This weekend Jim and I ate at Abuelo's, the chain Mexican restaurant. Since the last time I'd been there, they had changed one of their salsas and it was so good and refreshing. I did some searches trying to find a copycat recipe, but ended up combining several different recipes.
It's quite quick and simple and easy to adjust to your tastes. I used a half of a small poblano pepper because we're more sensitive to heat, but you could bump it up a bit using a jalapeno or serrano pepper instead. Also, my personal preference is to go a bit lighter on the cilantro.
This would be especially nice during summer. I think I'll also try it with some grilled fish or salmon and some kind of Tex-Mex side dish or a chicken taco salad. A nice, refreshing change from traditional red salsa.
PINEAPPLE SALSA VERDE (makes about 2 1/2 cups)
1/2 pound fresh tomatillos (about 4 medium), husked, rinsed, and quartered
1/2 oz fresh chili pepper, your choice, depends on level of heat you prefer
1/2 large white onion, cut into large chunks
8 oz can pineapple tidbits, drained
1-2 Tbsp fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp salt
Juice of 1/2 of a lime
Combine tomatillos, chilies, onion, and pineapple in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the chopping blade.
Pulse until coarsely chopped. Add cilantro, salt, and lime juice and pulse until desired texture (it will be runny).
We are quickly approaching Halloween! Our colors are starting to turn here and we've even had two nights below freezing. The flannel sheets are back!
I was trying out some new cookie stamps but they didn't work too well on this recipe. I'm anxious to try them again because I do have some cute designs. Will try the snowflake stamp next time. These were supposed to be pumpkins, hence the orange color which I made by using 5 drops of red food coloring and 35 drops of yellow. Unfortunately the impression really faded during baking. This did not, however, have any affect on the taste of the cookie.
It's a basic shortbread recipe. And could anything be wrong with that?
SUGARED SHORTBREAD COOKIES (makes 1 1/2 to 2 dozen cookies)
1 cup salted butter, softened to room temp
1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus additional sugar for rolling
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 3/4 cup AP flour
Preheat oven to 350F.
Cream butter, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and powdered sugar; beat until fluffy. Add vanilla, cornstarch, and flour and mix well. Dough should be soft, but not sticky. If dough is sticky, add more flour.
Roll dough into 1 1/4" balls and roll in granulated sugar. Place 3" apart on an ungreased cookie sheet or sheet lined with Silpat or parchment paper. If using cookie press, press down or use fingers to flatten.
Bake 15-17 minutes or until bottom of cookie is very lightly browned (edges may be slightly brown, but the top should not brown.)
To make evened edges, cut a biscuit cutter and cut when cookies are still warm.
No recipe here....just a cute idea for a fun dessert. I ran across this idea a few months ago, tucked it away, and forgot about it. But it's so easy and you could make a bunch pretty quickly.
Simply let some ice cream soften a bit. Take two mini pretzels and place some of the ice cream to make a pretzel-ice cream sandwich. Sprinkle some nonpareils on the outside and set on a tray and place back into the freezer to firm up. Yummy!
A side note having nothing to do with food! If you have dogs and cats and haven't seen this video, you have to watch it! I've never forwarded any youtube/video stuff here, but this is just too cute not to pass on. www.wimp.com/dogbeds/
With autumn here and holidays approaching, you'll be able to start finding the specialty baking items like chips and Hershey's kisses in seasonal flavors. I love cinnamon chips and look forward to them every year. I always make cinnamon chip/oatmeal cookies, but decided to try something different this year.
Vastly different than my other choice, this has a much richer, deeper flower due to cocoa powder and coffee extract. It's a great combination!
MOCHA CINNAMON CHIP COOKIES (makes about 5 dozen)
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
4 tsp pure coffee extract
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups AP flour
1 cup cinnamon baking chips
1 cup chopped walnuts, optional
Preheat oven to 350F. Beat butter and sugars in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs and coffee extract; mix well. Add baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and cocoa powder; mix well. Stir in flour and then the cinnamon chips and walnuts.
Drop by rounded tablespoons about 2" apart on baking sheets lined with Silpat or parchment paper (or ungreased cookie sheets).
Bake 9-12 minutes or just until cookies are set. Cool on baking sheets 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.
Recipe Source: www.amysfinerthings.com
I gotta admit....this is Salad 101. This is the salad that was recommended with the fabulous pasta dish posted yesterday. It's just about as basic as you can get. Just a few notes on it, however.
First: iceberg lettuce. Iceberg has gotten such a bad rap over the last 20 years or so. And I don't know why. Really, the nutritional difference between iceberg and romaine (per serving) is minimal. And I don't know about you.....but I adore the crisp crunch that comes with iceberg. Of course, you must "prepare" it properly. This is how I do it: core the lettuce (whack the core on the edge of your sink....the core will pop out). Run cold water so it fills the head of lettuce between the layers. Turn it over and let it sit in the sink for about an hour to completely drain. Wrap the head in a clean kitchen towel (washed without softener), and then wrap it in a plastic grocery bag. Let it chill in the frig for at least a couple of hours. I guarantee you....you will be a crisp head of lettuce that will last for a long time.
Second: using garlic Texas toast for croutons. I will say that as a staple, I use Panera bagels (diced and coated with olive oil, Italian seasoning, and garlic salt and baked at 325F for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally) to make my croutons. I had only bought frozen garlic Texas toast one time. ONE TIME. Never again. It was just awful. But at the demo, Publix had used their own bakery Texas toast....fresh, not frozen. Diced and then baked in the oven. The croutons were just great.
