A FRIDGE FULL OF FOOD...

Meditteranean Chicken Spaghetti Salad

Mediterranean Chicken Spaghetti Salad is a cold pasta salad that makes for a wonderfully refreshing summer meal.  Pasta, lovely fresh veggies, and rotisserie chicken also make for a quick prep that can be made ahead and is even better the second day after the dressing has had a chance to combine flavors with all those veggies and pasta.  It's a win win, can't lose dish that works well into busy schedules and hot summer days.  

I first heard of spaghetti salad when a gal, Jan, brought it to a work potluck.  Spaghetti as the pasta in a pasta salad? Why,  I'd never heard of such a thing! (laughing at myself)  I think she called it California Spaghetti Salad.  I can't remember all the ingredients except for tomatoes and black olives, but I love the idea in all its easily customizable forms:  spaghetti as a cold pasta base with any kind of chicken whether it's breasts or dark meat, grilled or rotisserie, or even vegetarian.  Not to mention the vegetables can be anything I have in the crisper or pantry:  tomatoes, black olives, snow peas, sugar snap peas, frozen peas, cucumber, zucchini,  red peppers, green peppers, any or all of the above or any other veggies that seems appropriate and willing to be chopped at the time.

I've made this on many occasions, mostly for myself and Gene for no occasion at all but in the photos I served it for lunch for a couple of friends, Maggie and Melissa, and actually took the time to make lunch feel like a celebration by baking homemade bread and getting out the pretty "Sunday dinner" serving bowls.

Low carb diets be damned, I served the salad with tall glasses of tart lemonade and these, my favorite of favorite, go-to daily bread recipe from the awesome Faith Brockoff who taught a fun-filled morning bread class to me, Auntie Susan, and cousin/bestie Ann, for Auntie's birthday several years ago. I've never looked back.  I love that the milk and egg create a tender crumb that lends itself so well to any form or shape I want it take, from rolls, to loaves, to boules, to...  Faith's Farmhouse Bread

Copycat Arris Pizza Spinach Salad with Bleu Cheese and Red Wine Vinaigrette

  One of our favorite places to eat, when I'm not cooking at home, is a locally owned restaurant, Arris Pizza on Republic Road.  Started in Jefferson City, MO in 1961 by Arris Pardalos, we're lucky to have one his few franchises here in Springfield, just a couple of miles from home.  The pizza is thin-crusted crunchiness that we love with generous toppings and the salads are to die for. They serve pizza, pasta, sandwiches, and salads, almost all of which are made from scratch in house but we are bad about sticking to our favorites:  Gene's is the Hercules with ground beef, Greek sausage, bacon, and Canadian bacon, while mine is the Veg Head (tomatoes, artichoke hearts, black olives, green peppers, spinach, and mushrooms) plus Greek sausage. Gene jokes that I shouldn't be allowed to ordered a vegetarian pizza and then add sausage to it, but hey, it's my party--and it's so yummy! 

Of course they have Greek Salad (duh!) and a Caesar, but my favorite is the Berry salad with spinach, romaine, berries in the summer or dried cranberries, bleu cheese, toasted walnuts, and their homemade red wine vinaigrette.  Even when I'm cooking at home I love to serve my version of this salad. The combination of fresh green, sweet berries, savory walnuts, with the bite of bleu cheese and the sweet fruity dressing is the essence of the perfect bite, in my mind and mouth. 

Disclaimer:  I don't claim that this dressing recipe is directly from Arris, and I have no connection to the restaurant or its owners, but this recipe is one of my go-to vinaigrettes as it  tops a delicious salad to serve at home that is very close/similar to the one I always order there.

 

 

The Works Broccoli Cauliflower Salad

 Remember when broccoli salad was called Trees N Raisins salad because that's basically all it was, with maybe some sunflower seeds?  Me too.  This is so much yummier (and even healthier too).  And ultimately customizable to what's in your fridge and pantry.  When I really go all out I love to add both broccoli and cauliflower, cashews and sunflower seeds, raisins or dried cranberries and grapes, bacon and onion, AND cheese cubes.  Yum. It's a huge crunchy, sweet, salty, savory party for the mouth.  I love to make a good sized batch and leave it in the fridge to be eaten all week since it keeps very well for several days.  It can be the salad for dinner,  a lunch by itself, or even just a snack. 

