Steak Salad

Nothing says summer like a good salad. But sometimes you live with men who like some substance on their salad. I found the perfect combination of boy meets girl in this steak salad. Real Simple August issue is packed with some great salad recipes this month. This is one of the first of many that I will be making this week! I have had a salad similar to this at a steak place in Seattle….I am blanking on the name now. Just know that with this salad you can control the calories by how much bacon and dressing you put on the salad. Sometimes, just having a hint is all that is needed.

The three of us without a palate of a baby loved this salad…..the middle son had a bowl of cereal and the youngest just ate some steak. The point was, we all ate at the same time and at the same table….which is huge considering how busy we are. I am happiest when we are all together laughing and sharing our day together. If only you knew what we talked about at dinner!

 

Steak Salad with Bacon, Crispy Potatoes, And Blue Cheese Dressing

 

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces sliced bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 8 ounces potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 2 tsp. oil
• 3 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 cup sour cream (we used low fat)
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1 green onion, chopped
• Lettuce

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crisp and drain on a paper towel.
2. Add the potatoes to the bacon drippings and season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until browned and tender. Transfer to a paper towel to drain.
3. Meanwhile, grill the steak with seasoning until it is cooked to your desired doneness. Let rest a few minutes before serving.
4. For the dressing, combine the sour cream, buttermilk, vinegar, green onion and 1/4 tsp. salt and pepper. (we left the blue cheese out of the dressing and simply put it on top of the salads for those who liked blue cheese)
5. Place lettuce on each plate and top with steak, bacon, potatoes and drizzle with dressing….and if you like blue cheese, blue cheese crumbles.

To Joyful, Simplified Living,

MS. Simplicity 

MS. Simplicity, also known as Melissa Schmalenberger  operates her business as I Did it with MS. Simplicity.  She is a Professional Organizer based out of Fargo, ND and her website can be found at http://www.ididit-fargo.com/. 

• Interested in starting your own Professional Organizing business, visit http://www.mssimplicity.com/  to learn about how Melissa can help you! 

• Need to contact MS. Simplicity privately, you can email her at melissa@mssimplicity.com.

• MS. Simplicity offers monthly classes, click here to find out the latest offerings!

• For daily organizing tips find the MS. Simplicity fan page here.

4th of July Menu Ideas

 

Another holiday and another reason to eat! The plan should be to plan the day before and set things out when it is time to eat. Don’t spend the day cooking, spend the day celebrating! Well let’s just cut to the chase and give you a few of my favorites and what I plan on making this weekend.

 Bean and Hamburger Hotdish

(This is a great one to put in the slow cooker to simmer away all day)

 Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound bacon – cooked
• 1 pound hamburger – cooked
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 large can pork and beans or 2 16oz. cans
• 1 can kidney beans (drained)
• 1 can lima beans (drained)
• 1 can butter beans (drained)
• 1 large can Bush’s baked beans
• 1 cup ketchup
• 2 Tablespoon dry mustard
• 2 Tablespoon vinegar

Directions:

1. Mix and add to beans and hamburger mixture. Put in slow cooker for as long as you wish on low or in oven at 300 degrees for 2 hours. May need to add a bit of liquid from the drained beans if it is getting dry.

Vegetables Vinaigrette

 Ingredients:

• 1 cucumber
• 3 carrots
• 1/2 cauliflower
• 1/2 pound fresh green beans
• 1 pound sliced mushrooms
• 6 tablespoons tarragon vinegar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 4 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon dill weed

Directions:

1. Chop vegetables and mix vinaigrette and let sit for several hours before serving. Toss before serving.

Select Deli Salad:

• 1/2 pound dry rainbow rotini cooked and drained
• Jar of marinated artichoke hearts, drained
• 5 ounces sliced pepperoni
• 1 cup fresh cauliflower
• 1 cup fresh broccoli
• 1 cup diced Monterrey jack cheese
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions
• 3/4 cup vegetable or olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Directions:

1. Prepare rotini and drain. In large bowl combine rotini and remaining ingredients, toss to mix. Cover; chill and toss before serving.

