Fruit Salad

INGREDIENTS

§  1 cup Sugar

§  1 cup Water

§  Juice Of 1 Orange

§  Zest Of 1 Orange

§  2 whole Vanilla Beans, Caviar Scraped Out (or 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract)

§  4 pints Strawberries, Hulled And Halved

§  2 pints Blueberries

§  2 cups Red Grapes, Halved

§  2 cups Green Grapes, Havled

§  Mint Leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

Place the sugar, water, orange juice and orange zest into a small saucepan and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low and simmer for 15-20 to thicken slightly. Set aside to cool, then store in the fridge until cold.

Mix together all the fruit in a large bowl and pour the syrup over the top, tossing gently. Garnish with mint leaves and serve.

Rosemary Focaccia Loaves

Recipe by Our Best Bites

Ingredients:

1 c. warm (105-115 degrees Fahrenheit) water

1 Tbsp. yeast

1 Tbsp. white sugar

1 tsp. Kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling

2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided

2 Tbsp rosemary (dried or fresh), divided
1/4 tsp dried oregano leaves
1/4 tsp garlic powder

2 1/4-2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

Instructions:

In a large mixing bowl, combine warm water, yeast, and sugar. Allow to stand for 10 minutes or until bubbly. While the yeast is getting bubbly, combine 2 C of the flour, salt, 1 1/2 Tbsp. rosemary, oregano and garlic powder.

Add flour mixture to yeast mixture along with 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Mix well. (I put it in my stand mixer with the dough hook on). Slowly add remaining flour to make a very soft dough–try and resist the urge to add too much flour.  You want a soft, wet dough.

Cover and allow to rise 45 min- 1 hour or until double in size.

Lightly flour your work surface and transfer dough onto this surface. Divide in half. Shape each half into a rounded loaf and place on a greased cookie sheet or pizza stone. Cover and allow to rise another 45 minutes.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Use remaining tablespoon of olive oil to brush over tops of loaves, discarding excess if you have any.  Sprinkle with remaining rosemary and some Kosher salt.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until very lightly golden-brown. Serve immediately (if you can) with olive oil and balsamic vinegar (if you want).

Roasted Parmesan Green Beans with Lemon Dijon Sauce

12-16 oz. frozen green beans

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ tsp garlic powder

1 heaping tbsp. Dijon mustard

Juice of ½ lemon

1 ½ tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place frozen green beans on baking sheet and drizzle oil over them. Season to taste with salt, pepper and garlic powder, tossing to coat evenly.

Shake baking sheet so all beans are in one layer. Place baking sheet on rack in lower third of oven. Roast 10 minutes then shake sheet to turn beans and roast 10 minutes more.

While roasting green beans, prepare the sauce. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in Dijon mustard and lemon juice. Keep warm until serving. Remove green beans from the oven and sprinkle with shredded Parmesan cheese. Serve sauce on the side.

You GOAT, girl Green Bean Salad

Dressing:

1/3 c walnut oil

2 Tbsp rice wine vingar

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 Tbsp minced shallot

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Salad:

1 Tbsp plush 1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 lb young, tender green beans, trimmed

1/2 c chopped walnuts

2 tsp walnut oil

12 ripe black Mission figs, halved

3 ounces goat cheese

To make the dressing: In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the dressing ingredients. Shake well, making sure the sugar dissolves. Set aside.

Fill a large stockpot three-quarters full with water, cover, and bring to a boil. Have ready a large bowl of ice water. Add the 1 T salt to the boiling water, then the beans, and cook until bright green and crisp-tender, 2 to 4 minutes. Drain the beans and plunge into the ice water until cold, about 1 to 2 minutes. Drain, wrap in several layers of paper towels, and place in a plastic bag. Refrigerate until 30 minutes before serving.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325 F. toss the walnuts with the remaining 1/4 tsp salt and the walnut oil. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until lightly browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside.

Walnut oil adds an unctuous, nutty-rich flavor to salads. Be sure to refrigerate after opening. Delicate Japanese rice wine vinegar balances this dish perfectly!

Place the beans and figs in a large bowl and toss with the dressing. Divide among individual salad plates. Garnish with the walnuts and crumble some goat cheese on top.

