Sweetie Pie

Salad with caramelized pecans and blue cheese

Why did it never occur to me to try this before?  I found a recipe for Spinach and Pecan salad in my recipe box.  It's in my handwriting, but I have no memory of creating this index card with instructions for a yummy salad.  The recipe calls for fresh spinach, but I used romaine lettuce, and you could really use any green you like. 

It's so simple to caramelize some nuts in a skillet with butter and brown sugar.  My only words of wisdom here are to make at least twice as much as you think you'll need because they are hard to resist.  Toss the cooled pecans in a salad with some salty, funky blue cheese crumbles and thin slices of tart, crisp Granny Smith apples and sprinkle over some vinegar and extra virgin olive oil.

Recipe

1 Tablespoon butter

1/2 cup pecan halves

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1 Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

1/2 cup grapes, optional

salad greens such as spinach or romaine lettuce

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 Tablespoon vinegar - I like balsamic

salt and pepper

- Melt butter in small skillet over low heat, add pecans and brown sugar.  Cook, stirring constantly 2 to 3 minutes or until caramelized.  Cool on wax paper.

Place salad in large serving bowl.  Toss in pecans, apple, blue cheese and grapes.  Add oil and vinegar, salt and pepper and toss gently to coat.  Serve!

How to Supreme Citrus for Fennel and Grapefruit Salad

Grandmother used to make the best fruit salad.  She chopped all the fruit nice and small and she added plenty of oranges.  My family is crazy about fruit salad and it was always kind of a big deal to have it at the holidays.  Fruit salad was never made in small quantities.  It usually went into my moms' big white Tupperware bowl with the lid and we would enjoy it for a few days.  Sometimes my grandmother would peel and slice the oranges at our house, seated at the dining room table with me hanging around eating them almost as fast as she could work.  She could peel the orange from top to bottom in one long spiral, which she would hand to me to bite out any little bits of fruit clinging to the peel.  Then she would segment the orange over the bowl and move on to the next one.  Grandmother would prepare as many oranges as her grandchildren cared to eat.  I never realized that this technique has a wonderful name.

You can supreme any citrus fruit, and you don't have to be able to make that perfect spiral of peeling.  Begin by washing your fruit, then slice off both ends.  Make sure your knife is sharp.

Now, place the fruit on one end on the cutting board.  Start at the top and guide the knife down the curve of the fruit to remove the peel.  Continue turning the fruit and slicing the peel off.

For the next step, I like to hold the fruit in my left hand and slice with my right.  You may find it easier and safer to keep it on the cutting board.  Look for the membranes that divide the sections.  Cut right along the membrane to the center of the fruit, then cut along the adjacent membrane and remove the segment.  You can continue in this fashion all the way around.  However, I like to cut along the next membrane, then angle the knife back up the other side.  The segment will slide out as you separate it from the membrane.

When you are done, you'll be left with beautiful, clean segments and the empty membranes.  Squeeze the juice from the membranes over the fruit or save it for another project.

Now, for the recipe.

This is super simple, with only three ingredients plus salt and pepper.  It is crunchy and citrusy and healthy.  Perhaps it's the perfect side dish to start off a healthy new year.  Fennel is sort of a wonder vegetable.  The entire plant, from the bulb to the stalks, fronds and seeds are edible.  The flavor is sort of like anise or liquorice.  I like the bulb the best for it's crunchy texture and mild flavor.  Fennel is high in vitamin C and fiber just to begin.  It's traditionally been used to aid digestion and as a cure for bad breath.  The more I research the benefits of fennel, the more far reaching the claims become.  Fennel and it's compounds are useful for everything from indigestion, high blood pressure, estrogen imbalance and collagen production to heart health and cancer. .. and more.  Whoa. 

When you buy it at the grocery store it looks like this:

Wash it well and remove the stems and fronds.  You can save the fronds for garnish if you wish.  Remove any brown parts as you would from celery. 

This recipe works well because of super thin slices.  I use a mandoline and shave the fennel directly into the supremed grapefruit.

Toss the grapefruit and fennel together.  If you are not going to serve the salad for a while, just cover and refrigerate.  When you are ready to serve, add about 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.  That's all there is to it.  Many recipes add scallions, garlic, or other seasonings.  I like it plain.  Enjoy!

Poached Eggs

 

They tell me that spring is here despite the low temperatures and cold wind.  This means Easter is just around the corner.  Do you remember our sweet little peeps from this time last year?  Now those puff balls are full grown, fat and sassy hens.  They have free run of the place and in return for their attitude, we take the most delicious rich and golden eggs.  We also get to watch them as they go about their business of scratching, pecking, flapping and squawking.  These girls are busy all day long.  I love watching them enjoy their dirt baths in the late afternoon sun; they look like soft feathery puddles.
 
