Asian Broccoli Slaw (Thanks Sherri M.!)

Sometimes you come across a really great recipe by luck and possibly a little boredom.  I know it’s happened to all of us before.  Either chatting on the phone (anyone do this anymore?), IMing, texting etc. and the other person mentions what they are making or eating.  And you hear it and you just HAVE to have it!
This happened to me a couple of weekends ago when one of my friends text me that she was making broccoli slaw and then she sent me a picture.  I had to have some…luckily she lives in the neighborhood and brought me some.  But sadly I had to share with the kids but it inspired me to make some more…the very next day!
Now, I don’t ever use Ramen Noodles (the really cheap packs you get and add hot water to) and to be honest I have never even tasted them but we have a case of them in our Hurricane Supply kit and I decided that this could put them to very good use!

Asian Broccoli Slaw (Sherri’s Mom got it from the Pastor’s wife)

Salad Ingredients
2 bags of broccoli slaw
6 green spring onions (chopped)
1/4 – 1/2 cup red peppers (chopped)
1/2 cup craisins
1/2 cup roasted and salted sunflower seeds (I loved the salty sweet thing so I added extra)
2 pkg chicken flavor Ramen Noodle (just the noodle part) crumbled up and placed on top just before serving

Dressing Ingredients
1/2 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp honey
2 seasoning packets from the Ramen Noodles above
couple of dashes of hot garlic sauce just to taste

Directions

• In a large bowl mix all of the salad ingredients but the noodles (they will be used to sprinkle on top.
• In a small bowl combine all of the ingredients for the dressing.
• Toss the salad with the dressing and chill for a couple of hours before serving. 
• Don't cook the noodles, leave them crunchy.  Break them up and top the salad with them just before you serve the salad.

**We love this salad and yes, it will feed a crowd or 4 people who eat it at every meal when it’s there for a day or so.

Baked Fish Sandwiches with Modern Coleslaw

Hi!!!  *waving*  Do you remember me?  Well I’m back with a whole bunch of recipes to be posted and some fun stuff about the all the cool things I have been doing.  I need to pace myself though.  It’s been a while and I need to inch back in slowly…
To start I am giving you a recipe that has become one of our favorites.  So much so that in the past 2 weeks I have made it 2 time with different fish just to see how I liked it!  This recipe can also be made in about 30 minutes making it a real winner in my books!!!
My sister first made this for me when I was up in Toronto mid April for the girls Spring Break.  She got it from the LCBO Food & Drink Magazine.  Unfortunately we don’t get the magazine here in the US but we can get the recipes online.

Baked Fish Sandwiches with Modern Coleslaw (adapted from LCBO Food & Drink Winter 2011)
Serves 4
1 lb haddock or red snapper fillets, cut into 3- to 4-inch pieces (I used the frozen cod and tilapia from Costco and just used 4 pieces thawed.)
½ cup flour seasoned with salt and pepper
1 large egg beaten with salt and pepper
½ cup dry plain bread crumbs
1/2 cup panko
1 Tbsp chopped parsley
preheat oven to 425F

1.  Pat fish dry with paper towels. Dip fish in seasoned flour, shake off excess and dip fish in egg. Mix bread crumbs and parsley on a plate and coat fish. Reserve.

2.  Place fish on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake in oven until golden brown.  This should be about 10-20 minutes (I know that’s a huge range there but it will al depend on how thick you fish is).
3.  Serve the fish in a soft roll (I used the sandwich thins) with tartar sauce and modern coleslaw (recipe below) right on the roll.
Modern Coleslaw (adapted from LCBO Food & Drink Winter 2011)
2 cups slivered napa cabbage (I used regular cabbage)
1 cup julienned English cucumber (regular cucumber – English Cuke is about $2.50 here!!!)
1/2 cup slivered red onion
2 tbsp slivered basil (I used 1 tsp dried basil leaves) 
2 tbsp rice vinegar (I used seasoned rice vinegar) 
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Combine cabbage, cucumber, onion and basil in a large bowl. Sprinkle with rice vinegar and olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve on top of fish sandwich.