Beer Marinade for Beef

(I always had this as a kid with t-bones, it is yummy)

 Ingredients:

• Can of beer
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3 Tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 2 Tablespoon sugar or honey
• 4 Tablespoon marmalade
• 2 minced garlic cloves

Directions:

1. Simply mix and marinate with meat of choice and then grill meat to desired doneness.

Dirt Cake

(an olide but goodie)

 Ingredients:

• 1 package crushed Oreo cookies
• 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 16 ounces of Cool Whip
• 2 packages instant chocolate pudding
• 3 cups milk

Directions:

1. Blend together the cream cheese and the 3/4 cup powdered sugar.
2. Mix the pudding and the milk.Blend in with cream cheese mixture and Cool Whip.
3. Put a layer of crumbs, then pudding the another layer of crumbs. Let stand for 4 hours in a cold place.

 To Joyful, Simplified Living,

 MS. Simplicity

MS. Simplicity, also known as Melissa Schmalenberger  operates her business as I Did it with MS. Simplicity.  She is a Professional Organizer based out of Fargo, ND and her website can be found at http://www.ididit-fargo.com/ .

• Interested in starting your own Professional Organizing business, visit http://www.mssimplicity.com/  to learn about how Melissa can help you! 

• Need to contact MS. Simplicity privately, you can email her at melissa@mssimplicity.com.

• MS. Simplicity offers monthly classes, click here to find out the latest offerings!

 For daily organizing tips find the MS. Simplicity fan page here.

New Direction And 4 New Recipes

So if you subscribe to my 365 Clever Cookbooks blog you may be wondering why no new posts. Well, let me tell you, life got in the way. Simply stated my life in the last three weeks involved 2 great vacations and not a lot of time to cook home cooked meals. But isn’t that the problem with all of us…..too much to do and not enough time. Normally I would just suck it up and get it done however I had a second problem. The second problem was it just wasn’t fun for me anymore. The blogging every day of new recipes, the trek to the library, the cooking because I felt I “had to” just got to be too overwhelming. So I took a break, told my children, announced it on facebook and listened to everyone’s reactions. The most important reaction was from my children, they were disappointed. My youngest and middle, who are the fussy eaters wanted me to keep going. I said, “but you never ate what I cooked”. The response was simple and profound, “but we liked you making it and trying just a bite to see if we liked it”. Wow….blow me over with a feather. I did not expect that at all!

So I have had a week to regroup and this is what I came up with. I will cook like I have always done and just post my recipes. Sometimes you will get photos, sometimes you will not. But the important thing is, I will post recipes that our family loves. What I would love from you is to help me along the way. Do you have some recipes that your family goes ape wild over, if so be a guest blogger for me. Write a blog post and I will post it to share with all my friends. Because lets face it, we all need help in figuring out what is for dinner!

So back to the basics; I am a creature of habit and they way I search for recipes is simple, online. That is the source that I will go back to. It is part of my mission of getting less dependent on recipes found in books and on cards and ones found on-line. I love to search my favorite sites for new and inspiring recipes. So back to my habits of finding a good one online and less on the trek to the library….where frankly I was going to run out of cookbooks!

Here is what I made this weekend with the complete recipes for the ones out of my recipe book and the links from the ones that I found on the internet:

Cafe Rio Pork Salad (my adaptation as I have made it much simpler than the version I had found online)

Cafe Rio Pork Ingredients:

•  pork roast, one that is great for shredding
• 1 cup of chunky salsa
• 1 can coke
• 1/2 c. brown sugar

Directions:

1. Place pork in crock-pot. Mix together ingredients, salsa, coke, brown sugar and put on top of pork. Cook for 6 hours on low. Shred pork with forks, taking out the fat. Leave it on low until ready to serve.

 Creamy Tomatillo Dressing Ingredients:

•  1 packet hidden valley ranch buttermilk dressing
• 1 c. buttermilk
• 3/4 c. of light sour cream
• 3/4 cup  tomatillo salsa
• ¾ bunch fresh cilantro
• juice from 1 lime (about 2 tsp.)

Directions:

1. Blend all ingredients in the blender. Refrigerate.

 SERVING:

 There are two options for this, either serve it as a salad or eat it as a taco. I eat it as a salad and my younger two boys eat it as a taco. For the salad I add whatever fresh vegetables I have around the house such as tomatoes, peppers,cucumbers and avocado. I don’t even add cheese as I think the salad has enough flavor and you really don’t miss having the cheese. For some who are making the tacos, they may like cheese.

