THE salad

This salad is so named because of it's extremely popular demand in my social circles. It gets lots of "wow's" and is firmly requested by people when I offer to bring them a meal after a surgery, new baby, event etc. "Oh thank you for offering, can you bring THE salad?" "I want THAT salad at my baby shower." It's just a salad though right? Toss a bag of lettuce into a bowl, add a few cherry tomoatoes and call it good! Not this one, it's a little more involved. It has also been called the 18 ingredient salad, and Summer Salad. It originates from a place my BFF used to work back home. The salad part of the recipe can be adjusted to your liking of certain items, which is why I didn't put amounts there. For example, I just usually use a whole head of lettuce, a whole large can of oranges a whole package of strawberries, one bunch of green onions, about two handfuls of almonds etc. This amount feeds several people, or you can have it the next day too! Enjoy.

Summer Salad

Lettuce
Mandarin oranges (drained/patted dry)
Strawberries (sliced)
Almonds (slivered, toasted)
Green Onions (chopped)
Craisens
Parmesean cheese (shredded)
*Chicken (cooked/sliced or shredded)

*I usually only use chicken if I am using this salad as the main dish. As a side dish or to take to events, I leave the chicken out.

Dressing
3 T. Poppy seeds
¼ C. Minced white onion
¾ C. Sugar
1 C. Olive oil
¼ C. Lemon juice
1/3 C. Apple cider vinegar
¼ T. Ground Mustard
½ T. Paprika
¼ T. Worchestershire sauce
¼ T. Salt

In one cup of hot, hot water add the poppy seeds and onion. Let them soak while you assemble the remaining dressing ingredients (or about 5-10 minutes) Drain, then add to the other ingredients. Dressing can be stored in the refrigerator for about a week.

Grilled Pizzas!!

GRILLED PIZZAS!!

The grill, I love the grill. Anything I can grill, I will. Yes, you can even grill pizza. I decided that for our ladies birthday party, we would grill pizzas. I think they all thought that was a weird concept... until they ate it. Everyone loved it!

You can be so creative with this recipe. The topping choices are endless. We love BBQ pulled pork pizza, chicken pesto pizza and breakfast sausage & pepperoni pizzas. I found the dough recipe on the back of the Fleischmans green yeast packets, but I have altered it with the addition of whole wheat flour. It adds nutrition and your family will never know the difference, but they will be impressed with your new grilling skills.

You will need the following items:

Mixer with Dough Hook

Pizza Peel

Pizza Stone

Rolling Pin

Grill!

Ingredients:

Dough:

1 & 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour

1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour - I prefer King Arthur brand myself

A Good Splash of Good Quality Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons or So of Sugar

1 Packet of the Green Fleischmans Yeast- made just for pizza dough- for the cooks living around us- it can be purchased at Harris Teeter

2/3 Cups Hot Water- simply turn your tap to the hottest water and use that. Do not boil the water or you will kill the yeast

1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt

1 Teaspoon Any kind of dry pizza seasoning you like or omit this step

Pizza Sauce:

1 Small Can of Hunts Tomato Sauce

1 Teaspoon Basil

1 Teaspoon Sage

1 Teaspoon Oregano

1/2 Teaspoon Marjoram- now you know where to use that spice

1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Salt

Mix all ingredients together- there is your sauce. Simple but delectable!

Directions:

1. In your Kitchenaid or Mixer of your choice, attach the dough hook- yes you will finally get to use that one!

2. Add 1 Cup of Flour, the olive oil, the yeast- Sprinkle the yeast over top of the flour, Sprinkle the sugar over the yeast- this is what the yeast feeds on to bubble and make that airy pizza dough that you will love.

3. Add the Hot Water

4. Add the Salt and your seasoning if you choose- I add this last because salt will keep the yeast from activating and bubbling.

5. Start the mixer on low and combine until ingredients are not stuck to the side of the mixer.

6. Add the remaining flour- this is where it depends on a lot of factors as to how much flour you will need- usually it ends up to be 1 to 1 1/2 cups of flour

Once all the flour is mixed in and the dough is stuck to your hook, you are ready to take the dough out.

Sprinkle some flour on your counter and knead the dough a few times to make a ball. Place the dough ball back in your mixer bowl and cover. You can skip this step if you really cannot wait. It will rise and make the dough even more fluffy and pillowey.

