Mrs. Weasleys Oversized Blueberry Muffins

I have never completely understood the obsession with Harry Potter. My friend Kirsten tried to make me a fan on numerous occasions but I never got on board with the whole magic thing. Well, Kirsten you will be very proud of me. Not only did I watched the final Harry Potter movie last week while babysitting but I also made Harry Potter inspired muffins today (also while babysitting).

I will give the fans some credit, the movie was entertaining and I am sure the books are even better. Unfortunately I am still having nightmares about Voldemort and giant snakes. Luckily I can say that the muffins turned out dream-worthy. I've never been a huge fan of homemade blueberry muffins, sad as it is I prefer the fake blueberry muffins that come out of a box, but these are great. I loved the addition of the lemon zest, I think the lemon flavor makes the muffins.

For those of you that aren't familiar with the Harry Potter books/movies you may be wondering where blueberry muffins fit in. Apparently Mrs. Weasley, who is Harry's best friend Ron's mother, makes Harry blueberry muffins when he is at the Weasley home before his big hearing (I have no idea what the hearing is for).  At least this is the explanation I got from the kids I have been hanging out with. Kirsten, you can probably confirm :)

Please excuse the terrible picture, I didn't have my camera

 Mrs. Weasleys Oversized Blueberry Muffins
** adapted from The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook

2 c. flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 c. sugar
1 stick butter, melted
grated zest of one lemon
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 c. plain nonfat yogurt
1 pint blueberries, washed and well drained
turbinado sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a muffin pan. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until smooth. Whisk in the sugar and continue whisking until light and fluffy. Drizzle in the melted butter while whisking vigorously. Whisk in the lemon zest and vanilla. Fold in half the flour mixture, then the yogurt and then add in the rest of the flour mixture. The batter will be very stiff. Carefully fold in the blueberries.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups, filling each to the rim. Sprinkle the tops generously with turbinado sugar. Bake the muffins for 25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until the tops are golden brown.

Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Chicken

The below recipe is the result of last minute grocery shopping and the desire to make something simple and healthy. Stuffed chicken is perfect for weeknight meals because you can use up ingredients you have on hand or pick up a few basics at the grocery store and have a great dinner in under 30 minutes.

I used to find it hard to cook stuffed chicken all the way through on the stovetop without burning it. I have recently discovered that the best way to cook stuffed chicken is to brown it in a skillet for a few minutes on each side and then let the chicken bake the rest of the way through in the oven. Using this method, you'll end up with chicken that isn't overcooked and dry but instead tender and juicy. Stuff the chicken with whatever you have on hand but I thought the spinach and artichoke combine with the addition of a little feta and lemon had great flavor. For a couple other stuffed chicken recipes, see the following links:

Asiago, Arugula, and Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken
Greek Stuffed Chicken

Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Chicken

Serves 2
Prep/Cook Time: 25 minutes

2 chicken breasts
1/2 bag of spinach
handful (about 5) artichoke hearts, chopped
1/8 c. feta cheese
1 lemon
1 T. olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375.

Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Saute the spinach for about 5 minutes or until the spinach is wilted. In a small bowl, combine wilted spinach, chopped artichoke hearts, feta cheese and the juice of half a lemon. Add salt and pepper as needed. Set aside.

Cut a slit in each chicken breast, be careful not to cut all the way through. Stuff each chicken breast with half of the spinach and artichoke mixture. Use a toothpick to secure the chicken and keep the stuffing in place.

Heat a skillet over medium high heat, once hot add 1 T. olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the two chicken breasts to the pan and season each with a little salt and pepper. Cook on each side for about 4 minutes. Take the skillet off the stovetop, add the juice of the other half of the lemon, and then place the skillet in the oven for an additional 10 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink. ** Make sure you use a potholder to remove the skillet from the oven!