Malaysian Shrimp Salad

It’s hot here.  Very, very hot here.  Yes, I know that I live in SW Florida and that the summers are really hot but this is hot even by Floridian standards.  Every single day the heat index is up over 105F and that just makes it really challenging when trying to do anything other than lounge in a pool all day!  Gotta give my oldest credit though!  She is still riding and racing BMX even in all this heat…

When I saw this salad on the Weight Watcher site I knew I had to make it.  Minimal heat being used and if you use precooked shrimp no heat being used at all.  Perfect summer food for me!!!  I would have used the fresh mangoes from my Mango tree but unfortunately my dog and possums got all of them faster than I could…

Malaysian Shrimp Salad

Ingredients:

1 pound(s) cooked and chilled shrimp, peeled, coarsely chopped (about 2 cups)  
1 cup(s) mango(es), diced
1 cup(s) cucumber(s), diced 
2 Tbsp mint leaves, fresh, minced 
1 tsp green hot chili pepper(s), serrano-variety, minced (or to taste) I used a jalapeno
1 Tbsp olive oil, extra-virgin
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice 
2 tsp lime zest 
1/2 tsp kosher salt 
1/2 tsp sugar   

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine shrimp, mango, cucumber, mint and pepper.

In another bowl, whisk together oil, lime juice and zest, salt and sugar; toss with shrimp mixture. Yields about 1 cup shrimp salad per serving.

**I thought this was delicious but maybe a little flat tasting…maybe more salt? 

***WW points is 4 based on a 1 cup serving

Homemade Caesar Salad

I am a huge fan of Caesar Salads.  When hubby had a restaurant I think that I lived on the Caesar salad that was topped with blackened shrimp.  Since the restaurant has gone I have desperately been in search of a Caesar Salad fix.  This has been going on for about 8 years…:(

Then the other night we were watching TV and there seemed to be nothing on.  Turned on the Food Network and started watching “The Best Thing I Ever Ate” and Alex was talking about her favorite Caesar Salad from a Steakhouse somewhere.  Can’t really remember all the details because I was totally and one hundred percent lost once I saw the tableside Caesar being made.  At that moment I just knew it had been way too long since I had had a perfect Caesar.

 

Homemade Caesar Salad

Ingredients:

1/2 head of chopped romaine lettuce
1 egg yolk (the egg is raw, I like to use cage free, hormone free and antibiotic free eggs when I am eating them raw)
ground pepper to taste
1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
2 tsp chopped anchovy
2 tsp garlic, minced
1/2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
1-1/2 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

Directions:

1. Clean lettuce thoroughly and dry in a salad spinner or in towels. Refrigerate until crisp, at least 1 hour or more.
2. In a jar combine egg yolk, pepper, mustard, anchovy, garlic, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and 2 Tbsp of the Parmesan cheese. Whisk until well blended.
3. To assemble, place torn lettuce leaves in a large bowl. Pour dressing over the top and toss until well coated. Add the remaining Parmesan cheese.  Serve immediately!

This Caesar Salad was perfect.  Lots of garlic and lemon.  Just the way I like it!  Hubby loves his with some bacon added in.  Tailor this to your taste but definitely try it!

And here is the real kicker…this is only 5 WW Points!!!!

Cooking at the track…

Most of you know by now that my oldest daughter, Kyra races BMX.  She has only been doing this since last May but is really loving it and doing really well.  It’s a tough sport but she seems to just be thriving in the environment.  She is a strong, smart and very tough little girl and we are incredibly proud!

Anyway this past weekend we were at a Qualifier for the State races over at Okeeheelee BMX in West Palm, just over on the other coast.  It was a 2 day race with some festivities starting on Friday.  Seeing as I would really rather spend the night in my own bed then any other bed anywhere we decided that we would stay at home on Friday and get a real early start on Sat.  Early start we did and we made it to the track with plenty of time for Kyra to get some practice laps in and then onto the races. 

The races on Sat. were great but the mains were delayed by over 2 hours by the coldest, ickiest, nastiest rain ever.  We used the delay time to get checked into our hotel.  Made it back and continued on racing into the night.  On the first day Kyra placed 3rd, 2nd and 3rd in the semis.  In her main she placed 7th.  Not the finish she was hoping for but a great finish nonetheless…

Sunday we woke up bright and early to do it all over again.  Sunday though the weather was beautiful.  Cool and sunny.  Kyra placed 3rd in all her motos and 7th in her main.  Perfect racing weather!!!

