Lime Chicken Soft Tacos
Spanish Rice
Steak with Balsamic Sauce & Mushrooms
Baked Potato
Green Salad
Gorgonzola Filled Meatballs, with Bay and Onion Creamy Tomato Gravy
Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Spinach
Spinach & Sweet Red Onion Salad
Outback Chicken
Rice
Brussels sprouts
Curried Pork Noodles
Oriental Salad
Steak Sandwich
Red Garlic Potatoes
Beet Salad with Goat Cheese
Ashley’s Birthday Dinner
Chicken Scaloppini
Caesar salad
Heart attack bread
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
MIGAS
I made this for Ron and I this morning for breakfast. We loved it and we're so happy there is enough leftovers for tomorrow! I got this recipe off my very favorite blog - Pioneer Woman (well that would be my second favorite blog, because Gage's blog is definitely my favorite!) It was one of Pioneer Woman's top five favorite recipes. I had to try it! I had never heard of Migas, which, after reading through the recipe I was surprised this wasn't on our breakfast table daily when I was a kid. I served this with some homemade pinto beans and flour tortillas. Delicioso!!! Enjoy.
Migas
4 corn tortillas
Canola or Vegetable oil to fry tortillas
10 to 12 large eggs
¼ cup half & half
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 red bell pepper, roughly chipped
1 green bell pepper, roughly chipped
4 plum tomatoes, roughly chipped
1 to 2 jalapenos, seeded and finely diced (leave white membranes if you like things spicy)
¼ to ½ cup chopped cilantro, depending on your taste
1 cup grated Monterey Jack or Cotija cheese
In a bowl, whisk together eggs and half and half. Salt and pepper eggs, then set aside.
In a small skillet over medium heat, heat oil and fry each corn tortilla just until crisp. Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Chop tortillas and set aside.
In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt the olive oil with the butter, Add onions and bell peppers and cook until starting to turn brown/black, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add in diced jalapenos and stir to combine. Add tomatoes to the skillet and stir around, then add tortilla pieces, stirring gently to combine.
Reduce heat to low.
When the heat has decreased, pour egg mixture into skillet. Stir gently to cook with the peppers, folding mixture very gently as it cooks. Add in grated cheese and chopped cilantro, and stir to combine.
Migas
4 corn tortillas
Canola or Vegetable oil to fry tortillas
10 to 12 large eggs
¼ cup half & half
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 red bell pepper, roughly chipped
1 green bell pepper, roughly chipped
4 plum tomatoes, roughly chipped
1 to 2 jalapenos, seeded and finely diced (leave white membranes if you like things spicy)
¼ to ½ cup chopped cilantro, depending on your taste
1 cup grated Monterey Jack or Cotija cheese
In a bowl, whisk together eggs and half and half. Salt and pepper eggs, then set aside.
In a small skillet over medium heat, heat oil and fry each corn tortilla just until crisp. Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Chop tortillas and set aside.
In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt the olive oil with the butter, Add onions and bell peppers and cook until starting to turn brown/black, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add in diced jalapenos and stir to combine. Add tomatoes to the skillet and stir around, then add tortilla pieces, stirring gently to combine.
Reduce heat to low.
When the heat has decreased, pour egg mixture into skillet. Stir gently to cook with the peppers, folding mixture very gently as it cooks. Add in grated cheese and chopped cilantro, and stir to combine.
