RSS Feed

Category Archives: Fruit

Feta Cheese Mousse and Summer Fruits

Posted on July 8, 2010 by amydeline

I shrieked at the grocery store. People were staring, a look of pity on their faces for the poor, crazy girl shrieking over produce. Or maybe their look was of concern for the two children in the crazy girl’s care. But I promise there was good cause for shrieking. Honest, there was.

You see, I had gone to the store to buy watermelon for today’s recipe. My grocery store likes to play a game with its customers by constantly rearranging the items in the produce section. I swear that if I walked from the produce section to frozen foods and back again, the apples would be someplace different. Anyway, I found the watermelon. Score one for me! And then I spotted the sign; the sign which read Fresh Figs. Fresh Figs!!!  My heart skipped a beat. My eyes went into overdrive scanning for the aforementioned fresh figs! They landed on their target and that’s when the shriek escaped from my mouth. First fresh figs of the season!

I told you there was a perfectly reasonable explanation for my reaction!

Figs make me think about Greece and a lovely dinner my husband and I enjoyed on the patio of a restaurant that sat on one edge of a huge town square. As we were preparing to pay the bill, the waiter brought over two glasses of ouzo, on the house. We were delighted. Moments later, the owner of the restaurant appeared, carrying a plate full of fresh figs and other fruits. It was the first time I’d ever tasted a fresh fig. The owner, whose English was excellent, chatted with us for a while. He then proceeded to plan our wedding, which was to take place the next morning at the church across the square, excitedly claiming that he knew the priest and could arrange everything for us. Just come back tomorrow morning and you get married, he instructed. We did not take him up on his offer to marry that next morning, though part of me wishes we did. But that was well before our marrying days. Good memories though, which make figs taste extra sweet to me.

Thankfully, fresh figs fit beautifully into my existing plan for today. I’ve been thinking a lot about cheese mousse since making the mixed berry mousse last week. I’d tentatively decided that I would make a goat cheese mousse this week. Well, after yesterday’s Farfalle with Spinach, Feta, and Pine Nuts, I’ve got a tub of leftover feta cheese in my fridge. So, Feta Cheese Mousse it is! My plan was to pipe the goat cheese mousse into cubes of fresh watermelon. We’ll still be doing that. But now we’ll also be piping the mousse onto fresh figs! Oh, glorious summer treat!

Serve these little snacks as a first course appetizer, an hors d’ oeuvres, or even as a lunch over some mixed greens!

Feta Cheese Mousse

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Feta Cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup Cream Cheese, softened
  • 3/4 cup Heavy Cream, divided

Directions

Whip 1/2 cup of the heavy cream until it begins to form firm peaks.* Set the whipped cream aside. Use a food processor, blender, or immersion blender to combine the feta, cream cheese, and 1/4 cup heavy cream until smooth.  Blend a bit of the whipped cream into the cheese mixture. This will lighten the mixture. Then, gently fold in the remaining cream. Do not over-mix or you will lose the fluffiness of whipped cream.

Refrigerate while you prepare the fruits.

*When whipping cream, it’s important to keep the cream and equipment cool. Place your whipping bowl and whisk in the freezer for a few minutes before beating the cream. Then, set the bowl in an ice bath as you beat the cream. The bowl with the whipped cream can stay in the ice bath while you blend the cheese.

To prepare the watermelon, cut the heart from the rind. Then, cut the watermelon into your desired shapes. Small cubes or tiles work well. You can also use a cookie cutter to create circle or star shaped tiles.

Use a melon baller to remove a portion of the cubes.

I’m sure you can find a use for the leftover watermelon scraps.

This is curious...

Satisfied Watermelon Face

Spoon the mousse into a pastry bag and pipe it onto your watermelon and figs. To create a makeshift pastry bag, cut off the corner of a ziploc bag. Insert your pastry tip. Fill the bag with the mousse and pipe it into your fruit. The mousse would also be delicious on vegetables, crackers, bread.