 Lemon Thyme Bars

Ingredients:

• Butter, for greasing dish
• Flour, for dusting dish

Bar Ingredients:

• 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves (I have lemon thyme that I grow every year just for these bars)
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Glaze Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8 by 8-inch glass baking dish.
2. In a small bowl combine flour, thyme and salt. Set aside. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together 1 stick of butter and powdered sugar on high-speed until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds. Beat in the lemon juice and vanilla. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture. Using damp fingers, press the dough into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes until golden. Cool for 30 minutes.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the lemon juice and powdered sugar together until smooth. Spoon the glaze over the cooled crust. Allow the glaze to harden, at room temperature, for at least 1 hour.
4. Using a metal spatula, remove the crust from the pan. Cut into 1 1/2-inch square bars and arrange on a serving platter or store airtight in a plastic container at room temperature.

The Pioneer Woman Taco Pizza

The Pioneer Woman Red Velvet Cake with The Best Frosting Ever

 

To Joyful, Simplified Living,

MS. Simplicity

 MS. Simplicity, also known as Melissa Schmalenberger  operates her business as I Did it with MS. Simplicity.  She is a Professional Organizer based out of Fargo, ND and her website can be found at http://www.ididit-fargo.com/.

• Interested in starting your own Professional Organizing business, visit http://www.mssimplicity.com/ to learn about how Melissa can help you! 
• Need to contact MS. Simplicity privately, you can email her at melissa@mssimplicity.com.
• MS. Simplicity offers monthly classes, click here to find out the latest offerings!
• For daily organizing tips find the MS. Simplicity fan page here.

 

Grilled Asparagus Chopped Salad

Day 147: Bobby Flay’s Grill It!

May 27, 2011

I am on a salad kick that is now combined with grilling. I rarely make a meal using my oven in the summer but I do get tired of the traditional grilled chicken breasts. Mix it up when you grill and add in something fun like grilling fruits and vegetables.

Bobby Flay is that cutie pie grilling Iron Chef master that can be seen on the Food Network. His focus is on the grill, and when he writes a cookbook, I pay attention. This cookbook is full of 150 dishes that are not all that complicated but as always full of flavor.

The Ruling: So good! I can’t wait to make this one again. We did not have Meyer Lemons, and used just regular lemons and it was still delicious. Did my fussy eaters try the salad…..nope. Too bad for them!

Grilled Asparagus Chopped Salad with Creamy Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette and Grilled Pita Chip Croutons, pg 14

Ingredients:

• 2 pocketless pita breads
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups mesclun greens
• ½ pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 8 ounces aged white Cheddar cheese, cut into ½ inch dice
• 1 English cucumber, cut into ½ inch dice
• ½ cup black olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
• 1 cup canned chickpeas, drained, rinsed and drained again
• Perfectly Grilled Asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces (recipe follows)
• Meyer Lemon Dressing (recipe follows)

Directions:

1. Heat your grill to high.
2. Brush the pita on both sides with oil and season with salt and pepper.  Grill until golden brown and crispy, about 1 minute per side.  Remove the pita to a cutting board and cut each pita in half.  Cut each half into ½ inch slices.
3. Combine the mesclun, tomatoes, cheese, cucumber, olives, chickpeas, and asparagus in a large bowl.  Add half of the dressing and toss well to coat; season with salt and pepper.  Drizzle with more of the dressing and top with the pita chips.

_____________________________

Perfectly Grilled Asparagus, pg 11

Ingredients,

• 1 ½ pounds (about 24 medium stalks) fresh asparagus
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Heat your grill to high.
2. To trim the asparagus, snap the spears with two hands; the tough part should break right off.   For a cleaner look and less waste, you can cut off the tough bottoms with a knife and peel the bottom half of the stalk if necessary.
3. Place the asparagus on a baking sheet, toss with the oil, and season with salt and pepper.  Grill the asparagus, perpendicular to the grates of the grill, for 3 to 5 minutes on each side or until just crisp-tender.