Rice Pilaf

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups basmati or long-grain rice

2 tablespoons butter

1 small onion, minced (about 1/2 cup)

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon coriander

4 ounces spaghetti or vermicelli, broken into 1-inch pieces (about 1 cup)

3 1/4 cups water 

1 1/2 teaspoons table salt

Ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Place the rice in a medium bowl and add enough water to cover by 2 inches; using your hands, gently swish grains to release excess starch. Carefully pour off the water, leaving rice in bowl. Repeat four to five times, until water runs almost clear. Using a colander or fine mesh strainer, drain water from rice and set aside. In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Add the onion and saute for 3-4 minutes, until softened but not browned. Add the garlic, cumin and coriander and cook for another 30 seconds. Add the rinsed and drained rice and the broken, uncooked noodles. Cook, stirring, for another 2-3 minutes until lightly browned. Stir in the water and salt and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed, about 16-18 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, take off the lid and place a kitchen towel folded in half over saucepan; replace the lid. Let the rice stand 10 minutes; fluff with a fork and serve.

From www.melskitchencafe.com

Best Broccoli Ever

4 to 5 pounds of broccoli (I only used like 2 lbs), cut into florets (but relatively big ones.)
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
4 garlic cloves
Lemon (zest and juice)
Fresh Parmesan cheese

Preheat your oven to 425° dry the broccoli THOROUGHLY. Put the broccoli on a cookie sheet. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. (5 Tbs olive oil, 1 1/2 tsps kosher salt, 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper, but I just eyeballed it.) Now add 4 garlic cloves that are peeled and sliced and toss them in too. Roast in the oven 20 to 25 minutes, until “crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned.” When it’s done, take it out of the oven, zest a lemon over the broccoli, squeeze the lemon juice over the broccoli, add 1.5 Tbs more olive oil, 3 Tbs toasted pine nuts (I left those out), and 1/3 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. She also has you add 2 Tbs julienned fresh basil, but I left that out too. 

www.amateurgourmet.com or The Barefoot Contessa.

Tomato Bruschetta

3 lbs. of tomato
2 tbsp. of basil
2 tbsp. of Italian parsley
1 garlic clove (minced)
2 tsp. of capers
1 shake of red pepper flakes
salt
pepper
2 tbsp. of Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. of balsamic vinegar

Mix together (flavors blend if it sits in the fridge for an hour). Cut up a long baguette and broil butter, salt and pepper for a few minutes until toasty then rub with a garlic clove after they are out of the oven.

Olive Cheese Bread

Olive Cheese Bread
Prep Time 10 Minutes
Cook Time 25 Minutes Servings 12

Ingredients
1 loaf French Bread
6 ounces, weight Pimiento-stuffed Green Olives
6 ounces, weight Black Olives
2 stalks Green Onions (scallions)
1 stick Butter, Room Temperature
½ cups Mayonnaise
¾ pounds Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated
I added parsley sprinkles
basil bunch chopped up
I added 1 cup of mushrooms minced
Preparation Instructions
Roughly chop both black olives and pimiento-stuffed green olives. Slice green onions into thin pieces.

Combine butter, mayonnaise, cheese, olives and green onions in a mixing bowl. Stir together until thoroughly combined. Spread mixture onto French bread that has been sliced lengthwise. Bake at 325ºF for 25 to 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and browning.

Mixture can also be refrigerated (up to two days) and used as a dip. Great with crackers.

Bacon wrapped Jalapeno's

Preparation Instructions:
Cut jalapenos in half, length-wise. With a spoon, remove the seeds and white membrane (the source of the heat; leave a little if you like things HOT). Smear softened cream cheese into each jalapeno half. Wrap jalapeno with bacon pieces (1/3 slice). Secure by sticking toothpick through the middle.

Bake on a pan with a rack in a 375-degree oven for 20-25 minutes. You don’t want the bacon to shrink so much it starts to the squeeze the jalapeno. If, after 20 minutes, the bacon doesn’t look brown enough, just turn on the broiler for a couple of minutes to finish it off. These are best when the jalapeno still has a bit of bite to it.

