Farmers Market Kale Salad with Watermelon

One of my role models, Lilly Pulitzer, always said, “Live colorfully”. Not only am I in agreement with Lilly, I also believe it’s important to eat colorfully as well. Over the weekend, I was able to pick up some very colorful produce at my local Farmers Market. It’s so important to buy fresh, local ingredients whenever possible. I purchase almost all of my produce from the Farmers Market, and it’s an excellent way to eat what is in season at the time, as well as support your local farmers.

Packed full of nutrients, this superfood salad is just the thing to serve during the Spring, and the upcoming Summer months. This dish pairs nicely with grilled meat or, even as a light meal in itself. Kale, watermelon, cucumbers and almonds are combined with an Asian style lime dressing for a salad that is full of color, and flavor. Between the crunch of the kale and cucumber, the sweetness of the watermelon, the saltiness of the almonds and the tang of the dressing there is no shortage of flavor here. What’s more preppy than a pink and green salad? Buy local, buy organic, buy color.

Ingredients:

1-2 large bunches of kale

1 ½ English hothouse cucumbers, sliced thin

3 cups cubed seeded watermelon

1/3 cup coarsely chopped roasted almonds

 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice

3 tablespoons hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon honey

Directions:

1. Chop kale and place in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine cucumbers and watermelon.
2. Whisk lime juice, hoisin, and honey in a small bowl to blend. Pour dressing over the cucumber and watermelon mixture and toss gently, until coated. Place the cucumber and watermelon on top of the kale, and top with chopped almonds.

A Sneak Peek…

A sneak peek from todays photo shoot! So many exciting things are happening at The Preppy Hostess! Be sure to keep checking back for big news, and as always, tips and tricks to living a preppy lifestyle! 

Miss Bee's Carrot Cake

Miss Bee’s Carrot Cake is without a doubt the best carrot cake I’ve ever had. It has that melt in your mouth texture, moist but not mushy and the most perfect balance of spice and sweetness. Most importantly, the frosting is to die for. It's what makes this cake so legendary!

From Louisiana, Miss Bee is one of the sweetest and most charming ladies I know. She's straight out of Southern Living’s Guide to Southern Charm. I always hate to ask for recipes (I'm even more hesitant to ask for family favorites passed down from generation to generation) but I just couldn’t resist with this cake. It's not enough just to be treated to this cake when I visit her, and of course, in true Miss Bee fashion, she happily gifted me the recipe. I'm so thankful to be able to share this phenomenal cake with my family and friends.

A perfect Spring dessert, carrot cake is one of the Easter Bunny's favorites. You can make this cake round like I did, into cupcakes, or if serving a crowd, a large rectangle. Whatever shape you choose, it’s sure to be delicious. Between the sweet spice of the cake and the creamy cream cheese frosting, you’ll be coming back for seconds or maybe even thirds… but don’t worry, I won’t tell - Miss Bee never did!
*Since this is a secret family recipe I will not post the original here. I found a very similar one on www.allrecipes.com. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cups vegetable oil

4 eggs

2 cups white sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3 cups grated carrots

1 cup chopped pecans

½ cup butter, softened

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

4 cups confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, white sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Fold in pecans. Pour into prepared pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
4. To Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in chopped pecans. Frost the cooled cake.

It's Magic! Five Layer Magic Bars

Lately I've been so busy! Between work, tennis games and cocktail parties I'm always looking for a quick and easy dessert to throw together last minute. Normally any bar recipe is quick and you can throw it in the oven and leave it alone - who doesn't love doing that? These Magic Bars are layers of good-ness, 5 Layers in fact! Graham cracker, condensed milk, chocolate, coconut and nuts are layered on top of one another to make a bar that is truly "magical"! 

Whether you need to throw together a last minute dessert, need a little comfort after a stressful day, or a dessert to freeze and store for later, these bars are for you. 

Ingredients:
 1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
14 oz can Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1 cup chopped nuts 

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 13 x 9 inch baking ban with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter and mix with hands. Press into the bottom of prepared pan. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture. Layer with chocolate, then coconut then nuts. Press down firmly. 
3. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until browned. Allow to cool and cut into bars. I suggest storing these covered and at room temperature. 

Confetti Rice Salad

Spring has sprung in Florida, and I'm ready to start making some of my favorite Spring dishes. It's time to put away those crock pots and turn off your ovens and start having colorful salads, cold soups and light dishes. Fresh, bright and colorful, this salad looks like a giant bowl of confetti. Organic rice, black beans, green onions, corn and brightly colored peppers are combined with a zesty dressing.

Perfect for picnics, parties or just a family dinner this salad is great because it can be made in advanced. In fact, it's actually better if it's made the night before because it gives the salad a chance to marinate in the dressing. It can also easily be doubled, if preparing for a crowd and it feeds a large  group pretty inexpensively. Serve with chicken or fish for a delicious Spring meal.

