Grilled Cobb Salad and Crack

So, the other night my husband comes home from work with something cradled under his arm.  I couldn't quite see it because his jacket was draped over the mystery container.  He removed his jacket and there it was...CRACK!!  I said to him, "Are you kidding me!!!  Why did you bring crack into this house??!!"

It's been a couple of years since I walked into a Trader Joe's...for a very good reason.  I cannot resist their Crispy Crunch (Crack) Chocolate Chip Cookies or any of their other naughty delicacies.  I have no doubt that I could put away every single one of those cookies in one sitting, sprawled out on the couch with my favorite throw blanket, while watching Eat Pray Love, my latest movie addiction..and I'm not exaggerating here!  I told my husband he better hide them from me, or it's going to be ugly!

I'll just leave it at that....

This salad is the perfect meal if you have also been guilty in overindulging.  This is your go-to salad when you are needing to use up some "here and there" items in the refrigerator.  The traditional Cobb Salad is made with blue cheese salad dressing, but I really like a creamy Italian dressing, which (my "fancy" version) is no more than equal parts prepared Newman's Own Family Recipe Italian salad dressing and Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing, whisked together...fancy, right?!

Grilled Cobb Salad
Makes 4 Dinner Size Servings

1 head romaine lettuce, washed, and chopped
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, grilled and diced
6 slices Applewood smoked bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
1 avocado, peeled and chopped
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
4 ounces Gorgonzola cheese crumbles
1/2 cup prepared Italian salad dressing
1/2 cup prepared ranch salad dressing
Asiago croutons

Combine the first seven salad ingredients in a large bowl.  Toss with the two salad dressings.  Plate the dressed salad on four dinner plates and finish with the Asiago croutons.

If you are still hungry after this amazing salad, you can have Chocolate Chip Crack for dessert too. Enjoy!

One Year Ago: Roasted Red Pepper Soup
Two Years Ago: Pork Wellington

2020 and a Time Out

Every now and again you need to take a time out and breathe...have a seat, take a sip and enjoy a special sunset.

We had a rare opportunity to go out a few weeks ago and try a place that we had not been to.  Even after moving here almost four years ago, it's amazing to think how many places we still haven't been to experience yet.

I had read about a place called 2020 Food + Wine Bar here in town.  Small venue with fun tapas plates and wine tastings.  Causal sofa seating and great patio area.  

The atmosphere was perfect for a "wine down day" and the music was awesome!

We went with the server's recommendations for their Happy Hour specials and they definitely did not disappoint.  Their authentic Italian wood-fired pizza oven on the patio made for a finale that was out of this world good!

Their perfectly paired Cabernet Savignon did not disappoint either.

We enjoyed our meal and time at 2020 so much that I wanted to re-create it a few weeks later during a staycation weekend date night.  Always fun to relive and enjoy memories in the comforts of your own home or patio...here's what I put together.  Buon Appetito!

Mortadella  * Whole Grain Mustard * Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives * Soppressata

Fig Jam * Rustic Baguette * Sea Salt Crispy Bread Sticks

Spanish Marcona Olive Oil and Sea Salt Almonds * Brie Cheese * Green Grapes

Water Crackers * Sweetened Dried Cranberries * Merlot Bellavitano Cheese

Soul Sister Pinot Noir

Cheers!!

One Year Ago: Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
Two Years Ago: Pork Wellington

Chicken Piccata and The Prom

After much anticipation (and a month long weather delay), Prom finally arrived this past weekend.  Nails were done, hair appointments completed, shoes and dresses ready to go...the Golden Globes theme Prom was set and in full motion.

Even a little chill in the air and overcast skies didn't stop these girls from bringing their finest glamour to the evening!  My babies are all grown up...brings a tear (actually several as of late) to my eyes.

We enjoyed our own little date night with my husband's favorite Chicken Piccata.

Chicken Piccata
Courtesy of Cuisine at Home Magazine

** Recipe is so good and easy, you will want to double this!!

4 chicken cutlets
2 Tbl. canola oil
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tsp. garlic, minced
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 Tbl. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbl. capers, drained
2 Tbl. butter
fresh lemon slices

Season cutlets with salt and pepper then dust with flour.  Spray saute pan with nonstick spray, add vegetable oil, and heat over medium-high.

Saute cutlets 2-3 minutes on on side.  Flip the cutlets over and saute the other side 1-2 minutes with the pan covered.  Transfer cutlets to a warm plate; pour off fat from the pan.

Deglaze pan with wine and add minced garlic.  Cook until garlic is slightly brown and liquid is nearly gone, about 2 minutes.

