Holday Kale Salad

I'm a little sorry I didn't think to share this earlier.  You see, I think I have come up with a new Thanksgiving tradition that includes this salad.  I had planned to include it in my family's Thanksgiving dinner menu, but as I started simplifying the list of dishes I was going to prepare (there's only so much that can fit on a plate and salad takes up valuable stuffing real estate), I decided to prepare this salad (along with Butternut Squash Soup) to have available for people to help themselves to for an early lunch.  The combination was healthy, yet substantial enough to tide over until the main event. 

This salad is actually a version of one of my favorites, Crunchy Kale Salad, but for a more festive and upscale touch, gorgeous, red (and seasonal) pomegranate is substituted for the dried cranberries and golden raisins.  Set against the deep green of the kale, the pomegranate seeds (or "arils," as they officially known) look like little crimson jewels and the combination really does look like "Christmas in a bowl" (and because of the cheese-factor, it pains me to use that "season in a bowl" comment, but I must).   Which, leads me to believe that it's definitely not too late to share this recipe.  I know I'll be making it plenty of more times this holiday season. 

Holiday Kale Salad
1 bunch kale, washed, stems removed and torn into bite sized pieces *see note
kosher salt, about 1/2-1 teaspoon
1 cup pomegranate seeds **see note
1/2 cup walnut pieces or pine nuts, toasted
juice of 1 lemon, about 2 tablespoons
2 tablespoons olive oil
freshly ground black pepper

In the bottom of a large serving bowl, whisk together lemon juice and olive oil.  Throw kale pieces in bowl on top of dressing.  Sprinkle kale with salt and use hands to massage kale a bit to get it to start softening up.  Toss kale so that it's coated in the dressing.  Sprinkle pomegranate seeds and walnut pieces over top, season with freshly ground black pepper and additional salt, to taste.

*Note: ***Pictured above, the salad is made with baby kale leaves (what a treat to find a bag at Costco!) which were a great convenience (pre-washed! no woody stems!).  I have also seen bagged, chopped kale in the bagged salad section which could certainly substituted.  Usually, I go for the economical bunch of kale and just do the dirty work.  

**An easy way to remove the seeds from the pomegranate is to score the outside of the fruit and then break it open submerged in a big bowl of water (also helps keep your kitchen from looking like a crime scene, since that red juice can get EVERYWHERE!).  Continue to break apart the pomegranate and loosening the seeds under water.  The red juicy seeds will sink to the bottom and the white membrane will float to the top at which point, you can pour off and leave the seeds at the bottom. 

*** Finally, a couple more advantages to this kale salad is that it can both be prepared up to a couple hours ahead of time (unlike most salads which wilt into in-edibility upon contact with dressing) and the leftovers are still good to eat the next day.  

Sausage Potato Brunch Casserole

Here's another recipe that I would imagine serving if I ran a bed and breakfast.  We have frequent overnight guests, so sometimes it does feel like a bed and breakfast around here!  This is a great one to serve to guests because you can whip it up the night before.  That means in the morning you get to spend more time in conversation around cups of coffee and not whipping yourself into a short-order-cook-syle-breakfast-making-frenzy.  It covers all the bases in one dish: eggs, meat, cheese, vegetables, potatoes...it'll really leaving you feeling satisfied.  Feel free to substitute diced ham for a more "Denver-omelet" style breakfast casserole. 

Sausage Potato Brunch Casserole
4 cups (about 16 oz) frozen diced potatoes ("Country Style Hash browns"), thawed
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pound bulk ground breakfast sausage (or links, casings removed)
1 small onion, finely diced
1/2 green pepper, finely diced
1/4 red bell pepper, finely diced
1/2 cup white button mushrooms, thinly sliced
10 eggs
3/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce (i.e. Tobasco), optional
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salsa or ketchup for serving, optional

Grease a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.  Spread potatoes in an even layer across dish.  Sprinkle surface evenly with garlic powder and season with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, brown sausage until cooked through.  Crumble and sprinkle evenly over potato layer.  In the same skillet, saute onion until softened, about 5 minutes.  Remove from skillet and set aside.