Third: dressing. I almost always make my own dressings, creamy or vinaigrettes. But this salad was so good and it used Marie's brand found refrigerated in the produce section. Of course, you could certainly use your favorite dressing here, but this one really worked.
Lesson Learned: You can teach a middle-aged dog new tricks....even simple ones.
SIX LAYER SALAD (4 servings)
3 slices bakery garlic Texas toast
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, coarsely chopped
1 large tomato (or grape tomatoes, halved), coarsely chopped
4 oz reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup cooked bacon pieces
Marie's Creamy Italian Garlic dressing, to taste
Preheat oven to 425F. Cut bread into bite-sized cubes. Place in baking pan lined with parchment paper or Silpat. Bake cubes 4-5 miutes or until toasted. Set aside to cool.
Layer salad in serving bowl or on individual plates in this order: lettuce, cheese, bacon, and tomato.
Top salad with dresssing and croutons. Toss (if desired) when ready to serve.
Recipe Source: www.publix.com/aprons
This was a recipe being demo-ed at Publix a few weeks ago. Even as a grocery store sample, I couldn't believe how really good it was. I grabbed the recipe but didn't really look at it until I decided to make it last week.
When I looked at the ingredients I thought they surely must have made a few substitutions when they made it. I went by again and asked and they told me they prepared it just as instructed. On paper I simply couldn't see how this was going to come together, but that sample was so good I forged ahead.
This is absolutely going into my Top Five favorite pasta dishes. It tastes so decadently delicious but in reality, it's not nearly as sinful as you would think. I used chicken sausage and reduced-fat gorgonzola, yet it tastes like it is full of cream. I couldn't figure out the use of the pears, but they simlpy add another depth of flavor and texture . If you are a fan of mushrooms, gorgonzola, and asparagus, I hope you'll give this a try. I served it with their suggested simple green salad which I'll post tomorrow.
NOTE: The ravioli they/I used is the fresh pasta found in the dairy section. If you can't find a cheese-filled pasta with mushrooms, a plain cheese ravioli would be an adequate substitution.
SAUSAGE and CHEESE RAVIOLI SAUTE (4 servings)
2 Bartlett pears, 1 pear coarsely chopped, 1 pear coarsely grated
1/2 lb fresh asparagus spears, tough ends removed, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 links chicken (or pork) Italian sausage, mild or hot, your choice (6 oz), cut into bite-sized pieces
2 Tbsp canola oil
8 oz pre-sliced baby portabellas
1 cup white wine (or chicken stock)
1 package (8-9 oz) cheese-filled pasta with mushrooms
2 Tbsp herb garlic butter (or used regular butter with a bit of minced garlic)
4 oz crumbled gorgonzola cheese
1/4 tsp pepper
Preheat large saute pan on medium-high 2-3 minutes. Place oil in pan, then add sausage and mushrooms; cook 2-3 minutes or until mushrooms and sausage have browned slightly. Add chopped pear; cook 1 minute more.
Reduce heat on pan to medium. Stir in wine, grated pear, asparagus, and pasta; simmer 3-4 minutes or until pasta is tender and wine has reduced by two-thirds.
Remove pan from heat; stir in butter and cheese until well blended. Sprinkle with pepper and serve.
Recipe Source: www.publix.com/aprons
This salad just screams autumn! And with so much of what I love, arugula, butternut squash, pork cracklins (!), I knew I had to try it.
And I've always been fascinated by fennel, but have never had much luck with it. But in this recipe, you saute it which, for me, made a huge difference. It softens it but still leaves that subtle hint of anise. And pork cracklins for croutons......who'd a thunk it?!!! What a great idea! Actually, I don't think cracklins aren't quite right here, especially if you have "gentle" teeth. Cracklin's are quite hard and could chip or crack a tooth, while pork rinds are so much "fluffier." It's a personal preference. I like them both, but as a substitute for croutons, personally I lean toward the rinds.
WARM BUTTERNUT SQUASH SALAD with POMEGRANATE DRESSING (4 servings)
Salad:
2 Tbsp EVOO
1 medium red onion, roughly chopped
1 fennel bulb, roughly chopped
1 lb butternut squash, cubed into 1/2" pieces and cooked until fork-tender (I roast mine, place halved, seeded small squash meat-side down, with a bit of EVOO and water, cover with aluminum foil and roast at 450F....check at 30 minutes. If you can pierce the skin with a paring knife, it's ready. Or cook to your preference)
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 (5 oz) package baby arugula
1/2 pomegranate (seeds left whole)
1 (3 oz) bag pork cracklins or pork rinds, broken into small pieces
Dressing:
2 Tbsp EVOO
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp honey
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 pomegranate (juice & seeds)
Salad:
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the onion and the fennel and cook 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until fennel is to the tenderness you desire.
Add the cooked butternut squash, S&P, and saute, stirring occasionally, for another 6 minutes.
Remove the mixture from the heat and place into a medium-sized mixed bowl. Add 1/2 of the dressing, toss, and set aside.
Dressing:
Place all ingredients into a smaller blender or food processor and process until fully combined. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh colander, or a colander lined with cheesecloth. Store the dressing in the refrigerator until needed.
Assembly:
To assemble the salad, place the arugula in a large mixing bowl. Add 1/2 of the dressing and toss. Add the warm vegetables and toss again. Sprinkle the pomegranate seeds and pork cracklins/rinds over the salad and serve immediately.
Recipe Source: www.qvc.com search "David's Recipes"