Add broth, lemon juice, and capers.  Return cutlets to pan and cook on each side 1 minutes.  Transfer cutlets to a warm plate.

Finish with butter and lemon slices.  Once butter melts, pour sauce over cutlets.

One Year Ago: Braised Crockpot Balsamic Steak
Two Years Ago: Loaded Hasselback Potatoes

...and speaking of chicken, I was fortunate enough to have Buffalo Wild Wings  and Texas Roadhouse donate 350 wings for the After Prom party at school.  Everyone knows how hungry teenagers are at midnight...so we helped make the special delivery!

One Pan Sour Cream Enchilada Skillet and Spring

It's a beautiful National Day of Prayer, Cinco de Mayo and Spring day here in Colorado.  Birds were chirping quite early this morning and Theo could not wait to get to his sunny patio.  We have a new German Shepard puppy "Zoe", that moved in behind us.  Theo has not decided if he likes her or not but rest assured, he keeps an eye on her every move all day long!!!

Given that Spring has finally arrived here I hope, that means the bugs and bees have all hatched and are making their way through the neighborhood...which is never good!  I know right know they are all huddled together and strategizing how they can torment me for the next five months.  Since all our snow and cold snaps we experienced this season for such a long time, we like to now keep the doors open and get a nice cross breeze going through the house.  Yesterday afternoon my daughter gave one of her horror movie screams that a wasp had entered the house...just love those screams...not!!

To solve this seasonal challenge, I hit my favorite ACE Hardware and invested my hard earned $12.66 (because I had a coupon of course) and purchased the "Magic Mesh".  I know it may seem like a little "back country decor", but I'm pretty excited about it.  It's a win-win for everyone...I get fresh air in the house, Theo can continue to spy on his new girlfriend and my daughter can now save her vocal chords from those awful screams!!

If you're wanting to also spend more time on your patio this evening and less time in the kitchen, this dish is also a win-win!!  One pan and goes together so easy with awesome flavors throughout it.  It's a little on the rich side, so you can just add some diced avocados, tomatoes and green onions, then it will be a "healthier version" I'm sure.

One Pan Sour Cream Chicken Enchilada Skillet
Adapted from heatherlikesfood.com

3 Tbs. butter
3 Tbs. flour
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. oregano
1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles
1 (4 oz.) can chopped black olives
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup sour cream
12 corn tortillas, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup colby-jack cheese, grated

Optional Toppings:
hot sauce
avocado, peeled and diced
tomatoes, diced
green onions, diced

In a large skillet, heat butter over medium heat until melted.  Stir in flour, cook for 1 minute and whisk in chicken broth.  Continue stirring until smooth and thickened, about 2-3 minutes.

Stir chili powder, salt, oregano, green chiles and black olives into the sauce and place chicken breasts into pan.  Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, cover and cook 15-30 minutes (depending on size of chicken breasts) or until chicken is cooked through.

Remove chicken from pan, leaving the heat on low and place chicken on a plate to shred into bite-sized pieces.

Stir sour cream into the sauce and return chicken to the pan along with the tortilla pieces.  Stir until combined and top with grated cheese.  Cover pan and cook for 5-10 minutes until bubbly and the cheese is melted.

One Year Ago: Lemon Pound Cake with Citrus Glaze
Two Years Ago: Margarita Cupcakes

Alabama White Barbecue Sauce and Gift Baskets

It's end of the school year time again around here and you know what that means...final exams, volunteer appreciation and end of season meetings and acknowledgements...and last minute projects. I won't even tell you what I was doing at 6:18 am this morning (I can assure you it wasn't relaxing in my robe with a hot cup of coffee, curled up on the sofa and catching up on the morning news).  Let's just say, my self taught Microsoft Publisher programming and marketing designs do come in handy for school projects...we'll just leave it at that.

This past week however, we did thank goodness have ample amount of time to prepare thank you gift baskets for all the Booster Club parent representatives.  Our President had the great idea for these "S'More" gift baskets, in the spirit of upcoming summer.  I have to say I was really proud of myself in creating custom marshmallow letters for their tags!

32 S'More gift bags ready to prepare.

Are these just the cutest gifts ever?!?!

While we prepared the baskets, my husband made the most incredible beef brisket on our Traeger
grill.

During one of my Pinterest binging episodes a few weeks ago, I stumbled on "Alabama BBQ Sauce". Being a northern girl, I had never seen or heard of white BBQ sauce.  It looked so good and appealing, we had to try it...WOW!!  Unbelievably good...I recommend making a large batch of this deliciousness.  Not only was it awesome on the brisket and roasted fingerling potatoes, it was also great on our chicken we had later in the week.