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Nectarine and Corn Salsa

Pork tenderloin on the grill makes me think of summer. I recall many Sunday afternoons where my dad was manning the grill and my mom and I were inside making side dishes (my brother most likely keeping my dad company with a beer in hand). Considering grilled pork tenderloin was a staple for the Bower family during  summer months you would have thought I made it here all the time. Surprisingly, I have actually never tried grilling a pork tenderloin myself... until now. I am proud to say that this past weekend Brady and I successfully grilled our first pork tenderloin! My dad should be proud :)

I tried a grilled pork tenderloin dish similar to the recipe below at a friends going away party last summer and I've been wanting to recreate it ever since. I love how well the nectarine and corn salsa pairs with the pork. I typically cheat and buy the pre-marinated pork tenderloin but I thought the spice rub gave the pork great flavor and making it was about as simple as it gets. This is a great healthy dish, perfect for summer and entertaining.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Nectarine and Corn Salsa
** adapted from Cooks Illustrated

Serves 2-3

Pork Tenderloin
1 T. brown sugar
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
1/2 tsp allspice
1 Ib pork tenderloin

Nectarine and Corn Salsa
2 ripe nectarines, pitted and diced
1 ear of corn, husks and silk removed, kernels cut from cob
1/2 small shallot, minced
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and minced
2 T. lime juice
1/2 tsp salt
sugar (if needed)
1 T. fresh chives, chopped

For the pork, combine brown sugar through allspice in small bowl. Rub the dry mixture all over the pork tenderloin. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Grill the pork over medium heat until it reaches an internal temperature of 145. Transfer the meat to a plate or cutting board, cover with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

For the nectarine and corn salsa, combine all ingredients except the chives in a mixing bowl. Let stand at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes. Stir in chives before serving.

After pork has rested, slice the pork and serve with the nectarine and corn salsa.

Chicken, Artichoke, and Sun-dried Tomato Pizza

Pizza is one of the easiest things to make on a busy weeknight. You can honestly throw on whatever you have in the fridge or pick up a few cheap ingredients at the store and you are likely to end up with a tasty and satisfying pizza. Plus if you don't absolutely cover it in cheese, pizza can be a pretty healthy dinner.

The other night Brady and I planned to go to Movies in the Park. Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate. With ominous clouds approaching we nixed our plans and had to come up with a plan b for dinner. After a quick trip to Trader Joe's we came up with the below pizza. You'll notice the measurements for the ingredients are far from scientific but the pizza turned out great. While I was disappointed we had to postpone our picnic in the park I was very pleased that I ended up with yet another great pizza recipe to share!

Chicken, Artichoke, and Sun-dried Tomato Pizza

Serves 4
Prep/Cook Time: 25 minutes

store bought or homemade pizza crust
1 large chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced and seperated
1/2 can artichokes, roughly chopped
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
handful of sun-dried tomatoes
handful of Kalamata olives
handful of mozzarella cheese
handful of feta cheese
handful of fresh basil
2 tsp. olive oil 

Preheat the oven according to the directions for the pizza dough. Spread the dough onto a greased pizza pan or cookie sheet. Bake the dough for 5 minutes with nothing on it.

Meanwhile, heat a saute pan over medium high heat and coat with cooking spray. Add one clove of minced garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the chicken pieces and saute until cooked, about 5 minutes.

Remove the dough from the oven and brush with 2 tsp of olive oil and sprinkle on the other clove of minced garlic. Place the cooked chicken, artichokes, red onion, sun-dried tomatoes, and olives all over the pizza. Next sprinkle on a handful of mozzarella and feta cheese. Bake for the remaining time that the dough's instructions suggest. Once the pizza has been removed from the oven add the fresh basil on top.

Lemon Basil Fish Tacos with Jalapeno Cucumber Sauce

We recently made fish tacos and I know I raved about the recipe, but the below recipe is another equally good way to prepare fish tacos. I loved the lemon basil marinade for the fish. It's light and fresh and in my opinion basil makes everything taste better. I will definitely be using the marinade in the future when grilling fish, shrimp, or even chicken. I was curious about the jalapeno cucumber sauce, but I thought the Greek flavor from the yogurt and cucumbers made these fish tacos unique and delicious.

Lemon Basil Fish Tacos with Jalapeno Cucumber Sauce
** adapted from Spabettie

Serves 2
Prep/Cook Time: 25 minutes

Lemon Basil Cod filets:
2 cod filets
2 T. olive oil
juice of 2 lemons
15-20 leaves basil, chopped
pepper

Jalapeno Cucumber Sauce: 
1/2 cucumber, chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
2 cups plain Greek yogurt
1 tsp cumin

Additional ingredients: 
6 corn tortillas
3 ears of corn, kernels removed from the cob

For the cod filets, mix the oil, lemon juice, basil and a dash of pepper to a large plastic bag. Add the cod filets and marinate for 20-30 minutes.

Mix all ingredients for the jalapeno cucumber sauce in a food processor or with an immersion blender. Chill until ready to serve.

Heat a grill or grill pan. Remove the cod filets from the plastic bag and cook the filets for about 4 minutes on each side or until they begin to flake. Baste the fish with the reserved lemon basil marinade after flipping. Remove cod to a cutting board and cut into bite size pieces. Meanwhile, heat an oven to 350 degrees and warm the tortillas on a cookie sheet for about 5 minutes.

To serve, top warm tortillas with pieces of cod, corn kernels and the jalapeno cucumber sauce.

Summer Squash and Sausage Pasta

The below is a super simple pasta recipe that Brady and I recently made. I love that this recipe requires little ingredients and can be made in 20 minutes. I would have preferred to use spicy Italian chicken sausage as the original recipe suggests, but the grocery store we went to didn't carry it. We used regular spicy Italian sausage and while it tasted great, I think the chicken sausage would have been a slightly healthier option and would have probably tasted just as good.  We served ours with a classic bruschetta- toasted french bread topped with a tomato slice, peice of fresh mozzarella, basil and then a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Delicious and perfect for summer!

Summer Squash and Sausage Pasta
** adapted from Eats Well With Others
print recipe

Serves 3-4
Prep/Cook Time: 20 minutes

8 oz whole wheat rigatoni
2 or 3 links spicy Italian sausage or chicken sausage
1 zucchini, cut in half down middle and then in cut into half moons
1 summer squash, cut the same as zucchini
2 T. Parmesan cheese
1 lemon
salt and pepper
basil

Start boiling a large pot of water. Once water is boiling, add the water and cook till al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta liquid and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and saute spicy Italian sausage. Use a wooden spoon to break up the sausage and create crumbles. When the sausage starts to get crispy, add the cut zucchini and yellow squash to the pan and saute until browned.

When the pasta is done, drain and add the pasta to the skillet. Stir to combine the pasta, sausage and vegetables. Add in the reserved 1/2 cup of pasta liquid and the juice of one lemon. Sprinkle in the Parmesan cheese and stir until melted.  Season with salt and pepper as desired and serve with torn fresh basil.

Corn and Tomato Salad with Fresh Basil

Happy belated 4th of July! Hopefully everyone had a fun and safe holiday weekend. Brady and I had a great three day weekend. We cheered on the Cubs at Wrigley, explored the Lincoln Park farmers market and finally found ourselves back in the kitchen doing a little cooking.

This was my first trip to the big farmers market this year and Brady has never been so we had a great time checking out all of the vendors and planning a dinner full of fresh produce and farm raised meat. Our favorite purchase was elk brats from Hawks Hill Elk Ranch in Monticello, Wisconsin. We boiled these in a big pot of water and beer and added a little cider vinegar and chopped onion. We then finished the brats on a grill pan. They turned out awesome! I have never had elk but the meat was so flavorful and didn't have the "game" taste that I was expecting. I would highly recommend checking out the link above and ordering some elk meat or perhaps looking for it at your local farmers market. Not only did the elk taste great but it has less calories and fat then chicken, pork and beef- who knew?! Plus it's always nice to know where your meat is coming from and actually meet the rancher who has raised and prepared the meat.

For our side dish we made the below Corn and Tomato Salad with Fresh Basil. Unfortunately tomatoes aren't in season here yet so we couldn't buy those at the farmers market but we were able to pick up a few of the other ingredients. I loved the freshness of the salad plus it colorful and screams summer! We all have our go-to salad recipes that we make when company comes over to barbeque and I know this is one that I will be throwing into the rotation, it's a sure bet crowd-pleaser!

Corn and Tomato Salad with Fresh Basil
*** from Cooking Light
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Serves: 4
Prep/Cook Time: 25 minutes

8 ounces small yellow or red potatoes
4 ears fresh yellow corn
2 c. cherry tomatoes, halved
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 c. minced shallots
3 T. while balsamic vinegar
1 T. dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 T. olive oil
6 c. arugula
1/2 c. torn fresh basil
2 ounces mozzarella, cubed

Place potatoes in a small saucepan; cover with water and bring to boil. Cook about 10 minutes or until tender. Drain and run under cold water. Cut potatoes in half lenghwise. Combine potatoes, corn, tomatoes, and red bell pepper in a large bowl.

Combine shallots through black pepper in a small bowl. Slowly pour oil into shallot mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Drizzle the sauce over the corn mixture. Add arugula, basil and cubed mozzarella and toss to combine.