Monday, June 22, 2009

Strawberry Spinach Salad

This is such a refreshing and delicious salad. Courtesy Triple M.



1 package of fresh spinach
1 1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
1 package of sliced fresh strawberries
cooked bacon, crumbled
Candied walnuts/pecans

Assemble salad, pour dressing just a couple minutes before serving.


Poppyseed Dressing:

1 C sugar
1/2 C apple cider vinegar
1 C salad oil
1 Tbsp poppy seeds
1 tsp dry mustard
1 garlic clove


Toss.

Stuffed Mushrooms



My friend Maggie brought these over for a meal for us...along with so much other yummy stuff it would make your head spin. I'm not even gonna list everything she made for us because it would just make you feel bad about yourself. She's amazing...and so are these mushrooms!

1 8oz package cream cheese
2 slices muenster cheese
2 slices provolone cheese
1/2 large zucchini
1/2 C shredded parmesan cheese
1 garlic clove pressed
2 tsp. Pampered Chef dill seasoning ***
1/2 3oz jar of Hormel Real Bacon Bits
Plain Bread Crumbs
Mushrooms (about a pound)
Let cream cheese soften in a bowl. Shred muenster, provolone and zucchini in Pampered Chef cheese shredder using the smallest barrel. Add remaining ingredients except bread crumbs and mix. Add bread crumbs to desired consistency. You want it to easy form with your hands, not too dry but thick. Wash mushrooms & break out the stem. Roll filling into balls and stuff inside (you can use the Easy Accent Decorator to fill with a pretty design). Bake on 350 until the mushrooms have released their own juices (about ½ hour to 1 hour).

*This would probably be good shaped in a ball and rolled in walnuts or pecans to be served as a cheese ball.

**If you make this ahead of time & refrigerate the seasonings get more pungent giving it a stronger flavor. Sometimes I’ll make it and leave it out on the counter if it’s only a few hours till I cook it!

***You must use the Pampered Chef dill seasoning because it is better than store bought.

Rosemary Dijon Chicken

Another baby meal, courtesy of Mia.

Ingredients:
Chicken Thighs (I use boneless, Skinless from costco but breasts will work too)
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
2-3 tbsp honey mustard
1 tbsp dijon mustard
about 1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tsp tarragon vinegar
garlic salt to sprinkle on
salt and pepper

place chicken in baking dish or pan and preheat oven to 350
mix in bowl both mustards, wine, vinegar, and a dash of pepper and garlic salt (maybe 1/2 tsp of garlic salt and another 1/2 tsp of pepper?)
whisk together.
then take rosemary and take all the little leaves off. Throw the stems away and mince all the sprigs very finely. Add them to mixture and whisk together.
Pour over chicken.
Shake more salt and pepper on top of chicken, and then sprinkle garlic salt on top of chicken too.
Bake at 350 for 1 hour and a half. Two hours is even better.

This makes a ton of gravy/sauce which we ate over some yummy mashed potatoes. Awesome!

Super Enchiladas

I LOVE it when people bring me meals after a baby...and not just because i don't have to cook. I love trying other people's favorite recipes and then adding them to my collection. Here's one from Julie, a friend in my mom's group. It was so good!

Buy a rotisserie chicken and pull all the chicken off of it. Put all the chicken in a big bowl, then add 1 drained can of black beans, 1 1/2 cup of sour cream, 1 cup of salsa (she uses 1/2 salsa verde and 1/2 505 organic salsa from Sprouts). Mix.
Drizzle salsa verde at the bottom of the baking pan, then put chicken mixture in whole wheat Tortillas, sprinkle Cheddar cheese in them and then roll up and place in pan. Top them with more salsa and cheddar.
Bake at 375 for 35 min. It makes a ton.

She brought it over with a Mexican green salad (with peppers and avocado, tomatoes, etc). and salsa + sour cream dressing plus some Mexican-style rice. It was SUPERB!