Field Fresh Chopped Salad with Sweet Basil Dressing

September 1, 2020

This salad is a copycat of one of my favorite prepared salads found at Trader Joes. The base is a mixture of romaine and cabbage and Israeli (also known as pearl) couscous. Then there’s sweet corn, diced red pepper, pecans, currants, Asiago cheese, and green onion. You can top it with chicken breast for extra protein. The best part though is the fresh basil dressing. It’s sweet and creamy and what makes this salad amazing. It’s definitely more work to make at home, but even better than the original!

Field Fresh Chopped Salad with Sweet Basil Dressing

INGREDIENTS

Field Fresh Chopped Salad:
romaine lettuce, chopped
red cabbage, shredded
Israeli (also known as pearl) couscous, prepared according to package directions (I buy mine at Trader Joes)
fresh corn, cooked and cut off the cob*
red bell pepper, diced
pecans, toasted and chopped
dried currants
Asiago cheese, grated
green onion, thinly sliced
cooked chicken breast, chopped (optional)

Sweet Basil Dressing:
1/2 cup mayo (or part Greek yogurt- I used 1/3rd Greek yogurt, 2/3rds mayo)
1 cup loosely packed fresh basil
2 tsp. honey
2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp. chopped shallot
1 tsp. minced garlic
salt and pepper, to taste
water to thin if necessary (you probably won’t need it if using part yogurt)

DIRECTIONS

  1. To make the dressing: place all the ingredients into a blender or food processor, blend until creamy. Add water if too thick or mayo if too runny. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
  2. In a large bowl, toss all the salad ingredients together with basil dressing. Enjoy!

*Corn can be grilled on the cob and cut off or cut off and then toasted in a skillet over medium heat for a few minutes with some olive oil or butter and salt and pepper.

Dressing makes enough to serve ~4, can be doubled/tripled for a large party salad.

(Adapted from Mel’s Creative Corner)

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Blueberries and Cream Angel Food Cake Trifle

August 28, 2020

This light yet decadent trifle is the perfect summer dessert… It starts with a base of fluffy angel food cake (store-bought or use this amazingly easy recipe to make your own) which is layered with a cream cheese filling, blueberry sauce, and topped with sweetened whipped cream. I’ve got a freezer full of blueberries we picked this summer and so I used those, but I’ve also purchased the tiny wild frozen blueberries (easy to find at Trader Joes’s or Whole Foods) and especially love it made with those. The trifle dish is pretty, but not necessary. Any large bowl or casserole pan will work as well. Bonus if it’s clear so you can see those beautiful layers of cake, cream, and berries!

Blueberries and Cream Angel Food Cake Trifle

INGREDIENTS

Blueberry Filling:
18 oz. fresh or frozen blueberries (I’ve used both regular and wild blueberries)
3 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/3 cup. cold water
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Cream:
16 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temperature
2/3 cup half-and-half
2/3 cup sugar

Whipped Cream:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3 Tbsp. powdered sugar

1 angel food cake, cut into 1-inch cubes (store-bought or homemade)

DIRECTIONS

  1. For the blueberry filling, in a medium saucepan, combine the blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, water and lemon juice. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until thickened, 5-7 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
  2. For the cream layer, in a blender or with an electric mixer (handheld or stand mixer), whip together the cream cheese, half-and-half, and sugar until smooth and creamy, 2-3 minutes.
  3. For the whipped cream, beat together the heavy cream and powdered sugar until soft peaks form.
  4. To assemble, in a trifle dish, a large glass bowl or a 9X13-inch (or slightly smaller) dish, spread half of the angel food cake cubes. Top with half of the cream, half of the blueberries, dolloping across the top, and then spread half of the whipped cream on top. Repeat the layers. The layers don’t have to be perfect. It’s going to be a little haphazard and messy.
  5. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.

(Adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe)

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Baked Ham and Cheese Croissants

August 27, 2020

Today’s recipe was inspired by all the croissants we devoured on our trip to Paris two summers ago. Dustin was addicted to the chocolate croissants, the almond were my favorite, and for a slightly healthier breakfast or lunch we’d pick up a hot ham and cheese croissant sandwich. While I’m not about to make my own croissant dough or almond paste, the ham and cheese version is simple to make at home!

