Caesar Salad

I always love a good Caesar Salad on a hot day, but have you ever thought to make your own? Here is a great recipe that I know you'll love. 

Add grilled shrimp or chicken to make this an entrée salad, or serve it with your favorite pasta toss. Egg yolks enrich and bind this tasty dressing. Be sure to look for pasteurized eggs since they are not cooked.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Ingredients

• 5  tablespoons  extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 4  cups  (1-inch) cubed French bread (about 4 ounces)
• 1  (2-ounce) can anchovy fillets, drained
• 2  tablespoons  grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 2  tablespoons  red wine vinegar
• 2  large pasteurized egg yolks
• 1  garlic clove
• 6  cups  torn romaine hearts
• 1/4  teaspoon  kosher salt

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Combine 1 tablespoon oil and bread in a large bowl, tossing to coat. Arrange bread in a single layer on a baking sheet; bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until golden. Cool.

3. Pat anchovy fillets dry with a paper towel. Combine fillets, cheese, and next 3 ingredients (through garlic) in a blender; process until smooth. With blender on, add remaining 1/4 cup oil, 1 tablespoon at a time; process until smooth. Combine croutons and lettuce in a large bowl. Drizzle lettuce and croutons evenly with dressing; toss to coat. Sprinkle salad mixture evenly with salt; toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

I am definitely going to make this! This is looks so ridiculously delicious!  

Mix the dry ingredients with the wet until just combined (don't overstir) for the best result. This is tastiest warm from the oven, but leftovers are also delicious.

Yield: 10 servings (serving size: 1 piece)

Ingredients

• 3/4  cup  old-fashioned rolled oats (about 2.5 ounces), divided
• Cooking spray
• 4.5  ounces  all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
• 1  ounce  whole-wheat flour (about 1/4 cup)
• 1  teaspoon  baking powder
• 1/2  teaspoon  baking soda
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  cup  granulated sugar
• 1/2  cup  packed brown sugar, divided
• 1/3  cup  butter, softened
• 2  large eggs
• 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• 1  (8-ounce) carton light sour cream (such as Daisy)
• 2  tablespoons  finely chopped walnuts, toasted
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• 1  tablespoon  chilled butter, cut into small pieces

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Spread oats in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 6 minutes or until oats are barely fragrant and light brown.

3. Coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray; set aside.

4. Reserve 1/4 cup oats; set aside. Place remaining oats in a food processor; process 4 seconds or until finely ground. Weigh or lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine processed oats, flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; stir with a whisk.

5. Place granulated sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and 1/3 cup butter in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium speed for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture. (Batter will be slightly lumpy because of oats.) Spoon batter into prepared pan; spread evenly.

6. Combine remaining 1/4 cup oats, remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar, nuts, and cinnamon in a bowl. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until well blended. Sprinkle top of batter evenly with nut mixture. Bake at 350° for 38 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, top is golden, and cake begins to pull away from sides of pan. Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes; remove from pan.

Banana Split Ice-Cream Sandwiches

This, crisp vanilla cookies add a textural twist to conventional banana split ingredients in this delightful sweet treat.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 sandwich)

Ingredients

• COOKIES:
• 7  tablespoons  powdered sugar
• 6  tablespoons  sifted all-purpose flour
• 1/4  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• 1  large egg
• 
  FILLING:
• 2  cups  vanilla low-fat ice cream, softened
• 3/4  cup  ripe mashed banana (about 1 1/2 medium bananas)
• 6  tablespoons  coarsely chopped dry-roasted peanuts, divided
• 
  REMAINING INGREDIENTS:
• 6  tablespoons  frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed
• 6  tablespoons  chocolate syrup
• 6  maraschino cherries, drained

Preparation

1. To prepare cookies, combine sugar and flour, stirring with a whisk. Add vanilla and egg; beat with a mixer at medium speed 2 minutes. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 350°.

3. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Draw 6 (3-inch) circles on paper. Turn paper over; secure with masking tape. Spoon about 1 tablespoon batter into center of each drawn circle; spread batter to outside edge of each circle. Bake at 350° for 6 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Carefully remove cookies from paper, and cool completely on wire racks. Repeat procedure with remaining batter, reusing the parchment paper.

4. To prepare filling, combine ice cream and banana in a chilled bowl, stirring well. Place 1/4 cup peanuts in a shallow bowl. Place 1 cookie on each of 6 plates. Carefully spread about 1/3 cup ice cream mixture over flat side of each cookie. Top with remaining cookies, flat sides down, pressing gently. Lightly roll the sides of each sandwich in peanuts.

