Felix cuddling up and hugging some doll friends.
R.I.P. dear, young friend (2002 - 2006).
We miss you.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Broccoli, Dried Cranberry and Smokey Bacon Salad
.
.
Our neighborhood held it's annual Fall Potluck Lunch over the weekend that always takes place along the banks of our little community "pond". You know the routine, bring one covered dish and the main dish will be provided. So I thought that I'd make my own version of a salad that I've had several times since moving to the South and have fallen in love with. Nothing gourmet or complicated about this recipe, just easy and filled with lots of flavor. Oh yea, there's a lot of broccoli in this deal, so it's a little bit healthy for us too. If you want it to be more healthy for you, then eliminate/reduce the mayonnaise. At the potluck, there were many typical, 'expected' and 'safe' dishes brought to the potluck (potato salad, cole slaw, deviled eggs, baked beans, etc.) and so this salad was the first to disappear from the food spread!
The changes that I made from recipes found in numerous 'community' cookbooks were: I used the thickest-sliced, meatiest, smokiest bacon I could find . . . none of this mamsy-pamsy thin, complete-white-fat-stuff that pretends to be bacon allowed! Plus I used a full pound of this thick bacon, instead of 6 oz. of skinny, fatty bacon. I also replaced ordinary raisins with more flavorful and colorful dried cranberries (plus hubby won't eat raisins and he'll devour dried cranberries!).
Broccoli, Dried Cranberry, and Smokey Bacon Salad
1 pound thick-sliced, hickory smoked bacon (this makes ALL the difference!) fried completely until dark reddish-brown and crispy, then cooled, and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces.
1 - 2 pounds fresh broccoli, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1-1/2 cups dried cranberries
1 cup thinly shredded mild cheddar cheese, or small cubes if you like
4 Tbsp. vinegar (try using red wine vinegar)
3 Tbsp. sugar
In a large mixing bowl, blend the first 6 ingredients together (from the broccoli to the sunflower seeds).
Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, vinegar, and sugar.
Blend well until sugar is dissolved.
Combine the broccoli mixture with the mayonnaise mixture.
I have sent this over to Deb at Kahakai Kitchen for Souper Sundays (salad and sandwiches included!) and Fresh, Clean and Pure Friday.
Pin It
Our neighborhood held it's annual Fall Potluck Lunch over the weekend that always takes place along the banks of our little community "pond". You know the routine, bring one covered dish and the main dish will be provided. So I thought that I'd make my own version of a salad that I've had several times since moving to the South and have fallen in love with. Nothing gourmet or complicated about this recipe, just easy and filled with lots of flavor. Oh yea, there's a lot of broccoli in this deal, so it's a little bit healthy for us too. If you want it to be more healthy for you, then eliminate/reduce the mayonnaise. At the potluck, there were many typical, 'expected' and 'safe' dishes brought to the potluck (potato salad, cole slaw, deviled eggs, baked beans, etc.) and so this salad was the first to disappear from the food spread!
The changes that I made from recipes found in numerous 'community' cookbooks were: I used the thickest-sliced, meatiest, smokiest bacon I could find . . . none of this mamsy-pamsy thin, complete-white-fat-stuff that pretends to be bacon allowed! Plus I used a full pound of this thick bacon, instead of 6 oz. of skinny, fatty bacon. I also replaced ordinary raisins with more flavorful and colorful dried cranberries (plus hubby won't eat raisins and he'll devour dried cranberries!).
Broccoli, Dried Cranberry, and Smokey Bacon Salad
1 pound thick-sliced, hickory smoked bacon (this makes ALL the difference!) fried completely until dark reddish-brown and crispy, then cooled, and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces.
1 - 2 pounds fresh broccoli, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1-1/2 cups dried cranberries
1 cup thinly shredded mild cheddar cheese, or small cubes if you like
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 - 2 cups mayonnaise4 Tbsp. vinegar (try using red wine vinegar)
3 Tbsp. sugar
In a large mixing bowl, blend the first 6 ingredients together (from the broccoli to the sunflower seeds).
Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, vinegar, and sugar.
Blend well until sugar is dissolved.
Combine the broccoli mixture with the mayonnaise mixture.
I have sent this over to Deb at Kahakai Kitchen for Souper Sundays (salad and sandwiches included!) and Fresh, Clean and Pure Friday.
Broccoli, Dried Cranberry and Smokey Bacon Salad
Pin It
Monday, October 4, 2010
Prosciutto, Cheese and Basil Bundles
.
I am SO EXCITED because today the I Heart Cooking Club group is beginning our 6-month culinary journey featuring one of my favorite Italian chefs, Giada De Laurentiis! And we're beginning this cooking adventure with happy food, party food, finger food, because today is our WELCOME PARTY! Nice and simple for the beginning of the week when I'm getting ultra-busy in my life.
