Strawberry and Feta Salad with Sweet and Spicy Pecans and Balsamic Vinaigrette

I started making this salad in early spring and it has become one of our absolute favorites! And let me please note that my husband, a self-proclaimed "meat-a-tarian," does not and I repeat, does not consider salad as a meal, but he LOVES this salad and so will you! It is great as a main dish, but you can easily ditch the chicken and make it as a side salad or serve it at a party with the dressing on the side so it doesn't get soggy.

We're a bit on the tail end of strawberry season, so I probably should have posted this when I originally made it, but oh well! You can still easily find strawberries for a good price so don't worry about that! Considering I have made this salad probably every week since I first made it up, I really don't know why I am just now posting it. I clearly dropped the ball! :)

Dressing:

1/2 c balsamic vinegar

3 T Dijon mustard

3 cloves garlic, minced

Salt

Pepper

About one cup of extra virgin olive oil

Whisk the balsamic, mustard, garlic and salt and pepper in a small bowl. While continuously whisking with one hand, very very slowly drizzle the olive oil into the bowl. It is important to continue whisking and drizzle as slowly as possible so that the dressing will emulsify and not separate on you. If it easier for you, you can easily do this in the blender, drizzling the olive oil through the top opening. Chill the vinaigrette until you are ready to assemble the salad.

Pecans:

1 c water

1/4 c sugar or Splenda*

1 cup pecan halves

3 T sugar or Splenda

1 T chili powder

1/2 t cayenne pepper

1 t cajun seasoning

Preheat the oven to 350. Microwave the water in a microwave safe bowl until the water boils. Remove from microwave and dissolve the fourth cup of sugar in the water. Soak the pecans in the sugar water for about 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the remaining sugar, chili powder, cayenne and cajun seasoning in a plastic baggie. Drain the pecans and toss in the sugar mixture to coat. Spread onto a foil lined baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes. Immediately spread the pecans onto wax paper to cool. Do NOT let them sit or the sugar will harden and all the pecans will stick together!

Salad:

3-4 chicken breasts

Salt

Pepper

Garlic Powder

3 hearts of Romaine, rinsed and torn into bite sized pieces

4 oz. feta crumbles

1 carton of strawberries, rinsed and sliced

Heat grill to medium high heat. Season chicken on both sides with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Grill chicken breasts until cooked through, about 7-10 minutes on each side depending on size. Remove from grill, cool and cut into strips or bit sized pieces.

In a large bowl, toss lettuce with desired amount of dressing. Add strawberries, feta and pecans, tossing gently. Serve with chicken on top.

Serves 4, as a main course.

I hope you enjoy this fresh and delicious salad as much as we do!

*I have tried the pecans with Splenda but they do not turn out as sweet or crunchy.

Roasted Cauliflower

Cauliflower is probably not most people's "go-to" veggie or side dish, but after you try this recipe, I can guarantee you that you will think of cauliflower differently. After I came up with this recipe, it quickly became Steven's favorite dinner side dish and he wants me to make it at least once a week! The great thing about this dish is that it is super fast to prepare, requires very few (and very common) ingredients and it is very flavorful!

I hope you love it!

Ingredients:
1 head of cauliflower, trimmed of leaves and stem and cut into florets
1 tablespoons of olive oil for drizzling
1 lemon
Salt
Pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup of grated or shredded parmesan cheese
white or black truffle oil spray, if desired *

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Put trimmed cauliflower pieces into a 2.5 quart oval casserole dish or other oven-proof dish of this approximate size. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder and then squeeze the lemon juice all over the cauliflower. Toss a few times to coat all the pieces. Bake for 25 minutes.

Remove from oven. Turn broiler on high. Make sure oven rack is in the middle of the oven. Sprinkle parmesan on top and spritz all over with truffle oil. Return to oven and broil for about 1-2 minutes. Watch carefully to make sure it doesn't burn.

Remove from oven and serve immediately.

*If you are not familiar with truffles, they are in the mushroom family and are most often found in Europe. The flavor is very unique and you are likely to fall in love with truffles once you taste something made with truffles or spritzed with truffle infused oil. You can find white or black truffle oil at specialty stores (like William Sonoma) or specialty grocery stores. I have been lucky to buy it super cheap at TJMaxx, so I would definitely try to find it there.

