I have a few favorite salads. I haven't posted any of them yet, because I don't follow a very exact recipe when I make salads. I do what most of you probably do: I just toss in some of all the ingredients until the proportions look right. I know some people don't like recipes like this, but this time it will just have to do.
Also, I don't ever really know what to name the salads. In this case, I just decided to describe the salad as well as possible without making the name ten words long. So, "Blueberry, Pear, Pecan Salad" it is. For now.
This one takes a little preparation time, because I candy the pecans and include a recipe for a homemade dressing. (The dressing actually comes together in less than 5 minutes.) However, it's also great with Girard's raspberry vinaigrette. I can actually claim this salad dressing as one I put together. I combined a few different recipes I found into one that matched what I was looking for. (I forgot to buy dressing once when I needed it, and decided to make one instead. I really liked the results, so I thought I'd share.) In the end, this is really three recipes in one. Bonus!
Blueberry, Pear, Pecan Salad
Spring Mix Lettuce (Sometimes I mix in some spinach as well.)
Salad Dressing (Either recipe below or purchased)
Fresh Blueberries
Sliced Pears (I prefer fresh, but canned could do in a pinch)
Crumbled Feta Cheese
Candied Pecans (Recipe also below)
Toss the lettuce with the salad dressing, lightly coating each leaf. Top with all other ingredients, and mix very lightly. (Don't mix it too much, or all the heavy ingredients settle on the bottom.) Drizzle lightly with additional dressing, if desired.)
There you go, my very technical salad recipe. Here are the dressing and pecan recipes:
Red Wine Vinaigrette
4 Tbsp. red wine (or raspberry would also be good) vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup canola (or vegetable) oil
4 Tbsp. sugar
About 1 Tbsp. honey mustard salad dressing (or 1 tsp. or so of both honey and mustard)
A pinch of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Mix all ingredients together until sugar is dissolved and ingredients are well blended. (This will separate, so I mix it again just before pouring on the salad. Also, I didn't need quite the whole recipe for the size of salad I made.)
Candied Pecans
(This one is very basic. There are more elaborate versions out there, but for this salad, this simple one is just right.)
1/2 cup roughly chopped pecans
4 Tbsp. sugar
4 Tbsp. water
Bring the above ingredients to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer. Cook and stir until golden and coated, and the syrup is almost gone. (This takes about 10 minutes for me.) You want to watch them closely. If you leave too much syrup, they will be sticky. If you cook them too long, the syrup will suddenly turn into a powder. Don't worry, if either happens they're still usable. However, I like them best when the syrup is almost gone, but before it becomes powder. Spread out on wax or parchment paper to dry.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Crusted Parmesan Chicken
So I decided it's probably about time I added another dinner recipe, to show that once in awhile I cook something other than dessert...I took this one from the Barefoot Contessa. I tried it for the first time just recently, but my husband requested it again the very next week. That's rare, so I took it as a sign that this one is a keeper. It's cooked in a little butter and olive oil, but not a lot, so I've decided it's good for us. :)
I will list the recipe as it's written. For us, I cut one chicken breast in half for the two of us, so obviously I reduced all the other ingredients by quite a bit. I estimated instead of really measuring, and it still turned out great. Her recipe calls for serving the chicken with salad greens on top, but I served it with pasta or rice and veggies on the side.
I'll make a confession. I know chicken is really basic and should be easy to cook. However, I get nervous cooking chicken sometimes, because I'm paranoid about under cooking it, but it's terrible when it's over-cooked and dry. I lucked out with this one; it turned out ok both times. Maybe I'm finally getting the hang of it? ( I think pounding the chicken so it's an even thickness throughout really helps.)
Okay, on to the recipe:
Crusted Parmesan Chicken
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 extra large eggs (I'm sure large would be just fine)
1 1/4 cups seasoned dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
Unsalted butter (I used salted)
Good olive oil
Pound the chicken breasts until they are 1/4 inch thick. (Mine was a little thicker than this. I also cut mine in half after pounding it.) You can use either a meat mallet or a rolling pin. (You can pound the chicken between two sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap.)
Combine the flour, salt, and pepper on a dinner plate. On a second plate, beat the eggs with 1 Tbsp. of water. On a third plate, combine the bread crumbs and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Coat the chicken breasts on both sides with the flour mixture, then dip both sides into and egg mixture and dredge both sides in the bread-crumb mixture, pressing lightly.
Heat 1 Tbsp. of butter and 1 Tbsp. of olive oil in a large saute pan and cook 2 or 3 chicken breasts on medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through. (Mine took a little longer.) Add more butter and oil and cook the rest of the chicken breasts. Serve with extra grated Parmesan. (She notes that while you're cooking the rest of the chicken, you can keep the others warm for about 15 minutes on a sheet pan in a 200-degree oven.)