Ingredients:

Dressing

1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 tbs. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. cumin

1 clove minced garlic

Salad

1 cup uncooked rice

1 can black beans rinsed

1 can corn

3/4 c. red pepper chopped in small pieces

3/4 c. orange pepper chopped in small pieces

6 scallions chopped

Directions:

1. In a salad dressing mixer, combine all of the dressing ingredients. Set aside.
2. Cook rice according to directions. You should end up with approx. 2 1/2 cups of rice. Cool in large bowl.  
3. Drain and  rinse beans and then drain corn. Add to bowl with rice, and stir. Add the rest of the  chopped vegetables. Mix together with dressing to taste.  Chill in fridge, until completely cool.

 

Key Lime Pie

Although math has never been one of my strong points, baking has… So Happy Pi(e) Day, Preppy Hostess Style!

This year I debated which pie to make, but finally decided on Key Lime. I combined two different recipes to make this marvelous Key Lime Pie, which I thought would be picture-perfect to serve to my friends this weekend. Light, fresh and full of flavor this pie is a wonderful Florida desert and the color reminds me of spring. One of my favorite parts about this dessert is that the ingredient list is so small. By combining just a few simple ingredients, you can have a delicious pie in under a half hour. Plus, everyone knows the crust is the best part and this crust is so buttery and has just the right amount of graham cracker crunch.

If you didn’t already know, Pi Day is a celebration commemorating the mathematical constant π. It is celebrated annually on March 14, because 3, 1, and 4 are the three most significant digits of π, when in decimal form. Like I said earlier, I’ve never been great at math but I can bake… so if you’re like me, try making this pie… to celebrate Pi.

Ingredients:
Crust
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
5 tbs cup butter, melted
Filling
5 yolks beaten
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup key-lime juice

Directions:

1. Press crust mixture into a pie dish until crust lines the dish.
2. Mix together all of the filling ingredients with mixer, beat till smooth. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake at 375 for 15 min. Allow to cool and garnish with whipped cream and key-lime slices.

**Filling recipe came from 1999 American Pie Council’s National Pie Championship's first place winner in the Quick and Easy Category.

Leprechaun Dip with Shamrock Chips and Green Vegetables

Serve this Leprechaun Dip with Shamrock Chips and Green Vegetables, and you’ll be safe from pinches this St. Patrick’s Day. Fresh green vegetables and Shamrock Chips are paired with a creamy spinach dip, which makes a quick and easy St. Patrick’s Day party food.

It’s believed that the tradition of “pinching” started in the early 1700s, about the time that St. Patrick’s Day, the holiday, came to Boston. People thought that if you wore green, it made you invisible to the Leprechauns. It was believed that Leprechauns would pinch anyone they could see, so the main reason for the pinching is to warn and remind people of the Leprechauns. Remember to eat and wear green on Monday so the Leprechauns can’t catch you!

Ingredients:
Variety of fresh green vegetables
Green Peppers
Asparagus
Cucumber
Broccoli
Snap Peas
Celery
Shamrock Chips
Spinach tortillas
Cooking Spray
Garlic Salt
Spinach Dip
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry
¼ cup finely chopped carrot
⅔ cup mayonnaise
⅔ cup sour cream
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons minced scallions
2 garlic cloves, minced
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lay tortillas flat and cut out as many shapes as desired with shamrock cookie cutter. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and lightly spread olive oil on both sides of the tortillas. Season with garlic salt.
3. Bake at 350 for 7 minutes and flip shamrocks with tongs. Bake for another 7 minutes or until crispy. While chips are cooling, prepare spinach dip.
4. In a large bowl, stir together the chopped spinach, carrot, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, scallion, garlic, salt, pepper and cayenne until completely combined. Fold in the sour cream until combined.
5. Cover and refrigerate, until very chilled. Serve with Shamrock chips and fresh green vegetables.

Magically Delicious - Lucky Charms Marshmallow Bars

Perfect for a last minute St. Patrick’s Day get together, these Lucky Charm Marshmallow Bars are so easy to make and "magically delicious!" Lucky Charms cereal is mixed with melted butter and marshmallows to create this sweet treat. Being half Irish, St. Patrick’s Day was always a big day in my house growing up. I could always count on having one of these bars in my lunch box on St. Patrick's Day, along with other lucky green treats. 

Like any other older sibling, I used to love playing tricks on my brother and my younger cousin. They were three years younger and very impressionable. One St. Patrick’s Day, I lead them on a mile long hunt, for leprechauns. I formed a trail of Jelly Beans, all over the yard and down the street, to a neighbor’s house. I told them if they followed the trail they would find the leprechauns, and they believed me! Needless to say they were pretty mad at me when they got to the end and there were no leprechauns or pots of gold. Every year around this time, I remember that story, and laugh to myself how I tricked them! 

Ingredients: 6 cups Lucky Charms cereal 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 15 oz. mini marshmallows ( 1 ½ bags)

Directions:

1. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Add the marshmallows until they are just about fully melted into the butter. Add in the Lucky Charms cereal and stir until the cereal is fully coated.
3. Pour mixture into prepared baking pan and gently spread out evenly. Allow to set for over two hours, before cutting into rectangles.

