Chicken and Pasta Caesar Salad

I think it's entirely possible that Bobby married me for access to my mother's Caesar salad recipe.  And key lime pie.  But more on pie later.

This recipe is a slight derivation from her original Caesar recipe, in that I've added ingredients to make this version a 'meal salad' instead of a 'side salad'.  It's basically something I made up to combine her delicious salad with one of my favorite dishes at Amerigo's (is Amerigo's still around even?  We had one in Louisville for a while but it closed!  That would be a shame because Amerigo's was delicious!)

And don't worry, there's no anchovies.

Chicken and Pasta Caesar Salad

• 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed

• 1/2 c (ish...) of EVOO

• Several handfuls of romaine lettuce or enough to fill the bowl (or spinach...we use spinach for pretty much everything)

• 1 egg yolk

• 1/4 c lemon juice

• 1 handful shredded parmesan cheese

• 1 package chicken tenders, grilled and chopped

• 1 1/2 c shell pasta, cooked

• 2-3 Tbs of jarred pesto OR another 2-3 Tbs of EVO and a few dashes of dried basil flakes

• Salt and pepper to taste

• Croutons if desired

I'll start out by apologizing for the lack of exact ingredients!  I think I've just made my mom's Caesear salad so often I completely eyeball everything.

In a large salad bowl, add crushed garlic to the bottom.  Pour EVOO on top of the garlic--enough so that it coats most, if not all, of the bottom of your salad bowl.  And a few sprinkles of salt (we use no-salt seasoning) and pepper.  Let that sit while you grill the chicken tenders and boil the pasta.  We use a George Forman grill for chicken tenders usually, but you could also chop and cook in a skillet with a little EVOO if you don't have a Forman grill.  Or bake them if you have more time...but who has that?

When the pasta is done, drain it and let it cool in the colander for a little while.  Same with the chicken--let it cool for a while before chopping.  

Add lettuce or spinach to the salad bowl.  Top with parmesan and croutons.  Then add chopped chicken.  Once the pasta has cooled a little bit, move it to a small mixing bowl and combine with jarred pesto.  If you don't have pesto, you can add a few Tbs of EVOO and some dried basil flakes and it turns out great.  Basically you just want to get a little something on the pasta so it isn't dried out when you add it to the salad.  Add pasta to the bowl.

Place egg yolk in a small bowl and discard the shell and egg white.  Add 1/4 (ish...) cup of lemon juice (I typically go with fresh squeezed if you've got some lemons around) and whisk together quickly with yolk.  My mom calls this process 'coddling' I think.  She has assured me through the years that combining the yolk with lemon juice somehow, sort of...cooks it.  I've been eating her Caesar salad my whole life, so I'll get on board and assure you it's totally fine!  And really, it's not like we don't all eat cookie dough ya know?  All the same...my pregnant friends should probably not make this dish :-)

Once the egg and lemon juice are well whisked, pour on top of salad.  Mix thoroughly and serve immediately.  It's insanely good.

Mom's French Breakfast Muffins

Just look at that deliciousness.  These were always a favorite of mine growing up because really, who doesn't love baked goods dipped in melted butter and rolled in a cinnamon/sugar mix?!  It's 10pm and my mouth waters just thinking about them.

I think the best part of these breakfast muffins is that they really don't take very long to make, and don't require a ton of ingredients.  One Saturday morning that Bobby had the day off, I woke up to take out Gus and left him sleeping.  I started thinking about something yummy I could make us for breakfast since he has Saturday mornings off so rarely.  Pair them with a delicious cup of coffee and YUM.  Talk about a great start to the weekend.

Mom's French Breakfast Muffins

• 1.5 cup and 2 Tbs flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg, beaten

Cinnamon/Sugar Mix

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 Tbs brown sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Pre-heat the oven to 400.  Combine flour, baking powder, nutmeg and sugar in a large mixing bowl.  In a smaller bowl, combine the melted butter, milk and egg.  Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients thoroughly.  Grease and flour a muffin pan (don't skip this! I made that mistake the first few times I tried to make these!).  Fill them each about half full.  Bake about 20 minutes, and then remove them from the muffin pan right away.

