Bird's Nest Bites

A Cook & Garden, Together In The Pacific Northwest

Key Lime Icebox Pie with Graham Cracker & Toasted Coconut Crust

Do you ever have an idea pop into your head that just will not leave you alone?  It happens to me more than I would care to admit, but my latest little visitor was the concept of a dessert with lime.  The coming of warmer weather makes me think about refreshing and cool desserts, and one that would welcome you with open arms after a spicy barbecue supper.  Here is the result of my ponderings: a no-bake (except for the crust, but that’s just ten minutes), smooth, creamy, and refreshing icebox pie, that is brimming with fresh lime juice and lime zest.  The creamy interior is set off by a crisp crust made of graham crackers and toasted coconut.  Here’s a dessert you can whip up with little effort, and it can sit there in the refrigerator, happy as a clam, for a couple of days until you’re ready to serve.  I personally have not been able to wait nearly that long, but it’s good to know if the opportunity presents itself.  PS: this recipe is really not made with key limes, but you can use them if you want to.  It seems like every other recipe out there that makes a pie like this with regular limes calls it a key lime pie, so I decided not to rock the recipe search engine boat.

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Savory Puff Pastry Tarts – Cherry Tomato, Asparagus & Grilled Onion

These simple tarts are super-easy, delicious, take nearly no time at all, and make you look like you’ve been to cooking school in France. Here we offer three choices, so make one, two or all three.  Or combine everything on to one tart.  Or make up your own toppings – it’s fun!  The filling is chock full of the rich nuttiness of Gruyere cheese, the creaminess of ricotta, and the soft tang of mascarpone. Highlight with some fresh herbs & lemon zest and look out!  Note: This recipe makes two large tarts, or four smaller ones. Feel free to get crazy with whatever toppings you can think of – after all, it’s your tart now.

I developed this recipe about three years ago in an attempt to feed my mom, Neeners, back to health after a bout with the flu.  Neeners is a drama queen, and she had pronounced “My tastebuds are dead.  I may never eat again”.  Sure.

Neeners is 88 years old, strong as an ox, and is on the go all day.  She has no sympathy for anyone who is injured or otherwise under the weather, and her usual admonishment to them is “Get up – you aren’t that sick/hurt”.  Needless to say she was a horrible patient, and I’m guessing her doctor armed herself with a whip and a chair on each of Neener’s visits.  Here is a small excerpt from one appointment while was on the road to recovery, but not progressing as quickly as she expected.  Neeners walks into her doctors office…”PUT ME IN THE HOSPITAL!! NOW!!!”  The doctor was stunned, because she was under the correct assumption that Neeners, being 85 and all at the time, was just taking awhile to get back on her feet.  So she asked, “Why do you think you need to be hospitalized?”  Neeners replied “JUST LOOK AT ME!!  I want you to admit me to the hospital immediately and give me an energy shot!!!”  As my brother later reported, the doctor sent her home with Pepto Bismol and told her to drink some Ensure until her stomach settled down.  She quickly recovered thereafter – but she is still driving me to drink, which is situation normal.

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Tex-Mex Cheddar, Jack & Cojita Cheese Enchiladas

This recipe comes from my sister, Linda (otherwise known as Sissy).   I descended upon her house with camera and notepad in hand because she had volunteered to share her OMG rated Tex-Mex Cheese Enchilada recipe.  Sissy obtained this recipe from Eddie, who used to run a Mexican Restaurant in our hometown.  Eddie did a great business until he got arrested – but that’s another story. He may have had his problems, but this recipe is unbelievably good, and is as traditional Tex-Mex as you can get. The sauce is rich and full of chili powder, cumin, and garlic, with just enough gooey cheese to keep you coming back for another bite. You going to want to make a double batch – they go down easy.  Follow along with me and I’ll show you just how easy they are to make, or should I say, my sis will…

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Boysenberry Coffee Cake with Oatmeal and Brown Sugar Streusel

I love boysenberries and found myself with quite a few bags in the freezer after an overzealous picking session last summer. Since I also happen to love coffeecake, this seemed to be a fine answer to my dilemma.  The solution to the aforementioned dilemma was this easy as can be boysenberry coffee cake, brimming with berry goodness.  The bottom layer is the rich and buttery cake base. Next there are frozen berries of course, since that was the point of this whole exercise to begin with, but also generous dollops of boysenberry jam in the center to pump up the berry flavor and add to the moistness of the cake.  The streusel topping is lots of  brown sugar and plenty of oatmeal for a nice crunch.    This recipe should work with any type of blackberry, so if you have marionberries or other variety of blackberries laying around, go for it!!  This cake is so addictive I had to hide it from my husband… OK, he hid it from me…but I found it.

