Lemon Berry Tiramisu

Don't you just love being pleasantly surprised when you order a dish at a nice restaurant and the menu description sounds good, but when the server places it in front of you, the presentation is eye-catching and then the first bite (and every bite thereafter) totally blows your expectations off the charts?!  Yeah, me too! :)

Apparently that's what happened when my brother ordered a lemon berry napoleon dessert at the Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill in Las Vegas...it made such an impression on him that he described it to Mom and me as "the best dessert I've ever eaten!"  Now that's a pretty bold statement, especially for Jon!  Haha :)  I asked him to describe it to me so I could try to re-create my own version of this delectable dessert.  I found several recipes that sounded pretty close to what he described, each with slight variations, so I decided that I would attempt to make it for him sometime soon after that...and I had good intentions of doing just that.  Except that was nearly 5 years ago now...ooooops, sorry Jon! :P  I even put a reminder on my calendar on several occasions when I knew I was going to be home for a weekend, but something always came up...I didn't have the ingredients I needed, there were already too many desserts in the house, I filled up my schedule and didn't end up having time to make it, we weren't both home at the same time, etc.

Oh, and did I mention that phyllo dough was a necessary ingredient?  Yeahhh...I even bought frozen phyllo sheets, and they stayed in my freezer for like, a year.  I don't know why the idea of using phyllo dough is so daunting to me...I'm sure it's really not bad at all.  In fact, it's probably quite simple and I just need to buck up and do it for the first time to show myself that it's not a big deal.  But alas, I was still looking for an easy way to avoid it.  So, I was thrilled to find this Lemon Tiramisu Trifle recipe from FoodNetwork.com, which includes the same lemon cream and summer berries as the napoleon recipe, but replaces the phyllo pastry with ladyfingers! Yesss!!! Now I was eager to give it a shot and see whether this variation would meet Jon's approval, so I decided to make it for the 4th of July. Ladies and gentlemen...I present "Lemon Berry Tiramisu!"

Lemon Berry Tiramisu

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 12 oz. (1 plus 1/2 pkg) neufchâtel cream cheese, softened
• 1 - 8 oz. jar lemon curd
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 packages soft ladyfingers (usually found in the bakery section of certain grocery stores)
• 3 cups mixed berries (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, & blueberries)
•  Powdered sugar (if desired)

In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, mix the lemon juice, sugar, and 1/4 cup water until the sugar is dissolved.  Set aside.

Blend together the cream cheese, lemon curd, and heavy cream with a hand mixer until smooth and somewhat fluffy.  Set aside.

To assemble the tiramisu, place half of the ladyfingers in the bottom of an 8x8 square baking dish, tearing several as needed to completely cover the bottom of the dish.  Drizzle ladyfingers with half of the lemon syrup. 

Spread half of the lemon cream over the ladyfingers...

Then, arrange 1 cup of mixed berries over the cream.  

Repeat the layers (ladyfingers - lemon syrup - lemon cream).

Cover with plastic wrap or tight-fitting lid and chill overnight.  Before serving, top with remaining berries and dust with powdered sugar, if desired.

So, the verdict?  Jon's response: "It's not quite Wolfgang Puck's, but it's still pretty d*mn delicious!"

Thanks Jon - I will take that as a compliment.  Mission (somewhat) accomplished. :)

Although I still intend to overcome my fear of phyllo dough and try to make the real thing...hopefully it won't take me another 5 years to make that happen ;)

Summer Squash & Couscous Casserole

Nothing says summer quite like fresh garden-grown veggies and the delish dishes that you can make with them!  That's my opinion, at least.  When I was home for the July 4th weekend, Mom sent me back to RVA with a bag full of zucchini and yellow squash from her garden.  I always really appreciate when she does that, because I enjoy finding new recipes and pulling out tried and true ones to put the veggies to good use!  However, I always feel a bit guilty for taking them, considering all of the time and effort that Mom puts into garden (i.e. tilling, weeding, planting, watering, picking veggies, etc.).  Most of you know that I'm not exactly someone who likes getting my hands dirty or working outside (unless I'm running haha), so despite watching her work in her garden year after year, I've never actually helped out in that regard (sorry Mom!).  Yet, she never hesitates to send me home with some of my fave produce!  I know I don't say it enough, but thanks Mom! :)

