Sometimes Simple, Sometimes Grand, Always Declicious
I know I’ve already done a few posts with pizza, but today I wanted to focus solely on the crust. I was surfing around my fellow foodie sites the other day and dropped in on Patricia over at ButterYum who just so happened to have a great post up about the 10 Secrets for making pizzeria quality pizza crust at home…
Put it all together and you have One. Killer. Salad. I have to say, this was some tasty fine dinner. The inspiration for this meal actually came after a last minute decision to head to Le Peep for breakfast after church last Sunday. Going out to breakfast isn’t in our normal routine, but for some reason I was just feeling the need to partake of somebody’s cooking other than my own. And believe me, when the mommy’s got an urge for breakfast, it darn well needs to be honored in this house.
So after consuming more than a few breakfast delights and pretty much rolling ourselves out of the restaurant, my husband proclaimed that a light dinner needed to be in our future in order to counteract the pig out that so shamelessly occurred just a few minutes earlier. Hence, this delicious salad was born.
I know it’s going to sound silly, but my favorite part about this salad is the mandarin oranges. There’s just something about those little orange slices of heaven that get me every time. I could eat them straight out of the can. Ok, who am I kidding, I DO eat them straight out of the can. It’s so bad that I’ll hide them from my kids and eat them when they’re at school just so I don’t have to share. Yes, my name is Julie and I have a mandarin orange problem.
Ok, first up, the dressing. Here’s what you’ll need:
Ingredients Needed:
For the Dressing:
3 Cloves of Garlic, Minced
2 Tbsp of Fresh Ginger
1 Green Onion, Chopped
1/2 Lime, Juiced
3 Tbsp of Honey
1/2 Cup Sesame Oil
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1/4 Cup of Soy Sauce
/4 Cup of Rice Vinegar
This dressing is so easy peasy, it make me wonder why I don’t make homemade dressing more often. You basically just take everything from the list above, throw it in a blender/processor and hit start. Bango, homemade Asian dressing.
Now, take about a half of a cup of your dressing and throw it in a gallon sized ziploc bag along with your mahi mahi. Close ‘er up, throw it in the fridge and let it marinate for at least an hour if not longer. Be sure to refrigerate your remaining dressing as well. You’ll need that again later on to slather on your finished salad; yum!
Once dinner time is upon you, grab your marinated fish and throw it on the grill until cooked through and then set to the side to keep warm.
Now you can really put anything you’d like in your salad so it is by no means a requirement to have what we used in ours (although, I might disagree with that statement when it comes to the mandarin oranges). Here’s what we threw into our salad:
Ingredients Needed:
For the Salad:
1 Bag of Spinach
1 Bunch of Romaine
1 Handful of Carrots, Chopped
1/2 Pint of Cherry Tomatoes, Halved
1 Handful of Sliced Mushrooms
1 Can of Mandarin Oranges, Drained and Rinsed
1 Small Cucumber, Sliced (or in our case, 1/4 of a really LARGE cucumber)
2/3 Cup of Crumbled Blue Cheese
Throw all your salad fixings in a bowl and voila! Isn’t that beautiful?
To plate your dinner, grab the a plate of salad, toss in a little (or a lot depending on your tastes) dressing and throw a mahi mahi fillet on top. And that’s all there is to it! Grab your wine, grab your salad and enjoy every. last. bite. of your creation. I know we did!
What an amazing surprise to come home to this afternoon! A fellow foodie blogger and long distance soul sister, Alex at Ma What’s for Dinner, (we both have three boys and love to cook and eat; what more to life is there really) left me my very first award!
I’m thrilled and need to shout it from the rooftops! It’s funny how when someone does something nice like this (thank you so much Alex!), you suddenly feel like blogging is just that much more worth while. I mean, people are actually reading and appreciating what I write. How cool is that?
Ok, now that I am glowing from my recognition, it’s time to make some killer honey whole wheat rolls. These rolls were the final piece of my tarragon lemon chicken,alfredo with a side of dinner, and asparagus Sunday dinner and they were delicious!
Ingredients Needed:
11/2 Cups of Warm Water
1 Pkg of Active Yeast
1 Tbsp of White Sugar
1 Tbsp of Honey
2 Tbsp of Olive Oil
1 tsp of Salt
2 Cups of Bread Flour
2 Cups of Whole Wheat Flour
First off, you’ll want to put the warm water in a bowl and add your yeast, honey, and sugar. Stir it well to combine and then let it rest for a couple minutes. Make sure your water is warm but not hot or you’ll kill the yeast. Ideally, the temperature should be between 105 and 115 degrees, or just slightly warm to your touch.
After the yeast mixture has had a few minutes to rest, add in your salt and 1 cup of each of the white and whole wheat flour. Combine the flour well and then continue to add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, kneading as you go. Add flour until your dough is elastic and no longer sticky. You may or may not need the entire two cups. Knead your dough for a good 5-7 minutes and then set it aside to rise. Here’s what your dough should look like.
