Portillo's Chopped Salad...Possibilities of Spring

We are finally starting to see the early signs of spring...I hope!!)  These sweet little buds showed up near our driveway last week on all the bushes.  Unfortunately I made the mistake of looking at the weather forecast for this upcoming week...rain and snow.  So, true to Colorado weather, we truly never know what is going to show up.  Oh well, "spring" was nice while it lasted this weekend.

Since we were enjoying our short stint of sunny spring weather, we decided to grill a flatiron steak and enjoy a fresh salad.  Portillo's was one of our favorite road trip dinner stops in California.  The restaurant was about an hour from our house and it was perfect for the last stop before heading home after a long day on the road with family and not wanting to make dinner upon arrival.

It's a super easy and very flavorful salad, full of color and textures.  In my opinion, there's nothing like a great chopped salad. Even though they take more time to prepare, I just love all the small delicious bites. This salad would be perfect to serve if you are hosting an upcoming Easter brunch or even a summer backyard BBQ...when the snow finally melts that is.

Portillo's Copycat Chopped Salad
Serves 10 to 12

Dressing: **
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

Salad:
4 cups, cooked, drained and cooled, Ditalini pasta (cook according to package directions)
3 cups iceberg lettuce, chopped
3 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
2 cups red cabbage, chopped
4 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/2 cup green onions, finely diced
2 cups cooked chicken breasts, cubed
1 cup bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 4 ounce container Gorgonzola cheese crumbles

For the dressing, whisk all ingredients (or you can use a salad dressing shaker or blender) and set in refrigerator to fuse. ** I recommend to double the dressing, as it is a very large salad or you can always decrease the salad portion by half also though.

While the dressing is chilling, to assemble the salad, in a very large bowl, add all of the salad ingredients and toss well.  Shake dressing vigorously and drizzle all over the salad and toss again to incorporate.

Enjoy and Keep Those Sunny Spring Thoughts!!

One Year Ago: Luck of The Irish Cupcakes
Two Years Ago: Simply Salmon with Shrimp Tortellini

Lemon Pound Cake with Citrus Glaze

Here was our dinner table conversation the other night, as dogs were trying to solicit during our meal...

Daughter:  "Get out of here Angus".
Mom (me): "Be nice to him".
Daughter:  "He is so annoying".
Mom: "Yes, and you can be annoying at times too".
Daughter: "But he's always begging".
Mom: "The way you are always begging me to make you something because you claim there is nothing to eat in the house"?

Right then, it hit me.  Teenagers and pets are exactly the same, which I then expressed my revelation at the table that night...there really isn't much difference between the two.  Here are my conclusions:

• There are days when they only want to eat and sleep, and nothing else.  I call this the Slug Syndrome.
• They can destroy the inside of your car in 2.3 seconds.
• They decide if and when they want to have you hugging and snuggling them.
• When they are not feeling well, they throw their sad little eyes on you, vomit right next to your feet (on the carpet of course, because they don't give you enough warning), and proceed to go to their bed.
• They sass you when they don't immediately get their own way.
• They are relentless when they want to go somewhere or want something and are very vocal about it.
• When you finally get them in water, you can't get them out (i.e. teen girls in showers vs. dogs swimming in lakes).
• When they do well at something, they love to be rewarded with treats.

Even with all their similarities (pleasant or not), I love them so much and wouldn't trade being a mom to each and every one of them for anything.  They all have their own wonderful traits, personalities and I am so blessed to have them in my life.

So, as we celebrate Mother's Day this weekend, be kind and remember that special someone in your life who has taken care of you and/or your pets.

Lemon Pound Cake with Citrus Glaze

For the cake:
1 box Betty Crocker Lemon Cake Mix
1 (3 ounce) box instant vanilla pudding mix
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup canola oil

For the glaze:
3-1/2 cups powdered sugar
4 Tbl. (1/2 stick) butter, melted
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup milk
2 Tbl. orange juice

Preheat oven as directed on cake mix box.

Mix all cake ingredients and bake as directed on box (for bundt pan size).

Remove cake from oven and let cool.  While cake is cooling, mix all ingredients for glaze.

Turn cooled cake over on a serving platter and drizzle citrus glaze all over cake.

Let glaze set and serve.

Take the time to set a beautiful table for Mother's Day.
  She (and the dogs) will love you for it.

Blackberry Coffee Cake with Pecan Streusel

A hint of Spring peeked in our front yard this week.

Spring is in the air and Easter is around the corner (and more snow, if you can believe it).  As I have seen all these beautiful little signs of spring pop up in our yard, I look at the weather channel and see it is supposed to snow this Friday...really??  Hard to imagine.

Unfortunately, my husband will have to deal with the snow alone, as my daughters and I leave in the morning for a national tournament.  Also, unfortunately for the first time in 22 years, we will all not be together for Easter morning.  As we return very late Sunday night, it will be historical to not have Easter baskets, morning Mass, or our family brunch together and that makes all of us so incredibly sad.  So much that I didn't even put out one Easter decoration from my menage of decor that I have acquired over the years.

To try and cheer up both of us, I made a coffee cake today so my husband could enjoy for breakfast while we are away.  This is so delicious and would be perfect for your Easter family brunch or even as a dessert with a wonderful freshly made whipped cream topping (or just go ahead and have the whipped cream topped cake for brunch too - why not??!!)

Blackberry Coffee Cake with Pecan Streusel
Courtesy of Williams-Sonoma

• 2 cups plus 1 Tbs. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
• 16 Tbs. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• Finely grated zest of 1 orange
• 2 eggs, beaten, at room temperature
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
• 1 pint blackberries
• 2 Tbs. firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

For the pecan streusel:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 6 Tbs. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Preheat an oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Dust the pan with a little flour, tapping out the excess.

In a bowl, sift together the 2 cups flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, using a handheld mixer, beat together the butter, granulated sugar and orange zest on high speed until light in color and texture, about 3 minutes. Gradually beat in the eggs and then the vanilla. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the sour cream and beginning and ending with the flour, beating until smooth. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

In another bowl, combine the blackberries, brown sugar, cinnamon and the 1 Tbs. flour. Spread half of the batter in the prepared pan. Top with the berry mixture, taking care that no berries touch the sides of the pan. Spread the remaining batter over the berries, smoothing the top.

To make the streusel, in a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar and butter. Using your fingers, work the ingredients together until just combined, then work in the pecans. Press the mixture together into a ball and then separate it with your fingers into coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the cake.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Cut the cake into squares and serve. Serves 12.