______________________________

Meyer Lemon Dressing, pg 15

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup fresh Meyer lemon juice or 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice plus 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice.
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon whole-grain mustard
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves

Directions:

1. Whisk together the Meyer lemon juice, vinegar, honey, mayonnaise, both mustards, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl.  Slowly whisk in the oil until emulsified and then stir in the tarragon.

To Joyful, Simplified Living,

MS. Simplicity

MS. Simplicity, also known as Melissa Schmalenberger  operates her business as I Did it with MS. Simplicity.  She is a Professional Organizer based out of Fargo, ND and her website can be found at http://www.ididit-fargo.com/.

• Interested in starting your own Professional Organizing business, visit http://www.mssimplicity.com/ to learn about how Melissa can help you! 
• Need to contact MS. Simplicity privately, you can email her at melissa@mssimplicity.com.
• MS. Simplicity offers monthly classes, click hereto find out the latest offerings!
• For daily organizing tips find the MS. Simplicity fan page here.

Grilled Herbed And Spiced Beef Tenderloin Salad

Day 142: The BBQ Queens’ Big Book of Barbecue

May 22, 2011

Another grilling recipe! Yes, I have found the grilling section of my local library and boy are there a lot of choices here. This is going to be fun! We had a friend who bought a new smoker and I thought smoking the meat for this recipe would be a nice option. I have never prepared anything in a smoker, but boy and I hooked. I want to buy my husband a smoker for father’s Day, but he told me he doesn’t want one. Maybe we can just go to our friends house and use theirs!

I am so glad that I picked up this cookbook! There are so many recipes that I want to make in it. I narrowed it down to two and will share with you one of them. The other one I made was the Blueberry Tart on page 295. This is not only a BBQ cookbook, but it takes you though the whole meal, not just the main course. So much information in between the covers of this 450 page book. I don’t want to return it to the library….there are so many more things I want to make.  How about Chive Pesto….I always have a garden full of chives!

The Ruling: We made this for friends and we all loved it. My friend saved her meat until the end as she was saving the best for last. Using the smoker worked out great! We could see the smoke rings in the meat. One thing that we did that was different from the recipe was we put all of the marinade in a food processor and doubled it and let it sit for 5 hours…..yumm! We also used a pork tenderloin and not a beef tenderloin and it tasted just as good.

Grilled Herbed and Spiced Beef Tenderloin Salad, page 341

Ingredients:

Dressing:

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ½ cup freshly grated Romano cheese
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 anchovy fillets, mashed
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• Tabasco sauce to taste
• Kosher Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Salad:

• 2 large heads romaine lettuce
• 4 large ripe beefsteak tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 2 large ripe avocados, peeled, pitted, and diced
• 6 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• ½ cup salted sunflower seeds, CornNuts, or other salty nuts

Grilled Herbed and Spiced Beef Tenderloin:

• ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 cloves garlic, mince
• 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
• 2 pounds beef tenderloin, trimmed of any fat and silverskin
• Handful of wood chips, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes before grilling

Directions:

1. In a large, shallow glass dish, combine all the ingredients except the beef and wood chips.  Stir to blend, then add the meat and turn to coat thoroughly.  Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
2. Prepare a hot indirect fire in a grill.
3. Remove the meat from the marinade and pat dry.  Grill over the hot fire, searing it by turning it a quarter turn at a time until well browned all over, about 12 minutes total.
4. Place the meat on the indirect side of the grill and tent a heavy duty aluminum foil or cover with a disposable aluminum pan.  Add the wood chips to the fire.  Close the lid and roast smoke until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the beef registers 125 to 130 degrees F for medium-rare, 25 to 30 minutes.  Transfer to a platter and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.
5. To make the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a medium-size bowl.  Stir to blend and check the seasoning.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.  (The dressing may be made the day ahead.)
6. To make the salad, rinse and dry the lettuce and tear into bite-size pieces.  Toss with half the dressing.  Mound on a large platter and surround with the tomato wedges and diced avocado.  Sprinkle the bacon, onion, and sunflower seeds over the salad.  Arrange the sliced meat on top and serve, passing the remaining dressing at the table.
7. To make the salad, rinse and dry the lettuce and tear into bite-size pieces.  Toss with half the dressing.  Mound on a large platter and surround with the tomato wedges and diced avocado.  Sprinkle the bacon, onion, and sunflower seeds over the salad.  Arrange the sliced meat on top and serve, passing the remaining dressing at the table.