Ziploc Pastry Bag

Watermelon with Feta Cheese Mousse and Mint

Sweet Summer Treat

4 Comments

Posted in Appetizers, Cheese, Food, Fruit, Recipes and tagged , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Independence Day Berries and Cream – Mixed Berry Mousse and Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta

Posted on July 1, 2010 by amydeline

It occurred to me that if I waited until July 4 to share my Independence Day dessert with you, it wouldn’t do you very much good at all. Now, would it?? So, I’m going to share it with you today, just in case you’re in need of a festive dessert idea.

I love the idea of using fresh berries in an Independence Day dessert. Not only are they dressed in festive colors, but they are seasonally perfect. I wanted to come up with a way to use fresh red and blue berries in something simple, but elegant. After a little brainstorming, I decided that I’d make a strawberry mousse. I’d decorate it with fresh whipped cream, blueberries, and a mint leaf or two. Red, white, and blue; pretty, festive, fresh, and delicious.

Now, I’ve never actually made a berry mousse before. I’ve made chocolate, cheese, and salmon mousses, but never berry. So, I did what I normally do when I’m about to do anything unfamiliar and I scoured the internet for information. What in the world did we do before the internet?? I must have read a dozen articles, a hundred recipes and a thousand recipe reviews, trying to discern the best approach and the right ingredients for my perfect berry mousse. I was a little disappointed by the number of recipes calling for egg whites and gelatin. Frankly, I just didn’t want to put eggs or gelatin in my mousse. But, their inclusion in these recipes is not accidental or frivolous. The berry puree just isn’t dense enough to hold up in a mousse on its own. The gelatin thickens the puree and lends stability to the mousse. Ok, that makes sense. So what about the eggs? From what I can discern, the purpose of the egg whites, which are whipped into a meringue of sorts and then blended with the puree, is to incorporate air bubbles, which give the mousse its fluffy, foamy texture. That also makes sense. But since the whipped cream serves the very same purpose, I took a gamble that I could skip the egg whites, which turned out to be true.

Here’s where it gets fun… Somewhere in all of this mousse research, I ran across a recipe for panna cotta. Panna cotta is basically sweetened cream, thickened with unflavored gelatin. Hmmmm…. Berries and Cream!  Now, that’s an idea! So, I decided to add a layer of vanilla bean panna cotta to my berry mousse. All I can say is WOW!  The creamy panna cotta, accented with specks of fresh vanilla bean, was the perfect complement to the sweet, fluffy berry mousse. This panna cotta would even be lovely on its own or with a just drizzle of strawberry syrup and a few fresh berries!

You have a few options for serving this dessert. It can be served in clear serving glasses (clear plastic cups would be fine). Or, it can be set in molds and unmolded before serving. Both presentations are lovely. A benefit of the serving glass presentation is that you don’t have to worry about removing them neatly from their molds. Plus, you won’t have to wonder whether the mousse and panna cotta are firm enough to hold their shape. I actually made the mousse twice, because the first version was barely firm enough to hold its shape once I removed the mold.  The addition of a bit more gelatin solved that problem and produced a mousse that was light and fluffy, but firm enough to hold the mold. Either way, save a few berries for garnish. A little dollop of fresh whipped cream and a mint leaf would make the perfect finishing touches!

The following recipes will produce a mousse and panna cotta that’s firm enough to hold a mold. If you are serving in glasses, you can slightly reduce the gelatin, if desired. The entire recipe can be made a day ahead of time and refrigerated.

Mixed Berry Mousse

Ingredients

  • 3 cups fresh Mixed Berries (Strawberries, Raspberries, Blueberries…)
  • 1/4 cup Sugar
  • 1 cup Heavy Cream
  • 1/2 cup Orange Juice
  • 1 packet Knox Unflavored Gelatin (about 2 3/4 tsp)

Directions

In a small saucepan, add the orange juice. Sprinkle the gelatin onto the liquid and let it sit while you prepare the puree and whipped cream. (Do not heat the mixture at this time. Allowing the gelatin to bloom in the cool liquid for a few minutes helps to ensure a smooth result.)