Sprinkle a bit more flour and start making pizzas. We prefer to make them on the smaller size. I do not try to get the pizzas perfectly round- you want the imperfections of the dough not being round. Yes, for some of us that can be hard.

Place the pizza stone on the grill and get it really hot. We have found that placing your ready to grill pizzas on a wood surface such as a pizza peel works best to get them onto the pizza stone. Place your pizzas on the stone and when the cheese is bubbly and gooey- they are done! Usually takes about 5 minutes. Grilled to perfection. Voila!

For BBQ Pork Pizzas-use the same dough recipe and do the following: make a wonderful BBQ sauce (that will be a later post), use the BBQ sauce as the base, add your favorite smoked pulled pork, then add your favorite cheese.

Chicken Pesto Pizzas- use the same dough recipe and do the following: use your favorite pesto or make one, layer with grilled chicken, then your favorite cheese.

Breakfast Sausage and Turkey Pepperoni Pizza- use the same dough recipe and do the following: use the pizza sauce from the top, use your favorite breakfast sausage links- first cook them and then cut them, arrange your sausage and turkey pepperoni and then add your cheese.

Bacon Wrapped Yumminess

Tilapia = nutritious, healthy, bland, lean, fish. Bacon = Does the fact that it has protein count? indulgent, delicious, salty, wreckless. These descriptions are what makes this combination such a delightfully "balanced" main dish. Ha! Why is it that if I say the word bacon, everyone within earshot gives me their undivided attention? As the saying goes, "Everything tastes better with bacon." I have even heard it said that ice cream tastes good with bacon...Hmmmm...I will leave that one to Chelsie!

Bacon Wrapped Tilapia
2-3 strips bacon/tilapia fillet you are preparing
tilapia fillets
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and begin cooking the bacon. Cook it for 5-8 minutes or until it just starts to turn crispy. (You will only partially cook it here, it will finish cooking in the oven.) Remove the bacon from the pan and drain all but about a tablespoon or two of the bacon renderings.

Salt and pepper both sides of the tilapia and put it into the skillet. Cook for 1-2 minutes on each side, until it turns opaque and begins to get firm. Wrap the bacon around the filets and place on a foil lined cookie sheet or other baking dish.

Place the Bacon wrapped yumminess in the oven and bake about 6-8 minutes until it begins to turn golden and is cooked through.

I like to serve it with brown rice and a steamed veggie!
Enjoy.

Ebelskivers aka Pancake Puffs

Who has not seen the infomercial for the Pancake Puffs? I doubt anyone, really. I bought the pan and I burned them! Yes, sad I know. The pan was not nonstick as they tell you and I could not flip them. It was not a good experience. I was not ready to give up on this endeavor. So, last year I saw this specialty pan at Williams and Sonoma and I just had to have it. Who doesn't love pancakes, especially ones you eat with your hands! This is one of my family's favorites. It is a bit time consuming, but worth the effort. We love to fill them with turkey breakfast sausage and dip them in cinnamon syrup. Umm hmm. You can fill them with anything you would like. We have filled them with blueberry preserves & cream cheese to chocolate chips and peanut butter. They are fabulous all on their own, but try a filling, you won't be disappointed.

Recipe:

2 Cups All Purpose Flour- (I prefer King Arthur Flours)

1 Tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 Tsp. Salt

4 Eggs, Separated

2 Cups Skim Milk

2 Tbps. Melted Butter- (You gotta have something, sometimes. We cut where we can but don't sacrifice flavor. A little bit is ok.)

Non Stick Spray of your choice, but not the ones with flour mixed in them.

Additional Items Needed:
Ebelskiver Pan from Williams and Sonoma

2 Wooden Skewers

In a bowl place the flour, baking powder, salt, egg yolks, and milk. Whisk gently, it will still be lumpy- You want that. I know it doesn't seem right, but trust me on this. You need lumps.

In another bowl, whisk the egg whites until they are stiff but not dry peaks. You then fold your egg whites into the flour mixture. You are ready to start.