For rising I usually put a small swirl of olive oil in my bowl, throw my ball of dough in to cover the bottom and then turn the dough over so the other side gets a cover of oil as well. This way your dough won’t stick when you go to pull it out after it’s risen. Now cover your dough with a kitchen towel and let the yeast do it’s thing.
I’ve written this before, but a tip I read once that I use all the time for bread rising is to turn your oven on to 170 degrees for 1 minute and then turn it off. This should just put a touch of warmth into your oven for rising. Be sure that you can still fully put your hand on the side of the oven. If you can’t it’s too warm and you need to leave the door open for a minute before placing your dough in.
Once your dough has had a chance to rise; I usually let it sit for 50 minutes to an hour, bring it out and punch it back down, kneading the dough out for a couple minutes. Now, separate the dough into individual balls; about 3-4 tbsp worth of dough a piece, and place them in your greased muffin tin. For making good balls, I roll the dough around in a circular motion on a lightly floured counter with my hands to get a basic ball shape and then I pull all the edges of the dough to the bottom and cinch it, almost like I’m trying to pull the dough around a super ball. This gives you a nice smooth roll top.
When all your balls are made, cover your rolls with the kitchen towel once again and let them rise in your oven. This time for about 30-40 minutes. And here are my rolls after rising but before being cooked. Aren’t they looking pretty?
Time to cook ’em up! Place the rolls in an oven preheated to 375 degrees and bake them for about 20 minutes or until golden brown on top. And that’s that. Now your whole house should smell like fresh bread, your family should be running to the kitchen begging for a warm whole wheat honey roll and you can sit back and relish in the fact that you brought all of this happiness into your home!
Total Time: 2 hour 30 min
11/2 Cups Warm Water
1 Pkg Active Yeast
1 Tbsp White Sugar
1 Tbsp Honey
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Salt
2 Cups Bread Flour
2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
Pour the warm water into a bowl and add your yeast, honey, and sugar. Stir it well to combine and then let it rest for a couple minutes.
Add in the salt and 1 cup each of the white and whole wheat flour.
Combine the flour well and then continue to add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, kneading as you go. Add flour until your dough is elastic and no longer sticky. You may or may not need the entire two cups. Knead your dough for a good 5-7 minutes and then set it aside to rise.
Once your dough has had a chance to rise punch it back down, kneading the dough out for a couple minutes.
Separate the dough into individual balls; about 3-4 tbsp worth of dough a piece, and place them in your greased muffin tin.
Cover your rolls with the kitchen towel once again and let them rise in your oven. This time for about 30-40 minutes.
Place the rolls in an oven preheated to 375 degrees and bake them for about 20 minutes or until golden brown on top.
So I got a bit creative the other night and decided to try and concoct a Thai inspired fish dish. I’m not sure what did it, but I’m thinking it must have been the coconut milk that I bought at Trader Joe’s earlier in the day. If you haven’t already guessed, I’m a Trader Joe’s ADDICT. We don’t have a lot of fancy schmancy (and affordable!) food stores here in Charlotte. It’s something that I really, really, REALLY miss about living in Dallas. The food stores there were amazing. Central Market, Sprouts, Market Street, Whole Foods *Sigh*. But I digress. We’re here to make some dinner so let’s break out the fish! Here’s what you’ll need to bring my inspiration to your dinner table:
Ingredients Needed:
1 Pound of White Fish (I used dover sole)
3/4 Cup of Flour
1 Cup of Panko Bread Crumbs
2 Eggs
1 tsp Lemon Grass
1 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
2 Cloves of Garlic
2 tsp of Cilantro (1/8 cup Chopped Fresh)
Olive Oil for cooking the fish in
The first thing you need to do in order to create these little beauties, is to get out three separate dishes. In the first dish mix together the flour, salt, pepper, lemon grass, and turmeric. In the second dish, beat the two eggs and then stir in the garlic and cilantro. In the third dish add your panko bread crumbs. Here’s what you’ll have:
Now, grab a large skillet, turn your heat on medium high and add in a few swirls of olive oil to cover the bottom. Dredge your fish; first in flour, then in the egg, and finally in the breadcrumbs. Add the covered fish to the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes per side or until cooked through and golden brown depending on the thickness of the fish you use. Here’s what it should look like. Are you getting hungry yet? 🙂
If you use a thin fish like I did, you will need to do multiple batches. If that’s the case, you should change out your oil at least once or it will get burned after a couple batches from the random breadcrumbs and fish pieces that stay behind.
And here’s the finished product. I served it up with coconut curry rice, fresh broccoli and a lemon wedge. And yes, the lemon, broccoli and rice (with the above mentioned coconut milk) were all from my good friend Trader Joe as well.