With a blender, food processor, or immersion blender, puree the berries with the sugar until smooth. If desired, strain the berry puree to remove the seeds. Set aside.

Prepare the whipped cream by pouring 1 cup Heavy Cream into a bowl and whipping with a whisk until it is fluffy and just begins to hold a firm peak. Be careful not to whip it into a butter. If desired, you can use an electric mixer to whip the cream. Set aside.

Whipped Cream Tip – Place your metal bowl and the whisk in the freezer for a few minutes prior to beating the cream. Place the metal bowl over an ice water bath while you whisk.

Over medium-low heat, bring the orange juice-gelatin mixture to a simmer. Simmer and stir for a minute or two until the gelatin is completely dissolved.

Add the orange juice-gelatin mixture to the fruit puree. Stir to combine.

Add about 1/4 of the whipped cream mixture to the fruit puree. Fold it into the puree until it is well combined. This step will help to lighten the puree for the addition of the remaining whipped cream.

Add the remaining whipped cream and fold it in until blended. Do not over-mix the puree and the whipped cream. The key is to keep the mixture light and fluffy.  Over-mixing will result in losing the air bubbles which make the mousse fluffy.

Once blended, pour or spoon the mousse into your serving cups or molds. If using molds, spray the inside with a bit of cooking spray before filling with mousse. This will make it easier to remove the molded mousse. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until set.

Once the mousse is mostly set, you can begin making the panna cotta.

Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cup Heavy Cream
  • 1/4 cup Milk
  • 1  1/4 tsp Unflavored Gelatin
  • 1/4 cup Sugar
  • 1 Vanilla Bean

Directions

Sprinkle the gelatin on the milk and allow it to sit.

In a sauce pan, combine the cream and sugar. Slit the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Use a paring knife to scrape out the seeds. Place the seeds and bean in the cream. Over low heat, slowly bring the cream to a gentle simmer, while whisking to dissolve sugar.

Add the milk with gelatin to the simmering cream. Whisk to combine. Continue to simmer for a few minutes until the gelatin has completely dissolved.

Place a bowl in an ice water bath. Pour the hot cream through a fine strainer or sieve into the bowl to remove any chunks of undissolved gelatin. Whisk the cream for a minute or two. Then, remove the bowl from the ice bath and set aside until completely cool.

Once cool, spoon a layer of panna cotta on top of the berry mousse in your molds or serving glasses. Refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.

(Makes about 6-8 individual desserts)

A few tips for removing the mousse and panna cotta from a mold:

  • Wet the tip of a knife under warm water and run it along the edges to loosen it.
  • Sit the mold in a warm water bath for a minute or so before removing.
  • Place your serving plate on top of the mold. Then turn it upside down and give the mold a firm whack.

2 Comments

Posted in Desserts, Food, Fruit, Recipes and tagged , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Chilled Avocado Soup and Crab Cake with Chipotle Remoulade

Posted on June 21, 2010 by amydeline

Tonight’s meal was initially intended to be two separate meals.

Meal #1: Chilled Avocado Soup
Meal #2: Crab Cake Sandwiches with Chipotle Remoulade

Then, it occurred to me how marvelously the two would go together, like peas and carrots. You see, avocados and crab love, love, love each other! If it were socially acceptable for a fruit to marry a crustacean, the two would run away together and make millions of adorable baby crabocados. Until that day, we’ll just have to settle for joining them in perfect culinary union. With that in mind, tonight we’re making Chilled Avocado Soup decked with a Crabcake and dressed with Chipotle Remoulade.

