Spring Recipes | 20something cupcakes

Archives For spring recipes

the list: {12} must-make margaritas.

May 4, 2012 — 9 Comments

So … I had this plan. This plan entailed me sharing with you what might just be my favorite margarita recipe EVER.

Kind of a big deal, right?

Well, I’ve got something bigger on the brain.

What could be bigger than sharing one of my all-time favorite margarita recipes, you ask?

Jackpot, babies! Cinco de Mayo. It’s so happening. Like, tomorrow.

These two things are related in that the recipe I wanted to share with you was for … wait for it … prickly pear margaritas.

If you’ve ever had one, then you’re probably wondering why on earth I would torture you with such a thought. Well, if I had shared the recipe, that would have been the evil thing to do – reason being that you need a special prickly pear syrup to make one of those bad boys happen. I say, go ahead and order a bottle now … let me know when it arrives, and then I’ll post the recipe so that we can drink together in peace and tequila-filled harmony.

Lucky for ~~you~~ us, there’s no shortage of fabulous {non-prickly pear} margarita recipes to choose from in the meantime.

In Cocktails celebrate, cinqo de mayo, link round-up, margarita, mexican recipes, spring recipes, summer recipes

asparagus-white bean soup + pancetta croutons.

April 30, 2012 — 10 Comments

Here we go again with the white beans.

Asparagus + White Bean Soup with Pancetta Croutons

Every time I’m making something and the white beans come out, Dan’s like, “Really? White beans again? What is it with you and these things?”

It’s a good thing that everything I’ve made with them has been delicious. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have much of an argument for my continued obsession.

White beans are a perfectly magical ingredient, indeed: They add bulk, protein, and fiber to any meal – especially great for all of my vegetarian friends (you are out there, right?). And for those of us like Daniel and I, who like to go meatless a few times a week. You can easily make this soup totally meatless by omitting the pancetta, but I happen to know there are a few of you (at least one) that eat a mostly vegetarian diet with a speckle of bacon here and there.

These pancetta croutons are seriously insane. Cooking the bread cubes in the pancetta and fresh thyme with the help of a little olive oil, since pancetta doesn’t have much fat to render out, results in the most incredible, salty little flavor-bombs that I think could and should be added to pretty much any soup that exists.

The soup itself is {nearly equally} incredible. Potatoes and, yes, white beans add bulk to the soup and when it’s pureéd, you’ll be tricked into thinking you’re eating a rich, cream-based soup. But guess what, pretties? There is NO cream in this soup, and you won’t miss it one bit. There are a lot of ingredients that add flavor to this soup, like shallots (my addition), garlic, fresh rosemary, white wine, and lemon (also my addition). And then there’s the asparagus, which is roasted before being added to the soup thus bringing out its best side. I saved my asparagus tips and added them as a garnish along with the croutons.

In Food Matters Project, Healthy Eats, Main Dishes asparagus, croutons, leeks, pancetta, rosemary, soups, spring recipes, thyme, white beans

rosemary-garlic roasted leg of lamb.

April 11, 2012 — 1 Comment

There’s something inherently fabulous about serving a roast when you’re entertaining.

It’s got a lot to do with the presentation. Plop that baby onto the center of a pretty platter, and surround it with potatoes that just so happen to cook beautifully (and conveniently) underneath the lamb, and you’re basically done with dinner. It’s really like a centerpiece – and I do believe it’s best served buffet-style, so that everyone can simply and easily serve themselves and marvel at your pretty centerpiece all at the same time.

If you’ve had rack of lamb, then maybe it will be hard to tear you away from those brilliantly tender and flavor-packed lollipops of meat – but I can assure you, a whole leg is definitely the way to go for a dinner party. Cheap? No. Cheaper, for a lot more meat? Yes.

In Dinner Party Worthy, Main Dishes carrots, everything's better roasted, fingerling potatoes, lamb, meat roasts, rosemary, spring recipes, thyme

spring vegetable {goat cheese} dip.

April 9, 2012 — 9 Comments

Oh, how I love a hot and cheesy dip.

Typically reserved for our football gatherings in the fall and winter, you can imagine my delight when I stumbled upon a cheesy dip designed for the spring. A hot and cheesy dip packed with fresh flavor from all of my favorite spring vegetables? Yes, please.