GREEN CHILE CHICKEN
If you know me than you know that my family and I are from Arizona, and we LOVE Mexican food. We love to cook it, and we especially love to eat it. I can't wait to cook this for them, they are going to LOVE it. We are huge green chile fans. If you don't like nice big chunks of roasted green chiles, sitting on top of a perfectly cooked chicken breast with yummy cheese melting all around it, and sliced black olives barley holding on, then you are missing out. I served this with some spanish rice, and a salad. Courtsey of - For the Love of Cooking.Green Chile Chicken
Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
2 eggs
Salt, pepper, garlic powder taste
1 (27 ounce) can whole mild green chilies
1 (2.25 ounce) can of sliced black olives
1 cup of cheddar, shredded
½ cup of Monterey jack or cotjia cheese, shredded
(I just used 1 1/2 cups of the pre-shredded Mexican blend cheese in a bag)
2 – 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise
Directions:
Mix eggs & spices into a bowl. Trim chicken of any fat & slice each breast into 2 chunks. Dip chicken into egg mixture and add to a hot pan sprayed with cooking spray (or olive oil). Cook 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and place in a 9 x 13 baking dish that has been sprayed with Pam. Cover each chunk of chicken with a green chili. I really love green chilies so I added 2 green chilies per piece of chicken. Mix cheese and mayonnaise in bowl. Spread on top of chicken and green chilies, carefully. (I had to make up a little more cheese mixture because I wanted mine with lots of cheese). Top with black olives. (I added a couple of tooth picks to secure everything, and to keep my foil from making contact with my cheese topping). Cover with foil, and bake at 350 for 25 minutes, uncover and bake for another 10 minutes. Then I turned my broiler on, until the cheese browned a bit. Don’t take your eyes away from your chicken while you are broiling, the cheese will brown very fast. NOTE: My chicken breasts were pretty thick, if yours are fairly thin then you probably won’t need the additional 10 minutes of baking, just move right to the broiling, and you should be good.
CHICKEN CACCIATORE
Ron and I really liked this. We have never had Chicken Cacciatore before so I really didn't have anything to compare it to. Ron highly recommended it for my food Blog, and since he has recommended just about everything I have cooked for him this week, I wanted to get a few more opinions before posting it, so I shared it with three of my toughest critics, (Justin, Ashley and my Mother). They ALL gave it a thumbs up!!! (This is rare, VERY rare!!)
This dish has a great rich Italian flavor and I would highly recommend it, especially if you wanted to serve it to impress some guests at a dinner party, but don't want to spend all day in the kitchen. Serve this over your favorite pasta, add a Caesar salad, and some garlic bread and you have a really great dinner!
I did all the prep work and put everything in the crock pot the night before, so the next morning all I had to do was turn on the slow cooker, and go to work. It was great coming home after work and having my kitchen smell like an Italian kitchen.
Chicken Cacciatore Slow Cooked To Italian Perfection
The recipe says it serves 4 but I would say it would serve 6 to 8 people.
½ cup balsamic salad dressing (bottled)
2 pounds of chicken breasts, skinless and boneless (I also added some boneless skinless chicken thighs)
3 Tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup flour
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 cup dry red wine
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste, plus more to thicken sauce if needed
1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
1 (14 ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained
8 ounces fresh button mushrooms, cleaned and halved
1 teaspoon onion powder
4 garlic cloves, minced (I used 6 maybe 7)
½ teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes (rub between fingers to waken flavor)
1 teaspoon dried oregano (rub between fingers to waken flavor)
½ teaspoon dried basil (rub between fingers to waken flavor)
Red pepper flakes (the recipe says these are optional, but I never think red pepper flakes are optional, I love them!!!)
1 bay leaf
1 can large pitted olives, washed and drained
1 can garbanzo beans, washed and drained
2 tablespoons capers, drained
Parmesan cheese
Pour dressing into a zip-lock plastic bag; add chicken pieces and refrigerate for an hour.
Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan.
Mix the flour, ½ teaspoon salt ad ¼ teaspoon pepper together; lightly dredge chicken in the seasoned flour.
Brown the chicken pieces on both sides and transfer to crock pot when done.
Sauté onion until translucent in the olive oil used to brown the chicken; add wine and 2 tablespoons of the tomato paste to deglaze the pan. Transfer to crock pot.
Stir together remaining 2 cans of tomato paste and all the ingredients EXCEPT for the bay leaf, olives, garbanzo beans, capers, and Parmesan cheese; spread over chicken in crock pot.
Lay bay leaf on top of chicken; cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 9 hours (HIGH: 3 to 4 hours).
During the last hour of cooking, add the olives, garbanzo beans and capers. IF at this time the sauce appears to thin, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of tomato paste to thicken slightly.
