Yellow Grapefruit Bars

Posted on by Sarah

Yellow grapefruit bars are lemon bars’ mellow yellow cousin! Try this refreshing baked dessert with fresh-squeezed juice!

My husband calls these yellow grapefruit bars a “sleeper dessert.” You know the kind: the food you don’t think you’re gonna like that much or doesn’t seem that tasty at first…and then it grows on you. And I have to say, I think he’s right.

When I first whipped them up as a last-minute Easter dessert, I wasn’t sure what to expect of them, either. They were mainly an excuse to use up some of the many yellow grapefruits I’d been gifted from my mom’s over-producing citrus tree. Besides, with the coronavirus situation, I really don’t want to go to the store any more than I have to right now…so using up ingredients I have on hand sounded like a solid plan.

I’d made Ina Garten’s lemon bar recipe recently, with delicious results, and was thrilled to have finally found one that didn’t end up runny on top, squishy on bottom. (If you’ve ever made an unsuccessful attempt at lemon bars, you know what a miracle it is to find a great recipe.) Could this tried-and-true recipe hold steady with a substitution of grapefruit juice–and a few other tweaks?

Why, yes, it could–and it did!

These grapefruit bars turned out yummy at first, but as their flavor deepened over 24 hours or so, they got even tastier. (Hence their “sleeper dessert” status.) Their flavor isn’t as tart as lemon, but if you’re not a fan of pucker-up acidity, that may be just fine for you. The shortbread crust holds together beautifully with the help of a splash of milk, since I always find shortbread needs a bit of extra moisture to keep from crumbling. And their fruity, gooey filling? Perfectly smooth AND doesn’t stick to the knife when you’re trying to haul them out of the pan.

If you need a springy sweet fix (and who couldn’t use a little something sweet in these tough times?) a pan of these will do the trick.

(P.S. Did you know there are at least five different types of grapefruit?) I can’t say if this recipe would work with any of the other interesting varieties, but it’s certainly worth a try!)

Print Recipe
2 from 1 vote

Grapefruit bars

Grapefruit bars are lemon bars' mellow yellow cousin! Try these with fresh-squeezed juice.
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time1 hr
Course: Dessert
Servings: 16

Ingredients

For the crust:

  • 1 c. butter
  • 1/2 c. sugar
  • 2 c. all-purpose flour
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 Tbsp. milk or half and half

For the filling:

  • 6 large or extra-large eggs
  • 2 3/4 c. sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. grated yellow grapefruit zest
  • 1 c. fresh yellow grapefruit juice
  • 1 c. all-purpose flour
  • powdered sugar, for topping

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.

Make the crust:

  • In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add flour and salt and mix. Add milk and stir until dough holds together. Press into the bottom of prepared pan evenly. Bake 25-28 minutes or until lightly browned.

Make the filling:

  • Wipe out the bowl you used to make the crust. Whisk together the eggs, sugar, grapefruit zest, grapefruit juice, and flour. When the crust is done, pour this mixture over it and return to the oven for another 30 to 35 minutes.
  • Cool and dust with powdered sugar. Cut into squares.

Notes

Adapted from The Food Network.

 

Quarantine Exercise Playlist

Posted on by Sarah

Going stir-crazy during Covid-19? Here’s a fun Quarantine Exercise Playlist to get you moving and smiling.

Since my last post, it seems like the world has become a very different place. The onset of the coronavirus has changed so many aspects of everyday life–and, for some, even put life at risk.

How are you hanging in there?

For me, the last month has felt surreal. If I’m honest, I have NOT been at my best. Suddenly having to homeschool my kids and scale way back on my writing career has not only been a major challenge, but a blow to my ego and sense of self. Besides which, I miss my church community terribly, desperately want to see my friends in person, AND–the kicker–I haven’t been to Trader Joe’s in a month. (I jest…kind of.) Then of course there are all the worries about the economic impact of this disaster.

One thing I can still enjoy, though, is my semi-weekly run. Getting outdoors with my heart pumping certainly helps lift my spirits and put things in perspective. So, even though it’s not about food, I thought I’d share a Quarantine Exercise Playlist. (I’ve shared favorite workout songs a few times in the past, if you’d like to check out my other exercise playlists!)

