Hallmark Channels Celebrity Good Life

Roasted Sirloin Beef

 

Servings:  8
Preparation Time:  10 min
Cooking Time:  28 min
Level of Difficulty:  Easy
 
Ingredients:
1 spray(s) cooking spray     
2 pound(s) lean sirloin beef    
1 tsp table salt    
1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground    
4 medium garlic clove(s), minced    
2 Tbsp rosemary, fresh, minced, or 2 tsp dried rosemary    
2 tsp dried oregano    

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Coat a shallow roasting pan with cooking spray.

Season beef all over with salt and pepper; transfer to prepared pan.

Combine garlic, rosemary and oregano in a small bowl. Rub herb mixture all over top of beef; gently press herbs into beef with your hands so it sticks.

Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in center of beef reads 160ºF, about 28 minutes (for medium meat; cook longer for well-done meat).

Let beef stand 15 minutes before slicing crosswise into thin (1/4-inch thick) slices.

Yields about 3 ounces per serving. 
 

Now and Zen

 

Heading to Yoga? Try this heavenly creation before you go. Just take a sweet smelling bowl of Strawberries & Cream oatmeal, slice up some ripe banana and top with yogurt and granola. One spoonful of this, and you’ll be on your way to true enlightenment.

 

Lemon-Tree Lemon Bars

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Hands Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients
CRUST
2 cups flour 1/2 cup Confectioners’ sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into tablespoons

TOPPING
4 large eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup lemon juice (3 large lemons)  

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degree F.    

2. Make the crust: In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, blend together the flour, Confectioners’ sugar and butter until crumbly. With lightly floured hands, press the mixture evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9 x 13-inch pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until light golden brown.
    
3. Meanwhile, make the topping: In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Mix in the granulated sugar, flour, baking powder and lemon juice. Set aside until the crust is done.   

4. Remove the crust from the oven, quickly remix the lemon topping and pour it over the warm crust. Return it to the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is a light golden brown. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack.    

5. Just before serving, sprinkle the top with Confectioners’ sugar through a strainer. Cut into 36 bars, 1-1/2 inches by 2 inches.

Makes 3 dozen bars.

Mini Chocolate-Chip Cookies

  
 
 
Servings:  24
Preparation Time:  10 min
Cooking Time:  20 min
Level of Difficulty:  Easy
 
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp butter, softened    
2 tsp canola oil    
1/2 cup(s) packed brown sugar, dark-variety    
1 tsp vanilla extract    
1/8 tsp table salt    
1 large egg white(s)    
3/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour    
1/4 tsp baking soda    
3 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips, about 1/2 cup    
2 Tbsp butter, softened    
2 tsp canola oil    
1/2 cup(s) packed brown sugar, dark-variety    
1 tsp vanilla extract    
1/8 tsp table salt    
1 large egg white(s)    
3/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour    
    

 

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375ºF.

In a medium bowl, cream together butter, oil and sugar. Add vanilla, salt and egg white; mix thoroughly to combine.

In a small bowl, mix together flour and baking soda; stir into batter. Add chocolate chips to batter; stir to distribute evenly throughout.

Drop rounded half-teaspoons of dough onto one or two large nonstick baking sheets, leaving a small amount of space between each cookie. Bake cookies until golden around edges, about 4 to 6 minutes; cool on a wire rack.

Yields 2 cookies per serving.

Notes:
Indulge your craving for an intense chocolate experience. Buy a 3-ounce bar of fine chocolate with a percentage of 75 or higher on the label. The percentage indicates the combined amount of cocoa bean and added cocoa butter in the chocolate. The higher the percentage, the greater the chocolate taste and the less sweet the product. Chop up the bar and use it instead of the chocolate chips.

Fruit Crisps

This calls for more fruit than is needed to make six crisps. The leftover fruit can be made into smoothies or mixed with vanilla yogurt and some mint to serve the next morning at breakfast. If you’ve cut up the fruit ahead of time, toss the bananas and pears with some lemon juice.

COOK’S NOTE: To peel the peaches, drop them into boiling water for 45 seconds. Rinse under cold water and peel.

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Hands Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients
TOPPING
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces  

FRUIT
4 ripe pears, peeled and cut into 1/3-inch cubes
4 firm-ripe peaches, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 bananas, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 mango, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 1/2 pint strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or sliced almonds
1/2 cup dried cranberries, cherries or golden raisins

Instructions
1. Make the topping: In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal.    

2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place 1 cup of cut-up fresh fruit in an 8-ounce ramekin. The main fruits should be pears and peaches, and the mango, bananas and strawberries should be used as accent fruits. Sprinkle with a couple of spoonfuls of nuts and dried fruit. The fruit should mound just slightly.   

3. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of topping over the fruit and press the topping gently down so that it stays in place. Put the ramekins on a baking sheet.   

4. Bake for 30 minutes or until the crisps are golden brown on top and the pears are soft. Remove them from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 6 servings (with leftover fruit).

Crunch Time

 

Have a deadline looming? This delicious breakfast will help you kick start your day and get you to the office on time. Just take some Cinnamon & Spice oatmeal and load it with walnuts and dark chocolate chips. Now that’s a crunch we can get into.

