Arugula, Fennel, Blueberry, Toasted Almond Salad

I find going to the gym not only provides my body with the exercise it needs but my mind the fodder it needs on occasion.  I was standing around with a few ladies waiting for our class instructor to arrive when two of them struck up the conversation of "jonesing" (their words, so not mine) for new ink.  Then they proceeded to lift up articles of clothing to exhibit their hidden treasures and compare notes; which area was the most painful, which empty spots they had future plans for.  I felt slightly (actually make that extremely) uncomfortable at the moment.  How does one bow out of such an indelicate conversation and not seem like a total wet blanket?  I have surgery scars and other battle scars from falling out of a tree when I was little but no purposely-placed curiosities.

Not that I haven't entertained the idea from time to time, but I could never come up with a real reason to subject myself to pain on purpose.  I still vividly recall that my grandfather had an old lady on his arm. She was a wrinkly old prune with a sourpuss face.  As a young child I'm supposing my brain didn't know how to extrapolate that as you age the skin wrinkles and losses its collagen and elasticity and so goes anything you have placed on it.

I think it's time we slow the song down over here now, put on some easy listening and relax with an exceptional arugula salad selected for your eating pleasure:

Arugula, Fennel, Blueberry, Toasted Almond Salad

Dressing:

4 tablespoons minced shallot 

5 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a small jar (a mason jar works great) and shake or stir until combined. Store leftover dressing in the fridge. 

Salad:

7 ounces arugula

1/3 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted in a small skillet

6 ounces fresh blueberries

1 medium sized fennel bulb (white part), shaved thinly 

Place the arugula, almonds, blueberries, and fennel in a large salad bowl and toss with the dressing just prior to serving.

I also know it's probably a good thing I don't tell people about my strange food hobby, I can only imagine what kind of internal head convos they'd be having.

Enjoy,

Gina

Corn Salad to make me more regular and I've been banned from watching reality television.

In my attempts to get more regular I've been fiddling with corn.  Here where I live besides being surrounded by acres of fruit orchards we have copious amounts of corn.  So when late summer rolls around I like to be sure and relieve the great amount of pressure that builds up from the excess supply.

Hot Dog Dude loves corn, hates pickles and olives but that is a story unto itself.  I try and move things along around here by incorporating lots of fresh corn into our diets this time of year.

I caught up on a huge amount of work that was plugging up our inner workings and so I've actually had a few extra minutes to lounge around in the evening and watch Hot Dog Dude watch television. You'd think he would appreciate my lovely company; but no.

He was watching one of his favorite shows, a group of middle aged wannabe gangsters who ride around in low-rider Caddies (how cliché) and try and persuade people to pay the rent (wink, wink).  I was trying to sit there and be seen but not heard, but I couldn't help myself the verbal diarrhea just started leaking out.  I started pointing out all the holes in the loosely written plot, "How did the cameraman get inside the room, if they distinctly told them to turn off the cameras?"  "If you said you were going to go rough someone up, why would you throw a television out of the window that was clearly from the 70's?"  I mean after all that is kind of doing them a favor, because flat screens have been out for at least a decade.  Then I discretely pointed out, "Dude, you are totally the demographic they are going for, can't you tell by the commercials."

Dude: You are banned from watching this with me.

The Queen (in her head): God I just want to thank you for that act of kindness you have bestowed upon me.

I did however make us a fantastic corn salad that I hoped would move us in the right direction.

Corn, Red Bell Pepper, and Cotija Salad with Cilantro Dressing
4 ears fresh corn, cut off the cob (I used 2 white and 2 yellow)
1/2 red bell pepper, medium sized, seeded and minced
1 tablespoon minced cilantro leaves
1-2 ounces cotija cheese crumbled
3 corn tortillas
Oil for frying
Salt
Cilantro Dressing (I got mine from Trader Joes's, but I've seen other brands in the grocery store)

Cut the tortillas in half and then in strips.  Fry till golden brown, sprinkle with salt while hot, and drain on paper towels.  I like to use a small pan for frying with an inch of oil of so, so I don't waste a bunch of it.