 

Cranberry, Orange, and Candied Pecan Salad with Fresh Orange Vinaigrette

 

 This is probably one of my all time favorite salads. Ever. It has all of my favorite flavors:  crunchy spinach and romaine,  juicy oranges (love citrus!), sweet dried cranberries, and sweet, crunchy, heavenly candied pecans. What's not to like, right?  Then dressed with a very simple orange juice and olive oil vinaigrette, that brings out each of those flavors without overpowering them at all.  Super quick to put together, too, only about 10 minutes from tearing the greens to peeling and slicing the oranges, I whip it up while the rest of dinner is cooking so it's bright and fresh and ready to go when dinner is ready for the table.

Spring is Here: BLT's with Avocado Salad

 Spring is here!  BLT's are my favorite sign (right after planting the tomato and pepper plants in containers on the back porch.)  We broil the bacon in the oven and our secret ingredient this year is Avocado "Salad", a tangy blend of chunked avocado with balsamic vinegar and spices.  For recipe, click here:  Avocado "Salad". 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pinterest Recipes: Avocado "Salad"

 Has anyone else seen this photo on Pinterest and been intrigued?  It kept coming up and every time I would think "I love avocados...need to do this someday."  Someday became a couple of days ago and here's the shocker:  even my husband who hates avocados loved this on his BLT!  Seriously, it's sooooooooooo good. 

If you go to the blog web site http://www.neringa-blogas.com/ you'll find it's not in English but the Pin itself had these directions:  "Avocado with black pepper  1 avocado at maturity  1 v. tablespoon of soy sauce  1 v. tablespoon lemon juice  1.5 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil  freshly ground black pepper  pinch of spicy smoked Paprika    combine soy sauce, lemon juice, oil and chilli powder. Pour over avocado, sprinkle with black pepper." 

I saw a different version that said to refrigerate for two hours to overnight.

I was also intrigued by the overnight directions.  Avocados are hard to keep at my house because, like I said, my husband doesn't like them and I'd prefer to only eat half at a time but I hate wasting the browned edge from the second half I store.  I've tried the plastic wrap, leaving the pit in, and lemon tricks but none work perfectly well, in my experience. But I've never tried oil to stop the oxidation.  I think this recipe will work. Our avocado "salad" got finished off the night I made it with both of us eating it but I think either the oil trick might work or the fact that the balsamic vinegar I used browns the avocado a bit anyway the oxidation wouldn't be noticeable.  It's not like the oxidation changes the flavor of the avocado anyway, it's just a head thing I can't get around even knowing it doesn't mean anything.

This is delicious!  The combination of tart vinegar (or soy sauce/lemon juice in the original) with the spices and creamy avocado was spectacular, alone, and as a condiment/salad on our BLT's.  I also tossed the last spoonful of it later onto a salad and skipped the dressing. 

My version was a bit different but still in keeping with the original intent:

Glenna's Avocado "Salad"

Recipe by Glenna Anderson Muse

Adapted from Pinterest

 

Ingredients:

1 ripe Avocado, chunked

1 Tbsp good Olive oil

2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar

Cavender's Greek Seasoning to taste (or simply salt and pepper works well too)

Optional:  Sriracha sauce to taste

 

Directions:

1)  Toss avocado chunks gently in olive oil, covering all sides of each.  (Use a bit more oil if needed).

2)  Add rest of ingredients and lightly toss as well.

Eat as is or add as a condiment or compliment to sandwiches, salads,  or grilled meat.

Nutrition per 1/4 recipe:  Calories:  111;  Protein:  1;  Carbs:  4;  Fat:  11;  Fiber:  4:  Potassium:  244 mg;  Vitamin C:  8% RDI.

 

 

Related articles

Free Pattern: Hello Kitty in NICU (Micro-Preemie thru Newborn)

Owl Lovey Blanket

Sunday Night is The Walking Dead Night: Carol's Cookies

Free Pattern: Elf on the Shelf Micro-Preemie Christmas Hat

The Walking Dead Parody: The Snacking Dead Cookbook by D.B. Walker

Greek Salad with Easy Homemade Greek Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

In keeping with James' birthday dinner of Ina Garten's Pastitsio (Greek Lasagna) and Greek Do Nothing Pineapple Coconut Cake, I made a large Greek Dinner Salad with Easy Homemade Greek Vinaigrette to go with the pasta at dinner.