Return skillet to heat and saute peppers and mushrooms until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add pepper-mushroom mixture to onions, stir together and spread evenly over sausage and potatoes.  Layer 1/2 cup shredded cheese over top.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs until well combined.  Stir in milk, hot pepper sauce and additional salt and pepper.  Pour egg mixture over top of casserole.  Top with remaining shredded cheese.  At this point, casserole can be covered and refrigerated overnight.

When time to bake, remove from fridge for about 15 minutes.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour or until eggs are set, cheese is melted and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Remove from oven and allow to sit for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Adapted from: Easy Breakfast Casserole Recipe with Sausage and Potatoes

Pinepple Upside Down French Toast Bake

This is a breakfast dish that is probably not going to win too many health awards.  I think it ranks pretty highly in the delicious category, though.  French toast is really elevated to the next level when baked with a layer of caramelized pineapple.  Sometimes I dream of running a bed and breakfast someday, and if I did, this dish would likely make a frequent appearance.  Here, it is pictured (don't mind that the last piece available to photograph after we'd had brunch with our church happened to get a wee bit dark--ahem, that's just "extra caramelization" : ) alongside Honey-Lime Drizzled Canteloupe and Blueberries (scroll down for my extremely precise recipe! : ). 

Pineapple Upside Down French Toast Bake
1 stick (8 tablespoons or 1/2 cup) butter
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 20 ounce can crushed pineapple in juice, drained and juice reserved
6 large eggs
1 cup half and half or milk
1/4 cup reserved pineapple juice
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8-10 1" slices of bread (French, Sourdough, Italian), day-old is great

Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

In a small sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat.  Stir in brown sugar and stir until dissolved.  Add pineapple and mix well.  Remove from heat.  Spread in an even layer over bottom of baking dish.  Arrange slices of bread in a single layer over top of pineapple mixture.

In a bowl, mix together eggs, half and half, reserved pineapple juice, salt, vanilla and cinnamon.  Pour over bread.

Bake French Toast in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes, or until bread is golden, eggs are set and knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Allow to sit 10-15 minutes before serving.  Cut into squares, and lift out of pan with a pancake turner (you can flip it over so the pineapple part is actually upside down, if you like). 

French Toast can be made a day ahead of time, covered with foil and refrigerated overnight.
Remove from fridge 15 minutes before baking.

Source: Pineapple-Upside Down French Toast presented by The Bouldin House Bed and Breakfast

Honey-Lime drizzled Cantaloupe and Blueberries
Slices of cantaloupe, rind removed
blueberries
1 lime, zested and juiced
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh basil or mint leaves

Arrange melon and berries on a platter.  Sprinkle lime zest over fruit.  Whisk together lime juice and honey.  Drizzle over fruit.  Garnish with thinly sliced mint or basil leaves.  Serve immediately.

Lemon Curd and Lemon-Yogurt Brunch Parfait

Lemon-Yogurt Brunch Parfait

 I feel like I've been on a bit of a lemon kick lately and as long as I am, I might as well share with you this yummy recipe for lemon curd.  Lemon curd is a thick spread made from lemon, sugar, eggs and butter (think of the filling in a lemon meringue pie) and is really a delicious addition to a wide number of foods.  Traditionally, it is served with scones (kind of like biscuits) for brunch or teatime, but it can be used to top slices of pound cake or pieces of shortbread, used as a filling in between layers of  cake, spread on toast or even stirred into plain yogurt (one of my favorite uses!).  To buy a jar at the store can be crazy expensive (and I've found I don't really like the taste of the jarred stuff that much anyway), but you can make your own in about 15 minutes and with mostly ingredients you probably already have on hand. This recipe makes about 2 cups, so there's plenty to share--turn it into a sweet gift by putting some in a jar tied with a pretty ribbon!

