thanksgiving salad

I saw this salad on my friend Kathryn's recipe blog (here) and will be making it for Thanksgiving. Looks delish right? She says to double the recipe...

Salad:
2 bunches red leaf lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
2 avocados cut into ½ inch chunks
1 large pomegranate (seeds only)
2 pears, peeled and cut into ½ inch chunks
1 large red onion, sliced into thin rings
1 block of Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1 bag almond slivers, toasted on low with butter and 1 heaping tsp. of sugar
2 cans mandarin oranges, drained
Dressing:
½ t grated orange peel
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
2 T red wine vinegar
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 T sugar
1 T Good Seasons dry Italian dressing mix

Mix the dressing ingredients and chill before mixing with the salad. Toss immediately before serving.

rolls

We had dinner with Devin's boss and family on Sunday. His wife made these rolls and they were so good, she emailed me the recipe! Perfect for Thanksgiving.

2 tb. yeast
1 tsp. sugar
1 cup water
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
3 eggs
6 cups flour

To 3/4 c. lukewarm water in a small bowl, add 2 tbsp. yeast. Sprinkle 1 tsp. sugar on top to help activate.

In large bowl combine 1 c. room temperature water, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 c. sugar, 1/2 c. oil, 3 eggs. Add yeast and stir. Add 6 c. flour. Mix well. Set aside until doubled in size (3 to 4 hours depending on the weather).

Sprinkle pastry sheet with flour. Knead until smooth (just for a minute or so). Divide dough in half. Roll first half out like a pizza, then cut into sixteen pizza shaped slices. Start at wide end of piece and roll to thin end, in a crescent shape. Place in greased jelly roll pan. Repeat with other half of dough. You will end up with two rows of 11 rolls and one row of 10. (I put the 10 largest ones in the center row.)Let rise until double in size (an hour or two). Bake at 375 for 14 minutes. Brush with melted butter.

Makes 32 rolls.

Maple Vanilla Carrots

1 lb baby carrots
2 cups of water
1 vanilla bean pod
1 T butter
2 T maple syrup
salt and pepper to taste

Add carrots and water to pan. Slice open vanilla pod, scrape out vanilla beans with sharp knife and put into pan. Put pods into pan and simmer until carrots are soft, about 10 minutes. Add butter, syrup, salt and pepper. Serve warm.

tortilla soup.

I checked and couldn't believe that Megg hadn't posted her tortilla soup recipe. This was is so good and perfect to just throw in the crock pot. I have yet to try Tonya's recipe for another tortilla soup, but I will. Soup season has just begun.

3 chicken breasts
2 qt. chicken broth
1 15 oz. corn
1 15 oz. can stewed tomatoes
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. cilantro
1/2 tsp. garlic, chopped
chopped onions (optional!)
1/2 pkg. taco seasoning mix
salt and pepper to taste

Combine chicken, broth, tomato sauce, and all seasonings to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is done. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and return to broth. Add corn and stewed tomatoes. Simmer on low for 1/2 hour.

or
Toss into crock pot and come home to a fabulous soup.
Serve with crumbled tortilla chips, grated cheese and diced avocado on top.

Enjoy!

Oven French Toast with Orange Apple Syrup

Remember when I posted my favorite baked french toast recipe? This one is almost as good.

French Toast:
2 eggs
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
8 French bread slices, cut 1 inch thick
1/4 cup melted butter

Orange Apple Syrup:
3/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 medium apple, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1 orange, peeled and cut into sections

In a medium bowl, whisk together all French toast ingredients except bread and butter. Dip both sides of French bread in mixture and place in buttered 13x9 inch pan. Pour remaining mixture over bread. Refridgerate overnight. Before baking, drizzle melted butter over bread. Bake at 400 until golden brown, about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, in large skillet combine 3/4 cup orange juice and brown sugar; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until mixture is bubbly. Add apple, cinnamon and ginger. Continue cooking until apple slices are tender; add orange segments. Serve over French toast. Serves 4.

tortilla pie

4 flour tortillas (10-inch)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 lb ground beef (you could leave this out and it is just as delicious)
1 1/2 cups water
1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn
4 scallions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (8 ounces)


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using a paring knife, trim tortillas to fit a 9-inch springform pan, using the bottom of the pan as a guide. Set aside.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and cumin; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 5 to 7 minutes.

Add beans and water to skillet, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until liquid has almost evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in corn and scallions, and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper.

Fit a trimmed tortilla in bottom of springform pan; layer with 1/4 of the beans and 1/2 cup cheese. Repeat three times, using 1 cup cheese on top layer. Bake until hot and cheese is melted, 20 to 25 minutes. Unmold pie; sprinkle with scallions. To serve, slice into wedges.

-from Everyday Food

ABCLT Wraps

2 T. mayo
1 t. cider vinegar
1/5 t. sugar
pinch of salt and pepper
2 whole grain tortillas
1 1/2 cups salad greens
8 slices of cooked bacon
2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/4 cup thinly sliced cucumber
1 ripe avocado, sliced

In a bowl, mix mayo, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Spread over tortillas. Fill with remaining ingredients and roll tightly. Cut in half. Makes 4 servings.

--from Parents Magazine

Caesar Salad Dressing

Remember how I said I make my own taco seasoning? Well, the same rings true for salad dressing. Most bottled salad dressing have so much junk in them, homemade just tastes so much better, and it's usually a breeze to make.

This is my favorite Casear dressing. Toss with some crisp romaine, some tasty croutons from Trader Joe's and maybe some grilled chicken and you have a simple salad.

1 cup mayo
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon of milk or half and half

Shake or whisk all ingredients until well blended.