Some of the muffins may have a little excess flour on the bottom--use a butter knife and scrape this off very carefully.  I've learned through trial and error that because you're going to dunk them in melted butter, if there's extra flour on the bottom it absorbs all the butter quickly and makes the bottoms mushy.

Melt about a half cup of butter (more if you need it).  Mix the sugar, brown sugar and vanilla into a small bowl (but one that is large enough to roll the muffin in).  You may want to use a small whisk to make sure the vanilla doesn't clump the sugar.  Then one by one, dunk the muffins into the melted butter (I usually use a small saucepan and keep it on the burner set to Low).  I recommend using a slotted spoon to remove the muffin so it drips off excess butter before rolling it in the sugar/cinnamon mixture.  Serve immediately!

Spicy black bean and turkey burritos

When making a 'come-back' it's probably wise to post interesting or at least aesthetically pleasing recipes. Now I wouldn't say this was necessarily UN-intersting, but I'll admit the photo may not be the best representation of the following yumminess  (But isn't that always the way with Mexican food?  Think about it--it's the only genre of food that can get away looking like it does, and taste soooo good).  So while I could have gone with a more interesting or unusual-sounding recipe, or something that had a really pretty photo--I figured the focus of the blog is intended to be quick meals that are reasonably healthy--and that's exactly what this dinner is!

It's no secret Bobby and I love our Mexican food, and when we're really wanting something tasty and spicy, but not too heavy--this is our go-to recipe.  The recipe below I'm going to call a 'base'.  Because it is originally taken from Kraft Food's Layered Enchilada Bake, and after I made that recipe a few times, I discovered it would be a great 'base' for burritos or even taco salad.  Of course the original recipe calls for beef I think.  And obviously it's delicious with beef.  But swapping for ground turkey is really easy in this recipe in particular because it's so flavorful that you don't need beef.

I decided against a picture of the 'final product' because really, all burritos kind of look alike...and instead here's a photo of the 'base' in the skillet.

Spicy Black Bean and Turkey Burritos

• lb ground turkey breast

• 1/2-1 onion, chopped

• 2 cups salsa (I have started using this recipe from Pioneer Woman to make my own)

• 1 can low sodium black beans, rinsed

• 1/4 c Italian dressing (recipe obviously calls for Kraft, I use Wishbone Light)

• 1/2 package low sodium taco seasoning

• 1 cup reduced fat sour cream

• Top with shredded cheese and lettuce

Spray a large skillet with Pam, and add crumbled ground turkey and chopped onion.  Cook, stirring frequently until turkey is thoroughly cooked and onion is soft.  Add salsa, black beans, Italian dressing, and taco seasoning.  Stir until well mixed and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and let simmer for 30 minutes on the stove.  Add in sour cream to base to tone-down the spice in the mixture, or you can add sour cream to the burritos as a topping--your call!  Scoop into warm tortillas and add toppings.  It usually makes enough for leftovers too!

Mexican Chocolate Pound Cake

The blog is back!

It's been well over a year since my last post--and I can pin-point the exact day my blog hiatus began:  March 17, 2011.  Match Day.  We were thrilled to have matched in Orlando, FL, and we've been so happy here!  But for a lot of reasons (mostly good ones!) I was busy in a way that I'd never been busy before, and blogging had to take a back seat to packing up and moving 1,000 miles away, buying our first home, making that home 'feel like home', making new friends, spending time with family, lots of travel, adjusting to Bobby's residency schedule, and that small piece of my day that makes these things possible:  working!  Looking back, I think I couldn't sit down to blog because I just had too much to say, and I wasn't sure how to say it.  