Today I will share with you how to poach this treasure so that you may enjoy the silky richness of a good egg.  Go to your local source for fresh eggs such as the farmer's market for best results.

Poached Eggs

You will need:

fresh, refrigerated eggs

small bowl or ramekin

small pot of water (3-4 inches of water) with a lid

timer

slotted spoon

paper towels

salt and pepper to taste

Directions: 

Bring the water to a gentle boil.  (This means that it will have small bubbles.)  Crack one egg into the ramekin, being careful not to break the yolk.  Use the slotted spoon to stir around the edges of your pot of water in a circular motion to create a whirlpool.  Take the spoon out of the water and lower the ramekin sideways until it's touching the center of the whirlpool to slide the egg gently into the water.  You may gently stir the whirlpool back to life or just leave it as is.  The purpose of the whirlpool is to keep the egg in place so that the white doesn't float all around the pot.  We are aiming for a little package, not bits of egg all over the place.  Place the lid on the pot and remove it from the heat.  Set the timer for 5 minutes and leave it alone.  If you look at your egg, it may look a little iffy, like a bunch of white stuff foaming in the water.  Don't worry about it.  When the timer dings, take the egg out with a slotted spoon and place it on paper towels.  That's it!  
The poached egg should look like a little pillow when it's done.  If you like your eggs well done, set the timer for 10 minutes.  My son enjoyed his prepared this way and ate it as though it had been hardboiled.  We enjoyed our eggs on some fresh pita sandwiches.  The pita was stuffed with a mixture of chopped sweet red and yellow peppers, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives and feta cheese.  The hot egg was placed on top, then broken so that the yolk mixed with the fresh bread and cruchy veggies.  Don't forget to sprinkle some salt on top.

"How can you whip cream without whips?  Whipped cream isn't whipped cream at all unless it's been whipped with whips.  Just as a poached egg isn't a poached egg unless it's been stolen from the woods in the dead of night!" - Mr. Wonka (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl)

Insalata Caprese

Salad in the style of Capri

Fresh tomatoes, sliced thick

Fresh mozzarella, sliced

Fresh basil

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt

Optional:

Cracked black pepper

Balsamic vinegar

Arrange the tomatoes and mozzarella in alternating slices on a plate. 

You can either place whole basil leaves between the tomatoes and cheese or make thin sliced confetti to sprinkle on top.  To slice basil or any other large leaved herb, stack the leaves and roll them tight.  Place the roll seam side down on the cutting board and slice super thin. 

Wait until you are ready to serve the salad before chopping the basil because it will bruise and turn brown quickly.  Drizzle a good quality extra virgin olive oil over everything, sprinkle with salt and serve immediately.  I also added cracked black pepper and balsamic vinegar, but this isn't strictly traditional.  So yummo  - add some fresh bread and it's an easy summer supper.

 

 This salad comes together in just a few minutes.  It's perfect for those busy days when you would rather be outside playing with the new puppy than laboring in the kitchen.

 

Weirdly Wonderful Watermelon Salad

Watermelons are rolling in to the square of our small town by the truckload from south Georgia.  Any weekend morning this time of year you may have your pick of scented cantaloupes or big heavy watermelons sold off truck beds parked around the square.  I like watermelon just fine, but I certainly don't care to eat it by the truckload.  So what's a southern girl to do when the summer season is here and she can't resist hauling home a very heavy green and stripey melon?

Well, I don't know if you've heard about this salad that combines watermelon and feta, but I tried it a long while ago at a friend's house in South Carolina.  I would never have picked this recipe up and thought to myself, 'hmm, watermelon and feta cheese, sounds delicious!"  Cheese and watermelon just don't sound like a good combo.  However as I said, I tried it and it was very good.  Then I forgot about it for approximately two years.

This Saturday I stopped by the square to look for plums and cucumbers, and the watermelons piled in trucks sparked the memory of a sweet and salty salad.  I picked one that looked smallish and later looked up recipes for watermelon salad.  I settled on a recipe from the Shiksa in the Kitchen which uses watermelon, feta, mint and lime juice. 

It was with some trepidation that I served this to my husband and child at dinner.  I was pleasantly surprised that my man was elated with this 'wonderful treat!'  "It's so refreshing!" he said.  Truly, the mint is delightful, and the combination of sweet and salty can't be beat.

After reading the full post and recipe, I decided to keep the watermelon, dressing, and cheese all separate in the refrigerator.  I mix up just as much as we will eat in one or two servings so that it stays fresh and crisp.  One watermelon goes a long way, so this would be a great dish to serve to a crowd on a hot summer day.  Click through for the recipe and enjoy a seasonal summer treat. 

Later that same day...

We introduced our chickens to the delights of watermelon rind. They approached with caution.