These songs, for one reason or another, seem appropriate to our current situation. Some are uplifting, some are funny, some seem like they were written just for social distancing. I hope you’ll add them to your playlist for running, cycling, elliptical-ing, or whatever it is you do to get active.

Quarantine Exercise Playlist

1. “Higher Love” by Whitney Houston & Kygo

This ain’t your momma’s “Higher Love” from ’80s soft rock radio. Norwegian DJ/producer Kygo has taken a little-known recording of the song by Whitney Houston and tweaked it into something infectiously danceable–and surprisingly timely.

I definitely resonate with lyrics like:

Things look so bad everywhere / In this whole world, what is fair? and Worlds are turnin’ and we’re just hangin’ on / facing our fear and standing out there alone

But I love the resolution that there’s a Higher Love who’s got our back through all of this.

2. “I’ll Be Waiting” by Adele

“I’ll Be Waiting” is all about the chance to do things differently. I know there are things I’d change if I could go back to the time before this pandemic–and I definitely plan to do some things differently when it’s over, like appreciate my in-person friendships all the more.

3. “Every Time I’m Ready to Hug” by Ra Ra Riot

This song is so upbeat and happy, you’d never know it’s about trying to hug someone…and not being able to. (Story of our lives right now, right?) Give indie rock band Ra Ra Riot a listen in this zippy little tune.

4. “This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us” by Sparks

I swear, some people are taking social distancing so seriously, you’re practically not allowed to be in the same town with them…hence this hit by ’70s brother duo Sparks.

5. “Stand By You” by Rachel Platten

Even if we can’t find heaven, I’ll walk through hell with you / Love, you’re not alone, ’cause I’m gonna stand by you

Okay, cue the tears. For anyone who misses spending time with friends and family right now, this one may be a tear-jerker. But for me, it’s a reminder that friendship is stronger than physical distance and we’re all in this together.

6. “Dancing With Myself” by Billy Idol

I mean, for obvious reasons…

7. “Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift

Some days in the last month since the coronavirus hijacked normal life, I’ve just needed to shake off the problems of the world. They’re not mine to solve. A little of T-Swift’s “Shake It Off” definitely helps.

8. “A Change Would Do You Good” by Sheryl Crow

This one’s here for a little irony. I don’t know about you, but I’m getting tired of the confinement of quarantine. It’d be so nice to travel or see something besides the small radius of walks in my neighborhood. A change would definitely do me good. Ya know, in another couple of months or next year or whenever…

9. “Never Give Up” by Sia

Is coronavirus awful and miserable? Yes. Are we as a society going to get through it? YES!

The lyrics in “Never Give Up” are a near-guaranteed injection of hope: I won’t let you get me down / I’ll keep gettin’ up when I hit the ground / Oh, never give up, no never give up, no, no

10. “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” by The Police

Who says social distancing can’t rock? Someone needs to do a coronavirus cover of this Police song and change the words “so close” to “within six feet.”

11. “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor

There’s a reason Gloria Gaynor’s disco smash is still a go-to song for everyone from cancer fighters to discarded wives. It’s totally an anthem of the human spirit. Crank it up for a head-clearing run or dance.

12. “Virus Alert” by Weird Al Yankovic

Weird Al’s “Virus Alert” (which, incidentally, is a parody of the aforementioned ’70s band Sparks’ signature style) is so catchy and funny, I think you’ll find it the perfect accompaniment to your virus-quarantined workout…even though it’s about a computer virus, not an ACTUAL virus.

What’s your favorite uplifting song for quarantine exercise? Tell me in the comments!

15 Fascinating Things I Learned at the American Pistachio Growers’ Conference

Posted on by Sarah

Whaddaya know about pistachios? Here are 15 fascinating things I learned at the 2020 American Pistachio Growers’ Conference!

Food writing can be a pretty sweet gig.

First of all, as an introvert, I’m perfectly happy tapping away in my living room in my PJs most days. And then there’s the fun free samples I get offered–everything from salmon jerky to banana milk to plant-based ice creams. Besides which I really just enjoy writing, and (as you probably deduced from the name of this blog) I absolutely LOVE food.

