Audrey School

Audrey took some interesting classes Spring Qtr 2014 - Typography, Visual Communication Design II, Prepress Production and Film History II. For Summer quarter she had Technology in World Civilization, Fundamentals of Interaction Design and a Speech Communication class. She made the Dean's List for Summer 2014.

This popcorn was a handout for her Film History Class, the topic was Film Exhibition History. And the Mickey cookies were a handout for a group presentation in her Speech Communication Class and the topic was Disneyland Secrets. Note: I think there is a reason people make sugar cookies more often in the winter months than the middle of the summer...we kept having to put the dough back in the fridge as it kept getting too soft. The frosting was on the runny side also, but that might have been an aspect of the recipe we used rather than the weather. Ended up just outlining the Mickey ears so we would not have to make more frosting - we are not decorators in this household, but gave it a good effort anyway!!

SOFT CUT OUT SUGAR COOKIES
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 and 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

In a large bowl beat the butter until creamed and smooth, about 1 minutes. Add the sugar and beat on high until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract and beat on high until fully combined. Whisk the flour and baking powder together in a medium bowl. Turn the mixer to low and add about half of the flour mixture, beating until just barely combined. Add rest of the flour and continue mixing until just combined. If the dough still seems soft, you can add 1 tablespoon more flour until it is a better consistency for rolling.

Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Roll each portion out onto parchment to about 1/4" thickness. Stack the pieces (with paper) onto a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day. Chilling is mandatory.Once chilled, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment. Remove only one dough pack from refrigerator at a time. Using a cookie cutter, cut in shapes and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used.

Bake 8-11 minutes, until very lightly colored around edges. Rotate baking sheet halfway through bake time. Allow to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Sugar Cookie Icing
This icing dries hard and shiny and the colors stay bright.
1 cup confectioners sugar, sifted
2-4 teaspoons milk
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Gel food coloring

In small bowl stir together sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If too thick, add more corn syrup. Divide into separate bowls if making more than one color. Add coloring and decorate cookies.

BLT Pasta Salad

Trying new salad recipes this summer. This is a good combination, but with the lettuce in the recipe, it is something that should be eaten at one setting (like a potluck or BBQ) so the lettuce does not wilt.

BLT PASTA SALAD
8 ounces pasta
1 bottle ranch salad dressing
1 and 1/2 cup diced tomatoes, seeds removed
1 cup cubed Swiss cheese
1/2 cup red onions, thinly sliced
1 pound bacon, cooked crispy and chopped
2 cups finely chopped romaine or iceberg lettuce
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions but only to al dente. Run pasta under cold water and then drain. Toss with dressing to lightly coat and refrigerate until cold. In a large bowl toss the cold pasta with the tomatoes, Swiss cheese, onions, bacon and lettuce. Add enough dressing to generously coat everything and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Lemon Basil Grilled Chicken

I love a good summer rain!!

Perfect weather for grilling chicken on the barbecue! This was a great recipe.

LEMON BASIL BUTTERMILK GRILLED CHICKEN
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 large boneless chicken breasts, pounded thin (or butterflied)

Mix all ingredients except the oil and chicken in a large Ziploc bag. Add the chicken to the marinade, cover, and marinade refrigerated for 4-24 hours. Grill 10-12 minutes, until chicken is done.

Asian Wraps

A light and versatile meal for a hot day!

ASIAN CHICKEN WRAPS
1 large flour tortilla (can use spinach tortilla)
1/2 cup chopped lettuce (used iceberg, but mixed leafy greens would be good)
1/4 cup cooked and shredded chicken
1/8 cup pineapple chunks, drained
1 tablespoon green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons sliced almonds
2 tablespoons rice noodles (I could not find so used chow mien noodles)
2 tablespoons carrots (I chopped but shredded would be better)
2 tablespoons Brianna's Home Style Ginger Mandarin Dressing

Place lettuce, chicken, pineapple, green onions, almonds, carrots and noodles on a tortilla. Pour dressing on and roll up tortilla.

Kitty !

Croissant Melts

OH MY! We had these one night, and then had them for the next 2 nights. Easy to heat up one or two at a time so you could work with different dinner schedules. Just place tin foil on a cookie sheet for easy clean-up.

HAM, TURKEY AND BACON CROISSANT MELTS
Croissants
Black Forest deli ham, sliced thin
Deli turkey, sliced thin (spicy or pepper turkey is good)
Pre-cooked bacon slices
Pepper Jack cheese, sliced

Honey Mustard
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Worcestershire sauce, a few dashes
Salt and pepper, to taste
Stir together all ingredients. Refrigerate leftovers.

Preheat over to 425 degrees. Slice croissants in half. Spread honey mustard on each side. Top the bottom half of each croissant with a few slices of deli ham, deli turkey, two slices of bacon and a slice of cheese. Cover with tops and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 4-5 minutes or until cheese is melted and croissant is slightly toasted.

Banana Blueberry Bread

Though I'm a "traditional" banana bread gal, this was a nice change of pace.

BUTTERMILK BANANA BLUEBERRY BREAD
1 and 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat four mini loaf pans with nonstick spray. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, buttermilk and vanilla until well combined. Beat in bananas. Gradually add flour mixture to the sugar mixture at low speed, beating just until incorporated. Add blueberries and gently toss to combine. Scoop the batter into the loaf pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool 15 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack.