Asian Noodle Salad

I have made this for a couple of years and it is hands-down my all-time favorite salad. I got the recipe from the Pioneer Woman. I really love all of the recipes I've tried of hers, but this is one is my favorite. I believe she was inspired by a recipe from the Naked Chef.

I always forgot how much time it takes to cut all the vegetables up and what an incredible mess it makes. It also makes enough salad to feed an huge army, so if you are not feeding an army, be careful! I usually make it and only dress what I need, putting the leftover veggies and noodles in ziplock bags with a little dressing in a side bag, and then toss a small version for lunches the next few days.

I've used Asian rice noodles instead of linguini before, but I didn't like it nearly as much.

Asian Noodle Salad

1 pkg. linguine noodles, cooked, rinsed & cooled

1/2 head sliced napa cabbage

1/2 head sliced purple cabbage

1/2 bag baby spinach

1 of each red, yellow & orange bell peppers, thinly sliced

1 bag mung bean sprouts

1 bunch chopped cilantro

3 whole scallions, sliced

3 whole cucumbers, peeled & sliced

1 10-oz. can cashews

Mix the noodles and vegetables in a very large bowl, toss with the dressing and top with cashews. 

For the dressing:

1 whole lime, juiced

8 T. olive oil

8 T. soy sauce

2 T. sesame oil

1/2 c. brown sugar

3 T. fresh ginger, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeño, seeded & chopped

I like to put the dressing in my Blendtec blender to insure that everything is chopped super fine, but you can also do it all by hand. 

Key Lime Pie Pops

My dessert club has been a really fun excuse to try new recipes that I would normally never try. I tend to stick with my favorite recipes for desserts and don't usually branch out at all. June's theme was "FROZEN" and I knew I wanted to do some kind of popsicle. I thought it would be fun to do a key lime pie pop and as luck would have it, there was a lot of information on the internet. I found a couple of recipes, played with them, and this is what I came up with.

When cutting the key limes, I was dying at how cute they were. The picture below really doesn't do them justice, as you can't tell how tiny and miniature they are. I wanted to incorporate the lime slice somehow, so I cut a thin slice to put at the top. Not only was it cute, but it also gave the straw something to hold it up. However, when eating the popsicle, once you got to the lime at the bottom, it was really sour. I don't think I would add it when I make them again. 

I used small, clear "shot glasses" from a party store, and cut party straws. For our dessert club, we have to taste so many desserts, that we serve such small portions. These would be fabulous in a normal size popsicle mold.

Key Lime Pie Pops

1 14-oz. can of sweetened condensed milk

1 c. half and half

3/4 c. fresh key lime juice (about 2 lbs. of limes)

2 t. key lime zest

1/8 t. salt

2 c. graham cracker crumbs

Combine all ingredients, except for graham cracker crumbs. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze for about 5 hours. If you are not using conventional popsicle molds, you can add your sticks after about 2 hours. Right before serving the popsicles, take them out of the molds (run hot water over the mold, if needed) and roll the popsicle in cookie crumbs. 

My Favorite GREEN Smoothie

My friend, Bonnie McMillan visited last summer. She had taught me how to make her favorite green smoothie and I fell in love with it. She had a bag of this peanut butter/cocoa powder mix and I used it for a few months until it was suddenly gone. I looked everywhere for it and just kept forgetting to ask her where she buys hers. Finally, I contacted her and she told me it was at Whole Foods. I looked there, even asking all the staff about it, but we couldn't find it anywhere. A few weeks ago, I was in my local Giant grocery store and in the peanut butter isle, I saw a container of PB2 powder and realized that it was the same thing. It was different packaging that Bonnie had used, but it was the same powder. So, if you are looking for it at your local grocery store, check in the peanut butter section.

You really have to try this smoothie before judging it. My boys won't touch it because of the color, but it really tastes like a yummy milkshake. It's cool and refreshing and perfect for a hot summer morning.

Green Smoothie

1 c. coconut milk (any milk can be used)
1 c. ice
2 T. PB2 powder
1 T. agave syrup (more or less to taste)
2 c. loosely packed spinach leaves

Blend until smooth and enjoy!

Egg McMuffins TO GO!

Last night we got to have 6 boys from our stake stay at the night as part of their weekend youth conference. They were so much fun and very well behaved! When they got to our house last night, I had Rolo cookies waiting for them which they all loved and they ate a ton.