But last week I had a food writer experience that topped everything I’ve seen so far. Not long ago, I got an email from the PR rep for the American Pistachio Growers, who had seen an article I’d written on the up-and-coming, new-but-ancient grain freekeh. He wrote to inquire whether I’d be interested in attending the APG’s annual conference to hear some exciting new research on pistachios…and possibly write about them in the future.

Oh, and bonus? The conference was being held in beautiful Monterey, California. And–strange-but-true additional tidbit–the keynote speaker was Dr. Mehmet Oz, whose daytime TV show I happened to be a guest on a few months back for a personal story from my past. This time, though, I’d be the one asking him the questions in a Q & A about pistachios.

Anyway, attend I did, and holy WOW, the pistachio people treated me right! As a relative newbie in my career, I’m not used to being wined and dined, so it was pretty fabulous to be given a front-row seat at the conference, taken out for a couple of amazing seafood dinners, and led on a glorious hike at Point Lobos State Park.

(Oh, and I can’t forget to mention my auspicious meeting with the American Pistachio himself.)

I had the chance to talk with several pistachio growers, attend info sessions presenting the latest research on the nuts, and of course, sit down for an interview about pistachio nutrition with Dr. Oz. (Frankly I was a little doubtful at first about his expertise on pistachios, but he was actually very knowledgeable!)

All in all, it was a super informative couple of days that taught me so much about these healthy little nuts. I totally drank the pistachio Kool-Aid–and I thought I’d share some of the interesting facts I learned! Here are 15 fascinating things I learned at the American Pistachio Growers conference.

1. Pistachios were just recently discovered to be a complete protein–and the discovery was kind of an accident.

Not familiar with the concept of complete protein? Foods with complete protein contain all nine essential amino acids (the kind your body can’t produce and needs to get from food). Most complete proteins are meat or dairy products, so it’s a big deal that American roasted pistachios were just discovered to be a vegan/vegetarian source.

Here’s the funny thing: When the American Pistachio Growers had their product analyzed, they only wanted to see if it could be labeled as a “good source” of protein. In the process, they got the surprise result that pistachios are a complete protein as well!

2. Pistachios are a good source of protein and fiber.

Six grams of protein and three grams of fiber per one-ounce serving mean pistachios can help keep you full and boost digestion.

3. They’re one of the lowest-calorie nuts.

Compared to pecans, Brazil nuts, macadamia nuts, and hazelnuts, pistachios are a relatively low-calorie nut, with 160 calories per serving. Bonus: Your digestive tract doesn’t actually break down nuts in their entirety, so you actually absorb fewer calories than what’s listed on the nutrition facts label–up to 15% fewer, in fact.

4. No one knows how pistachios were brought to the U.S.

According to nut growing legend, some unknown traveler to the U.S. brought (or perhaps smuggled?) a pistachio bush from the Middle East at some point in the mid-20th century. But no one really knows how pistachio plants made their way to this country.

5. The U.S. pistachio industry is only about 40 years old.

Whoever it was that brought the first pistachio plant, it probably only happened around the 1960s. From there, the pistachio industry began to take root (literally) in the ’70s.

6. Pistachios only grow in three U.S. states: California, Arizona, and New Mexico.

Well, isn’t my home state special? Arizona is one of just three states where pistachios are grown. Outside the U.S., they primarily grow in Turkey and Iran, with a few farms in other Mediterranean countries.

7. Pistachio trees require very specific conditions to grow–like a Western wind and a certain number of hours below 38 degrees F.

This is why they only grow in a very few places on Earth!

8. American pistachios grow on trees. Everywhere else, they grow on bushes.

Another unknown in the pistachio growing world: When pistachios were brought to the U.S., did someone graft them with a tree? For whatever reason, American pistachio farms consist of trees, while elsewhere the nuts grow on bushes.

9. Ounce for ounce, pistachios have as much protein as an egg.

One egg = 6 grams of protein. One ounce of pistachios also = six grams.

10. …and more potassium than bananas.