We’ve really got three separate recipes going on here. And, they’re kind of like those items in your wardrobe that you can mix and match with other outfits in all sorts of ways. Make these recipes together, as I’m doing tonight, or use them in other ways. The crab cakes are fantastic as a sandwich or on their own, served on a bed of slaw. They’re wonderful full-sized or make perfect bite-sized hors d’ oeuvres. Serve them alongside a filet mignon with bernaise sauce for a really special dinner. The remoulade, a seasoned mayonnaise-based sauce, is great on seafood, but would also be delicious with chicken or roast beef. It also makes a great sandwich spread. Even I, the despiser of mayonnaise, enjoy this remoulade. The chilled avocado soup can stand alone (with a little dollop of creme fraiche) or top it with grilled shrimp, lobster, or broiled sea bass. Your options are truly unlimited.

Chilled Avocado Soup

  • 2 Ripe Avocados, skin and seed removed
  • 3/4 cup Chicken Stock (plus more, if desired)*
  • 1/2 cup Creme Fraiche (or sour cream)
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp Lime Juice
  • 1/4 cup Parsley Leaves or Cilantro
  • 1/2 Tbsp Garlic, minced
  • 1/4 tsp Salt (plus more, if desired)
  • Pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 Jalapeno Pepper, chopped fine (optional)*

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Taste. Add additional salt and pepper, if desired. Add additional broth to make the soup thinner, if desired. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled.

*Use vegetable broth for a vegetarian soup.

* To add some spice without compromising the bright green color, add jalapeno pepper.  I did not have a jalapeno on hand when I make this soup today, but my guess is that 1/2 jalapeno should be about right.

Broiled Jumbo Lump Crab Cake

  • 1 pound Jumbo Lump Crab Meat, cooked*
  • 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs (or regular bread crumbs or cracker crumbs)
  • 1 Egg, beaten
  • 2 Tbsp Mayonnaise
  • 2 tsp Old Bay or Creole Seasoning
  • 1 tsp Mustard
  • 1 tsp Garlic, minced

*You can steam and pick your own crabs, if you want. But, I always buy steamed jumbo lump crab meat, that’s been hand-picked and packaged. It’s a time-saving and mess-saving option, which in my opinion, makes very little difference in the quality of the final product.

Preheat broiler. Combine all ingredients, except the crab meat, in a bowl. Mix until well blended. Gently fold the crab meat into the other ingredients, taking care not to break up the chunks too much. Use your hands to form four equal sized balls of the crab mixture. Place the balls on a baking sheet and gently flatten into thick patties. Place under the broiler and cook for about 10 minutes until completely heated through.

Chipotle Remoulade

  • 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
  • 1 Chipotle Pepper (from can of chipotles in adobo)
  • 1 Tbsp Capers
  • 1 Tbsp Chopped Pickle
  • 1 Anchovy fillet*
  • 1 tsp Mustard

*Run your fingers along the anchovy, as you rinse it under running water to check for and remove any larger bones. If you choose to omit the anchovie, you may want to add a dash of salt to the sauce.

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor.  Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings, if desired. Refrigerate until ready to use.

To compose the dish:

Ladle some soup into a shallow bowl. (You don’t want the crabcake to drown in the soup, so don’t fill the bowl too deep.) Place the cooked crabcake in the center of the soup. Drizzle chipotle remoulade over the crab cake.

A little trick for drizzling the remoulade over your crab cake – Spoon some of the sauce into a small sandwich bag or ziploc. Use a pair of scissors to cut off a tiny bit of one corner.  Squeeze the sauce through the hole onto your crabcake.

Crab Cakes and Avocado. What The Gourmand Mom has joined together, let no one put asunder.

3 Comments

Posted in Dressings and Condiments, Food, Fruit, Main Course, Recipes, Sauces, Seafood and tagged , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Father’s Day Breakfast in Bed: Strawberry Stuffed French Toast and Bacon

Posted on June 20, 2010 by amydeline

Are there ways of knowing whether a man will make a good father? Some sort of definitive predictors? Perhaps a checklist or a DNA test? If there were such a thing, what characteristics would they test for? What factors determine whether a man will become a great father?