To serve, discard the bay leaf and arrange the chicken over your favorite hot pasta; ladle with sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
This dish has a great rich Italian flavor and I would highly recommend it, especially if you wanted to serve it to impress some guests at a dinner party, but don't want to spend all day in the kitchen. Serve this over your favorite pasta, add a Caesar salad, and some garlic bread and you have a really great dinner!
I did all the prep work and put everything in the crock pot the night before, so the next morning all I had to do was turn on the slow cooker, and go to work. It was great coming home after work and having my kitchen smell like an Italian kitchen.
Chicken Cacciatore Slow Cooked To Italian Perfection
The recipe says it serves 4 but I would say it would serve 6 to 8 people.
½ cup balsamic salad dressing (bottled)
2 pounds of chicken breasts, skinless and boneless (I also added some boneless skinless chicken thighs)
3 Tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup flour
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 cup dry red wine
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste, plus more to thicken sauce if needed
1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
1 (14 ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained
8 ounces fresh button mushrooms, cleaned and halved
1 teaspoon onion powder
4 garlic cloves, minced (I used 6 maybe 7)
½ teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes (rub between fingers to waken flavor)
1 teaspoon dried oregano (rub between fingers to waken flavor)
½ teaspoon dried basil (rub between fingers to waken flavor)
Red pepper flakes (the recipe says these are optional, but I never think red pepper flakes are optional, I love them!!!)
1 bay leaf
1 can large pitted olives, washed and drained
1 can garbanzo beans, washed and drained
2 tablespoons capers, drained
Parmesan cheese
Pour dressing into a zip-lock plastic bag; add chicken pieces and refrigerate for an hour.
Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan.
Mix the flour, ½ teaspoon salt ad ¼ teaspoon pepper together; lightly dredge chicken in the seasoned flour.
Brown the chicken pieces on both sides and transfer to crock pot when done.
Sauté onion until translucent in the olive oil used to brown the chicken; add wine and 2 tablespoons of the tomato paste to deglaze the pan. Transfer to crock pot.
Stir together remaining 2 cans of tomato paste and all the ingredients EXCEPT for the bay leaf, olives, garbanzo beans, capers, and Parmesan cheese; spread over chicken in crock pot.
Lay bay leaf on top of chicken; cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 9 hours (HIGH: 3 to 4 hours).
During the last hour of cooking, add the olives, garbanzo beans and capers. IF at this time the sauce appears to thin, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of tomato paste to thicken slightly.
To serve, discard the bay leaf and arrange the chicken over your favorite hot pasta; ladle with sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
PAN SEARED SCALLOPS ON LINGUINE WITH TOMATO CREAM SAUCE
I hadn't made this dish in awhile, and I have no idea why. Ron and I both loved it. Ron said this was a must for the food Blog. You can make this with either lemon juice or lime juice. I have always used lemon, but next time I am going try it with lime juice.
Pan Seared Scallops on Linguine with Tomaoto Cream Sauce
Serves 4
2 cups dry white wine
1/2 cup shallots - 2 large
Juice of 2 fresh lemons or 3 fresh limes
2 Tablespoons of grated peeled fresh ginger
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup whipping cream
3 Tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
4 Roman or plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
4 Tablespoons fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 box Linguine
1 pound scallops
olive oil and a little butter to cook scallops
freshly grated Parmesan cheese-optional
fresh cilantro
Combine first 5 ingredients in a heavy medium pan; and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Now you can go straight to the next step like I do OR you can strain your liquid through a fine sieve before adding the cream.
Add cream, bring back to a simmer and let cook for another minute. You will want to stay close to your sauce at this point and stir frequently, especially if you don't have a good heavy pan, because your cream will burn easily.
Add butter a little at a time, stirring in between each addition of butter, until butter melts, then add a little more. Once butter is all added, bring back to a small simmer.
Add salt & pepper, adjust seasoning to taste. I like to add a dash of Bay Seasoning.
Stir in Cilantro. Cover and remove from heat.
Prepare Linguine as directed on package. Don't forget to add salt to your pasta water, about 1 tablespoon.
