Spinach Salad

I'm a fan of spinach salad because I feel like I get more nutritional bang for buck with spinach than with lettuce.  If I'm eating salad, I want credit, you know?  My love of this salad is probably also helped by the fact that it has bacon, not only on the salad, but in the dressing as well.  Amen to bacon.  It makes everything better.  And one last selling point?  The caramelized red onions are really tasty and a nice change from the typical raw red onions in spinach salad.    

SPINACH SALAD

• 3 eggs, hard boiled and sliced
• 7 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 roma tomatoes, chopped
• 8 ounces baby spinach, washed and dried

DRESSING

• 3 tablespoons bacon fat
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• dash of salt

Fry the bacon in a skillet until crispy/chewy. Remove to a paper towel.


Leave a small amount of bacon fat in the skillet; drain the rest into a bowl and reserve.


Slice the red onion very thinly, and then add to the skillet.


Cook slowly until the onions are caramelized and reduced. Remove to a plate and set aside.


Make the hot bacon dressing: Add bacon fat, vinegar, sugar, Dijon and salt to a small saucepan or skillet over medium-low heat.


Whisk together and heat thoroughly until bubbly.


Toss spinach with warm dressing in a large bowl until evenly coated.


Divide spinach among 6 plates and top with onions, bacon, tomatoes, and egg. 


Source:  slightly modified from Pioneer Woman

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

These little pepperoni pizza puffs are perfect! (How's that for alliteration?!)  Kids love them, but they're impressive enough to wow adults as well.  You might want to double this recipe unless you're serving them to a very small crowd.  Trust me, double it.  I always wish I had. 

 PEPPERONI PIZZA PUFFS

• 3/4 cup flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 cup pepperoni (about 5 ounces), cut into small cubes, see note below
• marinara sauce, for serving
• fresh basil, chopped

Note on pepperoni:  Go to the deli counter and ask for a chunk of pepperoni so that you can cut it into small cubes.  You'll need about 5 ounces for one cup of small cubes.  I removed the outside casing before cubing it. 


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.


Grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan.


In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, milk, and egg.

Stir in the mozzarella and pepperoni; let stand for 10 minutes.

Stir the batter and divide among the mini-muffin cups. 

Bake until puffed and golden, about 20 minutes.

Sprinkle with basil and serve with marinara if so desired. 


Source:  A Bountiful Kitchen

Queso Blanco

This queso might be the best thing that's happened to me in the last month.  Okay, maybe my month hasn't been THAT rough, but I'm just saying, it's up there. 

It is sooooooooo cheesy and soooooooo de-lish.  And pretty simple to throw together.  The only trick is to keep it warm while serving.  I'm pretty sure I had a mini crockpot at some point in my adult life that I got rid of because I didn't know what I would use it for.  It would have come in handy the other night.  Instead I made a mess of my pan trying to keep it warm on the stove.

Note on white American cheese:  I bought it at the deli counter unsliced and then grated it.  If you can only find it sliced, cut it into thin strips.

This is what my perfect nachos con queso looked like.  Mmmmmmmmmm.   

QUESO BLANCO
(yields about 2 cups)

• 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 12 oounces white American cheese, shredded or sliced thinly
• 4 ounces Monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 1/4-2/3 cup milk
• 1 tomato, seeded and finely diced
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.


Add the onion and jalapeño to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes.


Reduce the heat to medium-low.  Add both of the shredded cheeses and 1/4 cup of the milk.


Stir until completely melted.


Mix in the tomato and cilantro, and add additional milk gradually as necessary to achieve desired consistency.


Serve immediately.


Source:  Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Party: Karrie's gettin' hitched!

I'm back after being flattened by the flu. It was horrible. I typically have an immunity of steel from the exposure to my students and their steady stream of germs. This was definitely the exception. I've never been so sick in all my years of teaching. They really aren't kidding when they say this has been and continues to be a nasty flu season.   

On to more pleasant things . . .

My lovely friend Karrie is getting married in just a few days. We had a little girls' night in to celebrate. We ate delicious food, helped Karrie prep her wedding favors, got the scoop on all the wedding details, and watched 27 Dresses.  It was a low-key (stretchy-pant-wearing) evening of fun and friends! 

We had a little nacho bar with all the fixings.

Everyone got to build their own perfect nachos.  We had Qdoba chips (Have you tasted their limey deliciousness?), Cafe Rio sweet pork, cilantro lime rice, homemade guac, queso blanco (recipe to follow), and the other necessary fixings for nachos.

Karrie loves sweets!  So, of course, we had a little treat bar with all of her favorites. 