My husband and I met in college. We certainly weren’t thinking of kids at the time. We were just kids ourselves. Some of our earliest memories involve pitching hot dogs out of his dorm room window to watch them explode. Our attraction had more to do with each other’s beer pong skills than it did with future parenting abilities. Could I have known at the time that he would someday make at great dad? At what point in our relationship did it start mattering? Could I have been certain, even as we said our wedding vows, that he’d be as excellent a father as he was a husband?

I’m not sure it’s possible to be absolutely positive that someone will make a good dad before they actually are one. Parenthood is such a life-changing experience.  It requires more of you than you’ve ever given; parts of you that you may not have known were there. Fourteen years ago, I couldn’t have known whether my husband would make a good father. But over the years, we got to know and love each other. We grew and matured together. And, in the way that he treated me, I came to know a good man; a selfless, considerate, gentle, and kind man.

So, I suspected. In fact, I would have bet money on it. But, it wasn’t until I saw the look on his face, in the moment our first son was born, that I knew for sure. He was a father and a dad all at once, in that instant. And, as I recovered from the birth and a debilitating spinal headache, he cared for our newborn baby with apparent ease. When I was nervous and uncertain, he was a natural; calm and confident. And, since those very first moments in the hospital, he has been a loving, selfless, and devoted father to our boys. The good man, who has loved me for all of these years, turned out to be the most wonderful father.

Did I luck out or were there clues in those early days? Probably a little bit of both. Come to think of it, it probably won’t be too long before he’s hanging out the window with our kids, throwing hot dogs onto the pavement, as they all laugh along. I’ll probably join in.

So, this morning we celebrated my husband, the wonderful father, with breakfast in bed. If I were cooking for my own amazing father this morning, there’d be corned beef hash, an egg over-easy, and well-done rye toast on the menu; a man after my own heart or more likely, I after his! (Love you, Daddy!!) But, my husband’s more of a strawberry-stuffed french toast kind of guy with applewood-smoked bacon on the side.

Strawberry Stuffed French Toast

Ingredients

  • 8 slices Challah Bread
  • 1 package Cream Cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup Sugar
  • 8-10 Strawberries, sliced
  • 4 Eggs
  • 1/4 cup Cream
  • 1/8 tsp Salt
  • 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • Butter, for pan
  • Powdered Sugar, for garnish
  • Maple Syrup

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place a baking sheet in the oven. In a bowl, beat together cream cheese and sugar. Spread the cream cheese mixture onto each slice of bread. Place sliced strawberries on four of the slices.  Use the other four slices of bread to create cream cheese-strawberry sandwiches. In a small baking dish, beat together eggs, cream, salt, vanilla, and cinnamon.  In a pan, heat a little butter. One at a time, dip each sandwich into the egg mixture, so that it lightly coats both pieces of bread. Cook in the pan, flipping once until both sides are lightly browned.  Then, place it on the baking sheet in the oven.  Repeat until each sandwich has been cooked.  Allow the sandwiches to cook for 5-10 minutes in the oven to ensure that they are fully cooked.  The cream cheese will be melty and the strawberries slightly softened. Cut each sandwich into two pieces and sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with maple syrup.

Serves 4

Happy Father’s Day to my husband, my Daddy, and all of the wonderful fathers out there!

2 Comments

Posted in Breakfast, Food, Fruit, Main Course, Recipes and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Shrimp and Asparagus in a Lemony Basil Alfredo Sauce over Fettucine

Posted on June 16, 2010 by amydeline

Something about the warm weather makes me crave seafood. This is the only time of the year when I think I’d have any chance of making it as a vegetarian, or more accurately a pesceterian. Though, I’d definitely end up missing burgers and grilled steaks and bacon and… Oh, nevermind!  I’d make a terrible vegetarian. But, I do love seafood in the summer! It’s fresh and light and tastes great with summery lemons. With that in mind, I offer you Shrimp and Asparagus in a Lemony Basil Alfredo Sauce over Fettucine.