 

To Joyful, Simplified Living,

MS. Simplicity

MS. Simplicity, also known as Melissa Schmalenberger  operates her business as I Did it with MS. Simplicity.  She is a Professional Organizer based out of Fargo, ND and her website can be found at www.ididit-fargo.com .  Need to contact MS. Simplicity privately, you can email her at melissa@ididit-fargo.com.  MS. Simplicity offers monthly classes, click here to find out the latest offerings! For daily organizing tips find the MS. Simplicity fan page  here.

 If you try any of my suggestions, I would love to hear from you.  It helps me to understand what my readers want me to write about and what they think is a waste of their time….thanks for taking the time to help me out.

Scoopable Chinese Chicken Salad

Day 125: Hungry Girl 200 Under 200

May 5, 2011

So who doesn’t love a Chinese Chicken Salad? Although I have been to some authentic Chinese restaurants in China Town in San Francisco and there is not a single salad that even resembles this on the menu. So is it really a Chinese Chicken Salad? I think the only reason we call it Chinese is that sometimes chow mein noodles are sprinkled on top. That really does not qualify as Chinese. Well, you know what time of salad I am talking about anyway. Lovely and refreshing salad. Something to take to a potluck or to serve at an office lunch.

I had a request to do a Hungry Girl cookbook. They are in such high demand at my library that I had to be put on the waiting list for it. But when I finally got this one I looked for something that I could make fast. Finding recipes for under 200 calories are almost impossible. unfortunately the recipes are often filled with sugar substitutes and I am not a big fan of sugar substitutes unless it comes in the form of diet coke…..kidding! But if you are watching your weight, you will find plenty of things to make!

The Ruling: We liked it. The leftovers were great the next day. Because it does not contain chow mein noodles it stays fresh and you don’t have the soggy noodles in it! The flavors developed more the next day. To save time I picked up a rotisserie cake from the deli and shredded the breast. I could not find the Newman’s dressing in our grocery store, but I had another sesame dressing at home that I used. Nice and refreshing salad.

Scoopable Chinese Chicken Salad, page 77

Ingredients:

• One 16 ounce package dry broccoli slaw mix
• 12 ounces cooked skinless lean chicken breast, chopped
• 1 cup canned water chestnuts, drained and sliced into thin strips
• 1 cup canned mandarin orange segments packed in water or juice, drained and chopped (and rinsed, if packed in juice)
• 1 cup chopped scallions
• 3/4 cup Newman’s Own Lighten Up! Low Fat Sesame Ginger Dressing

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, toss all ingredients together until mixed well.
2. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Stir well before serving. Enjoy!

To Joyful, Simplified Living,

MS. Simplicity

Register today for “Meal Planning for Busy Families: Grilling Part 1”,  if you are in the Fargo/Moorhead area. Class is scheduled from 6:30 to 8:30 and includes handouts, recipes, family meal planner and sampling of the food. Cost is $25. Please email MS. Simplicity at Melissa@ididit-fargo.com for more information.

MS. Simplicity, also known as Melissa Schmalenberger  operates her business as I Did it with MS. Simplicity.  She is a Professional Organizer based out of Fargo, ND and her website can be found at www.ididit-fargo.com .  Need to contact MS. Simplicity privately, you can email her at melissa@ididit-fargo.com.  For daily organizing tips find the MS. Simplicity fan page  here.

If you try any of my suggestions, I would love to hear from you.  It helps me to understand what my readers want me to write about and what they think is a waste of their time….thanks for taking the time to help me out.

Caesar Pita Pizza

Day 124: The Family Dinner: Great Ways To Connect With Your Kids, One Meal At A Time

May 4, 2011

I was intrigued by the idea of a pita pizza served with a Caesar salad on top of it. I am one of those people who don’t even like to have my food to touch. So idea to put a salad on top on a warm pita pizza really put me over the edge. Yet I was intrigued.