Lemon Curd
2/3 cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature
4 egg yolks
1 whole egg
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 4 small lemons)
1 tablespoon lemon zest

In a medium mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Add egg yolks and egg and beat together over medium speed until mixture is smooth.  Add lemon juice and mix thoroughly (the mixture may look a bit curdled but it will smooth out during cooking).  Transfer mixture to a heavy sauce pan.  Stir mixture constantly over medium-low heat until it is thick and coats the back of a spoon (about 8-10 minutes).  Do not let it boil.  Stir in lemon zest and transfer to a bowl to cool.  Cover surface of lemon curd with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator.  Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or you can freeze it as well.  Makes about 2 cups. You can also substitute lime juice and zest for a lovely lime flavored spread!
Recipe adapted from Fine Cooking

 
Lemon-Yogurt Brunch Parfait 
Even though this is more of a concept than an actual recipe, I felt like this use for lemon curd has to be included.  Layers of lemon curd, plain yogurt, berries and lady fingers, combine for a refreshing treat. It would make a lovely finale to an Easter brunch, a light dessert or just relatively guilt-free snack.  These are really just suggestions, please feel free to improvise.

Ingredients:
plain yogurt 
lemon curd
some kind of cookie: lady fingers, graham crackers, vanilla wafers, lemon wafers, shortbread, etc.
berries, fresh or frozen, any kind (I used blackberries, but raspberries, strawberries or blueberries would all be beautiful and tasty)

Layer all ingredients in either individual wine glasses or all together in a trifle bowl (or some other clear glass serving dish, preferably clear so you can see all the layers), repeating layers until you run out.  Serve immediately or can be made ahead (for softer cookie layers).  Store pre-made parfaits in the refrigerator. 

Happy Mardi Gras: King's Cake

 In honor of Mardis Gras today, we put together a King's Cake: a cinnamon roll-like cake with sugary icing and traditional Mardis Gras colors: gold (for power), green (for faith) and purple (for justice). King Cake is a New Orleans tradition served after January 6th until Mardi Gras Day. The cake has a small trinket (often a small toy baby or half of a pecan, sometimes said to represent the Christ child) inside.  The person who gets the piece of cake with the trinket gets to be "King for a Day" (and historically, gets to be in charge of providing the next cake, but that doesn't seem as fun).  

Celebrating Mardis Gras has not been much of a tradition in my house, but we thought this looked like a fun kid project (what kid doesn't love frosting and sprinkles?) and an opportunity to talk about the season of Lent, Christ's sacrifice for us and the joy of Easter to come! We skipped talking about how you get beads and so forth... : )

You may notice that the dough of the King's Cake is startlingly similar to the recipe for Challa.  You can use a half batch of Challa dough instead (and you can use either dough recipe to make homemade cinnamon rolls!).  There's also some shortcut hints at the end (like using packages of crescent rolls). 

Mardis Gras King's Cake
dough:
1 1/4 cups warm water
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/4 cup honey
4 eggs
2 teaspoons salt
Roughly 6  cups white unbleached flour (can substitute up to a couple cups of whole wheat flour)
small plastic toy (baby shaped) or pecan half

Filling:
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)
6-8 tablespoons butter, softened

Frosting:
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-4 tablespoons milk
green, yellow and purple colored sugar or white sugar and food colors (just stir together white sugar and food color in a small bowl until desired color) for decorating

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine water, yeast and honey.  Allow to sit for a few minutes (3-5) or until yeast starts to bubble and looks creamy.  Beat in eggs, and melted butter.  Once thoroughly combined, stir in salt and flour, one cup at a time, until dough is thick enough to turn out onto a floured surface.  Knead, continuing to add flour as needed, until dough is smooth and elastic and no longer sticky (about five minutes).   Return to bowl, cover with a clean, damp cloth and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 1 1/2 hours).

Meanwhile, stir together all filling ingredients except for butter.  Set aside until ready to assemble.

