Ree Drummond's Blog, page 76

Grilled Chicken Salad with Feta, Fresh Corn, and Blueberries

I had dinner in my hometown the other evening, and it was so much fun to catch up with old friends and acquaintances I hadn't seen for years–some since the last time I wore Stiff Stuff on my bangs. It was a salad supper, and the three different salads that were served were so lovely and different, my tastebuds sang songs of praise with each bite. One option was a beautiful chicken salad with fresh corn, chunks of feta cheese, and–a nice surprise–blueberries. I inhaled it. It was utterly delicious. And if I hadn't been around other people, I would have tracked down the salad bowl and stood over it with my fork until the rest of it was gone.

But I didn't. I behaved myself. There's a first time for everything.

Yesterday, though, after stewing on the scrumptiousness of the salad for a couple of days, I whipped up a batch at home. This isn't quite an exact duplicate of the recipe I had at the dinner, but it's a good start. The combination of ingredients is magical: scrumptious grilled chicken, crunchy fresh corn, red onions, and celery, tangy feta cheese, and sweet, wonderful blueberries to add a much-needed sweetness. It's a real treat.

Here's how I made it.

(Thank you to Katie the Caterer for the delicious inspiration.)

 

 

Begin with some boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Do not fear the flesh.

 

 

 

Place them into a large plastic bag (either separately or together, if it's very large) and pound them pretty flat–about 1/4 inch or so. Get out all your aggressions! (FYI, I used an iron skillet.)

 

 

 

Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper, then heat up the grill pan or skillet.

 

 

 

Drizzle some olive oil on the pan, then grill both sides of the breasts, rotating to get these lovely grill marks you see.

The grill marks add some visual interest to the salad.

 

 

 

When they're done, remove them from the heat and set them aside to cool.

 

 

 

While the chicken is cooling, dice up some celery: grab about three stalks and slice them into smaller pieces.

 

 

 

Cut each piece into thin matchsticks…

 

 

 

Then cut them into a dice.

 

 

 

Next, dice up about a fourth of a red onion.

 

 

 

Pretty secondary colors.

 

 

 

Next up, slice some kernels off a couple of cobs of corn.

 

 

 

I love fresh corn. Love it. It's crunchy, sweet…and crunchy. That corn has to be cooked before it's eaten is one of the great misunderstandings of mankind.

 

 

 

Set these ingredients aside…

 

 

 

Then mince up a little fresh dill. I associate fresh dill with chicken salad. I can't help it. I blame my third grade teacher.

 

 

 

To make the dressing, which should only coat the ingredients of the salad very, very lightly, add mayonnaise, sour cream, half and half, and feta cheese to a bowl. (Pay no attention to my quantity; I whipped up extra dressing for something I'm making in a couple of days.)

 

 

 

Stir this mixture together, then squeeze in the juice of a lemon or two, depending on your taste.

 

 

 

Sprinkle in a little sugar to offset the acidity, then stir it all together to combine. Add a little salt and pepper, then stir.

Then do the Macarena. Right there in your kitchen.

Go ahead. I'll wait.

 

 

 

Now, grab the chicken breasts and cut them into pieces. The salad I enjoyed the other night contained lovely, flat pieces of grilled chicken—not chunky pieces of cubed chicken like most chicken salads.

 

 

 

Use a sharp knife to cut pieces at a slight diagonal.

 

 

 

Done!

 

 

 

Now, remove half of the dressing or so (so you can ultimately control the quantity) and add in all the ingredients.

 

 

 

This chicken looks good. And if you have the time, you can marinate it.

But I didn't have the time.

So I didn't marinate it.

And that's okay.

"I approve of myself…I approve of myself…I approve of myself…"

(Name that movie. This is a toughie, and if you name that movie correctly, you are way too obsessed with movies. Like me.)

 

 

 

Toss the salad gently, adding back in more dressing to your taste. You want the dressing to coat everything lightly, not gloop it up and cover it.

At the end, throw in plenty of fresh dill.

 

 

 

And finally, at the very end, add the blueberries and stir to coat them lightly. Be sure to give the salad a taste and add in salt and pepper as needed.

 

 

 

Then serve it up on a pretty plate, sprinkling more feta over the top for a little icing on the cake. This really is a lovely salad. Many things going on, but still the nice, familiar wonderfulness of chicken salad.

 

 

 

Serve this at a shower, a summer party, or a lunch with friends. The blueberries really do make it special.

Or, better yet, make it for yourself someday soon. You've earned it!