Serve immediately, or they’re also great at room temperature.

roasted butternut squash salad with apple cider vinaigrette

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
by In Good Taste
Recipe Description
A hearty fall salad with roasted butternut squash, feta cheese, walnuts, dried cranberries and arugula.

Preparation Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Place the butternut squash on a sheet pan. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, maple syrup, one teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and toss (use your hands for best results). Roast the squash for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until tender.
While the squash is roasting, make the dressing: combine apple cider, vinegar, mustard, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Slowly pour in olive oil, whisking continuously as dressing thickens. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Place the arugula in a large salad bowl and add the roasted squash mixture, the walnuts, cranberries, and feta. Spoon just enough vinaigrette over the salad to moisten and toss well (if you like light dressing, you may have some left over). Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Ingredients serves 4
FOR THE SALAD:
1-½ pound Butternut Squash, Peeled And Diced
1 Tablespoon High Quality Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon High-quality, Pure Maple Syrup
Kosher Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper
4 ounces, weight Baby Arugula
½ cups Walnut Halves, Toasted
3 Tablespoons Dried Cranberries
¾ cups Crumbled Feta Cheese

FOR THE DRESSING:

¾ cups Apple Cider
2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
¼ teaspoons Cinnamon
½ cups Olive Or Vegetable Oil
Salt And Pepper, to taste

***I made some alteration:

I added brown sugar to the walnuts and the squash....it tastes best if you just season it like you would candied squash. Also, my kids drank all my apple cider, so I used canned pear juice instead, this made it sweeter instead of so tangy.

Parmesan Potatoes

6 lg. potatoes
½ c. flour
½ c. grated Parmesan cheese
½ cube butter
1 ½ tsp. salt

Melt butter in a 9x13 inch pan. Put flour, salt and cheese in a bag. Shake wet, quartered potatoes until coated. Bake at 350° for 1 hour. Turn potatoes after 30 minutes.

Marbled Stuffed Twice Baked Potatoes

This recipe is from GI Julian, or Susan if you prefer. Susan is an excellent cook, one of the best I know. Her house is one of my favorite places to eat. Mostly because her food is amazing, but also because the Julians make me feel so welcome that I think I am home!

Marbled Stuffed Twice Baked Potatoes 4 Lg. russet potatoes

1 Lg. sweet potato
1/4 c. sour cream
3 T. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 scallions, thinly sliced
3/4 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Extra-Virgin olive oil, for brushing

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put the russet and sweet potatoes directly on the oven rack and bake 30 min. Pierce each potato a few times with a fork and continue to bake until tender. 15-20 min. more for the sweet potato and 20-25 min. more for the russets. Let cool slightly.

Peel the potato. Transfer to a bowl and mash lightly with a fork until almost smooth. Trim a thin slice off the top of each russet, cutting lengthwise. Scoop most of the flesh into another bowl and leave shells intact. Add the sour cream and butter to the bowl and mash with a fork. Stir in the scallions, 1/2 cheese, nutmeg, 1 1/4 t. salt and pepper to taste. Gently fold in the sweet potato.

Brush the potato skins with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Generously fill with the marbled potato mixture and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 c. cheese.

Reduce oven temp. to 375. Place the stuffed potatoes on a baking sheet and bake until the cheese melts, 25-30 min.


These potatoes were so good that I thought we needed to see them again!

Dave Litti"Coat Your Potatoes with this Au Gratin"

I meet Dave Litticoat my freshman year through a little program called "Date the States" that our mutual friend, Damian Idiart, created. Damian, Dave and a few other guys- that called themselves "The Fab Five"- thought a good way to date and get to know a variety of girls was to have a goal of dating a girl from every state in the United States during their freshman year. Because I was from Georgia I went out with 4 of the 5 "Fab Five." (That's right I have two more dishes to be named from the "Fab Five!) As gimmicky as it was, I ended up meeting some of my favorite friends through this "program." And Damian met the future Mrs. Damian Idiart- Sarah- because she was from Alaska. Ironically Dave Litticoat was from Austraila, but this potato dish has more European roots. But now that I think about it so does Austraila. Look at old boyfriends and current recipes coming full circle. Just proves again that boys and food are inseperable!
Dave Litti"Coat Your Potatoes with this Au Gratin"
1 yam, about 1 1/2 lbs., peeled and thinly sliced
1 sweet potato, about 1 1/2 lbs., peeled and thinly sliced
2 russets, about 2 lbs., peeled and thinly sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
4 TBSP. butter, cut into small pieces
1 TBSP. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 TBSP. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups grated Gruyere, Swiss or Emmanthaler cheese
Place the sliced potatoes in a mixing bowl: toss well. Grease a 2 quart baking dish. Place 1/2
of the potatoes in the dish and top with 1/2 of the sliced onions and dot with 1/2 butter. Layer remaining potatoes, onions and butter in top. In a mixing bowl combine thyme, nutmeg, salt, pepper, cream and cheese. Pour over the potatoes and cover with foil. Bake at 375 for 1 hour, remove foil and bake an additional 5 minutes. Serves 10-12