Mix the corn and bell pepper together and place in a bowl. I used a small platter to highlight a little verticality, but really it is your choice.  Sprinkle the top with cilantro, cotija cheese and the fried tortilla strips, drizzle the whole thing with dressing. I would go light on the dressing, that is just what I'd do, but seriously I don't go around telling people what to do.

Serves 4 as a side salad.

As for my regularity problem, I'm working on it.  I'm trying to be much more regular with my writing.  What regularity problem did you think I had?  No you couldn't have, make that you shouldn't have.

Enjoy,

Gina

Does moving lead to spousal violence?

Before you saw it trending on Twitter;  I thought perhaps I should clarify things.

I’m surrounded by floor to ceiling boxes at the moment and piles of stuff with no rhyme nor reason. I’ve been playing a super fun new game called Stays, Goes or Burns. Why didn’t I discover it sooner? I’m getting ready to move and downsizing at the same time.  I’ll have a third of the space and hard decisions have to be made about what stays and what goes.

These decisions would be a piece of dark chocolate cake, smothered in silky chocolate buttercream with ripe, luscious raspberries – Hold on a second while I smack myself back to reality. Oh yeah, these decisions would be quite simple if it were not for one 6 foot problem.

I’m composing an anonymous e-mail at the moment informing the Enquirer that Fred Sanford is alive and well and living in my home.

I thought I’d give you a little synopsis of an argument that went down over here the other day.

Me: We need to move your bike to the garage sale pile.

HDD: No way, I need that bike, don’t touch my stuff.

Me: Really, how old are you anyways? That bike hasn’t moved since we lived here and it didn’t move in the other house either.

HDD: I have too ridden my bike since we lived here. (Wailed a 2 year old voice).

Me: SERIOUSLY (sorry I’m yelling, he was really pushing my buttons at this point)! Maybe you overlooked the fact it has two flat tires and a rusted out chain?

HDD: Look Nurse Ratchet don’t worry about my stuff, I’ll take care of it.

Me: Oh hell no - you didn’t just call me that!

Let me tell you - it took all my strength to not go straight to the kitchen and pull out one of my methodically sharpened Asian precision cutting instruments and shank him right then and there.

Me: (Did you really think he was going to get in even one word from this point forward). Look here Hot Dog Dude, I put up with your rock collection you’ve had since you were a kid, the cowboy boots that went out of style in the 90’s with 4 inches of dust on them, oh and let’s not forget your toy truck collection, but I’m drawing the line at this piece of c*** (cake) bike!

HDD: (Nothing but evil stares from him at this point).

At this point I quit talking to him because I was too busy remembering the mayo I had left out in the sun for days on end and how I needed to go inside and fix him a sandwich. Fortunately for him I just went inside and poured myself a glass of wine, after all it would be one less thing to pack.

I think we may have ended up on the evening news had it not been for a thoughtful package I received in the mail that afternoon from my dear friend Becky. Thank you such much Becky, you have no idea how much legal trouble you saved me from.

Thank you everyone for your continued support, I hope to be done moving in a couple of weeks, so I probably won’t be able to get back to regular posting until then. I wanted to share a few recipes with you that I thought sounded mighty tasty to me.

Belgian Endive Radicchio and Blood Orange Salad
Walnut Oil Mayonnaise

Enjoy,

Gina

Italian Flag Salad

Chances are if you come over to my house to eat; I will make one of my favorite salads for you. I like to call it an Italian Flag Salad, not the most creative name for a salad I know. I made this salad to bring to my cousin Robbyn's house for the cooking show we were working on and it needed a name. I just looked at all the colors in it and there you go!  Speaking of Robbyn, I just wanted to congratulate her on reaching one of her goals; she has lost over 100 pounds.  I'm so proud of her, she has been working her little but off literally at two jobs and she decided she wanted to play around with writing some more recipes. 

