mangia mondays 21: lemon cupcakes

hiya, readers!

welcome to

a blog hop i co-host each week with the always enchanting, & my wonderful blog friend

lisa from shine your light.

this week i'm sharing:

lemon cupcakes

3/4 C self-rising flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

8 TBS butter, softened

1/2 C sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

zest of 1 lemon

2 TBS milk

6 TBS butter, softened

1 1/2 C confectioners' sugar

1 TBS lemon juice

splash of milk

1. preheat oven to 375 f. line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.

2. sift the flour & baking powder into a large bowl. add the butter, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, & milk. beat together until smooth. spoon the batter into the paper liners.

3. bake for 15-20 minutes, or until well risen & golden brown. transfer to a wire rack & let cool.

4. to make the icing, put the butter into a bowl & beat until fluffy. sift in the confectioners' sugar, add the lemon juice & beat together until smooth & creamy. add just enough milk to achieve desired consistency.

5. ice & decorate with fresh raspberries, lemon zest, or whatever your heart desires!

these cupcakes are so lemony & fresh!

absolutely perfect for summer.

decorating them with flowers made of raspberries

really turned them into something special, too!

now it's your turn -

link up those recipes & food posts!

how mangia mondays work:

. add a link to your recipe or food post & visit some others who have linked up before you .

. link back to mangia mondays anywhere on your blog .

. thanks for not linking up to giveaways or items you're selling .

. help spread the word about mangia mondays by sharing this post with others .

click here to check out all of the amazing blogs i'm linking this post to!

until next time,

dowlings, out!

mangia mondays 20: caramelized onion, bacon & spinach pizza

howdy, ya'll!

welcome to

a blog hop i co-host each week with the absolutely wonderful

lisa from shine your light!

this week i'm sharing:

caramelized onion, bacon & spinach pizza

6 TBS unsalted butter, divided

2 white onions, thinly sliced

1 TBS garlic, minced

1 lb fresh spinach leaves

8 oz heavy cream

1 egg yolk, slightly beaten

1/2 lb gruyere cheese, shredded & divided

pinch of cayenne pepper

pinch of nutmeg

1 pillsbury classic pizza crust

1. in a large skillet, melt 4 TBS butter over medium-high heat. reduce heat to medium & add onions. let them hang out & do their thing in the pan until they're nice & caramelized. {be patient with this as it does take time. mine took a good 45 minutes or so... but the effort & wait made for some tasty onions!} remove onions from skillet & set aside.

2. in the same skillet, saute the garlic & spinach until leaves are wilted. this should only take a couple of minutes. remove from heat & set aside.

3. in a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 TBS butter. add the cream & egg yolk; stir until combined. add 3/4 C gruyere & cook until melted, 2-3 minutes. stir occasionally. add the cayenne pepper & nutmeg.

4. preheat oven to 400 f. line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. unroll the pizza dough and pat to desired thickness on the cookie sheet. top with the white sauce, onions, spinach, remaining cheese & bacon {i saved a sprinkle of cheese to go on top of the bacon, too. :)} bake 15-18 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

this pizza was the bomb-dot-com.

totally loved it & will definitely be making it again!

i think it would be great to slice into small pieces & serve as an appetizer or at a party.

YUM-O! :D

now it's your turn -

link up those recipes & food posts!

how mangia mondays work:

. add a link to your recipe or food post & visit some others who have linked up before you .

. link back to mangia mondays anywhere on your blog .

. thanks for not linking up to giveaways or items you're selling .

. help spread the word about mangia mondays by sharing this post with others .

click here to check out all of the amazing blogs i'm linking this post to!

until next time,

dowlings, out!

mangia mondays 19: asparagus, prosciutto, pesto & romano stuffed pretzels

howdy, ya'll!

welcome to

a mouthwatering blog hop the ever-so-lovely

lisa from shine your light

& i co-host each week.

so how about them pretzels?

i love 'em.

but they really aren't a meal by themselves...

so how about we stuff 'em!?

asparagus, prosciutto, pesto & romano stuffed pretzels

10 C water

2/3 C baking soda

alton brown's soft pretzel dough {click for recipe}

1/2 C pesto

16 slices of prosciutto

1/2 C shredded romano cheese

1 bundle asparagus, woody ends removed, cut into thirds & prepared like this

{cook for only 5 mintutes, though!}

1 egg, beaten + 1 TBS water

sea salt, for sprinkling

1. in a large pot, bring water & baking soda to a rolling boil. preheat oven to 450 f.