Earlier this week, a few of us friends went to lunch and were talking about our youth conference groups staying at our homes. My darling friend (and neighbor!) told us she was making egg mcmuffins for breakfast, since the kids had to be at the church at 6:30 a.m. I had been thinking about how to do breakfast since they were going to have to run so quickly, so I was excited for the idea. Rochelle said that she used to make them to take to her early morning seminary class. I loved the idea and whipped them up last night and this morning the boys loved them and were so happy that they could just grab a sandwich and jump in the car and go!

Egg McMuffins TO GO

12 English muffins
12 round pieces of ham or Canadian bacon
12 slices American cheese
20 eggs
1/4 c. milk
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet (with sides) with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. In a bowl, beat the eggs, milk, salt & pepper. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and bake for about 20-30 minutes until it is done. Remove from the oven and cut into 12 squares. 

Assemble the egg mcmuffins with the ham on one side of the muffin and the cheese on the other side, with the egg square in the middle. If making the night before, put them all on a cookie sheet, cover with saran wrap and refrigerate. When you are ready to heat them, cook uncovered for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Individually wrap in tin foil and they are ready to be transported anywhere!

Salted Caramel Sauce

This is the most amazing caramel sauce and takes minutes to make. The trick is you have to make it well in advance so it will cool and thicken a bit in your fridge before serving. My new favorite thing is to do is make yummy brownies, then set out ice cream, homemade hot fudge sauce and this caramel sauce, along with some great toppings for guests to make whatever they like. It's always a hit!

Salted Caramel Sauce

1 1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. water
1 c. heavy cream
1/2 t. vanilla
1/2 t. salt

Heat the water and sugar in a larger heavy bottomed saucepan. Cook over  low heat for 5 minutes, until the sugar dissolves. Do not stir! Increase heat to medium-high and boil, uncovered, until the sugar starts to turn a light brown/warm chestnut color (about 350 degrees on a candy thermometer). This will take about 5 minutes, but once it turns the light brown, it will burn very quickly, so don't let it get too dark. Do not stir at all, but you can swirl the pan a few times to get it mixed together. As soon as you feel it is a warm chestnut color, pull off heat immediately and add cream, vanilla and salt. Stand back and be very careful, as it will bubble violently. Quickly add back to the burner and stir, while on medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes until it is all combined and solidified. Take off heat and pour caramel into a glass jar. Refrigerate (freeze if you are in a hurry) and wait until it is a bit thicker. Usually about an hour or two is sufficient. To heat up, microwave for 30 seconds at a time until hot.

Salted Caramel Macarons

A couple of weeks ago, I was teaching a macaron class to some ladies in my ward. I had really been wanting to come up with a great salted caramel macaron, so I played around until I got the perfect combination. The caramel buttercream is amazing and really makes these macarons dreamy!

Thanks to my awesome friend, Heather Palmer, who took a photo of her macarons
the next day because I totally forgot to photograph them before they disappeared!

Salted Caramel Macarons



2 T. cocoa powder
2/3 c. almond flour

1 1/2 c. powdered sugar


3 egg whites (room temperature)


5 T. granulated sugar


1 t. vanilla extract


gel food coloring


flaked salt (purchased at World Market)

Heat oven to 280 degrees and place the racks on the two lowest positions. Cut pieces of parchment paper to fit two cookie sheets perfectly and then make 1-inch circles all over the papers, leaving at least 1/2-inch of space in between circles. With practice, you will be able to skip this step and pipe your macarons without the circles, while maintaining a fairly consistent size of circles. Also, silpat baking sheets are so much easier than parchment, if you want to make the investment.



Whisk cocoa powder, almond flower and powdered sugar together in a bowl. 

Place egg whites in the bowl of a mixer and start to mix on med-high. When they start to get frothy, add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue to beat until glossy, stiff peaks appear. To test it, pick up the whisk and if the egg whites peak and the top doesn't fall, they are ready. If it falls down, keep mixing. Make sure you don't over mix (it will become clumpy). Add vanilla and mix very quickly.

Transfer egg whites to a large bowl. Add half of the dry mixture and fold it about a dozen times until just mixed. Fold with a spatula, going up the sides, pushing down the center. Finish mixing the rest of the dry ingredients, being careful to fold and not stir. When you lift your spatula, the mixture should pour off like thick molten lava. If it's not flowing when you lift the spatula, it is too thick and needs more mixing.

