leftovers salad

i made 2 different salads the past 2 nights and had some left over herbs and veggies i wanted to use. so i loosely followed one of the recipes in the book and made this:

some potatos (as many as you think you'd eat for the meal- i used 3 medium sized russet potatoes but i think new potatoes or red potatoes would work best)

1 medium sized tomato thickly diced(this is just enough for eric and me, maybe one other person)
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
3-4 tbspn chopped cilantro
2 tbspn chopped chives
3 tbspn chopped basil
juice of one lemon
3 tbspn olive oil
salt and pepper for topping on salad
2 chicken breasts- grilled with salt and pepper (eric grilled them outside with a bit of olive oil on both sides too)

boil potatoes in lightly salted water until tender
put in salad bowl
add onion, cilantro, chives, basil and tomato
cut grilled chicken into strips, add to salad bowl
whisk together lemon juice and olive oil and pour over salad

enjoy! serve warm. it's simple, but oh sooo good!

the best salad book ever

hey fuhz,

that salad book you gave me for my birthday is soooo great! thank you so much. i made my first one tonight, but i have about 15 more recipes marked. tonight we had a salad and eric grilled some fish outside. it was such a refreshing and tasty meal. here is the first salad recipe that kicks butt!

Tomato Salad with Feta Cheese (it sounds simple but boy is it good)

12 plum tomatoes, sliced (the store was out so i bought tomatoes on the vine and just sliced them)
1 very small red onion, very thinly sliced
1/2 package baby spring greens
15 Greek olives (black or green, i bought them from an olive bar in the deli section- our's were green in a basil, olive oil mix)
7 oz feta cheese
1 egg
some flour
some olive oil


dressing
3 tbspn extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tsp chopped fresh oregano ( i used dried)
pinch of sugar
pepper


make dressing by whisking the olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, and sugar and pepper in a small bowl. set aside.

prepare slad by arranging the tomatoes, oinion, green, and olives on plates (i put it all in one bowl to serve from)

cut the feta cheese into cubes about 1 inch square. beat the egg in a dish and put the flour on a separate plate. coat the cheese in the egg and shake off the excess, then coat in the flour.

heat olive oil in large skillet, add cheese and cook over medium heat turning over hte cubes of cheese until they are golden on all sides

scatter the fried feta over the salad. whisk together the perepared deressing and spoon over the salad. serve warm




yum!


alot of the recipes call for some 'nicer" ingredients that might be more expensive. i have decided though that theyall sound so yummy that it's worth tgiving it a try to see what it does to our grocery budget. and the way i feel now after eating such a yummy and healthy meal (we had fish too) makes the money worth spending. enjoy!

best cookies ever!! according to darin :)

Hersheys Premier White Chips and Macadamia Pieces cookies

6 Tbsp butter, softened
1/3 cup butter flavored shortening
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/3 cup (8 oz package) white chips and macadamia pieces

1. Heat oven to 350

beat butter and shortening in a large bowl until blended. Add brown sugar and granulated sugar; beat thoroughly. Add egg and vanilla, beating until well blended. stir together flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually beat into butter mixture. stir in baking pieces. drop by rounded teaspoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. cool slightly, remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. cool completely. about 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

chicken, peppers, and onion with linguine

i found this recipe on foodnetwork.com from rachael ray. i had to modify it a bit b/c it was so spicy hot!

1 pound linguine
olive oil
1 1/2 lb skinless, bonelss chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
2 tbspn chopped fresh thyme (i used dried)
2 tspn lemon zest (from 2 lemons)
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (i accidentally dumped a whole lot more than this in and it was sooooo hot, i couldn't eat it very well b/c it was so hot! so next time i think i will omit this ingredient all together b/c i like the other flavors so much)
5 garlic cloves, crushed
1 cubanelle pepper seeded and thinly sliced (i couldn't find any so i didn't use this but they are supposed to be a mild pepper and probably wouldn't be too hot. i think they are also called banana peppers)
1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
1 large sweet onion, quartered and thinly sliced
black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
one 28oz can crushed tomotoes
grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese (i didn't have any)

1. bring large pot of water to boil. add salt, then pasta, cook until al dente

2. heat a large deep skillet over high heat. add olive oil, add chicken and cook over high heat until lightly browned. sprinkle the thyme, zest and red pepper flakes over the chicken and stir to combine. add the garlic, peppers and onion and season with salt and pepper. cook for 5 minutes stirring now and then until the veggies are soft. add the wine and scrape up the bits from the bottom of the pan (i never have any 'bits'. i have decided this is b/c i cook with non stick pans and they use real stainless steel on the food network channel) stir in the broth and tomatoes and bring to a bubble. simmer in the sauce for 10 minutes.

3. combine the cooked pasta with the chicken pepper and onion sauce with a little grated cheese. serve at once and pass around extra cheese at the table.


**after i zested the lemon i squeezed one lemon's juice into the sauce(i added it when i added the broth and tomatoes) i really like the citris flavor of this dish so the extra lemon juice just enhanced that.


this was really good. a simple dish with some different ingredients and a complex flavor. it was yummy!!!