Alabama White Barbecue Sauce
Courtesy of www.rockrecipes.com

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbl. water
1 Tbl. lemon juice
2 Tbl. apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. Dijon Mustard
1 tsp. honey
1 clove garlic, finely minced
A few dashes of hot sauce or sriracha sauce to taste

*** This does make a relatively small batch of sauce to serve about 4 people or so.  Double or triple the recipe as needed if serving larger groups.

Whisk all ingredients together until smooth.

If you like the sauce a little thicker, just add another tablespoon or two of mayonnaise or thin it with a little more water if you find it's too thick for your taste.

Cover and let sit in the refrigerator for several hours or even better to sit overnight to let the flavors develop. (Best if made the day before you want to serve).

One Year Ago: Mayan Chocolate Cookies
Two Years Ago: Pizzette

Torta Rustica and Tax Day Anniversary

It was today, 23 years ago that I met my future husband.  23 years ago I stood in his sister's family room enjoying a wonderful business luncheon they were hosting.  So much has happened in 23 years, I am in amazement at what we have been through (and I'm not just referring to my ever changing hair color either) and so thankful for all the blessings that we have experienced together.

Check out this stylish couple!
circa 1993, The Ritz Carlton Resort, Rancho Mirage, California

On that fateful day, they prepared an incredible menu of Torta Rustica, Arnold Palmer drinks and warm chocolate chip cookies.

Through the years, we have appreciated various deli styles of this Italian classic on our "meeting" anniversary. We decided this year we are going to try and create our own homemade version.  This weekend is forecasting another "Spring blizzard", so it's a good opportunity to stay home and enjoy old memories and new recipes.

Torta Rustica
Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
2/3 cup roasted red sweet peppers, drained and cut into thin strips
1 Tbl. olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1/2 tsp. salt
1 (15 ounce) carton ricotta cheese
1 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 cup refrigerated basil pesto or classic pesto sauce
3/4 cup shredded fontina or gruyere cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
3 Tbl. all-purpose flour
4 ounces thinly sliced salami and/or pepperoni, cut into thin strips
1 Tbl. water
1 pkg. (17.3 ounces) Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets, thawed (2 sheets)

Place drained artichoke hearts and roasted red peppers on paper towels;  set aside to drain while preparing filling.

For filling, in a large skillet heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add onion;  cook and stir about 3 minutes or until tender.  Stir in garlic; cook about 1 minute or until fragrant.  Add spinach; cook for 2 to 3 minutes more or until liquid is evaporated.  Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt.  Transfer to a colander.  When spinach is cool enough to handle, use your hands to squeeze out as much liquid as possible.  Transfer spinach mixture to a medium bowl.  Stir in ricotta, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese, one of the eggs, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and the black pepper.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Unfold 1 pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface.  Roll the pastry sheet into a 14-inch square.  Press the pastry into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan, leaving the excess pastry draped over the sides of the pan.  Brush the pastry sheet with other egg beaten with water.

Spread pesto sauce over bottom crust in pan.  Spread ricotta mixture over pesto.  In a small bowl combine fontina cheese, the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and the flour.  Sprinkle half of the fontina mixture over ricotta mixture.  Top with layers of salami/pepperoni, roasted peppers, and artichoke hearts.  Sprinkle the remaining fontina mixture over artichokes.

Unfold the remaining pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface.  Roll the remaining pastry sheet into a 10-inch square.  Place the pastry sheet over the filling.  Trim off any excess pastry and discard or save for another use.  Fold the edge of the top pastry over the bottom pastry and press to seal.  Brush the pastry with the egg mixture.

Place the springform pan on a foil lined shallow-sided baking sheet.

Bake for 45 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.  Let the torta cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes.  Remove torta from pan, set on serving platter and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.

** We enjoyed our Torta Rustica with a mixed green salad, honey mustard vinaigrette with toasted pine nuts, Pinot Noir (and warm chocolate chip cookies of course) Cheers!  

One Year Ago: Cambozola Platter
Two Years Ago: Carrot Cupcakes

The Finale!!

Mike's Marinating Mess

Sunday mornings are bath days...for the boys that is.  We have our favorite dog wash in town and this Sunday will be no exception, even though it is Masters Championship Day!

Angus sporting his "Masters Green" towel.

As predicted, last year's winner Jordan Spieth hosted and served an "Authentic Texas Barbecue" this week for his traditional Champions Dinner complete with various bbq meats, baked beans, bacon and chive potato salad and a warm chocolate chip cookie with vanilla ice cream for dessert.

