what we eat.

roasted cherry tomato salad.

 
Something happens to a tomato when you roast it.  It turns from kinda sweet to extremely sweet.  Kinda like me after a nap. 

I just heard my husband start laughing somewhere.

Anyway.  Roasted cherry tomatoes are excellent.  As they cook in the oven they pop and kind shrivel and then their juice makes a super tasty sauce.  Don't be afraid of what might happen in your roasting dish because as well all know, color equals flavor.

 
Again, this is more about technique rather than a recipe, so do whatever you want with these lovely ladies.  They would be excellent with pasta but I tossed them with some fresh motz, basil and olives and dinner was served. 

 

Oh yeah, we also had a big green salad, a sweet potato and some pita wedges. We like to eat.

 

two for two.

 
I'm on an Ina kick.  I can't help it.  That lady knows what she's doing. Yesterday I told you about her tomato bread.  Well, in the same episode of her show she also made this salad--the Cape Cod Chopped Salad--and I haven't stopped thinking about it.  I'm making it right now.  As I type this.  Yes, the laptop is on the kitchen counter and I'm waiting for the bacon to finish cooking.  I'm weird, I know.  Sorry, sometimes I get excited.

Speaking of bacon.  If you haven't tried it before, cook it in the oven. 400 degrees, 20 minutes.  It is perfect every time and it doesn't spit at you from the stove top.  Mine is done so I'll be back in a few--after I finish making this salad and eating a huge plate of it.

Hi.  I'm back and it was great.  Really, really fantastic actually.  Salty, sweet, crunchy and fresh tasting.  Perfect for dinner with some grilled bread on the side. 

I recently told a friend that I thought green salads were "so last year."  I was mostly kidding.  What I really meant was I dislike making green salads because, well, the always disappoint.  The whole thing feels like a chore.  The making.  The eating.  Well, my friends, I was wrong.  I've never been more excited about a salad.

Cape Cod Chopped Salad from Ina Garten, tweaked a little.

4 pieces bacon
8 ounces baby arugula
1 large granny smith apple, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup toasted walnuts (i switched these out for pecans)
1/2 dried cranberries (I used dried cherries)
6 ounces good blue cheese (I used Roquefort)

For the dressing (btw, I halved this and it was plenty):
3 tablespoons good apple cider vinegar (I was out so I used white wine vinegar)
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
2 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
salt and pepper to taste
2/3 cup olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place a baking rack on a sheet pan and lay the bacon slices on the rack. Roast the bacon for about 20 minutes, until nicely browned. Allow to cool.

In a large bowl, toss together the arugula, apple, walnuts, cranberries, and blue cheese.

For the dressing, whisk together the vinegar, orange zest, orange juice, mustard, maple syrup, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper in a bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil.

Chop the bacon in large pieces and add it to the salad. Toss the salad with just enough dressing to moisten. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and toss well. Serve immediately.

 

yee haw.

I've known about her but hadn't spent much time on her site until the other night, and now, I feel like I really know her.  And I'm so glad I do!  She calls herself the Pioneer Woman and she lives on this unbelievable cattle ranch in Oklahoma with her beautiful kids and her handsome cowboy husband.  And she makes really, really good food and has written a cookbook, and takes a ton of fantastic photos along the way.  Clicking around her site really does feel like you're watching a movie.  It's completely beautiful.

 

I couldn't decide what to make.  Every single recipe she documents looks delicious.  Really.  On this particular night I was craving a green veggie (rare) so this salad caught my eye.  Totally easy to make.  Tastes even better than it looks, and it looks pretty good!  I have eaten it like 4 times since I made it the other night.  So good.  I've also eaten plain noodles with just the dressing--ya know, like a sesame noodle type of thing.  Can't get enough of it.  The recipe below makes a ton of salad.  Also, I added the top ramen mix from this recipe for some crunch, which, I have to say, was genius.

• SALAD INGREDIENTS:
• 1 package Linguine Noodles, Cooked, Rinsed, And Cooled
• ½ heads Sliced Napa Cabbage, Or More To Taste
• ½ heads Sliced Purple Cabbage, Or More To Taste
• ½ bags Baby Spinach, Or More To Taste
• 1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Sliced Thin
• 1 whole Yellow Bell Pepper, Sliced Thin
• 1 whole Orange Bell Pepper, Thinly Sliced
• 1 bag Bean Sprouts (also Called Mung Bean Sprouts)
• Chopped Cilantro, Up To 1 Bunch, To Taste
• 3 whole Scallions, Sliced
• 3 whole Cucumbers Peeled And Sliced
  
• DRESSING:
• 1 whole Lime, Juiced
• 8 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 8 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons (up To 3 Tablespoons) Sesame Oil
• ⅓ cups Brown Sugar
• 3 Tablespoons Fresh Ginger Chopped
• 2 cloves Garlic Chopped
• 2 whole Hot Peppers Or Jalapeno's, Chopped (i skipped this)
• Chopped Cilantro

Mix the dressing ingredients together, dump all the salad stuff in a bowl, pour the dressing over everything and eat. 

 

lunch is the new breakfast.

I was inspired lately, while in the beautiful city of San Francisco, to eat what I truly love.  All day long.  No more scrambled eggs in the morning (gag) because they are high in protein and they'll get you through to lunch, blah, blah, blah.  Instead I've been nibbling on a hunk of bread and some good cheese. 

I've been choking down breakfast foods with my coffee most mornings for years and I'm not sure why.

We had this salad at the Ferry Building at a place that bases their menu on what the local farms have to offer.  The food was de.lish.ous. And simple, which is so freaking satisfying it made me want to hug our waiter.  There are 3 ingredients in this salad plus a vinaigrette that takes 2 seconds to throw together.  I've been eating it for breakfast since I've been home.

Ferry Building Salad, SF

couple handfuls arugula
half of a nectarine, sliced
handful of roasted almonds, roughly chopped
light drizzle of vinaigrette (recipe follows)

vinaigrette:
couple glugs good olive oil
few splashes white wine vinegar
squeeze of a fresh lemon
sprinkle of salt

chinese chicken salad.

This, to me, is the perfect salad.  This might surprise a few of you, I know.  Cause this salad rocks a little old-school top ramen.  But this one is really all about the dressing.  I can't get enough of it.  We eat it so often I really can't believe I haven't posted about it yet.  This is a dinner from my childhood that I would beg my mom to whip up and most years wanted it for my b-day.  Now, all these years later, it is part of our quick and easy meal rotation and almost always the thing we turn to when we can't think of anything else to make.  My life feels better with this salad in it.  Nothing fancy, just real damn dependable.

 

Ingredients:
1 roasted rotisserie chicken (or 2 chicken breasts cooked however you'd like)
1 bag ready-to-go coleslaw mix, or plain shredded cabbage
3 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup chopped almonds
1 package chicken top ramen
2 Tbl. butter
See, a super easy ingredient list!  Although, as I was typing it I realized this is totally a recipe Sandra Lee would make on her Semi-Homemade Meals-Show on the Food network.  Kinda just ruined it for me a little.  Let's move on.

Here's what you do:
Heat butter over medium heat in a skillet.  Add almonds and ramen noodles (break them up into little pieces first.)  Cook, stirring frequently, until browned.  Cut up your chicken breasts into chunks.  Put everything in a big bowl and toss with dressing (recipe below.)

Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 Tbl. brown sugar
couple dashes soy sauce
1/8 cup toasted (or dark) sesame oil
blend these ingredients in a blender or whisk together in a bowl until well incorporated.