Tag: spring

Don’t you just love that Trader Joes has out all these different gorgeous flowers for such amazing prices?! Grab a few to brighten up your space and celebrate SPRING!

I love spring! I love all the fresh flowers every where, eating on patios, and especially the yummy spring-inspired food! All things lemon, berries, and salads seem to be everywhere!

If you are hosting, or are going, to a lunch this spring- I have two recipes that are sure to be crowd pleasers. The first is a spring-inspired salad- full of so many yummy ingredients- but still light and delicious. The second is a lemon berry cheesecake trifle. Yes, you heard that right- and it is just as amazing as it sounds.

Spring Asparagus Lemon Goat Cheese Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of Asparagus [you want to pick out a bunch on the thinner side}
• fresh or frozen [defrosted] Peas
• frozen [defrosted] Lima Beans
• 5 Radishes- thinly sliced
• 2 Zucchinis- made into ribbons using your vegetable peeler [avoiding the seeds!]
• Red leaf lettuce chopped into bit size pieces
• Mix of baby arugula & spinach
• Goat cheese
• Lemon zest from 1 lemon and the juice [and another one to slice up to make the salad pretty!]
• Shaved Parmigiano Reggiano
• Hazelnuts- toasted and cut in half-ish
• Olive Oil
• Red Wine vinegar.

Directions:

1. Roast the asparagus. Place the asparagus drizzled with olive oil and salt and pepper on a sheet pan and most in a 375 degree oven just until slightly cooked, 5-10min. You still want them to have a crunch. Let them cool and then slice lengthwise.
2. Make the dressing. Mix 2 parts fresh lemon juice to 4 parts olive oil and a bit of red wine vinegar in a bowl or mason jar and mix/shake. Salt & Pepper to taste. There is no science to this! Add the various ingredients to your liking!
3. On a large platter arrange the greens, peas, lima beans, radishes, and zucchini ribbons. Top with the roasted asparagus. Sprinkle on the toasted hazelnuts & goat cheese.
4. Drizzle/Spoon the dressing all over- Little goes a long way! You can always have a pretty bowl next to the salad for people to get more if they would like.
5. Add the shavings of the parmiggiano region on the top and garnish with some lemon slices!
6. Prepare to be hit of the party!

 

Lemon Berry Cheesecake Trifle

This is a dessert that looks and tastes like you spent all day in the kitchen messing up a million dishes, but, you didn’t 🙂

Ingredients:

Crust

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 9tbsp melted unsalted butter
• 2-3tbsp granulated sugar

Cheesecake

• 2 boxes [11oz] no bake Jell-O Cheesecake
• 3cups whole milk
• 2tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 jars lemon curd [whole foods/trader joes all have good ones!]
• fresh blueberries, blackberries & raspberries

Homemade Whipped Cream

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 6tbsp granulated sugar
• 2tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar until well mixed. Pour this into your trifle dish [or you could even do little individual mason jars!] and press down into an even layer- but not too hard or you won’t be able to scoop it out!
2. In a separate bowl, mix together the no bake cheesecake mix with the milk and lemon juice and beat until smooth and thick. Pour this over the crust layer in your trifle dish. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
3. Next, pour the lemon curd on top of the cheesecake layer- however thick you would like the layer to be. Top this layer with your fresh berries!
4. Then the whipped cream…oh my!! Pour all the ingredients into a bowl and whip until soft peaks form. You can even add a little cream of tarter [a pinch or two] to make it hold up a little better. Pour the whipped cream on the very top and try not to eat all of it with your spoon before you do!
5. Enjoy!!!

 

happy cooking!

xox

aj