Best Taco Salad Ever!

I love salads, but being married to a carnivore prevents me from eating them as often as I'd like.

Maggie and I have a friend who writes an amazing food blog. She is a health nut, so she is always making the recipes more healthy and with less fat. Most of my dinners come from her blog... they are just sooo good.

So anyway, she posted a wonderful recipe for a cilantro/ranch dressing (cilantro is one of my very favorite things in the universe) and Mexican salad. I was super excited.

I used chicken, but obviously ground beef would be really good too (or the sweet pork recipe that has been posted on this blog before). This time I seasoned my black beans this time with cumin, chili powder, and garlic (powder, and regular salt) which I have never done before, and it was sooo goood. And I made my usual rice with lime juice and cilantro cooked in.

I placed my fajita-seasoned chicken on a bed of romaine, added the beans and rice. Then piled on the tomatoes, avocado, and green onion. (I forgot olives, cheese, corn, etc... Oh well, it was perfect the way it was).

Then i drizzled the delicious dressing on top with some crunched chips... and I was in heaven. My husband loved it too! Yyayyy!

Gotta try this dressing (Thanks England ladies for the food processor.. I am using it a ton!!)

Cilantro Lime Dressing (originally from Our Best Bites... another amazing food blog)

Ingredients:

1 pack (1 oz) Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix (ignore the directions on packet)
1/2 cup mayo (I used the reduced-fat olive oil mayo)
1/2 cup sour cream (I used fat-free)
1/2 cup milk
1 lime, juiced
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped (I left this out because raw garlic is really strong to me, but I used a little garlic salt)
1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1/4 cup green salsa (I used the La Victoria brand)
Hot sauce, to taste

Directions:
Place all ingredients (except hot sauce) in a blender or food processor. Blend until all ingredients are mixed together and finely chopped. Sample and add hot sauce to taste. Allow to thicken in the fridge for a few hours.

my mouth is watering...

advice needed

I once learned from a friend who was an AMAZING baker and also had a master's degree in chemistry that the key to good cookies is how well the butter and sugar are creamed.

I need to know more about creaming. I don't really know what I'm doing. All I know is that my cookies don't turn out as good as I want them too. They are usually puffy and cakey. Also, I don't own a hand mixer. My roommate has a Bosch but I don't think it mixes that well. So do any of you have any tips on how to hand cream butter and sugar? How long is it really supposed to take and what is the final consistency supposed to look and feel like? Maybe someday I'll have a hand mixer so advice on how to cream with that is welcome too. Leave your tips in the comments or if you are feeling ambitious do a tutorial!

I'd appreciate the advice because I really want to make Di's oatmeal chocolate chip cookies!

maggie

The best homemade vanilla ice cream ever!!!!

Vanilla Ice Cream

2qt. 4qt. 5qt. 6qt.

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1 cup 2 c. 2 1/2 c. 3 c. Milk
1 cup 1 3/4 c. 2 1/2 c. 2 3/4 c. Sugar dash 1/2 tsp. 1/2 tsp. 3/4 tsp. Salt
1 cup 2 c. 2 1/2 c. 3 c. Half and Half
1 1/2 tsp. 1 T. 1 1/2 T. 2 T Vanilla extract
2 cups 4 c. 5 c. 6 c. Whipping cream

Scald milk until bubbles from around edge. Remove from heat. Add sugar and salt. Stir until dissolved. Stir in half and half, vanilla and whipping cream. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes. Churn according to ice cream freezer's directions.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I don't remember where I adapted this recipe from, but it's been my favorite cookie recipe of all time. I think I got it from Joann McKenna. Can you McKenna girls verify?
Anyway, I have experimented with it through the years, and now I think they are perfect!


1 lb butter
2 c. Sugar
1 c. brown sugar
½ t. vanilla
¾ t. salt
4 eggs
4 c. flour
2 t. baking soda
1 ½ t. cinnamon
½ t. nutmeg
3 c. oatmeal
2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips (milk choc chips don’t taste as good in this recipe)

Cream butter and sugars then add vanilla and salt and mix. Add eggs and beat until light and fluffy. Stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Gradually, stir dry ingredients into butter mixture ( DO NOT use a hand mixer for this, you will break it). Stir in oatmeal then chocolate chips.
Bake 8-10 min. at 350.
The key to making these cookies moist is to keep the batter cold. I always refrigerate it for a few minutes before I form it into balls to cook. I keep it refrigerated as I cook each batch. Take them out of the oven when they are nearly done and let them sit before moving them. These cookies are good frozen as well. It makes a lot of cookies!

-DI

Mediterrean Pasta Salad

 Ingredients

• 1/2 pound fusilli (spirals) pasta
• Kosher salt
• Good olive oil
• 1 pound ripe tomatoes, medium-diced
• 3/4 cup good kalamata olives, sliced or diced
• 1 pound good feta cheese, medium-diced
• 6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped

For the dressing:

• 5 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 6 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, diced
• 1 teaspoon capers, drained
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1 cup packed flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Directions

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water with a splash of oil to keep it from sticking together. Boil for 12 minutes, or according to the directions on the package. Drain well and allow to cool. Place the pasta in a bowl and add the tomatoes, olives, feta and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.

For the dressing, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, capers, Parmesan, parsley, salt and pepper in a food processor until almost smooth.

Toss well and serve chilled.  Garnish with wedges of tomatoes and a sprig of parsley.

I absolutely LOVE this pasta salad.  It's vibrant, jam-packed full of flavors, colorful, and everyone is bound to love it.  I can't lie, I have an entire bowl of it sitting in my fridge that I plan on eating with me, myself, and I.  I might consider sharing, but I don't think it would ship well to Afghanistan.  

Enjoy!