The sauce is a basic creamy alfredo sauce, with the addition of basil and a little lemon juice and zest. Lemon zest is the bright outer peel of the lemon (not including the bitter, white pith). It is full of concentrated lemon flavor. You can skip the zest, but it really deepens the lemony flavor and looks lovely in the sauce. So, I definitely recommend it. To zest your lemon, thoroughly wash it and then use a zester to remove the thin outer layer of the peel.  If you don’t have a zester, you can use a vegetable peeler or paring knife to carefully remove the outer peel. Then, cut the peel into small strips.

Shrimp and Asparagus in a Lemony Basil Alfredo Sauce over Fettucine

Ingredients

  • 1 pound Shrimp, deveined and peeled
  • 1 small bunch of Asparagus
  • 1 box Fettucine pasta

For the sauce:

  • 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 2-3 Tbsp water
  • 1 Shallot, diced**
  • 5-7 Basil Leaves, chopped**
  • 1 Lemon, zest and juice
  • 1 1/2 cups Light Cream
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
  • Salt and Pepper

** Chop the shallot the same way you would chop a small onion. Click on the Photo Guides tab to view step-by-step photos of how to chop an onion and how to chiffonade basil leaves.

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the fettucine, al dente, according to the package directions.

Steam asparagus, chop into small pieces, and set aside.

In a large saute pan, heat 1-2 Tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Add shrimp to the pan and cook about 5 minutes until they are completely cooked through.  They will be pink and opaque. Remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside.

Add a small amount of water to the pan, over medium heat, and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits of shrimp stuck to the pan. Continue scraping the bottom of the pan until the bits are loosened and water has mostly evaporated. **See note below.**

Then, add about a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan.  Add the chopped shallot and cook until slightly softened, about 3-4 minutes.

Add the cream and the zest.  Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring constantly.

Add the cheese, basil, and  the juice from 1/2 the lemon (about a Tbsp) to the sauce. Stir to combine.

Continue simmering for a few minutes until the sauce begins to thicken. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a bit more cream or milk to thin it out.

Season with salt and pepper. Taste and add a bit more lemon juice, if desired.

Add shrimp and asparagus to the sauce for a few seconds to reheat.  Toss the fettucine in the sauce.

(Serves 4)

** This step is called deglazing. Those little caramelized bits in the pan are called sucs. There’s some yummy flavor in those sucs, as long as you don’t burn them. The cool water will sizzle in the hot pan and help loosen the sucs while you scrape them up. This step will prevent the bits from burning on the bottom, while preserving the shrimpy flavor for the sauce. A bit of stock or white wine would work well for this step too, but water is just fine. If the sucs burn, clean out the pan before cooking the shallot.

5 Comments

Posted in Culinary Techniques, Food, Fruit, Main Course, Recipes, Seafood, Vegetable and tagged , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

How to Slice an Avocado

Posted on June 15, 2010 by amydeline

Avocados are are in the middle of their peak season right now. Amongst other uses, they are wonderful in salads, guacamole, sandwiches or smoothies. I added a little avocado to my Caprese salad today and next week, I’ll be making a chilled avocado soup. Now is the time to enjoy this delicious and nutritious fruit!

In case you were wondering the easiest way to get to that avocado-y goodness, here’s a little photo guide…

Using a sharp knife, cut the avocado in half lengthwise all the way around the pit.

Gently twist the halves to separate.

Carefully give the seed a whack with a sharp knife, so that the knife sticks in the seed.

Holding the knife in one hand and the avocado in the other, give a little twist to loosen and remove the seed.

Use your fingers to gently loosen the avocado from its skin.

Lie the avocado on its flat side and slice or dice it!