Love,

P-Dub

 


Recipe: Grilled Chicken Salad with Feta, Fresh Corn, and Blueberries

Prep Time: 20 Minutes
 | 
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
 | 
Difficulty: Easy
 | 
Servings: 12

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Ingredients
4 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts Salt And Pepper, to taste Olive Oil, For Drizzling3 stalks Celery (inner Light Green Stalks), Finely Diced2 ears Fresh Corn¼ whole Medium Red Onion, Finely Diced1-½ cup Blueberries3 Tablespoons Fresh Dill, Minced4 Tablespoons Mayonnaise4 Tablespoons Sour Cream¼ cups Half-and-half1 whole Lemon1 teaspoon Sugar (more To Taste) Salt And Pepper (additional) To Taste¾ cups Crumbled Feta Preparation Instructions

Place chicken breasts into large plastic storage bag. Pound with a mallet or rolling pin to flatten to 1/4 inch uniform thickness. Season chicken with salt and pepper.

Heat grill and drizzle chicken with olive oil. Grill chicken on both sides until done, about 7 minutes per side. (Rotate halfway during grilling each side to ensure pretty grill marks.) Remove from pan. Allow to cool.

With a very sharp knife, shave kernels off each corn cob. Combine with the onion and celery. Set aside.

Mix together mayonnaise, sour cream, feta, and half-and-half. Stir in sugar, squeeze in lemon juice, and add salt and pepper. Stir, then taste. Add more salt if necessary; do not undersalt!

Slice chicken on the bias to create flat, randomly shaped pieces. Throw into a bowl with celery, onion, and corn. Stir to combine. Pour half the dressing over the ingredients and toss gently. Add more as desired, but don't overcoat the salad; should be light!

At the end, toss in the blueberries to lightly coat them in the dressing. Serve, then sprinkle individual helpings with feta.

Posted by Ree on April 27 2011

Web Deliciousness: Pasta!

(Shown above: Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce.)

If I were stranded on a desert island and could choose only one category of food to eat the rest of my life, I'd pick pasta hands-down.

Here's how much I love pasta:

I love pasta in the morning.

I love pasta at night.

I love pasta when I'm happy

And when I'm filled with fright.

Pasta makes me happy.

Pasta makes me free.

I like to eat pasta

When I'm tuning into Glee.



Love, the Poet Laureate of County Road 4223

I have an entire section dedicated to pasta, my one true love, here on The Pioneer Woman Cooks. But there are so many delicious pasta recipe all across the world wide web; I'd have to live two hundred more years to try them all.

Here's a handful of beauties. Click on the photos or recipe titles to be taken to the individual recipes.

And enter at your own risk. This is about to make you very, very hungry.

 

Spicy Bow Tie Pasta with Broccoli and Sausage by Good Life Eats. I love bowtie pasta. Lots of crevices to catch the flavor of the sauce. This looks good!

 

 

 

Lemon and Chive Farfalle by Simply Scratch. Another bowtie dish–this one with a creamy lemon chive sauce. Perfect for springtime.

 

 

 

Prawn and Crab Lasagna by Trissalicious. I just fainted. This looks like something I'd eat in a delicious dream.

 

 

 

Pasta Puttanesca with Hot Sausage by Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice. Mmmm. How hearty and wonderful this looks!

 

 

 

Simple Mushroom Saute and Rustic Pasta by Boulder Locavore. Yes, please. Mushrooms are my life.

 

 

 

Chili Macaroni and Cheese by What Katie Ate. Beautiful photography…and a beautiful baked pasta dish!

 

 

 

Roasted Butternut Squash Lasagna with Goat Cheese, Bacon, and Fried Sage by Perry's Plate. My goodness. Natalie's dishes always look delicious, and this one is no exception.

 

 

 

Chicken, Sausage, Asparagus, and Mushroom Pasta (from Gracie Marie at Bristol Farms) by Cook and be Merry. There is so much I find appealing about this dish, I can't even begin to list it all. How absolutely divine this looks!

 

 

 

And Pasta Amatriciana…

 

 

 

Pasta with Mascarpone, Chicken, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Spinach…

 

 

 

And Spaghetti with Garlic, Chilies, Lemon, and Crispy Bread Crumbs, all by Italian Food Forever. If you are an Italian food lover, this site is a goldmine. I want to make every recipe on the site.

 

 

 

Fresh Gnocchi with Mushroom Cream Sauce by The Culinary Chronicles. I absolutely love gnocchi, and this recipe looks so simple and do-able. I want gnocchi for breakfast!

 

 

 

I love anything involving roasted cauliflower, and this Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower and Prosciutto at Simply Recipes is calling my name. Gorgeous!

 

 

 

And finally: I have an entire raised bed growing nothing but beets this year, so this Beet & Chèvre Ravioli from Petite Kitchenesse really piqued my interest. My goodness. How gorgeous.