Bananas aren’t the only potassium rockstar. A serving of pistachios has 290mg of this micronutrient–6% of the recommended daily value.

11. The reason you don’t see pistachio milks, butters, and other products is an issue of supply, not feasibility.

Since pistachios don’t grow just anywhere, there simply aren’t that many of them–and there’s only so far they can go in the food supply. That’s why you don’t see them as butters, milks, flours, and other products, as you do with almonds or cashews. Pistachios certainly could be used in these ways; there’s just not enough of them (yet) to be made into all these products.

12. For this reason, the American Pistachio Growers focus on marketing their nuts primarily as snacks.

Pistachios are perfect for snacking, so that’s the direction APG has taken with marketing their limited quantity. Among their spokespeople are professional soccer players and snowboarders.

13. We don’t really know how long pistachio trees can live.

According to the growers I spoke with, this is also an unknown, since the trees have such a short history. So far, the belief is that they may live 100-200 years.

14. Pistachio extract has been shown to have antimicrobial properties.

In addition to their many health benefits as a snack, pistachios’ extract has been shown to contain antimicrobial properties. In the future, we may see medicines made with pistachio extract.

15. One serving of pistachios is 49 nuts.

Why not 50? I’m not sure, but a one-ounce serving comes out to 49 nuts.

So what do you think? Now that you know more about the little green nuts, are you ready to get your ‘stash on? I certainly am!

Lemon Ricotta Muffins

Posted on by Sarah

These Lemon Ricotta Muffins are sweet, rich, and cake-like–even though they contain whole wheat flour and not a ton of sugar!

Even though I live in one of the hottest places in the country, I still always look forward to the end of winter and the beginning of spring. (Especially now that I’m getting older and seem to be turning into a cranky old lady about the cold.) Here in Phoenix, one of the signature harbingers of spring–along with our beautiful wildflowers and the snowbirds leaving town–is the harvesting of lemons.

I don’t have a producing lemon tree myself, but my mom does, and BOY does that thing produce. There’s no way I could get through the lemon juice from the 49,000 lemons she brought over recently (in addition to the 49,000 I’m sure she also has at her house), but I of course want to hang on to it for use in tasty muffins, sauces, desserts, and more.

My favorite method for preserving all that good, fresh juice? Freezing it in a handy-dandy ice cube tray.

A couple of weekends ago, I enlisted my eight-year-old daughter to help me with juicing–a task she actually seems to enjoy. There really is something kind of fun about watching the whirring devastation of the juicer emptying lemons of their insides. We let it do its quick work, poured the juice into individual little wells, and…

Boom! Fresh lemon juice for months to come!

Now that I have a freezer full of lemon juice, I’ve been going a little nuts with the lemon recipes. The other day I made a batch of these lemon ricotta muffins–which was a bit of a leap of faith, because the lemon ricotta muffin recipes I’ve tried in the past have been a complete disaster. (Granted, that’s probably because I tried to substitute cottage cheese for ricotta and ended up with hard, chewy balls of baked cheese in each bite. Learn from my mistakes: Do NOT use cottage cheese for ricotta in baked goods.)

These muffins, on the other hand, turned out delicious, with a rich, cake-like texture. The creamy ricotta added moisture while eliminating the need for butter or oil. And not only did these taste like spring with their light lemon flavor, some pretty muffin liners (from TJ Maxx) made them look extra fresh and appealing–almost like Arizona wildflowers blooming right out of my oven.

For an Easter brunch or sweet afternoon snack, give these Lemon Ricotta Muffins a try! And tell me in the comments: What flavors make you think of spring?

This post contains an affiliate link. This means I have received compensation for including it.

Print Recipe

Lemon Ricotta Muffins

Rich, cake-like, and full of lemony flavor, these muffins are a special treat!
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Course: Breakfast
Servings: 12 muffins

Ingredients

  • 1/2 c. white whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
  • 2/3 c. granulated sugar
  • 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 3/4 c. ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 c. almond milk
  • 1/4 c. olive oil
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 Tbsp. lemon zest
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin, or line with paper liners.
  • In a large bowl, mix both flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center and add all remaining ingredients. Stir gently until combined.
  • Divide batter among muffin cups and bake 16-20 minutes. To retain freshness, store baked muffins in the refrigerator.

