3/30/2022

Spanish Tuna and White Bean Salad with Marcona Almonds

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Remember when I was talking about the word 'salad' in THIS post?  Well, here is another delicious salad.  But the funny thing about this salad, it is served as a dip.  Does your brain hurt right now? Whether you serve it as a dip with pita chips or as a salad (on a bed of lightly dressed mixed greens is nice), it is quite tasty and quick to prepare. 

If you haven't tried or heard of Marcona almonds, you are in for a treat.  They are Spanish almonds that have become increasingly popular over the last couple years.  They are flatter in shape, a little sweeter and much softer in texture than regular California almonds, so please do not substitute.  They can easily be found at most grocery stores or gourmet food shops.

Here's a fun food fact and another etymology tidbit for you.  The word 'almond' is derived from the Ancient Greek word 'amygdala', the almond shaped portion of the brain. Now does your brain hurt?😜

3/28/2022

A Special Day!

Pin It Yesterday, on March 27, 2021, my puppers/baby dog, Miss Hazel, came into this world. We celebrated with treats, a new stuffed animal, and a drive-thru to a certain fast food place for a cheeseburger (minus the pickle).  If she could talk, she would say it was an epic day! 



3/20/2022

Sunday Dinner

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Crispy Cheese Wafers
Cream Cheese and Pepper Jelly Spread


Shortbread Brownies
Vanilla Ice Cream


I am going to keep this short and sweet because it is way to beautiful outside right now to be blogging. I mean sunshine with a "real feel" temperature of 65° F!! Oh the things I get excited about. And these brownies are something to get excited about as well.

Brownies with a shortbread crust are definitely in the "Brookie" (brownie + cookie) category of sweets.  It is a two in one treat that is delicious on it's own, but is taken to a whole other level when paired with a scoop of good vanilla ice cream. Jaws are cracking.  

Now, to point out a few tid-bits and minor adjustments to the original recipe.  For the shortbread crust, I added a bit of salt to the shortbread because otherwise, there will be a heavy flour taste.  That little bit of salt heightens the sugar and butter flavors. For the brownie batter, I added a bit of espresso powder because that really amps the cocoa flavor. The only other thing that I need to point out in the brownie batter is the butter; the recipe calls for 1/3 cup.  That is such an odd measurement for butter using the U.S. system of measurements. When baking, I prefer to use the metric system, so I included equal measurements to 1/3 cup in grams and ounces (1/3 cup is also 5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon). Baking is a science, but even if you are .5 grams off in butter, I think you'll still be really pleased with the end result.  Happy Sunday!

3/14/2022

Good Eats with an Irish Flare

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"Doing anything later in the week? Well now you have a little updated reading material and some inspiration to cook up a grand feast for St. Patrick's Day."-  (said in my best Irish accent)
Sláinte! 




























































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3/09/2022

Chinese Chicken Salad with Hoisin Vinaigrette

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What do you think of when you hear or read the word 'salad'? Appetizer, breakfast, light lunch, dinner, first course, fruit, vegetable, meat, protein, grain, pasta, leafy green, etc...? My husband and I recently had a conversation about the word 'salad'.  I asked, "I wonder what the origin of the word 'salad' is. I'm thinking French." He responded, "I wonder what the etymology of the word 'salad' is." That became quite the lengthy discussion and study session, as well as, me buying the book Acetaria- A Discourse of Sallets by John Evelyn, Esq. (If you can read Old English, you'll love the book. I just skipped to the appendix where he shared his recipes.)  Search the word 'salad' on your device and see what you come up with.  It's quite interesting.

Back to my initial question and my response to that question, a salad can be anything. That is my modern day take on the word and this is my take on a Chinese Chicken Salad.  

I could literally eat this for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even a bite for a snack.  Chicken and a mixture of vegetables always gets a thumbs up from me.  And the hoisin vinaigrette just makes it all that much better.

Stay the course for my next recipe (pun intended).

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