Cherry-Glazed Chocolate Muffins

 

Servings:  12
Preparation Time:  18 min
Cooking Time:  30 min
Level of Difficulty:  Moderate
          
Ingredients:
2 spray(s) cooking spray    
1 1/2 cup(s) all-purpose flour    
1/2 cup(s) unsweetened cocoa    
1 cup(s) powdered sugar    
1 tsp baking soda    
3/4 tsp table salt    
3/4 cup(s) Neufchatel cheese, softened    
1 1/4 cup(s) water, warm, divided    
1 tsp vanilla extract    
1 Tbsp vinegar    
1/2 cup(s) unsweetened frozen sour red cherries, pitted, left whole, or cherries jarred in water (about 12 cherries)    
1 tsp butter, softened    
1/2 cup(s) powdered sugar    
1/4 tsp vanilla extract    
 1/8 cup(s) unsweetened frozen sour red cherries, pitted, finely chopped or cherries jarred in water (about 3 cherries)    
3 tsp water, warm, or more if necessary    
   
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF and coat a 12-hole muffin tin with cooking spray or muffin liners.

Sift together flour, cocoa, 1 cup of powdered sugar, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.

Using an electric mixer, cream Neufchatel cheese, about 1/2 cup of warm water and 1 teaspoon of vanilla together in a large bowl until blended.

With mixer running on slow, add flour mixture in small batches, alternating with remaining 3/4 cup of warm water, until batter is thoroughly blended; add vinegar and mix well.

Fill each muffin hole with a tablespoon of batter (you’ll have about 1/2 the batter left). Place a whole cherry in center of each muffin hole and top with remaining batter so each hole is about 2/3 to 3/4 full.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool muffins for 5 minutes in tin and then remove muffins to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

While muffins are cooling, make glaze: Combine butter, 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla, 3 chopped cherries and 3 teaspoons of warm water (add another teaspoon of water if glaze is too thick). Spread each cooled muffin with a thin layer of glaze.

Yields 1 muffin per serving.

Notes:
If you’re a mocha fan, you can adapt this recipe to your liking and skip the cherries altogether. Simply replace the warm water in both the batter and glaze with an equal amount of hot coffee and add about 1/2 teaspoon (or more) of instant espresso powder to the glaze for an extra jolt; remove all cherries from recipe.

You can use regular unsweetened frozen cherries instead of the sour cherries if desired.

Chocolate-Pecan Pie

Like many Southern pies, and pecan pies in particular, this dessert is for those with a serious sweet tooth.

COOK’S NOTE: If you use store-bought pie pastry that is already in a pie tin, be sure to get the deep-dish type or there may be too much filling.  

MAKE-AHEAD: If you make the pie ahead and refrigerate it, then warm in a 275 degree F oven for 15 minutes before serving to soften the chocolate a bit

Total Time: 1 hour (plus cooling)

Hands Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients
4 large eggs
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons bourbon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
One 9-inch pie shell, homemade or store-bought
1 cup pecans (4 ounces), coarsely chopped

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Whisk in the brown sugar, corn syrup, melted butter, bourbon and salt.

3. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the bottom of the pie shell. Pour in the filling. Sprinkle the pecans evenly over the top. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the edges of the filling are firm and the center is set but still a little quivery, like gelatin. If the edges of the crust start to brown too quickly, cover them with strips of foil.

4. Let cool for at least 1-1/2 hours. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 12 servings.

Skinnier Cobb Salad

Here’s a healthier version of a classic Cobb Salad. We’ve substituted turkey bacon for regular bacon, left out the blue cheese and omitted the egg yolks from the hard-cooked eggs. Compared with a regular Cobb Salad, this version has 33 percent fewer calories and 45 percent less fat.

MAKE-AHEAD: Most of the components can be prepped well ahead of time, except for the avocado, which should be cut up shortly before you assemble the salad.

Total Time: 1 hour
HandsTime: 45 minutes

Ingredients
DRESSING 1/4 cup low-fat yogurt
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt 1 clove garlic, minced  

SALAD
7 cups chopped or shredded crisp lettuce (such as iceberg or romaine)
5 cups chopped or shredded bitter greens (such as watercress and/or chicory)
2 medium tomatoes, sliced, or 3 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cooked* and shredded
1 Hass avocado, sliced
3 hard-cooked egg whites, cubed
6 strips turkey bacon, cooked until crisp, then broken into pieces
2 tablespoons minced chives

*You can cook the chicken any way you’d like.

Instructions
1. Make the dressing: In a screwtop jar, combine all the ingredients and shake well.  
 
2. Assemble the salads: For each individual salad, make a bed of the greens on a large plate. Arrange the tomatoes, chicken, avocado, egg whites and bacon in separate groups over the greens. Sprinkle with the chives.   

3. Just before serving, drizzle some of the dressing over each salad.

Makes 6 servings.

Roast Beet Salad

 

Servings:  2
Preparation Time:  15 min
Cooking Time:  70 min
Level of Difficulty:  Easy
 
Ingredients:
 1/2 pound(s) beets, red (about 2 medium)    
2 tsp olive oil    
1 medium tangerine(s), peeled, divided into segments, pits removed    
 2 Tbsp red onion(s), chopped    
 1 medium stalk(s) celery, chopped    
2 tsp white wine vinegar    
1/4 tsp dry mustard    
1/4 tsp table salt    
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground   

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400°F.

Place beets on a large piece of aluminum foil; drizzle with oil. Fold foil to form a tightly sealed packet. Place packet on a baking sheet and roast until beets are tender when pierced with a fork, about 1 hour.

Cool beets for 10 minutes, open packet (be careful of escaping steam), slip off beets' skins with a paring knife and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Place beets in a serving bowl. Add tangerine, onion and celery; toss gently.

In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper; pour over beets and toss to mix and coat. Serve immediately.

Yields about 1/2 cup per serving.

Notes:
Substitute a grapefruit for the tangerine, if you prefer.