Romaine Salad with Chicken, Cheddar, Apples, Spiced Pecans and Cranberry Vinaigrette

I made this salad for dinner one night and love it, much to my husband's dismay. He thought it tasted good... but is simply against eating "salad" for dinner. He ended up putting in a wrap. I, however, was in heaven and thought it was one of the best salads I had ever eaten. I will definitely be making this again soon. I found this at melskitchencafe.com.

Romaine Salad with Chicken, Cheddar, Apples, Spiced Pecans and Cranberry Vinaigrette

*Serves 4-6

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3-4 medium)
Salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
1/2 cup water
1 large head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces (about 8-10 cups)
8 ounces sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and chopped or sliced thin
1/2 red onion, sliced thin
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 cup spiced pecans, store-bought or following the simple recipe below

1 recipe Dried Cranberry Vinaigrette, see below for recipe

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season both sides with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until the oil is shimmering and hot. Add the chicken and cook until it is nicely browned on one side, about 3 minutes. Flip the chicken over, add the water, and cover the skillet. Cook the chicken, letting it poach, until it is cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let it cool slightly before carving.

Toss the lettuce, cheese, apple, pecans, onion and dried cranberries together. Divide the salad among the serving plates. Slice the chicken on a diagonal and arrange over the salad. Serve with the vinaigrette. I prefer to let everyone douse their own salad with dressing, but you could toss the salad with 1/2 cup or so of the vinaigrette before assembling it on the plates and serve the extra dressing on the side.

Quick Spiced Pecans:
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
2 cups pecan halves
1 tablespoon sugar

Melt the butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in the spices and then the pecans. Toast the nuts, stirring often, until the color deepens slightly and they are lightly toasted, about 5-7 minutes. Transfer the nuts to a bowl and toss with the sugar. Let them cool completely before tossing with the salad.

Dried Cranberry Vinaigrette:
*Makes about 1 1/2 cups dressing

1/4 cup cranberry juice or water
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup red wine or raspberry vinegar
1 shallot, peeled and quartered
1 small garlic clove, peeled
2 teaspoons fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Combine the cranberry juice (or water) and cranberries in a small microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for one minute until hot. Process the hot cranberry mixture, vinegar, shallot, garlic, thyme, mustard, salt and pepper in a blender until the shallot and garlic are finely chopped. With the blender running, add the oil and continue to blend until the dressing is smooth and well-combined. Thin the dressing, if needed, with additional cranberry juice. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe Source: adapted from The Best 30-Minute Recipe

2 Ingedient Ice Cream

I found this recipe and was excited to try it. I love homemade ice cream but don't have an ice cream maker. Plus, it only has 3 ingredients--2 of which I already had. Cheap and easy. Love it. Our guests were impressed with the ice cream and loved it! We will definitely be making this again.

2 Ingredient Ice Cream
Recipe from Eagle Brand via OurBestBites

Ingredients
4 cups half and half or cream (*only 2 cups needed for non-machine version)
14 oz can Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Instructions
Ice Cream Machine: Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well. Freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions and place in freezer after to set up if needed.

Freezer Method: Omit half and half. Combine sweetened condensed milk and vanilla in large bowl. In a separate bowl, pour 2 cups heavy cream into bowl and whip until soft-medium peaks form. Slowly fold whipped cream into sweetened condensed milk mixture in 3 additions. Fold until well combined. Pour into container and freeze for at least 6 hours or until firm.

Add-ins may be added before freezing for both methods. Try fresh fruit, crushed cookies or candies, and different flavored extracts and spices.

Stovetop Kettle Corn

Love this stuff. Anthony and I have made it 3 times in the 3 weeks. And that's a rarity for us. We made this in our Whirley Popper instead of a stock pot. So, we just had to turn the handle instead of shake the pot. 5 minutes start to finish.

Stove Top Kettle Corn
Recipe found at ourbestbites.com

3 T canola or vegetable oil1/3 C popcorn kernels
3 T granulated sugar
kosher salt

1. Place a large stock pot on the stove top. Set heat to medium-high. Add oil. While your oil is heating (it won’t take long), measure out your popcorn into a small bowl. Add sugar to the kernels. When it’s time to cook, everything moves very quickly, so it’s important to have it all ready to go.

Wait until you see your oil smoke. This is one little trick that a lot of people overlook, but it’s important. The smoke is very faint, but if you just stare at the pot (it helps to get down parallel to it), you’ll see little billows of smoke coming up. That’s your cue! Pour popcorn kernels and sugar into the pot.

Immediately stir using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, scraping sugar from bottom of pan. This step should only take about 10 seconds. Cover pot with lid. You will need to shake the pot with your hands and you’ll want to make sure the lid stays on, so I get a dish towel and drape it over the top.