Heat your ebelskiver pan and spray the top evenly. Fill your wells about 3/4 full, add your filling and then top with a bit more batter just to cover the filling without overflowing the wells. When you see the tops start to bubble approximately 2-3 minutes, just like a regular pancake, you know you are ready to flip them. Use the wooden skewers to flip them gently and cook them for another 2-3 minutes. Be patient and practice turning them, it doesn't take long to learn.

Voila! Your family and friends will be impressed.

Valentine's Cookies

Thirteen years ago today, on our first Valentine's day as an engaged couple, Kris invited me over to his place for dinner. Yes, he actually made dinner! :) He made Chicken curry with rice, but the truly impressive part of the meal was dessert. He baked homemade fortune cookies with little love notes inside. Ok, so to our gentlemen readers...this recipe will most definately get you some high marks with your lady, guaranteed! Yesterday Kris and I had our valentine's "date" and made the fortune coookies again. It's been 13 years since the last time we had them. In this season of life, raising a young child, time seems to be what we would like more than flowers and fancy, expensive dates...although those are always nice! We had the best time hanging out in the kitchen, making witty remarks, laughing, and trying not to mess up the finicky cookies!

Fortune cookies:
These cookies can be tricky to make - it's important to make sure that the cookie batter is spread out evenly on the baking sheet. The best way to spead the batter is to gently tilt the baking sheet back and forth as needed. Wearing cotton gloves makes it easier to handle and shape the hot cookies. This fortune cookie recipe makes about 6-10 cookies...They are easier to shape if you make them a little larger.

Ingredients:
2 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 teaspoons water

Preparation:
1. Write fortunes on pieces of paper that are 3 1/2 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease 2 9-X-13 inch baking sheets.

2. In a medium bowl, lightly beat the egg white, vanilla extract, almond extract and vegetable oil until frothy, but not stiff.

3. Sift the flour, cornstarch, salt and sugar into a separate bowl. Stir the water into the flour mixture.

4. Add the flour into the egg white mixture and stir until you have a smooth batter. The batter should not be runny, but should drop easily off a wooden spoon.
Note: if you want to dye the fortune cookies, add the food coloring at this point, stirring it into the batter.

5. Place level tablespoons (we made ours with about three tablespoons of the batter each) of batter onto the cookie sheet, spacing them at least 3 inches apart. Gently tilt the baking sheet back and forth and from side to side so that each tablespoon of batter forms into a circle 4 inches in diameter.

6. Bake until the outer 1/2-inch of each cookie turns golden brown and they are easy to remove from the baking sheet with a spatula (You kind of just have to watch them at about 8 minutes...ours took 11 minutes total and the original recipe says 14 - 15 minutes).

7. Working quickly, remove the cookie with a spatula and flip it over in your hand. Place a fortune in the middle of a cookie. To form the fortune cookie shape, fold the cookie in half, then gently pull the edges downward over the rim of a glass. Place the finished cookie in the cup of the muffin tin so that it keeps its shape. Continue with the rest of the cookies. Let them cool and dry for a while before eating!

Affectionately Known as "Chelsie's Casserole Page 96"

Growing up I love, love, love sweet potatoes. It is one the foods I remember my Mom talking about the most with me and what I liked as a child. My Grandma Knight, a sweet Southern Woman from Thomasville, Alabama sent a cook book to my Mom, with an amazing sweet potatoe casserole recipe. We received this book, my best guess would be somewhere around 1982. Smack dab on the cover it says, "Chelise's casserole pg 96." Somehow, I hope in the excitement of this recipe, my sister misspelled my name writing this on the cover.

Thanksgiving this year was amazing! I was given the privilege of preparing not just any meal, but Thankgiving for some I had just met one time and for others I had never met before. It was truly a blessed day! I made this casserole for them and one gentleman, who stated he clearly did not like sweet potatoes, loved this and told his wife to get the recipe. The following recipe has been adapted from it's original as I have to put my healthier spin on recipes and make them my own. Here is a not-so guilty-sweet potatoe pleasure known affectionately as, "Chelise's Casserole pg 96." (Thank you ladies of Clark County Alabama for the original.)