12 Comments

Posted in Culinary Techniques, Food, Fruit and tagged , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese and Almonds

Posted on June 14, 2010 by amydeline

Dear Yesterday’s Strawberries,

I feel compelled to offer you the sincerest of apologizes for my actions.  In choosing to engulf you in a layer of sugary gelatin, I disrespected your fresh-picked strawberry goodness. It was a mistake. You’re good enough.  You’re sweet enough. And, doggone it, people like you. I’m going to make it up to you! Today, I will enjoy your brethren in all their unadulterated natural goodness in a salad of fresh spinach and strawberries, adorned with goat cheese and almonds, and dressed in a strawberry balsamic vinaigrette. It’s the least I can do!

Sincerely,

The Gourmand Mom


Strawberry Spinach Salad

Ingredients

For the salad:

  • Baby Spinach, washed
  • Strawberries, quartered or sliced
  • Goat Cheese
  • Almonds, sliced

For the Strawberry-Balsamic Vinaigrette:

  • 1/8 cup Balsamic Vinegar
  • 1/4 cup Olive Oil
  • 3 ripe Strawberries
  • 1/2 Tbsp Honey
  • 1/8 tsp Cinnamon
  • Salt

Directions

In a blender or food processor, combine oil, vinegar, strawberries, cinnamon and honey. Blend until well combined. Season with a sprinkle of salt. To compose the salad, toss the spinach with a small amount of dressing. Top with strawberries, crumbled goat cheese, and almonds.

Make it a meal by adding a sliced chicken breast! I seasoned my chicken with a little salt and pepper. Then, I placed it in a baking dish, poured a bit of balsamic over it and baked in a 375 degrees oven. Perfect with the salad! Light, refreshing, and incredibly satisfying!

This is how to use fresh-picked strawberries!!

3 Comments

Posted in Cheese, Dressings and Condiments, Food, Fruit, Recipes, Salads, Vegetable and tagged , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Strawberry Pretzel Squares

Posted on June 13, 2010 by amydeline

I resisted making this recipe. I really did. As a general rule, I tend to avoid recipes whose ingredient list specifies particular branded food products, like Jell-O and Cool Whip. (I prefer to cook with food, as compared to food-products.) But, everywhere I looked today, this strawberry pretzel recipe was staring me in the face. Apparently, some version or another of this recipe has been around forever, though I’m just hearing about it now. Paula Deen even has a version she calls a Strawberry Pretzel Salad. I started to figure that all of these people must be on to something. I do love a good sweet and salty flavor match. Plus, it called for a ton of fresh strawberries, which I’ve got in spades. So, I decided I’d give it a try. And, you know what?? There’s a reason everyone seems to love this recipe so much. It’s really, very tasty! And, the pretzel crust is genius!

In the future, I’d try substituting fresh whipped cream for the Cool Whip and I’d probably skip the jello in lieu of simply scattering the berries on top of the cream cheese layer. Either way, it’s a fun summery treat!

Strawberry Pretzel Squares

Ingredients

For the crust:

  • 2 cups finely-crushed Pretzels
  • 3/4 cup Butter (a stick and a half), melted
  • 1/4 cup Sugar

For the cream cheese filling:

  • 1 1/2 packages of Cream Cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup Sugar
  • 2 Tbsp Milk
  • 1 cup Cool Whip

For the jello layer:

  • 2 (3 oz) packages of Strawberry flavored Jell-O
  • 1 1/2 cup Boiling Water
  • 1/2 cup Cold Water
  • 4 cups Strawberries, sliced

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine pretzel crumbs, sugar, and melted butter in a bowl. Press into the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Bake for about 10 minutes. Allow to cool.

Meanwhile, beat the softened cream cheese with milk and sugar until well blended. Stir in the Cool Whip. Spread the mixture evenly over the pretzel crust. Refrigerate.