But I never deleted my blog (well, I had to delete the other one, per Bobby's request), and didn't consider my blog hiatus to be 'quitting' the blogosphere--I knew I'd be back when things calmed down a bit!  And they have :-)  We continue to be very happy here, and we've settled into a good routine.  I will occasionally share bits of residency and life info on this blog, but for readers solely interested in recipes, you can always scroll down!  Bobby's enjoying his General Surgery residency, and really likes the other surgeons and the hospital as a whole.  Yes, his hours are insane.  Imagine the worst possible hours your spouse could keep...and then make it slightly more worse than you imagine.  Interns aren't supposed to work more than an average of 80 hours a week (so on average, imagine your spouse working an additional 40 hours a week).  That's two full-time jobs for one person.  Next year the hours restrictions are lifted, so I'm bracing for that!

On to Kitchen things!  My kitchen is adorable, with yellow walls and blue accents.  A fantastic countertop and cupboards, with lots of space.  I'll add some photos soon.  So with a new kitchen, I gave the blog a new blue look.

I figured I'd make a come-back with something sweet and yummy--a Mexican Chocolate Pound Cake!  The other night it was late (you know...after 8:30pm) and I wasn't necessarily craving dessert, but I had some energy, and  I just felt the urge to bake something.  So I poured a glass of wine, grabbed an apron, turned on the Adele Pandora station, and pulled out this recipe I had dog-eared in my 2010 Southern Living Annual Recipe Book.

Mexican Chocolate Pound Cake

8oz package semisweet chocolate baking squares, chopped
1c butter, softened
1 1/2 c sugar
4 eggs
1/2 c chocolate syrup (I used Hershey's No Sugar Added)
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 c flour
2 tsp cinnamon (I probably used closer to 2 Tbs because I like cinnamon)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 c buttermilk
1 c chocolate chips (not in the original recipe, but I think they'll make a great addition!)
1/2 c powdered sugar

Microwave the chocolate baking squares in a microwave-safe bowl for 1-2 minutes, or until melted--stir every 15-30 seconds.

Using a mixer, beat the butter until creamy, and then gradually add in the sugar--beat at least 5 minutes or until fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating just until the yellow disappears after each addition.  Stir in the melted chocolate. syrup, and vanilla until smooth.

In another bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon and baking soda.  Then add to the batter alternately with the buttermilk (begin and end with the flour mix).  Fold in chocolate chips.  Pour batter into a greased and floured bundt or tube pan.  Bake at 325 for an hour.  Let it cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, and then remove from the pan and let it cool alone on the rack for an hour and a half.  Garnish with sifted powdered sugar.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Trifle

"A layer of beef, sauteed with peas and onions..."


Just a little Friends humor :) The great thing about trifles is that they look fabulous but are not difficult at all. AND they give you a great reason to actually use the trifle bowl you registered for way back when! I think there are some fancier versions of trifles, but this one comes together very quickly, and come on, who doesn't love a chocolate-PB combo? Plus if you might have some children in the crowd, I'd dare to guess that most kids will eat this! Thank you Kraftfoods.com for sending this to my inbox!

I actually had to leave out a layer of Cool Whip in mine because I ran out, so I'm posting a recommended change for 2 tubs of Cool Whip instead of just one.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Trifle

1 pkg. (3.9 oz.) Jello-O Chocolate Instant Pudding

1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) Jell-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding

3 cups cold milk, divided

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

2 tubs (8 oz.) Cool Whip, thawed, divided (we used sugar-free)

1 bag Chips Ahoy! Cookies, chopped (we just used the regular, but they make all kinds you could try--including some with PB cups or toffee hunks in them)

3 Tbsp. chocolate syrup

Empty pudding mixes into separate medium bowls. Add 1-1/2 cups milk to each; beat with whisk 2 min. Add peanut butter to vanilla pudding; beat until well blended. Stir 1/2 cup COOL WHIP into pudding in each bowl.

Spoon chocolate pudding mixture into trifle bowl; cover with layers of half each of the remaining Cool Whip and chopped cookies. Repeat layers, using vanilla pudding mixture.

Drizzle with chocolate syrup.

Again, I didn't feel like I had enough Cool Whip left over in my one container to make two decent layers with it--so I'd recommend just eyeballing it and doing what you think is best. Even with just one layer of Cool Whip it was delicious!