 

 

 

Or, if I'm feeling particularly adventurous, I could take the beet ravioli one step further and make this recipe, by Katie at the Kitchen Door. A couple of weeks ago, I wasn't sure what I was going to do with an entire bed of beets. Thankfully, when I see things like this, it all starts to make a little more sense.

Thanks to all the foodbloggers above for sharing such divine pasta recipes!

I know which one I'm going to make first…

How 'bout you guys?

16-Minute Meal: Shrimp Scampi

Shrimp Scampi reminds me of khaki shorts.

Little silver hair clips threaded with thin satin ribbon, finished with a neat little bow at the end.

I had red, pink, purple, and white. What colors did you have?

Shrimp Scampi also reminds me of Foreigner. The old Foreigner, not the "I Wanna Know What Love Is" Foreigner. And I know they're probably the same, but they aren't in my heart.

Seriously. C'mon. Listen to "Waiting for a Girl Like You." Ingest it. Feel it. Remember slow dancing with Stevo at the youth group dance. You're wearing a Gunne Sax dress and he loves Carrie and not you. This dance is a sympathy dance. Stevo likes you as a friend, nothing more. Your red bangs are frizzy. Carrie is tan.

Now listen to "I Wanna Know What Love Is." Close your eyes. It's 1984. Stevo is so yesterday. You've outgrown him by two inches and now you've moved on to Simon LeBon. You don't want Foreigner singing 1984 love ballads. You want them singing 1981 love ballads. Or, even better: "Head Games" or "Cold as Ice." Not "I Wanna Know What Love Is."

Anyway, the whole thing just reminds me of Shrimp Scampi, the classic late seventies/early eighties throw-together meal of shrimp, butter, garlic, and lemon. I throw in wine (of course) and a dash or two of hot sauce in an effort to be weird, but it's hard to do too much to improve on the original.

I use angel hair because it's nice with the very light sauce, but thin spaghetti or linguine works well, too. I wouldn't do a short penne or rigatoni; too much noodle, man.

And about Shrimp Scampi: I think I ate it with Stevo once. Probably at Carrie's house.

(See you in July, Carrums! I love you and your tan. Always have.)

(And so has Stevo.)

 

Finely chop up some onion.

 

 

 

Then grab three or four garlic cloves (depending on their size)…

 

 

 

And mince 'em up really finely.

 

 

 

In a large skillet melt some butter with a little olive oil. (I took out some of this; don't be alarmed.)

 

 

 

Don't be like me and walk away from the skillet long enough for the butter to brown. Then add the onion and garlic.

 

 

 

Saute the onions and garlic for a couple of minute, or until translucent.

Inhale. Exhale. Sing songs of praise for aromas like this.

Next, continue cooking.

 

 

 

Throw in a pound of peeled, deveined shrimp.

 

 

 

Pour in a half a cup of dry white wine. Give or take.

 

 

 

Use the freakiest, wackiest, most bizarre looking pink alien claw you have ever imagined to squeeze some lemon juice into the shrimp. Close your eyes briefly and imagine what life would be like if your hands were in high demand for photo shoots. Then slap yourself, but not because you loathe your hands. Because you need to open your eyes and keep cooking.

 

 

 

Add a couple of dashes of hot sauce to the pan. It just adds a little kick.

 

 

 

Finally, sprinkle in some salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Let this bubble up for a few minutes.

 

 

 

At the very last minute, throw in the angel hair since it only takes a couple of minutes to cook.

 

 

 

Add the cooked angel hair and toss it in the sauce.

 

 

 

It's hard to tell from the photo, but the pasta is coated with the delicious buttery/garlicy/lemony/shrimpy pan juices. And add the pasta in a couple of batches; stop adding it if it looks like there aren't enough juices to keep it moist and coated.

 

 

 

End with some chopped herbs (parsley and basil are good)…

 

 

 

And some grated Parmesan.

Dinner is served!

Enjoy this easy weeknight meal, guys.

Here's the printable recipe:

 


Recipe: Shrimp Scampi

Prep Time: 5 Minutes
 | 
Cook Time: 10 Minutes
 | 
Difficulty: Easy
 | 
Servings: 6

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Ingredients
4 Tablespoons Butter2 Tablespoons Olive Oil½ whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced4 cloves Garlic Cloves, Minced Or Pressed1 pound Large Shrimp, Peeled And Deveined½ cups White Wine2 whole Lemons4 dashes Hot Sauce (I Used Tabasco; More To Taste) Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste8 ounces, weight Angel Hair Pasta Chopped Fresh Basil To Taste Chopped Fresh Parsley, To Taste½ cups Grated Parmesan Cheese Preparation Instructions

Boil water for pasta; have it ready.

