WINTER CITRUS SALAD

WINTER CITRUS SALAD - 

Don't get me wrong - I love cozy warming food too. However, after my second helping of Thanksgiving stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and pie - maybe something bright, fresh and lighter would be tasty?  Just a thought. 

If you agree - this is an easy and beautiful addition to your winter/holiday/I'm just worth it table.

WINTER CITRUS SALAD RECIPE  w/ Lime & Honey Drizzle- 
(easy to increase or decrease amounts, this makes enough for 6-8 as a side dish)

3 oranges (navel or Cara Cara)

2 Blood oranges

2 Tangerines or Clementines

1 grapefruit

1 Star Fruit

1/3 cup Pomegranate seeds

1/4 cup thin sliced red onion

1 bunch Baby Arugula or your favorite greens.

Olive oil

1) Cut the tops and bottoms off all citrus.  Then cut or peel the rind from all citrus. Cut the citrus into thin rounds and save.

2) Cut the top and bottom from the star fruit, then cut in thin stars. 

3) On a large platter, drizzle olive oil for the base.  Spread the greens out over the platter and top with citrus rounds, followed by Star fruit.  

4) Sprinkle Pomegranate seeds over the top.

5) Save the Red onion until you are ready to serve, then sprinkle over the top, and Drizzle the Honey Lime Dressing too.

LIME & HONEY DRIZZLE

3 TBLS Honey

2 TBLS Champagne Vinegar (or Apple Cider Vinegar)

1 TBLS Fresh Lime juice

1/4 cup Olive Oil

pinch of dried herbs (french blend or tarragon or minced cilantro)

salt/pepper

1) In a bowl, whisk the honey, vinegar and lime juice together well.

2) Drizzle in the olive oil, whisking until the emulsion is thicker. Lastly whisk in the seasonings. 

BACON BASIL PESTO on PENNE with PEAS and HERBS

On one hand I apologize to Italian Culinaria (mi dispiace), but on the other hand I give a high five to my southern roots (Yeahhhh.)  I mean, it's bacon.  
Bacon Basil Pesto.

The Penne Pasta with Peas and Herbs is a great stand-alone and particularly good right out of the fridge.  It's also great tossed and heated in a little Arrabiata sauce.  However, it shines and gets eaten faster than I can dish it out when it's tossed in Bacon Basil Pesto.  So, you do you. Yawl.



Penne and Peas in Herbs Pasta

1 pkg dried Penne Pasta
1 pkg frozen spring green peas
2 tsps each of chopped: thyme, tarragon, mint and parsley
Olive oil
salt/pepper

1) Prepare Penne in lots of boiling water according to your package, but a few minutes before the penne is done add the frozen peas into the same water. 

2) Drain the pasta and peas and add to a large bowl with the chopped herbs.  Sprinkle in salt and pepper to taste.  Drizzle with Olive oil and toss together well.

Bacon Basil Pesto Sauce

4 slices of bacon
2 garlic cloves
1 cup Basil leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 tsp. lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup grated parmigiano cheese
salt/pepper

1)  Cut the bacon into large pieces and add to a heated skillet (low/med) to render the fat and cook til the bacon is crisp.
2) Add the garlic cloves to the same skillet for the last couple minutes of cooking. The cloves will infuse the bacon fat and also get a bit caramelized.
3) Remove the skillet from the heat and take out the bacon pieces to save for later.  Carefully pour the fat and garlic cloves into a dish to cool for just a couple minutes.
4) To a blender, add the basil leaves, pine nuts, lime juice and pour in the reserved bacon fat and garlic bulbs. Blend slowly, then faster until the ingredients are a paste. 
5) Drizzle in the olive oil a little at a time while blending. Use enough olive oil to make a sauce consistency.  
6) Finally, add the cheese and pulse to combine. Scoop into a dish, season with salt and pepper to taste.


Add a large serving spoon size of pesto to the prepared pasta, toss and taste. Sprinkle the dish with crumbled bacon from the pieces you saved.


*Add more pesto as you like.

*You can also heat together in a skillet, just add a tiny bit of water or pasta water if it's too thick.
  
*Top with more grated cheese for serving.

Buon Appetito and Come and get it!

As always, thanks for being here.
Cathy~ 

Quick Easy Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie - National Chocolate Chip Day

I guess National Chocolate Chip Day is a thing?  Whatever, right?  I'll take any excuse.  This Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie is a perfect "looks fancy, but not fancy" dessert, bar cookie, or just dig in with a spoon (which is maybe what I did?)

Quick Easy Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie -

1 stick butter (soft)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 egg yolks
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F.  Cover the bottom of a 9 inch skillet with buttered parchment paper.

1)  Beat butter and both sugars together in a bowl until smooth.  Add vanilla and egg yolks, continue beating until smooth.
2)  In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, salt and chocolate chips.
3)  Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Spread the thick batter into the buttered and parchment covered skillet.  Cook on 350F for 15-20 minutes.  Let cool in pan for 10 minutes.  

Cut into slices, squares or spoon it out and eat.  Topping with ice cream is optional, but yeah... 
ice cream.

ENJOY - and Happy....National Chocolate Chip Day.  YAY!
ShowFood Chef~

Savory & Sweet Flatbread with 2018 Red Car Rosé

I think a lot of us think of Rosé for special occasions like a wedding, a luncheon, a bridal shower or a toast.  It's in the fridge like the champagne, ready and waiting.  Or is that just me?  Either way, I'm getting smarter.  I had a golden (or rosé) opportunity to taste an early release of Red Car Wine's 2018 Rosé of Pinot Noir.  It has convinced me to start the mantra, ROSÉ for EVERY DAY!  

You are invited to join my tiny movement and of course, there will be food:

Seriously, this is so good, so fast, so easy and I use it for appetizers, kid's meals, cocktail nibbles, and "I'm just hungry for something" moments...It's a flat bread that comes together in minutes, cooks in 7 minutes and has unlimited toppings> THIS one was made to pair with a bottle of the new Rosé of Pinot Noir 2018 from RED CAR WINE It was such a winner, I've already made it 3 more times...this week!

Recipe: Preheat oven to 475-500F

1 cup Flour
1/4 cup water
2 Tbls. Olive Oil
pinch of salt.

Mix with a fork in a bowl, then pull together into a ball and knead just until it holds. Wrap in plastic and rest on counter for 15 minutes while you gather the toppings.

Toppings:
4 oz Goat Cheese
1/4 small sweet white onion (sliced very thin)
1/2 cup chopped dates
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
Honey to drizzle

1) Unwrap the dough, dust a parchment paper with flour and roll out the dough very thin. Cracker thin (about 10” round.)
2) Place dollops of goat cheese all over the flat bread, then onion slices, then dates and finally sprinkle fresh thyme all over.
3) Slide the parchment (with the flatbread on top) onto a sheet pan. Bake for 7-8 minutes. It should be crisp and toasty brown.
4) While warm, drizzle the flatbread with honey, slice like a pizza and serve while warm.

For other toppings:
Spread 2 Tbls of cream cheese or mascarpone or vegan cream cheese over the rolled out dough.
Top with any of these: thin sliced mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, caramelized onions, bacon, prosciutto, fig slices, peach slices, shredded brussels sprouts, arugula, spinach and other cheeses. Keep it light so the cracker thin crust doesn’t get overloaded. The choices are really only limited by your imagination.

*I was lucky enough to receive an early release of the Red Car Rosé, but not compensated in any other way for my recommendation. The thing I liked the most about their Rosé was the balance. It’s not so sweet, and not lacking structure. The spicy that I love in a Pinot is there, just lighter and fresher, making a great “every day” sip.