After dough has risen, punch down and turn out onto floured surface again.  Divide dough into two equal sized chunks and roll out on a floured surface into a big rectangle (about 9x13).  Spread half of softened butter onto each rectangle.  Then, sprinkle half of filling mixture onto each rectangle of dough (kids like to help with this part a lot).  Roll lengthwise (you want long and skinny, not short and fat), jelly-roll style until you have a long tube of dough (also at this point, you can use this to make cinnamon rolls, just use a piece of string or dental floss to cut into rounds and place in a greased baking dish).  Shape into a circle or oval, pressing ends together.  Transfer to a lightly greased cookie sheet or pizza pan, cover and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45-minutes to an hour). 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until browned on the outside. If hiding a trinket or nut in the cake, cut a small slit in the side of the baked cake (on the inside of the ring) and push the prize into the cake so that it is hidden from view.

In a small bowl, mix together powdered sugar and vanilla. Add milk gradually, stirring until smooth and pourable.  Drizzle frosting over warm cake.  Immediately sprinkle with colored sugars, alternating each color. 
 
Note: If you're looking for a real shortcut, thaw out frozen, packaged bread dough and use as above or press together crescent rolls (you'll need 12) in a circle (long, skinny points toward the middle so it ends up looking like a bunch of slices of pizza), fill and fold the points back up and over the filling, tucking the points underneath the ring.  A great step by step tutorial: http://homecooking.about.com/od/cakerecipes/ss/kingcakesbs.htm 

Ham and Spinach Strata

I love brunch foods.  I love breakfast foods.  I could eat morning foods anytime of day.  This is a dish that is especially versatile.  A strata is a savory egg casserole using day old (read: stale) bread and this time, it's filled with Mediterranean style flavors--spinach, red bell peppers, feta cheese and diced ham to make it even more substantial.  The lovely thing about a strata is that it's begging for you to use any fillings you have on hand (read: a great way to use up leftovers--see my note below for some suggestions).  Simple, economical and able to be assembled ahead and popped into the oven whenever you're ready, this is an excellent dish to keep in mind for upcoming brunch-centered celebrations (read: Easter, Mother's Day, Baby Showers) and also lazy Saturday mornings. 

Ham and Spinach Strata
6 cups cubed (or torn into bite sized pieces) bread: day old French bread is lovely, croissants are elegant, you can even use leftover hot dog buns if that's what needs to be used up--sometimes they do!
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 medium onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 red bell pepper, diced (about 1/2 cup)
1 12 oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups (1 8 oz package) shredded cheese (Italian blend is nice, feel free to experiment)
1/4 cup feta cheese (optional)
2 cups diced ham
8 eggs
1 cup milk or half and half
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

Directions: Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.  Spread half of the bread cubes in the bottom of the dish.  Set aside.  In a large saute pan, melt butter over medium high heat.  Add onion, and saute, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened (2-3 minutes).  Add bell pepper and saute for 2-3 minutes longer or until bell pepper is crisp-tender.  Stir in chopped spinach and season with garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Spoon spinach mixture evenly over bottom layer of bread pieces.  Sprinkle cheeses over spinach layer and cover with remaining bread cubes.  In a large bowl, beat together eggs and milk. Stir in dry mustard and season egg mixture with additional salt and pepper.  Pour over casserole.  At this point, you can cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. 
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350.  Bake uncovered until puffed and golden, about 45-55 minutes. 

note: Experiment with different combinations depending on what you have on hand: Chopped broccoli and cheddar cheese, breakfast sausage and mushrooms, asparagus and Swiss cheese, green chiles, corn and pepper jack...the possibilities are endless.

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

Hope you have a great day and have fun doing something a little extra special to show love to others!

  To celebrate the day so far, we had heart shaped pancakes for breakfast:

I used the recipe for Perfect Pancakes but to make them more "heart healthy," I stirred a handful of Quick oats into the batter! The heart shape was just trial and error (there were quite a few free-form blobs that didn't make the cut for the picture...)