Heat olive oil and melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook for two or three minutes, or until onions are translucent. Add shrimp, then stir and cook for a couple of minutes. Squeeze in lemon juice. Add wine, butter, salt and pepper, and hot sauce. Stir and reduce heat to low.

Throw angel hair pasta into the boiling water. Cook until just done/al dente. Drain, reserving a cup or two of the pasta water.

Remove skillet from heat. Add pasta and toss, adding a splash of pasta water if it needs to be thinned. Taste for seasonings, adding salt and pepper if needed.

Top with grated Parmesan and minced parsley and serve immediately.

Posted by Ree on April 16 2011

Barbecue Chicken

This is my second this-has-absolutely-nothing-to-do-with-Easter-or-Passover recipe of the week. Welcome to my world!

I made barbecue chicken a few days ago, and instead of grabbing one of the four million delicious bottled options in my pantry (can someone explain to me why I have four million bottles of barbecue sauce in my pantry?) I decided just to whip up my own. Delicious storebought barbecue sauces are available everywhere, and I tend to think it's one of those convenience foods that's often just as good as something you can make at home. Still, the first time I made my own barbecue sauce (it was a necessity; I'd brought home five pounds of brisket and sausage from our local barbecue joint and discovered that we were plum out of sauce at the house, which is probably why I felt the need to stockpile my pantry with four million bottles. Mystery solved!) it was surprisingly good. Most of the time, I still grab a bottle from the pantry. But when time permits, it really is fun to whip up a batch from scratch. The great thing about making your own sauce is, you can churn out exactly the sauce you want.

And it makes you feel empowered. A nice little added benefit.

I like barbecue sauce that's very vinegary and very sweet at the same time. I like it dark and flavorful. And I like it spicy.

Here's how I make it.

 

Begin with a bunch of chicken. I'm a dark meat girl, and I love legs. Oh, how I love legs. But you can do thighs, too. You can also do both. Or you can do neither. You can do breasts, if you prefer white meat. But if you do breasts, please do bone-in breasts with the skin…not the boneless, skinless buttheads. Or you can if you want. Or you can't if you don't want. Or you can't not if you don't not want.

Never mind. In any event, throw the chicken onto a pan like the one you see above (so the grease can drain) and roast them in a 425 degree oven for about twenty minutes.

 

While the chicken is roasting, dice up a little onion (not much, just a little) and a couple of cloves of garlic. Add them to a saucepan with a little oil.

 

 

 

Stir them around and cook them over medium-low heat for five minutes or so…

 

 

 

Until they're translucent and flavorful.

 

 

 

Next, grab this stuff: ketchup, brown sugar, white vinegar, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, salt…and that mysterious red substance.

Can you guess what it is?

 

 

 

It's the sauce from…

 

 

 

A can of chipotle peppers. So, basically, adobo sauce that a bunch of smoky chipotles have been swimming in.

And here's why I used it: it's smoky. There are some things like this that I'd just spike with a little Liquid Smoke (my brisket recipe has it) but I like the tangy red spice of the adobo sauce. It adds a smokiness and a spiciness at once, but the spiciness isn't overwhelming. It's like adding chipotles without adding chipotles.

Amen.

 

To the saucepan with the onions and garlic, add ketchup and brown sugar…

 

 

 

Molasses for depth of color, consistency, and flavor…

 

 

 

Worcestershire…

 

 

 

Vinegar…

And a note: I added enough vinegar to really taste that bite, but you can certainly pull back on this quantity.

 

 

 

And the chipotle adobo stuff and a dash of salt.

 

 

 

Stir it all together, then reduce the heat to low and simmer while the chicken roasts.

 

 

 

It'll get nice and bubbly and wonderful. When the chicken's ready, turn off the heat.

Back to the Chicken: After the chicken has roasted 20 minutes, crank up the broiler to high and broil the chicken for 5 minutes, just to give it a little color on top. Then remove the chicken from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees. The chicken is done at this point, but we're going to return it to the oven with the sauce in a second.

 

 

 

Use tongs to dunk each chicken legs into the sauce, submerging it completely.

 

 

 

Place the coated chicken back onto the pan, then return the chicken to the oven for five minutes, just to anchor this base of sauce onto the chicken.

 

 

 

This is five minutes later. See how we've made sort of a "base" of barbecue sauce?

 

 

 

Finally, brush or dab plenty of extra sauce all over the legs.

 

 

 

Lay it on thick, making sure to get some chunks of onion involved. Then just let the chicken sit for awhile before serving. It only gets more and more delicious.