This time around (because there have been many times- though we save these for special occasions!) I bought mini croissants at Whole Foods. I like to make a spread of mayonnaise and stoneground mustard (with a few fresh snipped chives if I have them) to spread on one half of the croissant and then layer the ham and cheese before baking them until melty in the middle and crisp on top. That’s it! A little bite of France in your own kitchen.

Baked Ham and Cheese Croissants

INGREDIENTS

croissants, sliced in half
deli ham, thinly sliced (black forest ham is our favorite)
Muenster cheese, thinly sliced (or Havarti, Cheddar, Swiss, etc.)
mayonnaise
stoneground mustard, to taste
fresh chives, chopped (optional)

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  2. In a small bowl, stir to combine mayonnaise, a squeeze of stoneground mustard, and a few chopped fresh chives. Spread a bit of the mayonnaise mixture on the bottom side of each croissant. Top with a slice of cheese, some deli ham, and another slice of cheese, and the top of the croissant. Place prepared croissants on a baking sheet.
  3. Cover the croissants with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and they are warmed throughout, removing the foil for the last few minutes to crisp the tops. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

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Cranberry Avocado Spinach Salad with Chicken and Orange Poppy Seed Dressing

August 25, 2020

I’ve made this salad more than any other on my site. It’s silly it has taken me this long to take a picture of it and share the recipe here! It’s one of my favorite salads to make for a lunch with friends. (But my kids and husband enjoy it too.) The grilled chicken, almonds, and avocado make it hearty. The creamy goat cheese and sweet-tart cranberries make it more interesting. But the dressing is the star. It’s soooo delicious! One of- maybe THE- best salad dressing I’ve ever made/eaten.

Cranberry Avocado Spinach Salad with Chicken and Orange Poppy Seed Dressing

INGREDIENTS

Orange Poppy Seeding Dressing:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup canola oil (I’ve also used grape-seed oil)
2 tsp. orange zest
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. honey
2 tsp. dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. poppy seeds

Salad:
grilled chicken, sliced
baby spinach (I used a mixture of spinach, mixed greens, and romaine)
avocado, pitted and diced
crumbled goat cheese (or feta)
sliced almonds , toasted
sweetened dried cranberries

DIRECTIONS

  1. Add olive oil, canola oil, orange zest, orange juice, lemon juice, honey, dijon mustard and salt to a blender. Pulse until well emulsified. (Or you can whisk to combine all the ingredients in a bowl.) Pour into a jar and stir in poppy seeds. Refrigerate until ready to use.
  2. Add all salad ingredients to a large bowl. Pour dressing over top and toss to evenly coat. Serve immediately.

Dressing serves 4.

Adapted from Cooking Classy

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Blackberry Cobbler

August 21, 2020

It’s that time of year when we find blackberries growing all over the wild here. My kids love summer walks when we can scavenge for and snack on summer berries. Most of us don’t have to leave our backyards to find a few! This past weekend Dustin’s parents were visiting and we picked up a few box-fulls of berries at the farmers market and so we made cobbler.

This blackberry cobbler is super simple. You whisk together some melted butter, flour (+ baking powder + salt if like me you’ve never bought self-rising flour in your life!) , sugar, and milk, then pour it in a buttered pan and sprinkle the blackberries on top. Then you dust it with more sugar which will create an irresistible crunchy crust as it bakes. You can add even more sugar to caramelize during the last few minutes in the oven. (I did, because Paula Dean told me to. Though this last bit probably isn’t necessary because there was already A LOT of sugar.) Serve slightly warm with a scoop or vanilla ice cream (or homemade whipped cream)!

Blackberry Cobbler

INGREDIENTS

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter, melted + extra for greasing pan
1 1/4 cups + 2 Tbsp. sugar, divided
1 cup self-rising flour (or 1 cup all-purpose flour + 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder + 1/4 tsp. salt)
1 cup whole milk
2 cups fresh (or frozen) blackberries (I added a few extra ~2 1/2 cups total)
whipped cream and/or vanilla ice cream, for serving

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 3-quart (9×13) baking dish with butter.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk 1 cup sugar with the flour and milk. Whisk in the melted butter.
  3. Rinse the blackberries and pat them dry. Pour the batter into the baking dish. Sprinkle the blackberries evenly over the top of the batter. Sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar over the blackberries. Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 1 hour. When 10 minutes of the cooking time remains, sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over the top. Serve warm or at room temperature. Top with whipped cream or ice cream . . . or both!

Makes a 9×13 pan.

Adapted from Food Network

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