Instead of buying food at the track for all the days there we had decided with our racing buddies to get together and pack up a meal, burgers, hot dogs, and salad.

So now onto the food…

Tomato Basil Salad (adapted from The Church Cook)

This is the perfect salad for a picnic, pot luck or any time you need to make something ahead of time.  The dressing can be made ahead and the salad all prepped just add the dressing and the parmesan about 5 minutes before serving and toss well…

2 chopped seeded plum tomatoes
1 cup (packed) coarsely chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup olive oil, extra-virgin

Romaine lettuce, chopped
Grape Tomatoes
Red Peppers, sliced 
Red Onions, sliced thin
Grated Parmesan
or any other garnishes

Blend first 7 ingredients and 1/2 cup oil in processor or blender. With machine running, add remaining 1/2 cup oil; process until well blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before using.

Toss the salad 5-10 minutes before serving.

Had to improvise with the cheese for the burgers (used cheese sticks), but check it out…we even had bacon!!!  Cindy was a pro with her marine grill!!!

Great time had by all.  Thanks Chris, Amy, Cindy and Scott for the great company!!!  And the kids totally rocked…

Orange-Cilantro Black Bean Salad

My Mom sent me an email today reminding me that I had not posted since last week some time…funny Mom! One of my problems is we are so busy that by the time I get to sit and eat I am so hungry and it is pitch black out. I have lights but am not satisfied with the pictures when I use them. Also my meals have been somewhat less than inspiring. Mostly based on what I have on hand and that hasn't really been anything fancy. But today I was flipping through sites and came across this recipe from Weight Watchers. It sounded wonderful and…I had everything on hand!!!

Orange-Cilantro Black Bean Salad (Weight Watchers Online)

Ingredients:

1/2 tsp olive oil
1/2 medium red onion(s), cut into thin wedges
2 medium garlic clove(s), finely chopped
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 cup(s) canned black beans, rinsed and drained
2 Tbsp cilantro, fresh, chopped
2 tsp red wine vinegar
2 medium orange(s), peeled, segmented
1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste

Directions:

In a large skillet, warm oil over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 2 minutes. Add garlic and cumin; cook 1 minute more.

Stir in black beans and cook just until heated through. Transfer bean mixture to a medium-size bowl and stir in cilantro, vinegar and oranges. Season to taste and serve. Yields about 3/4 cup per serving.

***If you are counting points this is described as being 4 servings at 3/4 cup each. They give it 1 weight watchers point. Not bad for a filling lunch!

Mediterranean Orzo Salad

A couple of months ago my sister (I miss you and can’t wait to see you!!!) emailed me a recipe that she had had at a dinner party.  She went on and on about this salad.  Saying it was her new favorite salad and how I HAD to make it right then.  Well, me being me, a couple of months passed and I finally got around to making it.  Guess what?  It was good!  Really, really good!

I did have to change it around and add some different things to it but essentially it is the same.

I will be making this one again and again!!!

Mediterranean Orzo Salad – adapted from the July 09 print issue of House & Home (my changes in italics)

Ingredients:

1 lb. orzo pasta
1 small zucchini, cubed ( I threw it in the pasta water to cook in the last 2 minutes of cooking the orzo)
1/2 of a red pepper, chopped
1 cup black olives, pick your favorite, coarsely chopped
8 oil-packed sundried tomatoes, finely chopped 
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (I used about 1/4 cup more for flavor)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (you could use white)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
5 oz. goat cheese, crumbled (I used feta because that’s what I had)
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

Directions:

1. Cook orzo in a large pot of boiling salted water for about 7 minutes or until just tender.  Drain and rinse with cold water until completely cooled.  Drain again.

2. Combine lives, sundried tomatoes, olive oil, vinegar, slat and pepper in a large bowl.  Add cooked orzo and stir well.  Stir in goat cheese and basil just before serving.