Empty jello packets into a bowl.  Pour boiling water over the jello and stir until completely dissolved.  Add cold water and stir. Refrigerate in the bowl, for about an hour, until jello just begins to set. Stir in sliced strawberries. Spread the jello mixture over the cream cheese layer.

Refrigerate for another 3 hours or until firm.

Slightly adapted from the Kraft Foods recipe found here.


1 Comment

Posted in Desserts, Food, Fruit, Recipes and tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Chicken Salad Sandwich – Waldorf Style

Posted on June 11, 2010 by amydeline

I’ve got something quick, easy, and incredibly satisfying for you today. A chicken salad twist on a classic Waldorf Salad…tender chicken, chunks of crisp celery, juicy grapes, sweet bits of apple, and crunchy walnuts blended together with a little mayo and a touch of mustard. It’s like a party in your mouth!

Waldorf Chicken Salad

Ingredients

  • 1 pound of chicken tenderloins (or chicken breasts)
  • 1 cup Red Seedless Grapes, halved or quartered
  • 1/2 cup Celery, sliced thin
  • 1/2 cup Walnuts, chopped
  • 1/2 cup Dried Apple, chopped
  • 1/3 cup Mayonnaise
  • 1/8 cup Mustard
  • Salt and Pepper

Directions

Place chicken tenderloins on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cook in a 375 degrees oven for about 15-20 minutes, until cooked through. (You can also use chicken breasts for this recipe, but they will probably need to cook longer, depending on size.) Allow chicken to cool. Then, cut or pull the chicken into small pieces.  Combine chicken with the mayo and mustard. Stir to combine. Add walnuts, grapes, apples, and celery. Mix until well combine.  Taste and then add salt and pepper to season.

**Adjust quantities of any ingredient, as desired.

**You can use fresh apples instead of dried apples. Just toss chopped apples in a bit of lemon juice to prevent browning.

Serve on your favorite bread or roll.

3 Comments

Posted in Food, Fruit, Main Course, Poultry, Recipes, Sandwiches and tagged , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Farmer’s Market Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp

Posted on June 10, 2010 by amydeline

Let your three year old hold the reins at the farmer’s market and you’ll end up with an extra handful of strawberries and a big bunch of rhubarb. Though, not exactly the heirloom tomatoes and basil I was planning to purchase, the strawberries and rhubarb are both seasonally and flavorfully perfect.  The kid knows what he’s doing.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp with Walnut Streusel Topping

Ingredients

For the Strawberry Rhubarb Mixture:

  • 4 cups of Rhubarb, stalks only, chopped into half-inch pieces
  • 4 cups of Strawberries, halved or quartered
  • 1 cup Sugar
  • 2 Tbsp Cornstarch
  • 2 tsp Cinnamon

For the Streusel:

  • 1 stick of Butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 cup Flour
  • 2/3 cup Light Brown Sugar
  • 1 cup Chopped Walnuts
  • 2 tsp Cinnamon

Directions

For the Strawberry-Rhubarb Mixture – Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly butter a 9 x 13 baking dish. Combine strawberries, chopped rhubarb, sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon in a bowl. Pour into the buttered baking dish.

For the Streusel – Combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and chopped walnuts in a bowl. Pour the butter over the mixture.  Stir to combine.  The mixture should be crumbly.

Sprinkle the streusel topping over the strawberry-rhubarb mixture. (I used a 9 inch round baking dish and had a bit of extra streusel, but it should be just the right amount for a 9 x 13 baking dish.) Bake in a 375 degrees oven for 40-45 minutes, until hot and bubbly.

Warm Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp with Vanilla Ice Cream

Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Delicious! I wonder what my three year old will come up with next week!

Leave a comment

Posted in Cooking with Kids, Desserts, Food, Fruit, Recipes and tagged , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.
← Older Posts
Newer Posts →
Look, Feel, Live Beautiful

Beauty Awaits

The Gourmand Mom

Good food, seasoned with a dash of life