Hold the pot by the handles in a way that you’re securing the lid on as well. Shake the pan side to side in all directions and up and down a few times. Do this every 20 seconds or so. It will keep the sugar from burning on the bottom and help the kernels to be evenly coated.

After a few minutes you should start hearing the pops. (If it doesn’t start popping after a few minutes, crack the lid to let some of the pressure out. Chances are when you put the lid back on, it will pop away). Continue the shaking every 20 second or so until you can tell almost everything is popped. Remove the lid and stir immediately.

Sprinkle Kosher salt to taste and then keep stirring. You can eat it warm right out of the pan (Disclaimer #2: caramelized sugar it HOT so don’t eat it right away.) or let it cool completely. It’s great either way!

S'mores Bars

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 king-sized Hershey's milk chocolate bars (if you want a more subtle chocolate flavor use regular sized chocolate bars; enough to fit)
1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff (7 1/2 oz jar)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined.

3. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place chocolate bars over dough. 2 king-sized Hershey’s bars should fit perfectly side by side, but break the chocolate (if necessary) to get it to fit in a single layer no more than 1/4 inch thick. Spread chocolate with marshmallow creme or fluff. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff. This part can be tricky. I made little disks with the dough and placed them on top. Spread it around gently.

4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Makes 16 cookie bars.

Source: The Girl Who Ate Everything

Boating @ Pineview

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Skillet Lasagna

This first recipe was the perfect summer meal. My husband and I both loved it. I think he has finally learned that a meal doesn't have to have meat to be delicious and filling. I haven't converted him to meatless meals with lots of beans--he still turns up his nose. But what can I expect? I am just glad he likes chicken.

Anyways, this meal is great because you cook it all in one skillet. The veggies, sauce, cheese, and noodles are all cooked in the same skillet. It is also quick. You get the taste of lasagna without all the work. I love it! I am typing up two recipes. The first is my favorite, but the second is more like a typical lasagna (with beef/pork). I found both at melskitchencafe.com.

Skillet Summer Vegetable Lasagna

From here

*Serves 4-6

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped fine
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28-oz.) can diced tomatoes
Salt and pepper
10 curly-edged lasagna noodles, broken into 2-inch lengths
1 small zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 small yellow squash, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1/4 cup shredded fresh basil
1 cup part skim ricotta cheese
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a large 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Drain tomatoes into a 2-cup liquid measure. Add water to tomato liquid to make 2 cups. Add tomato/water mixture and 1 teaspoon salt to skillet.

Scatter noodles into the skillet, layer tomatoes over the noodles and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, covered, stirring occasionally (so the noodles won’t stick!) for about 10 minutes.

Stir in zucchini and squash, cook, stirring now and then, until noodles and squash are tender, about 8 minutes. Add basil and half of the ricotta cheese and half of the Parmesan cheese to the noodles, stirring until the sauce is creamy. Dollop remaining ricotta cheese over the noodles, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.

Simple and Meaty Skillet Lasagna

From here

3 (14.5 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
Salt
3 medium garlic cloves, finely minced
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground beef (I used 1 lb beef and no pork, b/c that is what I had.)
12 curly-edged lasagna noodles, broken into 1 inch lengths
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup ricotta cheese (do not use fat-free)

Pulse the tomatoes with their juice in a blender or food processor until they are coarsely ground and no large pieces remain (in a food processor, that is about 12 pulses).

Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened and translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the ground meat and cook, breaking apart the meat, until it is lightly browned and no longer pink, 5 to 6 minutes.

Scatter the broken lasagna noodles over the meat and then pour in the ground tomatoes and tomato sauce over the pasta. Stir in the basil and oregano. Cover, increase the heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring often and adjusting the heat to maintain a vigorous simmer, until the pasta is tender, about 20 minutes.

Off the heat, stir in half the mozzarella and half of the parmesan. Dot heaping tablespoons of the ricotta over the noodles, then sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan. Cover and let stand off the heat until the cheese melts, 2 to 4 minutes. Serve.

Creamy Lemon Crumb Squares

These were a light and tasty treat that definitely hit the spot. I will definitely be making these again. I think I would prefer these over the typical lemon bar. This recipe originally came from the Pioneer Woman. You could replace the lemons with limes, and they would turn out equally delicious.

1-⅓ cup All-purpose Flour
½ teaspoons Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 stick (1/2 Cup) Butter, Slightly Softened
1 cup Brown Sugar (lightly Packed)
1 cup Oats
1 can (14 Ounce) Sweetened Condensed Milk
½ cups Lemon Juice
Zest Of 1 Lemon

PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 DEGREES.

Mix butter and brown sugar until well combined.

Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder.

Add oats and flour to butter/sugar mixture and mix to combine.

Press half of crumb mixture into the bottom of an 8 x 11 inch pan.

Mix together condensed milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Spread onto the bottom layer of the crumb mixture. Top with the other half of the crumb mixture, but don’t press.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Allow pan to sit on counter for 30 minutes after baking. Cut into squares and refrigerate for a couple of hours or until cool.

Serve cool.

Chicken Gyros

I have seen this recipe multiple places on the Internet, and I have been anxious to try it. They were delicious! I cook lots of southwestern and mexican food, so this was a nice change and tasted light and refreshing. My favorite is definitely the tzatziki sauce.

Ingredients:
For the tzatziki sauce:
16 oz. plain yogurt (not nonfat, if possible)
1/2 English/hothouse cucumber or 1 regular cucumber, peeled and seeded
2-3 cloves garlic, pressed through a garlic press (or finely minced)
1 tsp. white wine vinegar (I used red wine vinegar b/c that's what I had.)
Salt and pepper
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Extra virgin olive oil

For the chicken:
4 cloves garlic, smashed
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp. red wine vinegar
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 heaping tbsp. plain yogurt
1 tbsp. dried oregano
Salt and pepper
1 1/4 lbs. chicken pieces

To assemble:
Pita bread
Fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced
Red onion, sliced thin

Directions:
To make the tzatziki sauce, strain the yogurt using cheesecloth over a bowl. Let strain for several hours or overnight, if possible, to remove as much moisture as possible. If you buy greek yogurt, you can skip this step.

Shred the cucumber. Wrap in a towel a squeeze to remove as much water as possible. (I used a layer of paper towels.) Mix together the strained yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.

To prepare the chicken, combine the garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, yogurt, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Whisk together until mixed well. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and mix well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

Cook the chicken as desired (oven, skillet, grill, broiler). Once the chicken is completely cooked through, transfer to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut into strips.

Heat pitas (I heated them in a skillet). Top with chicken, tzatziki sauce, cucumbers, diced tomatoes and sliced onions. Serve immediately.

Pound Cake and Berries and Cream Trifle

I made this trifle for the 4th of July, but I am sure you could make it anytime. In fact, I already have requests to make it again. You could use a store bought trifle, but I guarantee the homemade pound cake was part of the reason the trifle was so good! Seriously, this pound cake is to die for.

Perfect Pound Cake

I originally found it at thesisterscafe.com, and they got it from the famous Pioneer Woman's website.

1 1/2 cups of butter
3 cups of sugar
5 eggs
1 teaspoon butter flavoring
2 teaspoons lemon extract
3 cups flour
1 cup Sprite, 7-UP, or Sierra Mist

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream butter. Add sugar, one cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add butter flavoring and lemon extract and mix well. Add flour, one cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add soft drink, then mix together until combined. Scrape sides of bowl, then mix briefly. Pour into a greased Bundt pan (or 2 large loaf pans) and bake for one hour to one hour and ten minutes, until cake is no longer jiggly. Remove cake from oven and invert pan until the cake drops out. Slice and serve!

Patriotic Berries and Cream Trifle

Adapted from thesisterscafe.com and the-girl-who-ate-everything.com

2 cups heavy cream
2 T powdered sugar
2 large loaves of pound cake (or use recipe above)
2-3 cups of strawberries
2 cups of blueberries
2 3.4 oz instant vanilla, lemon, or even cheesecake pudding (I used vanilla.)

1. Bake your pound cake in 2 large loaf pans. (You will probably only use about 1.5 loaves in the trifle.)

2. In a medium bowl, combine cream and sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Set aside. You want a stiffer whipped cream for trifle so that it holds up over time.

3. In another bowl make pudding according to package directions. Fold in 1-1/2c of the sweetened whipped cream.

4. Slice pound cake into one inch cubes.

5. In a trifle bowl, start by layering 1/3 of the pound cake on the bottom of the trifle bowl (A large glass bowl can be used if you don't have a trifle bowl). Next, layer 1/3 of the pudding mixture followed by a layer of 1/3 of the strawberries and blueberries. To make trifle look presentable three times or until bowl is almost full.

6. Garnish the top of the trifle with some of the remaining whipped cream, strawberries, and blueberries. (I did not use all of my remaining whipped cream.)

7. Chill in refrigerator for at least 4 hours. (I did not have time to let mine chill this long, and it still tasted good.)

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes

Breakfast food is typically my fall back for dinner. It is what I make when I need to go to the store of have little time to make dinner. I try to make breakfast foods that are at least somewhat healthier, so I often use whole wheat, especially at dinner time. Our Best Bites has yet to fail me, so I decided to try their whole wheat pancake recipe. We loved it--even Anthony. It might be one of our favorites now. They were tender and fluffy with just a hint of whole wheat. So good. The link is here. It is adapted from Cooking Light, another trustworthy source.