Craig's Ray of Sunshine Salad

So I take liberties with naming my recipes. This one again is not named after a boy I dated, but someone in my family not only dated him, but also married him as well. So it counts. And that "someone" who dated him was my mother-in-law. Yes, folks- Craig Ray is my father-in-law, but I don't think anyone every calls him Craig Ray except maybe his mother use to. But maybe I'll start that tradition. He seems like the type who would appreciate it. ;)

I recently took this salad to a family dinner and Craig Ray- see how it is catching on- proclaimed this salad "The Best Salad He Has Ever Tasted." So I guess it doesn't take much to win my affection because I immediately decided this salad was to be named after him. And his middle name of Ray just begged to be included. So basically the universe declared "The Best Salad Ever" as:

Craig's Ray of Sunshine Salad

Lettuce- whatever kind you like- I used a mix of red leaf and spinach.

1 pear, diced

1 apple, diced

1 avocado, diced

1 shallot, thinly sliced

Almonds slices- toasted. I bought some that were already toasted with a slight sweet coating. You could probably use any kind- just not a savory flavor.

Crumbled feta cheese

Briannas Poppy seed Dressing

Combine all the above ingredients together and sit back and wait for the compliments to come pouring in!

Roasted Asparagus

I love love love asparagus! I just can't get enough of it. I think this is my favorite way to cook it cuz its so easy and amazingly delicious.


Wash asparagus and cut off ends. Place all asparagus on a cookie sheet, toss in olive oil, sea salt and cracked pepper. Cook uncovered on 400 for 12 minutes. Then turn oven to broil and cook for 2 additional minutes.

Mystery Rice

Rice-a-Roni Rice Pilaf. Cooked to directions in a rice cooker. Ha ha!!!

You GOAT, girl salad

I know this has previously been posted by my cute sister and amazing cook Amber, but just to make it easier for you to get to this recipe I thought I would post again and put under Salads. Also I made this the other day for some friends and we all went crazy over it and I took a picture. So therefore....a new post.

You Goat, girl Salad

Dressing

1/3 c. walnut oil

2 T. rice wine vinegar

1 t. sugar

1/2 t. kosher salt

1 T. minced shallot

Freshly ground pepper

Salad

1 T. plus 1/4 t. salt

1 lb tender green beans, trimmed

1/2 c. chopped walnuts

2 t. walnut oil

12 ripe black mission figs, halved

vegetable oil for brushing

3 oz. goat cheese

To make the dressing: In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the dressing ingredients. Shake well, making sure the sugar dissolves. Set aside.

Fill a large pot with water, cover and boil. Have ready a large bowl of ice water. Add 1 T. salt to boiling water, then beans and cook until bright green and crip-tender, 2-4 minutes. Drain beans and plunge into the ice water until cold, about 1-2 minutes. Drain and wrap in several layers paper towels, and place in a plactic bag. Refridgerate until 30 minutes before serving.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325 F. toss walnuts with remaining 1/4 t. salt and walnut oil. Cook on baking sheet and bake until lightly browned, 8-10 min. Set aside.

Prepare a med. fire in grill. Brush figs with oil. Then grill on tinfoil for about 1 minute per side.

Place beans and figs in a large bowl and toss with dressing. Garnish with goat cheese and walnuts.

Recipe comes from : "Dressed to Grill" - Karen Brooks.