Enjoy!!

Weekend with Makenzie

One thing that I have not yet done since I started this blog is write non-recipe posts about our life here in Louisiana and our new adventures. So, since our families and friends (except our new ones) live elsewhere and we are fortunate to get to experience a new place while we are young and without kids, so I think that I'll start sharing some of our adventures with you.

AND, since this is technically a food and recipe blog, I will share with you our thoughts on restaurants we go to. After all, New Orleans is known for having some of the best restaurants in the world and we definitely do our part to contribute to their patronage!

Fortunately, I have perfect opportunity to begin this new little blogging endeavor as my very best friend, Makenzie, came to visit Steven and I this past weekend. Makenzie and I have known each other since we were 11 years old when we met in Mrs. Reeves' fifth grade class. We were instantly best friends and have been ever since. We were even born one day apart. Needless to say, I was so happy when she said she was booking a flight to come visit!

One thing that is funny about me and probably not surprising to anyone is that when people say they are coming to visit, I get a little stressed and start planning and thinking of all the things we are going to do and every single time I realize there is no need to stress because it is so much more fun when you just go with the flow and see where it takes you. That is definitely what we did with Makenzie and it was sooo much fun!

Friday night, we took the suggestion of my friend, Casey, and went to Jacques Imo's . Jacques Imo's is located in the Uptown area of New Orleans and is such a cool place. Very funky and totally reminded me of something you would find in Austin (for all you Texans reading this). The food was amazing! They started us off with what I'd consider one of the best parts of the meals and that was the corn muffins. Oh. My. Gosh. They were like heaven on a plate. I pretty much always love corn bread, but these were on another level! For dinner, I got grilled Mahi Mahi which was prepared with a sweet Asian sauce and served with asparagus and pistachios. Such an odd combination, but so good. Makenzie got the blackened Red Fish, which is one of their specialties and most popular dishes. For someone that had not really had much Cajun cooking before, I'd say that Jacques Imo's won Makenzie over. Thanks Casey for the great suggestion, we loved it and we will definitely go back again!

The next morning, we took Makenzie to our favorite breakfast place on the Northshore, The Broken Egg. Now, if you're thinking, "Oh, I've been there in (fill in the bank)." You probably have, however, the one in Mandeville is the original and, in my opinion, the best one! From the spicy bloody marys to the extra large selection of breakfast favorites and cajun specialities, The Broken Egg is a winner in our book. It is a staple in every Patterson visitor's itinerary. (I don't actually write one, but you get what I mean.

After brunch, we had a terrific day of New Orleaneans' favorite pastimes--drinking and eating. We hit the Abita Beer Brewery, the Pontchartrain Vineyards and then we were off to Friends for a drink on the patio (after a stop home to change, recharge and let Lily out!) Makenzie loved Friends, as everyone does, because it is in the best location and it is so great to sit outside and have a drink right on the river. So relaxing. We had a casual dinner at Morton's and then called it a night after one last drink at Friends (again).

Makenzie's mom was coincidentally in New Orleans with a friend the same weekend, so the next morning, we drove into the city to pick them up for brunch. We decided to try Camellia Grill. We had never been there and I knew next to nothing about it, so I was a little nervous as to how it would all turn out since as I mentioned, I like to impress my guests. ha ha

Well, worry no further because Camellia Grill is delicious. It is definitely not your typical fancy New Orleans Jazz Brunch ala Brennan's, but it very tasty and a fun New Orleans type experience. You have to wait outside in line because it is pretty small and the seating is all counter-seating where you can watch them whip up your breakfast/brunch. But fear not, the waitstaff if pretty entertaining and the wait goes by fast. We got there fairly early so we didn't have to wait too long. I'll tell you one thing though, bring a sweater. It was like an icebox! Everyone else got omelets of varying styles while I decided on a french dip style roast beef sandwich since I don't like eggs (that eliminated about 95% of breakfast foods for me!) The omelets were huge and fluffy since they beat their eggs in a milkshake maker! What a great idea! Then came the best part of any meal...dessert. Even though it is breakfast, it is a necessity to get dessert if you go to Camellia Grill. It should be a rule. I'd read on the Internet (in my pre-visit planning, of course) that they had the best chocolate pecan pie. Now I don't really love pecan pie all that much, but since I had read about it, I decided to give it a go. And boy am I glad that I did! You see, they put the pie on a buttered grill to heat it up so that all the ooey gooey goodness can start to ooze out. Then they plop a grapefruit-size scoop of Blue Bell (made in Texas!) homemade vanilla ice cream on top. Again, I was in heaven. Just like with the corn muffins.