Also, we had some raspberry hot chocolate:

Just mix together warm milk and Hershey's syrup (for the raspberry, I added some raspberry flavoring I had on hand but you could also swirl in some seedless raspberry jam instead) and top with whipped cream and some festive red and pink sprinkles.

Maybe I'll also cut sandwiches with a heart shaped cookie cutter for lunch for my little Valentines and I think making some heart shaped sugar cookies are in the future for today too (for people like me who are behind the eight ball, freeze half of your sugar cookie dough and break it out in a few weeks for some St. Patrick's Day clovers or some sweet spring themed cookies)!  

How are you planning on observing the day? 

Also, a very Happy Birthday to my little sister, Joan!  What a fun day to have a birthday!  Hope your day is great!

Love,
Lauren

Roasted Shrimp Cocktail

Now, this is more of a New Year's dish!  Low in fat, low in calories, high in protein and still quick, easy and elegant!  This is adapted from Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa)'s recipe.  This has become our "go to" for something light after a day of overeating (i.e. the day after Thanksgiving and New Year's Day night after we had totally overdone it on football snack food--watching all the Bowl games on New Year's Day is a very big deal with my husband's family).  It took me awhile to develop an appreciation for shrimp cocktail, but now I absolutely love it!  Although those assembled trays you can buy from the grocery store are pretty good, I think if I'm going to spend the money on shrimp, I want it to be great and a few extra minutes roasting them yourself achieves that!

They are great right out of the oven but also excellent leftover and cold right from the fridge.  How versatile! 

Roasted Shrimp Cocktail 
2 pounds peeled, de-veined raw shrimp, tails still on (we use 31-40 count size, defrosted from frozen are fine )*
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
your favorite prepared cocktail sauce
fresh lemon wedges

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Spread out shrimp in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat.  Sprinkle evenly with salt.  Roast at 400 degrees for 6-8 minutes, or just until pink and firm and cooked through (The beautiful thing about shrimp is that they're pretty easy to tell when they're done.  They change color!).  Allow to cool and serve with cocktail sauce and fresh lemon juice, as desired.

*Note: In the United States at least, shrimp are sold by "count."  This meaning the number of shrimp that make up a pound.  The higher the count, the smaller the size of shrimp (and less expensive).  31-40 count shrimp are considered "large size."  You can feel free to substitute a different size of shrimp according to your preference and access, just adjust the cooking time accordingly.

Shortcut Dessert: Jam Thumbprint Cookies

It's that time of year again.  Time for the annual cookie exchanges.  Now, as much as I'd love to say that I slave over baking treats, it's not exactly true.  I don't remember if I've said this before on here, but I am definitely not a baker first.  Baking requires precision and measuring, two things I'm not especially fond of because I lack patience (and am always looking for ways to cut down on dirty dishes).  Thank heaven for boxed mixes.  This cookie recipe (and another I'm sure I'll share soon!) starts with a boxed mix and can be put together in single bowl but feels special enough for the holidays.  As long as you keep them on the under baked side, they're soft and squishy (my ideal cookie is always soft and squishy), almond-flavored sugar cookies with a little jam jewel in each center.  Bake up and exchange away (or keep them all to yourself)!

Short Cut Jam Thumbprint Cookies
1 box sugar cookie mix (suggested brand, Krusteaz)
1 egg
1 stick of butter, softened
1 teaspoon almond extract (or can substitute vanilla extract)
1/2 cup favorite flavor of jam or preserves (the classics would be raspberry or apricot)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a bowl, combine egg, butter and extract.  Stir in cookie mix to form a soft dough.  Drop by small spoonfuls (about 2 teaspoons) onto a cookie sheet placing dough about 2 inches apart.  Using a (clean) thumb, press down on the middle of the dough ball to form a little indentation.  Put a small spoonful (1-2 teaspoons) of jam in the middle of each indentation.  Bake at 375 just until cookies are set, 8-10 minutes.