted butter in large bowl. Cook half of ravioli in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 4 minutes for fresh or 5 minutes for frozen. Using large strainer, transfer ravioli to colander and drain; place in bowl with butter and toss to coat. Cover to keep warm. Cook remaining ravioli in same pot of boiling water. Drain and add to bowl of buttered ravioli. Toss gently to coat. Divide ravioli among bowls. Rewarm tomato butter over medium heat. Add reserved pancetta and basil; sauté 1 minute. Spoon sauce over ravioli; garnish with thyme.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownie Bites

What defines a cupcake? Is it the shape? The texture? The frosting? Because while these might look like mini-cupcakes, I don’t think I’d consider them cupcakes. They are brownies, through and through. With that in mind, it must be a combination of hand-held shape and cake-like texture that truly makes something a cupcake.

But these, cupcake or not, are delicious.

Based off of the delicious and oh-so-decadent Crunchy Peanut Butter and Fudge Brownies, but instead of one big pan of brownies, I went the bite sized route and made them in mini muffin tins. Maybe not the best choice, as frosting one large pan of something is much more efficient than frosting 3 dozen tiny little somethings, but once you eat one, you won’t care one way or the other.

This is the halved version of the recipe, and it made 3 dozen. Unless you really want 70 of these suckers, I’d stick with that.

Have leftover peanut butter mixture and chocolate? Make peanut butter cups! Simply spread a thin layer of chocolate inside of a foil mini cupcake wrapper, fill with peanut butter, and spread another layer of chocolate over top. Chill until set. Delicious, and no wasted ingredients!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownie Bites

Makes 3 dozen bites. Adapted from Epicurious.

INGREDIENTS
Brownies
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
3.5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1.5 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
3/4 cups sugar
3/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour

Frosting and Ganache
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter (do not use natural or old-fashioned)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3/8 cup powdered sugar
pinch salt
pinch ground nutmeg
1/2 tablespoon whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3.5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

DIRECTIONS
For brownies:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325°F. Line mini muffin tin with papers or grease tin.

Place butter in heavy large saucepan. Add both chocolates; stir over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat. Whisk in sugar, vanilla, and salt, then eggs, 1 at a time. Fold in flour, then nuts. Distribute into mini muffin tin, about 1 tablespoon per bite. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 20-25 minutes. Place pan on rack; cool.

For frosting and ganache:
Using electric mixer, beat peanut butter and butter in medium bowl to blend. Beat in powdered sugar, salt, and nutmeg, then milk and vanilla. Spread frosting over brownies.

Stir chocolate and remaining butter in heavy small saucepan over low heat until smooth. Drop ganache all over frosting; spread to cover. Chill until set, about 1 1/2 hours. Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep chilled. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Broccoli with Lemon Butter Sauce

We eat a lot of broccoli in this house. Steamed with butter and salt (or maybe dipped in mayo - ever tried it that way?) Roasted in olive oil and kosher salt. Sauteed with cabbage and pork. Raw in salads. Marinated with cheese and bacon. You name it. We eat it. It's one of the only green vegetables I can get Brad to eat (and of course he only wants the florets.) But since I love it, too, that's no problem. But sometimes you get tired of the same old, same old so it's nice to switch it up now and again.

Enter this new recipe. The kick from the cayenne is a great aftertaste, and if you cook it just long enough (not too long as my picture above shows) it's even better. The lemon flavor makes it taste so bright, and it's a great cold dish for summer, too. It's not too hot here yet, but I know steamy days are right around the corner. Grilled chicken and steamed broccoli on the side? Yes, please. A few minutes on the stove. A quick stay in the fridge. And dinner on the patio.

It doesn't get much better than that!

Broccoli with Lemon Butter Sauce / AllRecipes
Printer-friendly version

This dish can also be made with fresh broccoli, and it can be served hot or cold.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 (16 ounce) package frozen broccoli florets

Directions:
In a large skillet, combine the butter, water, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the broccoli to the pan, stir to coat, and cover with a lid. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring once, until broccoli is tender but still bright green. Serve warm, or refrigerate and serve cold