Casserole:

4 Sweet potatoes- umm not in a can :-)

1/3 Skim Milk

2 Eggs

3/4 Cup Sugar

1 Tsp Vanilla

1/2 Tsp Cinnamon

Pinch of Freshly Grated Nutmeg- (I know, but it is worth it)

Topping:

1 Cup Brown Sugar, packed

1/3 Cup Flour

3-4 Tbsps Melted Butter

1 Cup Pecans

Preheat the oven to 375. Roast the sweet potatoes until soft. Cool and peel the sweet potatoes. The skins will fall right off when they are done. Place sweet potaotes in a mixing bowl and with a fork, mash them to the consistency of mashed potatoes. Add the milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg, mix well. Place in a 9x9 baking dish.

For the Topping:

Combine the brown sugar, flour and pecans until everything is coated well. Add the melted butter and mix with a fork to make a crumble topping. You can use more butter if you like it a bit wetter or less if you like it drier. Place the topping on the casserole and turn the oven down to 350 and bake for 30-40 until it is bubbly and gooey on top!

Voila!!

Serendipity!

Serendipity by definitiion is the act of finding something valuable or delightful when you are not looking for it. Well without looking for it I certainly found a wonderfully valuable friend and sister in Chelsie! And we were able to share together along with two more friends in a great expedition to New York City this weekend. For both of us it was our first time seeing the big apple with our own eyes. We had quite the adventures and at the top of our list was visiting the famous and renowned Serendipity 3 on the Upper East Side. So we ordered a round of Frrrrozen Hot Chocolates! Yum, yum, yummy! What a wonderful and memorable treat... but more than the chocolate, more than the eclectic decor, and more than the wonder at all the famous people who have sat in my chair, the moment was made so much more remarkable by the ladies I shared it with!

The Steak Trial......

So, we decided that we wanted steak for dinner when we went to see Jeremy Camp at the Hylton Memorial Chapel and Outback Steakhouse is right there. Of course dinner was fantastic, but how do we make steak that good at home? I decided I would search for what the seasonings are that they use to make them so scrumptous. Upon looking at the "interweb", I found a recipe for the mystery seasoning. I was very skeptical, but I had to try it. It was so good, my kids were begging me for more.. Now you know it's good when they beg for more and it isn't a dessert.

Here it is: Your New go-to Steak Seasoning Recipe:
New York Strip Steaks
One Package Taco Seasoning- powder
One Pakage Italian Dressing Mix- powder
Approx. 2 teaspoons Olive Oil

Place your steaks out for 30 minutes to take the chill off
While waiting, open the packets and mix them together in a bag or shaker
Rub the steaks lightly with olive oil, top & bottom
Sprinkle generously the seasonings on your steaks, top and bottom
Use the back of a fork to rub in the seasoning
Grill to perfection

Voila!!!

Now That You Explain It Like That....

Well, hmmm...now when Chelsie explains the "pink socks" situation in such a wonderfully descriptive and heartfelt way, I find myself, shall we say, softening toward the pink socks. I'm all for team comradery and I am definately all for girlie, so it stands to reason that I should be all for pink socks right? I am not yet 100 percent there, but maybe with a little time I will come around!

Two weeks ago Chelsie sent a pumkin-cream cheese muffin home with me. AND? Well I had the same muffin just the day before from Starbucks, a rare indulgence on my part. So I was in the perfect place to make a comparison, although I already knew who the winner would be! Chelsie's was so riculously moist and fresh-er tasting. I could really taste the pumpkin in it That was the first flavor that registered, unlike the Starbucks muffin in which the first flavor to register was sugar. (For the record, I have nothing against Starbucks.) And knowing Chelsie, I'm sure it was a much healthier option in comparison. So I am placing my vote that Chelsie post the recipe asap! :)

Speaking of salads now. I humbly admit that I have become pretty adept at creating a ...creative salad. On the average day I eat at least one salad a day as a meal, and usually another one as a side with a meal. So after all these years of salads, I've had to get more creative. Now when I say salad I mean a fresh vegetable, and fruit assembly of ingriedients, and not a mixture of any sort slathered with mayo and oil and whatever! I just personally cannot consider that a salad. Although by definition: SALAD: food mixtures either arranged on a plate or tossed and served with a moist dressing; usually consisting of or including greens...I guess a salad could be anything really! I love organic, fresh, preservative-free foods, and salads fit the bill. So here is our favorite from this summer!