By now I am sure that you know that I am a sucker for cookbooks that promote family mealtime and family together time. This cookbook not only gives you recipes but it also gives you games to play with your family around the dinner table. For example if you were to travel with your family where would you go? How about if you were to travel with a friend? And what if you were to travel by yourself? This really is a jam-packed cookbook full of so many different things. It is so much more than a cookbook. Film producer Laurie David shows us how passionate she is in between the pages of the cookbook.

The Ruling: We liked it…..the fussy don’t eat their vegetable kids skipped on the salad and just had the pizza. Those of us who did top it with salad enjoyed it, yes, even me. We ate it like a pita and held it in our hand instead of putting it on a plate and eating it with a fork and knife. Sometimes it is a good idea to go outside your comfort level. I know I was glad that I did. I did create a short cut and used a bagged Caesar salad mix….so much faster than making homemade dressing.  You will notice that the recipe is written so that a child can make it. I in fact had my child make it….never mind that he is 17 and works in a kitchen at a local fine dining restaurant. The recipe doesn’t say put the salad on top of the pizza, but we followed along with the picture and did just that! Leave off the pepperoni and turn it into a vegetarian meal.

Caesar Pita Pizza Pies, page 124

Ingredients:

• 6 pita breads
• Olive oil
• 1 ½ cups tomato sauce or your favorite jarred pizza sauce
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• Optional toppings of pepperoni, chopped tomatoes, thinly sliced onions or sliced mushrooms

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
2. Put a baking sheet on the bottom rack of your oven. Brush both sides of the pitas with olive oil, then spread the tops with tomato sauce and sprinkle with the mozzarella and any topping you please.
3. Using pot holders, take the baking sheet out of the oven and gently place your pizzas on it (you might need a grown-up to help you with this). Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until your think they are perfect.

Caesar Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 heads romaine lettuce, inner leaves best, torn into bite-size pieces
• Bunch of croutons
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• ½ cup olive oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Put all the salad dressing ingredients into a large bowl and whisk, whisk, whisk until smooth.
2. Now take a lettuce leaf, dip it into the dressing, and see how it tastes. Does it need more salt? Or lemon? Make it taste exactly how you like it best, then toss with the lettuce and cheese

 

To Joyful, Simplified Living,

MS. Simplicity

MS. Simplicity, also known as Melissa Schmalenberger  operates her business as I Did it with MS. Simplicity.  She is a Professional Organizer based out of Fargo, ND and her website can be found at www.ididit-fargo.com .  Need to contact MS. Simplicity privately, you can email her at melissa@ididit-fargo.com.  For daily organizing tips find the MS. Simplicity fan page  here.

If you try any of my suggestions, I would love to hear from you.  It helps me to understand what my readers want me to write about and what they think is a waste of their time….thanks for taking the time to help me out.

Wild Rice Dried Cranberry Salad with Clementine Vinaigrette

Day 119: The Minnesota Table

April 29, 2011

So I live .2 miles from Minnesota and what is a great stable that is grown in Minnesota, why wild rice of course. My favorite way to eat wild rice is in a soup or as a side to Thanksgiving with slivered almonds and mushrooms in it. But every once in a while I find it in the form of a cold salad and I am surprised at how good it tastes. A little nutty and a little bit of a bite to it and then you mix in some sweet and savory combinations and you have a great side dish.

If you live in Minnesota or are a fan of the state, this is a lovely cookbook that takes you through the seasons of the state along with the food that is in its prime season. April you will find Asparagus and August will find tips to oven roast tomatoes. Whenever you can prepare food that is in season for your family, remember you can save some money. Buying local also saves on gas prices and helps support the local economy. Find a local CSA where you will be sure to be filled with an abundance of produce all season long.

The Ruling: I have a confession to make, I forgot about the rice. So instead of it being nutty and a little bit hard, it was more on the soft side. Like really soft. Truth be told however my mom really liked it. I was just ok with it, but I know if I would have prepared it right, I would have loved it. I will try making this again in the upcoming months. If you have to make a salad for a group gathering, this would be a fun one to bring. I think my cousin has brought this to a few family gatherings and when she made it….it tasted great!