Mardi Gras King Cake

It’s Mardi Gras once again, and this year I decided to not only throw on my beads, but also make a colorful and delicious King Cake!

The New Orleans Carnival season starts January 6^th, and it's traditionally part of the winter social season: including King Cake parties, debutante balls and other various parades. Most of these celebrations take place two weeks prior to Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras, in French), the day before Ash Wednesday. A small figurine is hidden in the cake and the lucky person that gets that slice is King for the day! This recipe comes from Southern Living Magazine and is a very traditional recipe for the popular Mardi Gras cake. 

Ingredients:

For Cake

1 (16-ounce) container sour cream

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter

1 teaspoon salt

2 (1/4-ounce) envelopes active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water (100° to 110°)

1 tablespoon sugar

2 large eggs, lightly beaten $

6 to 6 1/2 cups bread flour*

1/3 cup butter, softened $

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Ingredients:

For Glaze/Decoration

3 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 to 4 tablespoons milk

Purple, green and gold-tinted sparkling sugar sprinkles

Directions:

1. Cook first 4 ingredients in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring often, until butter melts. Set aside, and cool mixture to 100° to 110°.
2. Stir together yeast, 1/2 cup warm water, and 1 tablespoon sugar in a 1-cup glass measuring cup; let stand 5 minutes.
3. Beat sour cream mixture, yeast mixture, eggs, and 2 cups flour at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until smooth. Reduce speed to low, and gradually add enough remaining flour (4 to 4 1/2 cups) until a soft dough forms.
4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes). Place in a well-greased bowl, turning to grease top.
5. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until dough is doubled in bulk.
6. Punch down dough, and divide in half. Roll each portion into a 22- x 12-inch rectangle. Spread 1/3 cup softened butter evenly on each rectangle, leaving a 1-inch border. Stir together 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle evenly over butter on each rectangle.
7. Roll up each dough rectangle, jelly-roll fashion, starting at 1 long side. Place one dough roll, seam side down, on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bring ends of roll together to form an oval ring, moistening and pinching edges together to seal. Repeat with second dough roll.
8. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 20 to 30 minutes or until doubled in bulk.
9. Bake at 375° for 14 to 16 minutes or until golden. Slightly cool cakes on pans on wire racks (about 10 minutes).
10. For the glaze: Stir together first 4 ingredients. Stir in 2 tablespoons milk, adding additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until spreading consistency. Drizzle glaze evenly over warm cakes; sprinkle with colored sugars, alternating colors and forming bands. Let cool completely.

Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes

A childhood classic, the Creamsicle is one of those desserts that bring me back to summers on Nantucket, and building sand castles from Surfside Beach to Pocomo Point. Most of us have tried the classic ice cream treat, at least once, and I think it’s safe to say the bright orange color; creamy ice cream and sweet orange flavor bring us right back to our childhood.

Since it is still a little cold out, especially for those of you up north, this version of the childhood classic can be enjoyed all year round.  I took the same delicious flavoring of the frozen dessert, and made a cupcake, which is bursting with orange and cream. I guarantee this dessert will take you back to summer time as a child, so if there’s still snow on the ground where you live… make these this week and close your eyes, summer will be right around the corner.

 

Ingredients:

For the cake

1 box white cake mix (I know I rarely do this… but trust me these are good)

1 3oz box Orange JELL-O gelatin

1/4 c orange juice

1 tsp orange extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line about 18 muffin pans with cupcake liners.
2. In a large bowl, prepare the white cake mix as package directs, but substitute 1/4 cup orange juice for1/4c water then add remaining water, add gelatin and orange extract and mix on medium speed until combined, about two minutes.
3. Fill cupcake liners with batter.
4. Bake for 18 – 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Once done, allow to cool completely.
5. Once cupcakes are cooled, hallow out the center of the cake with either a cupcake corer if you have one, or a butter knife and fill the centers with White Cream Cheese Frosting. Once cupcakes are filled, frost cupcakes with Orange Butter Cream Frosting.

Below are the two different frosting recipes.

Ingredients:

For the White Cream Cheese Frosting

2 oz butter, softened

2 oz cream cheese softened

1 cup powdered sugar

¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract

½ teaspoon of full fat milk

Directions:

1. In a large bowl mix together the butter and cream cheese on high with an electric mixer until well whipped. Add the vanilla extract and milk. Slowly add the cup of powdered sugar and whip on slow until the frosting is at the desired consistency.

Ingredients:

Orange Butter Cream Frosting

1 cup butter softened

7 cups powdered sugar

¼ cup orange juice

1 tsp fresh orange zest

Orange food coloring

Directions:

1. In a large bowl mix together the butter on high with an electric mixer until well whipped. Add the orange juice and orange zest. Mix to combine. Slowly add the powdered sugar one cup at a time and whip on slow until the frosting is at the desired consistency. Add orange food coloring if desired.