Heirloom Tomato Salad w/Garlic infused Olive Oil(serves 4)

4 T. extra virgin olive oil
3 small garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 lbs. heirloom tomatoes* (any combination), halved or quartered
1/4 C. Chives cut into 1 inch peices
1/4 C. fresh basil, leaves torn if large
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Heat oil and garlic in a small saute pan over medium-low heat. Cook until garlic is golden (about 6 minutes). Transfer to a bowl and let cool.

2. Arrange tomatoes on a serving plate, and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with the garlic oil, and sprinkl with chives and basil just before serving.
* I try to get an assortment of heirloom tomato varieties with bright colors and interesting shapes, it makes for great presentation and it is always a favorite at the events we've taken it to!

To Continue...The Story of the Pink Socks

Melissa is an inspiration to me as well. She has a vey special gift of letting you know how much you mean to her by crafting these every so thoughtful hand made cards, that words cannot describe. They find you with tears streaming and feeling very loved. Her way of always making me laugh, is incredible. But, let's boast a moment about Melissa and her amazing God given talent for making the most amazing salads! You might think leaves, dressing, ehhh it is all the same...No! Her salads are out of this world crazy good. She puts together things you would never think of and it works! Umm, and I am still waiting on the strawberry salad...

How did the pink socks come about? Well, let me give you some background... I was one of the girls who watched and cheered on the guys as we stood around hoping the P.E. teacher did not make us play. Now, I play on our church softball team. How did that happen? Last year I was minding my business keeping score for the team, when I was hit straight to the back of the head by a foul ball. After that I figured I might as well play if I can get hit just sitting here and how bad could it be? Primarily this is a guy's sport in my opinion, so I had to girlie it up. Keri and I were talking about needing a distraction since we were not very versed in the ways of softball. She talked about striped softball pants, and well pink socks just came to me. I wanted to support the ladies that were playing and help figure out what our distraction should be and well pink socks became the way to do that. The pink socks have become an entity of their own in our softball team. Men, yes men ask me about them all the time and say they would wear them. Melissa...on the other hand...does not care for my pink socks. I am working on her, I will wear her down...She will come to love the pink socks too.

Pie Weights...

This is how I remember it...I met the talented Mrs. Chelsie Throckmorton at church (Victory's Crossing) a few years back and we have thankfully become really great comrades in the time since. She is one of the most genuine people I know...I want to be more like her in that aspect....oh and she is a great cook and has an amazing gift for baking. Now I can hold my own when it comes to cooking, but baking, um no. I know my strengths and that is not one of them, I'll leave that to the experts. But Chelsie's passion for trying new things and modifying recipes definately wears off on you! So on one of our early outings we were wandering around a mall and made our husbands accompany us into Sur La Table. We "ooooh-ed" and "aaahhh-ed" over all the fancy cooking tools. I stumbled upon a small clear bag filled with what appeared to be giant BB's (I'm from Montana so my mind automatically goes to guns). Large silvery metal balls labeled "Pie Weights." Being the non-baker that I am, I'm sure the quizzical look on my face clearly explained to my friend Chelsie that I had no idea what these small, metal, marble-like objects were. She says matter-of-factly, "They are Pie Weights." And she looks at me as if I should know what they are just from that, like she expected me to reply, "Oh OK, that's what those are." But I just looked at her with that blank look and she says, "You put them in the pie and it makes the crust not bubble, you know keeps the air bubbles out." So that gave me a nice flawed mental image of what a pie weight does. In that moment I reflected on my 30+ years of pie experiences. I've maybe baked two pies ever, but I've had the occasional piece of pie here and there. But I never remembered having to pick the pie weights out of the pie before I ate a piece...but maybe the baker did that? Is there a professional Pie Weight removal pastry chef? How much do they get paid to do such a tedious job? All of this running through my head after Chelsie's explanation. So I ask her if you have to pick the pie weights out of the pie before you eat it? My question was honest, genuine...I still had no clue. And she laughed....and laughed...and laughed. Then she explained in a little more detail the roll of pie weights until I finally understood. When you bake the crust of the pie before filling it, you can place pie weights (you could also use beans or rice) evenly over the bottom of the crust and it helps prevent bubbling! Then you take them out just before the crust is finished baking....and then....you put the filling in!!! I guess I just needed the play by play. Well there it is. Pink Socks will be explained later......you'll just have to come back!