Wild Rice Dried Cranberry Salad with Clementine Vinaigrette, page 80

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw (3-4 c. cooked) wild rice, washed and prepared according to basic cooking instructions
• 1 c. long-grain white or brown rice (2c. cooked)
• 3/4 c. unsalted toasted, hulled, hazelnuts, pecans, or hickory nuts
• 3-4 Clementines, peeled, sectioned, and seeded (tangerines, tangelos, or navel oranges can be substituted)
• 1 c. dried cranberries
• 2 bunches small scallions, cleaned and thinly sliced at an angle
• coarse salt, to taste
• pinch of dried red pepper flakes, or freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. A day before, wash wild rice in cold water, and cook according to directions.
2. Cook long-grain or brown rice in a separate pot. Use 2 c. lightly salted water for every 1 cu. uncooked rice. Bring water to a boil and add salt and rice. Bring back to a boil, lower heat to simmer, and stir to loosen rice grains stuck on the bottom of the pan, Simmer, covered, until the rice has absorbed most of the water, about 15-20 minutes; the surface should be marked by little steam holes. Brown rice needs a bit more water and will take a little longer than white.
3. Remove rice from the heat and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Toss cooked rice with a little canola oil to keep the grains separate. Cover with plastic wrap, leaving a small opening to vent any steam, and refrigerate.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, placing a rack in the center. Spread hazelnuts evenly over the surface of a sided sheet pan. Place in oven for a few minutes, or until the nuts begin to color. Shake pan to redistribute the hazelnuts, return to oven and continue browning. To remove husks, wrap hot, roasted nuts in a cotton dishtowel and rub. If not using immediately, let the hazelnuts cool to room temperature, store in a tightly covered dry container (tin or glass), and set aside. This step can be done a day ahead too. To keep their crunch, the nuts are the last ingredient incorporated into the salad.
5. Peel, section, and seed Clementines and place in large mixing bowl. Add the cranberries, green onions, and chilled, cooked rice. Dress with Clementine Vinaigrette, and toss several times to mix well.

Clementine Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

• Fine zest of one Clementine
• 1/2 c. freshly squeezed Clementine juice
• 2-3 tbsp. white wine or champagne vinegar
• coarse salt, to taste
• pinch of dried red pepper flakes, or freshly ground black pepper
• 1 scant c. canola oil, plus 1 tbsp. hazelnut oil if available

Directions:

1. Combine zest, juice, vinegar, salt, and pepper flakes or pepper in a blender, a metal bowl with a whisk, or a glass jar that has a tight-fitting lid. Blend (or whisk or shake) until well mixed. Add oils in a steady stream. Blend or whisk again until very thick. Taste and adjust seasonings. If it is too vinegary, add cold water to cut the acidity. If it is too vinegary, add cold water to cut the acidity. If not using immediately, cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before dressing the salad.

To Joyful, Simplified Living,

MS. Simplicity

MS. Simplicity, also known as Melissa Schmalenberger  operates her business as I Did it with MS. Simplicity.  She is a Professional Organizer based out of Fargo, ND and her website can be found at www.ididit-fargo.com .  Need to contact MS. Simplicity privately, you can email her at melissa@ididit-fargo.com.  For daily organizing tips find the MS. Simplicity fan page  here.

If you try any of my suggestions, I would love to hear from you.  It helps me to understand what my readers want me to write about and what they think is a waste of their time….thanks for taking the time to help me out.

Broccoli, Avocado, And Pistaschios With Pistachio Oil

Day 114: The Provence Cookbook

April 24, 2011

Green vegetables do not have to be served boring by just steaming them. There are so many options out there when serving the vegetable side dish. Light, healthy and full of flavor is what I look for in a side dish. Do not give me a cheese sauce so as to mask the taste of the vegetable. My kids are learning to eat their vegetables without the yellow/orange cheese sauce.

If you have ever been to the South of France you know why cookbook author Patricia Wells has written so many cookbooks about the area. She writes not only a cookbook, but gives tips on if your oil goes rancid to food pairing for a springtime dinner with friends or an August Dinner at Sunset. Even where to get some of her personal favorites are listed in the cookbook. I would call this more a guide-book and a cookbook, you are getting the best of both worlds, kind of like a culinary roadmap through the south of France.

The Ruling: We found the longer you let it sit, the more flavor it developed. We did not have pistachio oil so we used olive oil. I can only imagine how flavorful this would be with the pistachio oil. This is such a nice change of pace from the typical steamed broccoli! Our hints would be to double the dressing and to make sure that you drain the broccoli really well. We also steamed the broccoli and did not boil it.