 

 

 

And that, my friends, is some darn good barbecue chicken. Stand at the counter and just snarf it all straight from the pan, or serve it with salad and bread for a yummy meal.

Be sure to play with the barbecue sauce to make it your own: spice it up or down, depending on how you like it. Add diced jalapenos to the sauce, or whiskey, or maple syrup, or different spices. It's all yours, baby.

Enjoy!

 


Recipe: Barbecue Chicken Legs

Prep Time: 10 Minutes
 | 
Cook Time: 25 Minutes
 | 
Difficulty: Easy
 | 
Servings: 9

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Ingredients
18 whole Chicken Legs1 Tablespoon Canola Oil¼ whole Onion, Diced2 cloves Garlic, Minced1 cup Ketchup¼ cups Packed Brown Sugar2 Tablespoons (additional) Brown Sugar4 Tablespoons Distilled Vinegar (less To Taste)1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce⅓ cups Molasses4 Tablespoons Chipotle Adobo Sauce (the Adobo Sauce Chipotle Peppers Are Packed In) Dash Of Salt Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place chicken legs on a broiler pan or any pan with a rack, then roast for 20 minutes.

While the chicken is roasting, heat canola oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook for five minutes, stirring, being careful not to burn them.

Reduce heat to low. Add all remaining ingredients and stir. Allow to simmer while the chicken roasts. Taste after simmering and add whatever ingredient it needs (more spice, more sugar, etc.)

After 20 minutes of roasting, crank on the broiler to get a little color on the legs. Broil for five minutes.

Remove chicken legs from oven. Reduce oven to 350 degrees. With tongs, dip each chicken leg into the sauce, submerging completely. Place back onto the pan. After all chicken is coated, return pan to oven for five minutes, or until hot and sizzling.

Remove from oven. Brush/dab generously with remaining sauce. Allow chicken to sit a few minutes before serving.

Posted by Ree on April 20 2011

Web Deliciousness: Easter Treats!

Here are some scrumptious Easter delights from the world wide web.

Some true beauties in here!

 

Candied Popcorn for Easter by Heather Christo Cooks. Darling and beautiful, Heather!

 

 

 

Chocolate Pudding Cookies with Mini Robin Eggs by Two Peas and Their Pod…who happen to have a pea in their pod right now. (Congrats, guys!)

 

 

 

Polish Easter Placek by Delicious Inspiration. This looks traditionally delightful…or delightfully traditional. Yum!

 

 

 

Marshmallow Nets by Sophistimom. So sweet and lovely!

 

 

 

? I just fainted. Gorgeous. By Raspberri Cupcakes.

 

 

 

Sourdough Easter Buns by One Small Kitchen. I love the idea of these; love the small size!

 

 

 

Another from Raspberri Cupcakes: Easter Bunny Macarons. Absolutely precious.

Macarons. I die.

 

 

 

Birds Nest Cupcakes with Speckled Eggs by the beautiful Bridget at Bake at 350. So lovely.

 

 

 

More spring than Easter, but I couldn't keep from sharing this Hydrangea Cake by I Am Baker. Stunning as ever, Amanda. I love Hydrangeas.

 

 

 

Peeps S'mores for Easter by Eclectic Recipes. Such a fun, kid-friendly idea!

 

 

 

Hold onto your hats: Easter Candy Bark by Gingerbread Bagels. You've got to check out this recipe. So much fun.

 

 

 

And, if you do need a good, basic Hot Cross Bun recipe, these turn out great every time I make them.

(Sorry. I don't usually include my own recipes in these roundups. I just thought this one would be appropriate.)

And finally, to top things off:

 

Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs by Boulder Locavore. Naturally stunning. Colored with beets, red cabbage, spinach, turmeric…I love everything about these.

 

 

 

Herb Stenciled Easter Eggs by Adventures in Cooking. What a beautiful idea.

Thank you to all of the talented foodbloggers out there who share their delicious cooking and baking on the web!

See you here tomorrow for a new recipe.

Love,

P-Dub

Greek Salad

It's Holy Week, and you know what that means: it's Greek Salad time!

Okay, so Greek Salad has absolutely nothing to do with Holy Week. I just happen to have made a Greek salad Saturday. I thought of it, I wanted it, so I made it. And I wanted to share it with you today.

Here's what I like in a Greek salad:

Big chunks of tomatoes and cucumbers, not a safe and neat little dice

Lettuce as a base; many Greek salads (and, probably, authentic Green salads) do not include lettuce

A tiny bit of sweetness to the oil-vinegar dressing; too strong a vinegar bite makes me angry. And you wouldn't like me when I'm angry.