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Fresh Fruit Salad Parfaits with Pineapple Greek Yogurt

I was messing around with the idea of fruit salads the other day and was trying think of something other than the ‘just a big bowl of fruit’ or the ‘just a big bowl of fruit with gloppy dressing’ that is often so sweet you can’t taste the fruit.  Here is the end result:  Still plenty of fresh fruit, and the dressing is a pineapple Greek yogurt that is thickened by straining it for a couple of hours.  Fruit is beautiful to look at, so rather than slathering it with the dressing, it’s layered, parfait style.  The Greek yogurt is not super sweet, and since I love pineapple it’s the flavor I chose, but if you’d prefer a different flavor, go for it.  This was really fun to do, and you can pick a couple of kinds of fruit, or several.  If you make this in parfait glasses, it’s fun to mix and match the fruit differently in each one.  If you are feeding a crowd, just grab a large glass bowl and start layering, making sure you’ve got some fruit on top.  It started out as a fruit salad, but also works great for breakfast, a high protein snack, or dessert.

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Roasted Asparagus Crepes with Cheese Fondue Sauce

 

If you ever had any doubt you could make a crepe, I’ve got good news:  If you can make a pancake, you can make a crepe.  In fact, I don’t make a very good pancake (in other words, I’m horrible at it), but for some reason I can fry up a batch of crepes in no time.  Crepes are the ultimate no fuss food.  First of all, the batter comes together in about two minutes in a blender.  It has to rest for at least half an hour before cooking, but I’ve let the batter sit for two days in the fridge before using, just because I got sidetracked with other shiny objects.  While the batter is resting, the asparagus can be tossed in the oven for roasting, and the cheese sauce (also super simple) can be put together.  If you’ve got a good non-stick skillet or cast-iron pan, your crepe cooking will be a cinch, and each one only takes about a minute or two to make. The end result is a light and beautiful bundle with plenty of fresh asparagus and just the right about of what you will swear is cheese fondue, which happens to be something I cannot resist. Fill them, bake them, and chow down.  You will be very proud of yourself, as well you should be.

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Carrot Cake with Lemony Cream Cheese Frosting and Roasted Pineapple

Easter will be here before we know it, and itseems to me that one of the best ways to celebrate is with carrot cake – this is because I love to eat them and look for any excuse to do so.  Here you have not just any ordinary carrot cake recipe – it is my mother’s, otherwise known as Neeners.  I think it’s the best carrot cake I’ve ever eaten.  Don’t tell her that – I’ll never hear the end of it.  She has had this recipe since time began, and so I had to attempt to decipher it from her well worn, hand written copy.  This was not easy.  I had to call her…”Neeners, your recipe says ‘one half of a medium sized can of pineapple’.  What is a medium sized can?  Is it the size of, oh, let’s say a can of chili beans you would buy at the store?” …..silence….  And then “Go for it.  I don’t think it’s possible to kill this cake”.  Lucky, it worked.  And if you know me well enough by now, you will also know that it is impossible for me to leave a recipe alone – I have to fiddle with it.  In this case, I left the cake alone, but added some caramelized fresh pineapple to top things off.  This whole business is super easy to make, so how about we get this thing done?

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Mushroom & Barley Risotto with Italian Parsley Pesto

There’s still enough of a spring chill in the air to enjoy a hearty, comforting, and cheesy supper.  If you’ve been reluctant to make risotto using the traditional Arborio rice, thinking it sounds too tricky, here’s a solution for you: Risotto made with barley is every bit as satisfying and delicious as that made with rice, but much easier to deal with on the cooking end of things.  Barley doesn’t need to be constantly stirred and fussed over – it’s quite content just to pretty much bubble along all by itself, with an occasional stirring from the cook just to keep things moving.  The end result tastes (and is) wholesome with just the right amount of chewy bite. This version has tons of mushrooms, both sliced and chopped, to amp up the flavor.  And as a salute to spring, the finished dish is topped with a fresh, lemony Italian Parsley Pesto that comes together in minutes.  Toss on some cheese, and you’re home free without even breaking a sweat.

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Frico – A Parmesan Cracker

This quite possibly could be one of the easiest recipes I have ever made, but it never ceases to amaze me and anybody I serve it to. Why? Simple. It tastes incredible, and – it has only one ingredient, which happens to be cheese. It’s really hard to find a cheese hater out there, and even more difficult to find a melted cheese hater. Grate it, bake it, eat it, share some, then hide the rest for yourself.

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Smoked Salmon Hash with Fried Egg

With St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner, I wanted to create a recipe that would celebrate the Irish.  I’m not a big corned beef fan, so went another direction to capitalize on some of Ireland’s more notable foods.  Here is the result:  A breakfast hash (or dinner for that matter), full of Yukon Gold potatoes and smoked salmon.  I threw in some sweet corn for color, sweetness and texture, and some sautéed peppers for the same reason. And of course, a hash just wouldn’t be a hash without a runny fried egg on top.  Hash is a dish well suited to the use of leftovers, so if you happen to have some leftover potatoes laying around, this comes together in no time.  I’m not sure how this would go with an Irish Coffee, but I’m willing to give it a try.

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