I have really been craving salads lately. Sometimes just having a tossed salad to start dinner is enough. Other times- I want dinner to be the salad. This is one of those salads that is a meal all on its own. Made with fresh or frozen blueberries it is one of my favorites. The dressing is a creamy honey French dressing which pairs beautifully with the berries. I topped mine off with cashews, but you could add croutons if you like.

Blueberry Chef Salad

Dressing:

1/3 c. honey

1/4 c. white wine vinegar or cider vinegar

1 t. paprika

1 t. dry mustard

1/4 t. salt

1/2 c. olive oil

3 cups blueberries

Salad:

6 c. torn salad greens

12 oz. cooked chicken, turkey, ham etc, cut into strips

1 c. cubed cheese

1/2 c. cashews

 

In blender, combine first five ingredients and start running machine on high. Add oil in a slow stream until mixture becomes thickened. Pour into bowl and stir in berries and chill, several hours if you can. When ready to serve arrange greens on one large platter or on smaller salad plates. Arrange meat and cheese on platter or plates. Spoon over the dressing and cashews then serve. Serves 4-6.

My friend, Jared, was the one who first suggested I add olives to my hummus. Like me, he likes “regular” hummus, too. The addition of olives adds another layer of flavor. Salty, briny and that unique olive taste. Makes sense when you think about it. You are already adding olive oil to hummus, why not add olives, too?  I have a big jar of Kalamata olives (thanks, Costco), so I have been looking for ways to use them.

Hummus with Greek Olives

1 can garbanzo beans, drained- or about 2 c. cooked garbanzos

1 c. Greek olives, drained, pitted and chopped

1/4 c. olive oil

2 T. lemon juice

2 T. tahini (sesame seed paste)

2 cloves garlic

salt and hot pepper sauce to taste

 

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth. Adjust seasonings. Chill. Serve with pita bread, crackers or fresh vegetables. Also nice spread in a pita bread with sliced tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce. Freezes well.

These are a fun and easy dessert to make with kids. Great when you don’t have the time to bake, either. I used white “chocolate” discs, but you can use real chocolate, too.

All you need are vanilla wafers, peanut butter or frosting to stick the cookies together, Popsicle sticks, some sort of chocolate you can melt and candies to decorate. After that it’s pretty easy.  Dip the end of a stick into the peanut butter. Press 2 cookies together on the end of the stick. Press firmly. Melt the chocolate- I used a glass bowl in the microwave,but be careful not to burn the chocolate. Dip the cookies into the melted chocolate until covered. Allow excess to drip off.  Place cookies on wax paper. Decorate your “pops” to look like flowers- I used M&M’s. Allow them to dry/cool then you can just peel them off the wax paper.

You can get M&M’s in so many colors, the “chocolate” discs, too, that color combinations are pretty limitless. You can make them for different holidays or in school colors. Nice to make in hot weather, too, since there is no baking. If there are nut allergies to consider use frosting to stick the cookies together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love pairing fruits with salty and smoky flavors. In this dish, some beautifully ripe pears were combined with feta cheese and a little bacon.  Adding toasted nuts and a simple dressing finished the salad off so well. This can make a nice lunch  or perhaps a first course at dinner time.

Pear, Feta and Bacon Salad

8- 10 cups mixed salad greens, washed, dried and torn into bite-sized pieces
3 ripe pears, cored and sliced thin
¾ c. crumbled feta cheese
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
½ c. toasted walnuts, but other nuts can be used
5 T. cider vinegar
½ c. oil
Fresh chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
In large bowl place greens. Add pears, feta bacon and nuts. Combine remaining ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake well. Toss over greens and divide into serving dishes. Serves 6-8.

After a winter of soups and stews I find myself really wanting more salads these days. With the first full day of Spring here, it seemed a good time to share this recipe with you. I make broccoli salad pretty often, but sometimes like to switch it up a little by adding cauliflower. The result is  a salad that has a great mixed of flavors, colors  and textures. The addition of bacon also adds a wonderful smoky flavor. Certainly, feel free to omit the bacon for a vegetarian salad. With or without the bacon, this is a great salad for the warmer days ahead.

Cauliflower and Broccoli Salad

1 small head cauliflower, trimmed and broken into bite- sized pieces

2 broccoli crowns, cut into bite- sized pieces

1 sweet pepper, seeded and chopped

1 c. shredded cheese- I used a sharp cheddar

8- 10 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped

1/2 cup of mayo – or more according to your taste

salt and pepper to taste

Steam the cauliflower and broccoli until just tender/crisp. About 5 minutes in a microwave steamer, 6 minutes in a conventional steamer. Place in a bowl to cool down then combine with remaining ingredients and stir to combine well. Adjust seasonings, if needed. Serves 6-8.

I love celery in so many foods. I don’t think you can make a decent stock without it. I especially like using  celery leaves. Problem is, often the celery I see in the store has few, if any, really nice leaves. The solution? I grow lovage. It is an easy to grow perennial that has leaves that taste just like celery. Lovage leaves can be used in any dish you would use celery leaves:  soups, stews, stocks and salads. The seeds can also be used as a substitute for celery seeds in recipes. Lovage grows to a height of a couple of feet, except when it is in bloom. When blooming, lovage sends up stems that can reach 6 feet! The stems of lovage are tough, almost woody. While they can’t be used chopped like celery, the stems are hollow and can be cut to size and used as straws in drinks like Bloody Marys or vegetable juices.  I’ve never seen lovage sold as a fresh herb. As far as I know, the only way you can enjoy this lovely plant is to grow it yourself. It thrives in sun, but will tolerate some shade. For a little effort you can have fresh “celery” leaves whenever you want. I also freeze plenty for use throughout the year.