I will list the recipe as it's written. For us, I cut one chicken breast in half for the two of us, so obviously I reduced all the other ingredients by quite a bit. I estimated instead of really measuring, and it still turned out great. Her recipe calls for serving the chicken with salad greens on top, but I served it with pasta or rice and veggies on the side.
I'll make a confession. I know chicken is really basic and should be easy to cook. However, I get nervous cooking chicken sometimes, because I'm paranoid about under cooking it, but it's terrible when it's over-cooked and dry. I lucked out with this one; it turned out ok both times. Maybe I'm finally getting the hang of it? ( I think pounding the chicken so it's an even thickness throughout really helps.)
Okay, on to the recipe:
Crusted Parmesan Chicken
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 extra large eggs (I'm sure large would be just fine)
1 1/4 cups seasoned dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
Unsalted butter (I used salted)
Good olive oil
Pound the chicken breasts until they are 1/4 inch thick. (Mine was a little thicker than this. I also cut mine in half after pounding it.) You can use either a meat mallet or a rolling pin. (You can pound the chicken between two sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap.)
Combine the flour, salt, and pepper on a dinner plate. On a second plate, beat the eggs with 1 Tbsp. of water. On a third plate, combine the bread crumbs and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Coat the chicken breasts on both sides with the flour mixture, then dip both sides into and egg mixture and dredge both sides in the bread-crumb mixture, pressing lightly.
Heat 1 Tbsp. of butter and 1 Tbsp. of olive oil in a large saute pan and cook 2 or 3 chicken breasts on medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through. (Mine took a little longer.) Add more butter and oil and cook the rest of the chicken breasts. Serve with extra grated Parmesan. (She notes that while you're cooking the rest of the chicken, you can keep the others warm for about 15 minutes on a sheet pan in a 200-degree oven.)
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Banana (or coconut or chocolate) Cream Pie
I have a few quirky food preferences. (My husband would probably say picky, but I'll go with quirky.) One of these is related to bananas. I like fresh bananas, but I don't like artificial banana flavoring of any kind. Because of this, I don't like pies made with banana pudding. This recipe is for a vanilla cream pie base, that you can actually turn into a banana, coconut, or chocolate cream pie. I'll admit, I've only made banana. I'm not really a coconut fan (another of my food quirks), and if I'm going to have a chocolate pie, I prefer this chocolate silk pie. However, that one is very rich, so if that one is too much for you, it might be worth trying the chocolate version of this one. I can, however, vouch for the banana version of this pie, and it's delicious. And really not hard to make. Try it out!
Banana (or coconut or chocolate) Cream Pie
1 1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. plus 2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
4 eggs
4 c. milk
1 Tbsp. vanilla
2 baked and cooled pie shells
In a medium-sized saucepan, combine sugar, flour, and salt. Add eggs and mix with dry ingredients. Add milk and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. After boiling, remove from heat. The mixture should be thickened. Add vanilla and stir to make a vanilla cream pie, or adjust per one of the variations below. Pour desired cream mixture into cooked and cooled pie crust. Top with whipped cream. Makes 2 pies, 16 servings. (I often cut the recipe in half and make just one pie.)
Variations:
Chocolate Cream Pie: Add 1/2 c. cocoa or 3/4 c. bittersweet chocolate
Banana Cream Pie: Mix 4 sliced bananas with cooled vanilla mixture
Coconut Cream Pie: Add 1/2-1 c. flaked coconut to vanilla mixture
Banana (or coconut or chocolate) Cream Pie
1 1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. plus 2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
4 eggs
4 c. milk
1 Tbsp. vanilla
2 baked and cooled pie shells
In a medium-sized saucepan, combine sugar, flour, and salt. Add eggs and mix with dry ingredients. Add milk and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. After boiling, remove from heat. The mixture should be thickened. Add vanilla and stir to make a vanilla cream pie, or adjust per one of the variations below. Pour desired cream mixture into cooked and cooled pie crust. Top with whipped cream. Makes 2 pies, 16 servings. (I often cut the recipe in half and make just one pie.)
Variations:
Chocolate Cream Pie: Add 1/2 c. cocoa or 3/4 c. bittersweet chocolate
Banana Cream Pie: Mix 4 sliced bananas with cooled vanilla mixture
Coconut Cream Pie: Add 1/2-1 c. flaked coconut to vanilla mixture
Chocolate Chip Cookies Take Two
I have already posted one chocolate chip cookie recipe. However, I have to admit, I am continuously on the search for the "perfect" chocolate chip recipe. This is of course very subjective, so my perfect cookie may or may not be yours. However, I do think these are pretty darn good. I made them recently for my family, and my brother said they are the best he's ever had...so at least a couple of us like them!