Hoppin' John Stew with White Cheddar Cheese Grits

So I had never before heard of Hoppin' John Stew, even though it completely sounds like something I would have at least tried before. But it caught my eye around the holidays as I was flipping through my Southern Living Recipes of 2010 cookbook, and everything in it sounded perfect! We've actually had this twice since the beginning of the year because it made enough to freeze leftovers--and both times Bobby all but licked the bowl clean! And so did I, who am I kidding?

I thought it would be timely to post this because I've found myself struggling with recipes as we transition between the seasons and I thought others may feel that way too. The very cold Winter months are a good time for heavy casseroles, stews, chili, etc. but now that we're thawing out of our deep freeze and creeping ever-so-slowly into Spring temperatures, I find myself wishing for tilapia and summer salads--but we're not quite there yet! So it's difficult to find the happy medium. But I do think this recipe is a good one for the end of Winter because although it's a stew and definitely feels like comfort food, it's not TOO heavy and has just enough of a kick to it!

I'll also say this was my first time making grits...and I didn't do very well! I'm not a grits expert by any means, so it was hard for me to gauge when they were fully cooked, and I made them a little underdone the first time around. The second time I called in Bobby and his South Carolinian heritage to offer grits-cooking wisdom. He had a way of knowing just by the resistance he had stirring them at certain intervals how done they were...and they weren't ready until MUCH after I would have taken them off. So if you are new to grits, I advise you keep them on the stove for a while after you think they're done, just to be sure. We also adjusted the recipe some to be low-sodium friendly, and it was all still delicious.

Hoppin' John Stew

1 Tbs butter
1 cup chopped smoked ham (I picked up sliced low-sodium ham from our deli)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 (15-oz.) cans black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
2 (10-oz.) cans diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained (I opted for two cans of No Salt Added tomatoes and added a 10oz can of green chiles separately)
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (couldn't find any, dried cilantro worked fine, but just do a few shakes of it)

Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat; add ham and onion, and sauté 3 to 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in black-eyed peas, tomatoes, green chiles, corn and sugar. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in cilantro. Serve immediately over White Cheddar Cheese Grits.

White Cheddar Cheese Grits

2 cups chicken broth (the first time I did one cup broth and 1 cup water; the second time all water and couldn't tell a difference)
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded white cheddar cheese

Bring chicken broth and butter to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Gradually whisk in grits, and return to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until thickened. Stir in cheese until melted. Serve immediately.

Superfood Salad

I'm obsessed with this salad. Obsessed. It's like someone (or my AllRecipes.com Dinner Spinner app) took all of my favorite things and put them in a salad. This recipe is clearly intended to feed 4 people, and Bobby and I shamelessly ate the whole thing. But when you're eating something that is so packed with superfoods, and they're so YUMMY, that it's just impossible to stop! It was pretty quick for a Tuesday night, too.

Basically, we've had lots of good dinners this week, but nothing will top this salad in my mind.


Superfood Salad

2 salmon fillets, grilled
2 Tbs butter
pepper to taste
4 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced (I just used the whole container)
12 grape tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
a few handfuls of spinach, washed and dried, enough to make a salad (original recipe actually calls for leaf lettuce, but spinach is so much better for you)
1 avocado - peeled, pitted, and cubed
5 sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar (we were out so I used some Champagne dressing)
1 ounce feta cheese, crumbled (I used what was left in our container, probably more like 3 oz)

While grilling salmon (or use leftovers), saute mushrooms in butter over medium heat until tender. In a large salad bowl add Spinach, salmon, tomatoes, mushrooms, avocado, cilantro, jalepeno, and feta. Sprinkle generously with pepper. Toss with olive oil and white vinegar (or other type of vinaigrette you've got on hand) and serve immediately.

Really, there are so many things going on in this salad, that I can understand the doubt about them combining well. But they combine like heaven in my salad bowl and I'm mad at myself because I've had this recipe for over a year and never tried it until this week! But the important thing is I have it now :-)

We finished the evening with homemade chocolate chip cookies (see January 2010 for recipe).