Notes

Adapted from MyRecipes.

 

11 Weird Facts About Fruit

Posted on by Sarah

My kids have these books–if you have kids, you’ve probably seen them, too–that are all about strange and interesting facts. 1,001 Facts About the Human Body That’ll Blow Your Mind, 2,002 Weird and Wacky Facts About Natural Disasters, 3,003 Star Wars Facts You Won’t Learn From Watching the Movies. These are, of course, always complete with pictures of volcanoes gurgling over and half-costumed Wookies. (Aside: No, autocorrect, for once in my life I do NOT want to write “cookies,” but thank you for understanding my inner monologue so well.)

Last week I was chaperoning my 8-year-old daughter’s field trip to the natural history museum when a kid in my little student-herd kept getting on my nerves with his endless recitation of facts. Actually, he would pipe up, the longest whale on Earth was blah blah feet long. ACTUALLY, the oldest trilobite ever discovered was blah blah billion years old. No doubt, he had gotten these from the same books my kids pore over. (That or he has a lot of internet access for a third grader.)

I really had to grit my teeth to keep from opening up an ACTUAL can of chaperone whoop-ass on this kid, but then I realized…I’m a collector of weird facts, too. I just like different kinds of weird facts, usually about food. After all, fun facts are such delightful little nuggets of intellectual enjoyment, especially when they pertain to something that already interests us. Learning something new or strange must light up a particular part of our brains connected to pleasure. See, kids? Learning IS fun.

Anyway, I’m a sucker for surprising tidbits about any category of comestible, so for your reading pleasure (or, more likely, my own) I’ve assembled several about one of my favorite categories of food: fruit! Fruit is such a commonplace thing in our edible lexicon, but ACTUALLY it holds a ton of strange secrets. Therefore, I give you..

11 Weird Facts About Fruit

1. Kiwi isn’t originally from New Zealand or Australia. This fruit was originally grown in China and was known as the Chinese gooseberry until 1959.

2. Many people assume jackfruit is the world’s largest fruit. After all, these giant, spiky beasts have been known to kill people when they fall off trees–and they are the largest tree fruit on the planet. But the biggest fruit ever recorded was an Atlantic Giant pumpkin, which weighed in at over a ton. (Though if you ask me, it’s debatable that a pumpkin is a fruit.)

3. What we think of as seeds on the outside of strawberries are actually called achenes. The actual seeds are inside the achenes.

4. While we’re on the subject of strawberries, did you know that, ounce for ounce, they contain more vitamin C than oranges, grapefruit, lemons, and limes?

5. Passionfruit contains the most fiber of all fruits, with 98% of your daily value in a cup.

6. Tried Sumo oranges yet? If not, get thee to a Whole Foods and load up on these amazingly delicious mandarin oranges! But don’t be shocked when you see their price tag; the reason these oranges are so expensive is that they take up to four years to grow. Plus, in the U.S. they ship from only one facility in California.

7. While bananas get credit for containing lots of potassium, several other fruits actually boast more of this micronutrient. Watermelon, dried apricots, and avocados all have more potassium than bananas.

8. Why does one bad apple spoil the bunch? When apples (and some other fruits) start to rot, they release a gas called ethylene, which can reach–and begin to degrade–other fruits close by.

9. If you’ve ever been warned against eating grapefruit while on certain medications, you should probably listen. Grapefruit can block the action of certain enzymes responsible for metabolizing medication. The result: you end up with more of the medication in your bloodstream (and possibly adverse side effects).

10. Maybe almonds should be classified as fruits! They come from the prunus genus of trees and shrubs, which includes peaches, plums, cherries, and apricots. (Almonds are most closely related to peaches–which could be why the two taste so good together.)

11. Finally, my favorite weird fact about fruit–or is it about a vegetable? In the 1893 case Nix vs. Hedden, the Supreme Court ruled that tomatoes are vegetables, at least for tax purposes. So there you have it, if you ever need to settle the age-old debate.