5. Top each sandwich with 1 tablespoon whipped topping, 1 tablespoon chocolate syrup, remaining 1 teaspoon peanuts, and 1 cherry. Serve immediately. 

I know myself that I don't drink enough water everyday, hopefully this should encourage you
just as it did to me to keep fit and hydrated all day long.

Penne with Asparagus, Spinach, and Bacon

"HEY! I made this last night and it was super delicious!! It was just for my dad which says a lot if he likes it, He loved it! I really recommend this recipe to anyone and it didn't even take long to make. It was incredibly scrumptious especially with the bacon and spinach, Oh! and the asparagus which gave it great flavor and uniqueness to it." ~~Audrey 


This is a ridiculously easy dish that manages to incorporate a range of great flavors―crisp, salty bacon, fresh, sweet asparagus, savory Parmesan―in less than 10 minutes. The bacon and veggies take about as long to cook as the pasta, and you just toss everything together to serve. Swap in whatever vegetables are on hand to create a quick meal anytime. 

Ingredients

• 8  ounces  uncooked penne pasta
• 2  bacon slices
• 1/2  cup  chopped sweet onion
• 2 1/2  cups  (1-inch) slices asparagus (about 1 pound)
• 1 1/2  cups  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 4  cups  bagged baby spinach leaves
• 1/2  cup  (2 ounces) preshredded Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper

Preparation

Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain; keep warm.

Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; crumble. Add onion to drippings in pan; sauté 1 minute. Add asparagus and broth to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender. Add pasta, spinach, 1/4 cup cheese, and pepper to pan; toss well. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and bacon.

Best City -- Austin, Texas

You can't swing a yoga mat in Austin without hitting a cool place to exercise―whether it's inside a gym or outdoors in a natural, spring-fed pool.


EAT SMART

Austin has an abundance of vegetarian restaurants that make creative use of produce from the city's 10 farmers' markets. Five of the best places to sample the bounty:Mr. Natural (512-916-9223), Cosmic Cafe (512-482-0950), Mother's Cafe and Garden (512-451-3994),Casa De Luz (512-476-2535), and Veggie Heaven(512-457-1013).

BE FIT
Barton Creek Greenbelt features nearly eight miles of hiking trails. If you want to do an all-day hike, try the Zilker Park entrance, and on the way back, stop for a dip in Barton Springs Pool.

LIVE WELL
Bookstores are at the heart of the "Keep Austin Weird" movement, a grassroots effort to help the city retain its offbeat charm. BookPeople (512-472-5050) is the largest independent bookstore in Texas.
~ Cooking Light

Healthy Desserts

Somebody said what? Yep, you can eat delicious and ravishing desserts without the guilt.Chocolate doesn't have to be deadly to your diet. Try one of these lightened (but still decadent!) chocolate desserts.

Best Bar Cookie. These gooey bars are as rich as anything you'll find in a bakery. They are a welcome treat in a lunch box, as a weeknight dessert, or any time you need a sweet treat. --Recipe by Kathleen Kanen (January/February 2005)

Yield: 20 servings

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
• 1/4 cup hot water
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (about 6 3/4 ounces)
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup toffee chips

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Coat bottom of a 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.

Combine coffee granules and 1/4 cup hot water, stirring until the coffee granules dissolve.

Combine butter and semisweet chocolate chips in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH for 1 minute or until butter melts; stir until chocolate is smooth.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, unsweetened cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine coffee mixture, butter mixture, vanilla extract, and eggs in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add coffee mixture to flour mixture; stir just until combined. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle evenly with toffee chips. Bake at 350° for 22 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

The simplicity of this dessert belies its sumptuousness. It uses ingredients you're likely to have on hand. The easy procedure requires no mixer. If you don't have 2-ounce ramekins, you can make the dessert in a regular-sized muffin pan.

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg white
• 8 teaspoons semisweet chocolate chips

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly coat 4 (2-ounce) ramekins with cooking spray, and sprinkle 3/4 teaspoon sugar into each of the ramekins, shaking and turning to coat. Set prepared ramekins aside.

Combine 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, milk, and cocoa in a small saucepan, stirring well with a whisk. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook 30 seconds or until sugar dissolves, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; add the butter and 1/2 ounce unsweetened chocolate. Stir until the chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Cool chocolate mixture 10 minutes.

Add flour, vanilla, salt, and egg white to chocolate mixture, stirring with a whisk just until blended. Spoon 2 tablespoons chocolate mixture into each prepared ramekin, and top each with 2 teaspoons chocolate chips. Divide the remaining chocolate mixture evenly among ramekins, spreading to cover the chocolate chips. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until barely set. Cool for 10 minutes. Invert onto dessert plates. Serve warm.