A whole lot of feta cheese. If you're going to use feta…use feta!

Viva feta!

Feta rules.

Feta for president.

Here's how I made this ultra simple and highly scrumptious lunch:

 

Lop the bottom off of a head of Romaine lettuce.

 

 

 

Then make one-inch slices up the head of lettuce, stopping an inch or two away from the end (discard the bruised and beaten part.)

 

 

 

After that, give it a rough chop and throw it into a large bowl.

 

 

 

Next, cut a few ripe tomatoes into six wedges: turn the tomato upside down, then cut a plus-sign, followed by an "X".

 

 

 

Cut each wedge in half…

 

 

 

Then throw the chunks into the bowl.

 

 

 

Cut a red onion in half from root to tip…

 

 

 

Slice up half of it very thinly. Thin, because raw red onion is strong, strong, strong…unless you're my darling mother-in-law, who could eat a whole raw onion every day of her life and be a happy woman.

 

 

 

Throw the onions into the bowl. Add as many or as few as you'd like.

 

 

 

Next, peel a cucumber with a vegetable peeler, being very careful not to slice of your fingernail like some numskull around here did recently.

It's growing back. With the help of family, friends, and dead skin cells, it's slowly and surely growing back.

 

 

 

Cut the cucumber in half…

 

 

 

Cut each half into four long wedges…

 

 

 

And throw them into the bowl with the rest of the wonderfulness.

Note: You could certainly seed the cucumbers if the seeds bother you: just halve each half and run a spoon down the center to scrape them out. I like to leave it all intact, though. Less work, of course, but I find the texture of the seeds kind of nice.

It's the kind of gal I am.

 

 

 

Next: pitted Kalamata olives.

Oh, how I hate pitting olives myself.

Oh, how I love buying them already pitted.

Amen.

 

 

 

Drain them…

 

 

 

Then cut them in half lengthwise…

 

 

 

Then toss 'em into the bowl.

 

 

 

Next comes some fresh parsley. Just give it a rough/quick chop.

 

 

 

Finally: a pile of feta. I pile half in a this stage, saving the other half for the very end.

 

 

 

And there we have it: lettuce (buried), tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, olives, parsley, and feta. Sprinkle all of this with salt and a little freshly ground black pepper, then make the dressing.

 

 

 

A little olive oil, a little red wine vinegar…

 

 

 

And a little sugar—again, to offset that whangy-tangy vinegar bite that, if too strong, reminds me of bad deli coleslaw.

 

 

 

One clove of garlic, finely chopped.

 

 

 

Give this a good whisk until it's all combined.

 

 

 

Next–this is my favorite—finely chop a small handful of olives…

 

 

 

And use your freaky pinkish-white alien hand to add them to the dressing. Stir to combine.

 

 

 

Finally, pour the dressing over the salad!

 

 

 

Mmmm…

 

 

 

Mmmm…

 

 

 

Good. See the little bits of olive? They'll appear here and there in various bites of your salad and make you feel happy inside.

 

 

 

Use your (very clean) hands to toss the salad. This really winds up being the perfect amount of dressing for the ingredients. I love it when the world makes sense. Then, just for kicks: after it's all tossed together, squeeze half a lemon over the salad and toss it one more time.

 

 

 

Sprinkle half of the remaining feta over the salad (so, 1/4 of the original quantity of feta.) See, the first feta we added really became part of things when we tossed the salad: it's creamy and mushy now. Adding this feta will make for some more intact chunks when we serve the salad (and I'll show you what we do with the remaining 1/4.)

 

 

 

Lovely.

 

 

 

Heap it up on a plate.

 

 

 

Drool.

 

 

 

Then sprinkle on the rest of the feta over the individual portions. Try not to be impressed by my manicure.

 

 

 

I love Greek salad. And if you have a good bakery in your area and can score a loaf of crusty bread, a hunk of the stuff would be divine here. Leave this salad as is, or add marinated, grilled chicken if you need a little more animal protein in your life.

 

 

 

Oh, and here's something you can do with a big salad like this, whether it's Greek or Caesar or chopped. Pile it onto a good tortilla or other flatbread. Add strips of chicken, beef, or lamb if you have it.

 

 

 

Wrap. Scarf. Enjoy.

(I like to come up with all sorts of alternatives for getting food into my mouth.)