As Always…

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

Using up some leftover corn…

Last week was a crazy week for me. My Mom was here and that was so incredibly, super awesome! But sadly she is gone now and we were so busy that the week passed in a huge blur! Please Mom, figure out the dog and come and stay with me!!!

Anyway, we ate last week and we ate really well but I was always flying out the door to some event or thing that I never really got any pictures. This week all that is going to change. It’s only Tuesday and already I have made something that is blog worthy from dinner last night!!!

We had some corn on the cob leftover from my youngest daughter’s birthday dinner. I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it to. This is easily my favorite way to use up corn that doesn’t get eaten.

I eat this as a salad but it could also easily be used as a salsa. If I have any leftover I sometimes wrap it up in a corn tortilla for lunch the next day. This is fast, easy and delicious!!!

Black Bean and Corn Salad (adapted from CDKitchen Black Bean and Corn Salsa)

Ingredients:

1 (15 oz.) can black beans ( rinsed and drained)
1 cup fresh corn kernels, removed from cob
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 red onion, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

Directions:

Mix all the above well. Refrigerate over night to let flavors blend.

As Always,

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

Watermelon and Feta Salad

These babies are popping up all over the internet and I just had to have some. I thought that the combination of watermelon, vinegar and feta would be amazing…and it was!!!

This was such a bright, summery and delicious salad. I can’t wait to make it again!

Watermelon and Feta Salad from Dragon’s Kitchen

Ingredients:

1 cucumber, peeled and seeds removed
1/2 cup tomato, seeded and chopped
1 seedless watermelon wedge, 5 inches wide, cut into chunks roughly the same size as the tomato and watermelon
1 poblano pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons basil leaves, shredded
1/2 cup crumbled feta

Directions:

1. In a large bowl mix together the cucumber, tomato, watermelon and poblano.

2. Whisk together vinegar, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Drizzle the dressing over the salad. Add the basil and feta. Toss gently to combine.

5. Serve at room temperature.

As Always…

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

My Favorite Summer Lunch

It seems like every summer I get on a different kick as to what is the perfect summer salad. Last summer I ate Tomato, Basil and Fresh Mozzarella until it was coming out my ears and this summer it’s Texas Caviar, or as I like to call it “Black-eyed Pea Salad”, and it is truly perfect.
The acid is well balanced and the jalapenos give it just enough zing. This can be made in the morning in a matter of minutes and ready for me when I am starving at lunch. The other day I even shoved it into a flour tortilla shell and took it to the beach with me for my lunch!!!

Black-eyed Pea Salad or Texas Caviar – Saveur Magazine Online
2 15-oz. cans black-eyed peas,
drained and rinsed
1⁄4 cup roughly chopped cilantro
1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1⁄4 cup red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 serrano chile, stemmed, seeded,
and finely chopped (I use 2 jalapeno peppers)
1⁄2 red bell pepper, cored, seeded,
and finely chopped
1⁄4 red onion, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper,
to taste
1. Combine first 8 ingredients in a bowl; season with salt and pepper.
2. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Serve on top of lettuce leaves.
As Always…
Happy Entertaining!!!
Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

Asian Inspired Chicken Salad

You know those meals or snacks that you make all the time but never really even think about writing about because to you they seem so normal? This recipe is one of them.

The other day I checked in with my tweeps on Twitter (follow me here) and mentioned that I had just had an Asian Chicken Wrap for lunch, thinking nothing at all of it other than it was really good and I used up the leftover chicken, when I got about 5 replies asking me to post it. I thought about it and still had some left so I was able to get some pictures of it.

Now this is not really a recipe but a list of ingredients because it really all depends on how much chicken you have on hand or if you decide to cook chicken special to make this.

Chicken (cooked, remember-leftover dish), diced
onion, diced fine
water chestnuts, drained and diced
mayonnaise
sesame oil
Coleman’s Dry Mustard
Salt and Pepper
White Pepper
Granulated Garlic

Mix the dry mustard with the sesame oil and then mix into the mayo. Makes for a much smoother mix.

We serve this in sandwiches or just as a salad, sometimes we use wraps or pitas. This time all I had was a tortilla shell and it worked great!!!

Hope you like it!!!