Our latest go-to bbq chicken marinade was created by my brother-in-law many, many years ago.  This marinade is perfect for when you are needing to clean out the spice cabinet and have that last little smidgen left in various containers but don't want to throw away.

Since it needs a good 6-8 hours for the right chicken fusion, it's the perfect amount of time for a visit to the dog spa!

Mike's Marinating Mess
Courtesy of Brother Mike

1/2 can beer (your favorite brand)
1 cup BBQ sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
2 ounces, steak sauce
5 dashes, Worcestershire sauce
2 dashes, soy sauce
2 ounces, teriyaki sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 Tbl. red wine vinegar
1/4 cup white wine
2 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. Italian herb seasoning
1 tsp. dill weed
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. sage
1 tsp. parsley flakes
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. rosemary
1 tsp. paprika

Mix together.  Marinate your favorite meat in this mess (for 6-8 hours) and barbecue or broil.

One Year Ago: Chicken with Gorgonzola Sauce
Two Years Ago: Parmesan Potato au Gratin

Roy's Braised Beef Short Ribs, Purple Potatoes and New Plates

Well, my new everyday dishes saga continues and just went to a new level.

We decided to invite over some new couple friends for dinner.  The husband has been playing golf with mine for over a year and after all this time, we scheduled a night to finally get together, meet each other's spouses, break bread and enjoy a bottle (or four) of wine over dinner.

Now mind you during the week leading up to this dinner my everyday salad plates were cracking and breaking one by one.  The pressure was on!!  I didn't want to serve dinner on our wedding dishes and come across too fancy...trying to keep it more casual but tasteful and those cracked, chipped dinner plates weren't going to have it.  Not to mention I purchased a new table runner and hurricane candle holders for the dinner...okay, maybe I did get fancy and go a little overboard.

So, I finally found a style I think I like.  I only purchased four salad and four dinner plates for our quaint dinner...think of it as a trial run.  I still haven't decided if I want to purchase more and make them the "official" daily dishes or not...stay tuned.

For our dinner menu on the new dishes I served Roy's Braised Beef Short Ribs, Mashed Purple Sweet Potatoes and Lemon-Garlic Haricot Verts with Toasted Almonds, paired with Angeline Pinot Noir.  Beautiful colors and flavors!

These Braised Beef Short Ribs come from one of our favorite most treasured restaurants...Roy's Hawaiian Fusion in Kona.  It is always the last meal we enjoy at the end of our trip, for a special evening before we depart Hawaii after a vacationing on the Kona Coast.

When we lived in California, we were so excited to have one only 15 minutes from us in Rancho Mirage.  Unfortunately the nearest Roy's to us now is a 12 hour drive away in Las Vegas...good thing I have commandeered some of their classic favorite recipes.

Braised Beef Short Ribs
Adapted from Roy's Pacific Rim Cuisine Restaurants

4 Servings

1/2 cup canola oil
4 (10-ounce) beef short ribs (boneless okay too)
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup flour
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 large onions, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
1 cup red wine (preferably Cabernet Savignon)
3 bay leaves
2 quarts beef stock
10 black peppercorns, whole

Honey Mustard Glaze

1 cup whole grain mustard
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup white wine (preferably Chardonnay)
1/8 - 1/4 cup garlic, chopped (depending how much you like garlic)
1 bunch basil leaved, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Heat oil in a roasting or braising pan over medium heat.  Season short ribs with salt and pepper.  Lightly dredge in flour.  Shake off any excess flour.  Sear all sides of short ribs until golden brown.  Add carrots, onions and celery to roasting pan and saute until tender, about 2 minutes.  Deglaze pan with red wine.  Add the bay leaves, beef stock and peppercorns.  Cover roasting pan with aluminum foil and bake until ribs are knife-tender, about 2 to 2-1/2 hours.

While short ribs are braising, mix all the ingredients for Honey Mustard Glaze in a bowl and set in refrigerator until ready to use.

When ready, remove short ribs from liquid and set aside.  Heat gas or charcoal grill to medium heat.  Brush short ribs well with the honey glaze and grill briefly to set the glaze.

While short ribs are searing off with the honey glaze, set roasting pan on stove and heat vegetables until sauce consistency.  Add more beef stock if needed.

Remove bay leaves and pour vegetable sauce over grilled short ribs.

**Prepare the purple sweet potatoes just as you would regular Yukon mashed potatoes with salt, pepper, butter, heavy cream, sour cream, etc.

One Year Ago:  Blackberry Coffee Cake with Pecan Streusal
Two Years Ago: Beer Battered Fish and Chips