All in all, the weekend with Makenzie was terrific. I probably gained five pounds, but it was worth it. Five pounds and all. Thanks for visiting Mak, please come back soon! Love you!

P.S. Can anyone tell me how to upload pictures into posts (using a Mac) in the spot you want? I clearly can't figure it out but want to put pictures up!

Holy Moly Guacamole it's Cinco de Mayo!

In my last post, I mentioned my love for guacamole and my new love for avocados in general. Not being a fan of queso (surprise, surprise) I have always loved guacamole and it is of course my favorite thing about Mexican food (and margaritas). My brother in law, Brian, shares my loves for guacamole and I can always count on him to want to order it in addition to queso, so that I am not the only one who wants it!

Back in the day, I actually worked as a waitress at a Mexican restaurant. Funny to imagine that I actually carried those big trays around (I totally sucked at that, by the way) but I did. It was not your run of the mill Mexican restaurant and was actually pretty nice and one of the things that the restaurant offered was Table-Side Guacamole. So, needless to say, I got pretty darn good at whipping up tasty guacamole.

There are a few things that I make/cook that my family members look forward to and my guacamole is one of them. So, I hope you enjoy it just as much!

Ingredients:
3 ripe avocados, halved and seeded
2-3 tablespoons finely chopped yellow onion
2 tablespoons of salsa of your choice (I personally like Pace!)
Juice of 1 lemon
1-2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon of cumin
Pinch of cayenne pepper or a few dashes of Tabasco

After halving the avocados and removing the pit, use your knife to make vertical cuts across the avocado being careful not to puncture the skin or cut your hand! Then rotate the avocado and make vertical cuts across the other side making a checkboard-type pattern. Repeat with all the halves and then carefully scoop out the flesh of the avocado into a bowl with a spoon by running the spoon around the edge of the skin. Combine the remaining ingredients and mash the avocado with either a potato masher or two forks to achieve the texture and consistentcy you desire.

Make sure to taste the guacomole and adjust the seasoning as necessary. I find that most often the salt or the lemon need to be adjusted, so add more according to your taste. Give it one last stir and taste and then serve with your favorite tortilla chips or as a topping for fajitas, tacos or your other favorite Mexican foods.

Tip: If you are not going to be serving right away, reserve one or two of the avocado pits and place them in the guacamole. This will help slow down the browning process. You may do this with leftovers as well, but I would recommend placing plastic wrap directly on top of the guamacole to prevent the air from getting to it and then putting one more piece of plastic wrap over the bowl.

Enjoy and Happy Cinco de Mayo!

California Chicken Sandwiches

Not that this should be a surprise to anyone to knows me, but for most of my life I wouldn't have anything to do with avocados unless they were smashed up in guacamole. Bizarre, I know. But really, that's how a lot of my pickiness goes...its selective and avocados were no exception. Until recently.

Somehow I must have missed those big green chucks floating in my tortilla soup, but one spoonful of soup (avocado in tow) and I was hooked! What have I been missing all these years? Lots of things I presume.

Anyways, now, I love putting plain avocados on anything and everything. But I have to admit that a favorite combo of mine has to be avocado and bacon! YUM! Not the lowest fat combo, I know, but at least avocados have the good kind of fat. Wink, wink.

So, with that in mind, I was thinking of something to make for dinner last week and I whipped up with this little gem. I hope you like it!

Ingredients:
1 package of dry Ranch dip mix
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt
Pepper
4 buns of your choice
4 slices thick cooked bacon (or more, if you want)
1 ripe avocado
1/2 sweet yellow onion, very thinly sliced
About 2 teaspoons flour

Sprinkle both sides of chicken with ranch packet seasoning as well as season with salt and pepper. Heat grill to medium high heat.