These are very similar to my other recipe. However, I combined this with a few small changes from another recipe I tried. Here are the results:
Chocolate Chip Cookies (Take Two)
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. oil
1 c. brown sugar (I prefer dark brown sugar in these)
1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. vanilla
3 c. flour (or slightly more if needed)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
chocolate chips (I use a 12 oz. bag)
Cream butter, oil, and sugars. (Thoroughly. Let the mixer run for a few minutes.) Add eggs and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients and add to mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 375 for 9-10 minutes.
These are very similar to my other recipe. However, I combined this with a few small changes from another recipe I tried. Here are the results:
Chocolate Chip Cookies (Take Two)
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. oil
1 c. brown sugar (I prefer dark brown sugar in these)
1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. vanilla
3 c. flour (or slightly more if needed)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
chocolate chips (I use a 12 oz. bag)
Cream butter, oil, and sugars. (Thoroughly. Let the mixer run for a few minutes.) Add eggs and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients and add to mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 375 for 9-10 minutes.
Cinnamon Rolls
Cinnamon rolls have always been a weakness of mine. They are one of my favorite treats. One that can even be considered breakfast once in awhile (although of course not a very healthy one). Cinnamon rolls are infinitely better when baked fresh, and eaten warm out of the oven. This necessitated learning to make them fresh at home.
There are at least hundreds of cinnamon roll recipes out there. Just google it...you'll see. I have tried a few different recipes, and actually have a few more I would like to try. For now, this is the recipe I use most often, for a few different reasons. First of all, this recipe is quick. It only requires one rise, which cuts the time in half compared with many of the recipes out there. After all, I don't want to have to get up at the crack of dawn to make them for breakfast. Also, while these are definitely not healthy, they don't have as much butter, etc. as some of the recipes I've seen out there. So I feel a little better about eating them, yet they still taste great! It also gives the option of using part or all wheat flour. I'll admit, I've always used white for these, but maybe one day I'll add some wheat to make them a little better for me.
This particular recipe makes about 2 dozen, so I usually cut it in half.
Cinnamon Rolls
4 eggs (Room temp. I just stick the whole eggs in warm water for a few minutes if they're cold.)
3/4 c. sugar
1 c. shortening
2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 c. warm water
2/3 c. powdered milk
7-8 c. flour (white, wheat, or a combination)
2 T. yeast
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
2 T. cinnamon
Raisins, nuts, chocolate chips - optional. I don't add any of them, but if you like soggy raisins in your baked goods, be my guest :)
Cream together sugar, shortening, eggs, and salt. Add warm water, powdered milk, and 3-4 cups flour. Blend in yeast and then additional flour to make a soft dough. Knead lightly with a dough hook or in a bowl. Let rise 1 hour and then roll out to about 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Spread with melted butter and sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Add raisins, nuts, or chocolate chips if desired. Roll up, starting from a long side, and cut into about 1 1/2 inch pieces. (I prefer to use thread to cut them.) Place on greased baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 11-13 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool about 10 minutes and glaze.
Glaze:
4 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
milk to make spreadable
Combine sugar, butter, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Gradually add milk until glaze reaches desired consistency.
Enjoy!
There are at least hundreds of cinnamon roll recipes out there. Just google it...you'll see. I have tried a few different recipes, and actually have a few more I would like to try. For now, this is the recipe I use most often, for a few different reasons. First of all, this recipe is quick. It only requires one rise, which cuts the time in half compared with many of the recipes out there. After all, I don't want to have to get up at the crack of dawn to make them for breakfast. Also, while these are definitely not healthy, they don't have as much butter, etc. as some of the recipes I've seen out there. So I feel a little better about eating them, yet they still taste great! It also gives the option of using part or all wheat flour. I'll admit, I've always used white for these, but maybe one day I'll add some wheat to make them a little better for me.
This particular recipe makes about 2 dozen, so I usually cut it in half.
Cinnamon Rolls
4 eggs (Room temp. I just stick the whole eggs in warm water for a few minutes if they're cold.)
3/4 c. sugar
1 c. shortening
2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 c. warm water
2/3 c. powdered milk
7-8 c. flour (white, wheat, or a combination)
2 T. yeast
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
2 T. cinnamon
Raisins, nuts, chocolate chips - optional. I don't add any of them, but if you like soggy raisins in your baked goods, be my guest :)
Cream together sugar, shortening, eggs, and salt. Add warm water, powdered milk, and 3-4 cups flour. Blend in yeast and then additional flour to make a soft dough. Knead lightly with a dough hook or in a bowl. Let rise 1 hour and then roll out to about 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Spread with melted butter and sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Add raisins, nuts, or chocolate chips if desired. Roll up, starting from a long side, and cut into about 1 1/2 inch pieces. (I prefer to use thread to cut them.) Place on greased baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 11-13 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool about 10 minutes and glaze.
Glaze:
4 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
milk to make spreadable
Combine sugar, butter, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Gradually add milk until glaze reaches desired consistency.
Enjoy!
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