Now, don’t me wrong: This dip is still creamy, cheesy, and totally dreamy – thanks to the béchamel base it starts with, and plenty of white cheddar and goat cheese. The goat cheese makes for a perfect pairing with spring vegetables like asparagus and artichokes – which make for a perfect pairing with – drumroll, please – wine! Yes, wine. It can be done, and it can be done well.

If you’re not into wine – or, let me rephrase – if you’re into drinking wine but don’t know too much about it, spring veggies like artichokes and asparagus are a no-no when it comes to vino. They contain certain chemicals that can make the wine taste off, or even rancid (especially red wines).

You can imagine the predicament I found myself in here. I was obsessing over two things: a springtime dinner party, and a wine pairing dinner party. But how could a springtime dinner party not pay homage to all of the fabulous vegetables springtime has to offer? I’m not one of those super-fussy people who say X wine must be served with X food, but at the same time, if I’m hosting a wine pairing dinner party, well, then the pairings need to make sense!

In Dinner Party Worthy, Starters artichokes, arugula, asparagus, dips + spreads, goat cheese, peas, prosciutto, spring recipes, sugar snap peas

spring {wine pairing} dinner party.

April 6, 2012 — 6 Comments

It had just been too long since my last dinner party. Yes, I’ve been crazy-busy – but that doesn’t mean my love for entertaining has to suffer. We’d been meaning to see a couple of friends of ours for an eternity, so what better way to reunite than over fabulous food and vino?

Spring {Wine Pairing} Dinner Party Menu

As I’ve been getting more and more into wine, I figured this was a perfect opportunity to host my first wine pairing dinner. Gone are the days when I used to be able to drink anything as long as it was under $10 a bottle. Don’t get me wrong – there are still plenty of inexpensive bottles out there that I’m more than happy to drink. But as I’m not learning, all are not created equally. Let me know if you guys are interested in learning more about wine here. Your wish is my demand! Plus, I really love to ~~drink~~ talk about the stuff. I’m certainly not an expert – but we can learn together, right? When you think about it, it’s the closest thing I may get to having an actual drink with many of you, so cheers to that!

In Complete Menus, Dinner Party Worthy hostess with the mostess, spring recipes, wine pairing

rhubarb-strawberry icebox pie.

March 30, 2012 — 5 Comments

This pretty pink ice cream pie is totally not my fault.

I mean, how can you look it in the eye and not want to make it? It’s pink! And pretty!

I blame springtime. This time of year, I want to make pretty pink desserts. With rhubarb. And strawberries.

Well, that’s kind of a lie. Because this is the first time I’ve ever actually purchased rhubarb from the store and made something out of it. But, it’s not a complete lie – because I’ve always wanted to.

Just in case you’re unfamiliar, rhubarb is that pinkish-greenish celery-looking stuff that yes, happens to rear its stalky head this time of year. You probably hear that it’s paired with strawberries a lot, in desserts. It’s true. It happens.

It happened here, and I’m quite happy about it. I spied this rhubarb icebox pie in Bon Appétit a while ago, and saved it for this perfect moment. Well, the funny thing is that the moment turned out to be more perfect than I could have imagined.

In Sweets + Treats ice cream, icebox desserts, pies + tarts, rhubarb, spring recipes, strawberries

trio of creamy {spring} salads.

March 28, 2012 — 8 Comments

What’s better than a fabulous springtime brunch, kids?

A lovely springtime lunch!

These creamy salads are for lunchtime only. Nevermind the fact that I’ve been eating the leftovers for dinner all week long. Maybe even breakfast. Hey, there are eggs within this spread of deliciousness. Stranger things have happened.

It started when I was thinking about you. I thought – Easter’s coming, and maybe you’ll be having a ham. If you are, chances are you’ll have leftovers. And what better justice is there to do leftover ham other than a spicy-sweet Southern-style deviled ham salad?

And because everything is just that much better when served in a trio, I happily dreamed up not one but TWO more dreamy-creamy salads for this magical lunchtime affair.

Truffled. Egg. Salad. Oh, yes. This one’s a must. If you don’t already have your cabinets stocked with truffle oil and truffle salt, then this would be the perfect reason to do so. You know what ~~they~~ I say: A truffle-less kitchen is a loveless kitchen. Unless you don’t like truffle, but I’m pretty sure if you try it with eggs, you may be converted. They are a special duo, indeed.