Here's the printable recipe:

 


Recipe: Greek Salad

Prep Time: 20 Minutes
 | 
Cook Time:
 | 
Difficulty: Easy
 | 
Servings: 8

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Ingredients
1 head Romaine Lettuce, Chopped4 whole Ripe Tomatoes, Cut Into Six Wedges Each, Then Each Wedge Cut In Half1 whole (large) Cucumber, Peeled, Cut Into Fourths Lengthwise, And Diced Into Large Chunks½ whole Red Onion, Sliced Very Thin30 whole Pitted Kalamata Olives, Cut In Half Lengthwise6 ounces, weight Crumbled Feta Cheese Fresh Parsley, Roughly Chopped¼ cups Olive Oil2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar1 teaspoon Sugar (more To Taste)1 clove Garlic, Minced6 whole Kalamata Olives (extra), Chopped Fine¼ teaspoons Salt Freshly Ground Black Pepper1 whole Lemon, For Squeezing Preparation Instructions

Add chopped lettuce, tomato wedges, cucumber chunks, onion slices, halved Kalamata olives, half the feta, and parsley to a large bowl.

Combine olive oil, vinegar, sugar, garlic, salt, pepper, and chopped olives in a bowl. Whisk together until combined. Taste and adjust seasonings (I almost always add a little sugar.)

Pour dressing over salad ingredients, then add salt and pepper. Toss with tongs or clean hands. Just before serving, top with additional feta and squeeze a little lemon juice over the top.

Posted by Ree on April 17 2011

Cookware Winners

The two (randomly selected) winners of the All-Clad cookware are:

#42659 Annie S: "Pathetic. I've been married for thirty years and have always had Teflon."

#11798 BridgetSoup: "My current state of cookware….. I'd say a 4. I have about 2 good pans and if I clean them real quick I can keep cooking on them."

Congratulations, winners! Contact prizes@thepioneerwoman.com to claim your loot.

I'll do more cookware set giveaways soon!

Today

Today…

Because the sun is shining…

Because the earth is coming back to life…

Because I'm cooking all day…

And because I love ya…

 

I'm giving away two (2) of these All-Clad stainless steel cookware sets.

Most of you are aware of my love for enameled cast iron pots. I use them every day and will love them the rest of my life.

However, when it comes to skillets, saucepans, saute pans, etc, I love cooking with stainless steel. And when it comes to stainless steel cookware, I don't think it gets any better than All-Clad.

*This is not a paid advertisement. All-Clad doesn't have any idea who the heck I am. I could disappear tomorrow and All-Clad would not bat an eyelash. I just like their pans. Amen.*

TO ENTER

To enter the giveaway, just answer the following questions in the Comments section of this post:

How would you rate the current state of your cookware?

Do you have a mish-mash of hand-me-downs from your grandma? Or do you have a culinary collection that would make Emeril salivate? Or do you have one pan? Or do you have zero pans? Just rate your current cookware collection (on a scale of 1 to 10) and you're automatically entered to win the cookware.

THE RULES

One entry per person, please. Strictly enforced with a wooden spoon.

No entries after noon Pacific Time Friday.

Winners will be selected at random and announced Friday night.

Note: Replies to comments are unable to be counted as entries. Please leave one comment (not a reply) as your entry.

Lots of Love,

P-Dub

____________________________

Giveaway sponsored by Pioneer Woman, with cooperation from CHEFS Catalog.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing

I made cupcakes yesterday, for a very important occasion:

I wanted to.

And today, if you want to, you can make cupcakes too!

 

 

Start by beating some shortening and sugar together.

 

 

 

Combine cake flour and salt in a sifter…

 

 

 

And sift them together into a separate bowl.

 

 

 

I'm going to write a coffee table book and fill it with images of the shapes that result from my sifting flour. It's going to be called The Shapes of Sifting.

Alternate title: Sifting Shapes.

I can't decide between the two. It's a monumental decision, one to which I devote at least eleven hours of thinking time per day.

I'll keep you posted on the release date.

 

 

Measure some buttermilk..

 

 

 

Then crack in a couple of eggs…

 

 

 

Add some baking soda…

 

 

 

And plenty of vanilla.

 

 

 

Stir this together with a fork to combine…

 

 

 

Then add some vinegar.

 

 

 

Next, alternate adding the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture to the shortening mixture until it's all combined. Don't overbeat. Just mix till it's all together in perfect harmony.

Next, and this is a vitally important step: Stick your finger in the bowl. Then remove your finger. Then lick the batter off your finger. Repeat as necessary.

Note: With the exception of the increased quantity of vanilla extract, this is the same basic recipe as the Red Velvet Cake recipe that's both in my cookbook and here on the site. Just stop short of adding the red food coloring mixture and you've got this recipe. You can leave it plain, or color it any number of colors if you want to have fun.

 

 

Spoon the batter into cupcake liners…

 

 

 

Then bake until just done, about 17 to 20 minutes.