Italian Flag Salad

3 romaine lettuce hearts, washed and chopped

1/2 lb. fresh mozzarella cheese, cubed (use the fresh kind in water)

3 Roma tomatoes, seeded and thinly sliced

1 recipe Garlic and Herb Sourdough Croutons

1 recipe Balsamic Vinaigrette

Combine lettuce, tomatoes and croutons in a bowl and toss. Toss with vinaigrette prior to serving. I like to make everything the night before when I'm having company and just toss with the dressing on the spot.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper in a cruet. Shake well to combine. I love using the leftover dressing on steamed veggies.  Usually I look at a vinaigrette recipe as proportions, I usually go about 1/3 vinegar to 2/3's oil, but I went with a little more oil in this one so it's a little less pungent, if you want more of a vinegary flavor just use a little less oil.  Nothing super secret here, just fresh ingredients making for a better end result.

Enjoy,

Gina

Garlic and Herb Sourdough Croutons

I have moved everything over from What's For Dinner Across State Lines.  I'm still having a few issues, but hopefully I will have everything worked out soon.  You have no idea, what a leap this has been for me.  When I started blogging, I didn't even know what a url was, let alone what to do with it.  

I'm still fixing things and believe this is going to be a never-ending process.

Thank you so much to my friends that have been so kind and helpful through the process.  

I wanted to share my favorite croutons with you, because they are something I consider a staple recipe in my house.  If I had to put a label on them, I'd put them in the snack food category; I'd much rather snack on these than potato chips.   I hope you enjoy them as much as my family likes them.  I will show you my favorite salad to put them on very soon.

Garlic and Herb Sourdough Croutons

1 sourdough baguette

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp. fresh thyme

1 tsp. fresh rosemary, minced

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Cut the baguette into 1/2" cubes.  I like to leave the crust on instead of cutting it off.

In a large bowl add garlic, olive oil, thyme, and rosemary, stir to combine. Add croutons to bowl and toss until all the cubes are coated with the oil mixture.

Place cubes onto a baking sheet. Spread out so they are in a single layer. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.

Bake in 315 degree F oven for 15-20 minutes, until bread is dry and golden in color.

I always make larger amounts, but this recipe could easily be halved.  I will store the extras in an airtight container and they keep well for over a week.

Enjoy,

Gina

Ahi Tuna, Pear and Fig Salad with Dark Cherry Balsamic Vinaigrette

I planted a black jack fig tree five years ago and it's becoming a true thing of beauty. This year we are having a bumper crop. Have you ever had a fig right off the tree warmed by the sun, it is magical. It's my college girls last week at home and I'm planning on spoiling her rotten. She loves ahi tuna and I can't think of anything better than pairing it with some of our fig bounty.

When I think about what inspires me to cook, I'm always lead straight to nature. Sometimes I think I should be wearing Birkenstocks, but then my brain goes straight back to a horrible memory of my high school English teacher who wore them with her hideous feet; and where I'm heading with this no one knows.

As far as this recipe goes, it's as simple as it gets. I got some 2" thick ahi steaks, put a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil on them and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt. Heated up the grill and just gave them about 3 minutes on each side, I love them rare in the middle. I had some Bartlett pears that I had picked up at the farm stand and some feta in the fridge. I added some of my beautiful figs and some baby greens and drizzled the whole thing with a Dark Cherry Balsamic Vinaigrette.

Dark Cherry Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/4 cup cherry puree, or you could reduce some juice

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic

Salt

Pepper

If your cherries aren't sweet enough add a touch of sugar. I just threw everything in the blender and pulsed until it emulsified.

The girls and me sat outside and enjoyed the evening. I've been mentally blocking the fact my baby is leaving. I'm going to miss evenings like this; food always tastes better when it is shared with the ones you love.

Enjoy,

Gina