Plus, if you’re lucky enough to be participating in an egg hunt, you’ll have plenty of leftover hard-boiled eggs to use. People do that, right? … make egg salad from leftover Easter eggs? Pretty sure that’s a thing.

And for all of the picky-folk out there who won’t touch egg salad or ham salad, we have a lovely lemony-tarragon chicken salad to round things out. It’s all about providing variety when you’re serving up a trio of salads like this – keep it in the family, but make them different enough to attract different taste-buds. I guarantee everyone will find at least one they’re crazy about.

In Main Dishes, Salad Bar chicken, ham, hard-boiled eggs, lunching, southern recipes, spring recipes, truffle

spring coq au vin blanc.

March 26, 2012 — 10 Comments

This week’s recipe for The Food Matters Project is a twist on the traditional French dish, coq au vin – which means chicken braised in wine.

Yes, I’m a bit of a French food fanatic – so a recipe like this is right up my alley. It definitely falls on the rustic, French countryside area of the map, which might be my favorite place to be. For me, this type of French cooking equals plenty of good wine, crusty baguettes, and long, relaxed summer days.

Or in this case, spring days.

Though I will at some point be trying Bittman’s recipe in its original form, I couldn’t help myself from turning this into a spring vegetable-orgy. I usually describe my changes in words and link to the original recipe, but because I made so many changes, I wrote out my version for you below.

In Food Matters Project asparagus, carrots, chicken, cooking with wine, french recipes, leeks, mushrooms, new potatoes, pearl onions, peas, spring recipes

how-to: easy asparagus tart.

March 21, 2012 — 7 Comments

Guys. I’ve got something super-awesome for you today!

And, it’s super-easy. I even made a video to prove it.

This asparagus tart is what I like to call a “back-pocket” recipe. You won’t ever need a recipe again after you’ve made it once – and after watching it on video, you probably won’t even need a recipe on your first shot!

Yep, you can pull this one out of your back-pocket anytime you need it. And when might that be, exactly? Well, to start – Easter. This would make an outstanding choice as an Easter hors d’oeuvre, because Easter happens to fall in the springtime, when asparagus is at its lovely peak. It would be equally perfect for brunch with the girls, or even a simple lunch with your better half and a bottle of your favorite white on a gorgeous spring day.

This tart is so impressive and pretty, and what’s even better than that? It tastes delicious, too. Did I mention it’s easy to make? This is a triple-double-win, peeps.

In Fabulously Simple, Sassy in the Kitchen, Starters asparagus, dijon mustard, easy appetizers, entertaining, gruyère, puff pastry, spring recipes

lemon meringue cupcakes.

March 15, 2012 — 11 Comments

Lemon meringue: It’s just one of those things. You’re either in, or you’re out.

You either like lemony-tart action happening in your desserts, or you don’t. Clearly, I’m into this sort of thing, as a lover of these lemon meringue tarts that I consider to be one of the greatest desserts ever created. But, as it turns out, there’s more to lemon meringue than just pies and tarts.

There’s lemon meringue in cupcake form! And it’s a total sock-rocker.

Spring just makes you want to run out and bake a lemon meringue cupcake or two, doesn’t it? As you can imagine, recipes for these types of cupcakes exist. Lots of them. There aren’t, however, any lemon meringue cupcake recipes that make sense – or should I say, there didn’t used to be … until now!

{Remember a couple of weeks ago when I got to talking about developing recipes that make sense? It’s kind of a new hobby of mine}

Here’s the thing: I’m not trying to have 6 egg yolks here and then 2 egg whites there and then 4 more egg yolks for this part of the recipes and then 4 egg whites over here – no, no, and no. This is not my idea of fun. If I’m making a recipe with three different components – lemon curd, cupcake batter, and meringue frosting – all of them involving eggs, I’d like them to add up to a whole number. And if.at.all.possible, I’d like to make jussssst enough curd and frosting to top the number of cupcakes I’m making.

Is that even possible? You wouldn’t think so, if you started to search this crazy world-wide-web we call the internet for a solution to this problem.

In Sweets + Treats cupcakes, lemon, lemon curd, meringue, spring recipes