As Always…

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

Fennel and Orange Salad

Fennel and Orange Salad

Anyone who follows me on twitter (follow me here) knows that this is my region of the country's growing season and I am getting a wonderful box of produce from my local farm co-op (CSA Box). My only problem seems to be my plethora of fennel.

I really don't like fennel all that much. I find that the flavor when cooked is a little strong and tends to over power anything it is going with! I decided I had better try it raw and see how that goes. At this point I had 4 large bulbs of the stuff. Thank goodness my sister is here and she was able to help out with eating all of this!

I looked around for a couple of ideas and came up with a Fennel and Orange Salad...Big yummm. I had some arugula going wild in my garden so this went into the salad! This one is really a winner!!!


I am entering this into GYO because I grew the arugula from seeds that we planted in October. Grow Your Own is a twice-a-month blogging event that celebrates the foods we grow or raise ourselves and the dishes we make using our homegrown products. This months event is hosted by Andrea of Andrea's Recipes. Go on over and check out the round up tomorrow!

Fennel and Orange Salad

3 or 4 bulbs of fennel , tops removed and bulb thinly sliced
large bunch of arugula, cleaned and torn to bites sized pieces
2 oranges, supremed or thinly sliced
1 Tbs olive oil
juice from the remaining orange scraps
salt and pepper to taste

Toss all salad ingredients. Whisk together the oil, orange juice, salt and pepper. Toss together and serve chilled!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

Something a little lighter...

This was my test salad from lunch. For dinner we tossed the salad and added blue cheese and cut up fried chicken!

As anyone who follows my blog regularly knows I have been deep in the heart of cookie baking season! Back to some regular posts for a bit here and maybe some of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes that can be used for Christmas Dinner!!!

My local CSA has started up but that sure didn't fit in with the 12 days of cookies now did it? But at least we have been forced to eat really healthy when I wasn't elbow deep in cookie dough!

Near the end of one of the weeks I had a head of baby bok choy, arugula and some mizuna. Now I could have done a stir fry or a salad and something else but I decided to chop them all up together! Am I ever glad that I did. I found the most incredible dressing that went so well with the bitterness from the greens. We chopped up some leftover fried chicken to top it and it was one memorable dinner!!!

Cranberry Vinaigrette (adapted from Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh cranberries
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tsp sugar
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons water

• Mizuna
• Arugula
• Baby Bok Choy
• 1 cup toasted pine nuts
• Crumbled blue cheese
  

Directions:

Pulse all ingredients but the pine nuts in your food processor and serve over your choice of greens with blue cheese crumbles and the pine nuts.

This was a delicious dinner for us. I also topped my salad with dried cranberries. Any nut can be used. Almonds is what the recipe called for but I couldn't find mine so made do with pine nuts!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

Kathy's Cannellini Bean Salad with Tuna

Cannellini Bean Salad with Tuna

Now for another great recipe from the Potluck last Friday...wonder how long I can ride this one out???

I loved this salad, so much so that I begged for some of the leftovers so that I could have some for lunch the next day! I think I loved the simplicity of it and how all the flavors were so nicely balanced what with the oil and the lemon. Yumm. I must make some more for lunch tomorrow!

Cannellini Bean Salad with Tuna

Ingedients:

2 cans cannellini beans
2 cans of tuna, drained
4 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 tomato, diced small

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together and serve.

Thanks so much for the great recipe Kathy. I will be making this one over and over again!!!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

Tomato, Onion and Cucumber Salad

Honest...there are cucumbers on the bottom!!!

I seem to always have fruit and vegetables that are right on the edge of going bad that need to be used up right away! Yesterday it was bunch of tomatoes and a cucumber. Unfortunately the cucumber had lost virtually all of it's flavor but I was still able to use it in the salad that I was going to make.

Very simple salad. Tomatoes, cucumber and red onion. Sliced and placed in a large flat container. I used a glass 8X8 cake pan.

Salad Dressing:

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/8 cup white vinegar
5 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tsp fresh basil, chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/8 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Mix all the ingredients together and pour over the sliced of tomato, onion and cucumber. Place in fridge for an hour or so before serving. Stirring frequently to make sure the flavors are well blended.

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

Pasta, Salad and an Award!

I love blogging and food bloggers are turning out to be some of the best people anywhere. I guess maybe it's because we all share a common bond and are doing this because we have such a huge passion for it. Pretty sure none of us are being forced to do this?

That's why it is so incredible when you receive an award from one of your blogging friends. It's a form of validity...hey, someone really likes what I am doing! My sincere thanks go out to Val from More Than Burnt Toast for giving me this award. It came on the end of a pretty challenging time so it was doubly appreciated.

Brilliant Weblog is a prize given to sites and blogs that are smart and brilliant both in their content and their design. The purpose of the prize is to promote as many blogs as possible in the blogosphere.

Here are the rules to follow :

When you receive the prize you must write a post showing it, together with the name of who has given it to you, and link them back.

Choose a minimum of 7 blogs (or even more) that you find brilliant in their content or design.
Show their names and links and leave them a comment informing they were prized with ‘Brilliant Weblog’.

The hardest part about getting these awards is trying to come up with just a couple of names to pass this onto!

In no particular order:

Nikki - The Canarygirl
Robin at Caviar and Codfish
Jenn - The Left Over Queen
Heather at Gild the Voodoolily
Nuria at Spanish Recipes
Peter at Kalofagas
and last but not least Courtney at Coco Cooks

Thanks again Val!!!


Dinner last night was a thrown together meal of pasta and salad. The girl's are back in school today after their Hurricane Day on Tuesday which means homework and helping with the homework and redirecting to get them to do their homework etc... You get the idea. Homework is not the best time in our household. While my oldest daughter was doing hers I decided to make some of my favorite summer pasta dish. Pasta with Basil, Fresh Tomatoes and Roasted Garlic. This time though I just didn't feel like roasting the garlic so I minced it up and tossed it in with all of the other ingredients. It made the raw sauce taste even fresher than it did before if that was possible!

Pasta With Fresh Tomato, Garlic and Basil

8 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
3/4 lb ripe plum tomatoes (I just use whatever is tasting good right them)
1/3 C fresh basil (chopped)
1 Tbsp capers
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 box of long thin pasta (angel hair, linguine, spaghetti)

Directions:

• Dice the tomatoes (if the have a ton of seeds squeeze them out).
• Add the garlic, basil, capers, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
• Let stand for at least 20 minutes.
• Cook pasta.
• Mix sauce with pasta and serve warm or at room temperature. Add salt and pepper to taste.

I served the pasta with a herb salad mix and this nice, light and well balanced salad dressing.


Todd English's Lemon Vinaigrette

Ingredients: 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 garlic clove minced 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh sage leaves (optional) 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (optional) 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions:

• Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to a jar. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

What to do with left over steak?

Steak Salad!

We have been going full steam ahead this week. My poor Mom (leaves on Saturday) is going to need some time to get over this one!!!

Last night we had orientation at the girl's school. Seeing as it is going to be their first full year at this school we needed to be there for it. I think their teachers are going to work out wonderfully for both of them!!!

Anyway we had to figure out dinner around a 5:40 departure time for the school. I fed the girl's some left over pizza from Tuesday night before we went out and then made a salad for us adults. I decided that we would eat when we got back from the school. We had so much steak left over from my youngest ones birthday dinner the night before so we topped the salads with that. Pretty fast and yummy dinner!

T and my Mom topped theirs with mountains of Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing and I just used a nice light vinaigrette that I had made. Seeing as we didn't get home until around 7:30 this was a nice ready made meal!

***I wanted to thank everyone who left a comment on my post from yesterday. I always hesitate to put things on this blog that are really personal feeling like that but when you need a bit of support you guys are simply the best!!!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

Some great food reruns!

Peter's Souvlaki Recipe on Pork!

One of my favorite things to do when we have people come to stay with us is to make them some of our favorite food. Everybody has one special thing that they LOVE for us to make.

My sister's is anything cooked in T.'s homemade red sauce with anything in it! Sometimes he will stuff a chicken and cook it in there and other times we will make goat cheese ravioli to go with it.

My Mom generally likes to have steak. She lives by herself and doesn't seem to get enough of red meat. We are defrosting some of our grass fed beef for dinner on Wednesday!

The other night though I once again I wanted something fast, easy, tried and true. Peter's Souvlaki recipe!!! Once again it was delicious and incredibly easy to make. Used restaurant bought tzatziki and some crusty bread and it would have been a meal in itself but this time I made a salad.

Doesn't that salad looks great? Pitted kalamata olives, tomatoes, lettuce, red onion and lots of feta cheese!

An incredible Greek salad. I made a simple dressing of lemon, oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and oregano. I was the perfect balance to a delicious meal!!!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

Have you ever tried buckwheat (kasha)?

I had never tried buckwheat before but I was in my local health food/grocery market and I ended up speaking to a girl who had just moved here from the Ukraine and she was looking for a couple of things in the bulk food section and she wondered if I could help her. We were able to finding some grain that she could use for sprouting to make bread with. Then she got some some buckwheat or kasha. I asked her what she did with it and she very simply told me that "they ate it". We had a bit of a language barrier so I decided to buy about a cup of it and then look online as to how to cook it up.

Apparently is is treat like rice. 1 cup of buckwheat to 2 cups of liquid. I just cooked it in water with salt. I then let it cool and made a nice salad out of it for my lunch!

Buckwheat and Green Bean Salad

Ingredients:

1 cup of uncooked buckwheat, see below
1 lb of beans, cut to bite sized
1 small onion, chopped

Dressing:
1/4 cup white and red wine vinegar combined
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp paprika
1 clove garlic minced

Directions:

Boil 2 cups of water. Add salt and then add the buckwheat. Turn the heat to the lowest setting and cover and allow to cook for 15 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. Remove from pot and allow to cool.

Cook the beans in boiling water until tender-crisp. Once at the texture that you want for a salad place the beans in an ice bath to stop the cooking process.

Make the dressing by mixing all the ingredients together.

Mix the buckwheat, beans, onion and dressing together and chill.

This makes enough salad for a lunch for 4.

I loved this salad. It taste fresh and earthy all at the same time. The buckwheat has a stronger more wild taste than any other grain that I have tasted. For more information about the health benefits of buckwheat click here.

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

My favorite pasta dish again...

See the chunks of olives and fresh herbs. This was a great vinaigrette for the baby herb mixture!

I have this little quirky thing about me. If I like the flavor of something I will eat it again and again and again. Just ask my family! It drives T. crazy sometimes but one of the advantages of being chief, cook and bottle washer is that they have to eat what I cook...he he he! This is one of those instances. The kids don't care they have been eating their pasta with just butter on it anyway so pretty much this is for me.

Last night though I had bought a mixed box of organic baby herbs for the salad and just made a really light dressing using olive oil, balsamic vinegar, chopped garlic, fresh basil, oregano and salt and pepper. At the last minute I tossed in some chopped kalamata olives. Turned out yummy!

I had some beautiful yellow tomatoes that got added to this delicious pasta dish!

I also made my regular favorite pasta:

Pasta With Fresh Tomato and Basil

1 head of garlic and 2 Tbsp olive oil
3 ripe plum tomatoes (I just use whatever is tasting good right them)
1/3 C fresh basil (chopped)
1 Tbsp capers
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 box of long thin pasta (angel hair, linguine, spaghetti)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

• Peel of most of the paper from around the garlic head. Slice off the pointy top of the garlic. This should expose all of the cloves a bit. Place in an oven proof pan (I use a pie plate). Top with 2 Tbsp of olive oil and coarse salt. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes. Allow to cool then remove the cloves and mash with a fork.
• Dice the tomatoes (if the have a ton of seeds squeeze them out).
• Add the garlic, basil, capers, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
• Let stand for at least 20 minutes.
• Cook pasta.
• Mix sauce with pasta and serve warm or at room temperature. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pasta with a nice slab of garlic bread...does it get much better?

T.'s contribution to all of this was a loaf of amazing garlic bread! He took an Italian baguette and split it. Made some garlic butter using paprika, fresh garlic, garlic powder, fresh parsley, fresh oregano and fresh basil. Smeared it all over the bread and used the broil setting on high in the oven and broiled it until it was nicely brown and crispy!

Perfect meal to end a perfect weekend!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com