Use a piping bag with a large round tip. Place it in a large cup and fold over the sides. Pour in half of the mixture and twist the top. Start piping the batter into the circles. The best way to do it is hold just over the pan (not touching) and let the batter come out until the circle is perfectly filled. Then quickly turn your wrist as you lift the tip to try and not leave a tail. Once the first pan is filled, hold the pan with both hands and tap hard on the counter 3 times. Turn the pan so your hands are on the opposite ends and tap again 3 times (helps get any air pockets out and flattens the cookies). Continue until both pans are filled and the rest of the batter is used up. If you'd like, you can sprinkle a couple flakes of salt onto the tops of the cookie. Let them sit on the counter for at least 15 minutes, or until the tops are no longer wet when you touch them.

Place the cookie sheets on the two bottom oven racks. You will have to experiment with the cooking times, but this is what worked for me. Set the timer for 2 minutes and when it rings, open the door to let any humidity escape. Then set the timer for 7 minutes. Once the time is up, change the pans so that the top one is now on the bottom, as well as turn around so the back of the pan is now in the front. Bake for 7 more minutes. To test the doneness, carefully lift the cookie off the sheet. If it comes off the parchment easily, they are done. If the cookie separates in half, bake one more minute, and so on. Cool the macaroons completely before filling.

To assemble the macarons, fill cooled shells with salted caramel buttercream (below). Try to match up sizes and shapes (easier when your cookies are all symmetrical) as you go.Before you sandwich the cookie with the top shell, sprinkle a VERY small amount of flaked salt on top of buttercream. 

Once they are filled, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days and freeze for up to a month. They are best after aging in the fridge for at least a couple of hours so the filling chills and they meld together a bit. Let them come back to room temperature before serving. If they are frozen, let them thaw completely in their original covered containers to avoid condensation from forming.

Salted Caramel Buttercream

(Start 2 hours before filling shells)

1 1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. water
1 c. heavy cream
1/2 t. vanilla
1/2 t. salt

1 cube salted butter

1/2 c. powdered sugar

Heat the water and sugar in a larger heavy bottomed saucepan. Cook over  low heat for 5 minutes, until the sugar dissolves. Do not stir! Increase heat to medium-high and boil, uncovered, until the sugar starts to turn a light brown/warm chestnut color (about 350 degrees on a candy thermometer). This will take about 5 minutes, but once it turns the light brown, it will burn very quickly, so don't let it get too dark. Do not stir at all, but you can swirl the pan a few times to get it mixed together. As soon as you feel it is a warm chestnut color, pull off heat immediately and add cream, vanilla and salt. Stand back and be very careful, as it will bubble violently. Quickly add back to the burner and stir, while on medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes until it is all combined and solidified. Take off heat and pour caramel into a glass jar. Refrigerate (freeze if you are in a hurry) and wait until it is thick. Usually about an hour or two is sufficient.

Pour half of the caramel sauce into a mixer with the whip attachment (save the other half for another batch or use as a caramel topping). Start beating caramel sauce on high speed until it is smooth and whipped. Add a cube of salted, room temperature butter and continue to beat. Add a 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and whip until creamy. The powdered sugar amount can be adjusted as needed to obtain the perfect consistency. 

Lemon Granita

When I was in Italy visiting my sister Karen, we stopped along the Amalfi Coast and had lemon granitas for 1 euro each. They were perhaps the most delicious lemon thing I had ever eaten. I just loved seeing all the little stands that you could purchase them from, where they make them fresh every day. I especially loved the man at this particular stand, and the picture of Sister Acerson, who couldn't see the same view as we could, visiting with he and his son.

When dessert club announced that this month's theme was lemon, I decided lemon bars were too obvious and decided to be more unique and make lemon granitas. Funny enough, we had 5 frozen lemon desserts and no lemon bars! 

I used meyer lemons, which are a cross between a lemon and an orange, and make this recipe delicious and unique. Sadly, they still aren't as good as Amalfi lemons, but this was a delicious little treat with the exact amount of sweet and sour and would be so refreshing in the summertime! 

Amanda & Josh helped me scrape the granitas all day!

Meyer Lemon Granita

1 1/4 c. strained meyer lemon juice

2 T. lemon zest

1 c. water

1 c. sugar

Place the lemon juice in a non-reactive mixing bowl and set aside. Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. When the sugar has dissolved, remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Stir the sugar syrup into the lemon juice and transfer to a stainless steel loaf pan, or cake pan. Place in the freezer, uncovered. When the top of the liquid forms of an icy layer, scrape through entire pan with a fork. Return to freezer and let another frozen layer form; scrape again with fork. Repeat freezing and scraping steps until all liquid is frozen. Fluff with a fork to create soft, snowy granita. If desired, clean out the lemon shells, freeze and fill with granita and top with a mint leaf.