While grill is heating, cook the bacon until brown and crisp and remove from pan. Drain off all except for about 1 tablespoon or so of the bacon fat and add onions to the pan and saute. Continue to saute the onions until they are fairly brown and then sprinkle the onions with the flour and continue to cook until they are crispy then remove from heat.

Grill chicken for 5-7 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Toast buns, if desired.

Allow chicken to rest a few minutes and the slice it diagonally. Assemble sandwich with chicken on the bottom and then pile on the bacon, avocado and crispy onions.

Since this is a big and rich sandwich, I recommend serving it with a small salad or fruit salad as I did.

Enjoy!

As always, let me know what you think or if you have questions!

I'm Back!

Wow, it's been awhile, hasn't? Did you miss me? I hope so.

Sorry to all of you who have been serving your families cereal for dinner during my blogging hiatus. Just kidding, I am sure you survived just fine without me considering I am not even sure if anyone reads my blog! I hope I'm wrong. (Please tell me if I am.)

You see, I have been in a little bit of a funk lately. Over the last few months, we were in and out of town and there were a few things going on that really prevented me from wanting to try new things in the kitchen or have the motivation to write down the things I did. I hope you understand.

But now, I'm back! Get ready for some new recipes that I hope you'll enjoy!

Until then...

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cakes

Since I don't bake all that often and don't really experiment with desserts (there is science to baking that you don't really want to mess with...) I turned to an expert to find a a delicious and decadent dessert for Thanksgiving. Who better to go to than the wonderful Paula Deen?! This dessert by Paula Deen is soo delicious and it is sure to become a family favorite just as it has in our family.

Cake:
1 (18 1/4-ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 egg
8 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter, and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well. Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to overbake as the center should be a little gooey.

Enjoy!

Brined and Roasted Turkey (Thanksgiving)

Can you believe that it is almost Thanksgiving? This year has just flown by! (It is actually just a few days away from our first wedding anniversary and I can not believe the first year has gone by so quickly! Great memories already! Happy Anniversary Steven!)

Anyways, back to Thanksgiving!

I am such a holiday-loving girl and of course Thanksgiving is no exception! There is so much cooking to be done, time spent with family and of course, eating! What's not to love! For me, my favorite part of the holiday is the Wednesday before Thanksgiving which I aptly nicknamed "Cooking Day." This is the day when my mom and sisters and I get together and start cooking for Thanksgiving. Translation: My mom and I do a lot of cooking, Annie tries to cook and we all laugh at her and Katherine does a dessert or two and sits at the counter and reads gossip magazines out loud. It is truly one of my favorite days.

Because Thanksgiving is largely built around traditions (at least in our family) and there is a lot of pressure to please and impress, it is a time of the year that I don't really mess around with trying a whole lot of new things in the kitchen. I stick with the favorites.

Since the turkey is the star of the show, it has to be good, so my mom and I do the same turkey every year (and actually for the last couple of years, I did it all by myself!).

If you are looking for a new recipe, this is one to try! You will not be disappointed. The turkey comes out juicy and delicious!

Brine:
1 cup salt
1 cup brown sugar
2 oranges, quartered
2 lemons, quartered
6 sprigs thyme
4 sprigs rosemary
Dissolve the salt and sugar in 2 gallons of cold water in a non-reactive container (such as a clean bucket or large stockpot, or a clean, heavy-duty, plastic garbage bag.) Squeeze the oranges and lemons and add them, along with the thyme and rosemary, to the brine.

Turkey:
1 (10 to 12-pound) turkey
Brine, recipe follows
4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1 large yellow onion, cut into 8ths
1 large orange, cut into 8ths
1 stalk celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs thyme
1 1/2 to 2 cups chicken or turkey stock, for basting

Remove the neck, giblets, and liver from the cavity of the turkey. Rinse the turkey inside and out under cold running water.

