.buffalo chicken salad.

I have a confession.  I love (LOVE) hot wings.  It was probably the one benefit of low-carbing (when I low-carbed it) because I would eat them every day for lunch.  Mmmmm...   Tangy, zesty.. spicy!  

I bought a new cookbook a couple weeks ago that offer quick meals and this was in there.  I changed it up a little and it was so SO good!  The spicy chicken mixed in with the crunchy lettuces, carrots, and celery.. then drizzled with a homemade blue cheese dressing.  Nothing quite like it in the world.

I cheated by using the pre-seasoned buffalo chicken strips.  If you make your own hot wings and want to take that job on yourself, go right on ahead.  The nice thing about this recipe is that it is on your table in 30 minutes.  And if you use these?  I promise not to tell if you don't tell on me. :D

Bake according to the directions on the package.  When it's cooked, pull from oven and cut into bite sized pieces.

Chop up 1 head iceberg lettuce and 1 head romaine lettuce.

Slice up 4-5 stalks celery and put it in the bowl with the lettuce.

Slice 3 peeled carrots and put that in the salad bowl too.

Annnnd add some sliced red onion.

Chop up some tomato and put in a bowl.  I don't like adding it to the salad because that tomato slime gets all over the place.  Yuck.  (Am I strange?)

In a bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups mayo, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1 cup crumbled blue cheese, 4 Tbsp white vinegar, salt and pepper, 1 tsp sugar, and 1 clove minced garlic.

This can be made up in advance.  In fact, the longer you let this sit in the fridge, the longer those flavors have a chance to marry.

To serve, put a pile of the lettuce/salad on a plate.  Sprinkle on the tomatoes (if you like tomatoes) and then put a handful of chicken around and spoon on some dressing.

Easy peasy and very delicious!

Printable version:

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_148vp964sg5

.spinach salad w/ blue cheese and walnuts.

This is the spinach salad for our Valentine dinner cook-along. I love a good salad and this one definitely hits the spot. You want to make sure you use really good ingredients. Make sure your blue cheese is a good brand with nice veining throughout the wedge. You won't need much because it's such a pungent cheese, so don't buy more than you think you'll use. If you aren't a fan of blue cheese, you can sub with parmesan. My daughter had cheddar on her salad.

I made this with a warm bacon shallot vinaigrette. The sweet and sour dressing was a perfect compliment to the creamy cheese and nutty flavor of the walnuts.


Slice two shallots.












Chop up two strips of bacon. I used thick sliced bacon.











Put the bacon in a skillet. Fry over medium high heat.











When the bacon is halfway done, add the shallots and let saute for 3-4 minutes.











Add 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar. If you find there isn't a lot of "dressing", add a little olive oil.

Season with 1/2 tsp sugar, salt, and pepper. If it's too sour, add more sugar. If it's too sweet, add more vinegar.

That is all this is needed for the dressing. I transferred to a bowl and kept in a low temp oven.

Slice some of the blue cheese and break into pieces.

I used one of those pre-packages of spinach that you can find in your produce section. I like these because the spinach is already washed.

Make the viniagrette a day in advance. It will save you a lot of time. Reheat in the microwave just before serving. You can also toast the chopped walnuts the night before too. Trust me. Do as much as possible before hand so you aren't killing yourself in the kitchen.

To plate: Tear some of the spinach on top of a plate. Sprinkle around some blue cheese and walnuts. Spoon the bacon-shallot vinaigrette over the top. Serve immediately.

Printable version:

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_136ffs6dtdv

.oh yah baby.

Tonight I got Paige in the kitchen to help me fix dinner. She loves to help me cook and even has her own apron my mom made at Christmas. Tonight we grilled ribeye steaks and served them with a mushroom, onion and blue cheese topping. It is so good! I made this for my parents a few years back and my dad who is not a big blue cheese lover really liked it.

First you want to wipe clean some mushrooms and slice up.
Slice up some onion and pull apart the rings. Put on the baking sheet with the mushrooms. Cut up 1/2 cup of butter into small pieces and put all over the top.



Mmm.. blue cheese!

Sprinkle the blue cheese on top and then put a few shakes of Worchestershire sauce, salt and pepper, and dill weed. Put in a 400 degree oven and bake until onion and mushrooms are nice and tender, and blue cheese and butter have melted.
Behold the power of beef. These are ribeye steaks. Probably my most favorite cut EVER. I like to season mine with McCormick's Montreal Steak seasoning. Rub it on real good. You'll want steaks that have good marbling. That's fat of course, but when you're grilling these babies up, it will make the steak nice and juicy. You want to bring your steaks to almost room temperature before throwing them on the grill too. It helps the meat relax a little and will also help keep them juicy and tender.

Here's my proud helper! She is a chef in the making.

When grilling the steaks, you want to sear on high heat on both sides for about 3 minutes per side. Then lower the heat a little and cook to the stage you want. We like our steaks medium rare so they don't stay on very long once they've been seared. The firmer the center, the more cooked it is. Don't be tempted to cut into the meat to check for doneness. Just push the center.

Really spongy = raw
slightly spongy = medium rare to medium
firm but has some give = medium well to well
really firm with no bouncing back? = blasphemy! it's dead. :P


Let your steaks rest for a few minutes before cutting into. Top with the sauteed mushroom/onion/blue cheese bake. Serve with whatever you like steak with. Tonight we had baked potatoes and green beans. Enjoy!

Printable version:

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_13gb3mbgqk