 

 

 

Remove the cupcakes from the oven, the remove them from the pan and allow them to cool completely.

 

 

 

Go ahead and do a cross section of one of the cupcakes just to make sure it's baked all the way through, then go ahead and scarf it down.

Then go ahead and don't feel the least bit bad about it.

 

 

 

I didn't take photos of the frosting recipe because I'm forgetful, but it's just the basic cream cheese frosting I use for cakes, cupcakes, and moisturizing my skin.

Just kidding on that last one.

 

 

 

Now that you have the basic components, you can adorn the cupcakes however you'd like!

 

 

 

You can keep 'em plain and simple…

 

 

 

Or you can use the flat end of a knife to tap-lift create a meringue-type look.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can do fun, colored sprinkles…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Or you can go the sugar sanding route.

 

 

 

Pretty!

 

 

 

If you've ever encountered a kind soul who gifts you with a delight known as bourbon vanilla sugar…

 

 

 

You can lay it on as thick as you want for a pretty, neutral (and delicious) look.

 

 

 

Or, if you like things a little spicy, you can grab some candied ginger…

 

 

 

Cut it into very thin slivers…

 

 

 

And throw 'em on the top.

 

 

 

Do this with any kind of dried fruit, too: pineapple, apricot, etc.

 

 

 

You can take the single-berry approach…

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the end, when you're almost done, stir some berries into the remaining icing.

 

 

 

Yummy…

 

 

 

For my tummy.

 

 

 

They're not as crazy fancy as so many cupcakes out there, but they're great for a weekday afternoon.

Or a weekend afternoon.

Or a weekend morning.

Or every day of your life.

Enjoy them today, my friends!

Here's the handy dandy printable:

 


Recipe: Basic Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing

Prep Time: 20 Minutes
 | 
Cook Time: 20 Minutes
 | 
Difficulty: Easy
 | 
Servings: 18

Print Recipe
3"x5" Cards
4"x6" Cards
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Ingredients
CUPCAKES1 cup Vegetable Shortening1-¾ cup Sugar2-½ cups Cake Flour1-¼ teaspoon Salt2 whole Large Eggs1 cup Buttermilk2-½ teaspoons Vanilla Extract (or The Caviar From 1 Vanilla Bean)1 teaspoon Baking Soda1-½ teaspoon Vinegar Icing1 stick Butter, Softened1 package (8 Ounce) Cream Cheese, Softened4 cups Sifted Powdered Sugar (more If Needed)¼ teaspoons Salt3 teaspoons Vanilla Extract (or The Caviar From 1 Vanilla Bean) Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 18 muffin cups with cupcake liner papers.

Cream shortening and sugar until fluffy. Set aside.

Sift together flour and salt. Set aside.

Mix eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, baking soda, and vinegar in a separate bowl.

Alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk mixture to the shortening mixture, mixing after each addition. Mix until totally combined.

Pour batter into cupcake liners. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes, or until just done. Remove from oven, then remove cupcakes from pan and let cool completely. Ice when cooled and decorate with sugar sprinkles, berries, candied ginger, etc.

ICING

Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl until totally combined. Ice cooled cupcakes.

Posted by Ree on April 13 2011

Web Deliciousness: Sandwiches!

It's Tuesday—time to check out the deliciousness across the web.

Today's theme: Sandwiches!

Check out these beauties (click on the photo or the recipe title to be taken to the recipes):

 

Homemade Lamb Gyros by My Greek Ambition. I would give away many of my belongings for one bite of one of these. My goodness.

 

 

 

Gaullois Sandwich by Eat, Live, Run. Pecans in a ham and cheese sandwich? Sold! This looks tremendously yummy.

 

 

 

Brie Croque Monsier by Framed Cooks. Gorgeous. Me likey.

 

 

 

Grilled Fish Sandwich by Big2Beautiful. This is the most beautiful fish sandwich I think I've ever seen. Simple, lovely, and perfect.

 

 

 

Jarlsberg Grilled Cheese with Arugula and Truffle Oil by Keep it Simple Foods. I'm addicted to grilled cheese sandwiches, no matter how pared down or stepped up. This looks incredible.

 

 

 

Meatless Muffalettas by Three Many Cooks. I'm positively drooling. I love olives so much.

 

 

 

Turkey Meatball Sandwich by Heather Cristo Cooks. Scrumptious and beautiful.

 

 

 

Italian Grilled Cheese Sammies by Simply Scratch. Love the pumpernickel!

And with that…I'm going to go cry because I can't have every single one of these for lunch.

After that, I'm going to scour my pantry and fridge…and figure out which one of these I'm going to make.

Thanks to all of the great cooks above for your gorgeous recipes and photos!