I got the scoop on Karrie's favorites from her twin sister LeeAnn.  Everyone sampled the sweets for dessert and took a little bag o' treats home as well.

Congratulations, beautiful Karrie!!  Can't wait to celebrate and dance the night away!

Fried Cabbage

My mom used to make this growing up, usually as a side dish for teriyaki chicken or other Asian meals.  I love it.  It is super simple, but flavorful.  I feel even a little silly writing a post about it because it seems so common sense, but I like to have things documented so I remember it's an option.  Sometimes I get in such a rut that I can't think of anything to make, so having it here is a good reminder. 

The amounts below are just suggestions and can be adjusted to meet your needs and tastes.  The last time I made this I wanted to use up the bag of matchstick carrots I had so it was a little heavy on carrots, but still perfectly delicious. 

I like to make this to go with egg rolls or sweet and sour chicken.  I would suggest using a pretty big pan.  The cabbage cooks down quite a bit, but takes up a lot of space at the beginning.  I also like  my cabbage very well cooked and a little browned, so depending on how you like it will dictate how long to cook it.

FRIED CABBAGE

• oil
• 1/2 head of cabbage, finely shredded
• shredded carrots
• salt
• pepper

Heat a small amount (a tablespoon or so, depending on how much cabbage you're cooking) in a large fry pan.


Once the oil is hot, add cabbage and carrots.


Stir occassionally and add salt and pepper to taste once the cabbage has started to cook down.


Cook until carrots and cabbage are soft and some of the cabbage is browned. 


Source:  Marsha Porter (aka Mom)

Ham & Cheese Pastry

I had a few friends over last Saturday morning to visit and catch up.  I made this ham and cheese pastry and it was pretty darn good.  Frozen puff pastry can make you feel like a legit pastry chef!  Seriously . . . throw a little gruyere and ham between two sheets and . . . VOILA!

It looked really puffy and impressive when it came out of the oven.  Isn't it pretty?

HAM & CHEESE PASTRY

• 1 package (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, defrosted (recommended: Pepperidge Farm)
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1/4 pound black forest ham, sliced
• 1/2 pound Swiss Gruyere cheese, sliced
•  egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.


Lay 1 sheet of puff pastry on a floured board and carefully roll it out to 10 by 12 inches.


Place it on a pan lined with parchment and brush the center with the mustard, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge.


Place a layer of ham and then cheese, also leaving a 1-inch border.


Brush the border with the egg wash.


Place the second sheet of puff pastry on the floured board and roll it out to 10 by 12 inches.


Place the second sheet on top of the filled pastry, lining up the edges.


Cut the edges straight with a small, sharp knife and press together lightly.


Brush the top with egg wash and cut a few slits in the top to allow steam to escape.


Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until puffed and golden brown.


Allow to cool for a few minutes, slice into squares, and serve hot or warm.


Source:  Ina Garten

Chicken Taquitos

These are a non-fried version of one my favorite Mexican snacks.  I was so happy they were so good.  I guess I was glad they were fairly healthy as well.  These are flavorful and crispy.  You can make the filling ahead of time and then roll the taquitos right before baking.  I always love a make-ahead option.  You spray (or brush) them with olive oil before baking which gives them an excellent crispy crunch!  I served them as a main dish with this cilantro lime rice and this quac.  Adults probably need 3-4 to fill up.  The amounts below are double the original recipe.  It seemed convenient to double it since I had a whole rotisserie chicken and I always like leftovers to take in my lunch the next day.           

 

CHICKEN TAQUITOS
(makes about 24 taquitos)

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup green salsa
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 6 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 2 green onions, sliced finely (white and green parts to equal about 4 tablespoons)
• 4 cups shredded cooked chicken (1 rotisserie chicken)
• 3 cups grated monterey jack cheese

• small yellow or white corn tortillas
• kosher salt
• olive oil

Heat oven to 425 degrees.


Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with olive oil.


Mix softened cream cheese, green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic powder. Stir to combine.


Then add cilantro, green onions, chicken, and cheese and combine well.


Working with a few tortillas at a time, place 3-4 between two damp paper towels and microwave for 45 seconds, until tortillas are soft and pliable and don’t crack while rolling.


Place 2-3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture on the tortilla and roll it up as tight as you can.


Place filled taquitos seam side down on the baking sheet, making sure they don’t touch each other.


When ready to bake, spray the tops lightly with olive oil and lightly sprinkle Kosher salt.


Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.


Serve immediately with pico, sour cream, and guac. 


Source:  slightly adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe