Happy Day After Thanksgiving! Happy Black Friday! Happy Shopping! Happy Day Off!
Whatever this wonderful, lovely day is to you - may it be happy! Hopefully, you are still high off of all the delicious Thanksgiving food you gobbled up yesterday!
We truly had a feast fit for a Thanksgiving King - my family agreed that I topped myself out. Aaaahhhh . . . words and feelings I love to hear from my kids and hubs. I tried a new salad this year - and it was loved by all.
I wanted to share it with you because not only is it perfect for the holidays, but it's really a great salad at any time during the fall and winter months. It was DELISH!!! There were a few ingredients that she listed as "Lunds and Byerly's" - I didn't use them except for the Island Breeze Seasoning.
Harvest Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette
Original recipe by Sue Erickson, Byerly's
4 T pomegranate juice
2 T sherry wine vinegar
1 T Lunds & Byerly's Maple Syrup
1 tsp. Lunds and Byerly's Island Breeze Seasoning
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. Dijon Mustard
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
6 T grapeseed or canola oil
2 HoneyCrisp or Braeburn apples, cored, diced
2 - 5oz. packages mixed spring greens
1 C shaved aged Gouda cheese
1/2 C thinly sliced shallots
1 C roasted, salted pepitas
1 C pomegranate seeds
In mixing bowl, whisk together pomegranate juice, vinegar, syrup, lemon juice, Dijon, salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in oil.
Place diced apples in bowl; pour 1/2 C vinaigreete over, tossing to coat. Allow to sit for 30 minutes.
Place spring greens in large mixing bowl; pour remaining vinaigreete over, toss to coat.
Arrange tossed greens on 8 salad plates, using slotted spoon to divide apples over each salad. Garnish with cheese, shallots, pepitas and pomegranate seeds. Drizzle remaining vinaigrette over each salad.
To prepare ahead: vinaigrette will keep, tightly covered, in refridgerator for up to 3 days.
I could have eaten this all day! Well, I suppose I could have eaten turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, apple pie all day too - but you get the picture!
Please click here for a printable version of this recipe - Kitchen Groovy
Also - I'd like to thank Pip & Ebby for passing an award on to me - I am super honored! This dynamic duo also live in the same area as myself, so it's always fun for me to know that I'm blogging "next" to them!
But, be sure to check them out (click here to get to their website)- they have amazing recipes and I have tried a number of their recipes and have absolutely loved them! Thanks Pip! Thanks Ebby! xoxo
Enjoy and live with gusto!
Welcome to my very first recipe series! Picnic at the Park! I am very excited to bring this to you and I hope that you will find inspiration here, or at least a couple of recipes that you and your family enjoy.
Picnic at the Park recipes have THREE requirements. They must be 1) easy to make 2) easy to travel and 3) easy to eat (especially by my youngest). Typically, during the months of May, June and July - our family spends alot of time on a baseball field or softball field. This past weekend, we spent twelve hours in the hot sun cheering on our softball team of 16 year old girls. And yes, they came in first place - woot woot! Dinners become challenging when we are living on a field somewhere - and I refuse to eat out unless absolutely necessary. It will bankrupt us, as we just don't budget to feed a family of 5 every single night at fast food restaurants. With these three requirements for dinner, I hope you will enjoy them. I will warn you - they will be simple and nothing fancy. Well, are any of my recipes fancy??!! I think not ;-)
I am kicking off this series with one of my favorite salads. Could the name be any longer?? Honestly, I just didn't know what else to call it so this is about as creative as I get! I first tried this pasta salad at a leadership meeting for the mom's group I once belonged to a couple of years ago - and I have been making it ever since. It's light, delicious and perfect for summer.
I also made brats with peppers. In total, this meal took roughly 30 minutes to make. I started at 3:00 by making the salad, then made the brats at 4:45 and wrapped them in foil. Miss Sunshine had a plain hot dog :-)
Apple Craisin Chicken Pasta Salad
original recipe source: unknown
1 box favorite pasta (I let my kids pick out fun shaped pasta)
1 bottle Poppy Seed Salad Dressing
2 green apples, cored - diced (leave skin on)
1 C craisins
3/4 C slivered almonds
1 large can of chunk chicken (if you have more time, use chicken breast or rotisserie chicken)
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta, and run under cool water to remove the heat. In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients. Chill in refrigerator for a few hours. Enjoy!
As an alternative, this salad is also really good with Vidalia Onion dressing - which is how the recipe came to me originally. The great thing about salad is you can adjust according to what you like! Add green onions or carrots or brocolli florets - go wild!
Okay, since we were sitting on the bleachers while we ate, the pictures are not that great - but it was a successful dinner!
Please click here for a printable version of this recipe - Kitchen Groovy
Enjoy and live with gusto!
With graduation parties and end of the year parties upon us, I thought I'd share a dish with you that I recently made for the Teacher Appreciation Luncheon at my daughter's preschool. This recipe was given to me by my lovely friend and neighbor, Mrs. Silly (this is what my daughter calls her) - and I have no idea where she got it - just one of those awesome crowd pleasers that have been passed on from kitchen to kitchen.
I don't have a picture of the "final" product on a plate, since we never ate it - but I guarantee when you make it, everyone will want to know how to make it! Even better, it literally took me less than 10 minutes to throw together!
Tortellini Spinach Salad
1 pkg. coleslaw (all cabbage, no carrots)
1 small onion, chopped
10 oz. baby spinach
1 pkg. 3 cheese tortellini, cooked
4 oz. shredded parmesan cheese
1 lb. bacon, chopped
1 pkg. grape tomatoes, halved
10 oz. light Ranch dressing
In a large bowl, layer ingredients in order, starting with coleslaw on the bottom. Pour 10 oz. dressing over all.
Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Mix right before serving.
This is what it looked like before I poured the dressing on it - it's very colorful!
Click here for a printable version of this recipe - Kitchen Groovy
Enjoy and live with gusto!
Carina
It's the start of a brand new week! The grass is "greening" up and spring is finally here!
Those are just a couple of reasons why I decided to make a BLT salad :-) My hubby loves iceberg lettuce. I'm not a fan at all - I prefer spinach over iceberg any day of the week. However, we agree that I'll eat iceberg and he'll eat spinach as long as both are set on the table every now and then.
I saw a recipe in my brand spanking new Food Network magazine that came last week, and I had to give her a try. However, the recipe in the magazine looked delicious, there was more prep involved so I decided to just make a super simplified recipe of my own. You really can't go wrong with this one!
BLT Salad Wedges
Recipe by Kitchen Groovy
1 head of iceberg lettuce, cut into wedges
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 C grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 bottle Ranch dressing
Set lettuce on a plate and assemble - it really doesn't get any easier that that!!
Now, isn't that a refreshing and pretty salad??!! Even for someone like me who doesn't fully appreciate iceberg lettuce, that is something I can get behind!! And, my kids liked eating it with their hands (as if it was a tortilla chip).
Please click here for a printable version of this recipe - Kitchen Groovy
Now - onto important matters!! The winner of my latest Favorite Thing is . . .
Lizzy!!! Congratulations to you!
And thank you to all who left comments, became followers, shared it with friends - and frankly, for just reading my blog each day which gives me so much encouragement to keep writing and sharing! You guys are the bestest!!
It so happens to be that Lizzy is also the author of a wonderful blog - That Skinny Chick Can Bake! You should definitely check out her website, too :-)
Lizzy - please send me your address so you can receive your jewels ASAP!!
Also, a HUGE thank you to Jennifer Allen from Stella and Dot who is graciously supplying this absolutely beautiful necklace. I encourage you to check out her website so that you can also shop for a necklace just like it - OR find something that you absolutely cannot live without! Remember, Mother's Day is right around the corner and this is the PERFECT place to shop! Really, you don't have to leave the comfort of your own couch to shop!!! Click here to visit her fabulous website!
Have a fantastic day and as always - enjoy and live with gusto!!
Carina
It's been in the 40's and 50's here this week - woo hoo! Sunshine and warmth are long overdue here in the Upper Plains and when it arrived this week, it sure felt good!! I decided to try a citrus salad that I saw made on TV several weeks ago, but it stuck with me because it looked so fresh and crisp. However, making it didn't quite appeal to me with sub-zero temperatures.
I have to share with you - there are only like 4 ingredients in this recipe, and 2 of them I have never had before!! I've never had grapefruit or fennel. When I sliced the fennel, I had to smell it to get a sense of what was to come. I loved the scent - it sure woke up the senses! I was pleasantly surprised at how yummy it was - all flavors complimented each other so nicely, and I'm excited to share it with you. I did make it just for myself for lunch - Miss Sunshine wasn't a big fan, which surprised me. So, it will be a treat for just me :-)
Citrus Salad
Original Recipe by Giada de Laurentis
1 large orange, peeled and ends trimmed
1 large grapefruit, peeled and ends trimmed
1 large, or 2 small bulbs of fennel, thinly sliced
1/4 C extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 C packed basil leaves (omitted this time)
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
1/3 C chopped walnuts, toasted (I used pecans instead)
Place a sieve or strainer over a medium bowl. Hold an orange over the bowl, and using a paring knife, cutting along the membrane on both sides of each segment. Free the segments and let them fall into the sieve. Repeat with the grapefruit. Squeeze the membranes over the bowl to extract as much juice as possible, reserving the juices in the bottom of the bowl. Place the fruit segments and fennel in a salad bowl.
In a blender or the bowl of a small food processor, blend together the oil, basil and 3 T of the reserved juices until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour over the fruit and fennel. Add the chopped walnuts and toss until all ingredients are coated.
It was so beautiful and sunny outside, I had to take a picture outside - notice the snow in the background?? :-)
Crisp, fresh, delicious!!
Please click here for a printable version of this recipe - Kitchen Groovy
By the way - HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!
Enjoy and live with gusto!!
Carina
