Tres Chic Salad

I was craving something light yet filling on one of our most recent 71-degree days. Though they were short-lived, they were certainly welcome springtime days, and they made me long for my quaint little patio deck, shaded by an ancient, enormous tree, where I would set up the hammock and nap in the lulling summer air. It was also the site of many a dinner al fresco.

I didn't want anything heavy for dinner, so I made a light yet still filling salad. Very French. Also inspiring the salad was an orange that needed to be eaten. These oranges are from our gentle neighbor to the south, the Sunshine State. SoSo good! I could not let it go to waste.

So, into this salad went:

*A bed of romaine lettuce (I would've preferred spinach or other mixed greens, but we were out)

*Aforementioned delicious, juicy orange segments

*Garbanzo beans

*Dried cranberries

*Chopped pecans

*Bleu cheese

*A homemade vinaigrette of honey mustard, lemon juice, S&P and a little olive oil

 So, as you can see, this salad is light, yet still calorically dense enough to satiate your appetite for dinner. I served it with a piece of leftover homemade Irish soda bread (exactly the same recipe I made last year) spread with a little of my mother-in-law's todiefor homemade jam.

And normally, on a weeknight, I don't drink wine. But this tres chic Frenchy salad, along with the 70-degree weather, just begged for a nice, crisp glass of Pinot grigio.

I picked this up for $6.99 I think, and it was really good. Especially alongside the salad!

I poured myself a small glass, taking a page from my previous post by paying homage yet again to another fabulous thing from my home state in my choice of drinking vessel. 

Especially for one of the first warm springtime days after a winter of a record-breaking 54 inches of snow, this was a tres chic and delightful dinner.

Just wish I could've enjoyed it on my patio.

Pizza Bianco

With the remaining bread: fail; pizza: win crust, Cookie Monster and I made a white pizza. On this pizza went:

*The base layer of ricotta cheese

*Dried basil

*Cloves of garlic, which roasted in the oven to become deliciously sweet (and not at all strong and bitter, like raw garlic) bursts of flavor

*Chopped salami (for Cookie Monster)

*Mozzarella cheese

*Freshly ground pepper

I gave the meat a shot, but it wasn't for me. So I picked it off of my slices and gave it to Cookie Monster, who happily gobbled it up. He really likes his salami! And yep, that is exactly what she said.

It was simple, but oh-so-good. Very much like its Italian ancestry. Those Italians really know what's up, don't they?

Salute!

Irish I Were Drinking Coffee!

A certain Irish holiday just passed, and just before said holiday, it was a bit cold here. So, with the inspiration of the Irish, Cookie Monster and I made some delicious coffee. With a hint o' the Emerald Isle. 

Enter the cast of characters: 

*French press Stumptown coffee (some of the very best you can get)

*Irish cream

*Jameson Irish whiskey

*Whipped cream

Pour the whiskey. Notice the measuring device? Actually purchased in Ireland!

Then the coffee. Pay homage to your home state in drinking vessel (optional).

Next, the Irish cream. 

Concede the camera to your husband, who will randomly take pictures of your butt.

Admonish husband for taking said butt photos and resume camera duties. Yes, there are more. No, they will not be published.

Top Irish coffee with whipped cream.

Admonish husband again for sucking down copious amounts of whipped cream directly from can into mouth. Laugh at his slight propellant high from said sucking down of whipped cream.

Delight in a delicious, warming beverage. Slainte!

Grilled Caesar Salad

I recently tried a delicious grilled caesar salad at this place near our house. Good lord, the salad was amazing! The lettuce had a lovely charred flavor and the croutons were nice and garlicky. I tried to recreate the salad at home.

I started by making my own take on caesar dressing. I combined Greek yogurt, parmesan cheese, dried parsley, lots of cracked black pepper, garlic, hot sauce and salt, then thinned it just a bit with some milk. It was pretty close!

Then I washed and dried my whole romaine lettuce leaves and grilled them on my George Foreman. This was not ideal, and I would just grill them in my cast-iron skillet or even over open flame next time. 

Finally, the croutons. This was the weakest aspect, as we only had what I call "sandwich" bread, which, in our house, is just plain ol' sliced whole wheat bread. I would've preferred ciabatta or French bread, but you gotta work with whatcha got. So I just made garlic toast with two slices of bread, using butter, minced dried garlic, season salt and parmesan cheese.

Alongside, we had some ricotta gnocchi I made a long time ago and froze. The sauce for the gnocchi was sauteed artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, garbanzo beans and parmesan cheese.

The verdict on the salad: A good first effort, but still needs work. But I'm willing to try again!

Bread FAIL. Pizza WIN.

When Snowpocalypse 2010 and Snowpocalypse 2010 II: The Sequel hit, I got bored sitting around inside. Usually when this boredom hits, I head to the kitchen to cook or bake something. I have, in the past, tried to make some bread, so I decided to try it again. 

Wow. Major FAIL on the bread baking. I had to warm up the water to dissolve the sugar, and I knew the water was too hot. But, being the impatient idiot I am, I dumped in the hot water anyway, hoping for the best. Yeah. Not so much. I straight-up killed my yeast. Oh, and I over-kneaded it, too. I covered my ball o' dough with a towel and kept checking it. It rose not at all. Zilch. Nada.

So, with my proverbial lemons, I made pizza crusts. Instead of bread, we had pizza. Not too bad a trade, right?

Here's the lovely gourmet pizza we made with the bread fail:

I started with a layer of olive oil brushed over the dough, then added some fresh spinach that I had chopped finely in the food processor with a bit more oil. Then we added:

*Caramelized onions

*Bleu cheese

*Prosciutto

*Goat cheese

*Chopped dates

Baked until golden brown and delicious, it was awesome! Cookie Monster and I have pretty high pizza standards now, since we make all kinds of kick-ass pizzas at home. Sometimes restaurant pizza is hard to compete with what we make. And when we make it, it's always super healthier than take-out.

Om nom nom!