 

BFF Salad

This salad is for my friend who is obsessed with each ingredient in it.  It's so simple to make, so versatile, and so satisfying. 
You will need to mix up the salad, then make the dressing.  If you are not interested in making your own vinaigrette, you could use something from the grocery store.  Look at the ingredients on the bottle you choose and make sure olive oil is one of the first (not high fructose corn syrup). 

BFF Salad

1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 can artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed and chopped

1 pint cherry tomatoes, washed and cut in half

1/2 to 1 block feta cheese, crumbled

1/2 cup chopped calamatta olives

chopped parsley

For the Dressing:

1/4 cup chopped parsley (fresh oregano would be good also)

1 -2 cloves garlic, smashed, pressed or grated fine

1/2 teaspoon salt

freshly ground pepper

zest and juice from one or two lemons

1/3 to 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Place the chickpeas, artichokes, tomatoes, olives and some chopped parsley in a bowl. 

Make the dressing by smashing the garlic and placing it in a bowl or jar that you can mix in.  Add the salt and pepper and zest a lemon into the mix.  Slice open the lemon and squeeze in the juice.  If you have a very juicy lemon, one may be enough.  I usually make extra dressing for other salads, so I always use two lemons.  Pour the olive oil while stirring briskly with a fork or whisk so that the dressing takes on a creamy look.  Add the fresh parsley and/or oregano and mix well.  Taste and adjust seasonings.  It doesn't need much salt because of the salty olives and feta in the salad, but you may like more oil, or more lemon juice or more garlic. 

Assemble the salad by pouring the dressing over the other ingredients and mixing well.  I usually start with about half the dressing and see how it looks and tastes before adding more.  If you are making this salad ahead of time, leave the feta out until you are ready to serve.  Just stir it in last so the cheese doesn't dissolve too much. 

It is worth noting that this salad is very versatile.  You can use more or less of a favorite ingredient, it doubles easily, and you can serve it different ways.  It's delicious alone as a side dish, or you can put it in a pita pocket, or mix it with pasta for a more filling cold salad.  We had this over some nice romain for a spring supper. 

Basic Vinaigrette

We began our moving process today so naturally we had record breaking heat.  My loquat tree died.  A lone tomato on one of my three tomato plants cooked and turned to mush on the vine.  It was truly a scorcher today.  (This was written about a month ago, and we will be in a moving shuffle with limited internet access for at least another month or two - apologies for the long silences...)
When the thermometer reads 110 outside it's way too hot to cook anything.  It's almost too hot to eat, but a crisp salad still sounds pretty good.  I stopped buying any form of salad dressing about two years ago.  Once I got better at making vinaigrettes and got in the habit I never went back.  Every once in a while I think it would be so convenient to just pick up a bottle at the store that will keep indefinitely in the refrigerator.  Then I pick up a bottle and look at the ingredients and change my mind.  The first ingredient is usually water, often followed by high fructose corn syrup or other long words that I don't understand. 
The ingredients for making a delicious dressing at home are shelf stable and easy to keep on hand.  It's nice to know exactly what you're eating, and it's also much less expensive than buying dressings.  For a basic vinegrette, you will need olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and mustard. 
Mustard is the secret ingredient.  Did you know that it is a wonderful emulsifier?  This means that just a little teaspoon of mustard will make your oil and vinegar come together in creamy beauty.  Without it, your dressing will quickly separate and have a layer of oil on top, as pictured above.  Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it's impressive what a little mustard can do.
Basic Vinaigrette

Dressing for about 4 to 6 salads

7 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons vinegar

2 Tablespoons water

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper

1 teaspoon dijon mustard or more to taste

optional additions:  1 teaspoon honey, 1 clove roasted garlic (my favorite) or grated fresh garlic, fresh herbs, grainy mustard, or grated onion

Place all ingredients in a bowl or a jar with a tight fitting lid and stir or shake vigorously.  Taste and adjust to your preference.  This is just a jumping off point.  You may find that you like less vinegar, or that you prefer a grainy brown mustard or more salt.  I like to use one Tablespoon balsamic vinegar and one white wine vinegar and I often add another Tablespoon or two of water because we tend to be heavy handed when pouring dressing.  If you don't add any fresh ingredients, this will keep for a very long time unrefrigerated.  If you add fresh herbs or garlic, keep it in the fridge to last longer, and set it out to warm up before using.
We had these salads for dinner ( The tiny salad is for our little boy) with some bread, and this simple dessert.  To assemble, chop strawberries or other fresh fruit and top with yogurt and crumbled cookies.  This happens to be blueberry flavored greek yogurt and animal cookies because that's what I had on hand.  Plain yogurt with honey would also be lovely.  Even better:  coconut whipped cream over fruit and topped with cookies!