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Saturday, May 14, 2011

Another Summer Salad

Marinated Cucumbers borrowed from Everyday Mom's Meals

2 large cucumbers
2 tsp salt
6 TBS sugar
2/3 c. white vinegar
1 tsp lemon extract

Wash and thinly slice the cucumbers. Combine rest of ingredients and marinate 3 hours or more. Salt and pepper to taste.

*NOTE* My mother in law and I both usually "eyeball" amounts in this recipe. But she did find out the tsp. of lemon extract is the perfect amount and I consulted Cooks.com for exact amounts to make it easier to follow.

Borrowed Salad

Borrowing this from Good Cheap Eats - and posting here so I can remember it.

1 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders
1 Tablespoon Tabasco sauce
2 Tablespoons melted butter, cooled
1/2 Tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
mixed greens, spinach or torn romaine lettuce
2 ribs celery, chopped
grape tomatoes
Blue Cheese Dressing (recipe coming soon)
chopped green onion
chopped cilantro

Place the chicken breast tenders in a medium bowl. Drizzle the Tabasco sauce and butter over the tenders. Toss to coat. In a small bowl, combine the garlic powder, paprika, sea salt, and cayenne pepper. Sprinkle 1 to 2 Tablespoons over the chicken tenders, tossing to coat. Allow flavors to blend for 15 minutes before cooking on a hot grill. Allow cooked chicken to rest while you assemble the salad.

Layer mixed greens, grape tomatoes and chopped celery on each serving plate. Drizzle dressing over each salad. Garnish with green onion and cilantro. Top the salad with sliced chicken.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

I haven't tried this one yet, but it got 5 star reviews on allrecipes.com

Ingredients
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions
In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water. Sprinkle yeast over the top, and let stand for about 10 minutes, until foamy.
Stir the olive oil and salt into the yeast mixture, then mix in the whole wheat flour and 1 cup of the all-purpose flour until dough starts to come together. Tip dough out onto a surface floured with the remaining all-purpose flour, and knead until all of the flour has been absorbed, and the ball of dough becomes smooth, about 10 minutes. Place dough in an oiled bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover loosely with a towel, and let stand in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
When the dough is doubled, tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and divide into 2 pieces for 2 thin crust, or leave whole to make one thick crust. Form into a tight ball. Let rise for about 45 minutes, until doubled.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Roll a ball of dough with a rolling pin until it will not stretch any further. Then, drape it over both of your fists, and gently pull the edges outward, while rotating the crust. When the circle has reached the desired size, place on a well oiled pizza pan. Top pizza with your favorite toppings, such as sauce, cheese, meats, or vegetables.
Bake for 16 to 20 minutes (depending on thickness) in the preheated oven, until the crust is crisp and golden at the edges, and cheese is melted on the top.

Substitute all whole wheat flour and 2T honey for the sugar