2. while water is coming to a boil, divide the pretzel dough into 8 equal pieces. with your fingers, flatten each piece into a 3-4" circle {maybe bigger? i didn't really measure...}. on half of each piece of dough, spread 1 TBS pesto {making sure you leave space around the edges to seal it up!}, 2 slices of prosciutto, 1 TBS romano, and a spoon-full of asparagus. fold the other half of the dough over & crimp edges with a fork to seal them shut. make 3 small slits in the top for the steam to escape.

3. line a baking sheet with parchment paper & lightly grease.

4. dip each pretzel, one by one, into the boiling water/baking soda mixture for 30 seconds. remove to baking sheet, brush with egg wash & top with sea salt.

5. bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.

these are like amazing little pretzel-pockets...

definitely delicious!

now it's your turn -

link up those recipes & food posts!

how mangia mondays work:

. add a link to your recipe or food post & visit some others who have linked up before you .

. link back to mangia mondays anywhere on your blog .

. thanks for not linking up to giveaways or items you're selling .

. help spread the word about mangia mondays by sharing this post with others .

click here to check out all of the amazing blogs i'm linking this post to!

until next time,

dowlings, out!

mangia mondays 18: queso fundido with roasted poblano vinaigrette

howdy, ya'll

& welcome to

a blog hop i co-host each week with the suuuuuper amazing

lisa from shine your light!

this week,

i'm sharing a recipe from

bobby flay's mesa grill cookbook

queso fundido with roasted poblano vinaigrette

1 TBS unsalted butter

1 TBS all-purpose flour

1 C whole milk

3 C grated monterey jack cheese

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

**i added a dash of cayenne, too**

8 oz. fresh goast cheese, cut into 8 slices

**i added a healthy sprinkling of chipotle chili powder**

roasted poblano vinaigrette {recipe follows}

2 TBS chopped fresh cilantro

chips, for serving

1. preheat the broiler.

2. melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. whisk in the flour & cook for 1 minute. whisk in the milk & cook until slightly thickened. remove from the heat & stir in the grated monterey jack cheese; season with salt, pepper & cayenne.

3. scrape the mixture into an 8" cast-iron pan & place the slices of goat cheese over the top. put the pan under the broiler & broil until the goat cheese is golden brown on top. remove from the oven, drizzle with the poblano vinaigrette {or spoon it over the top} & sprinkle with chipotle chili powder & cilantro. serve with chips for dipping.

roasted poblano vinaigrette

2 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded & chopped

1 TBS red wine vinegar

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 tsp honey

1/4 C canola oil {i used vegetable}

salt & pepper, to taste

1. combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor & puree until smooth.

{um, how easy is that?}

if nothing else,

you MUST make the vinaigrette!

it's so delicious & totally makes this queso something spectacular.

now it's your turn -

link up those recipes & food posts!

how mangia mondays work:

. add a link to your recipe or food post & visit some others who have linked up before you .

. link back to mangia mondays anywhere on your blog .

. thanks for not linking up to giveaways or items you're selling .

. help spread the word about mangia mondays by sharing this post with others .

click here to check out all of the amazing blogs i'm linking this post to!

until next time,

dowlings, out!

mangia mondays 17: s'mores baklava

hiya, friends!

happy independence day

& of course, welcome to

lisa from shine your light

& i host this blog hop each week & are always amazed at the

wonderful recipes & food posts you all link up!

when thinking of the ultimate summer time dessert,

one thing comes to mind:

s'mores.

but... they aren't exactly the most elegant or refined thing to serve...

until now! :D

s'mores baklava

15 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

1 13 oz. jar nutella

1 7 oz. jar marshmallow creme

1 sleeve graham crackers, crushed

1. preheat oven to 350 f. line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. for tips on how to work with the phyllo, read the directions on the box. :) lay 1 sheet of phyllo on the parchment lined baking sheet; brush with melted butter & repeat until you have a stack 5 sheets high.

3. top with a layer of nutella. spread evenly & be gentle {you don't want to tear the dough!}. sprinkle a layer of graham cracker crumbs over the top. layer another 5 sheets or phyllo {alternating with the butter} over the top of the nutella & graham crackers.

4. spread a layer of marshmallow creme over the top, then another layer of nutella & graham cracker crumbs... &, you guessed it, 5 more sheets of phyllo and butter! :D

5. sprinkle a layer of graham cracker crumbs over the top & bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. cut & serve!

now it's your turn -

link up those recipes & food posts!

how mangia mondays work:

. add a link to your recipe or food post & visit some others who have linked up before you .

. link back to mangia mondays anywhere on your blog .

. thanks for not linking up to giveaways or items you're selling .

. help spread the word about mangia mondays by sharing this post with others .

click here to check out all of the amazing blogs i'm linking this post to!

until next time,

dowlings, out!