Soak the turkey in the brine, covered and refrigerated (or in a cooler), for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours. Turn the turkey at least once during the process.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse well under cold running water. Pat dry with paper towels, inside and out. Place breast side down in a large, heavy roasting pan and rub on all sides with the butter. Season lightly inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff the turkey with the onion, orange, celery, carrot, bay leaves and thyme. Truss the turkey with kitchen twine.

Roast the turkey, uncovered, breast side down for 1 hour. Remove from the oven, turn, and baste with 1/2 cup stock. Continue roasting with the breast side up until an instant-read meat thermometer registers 165 degrees F when inserted into the largest section of thigh (avoiding the bone), about 2 3/4 to 3 hours total cooking time. Baste the turkey once every hour with 1/2 to 3/4 cup chicken or turkey stock.

Remove from the oven and place on a platter. Tent with aluminum foil and let rest for 20 minutes before carving.

I will post some more Thanksgiving favorites as it gets closer. If you have a family tradition or recipe that you would like to share, let me know! I'd love to post it for you!

Football Food Friday! Baked Taquitos with Chicken, Carmelized Onions, Lime and Cilantro

You will love this homemade version of the frozen food classic! These taquitos are easy, healthier and more flavorful than the kind you buy in the grocery store. I can promise you will love them! (The actually came from an idea that my husband gave me, so he technically deserves the credit!)

Ingredients

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, sliced very thinly.

Salt, pepper and garlic power, to lightly season

1 cup very loosely packed cilantro leaves

2 medium limes- zest of one, juice of both

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

5 medium sized tortillas

Cilantro Lime Sour Cream

About 2-3 tablespoons of sour cream (light or non fat is fine)
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro
zest and juice of 1/2 of small lime

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Preheat two skillets with one tablespoon each of olive oil over medium heat. Add onions to one pan and allow to carmelize. Caramelizing takes awhile (about 20 minutes), so be patient and allow the onions to cook down to a deep golden-brown color, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, season cubed chicken with salt, pepper and garlic. Add chicken to the other pan and saute until cooked through, five to seven minutes.

When the chicken is cooked and the onions are carmelized, remove both from their pans to a cutting board. Finely mince the cilantro, and chop the onions and chicken as small as you can. Add the chicken, cilantro and onions back to one pan and heat on low. Add the lime zest and juice, cumin and chili powder, stirring to incorporate.

Cut the tortillas in half. Starting with one tortilla half, fill place a "tong-ful" (meaning the amount you grasp with tongs) :) of filling about 1/3 of the way up the tortilla. Roll the tortilla around the filling and secure with a toothpick. Place on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas or until you run out of filling.

Bake for seven minutes. Broil on high for two minutes.

Prepare the sauce in a small bowl by combining the sour cream, zest, juice and cilantro. Sprinkle a tiny bit of the cajun seasoning. Taste a bit of the sauce to see if it needs to be adjusted. It should taste light and fresh with a touch of lime. If it is too much cilantro, add some lime and vice versa if it is too limey.

Remove from the oven and serve with cilantro lime sour cream or your choice of salsa.

Enjoy! Happy Gameday!

Chicken Piccata

Ingredients

2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, butterflied and then cut in half

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season chicken

All-purpose flour, for dredging

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup chicken stock

2 tablespoons capers

To butterfly chicken, hold the knife parallel to the counter and carefully slice through the middle of the chicken pulling the top back as you slice until it lays flat. Cut the two pieces apart.

Lay a large piece of plastic wrap on the counter or your cutting board, placing one chicken piece on top. Lay another piece of plastic wrap on top. With a large heavy skillet or meat mallet, pound the chicken until approximately 1/2 inch thick and more uniform in thickness. Repeat with other three pieces.

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Lightly dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add 2 pieces of chicken and cook for 3 minutes. When chicken is browned, flip and cook other side for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to plate and cover with foil. Melt 1 more tablespoon butter and add another tablespoon olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add the other 2 pieces of chicken and brown both sides in same manner. Remove pan from heat and add chicken to the plate.

Into the pan add the lemon juice and stock. Return to stove and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Reduce heat to a simmer, check for seasoning and allow to simmer for five to seven minutes. Add capers return all the chicken to the pan and simmer for two minutes. Remove chicken to platter. Pour sauce over chicken.

Enjoy!

Let me know what you think!