Total Time: 30 min
1 Pound White Fish (I used Dover Sole)
3/4 Cup Flour
1 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs
2 Eggs
1 tsp Lemon Grass
1 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
2 Cloves Garlic
2 tsp Cilantro (1/8 Cup Chopped Fresh)
Olive Oil for Cooking
Grab three dishes. In the first dish mix together the flour, salt, pepper, lemon grass, and turmeric. In the second dish, beat the two eggs and then stir in the garlic and cilantro. In the third dish add your panko bread crumbs.
Grab a large skillet, turn your heat on medium high and add in a few swirls of olive oil to cover the bottom. Dredge your fish; first in flour, then in the egg, and finally in the breadcrumbs.
Add the covered fish to the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes per side or until cooked through and golden brown depending on the thickness of the fish you use.
In the spirit of March madness, I felt the impending need to concoct a big, fattening, ooey gooey, forget the diet, mound of nachos. Because, as we all know, despite our year in and year out efforts to get the perfect college tourney bracket, we will once again forgo the $10 ante in favor of a losing team that shouldn’t have lost in the first place (dang you Georgetown!) and be left with nothing to show for it but a lighter wallet and a bracket lined with crossed out loser teams. But I digress.
In thinking about what type of nachos I wanted to make, I dug deep into the depths of my freezer and discovered a pack of Trader Joe’s chicken andouille sausage. And from there the idea for French Quarter Nachos was born. These nachos were delightfully delicious and did a great job of dulling the pain of yet another inevitable losing year. Here’s what you’ll need for your nachos:
Ingredients Needed:
1 Pound Andouille Sausage, Chopped
1 Tbsp of Olive Oil
1/3 Cup of Salsa
1/2 of a Medium Onion, Chopped
1 Clove of Garlic
2 tsp of Cilantro
1 tsp of Cumin
1 tsp of Chili Powder
1 tsp of Corriander
1 Bag of Tortilla Chips
1 Can of Black Beans
1 Chopped Tomato
1 Chopped Green Onion
2 Cups of Chopped Green Spinach
2 Cups of Cheddar Cheese
A few notes before we begin. First off, I put lettuce in the shot above, but I’ll be honest, I didn’t end up using it for these nachos. I’m always trying to sneak a little bit of healthy in, so if I have the choice to use spinach over lettuce, I’ll do it. That being said, I know lots of people who prefer lettuce to spinach, so feel free to make your own choice on this one! Second, another mommie brain moment, but I put salt in the picture instead of olive oil. I know, I know, not at ALL the same thing. Finally, see if you can find Waldo in the picture above. He insisted on hiding in the background.
Alright, let’s get started. Heat up the oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Throw your chopped sausage in and let it cook for about 3-4 minutes. Add in the onion and continue to cook about 4 minutes more. Finally, add in the cumin, coriander, chili powder, garlic, cilantro, and salsa. Stir to combine and let cook for one minute more. While your mixture is cooking, preheat your oven to 375 degrees and throw your bag of chips in a large oven safe dish. Once your meat mixture is finished, dump it on top of the chips making sure it is evenly distributed. Next add your black beans, spinach (or lettuce if you prefer), and finally the cheese. Place your dish into the oven and cook it until it is heated through and the cheese is bubbling; about 8-10 minutes. Pull it out, sprinkle your chopped tomatoes and green onions on top and serve it up. You’re done! Here’s the finished product:
I like to serve mine with guacamole and sour cream and I’ll put my quickie guacamole recipe up tomorrow for those that are interested. Happy Eating and may your bracket bring you good fortune!
Total Time: 30 min
1 Pound Andouille Sausage, Chopped
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/3 Cup Salsa
1/2 Medium Onion, Chopped
1 Clove Garlic, Minced
2 Tbsp Fresh Cilantro, Chopped
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Coriander
1 Bag Tortilla Chips
1 Can Black Beans
1 Tomato/span>, Chopped
1 Green Onion, Chopped
2 Cups Green Spinach, Chopped
2 Cups Cheddar Cheese, Cheese
Heat up the oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Throw your chopped sausage in and let it cook for about 3-4 minutes.
Add in the onion and continue to cook about 4 minutes more.
Finally, add in the cumin, coriander, chili powder, garlic, cilantro, and salsa. Stir to combine and let cook for one minute more.
While your mixture is cooking, preheat your oven to 375 degrees and throw your bag of chips in a large oven safe dish.
Once your meat mixture is finished, dump it on top of the chips making sure it is evenly distributed.
Next add your black beans, spinach (or lettuce if you prefer), and finally the cheese.
Place your dish into the oven and cook it until it is heated through and the cheese is bubbling; about 8-10 minutes.
Pull it out, sprinkle your chopped tomatoes and green onions on top and serve it up.