In a skillet, on medium high heat add some olive oil and a little butter. Sprinkle scallops with salt and pepper. Cook scallops for about 2 to minutes on each side, depending on how big they are.
I like to mix a little sauce with my pasta once my pasta is done. To serve just place scallops on top of pasta, then some sauce, and sprinkle with some fresh cilantro and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
PAD THAI
PAD THAI
I got this recipe off of Food Network - http://tinyurl.com/d2f99m
It was one of Bobby Flay’s Throw Downs. Poor Bobby lost, but we were all winners, because Nongkran Daks gave us her recipe. I had made the sauce earlier that day, so I only had a few things to get ready. It's important that you do have everything lined up and ready to go, before turning on your wok.
For a real authentic taste, don’t take shortcuts and don’t leave out any of the ingredients-particularly the Pad Thai Sauce that gives the final dish its rich, amber color and succulent taste. Select the rice stick noodles marked “M” for medium; it’s usually on the back near the bottom of the package. Make sure if it’s just for two you only soak half of the package. The thinner and the wider ones are used for other noodle dishes. Salted radish is sold in cellophane packet at Asian markets in the refrigerated section of the product section. This was the hardest ingredient for me to find. I finally found it at the Asian market on South Tacoma Way. You end up with way more than you need but it will last indefinitely in the refrigerator. I am more than willing to share some of mine with you, if you decide to make this dish.
With one bite of this Pad Thai, you will discover noodle heaven.
This makes 2 Servings – If you want to double this recipe, DO NOT double the ingredients, for the bulk will be too much to work with in your wok. Rather, make the dish twice. If you plan to make this for company, cook noodles ahead of time and add bean sprouts and garlic chives when you heat it up. If it is an informal gathering, it is fun to let your guests cook their won noodles.
Ingredients
4 Tablespoon vegetable oil, plus extra as needed
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 Tablespoon dried shrimp, optional – I didn’t use the dried shrimp, maybe next time.
½ cup sliced pork or chicken – I just cubed up a leftover pork lion chop.
7 whole shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 Tablespoon salted radish
¼ pound medium-size dried rice noodles (soaked 60 minutes in cold water and drained), I used half a package for four people.
Water
5 Tablespoons Pad Thai sauce, recipe follows
2 large eggs
½ teaspoon ground hot chilies, or more to taste
2 tablespoons ground roasted peanuts
½ cup sliced garlic chives or green onions – I used green onions
2 cups bean sprouts, rinsed, plus more for garnish
Lime wedges
Directions
Once you have everything ready to go into the wok, then you are ready to heat the oil in the wok.
Ad the garlic and stir-fry until golden brown. This I know goes against everything I believe in about cooking garlic, but it works just do it. Add the meat (Chicken or Pork) and shrimp and keep stirring until the shrimp changes color. Remove shrimp to prevent overcooking and set aside.
Add the noodles, but before you do, you better be ready, because it going to go fast!! Make sure you have some water near by, because you will want to add some it things start getting sticking together, and make sure you have two wooden kitchen tools to pull the sticky noodles apart.
O.K. READY???
Add the noodles. They will stick together so stir fast and try to separate them. Add a little water, stirring a few times. Then add the pre-measured Pad Thai sauce, and keep stirring until everything is thoroughly mixed. The noodles should appear soft and moist. IMPORTANT: Make sure your noodles are good and cooked before going on. Taste them, but taste them fast.
O.K. now we are going to start adding stuff, and stirring, and adding. Are you ready?
Return the cooked shrimp to the wok
Push the contents of the wok up around the sides to make room to fry the eggs. If the pan is very dry, add 1 more tablespoon of oil. Add the eggs and spread the noodles over the eggs to cover. When the eggs are cooked, stir the noodles until everything is well mixed this should result in cooked bits of eggs, both whites and yolk, throughout the noodle mixture.
Add chilies, peanuts, garlic chives or green onions, and bean sprouts. Mix well.
Remove to a platter.
Serve with raw bean sprouts and a lime wedge.
Pad Thai Sauce
This is the secret to the whole dish. Make sure you let it reduce for a full hour.
