Parisian Chopped Salad

I saw an idea for this salad on Pinterest the other day. The author called it an Autumn chopped salad but I thought Parisian chopped salad sounded better. It’s a pretty simple salad but it packs a big and delicious punch.


First I took chopped iceberg lettuce and some Arugula. Then top with dried cranberries, chopped pear, chicken, bacon, pine nuts, and feta cheese. Mix everything together and top with Girard’s White Balsamic vinaigrette. The result is sweet and savory salad with a lot of crunch.

Pretzel Fondue

Matt and I picked up these amazing soft pretzels at Wildflower the other day. I had a bunch of leftover cheese in the fridge so I thought a cheese fondue would be really great. First take some butter and melt in a small sauce pan, then mix in some flour. Cook this on medium heat until combined, stirring constantly. Slowly mix in some white wine and bring to a slight boil. Reduce the heat and slowly stir in 3 types of shredded cheese. We used cheddar, Monterey jack, and Gouda. Slowly mix in the shredded cheese a little at a time until completely melted. Then either serve from the heated sauce pan or in fondue pots. Make sure to not let the cheese cool too much or it will turn into a big blob of cheese. The key is to keep the cheese melted. Then dip in the pretzel pieces, Enjoy!

Chile Relleno

Chile Relleno’s in a Mexican restaurant are really good. However they are normally fried and I am not a fan of fried food. So I wanted to create a baked version that was just as delicious. First I picked out two types of peppers because I couldn’t decide which one to use. I used Pasilla and Anaheim chiles. I asked the produce guy at the grocery store which type to use and he said the Anaheim’s were the best. I didn’t trust him though and I bought both types. I would have to agree that the Anaheim’s were really delicious and better than Pasilla. Both are pretty tasty though.


6 Mexican stuffing peppers (Anaheim, Poblano, or Pasilla)
2 chicken breasts cooked and shredded
1 zuchini chopped
1 yellow squash chopped
½ onion chopped
1 can jalapenos
1 cup enchilada sauce
½ cup cheddar cheese shredded
½ cup Monterey jack cheese shredded

Place the stuffing peppers on a baking sheet and broil on each side until skin is blackened. Then place the peppers in a Ziploc bag for 10 mins to allow them to steam. Once they are cooled remove the blackened skin. Cut a slit lengthwise on the pepper and remove the seeds and ribbing inside. Make sure to leave the stem on, then set aside.

Saute the onion, zucchini, and squash in a pan with a little EVOO. Once they are slightly softened place in a large bowl. Add the shredded chicken, ½ cup cheese and jalapeno. Stir the mixture together. Take a casserole dish and spread a thin layer of the enchilada sauce across the bottom. Then take each pepper and stuff with the chicken mixture and place seam side up in the casserole dish. Cover with the remaining sauce and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes until heated through.

Margherita Pizza

This is a pretty simple recipe but it is so good! So I figured it was worthy of an entry on the blog. I would say this is my favorite type of pizza. It’s so fresh and delicious. The ingredients have to be the highest quality in order to really make this pizza sing. First roll the dough out into what would normally be a circle. However my pizza stone recently cracked :( So now I am using a rectangular baking pan. Honestly though it was still really crispy and I don’t feel the pizza stone is totally necessary. Before placing any toppings on the pizza make sure to put fork marks in the dough so it doesn’t bubble too much.  Then top with marinara, basil, fresh mozzarella, and sliced tomatoes. You have to make sure to use fresh mozzarella to get that creamy texture. Then bake at 425 for 20 mins.

Triple Berry Pie

I had my Dad and Sister over for dinner the other night and I wanted to make a different type of pie. My first thought was to make blueberry pie but I wanted to make it more interesting. So I made triple berry pie which is blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. It was so good! To start I made the pie dough recipe mentioned in an earlier post. For the filling I combined the three berries together in a large bowl. Then add sugar, flour, lemon juice, nutmeg, cinnamon, and a little flour. Then dot the top of the filling with butter and cover with a crust. Make several slits in the top of the crust then brush with an egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 mins.

Calzone

We love Calzone’s and I wanted to make one at home. We used the dough from Whole Foods. This time we chose multi grain dough which was really good. It almost tastes better than white dough since it has a nutty flavor. To make the calzone we rolled the crust into a regular pizza circle. Then cut it in half and slather it with a nice layer of ricotta cheese. Top the ricotta with a thick layer of pepperoni. Fold the other half of the dough over and crimp the edges. Pierce the top of the calzone with a fork to allow some steam to release while cooking.  Bake at 425 for 20 mins and serve with a side of warm marinara sauce.