3/4 C whole wheat flour
3/4 C all-purpose flour
3 Tbs sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 C low-fat buttermilk *
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbs canola oil
1 large egg
1 large egg white
Cooking Spray or butter for pan

*As a substitute for 1 C buttermilk, place 1 Tbs lemon juice (or vinegar b) in a 1 C measuring cup and then fill the remainder with milk. This recipe calls for 1 1/2 C buttermilk, so do the same thing with 1/2 Tbs lemon juice and remaining 1/2 C milk.

Combine flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl and whisk together. In a separate bowl combine buttermilk, eggs, oil, and vanilla and whisk well. Add the wet ingredients into the dry and mix just until moistened and combined.

Heat a nonstick griddle or skillet to medium heat. Coat pan with non-stick spray or a little butter and then pour on pancake batter. Use about 1/4 C batter for large pancakes (5-6″) and 2 T for kid-sized ones (2 /2-3″). Wait until bubbles form and edges are set and then flip.

Makes 12 large or 24 small pancakes.


Freezer Instructions: These pancakes freeze wonderfully. Just lay out pancakes in a single layer on a baking sheet or other pan. Freeze until solid and then place in a zip-lock bag. To serve, just warm up in the microwave or toaster.

Oatmeal Butterscotch Bars

These were so good. These have both browned butter and butterscotch chips, making them quite tasty. The oatmeal gave them a light and chewy texture. They did not last long. Be careful--they are definitely addictive.

*Makes 18-24 bars

Bars:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butterscotch chips
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) butter
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Glaze:
1/4 cup butterscotch chips
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon water
1/8 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and adjust an oven rack to the middle position. Line a 9X13-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, letting the foil hang over the each short edge by one or two inches. Lightly grease the foil with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. Place the 3/4 cup butterscotch chips in a large bowl. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and let the butter cook until golden brown in color, about 10 minutes, taking care not to burn. Pour the hot butter over the butterscotch chips and whisk together until melted and smooth. Whisk in the brown sugar until combined. Whisk in the egg and vanilla. STir in the lfour mixture, just until incorporated.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top, spreading the batter evenly to the edges. Bake the bars until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs, about 16-18 minutes.

While the bars bake, place the 1/4 cup butterscotch chips, brown sugar, water and salt in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave the mixture until melted and smooth, about 2 minutes on 50% power. Whisk to combine well.

Drizzle the glaze over the warm bars. Let the bars cool completely in the pan. Remove the bars from the pan using the foil overhang and cut into squares. Serve.

Creamy Chocolate Blender Ganache

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup (4 ounces) evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Place the chocolate chips in a small glass bowl and melt them in the microwave oven on high power for 1 minute. Remove from the microwave and stir with a wooden spoon until all the chips have melted.

Place the warm chocolate in a blender along with the evaporated milk and vanilla. Blend on high speed until the frosting is thick and glossy. 2 minutes. Pour the frosting into a clean bowl and let it sit on the counter for 20 minutes. It should thicken up enough for spreading.

Notes: To frost cupcakes easily, place 1 heaping tablespoon on each cupcake and swirl to spread it out over the cupcakes with the back of a soupspoon

Chocolate Cream Cheese Cupcakes (With A Creamy Chocolate Blender Ganache)

24 paper liners for cupcake pans (2 1/2-inch size)
2 milk-chocolate bars (1.55 ounces each)
1 package (18.5 ounces) plain butter recipe fudge cake mix
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Break the chocolate bars into quarters, stack them on top of each other, and slice down the short end of the stack with a sharp knife. You will have about 1 cup of 1/4-inch shavings. Set them aside. Fold in the slivers of milk chocolate for fun little bites of contrasting flavor and color.

Place the cake mix, cream cheese, water, oil, eggs and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Bleand with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of a the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and blend for 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. The batter should look thickened and smooth. Spoon or scoop 1/3 cup batter into each lined cup, filling it three quarters of the way full. (You will get between 22 and 24 cupcakes; remove the empty liners, if any.) Place the pans in the oven.
Bake the cupcakes until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger. 20 to 23 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cupcakes liners, lift the cupcakes up from the bottoms of the cups using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your fingertips. Place them on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before frosting.

Bake at 350

Notes: It's important to soften the cram cheese thoroughly before beginning this recipe. This recipe. If the cream cheese is cold, it will lump up in the batter and no matter how much you blend won't be able to rid the batter of the those white lumps. Remove the cream cheese from the fridge and hour before.