1 cup tamarind juice – more information on this below
1 cup palm sugar plus 3 Tablespoons
1 cup water
½ cup fish sauce
2 teaspoons salt
Mix all ingredients in a saucepan for about 60 minutes until it is well mixed and reduced, and syrupy. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.
You can buy premixed tamarind concentrate or make your own tamarind juice. Buy a package of compressed tamarind pulp at any Asian market, cut of a chunk that’s equal to 3 Tablespoons and soak in 1 ½ cups of warm water for 20 minutes Squeeze out the pulp and discard the remaining liquid is tamarind juice. I used my mesh strainer and just used a spoon to push out all the liquid. Make sure you scrape all the pulp off the bottom of the strainer and add to the liquid. Discard the pulp, the liquid is your tamarind juice. Store any leftover juice or noodle sauce in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator or freezer.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
LOADED BAKED POTATO SOUP
It's 3:30 on Sunday and I only had two things that had to get done today. My ironing, and taxes. I haven't started either, BUT I did make a nice big pot of Loaded Baked Potato Soup. This soup could definitely be the main course for either lunch or dinner.Making this could be a rather long process if you're doing it all at once, so to save time try making the baked potatoes, cutting up the veggies, and cooking the bacon earlier in the day.
LOADED BAKED POTATO SOUP
12oz Applewood smoked bacon
4 stalks celery finely diced
2 large carrots, peeled, finely diced
1 jalapeno, seeded, membrane removed and finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
1/2 Cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup thinly sliced ham or Canadian bacon (I just bought a small ham steak and cut it in tiny cubes).
32 oz. chicken broth (or water & bouillon)
6 oz. half and half
10 med/lg. potatoes, baked, peeled and mashed
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 Cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 Cups shredded cheddar cheese
Toppings:
Bacon crumbles that you cooked earlier
1/2 Cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup thinly sliced green onions (green part)
1. Heat large dutch oven over medium heat. Cut bacon into pieces and cook until browned and crisp. Transfer bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Discard bacon grease, reserving 2 Tablespoons to saute veggies. Saute celery, carrots, jalapeno, onion and bell pepper in bacon grease for 10 minutes, stirring often until softened. Stir in garlic and ham; cook for 3 more minutes. Stir in chicken brother and half and half.
2. Place mashed potatoes in a stand or electric mixer. Mix on medium speed adding salt, pepper and milk. Stir mashed potatoes into soup until combined. Heat for 10 minutes.
Stir in sour cream and cheese until smooth. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Simmer on low until ready to serve.
Add your toppings and ENJOY!!!
March 22- March 29, 2009
Menu for the week of 3/22/09 through 3/29/09
Chicken Cacciatore with Pasta
Salad or Steamed Broccoli
Garlic Bread
Paprika Chicken
Bowtie Asparagus Pasta
Salad
Lime Chicken Soft Tacos
Salad
Green Chile Chicken
Mexican Rice
Pan Seared Scallops on Linguine with Tomato Cream Sauce
Salad
Bread
Tropical Black Beans and Rice
Grilled Halibut & Pineapple
Steak with Balsamic Sauce and Mushrooms
Brussels Sprouts
Salad
EXTRA - These are recipes I want to make for either lunch or breakfast
* Curried Pork Noodles
* Loaded Baked Potato Soup
* Pioneer Woman's Migas
WHAT'S IN THE FREEZER? - My emergency meals. (These are meals I have in my freezer right now that I'll use if I just don't feel like cooking, worked late, or forgot one of the main ingredients in a recipe.)
* BBQ Ribs (pre-marinated pack from Costco! Quick and easy!)