Broccoli, Avocado and Pistachios with Pistachio Oil, page 38

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 cup pistachio oil, pine nut oil, almond oil, or extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons coarse sea salt
• 8 ounces broccoli florets, about 2 cups
• 1 ripe avocado
• 1/4 cup salted pistachios, coarsley chopped
• fleur de sel to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a small jar, combine the lemon juice and fine sea salt, and stir to blend. Add the oil, cover the jar, and shake to blend.
2. Prepare a large bowl of ice water.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the coarse sea salt and the broccoli. Boil, uncovered, until the broccoli is crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Immediately drain the broccoli and plunge the florets into the ice water so they cool down as quickly as possible and retain their crispness and bright green color. (The vegetables will cool in 1 to 2 minutes. After that, it will soften and begin to lose crispness and flavor.) Transfer the broccoli to a colander and drain.
4. Halve, peel, and very thinly slice the avocado. Arrange a mound of broccoli in the center of a serving plate. Arrange the avocado slices in a circle around the broccoli. Sprinkle with the pistachios. Drizzle with the lemon and oil mixture, then season with salt and pepper. Let infuse 3 to 4 minutes before serving as a first course or a vegetable course.

To Joyful, Simplified Living,

MS. Simplicity

MS. Simplicity, also known as Melissa Schmalenberger  operates her business as I Did it with MS. Simplicity.  She is a Professional Organizer based out of Fargo, ND and her website can be found at www.ididit-fargo.com .  Need to contact MS. Simplicity privately, you can email her at melissa@ididit-fargo.com.  For daily organizing tips find the MS. Simplicity fan page  here.

If you try any of my suggestions, I would love to hear from you.  It helps me to understand what my readers want me to write about and what they think is a waste of their time….thanks for taking the time to help me out.

Bow Ties with Turkey, Pesto and Roasted Red Peppers

Day 70: “Betty Crocker 4 Ingredient Dinners”

March 11, 2011

Looking for a fast meal that can be ready in minutes? This is one that can be thrown together quickly and without much skill.  You need a meal that a child can put together….all the skill they need is to boil water and chop a few things!

Not only are there only 4 ingredients in each recipe, but they are also fast to prepare.  Families are looking for short cuts to get those meals to the table faster. Simple recipes, nice pictures plus some bonus tips. Cookbooks need to bring their “A” game these days and some are filled with complex dishes while others are filled with easy meals but no pictures.  With this cookbook you get the best of both worlds, easy meals with pictures.

The Ruling: We used leftover rotissere chicken in ours but I think deli turkey would work just as well.  We did not have the 1/2 cup of basil pesto and only used 2 tablespoons.  I think that it needed all the pesto for the flavor.  We kept some plain noodles for the fussy eaters in the family.  Jar of roasted red peppers are a standby in my fridge but I think you could even put in a fresh red pepper for some added crunch.  Serve it cold and you have a pasta salad.  Serve it without the meat and you have an easy vegetarian meal.

Bow-Ties with Turkey, Pesto and Roasted Red Peppers, page 48

Ingredients:

• 3 cups uncooked farfalle (bow-tie) pasta (6 ounces)
• 2 cups cubed cooked turkey breast or chicken
• 1/2 cup basil pesto
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped roasted red bell peppers (from 7-ounce jar)

Directions:

1. Cook pasta in 3 quart saucepan as directed on packages, drain. Return pasta to saucepan.
2. Add turkey, pesto and bell peppers to pasta. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until hot.

To Joyful, Simplified Living,

MS. Simplicity

MS. Simplicity, also known as Melissa Schmalenberger  operates her business as I Did it with MS. Simplicity.  She is a Professional Organizer based out of Fargo, ND and her website can be found at www.ididit-fargo.com .  Need to contact MS. Simplicity privately, you can email her at melissa@ididit-fargo.com.  For daily organizing tips find the MS. Simplicity fan page  here.

If you try any of my suggestions, I would love to hear from you.  It helps me to understand what my readers want me to write about and what they think is a waste of their time….thanks for taking the time to help me out.