After finishing a short run one night earlier this week, I was hungry and didn't feel like going to any elaborate measures to make dinner, so I just sautéed some yellow squash with red onions, garlic, and lots of black pepper and oregano. Topped it off with some grated pecorino romano cheese...totally simple and delicious!

(Sorry, iPhone pic)

I looked up some new yellow squash recipes during the week and came across this Cooking Light recipe for Baked Couscous with Summer Squash & Herbs.  Per usual, I used that recipe as my base, but tweaked some things to make it my own. :)

Summer Squash & Couscous Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 (14 oz.) can vegetable broth
• 3/4 cup uncooked whole wheat couscous
• 2 cups sliced yellow summer squash
• 1/4 cup minced red onions (or yellow or green onions...I just used red b/c that's what I already had on hand)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup crumbled Feta cheese
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup grated pecorino romano cheese
• 1/4 cup egg substitute
• 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp. white pepper
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp. parsley
• Chopped fresh basil

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Bring 1 cup veggie broth to a boil in a small saucepan; gradually stir in uncooked couscous.  Remove from heat - cover and let stand 5 minutes.  Fluff couscous with a fork once all liquid has been absorbed.

Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Coat pan with cooking spray.  Add squash, onions, garlic, basil, oregano, and black pepper; saute 3 minutes or until squash is tender.

Combine couscous, squash, and half of cheeses in a large bowl.

Then, stir in remaining veggie broth, egg substitute, white pepper, parsley, and red pepper flakes.

Spoon mixture into a greased 8x8 baking dish.  Top with remaining cheeses.  Bake at 400 F for 35 minutes, or until golden brown.

Jalapeño Popper Dip

Last weekend, a group of us celebrated our friend Caroline's 29th birthday with a mid-afternoon get-together at her house.  That morning, as I was trying to decide what to make for the party (and therefore, perusing my Pinterest boards, per usual, haha), I almost settled on making the Spicy Maryland Crab Dip that I made for the Super Bowl and on several other occasions since.  But then I changed my mind and decided to try something new...thus I whipped up a Jalapeño Popper Dip, which I adapted from this recipe.  Turns out that was a good decision :)

Jalapeño Popper Dip

Ingredients:

• 1 - 8 oz. package Neufchatel (Light) cream cheese
• 1 cup fat-free or light sour cream
• 2 tbsp. light mayo
• 1 - 4 oz. can diced jalapeños, well drained or 4-6 fresh jalapeños, roasted & diced 
• 2 cups shredded (reduced-fat) cheddar cheese - I used 1 cup sharp + 1 cup mild
• 1/2 cup + 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 tbsp. dried parsley
• 3 tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese, sour cream, and mayo until well-blended.

Add diced jalapeños, cheddar cheese, and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese. Mix together.

Transfer mixture into a greased 8x8 baking dish, spreading evenly.

Blend bread crumbs, 1/4 cup grated parmesan, and dried parsley together. Sprinkle topping mixture evenly over the cheese mixture. Pour melted butter evenly over topping (I was lazy and just dropped pats of softened margarine on top to let them melt in the oven, which worked out fine, but I would probably recommend actually melting the butter first and pouring it on top).

Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes, or until topping is golden brown and the dip is hot throughout.

Serve hot with whole grain tortilla chips, pita chips, crusty bread, or crackers. Enjoy! :)

This just might become my new favorite dip to bring to parties!  It's super simple to throw together, tastes like jalapeño poppers without all of the work, and tastes deliciously spicy with just the right amount of kick!