* Spicy Spaghetti
* Gorgonzola Meatballs
* Outback Chicken
* Sour Cream Enchiladas
Chicken Cacciatore with Pasta
Salad or Steamed Broccoli
Garlic Bread
Paprika Chicken
Bowtie Asparagus Pasta
Salad
Lime Chicken Soft Tacos
Salad
Green Chile Chicken
Mexican Rice
Pan Seared Scallops on Linguine with Tomato Cream Sauce
Salad
Bread
Tropical Black Beans and Rice
Grilled Halibut & Pineapple
Steak with Balsamic Sauce and Mushrooms
Brussels Sprouts
Salad
EXTRA - These are recipes I want to make for either lunch or breakfast
* Curried Pork Noodles
* Loaded Baked Potato Soup
* Pioneer Woman's Migas
WHAT'S IN THE FREEZER? - My emergency meals. (These are meals I have in my freezer right now that I'll use if I just don't feel like cooking, worked late, or forgot one of the main ingredients in a recipe.)
* BBQ Ribs (pre-marinated pack from Costco! Quick and easy!)
* Spicy Spaghetti
* Gorgonzola Meatballs
* Outback Chicken
* Sour Cream Enchiladas
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Recipes I REALLY want to cook
I have an entire drawer in my filing cabinet, a box under my desk, AND a big black bag (that goes everywhere with me) FILLED with recipes I want to try. So, I decided to keep them all in one post on my blog so I won't misplace them. Or forget about them!
If there's a great recipe you think I should try PLEASE post it here in the comments! I love new recipes!
1. Neely's Memphis-Style Catfish
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/neelys/neelys-memphis-style-catfish-recipe/index.html
If there's a great recipe you think I should try PLEASE post it here in the comments! I love new recipes!
1. Neely's Memphis-Style Catfish
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/neelys/neelys-memphis-style-catfish-recipe/index.html
Salads
These are my three favorite green salads!
PEAR & GREENS SALAD WITH MAPLE VINAIGRETTE
Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup REAL Maple Syrup
2 Tablespoons of GOOD Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup GOOD Olive Oil
Salad:
1/3 cup pecan halves
8 cups torn mixed salad greens
3 medium pears, peeled, cut into wedges
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1) In a small bowl, mix all vinaigrette ingredients except oil with a wire whisk. Beat in oil until well blended.
2) Place pecans in a 1 cup glass measuring cup. Microwave on high for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until browned. CAUTION: Measuring cup will be HOT!!!
3) Toss salad greens with some of the dressing in a large bowl. Divide salad greens among your salad bowls. Arrange pear wedges on greens; sprinkle with pecans and cranberries. Drizzle more vinaigrette over salad greens.
* I also like to add Feta or Gorgonzola.
CONNIE'S SALAD
I got this recipe from Connie, and it didn't have a name so I just named Connie's Salad! I promise you will LOVE it!
Romaine lettuce
Candied Walnuts
Mandarin Oranges - (1 small can per bag of Romaine hearts, or for every head or two of Romaine lettuce).
Poppy Seed Dressing - I like Brianna's brand
Feta or Blue Cheese crumbles
Candied Walnuts:
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 heaping cup of walnuts
1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2) In a medium sized bowl, mix together the sugar, cayenne and salt.
3) Bring a small saucepan of water to boil. Add the walnuts and blanch them for 3 minutes. Drain well and then immediately roll the walnuts in the sugar mixture until thoroughly coated. The sugar will melt slightly. Transfer the walnuts to a baking sheet or pan and bake, stirring occasionally, until they are a deep golden brown, about 10 minutes. Watch carefully because the sugar can burn easily. Let cool completely before serving.
4) This is a pretty simple recipe, just mix everything together. Add as much dressing as you like!
CRANBERRY SPINACH SALAD
Last week I ended up with a ton of baby spinach so I got online in search of spinach recipes and I fell in love with this one!
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon butter
3/4 cup almonds, blanched and slivered
1 pound spinach, rinsed
1 cup dried cranberries
2 Tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons minced onion
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 GOOD olive oil
1) In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook and stir almonds in butter until lightly toasted. Remove from heat, and let cool. (I skipped this step, and used some Almond Accents).
2) In a large bowl, combine the spinach with the toasted almonds and cranberries.
3) In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, onion, paprika, white wine vinegar, cider vinegar, and vegetable oil. Toss with spinach just before serving.
* I also like to add different stuff to this, like strawberries, red onions, or and feta.