This soup is a tradition in my family. When I was a kid my Busha would make it every Easter and my Mom made it for Christmas Eve. Now we have it the day before Thanksgiving. It is one of those dishes that brings back so many wonderful childhood memories. I love the rich, earthy flavor of the mushrooms and the slightly sweet/sour flavor of the broth. It is made with dried mushrooms. I can  remember watching my mom get out a big bowl and soaking the mushrooms to get them tender before starting the soup. I use dried shitake mushrooms, but often add fresh mushrooms as well. Sometimes I use other dried mushrooms. If made with vegetable stock it could be a great meatless meal, too.

 

 

Polish Mushroom Soup

 

4 qt. Chicken, beef or vegetable stock

5 c. dried mushrooms, about 4 0z. I use Shitake.*

Water for soaking

½ c. flour

1 pint sour cream

¼ c. balsamic vinegar

2 T. sugar

1 Lb. Kluski-style noodles, cooked and drained

 

Soak mushrooms in water for 1-2 hours.  Lift mushrooms carefully out to leave any sand in the bowl of water. Rinse and drain. Set aside.  Bring stock to a boil and add the mushrooms. Simmer, covered for about 1½ hours, or until mushrooms reach desired tenderness. Mushrooms will retain some “chewiness”.  In medium bowl whisk sour cream into flour gradually until smooth. Stir in vinegar and sugar until smooth.  Add a small amount of the hot soup to the sour cream mixture, whisking until smooth.  Continue adding hot soup to the sour cream mixture until sour cream mixture is warm. Add the warm mixture to the pot of soup and stir to combine. Return to simmer and simmer 1 minute, stirring continuously.   Place desired amount of kluski into bowls and ladle over the hot soup. Serves12.

Note:  You can add a variety of fresh mushrooms to the soup to make it even more special. You might use portabellas; crimini, button or whatever mushrooms are at the store that day. Add in addition to the dry mushrooms; don’t reduce the amount of shitakes.

You can use other cooked pasta. Mom said you might want to try spaetzels or even gnocchi. You might also need more than one pound of kluski, depending on how much pasta your family likes in their soup.

*The dried shitake mushrooms can be found at specialty grocery stores, some larger grocery stores and at Asian markets.

 

Who doesn’t love cherry pie? I know I do. I got together for coffee with a couple of friends recently and I wanted to make something to have with our coffee. I used some cherry pie filling as the base for these scones. My pie filling was homemade.  Store bought cherry pie filling would work fine, too. They were just sweet enough and came out this beautiful pink color. They did remind me a little of cherry pie and summer. Nothing bad about that.

Cherry Pie Scones

3 c. flour

1/4 c. sugar

1 T. baking powder

1 t. salt

1/2 c. cold butter

1 1/3 c. cherry pie filling

2 eggs

2 t. vanilla

Glaze:

2 c. powdered sugar

2 T. vanilla

water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or grease lightly. I have silicone baking mats so that is what I use. Set aside. In mixing bowl combine dry ingredients and cut in butter to resemble coarse crumbs. Combine pie filling with eggs and vanilla and stir to blend well. Add to dry ingredients and stir until mixed well. Mixture will be a stiff batter. Scoop 1/4 cup portions of batter onto the baking sheets- leaving a couple of inches between them.  You will need both baking sheets. I used a 2 oz. ice cream scoop and got 22 scones. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom. I switched my baking sheets about halfway through the baking. Remove to a cooling rack and make the glaze.

Combine the powdered sugar and vanilla in a small bowl and add enough water so the glaze is about the thickness of maple syrup, probably a couple of tablespoons. Dip the tops of each of the warm scones in the glaze and return to the cooling rack.

If you are looking for a twist on a Reuben sandwich try baking all the traditional ingredients into a loaf of bread. By using quick rising yeast this bread can be ready to eat in right around an hour. It tastes amazing and looks pretty impressive, too. Easier than you think, it will look like you spent all day making it.

 Rueben Bread

3 ¼ c. flour, you can use substitute some rye flour, too

1 T. sugar

1 t. salt

1 package quick-rising yeast

1 c. hot water

1 T. oil

¼ c. thousand island dressing*

6-8 oz. thin sliced corned beef

4 oz. sliced Swiss cheese

1 c. sauerkraut, rinsed and squeezed dry

1 egg white, beaten

Caraway seeds

 

Set aside 1 cup of the flour. Combine remaining flour with the other dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir in water and oil and gradually stir in enough flour to make a soft dough. Turn onto lightly floured surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Roll dough into a rectangle about 16 x 8. Spread dressing down center middle of dough. Top with meat slices, cheese and sauerkraut. Cut one-inch wide strips of dough from filling to edge on both sides. It will sort of look like fringe. Alternating sides, fold strips up and over the filling at an angle. Carefully lift loaf onto greased baking sheet and place at an angle. Cover with a towel and place sheet on top of a roasting pan half-filled with simmering water for 15 minutes. Brush with egg white and top with seeds. Bake in a preheated 400-degree for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly before slicing. Serve warm and refrigerate leftovers.

* You can make your own Thousand Island Dressing by combining equal parts of ketchup, mayo and sweet pickle relish.

Note: The variations for this bread are almost endless. Some favorite combinations are ham and Swiss with mustard, roast beef and cheddar, chicken, broccoli and cheese, Spinach with ricotta or feta and onions, pizza, assorted fillings. You get the idea. Use your imagination and have fun. Just be careful not to overfill, or the bread will be hard to move, use fillings that aren’t too runny and always use cold fillings.

 

If you want to use regular yeast use warm, rather than hot water. Also, don’t let dough rise over boiling water. After kneading cover dough and let rise 45 minutes. Punch down and assemble as in original recipe. Cover with a towel and let rise until dough looks puffy, about 40 minutes. Bake as directed above. These breads can also be frozen.