Quick and easy, it's a matter of chopping a few fresh vegetables from the crisper, tossing over some creamy feta, and whisking together a few clean-eating pantry ingredients to dress the salad just before serving--and not having to dig through the fridge for clunky, who-knows-how-old bottled dressings!  

 

Ina Garten's Pastitsio (Greek Lasagna)

Greek Do Nothing Pineapple Coconut Cake

Home-Made Buttermilk Herb (Ranch) Dressing

 I know that in some circles "ranch" dressing or dip is considered passe' but, to me, it ranks up there will all my favorite comfort foods like mashed potatoes, mac & cheese, chicken pot pie, and all the rest of the delicious, non-pretensious things that are so lovely and comforting to eat.  I do admit, though, that ranch dressing out a bottle from a grocer's shelf doesn't thrill me but making it home-made with fresh herbs is definitely the ticket! 

It's also much better for you.  Think about it.  Sure, it's a little more work to put the ingredients together but when you make it from scratch, including the mayo, you're talking about eating eggs, cold-pressed oil, buttermilk, dill, parsley, garlic, etc., all whole foods  not tons of chemicals and preservatives. That, and the fresh creamy herby taste make it worth every one of those 15 minute spent preparing it.

New Year's Day: Get your Black-Eyed Peas on!

I'm not a huge fan of black-eyed peas but this is one recipe I love and make every year: Cowboy Caviar.  With its mix of black-eyed peas, black beans, corn, celery and other vegetables, it's a wonderful cold side dish, you get your New Year's Day good luck black-eyed peas, and it's a great do ahead recipe for New Year's Eve or New Year's Day parties!

While black-eyed peas are grown in many countries, they are particularly eaten here in the southern United States.  There are two southern traditions that explain the superstition of eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day for luck, both grew out of the Civil War. The first is the legend that whenever Sherman's Union troops sacked cities or plantations and raided the food supplies, the northeners considered black-eyed peas and field corn to be food for slaves and stock, and left it, so all the starving southeners felt "lucky" to have any food left to celebrate New Year's Day with at all.

The second is a much more pleasant legend.  Again placed during Civil War times, legend has it that many slaves celebrated the New Year's day that the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect by eating Hoppin' John, a common, hearty dish, made of a combination of black-eyed peas, rice, pork, and greens (also yummy). 

Other legends place black-eyed pea eating as far back as the Talmud and the Egyptians but having grown up eating very southern-ish, my favorite is the thought of celebrating the Emancipation Proclamation and the hope of great strides in civil rights of all men and women of all everything in our country's future.

Home-Made Mayonnaise in the Blender in 5 Minutes; Garlic & Parsley Aioli 1 More Minute

I've often talked about what rotten brats my brothers and sister and I were as kids, not because we were inherently mean, but because we were so spoiled by our Mom's creativity and know-how in the kitchen.  As an adult, I appreciate the summers we spent gardening and all the home-made great food we ate but as kids we were the frowny faces who whined to our cake-decorator Mom "Please, anything for my birthday but cake with decorator frosting!" See? Brats!

We also had home-made pancakes (not from Bisquick or a mix), home-made caramel sauce for our ice cream, and home-made mayonnaise on our sandwiches. Did we appreciate it?  No! We whined for Bisquick pancakes, white store bread, caramel sauce that comes in a Smuckers jar, and Miracle Whip!

I laugh now, and hope she's laughing in Heaven with the unappreciated Moms!

I've been making a lot of buttermilk herb (ranch) dressing lately and since that's all from scratch, it seemed a shame to keep using commercially made mayo (I'm a Hellman's girl) when I know how to and how easy it easy to make home-made mayo before proceeding to the buttermilk dressing stage.  Mayo, like all dressings, is a relatively simple concept with a variety of ingredients that can be used for slightly different tastes. I'll give the basic recipe and add some of the ingredients that can be exchanged for the basics to 'fancy up" the basic eggy, creamy, rich concoction that is mayonnaise. I may not have appreciated it as a kid but I do now, Mom!