PEAR & GREENS SALAD WITH MAPLE VINAIGRETTE
Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup REAL Maple Syrup
2 Tablespoons of GOOD Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup GOOD Olive Oil
Salad:
1/3 cup pecan halves
8 cups torn mixed salad greens
3 medium pears, peeled, cut into wedges
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1) In a small bowl, mix all vinaigrette ingredients except oil with a wire whisk. Beat in oil until well blended.
2) Place pecans in a 1 cup glass measuring cup. Microwave on high for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until browned. CAUTION: Measuring cup will be HOT!!!
3) Toss salad greens with some of the dressing in a large bowl. Divide salad greens among your salad bowls. Arrange pear wedges on greens; sprinkle with pecans and cranberries. Drizzle more vinaigrette over salad greens.
* I also like to add Feta or Gorgonzola.
CONNIE'S SALAD
I got this recipe from Connie, and it didn't have a name so I just named Connie's Salad! I promise you will LOVE it!
Romaine lettuce
Candied Walnuts
Mandarin Oranges - (1 small can per bag of Romaine hearts, or for every head or two of Romaine lettuce).
Poppy Seed Dressing - I like Brianna's brand
Feta or Blue Cheese crumbles
Candied Walnuts:
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 heaping cup of walnuts
1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2) In a medium sized bowl, mix together the sugar, cayenne and salt.
3) Bring a small saucepan of water to boil. Add the walnuts and blanch them for 3 minutes. Drain well and then immediately roll the walnuts in the sugar mixture until thoroughly coated. The sugar will melt slightly. Transfer the walnuts to a baking sheet or pan and bake, stirring occasionally, until they are a deep golden brown, about 10 minutes. Watch carefully because the sugar can burn easily. Let cool completely before serving.
4) This is a pretty simple recipe, just mix everything together. Add as much dressing as you like!
CRANBERRY SPINACH SALAD
Last week I ended up with a ton of baby spinach so I got online in search of spinach recipes and I fell in love with this one!
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon butter
3/4 cup almonds, blanched and slivered
1 pound spinach, rinsed
1 cup dried cranberries
2 Tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons minced onion
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 GOOD olive oil
1) In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook and stir almonds in butter until lightly toasted. Remove from heat, and let cool. (I skipped this step, and used some Almond Accents).
2) In a large bowl, combine the spinach with the toasted almonds and cranberries.
3) In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, onion, paprika, white wine vinegar, cider vinegar, and vegetable oil. Toss with spinach just before serving.
* I also like to add different stuff to this, like strawberries, red onions, or and feta.
First Entry On My Very Own Food Blog
I have been so nervous about sitting down and deciding how to start my food blog. If you know me, then you know that every weekend I make out a menu for the week, go shopping, then sit and relax because I know what I'm having for dinner for the rest of the week.
I tried only cooking on the weekends, and having a healthy frozen meal on the weeknights, but that only lasted a week. The highlight of my day is having a glass of wine, grabbing my favorite knife, and one of my All Clad pans and creating something that tastes and smells divine.
I love my kitchen, it's my favorite room in the house. I love my cookware, spices, and fancy gadgets. I love everything about cooking. I don't even mind cleaning up, because I get to return my kitchen back to order.
So for now, my blog is going to be where I post my weekly menus. I'll edit the menus as the week goes on with my ratings for the meal. I promise to share any recipes that impress me! If there's something you see on the menu that I don't post a recipe for, let me know in the comments and I'll be happy to post it!
I tried only cooking on the weekends, and having a healthy frozen meal on the weeknights, but that only lasted a week. The highlight of my day is having a glass of wine, grabbing my favorite knife, and one of my All Clad pans and creating something that tastes and smells divine.
I love my kitchen, it's my favorite room in the house. I love my cookware, spices, and fancy gadgets. I love everything about cooking. I don't even mind cleaning up, because I get to return my kitchen back to order.
So for now, my blog is going to be where I post my weekly menus. I'll edit the menus as the week goes on with my ratings for the meal. I promise to share any recipes that impress me! If there's something you see on the menu that I don't post a recipe for, let me know in the comments and I'll be happy to post it!
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