So because I just bought prosciutto de Parma that is still extremely fresh and yummy, I made an appetizer . . . and this Giada recipe is something extremely easy, which is exactly the way that I like recipes. I don't know about you, but I've got things to do, quilts to sew, horses to feed, gardens to tend, novels to read, family and friends to chat with, and a house to clean. . . oh and I do have a few things (ha ha!) for my job (more like "LOTS to do"). So nothing fancy will work for me in these busy autumn days. I scrolled through Giada's recipes on the Food Network's web-site and chose this easy recipe.
Luckily, I still had my own saved recorded version of this episode on my DVR, so I watched her prepare these during which I felt that I needed to modify it by adding some fresh Italian cheese (can't be an Italian home without cheese). And since I just used Spanish Manchego cheese on sandwiches this weekend (previous post), I decided to use Fontina for a milder taste combined with some Asiago for a sharper bite. I also prepared a few without any cheese(s). The addition of cheese made ALL the difference and I highly recommend it! I also doubled the prosciutto (not surprised, are you?).
Prosciutto, Cheese, Basil, and Carrot Bundles
(adapted from Giada De Laurentiis)
2 carrots, shredded
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Fontina or Asiago cheese, sliced thin (I added these to the recipe: Fontina for a milder combination, Asiago for a stronger bite flavor, or alternating cheeses in every other bundle)
Pinch of freshly ground salt
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
8 slices prosciutto, sliced a bit thicker than normal, not very thin
8 whole fresh basil leaves
In a medium bowl, toss together the carrots, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Squeeze the carrots so that the extra vinegar/oil mixture comes out.
Lay out the 8 slices of prosciutto; double the layers, laying 2 pieces on top of each other.
Top each with 1/4 of the carrot mixture.
Place a slice or two of cheese on top of the prosciutto and carrot mixture.
Place a basil leaf or two on top of each prosciutto/carrot stack.
Roll up the prosciutto around the basil, cheese and carrots.
If necessary, secure the bundles with toothpicks.
Garnish with grated carrots for added color.
Makes 4 bundles.
.
.
. Pin It
I am SO EXCITED because today the I Heart Cooking Club group is beginning our 6-month culinary journey featuring one of my favorite Italian chefs, Giada De Laurentiis! And we're beginning this cooking adventure with happy food, party food, finger food, because today is our WELCOME PARTY! Nice and simple for the beginning of the week when I'm getting ultra-busy in my life.
So because I just bought prosciutto de Parma that is still extremely fresh and yummy, I made an appetizer . . . and this Giada recipe is something extremely easy, which is exactly the way that I like recipes. I don't know about you, but I've got things to do, quilts to sew, horses to feed, gardens to tend, novels to read, family and friends to chat with, and a house to clean. . . oh and I do have a few things (ha ha!) for my job (more like "LOTS to do"). So nothing fancy will work for me in these busy autumn days. I scrolled through Giada's recipes on the Food Network's web-site and chose this easy recipe.
Luckily, I still had my own saved recorded version of this episode on my DVR, so I watched her prepare these during which I felt that I needed to modify it by adding some fresh Italian cheese (can't be an Italian home without cheese). And since I just used Spanish Manchego cheese on sandwiches this weekend (previous post), I decided to use Fontina for a milder taste combined with some Asiago for a sharper bite. I also prepared a few without any cheese(s). The addition of cheese made ALL the difference and I highly recommend it! I also doubled the prosciutto (not surprised, are you?).
Benvenuto Giada!
Prosciutto, Cheese, Basil, and Carrot Bundles
(adapted from Giada De Laurentiis)
2 carrots, shredded
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Fontina or Asiago cheese, sliced thin (I added these to the recipe: Fontina for a milder combination, Asiago for a stronger bite flavor, or alternating cheeses in every other bundle)
Pinch of freshly ground salt
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
8 slices prosciutto, sliced a bit thicker than normal, not very thin
8 whole fresh basil leaves
In a medium bowl, toss together the carrots, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Squeeze the carrots so that the extra vinegar/oil mixture comes out.
Lay out the 8 slices of prosciutto; double the layers, laying 2 pieces on top of each other.
Top each with 1/4 of the carrot mixture.
Place a slice or two of cheese on top of the prosciutto and carrot mixture.
Place a basil leaf or two on top of each prosciutto/carrot stack.
Roll up the prosciutto around the basil, cheese and carrots.
If necessary, secure the bundles with toothpicks.
Garnish with grated carrots for added color.
Makes 4 bundles.
.
.
. Pin It
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
