Artichoke Tossed Salad

I went to my In-Law's for dinner on Sunday and they served this salad. Ever since I have been craving it! I'm sharing it here in hopes that you'll love it as much as I do! Thanks Laura and Jess for sharing!

Salad:
1 bunch Romaine lettuce (about 1 lb)
1/2 lb Cooked Bacon, crumbled
4.5 ounces Marinated Artichoke Hearts- drained and sliced
1/2 Cup Blue Cheese-crumbled
1/2 Cup Celery-sliced
1/2 Cup Sweet Red Peppers-chopped
1/2 Cup Sweet Yellow Peppers-chopped
1/2 Cup Craisins

Reserve Blue Cheese, but combine and toss all other ingredients in a large salad bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Dressing:
3 Tbsp Cider Vinegar
2 Tbsp Chopped Onion
2 tsp Brown Sugar
2 tsp Spicy Brown Mustard
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
2 Tbsp Oil

In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients except the oil and blend until smooth. Slowly drizzle in the oil as the dressing is processing and mix until the oil is well incorporated.

Toss Salad mixture, blue cheese and dressing and serve.


*We did not add the yellow or red peppers because I forgot to pick them up at the grocery, but it was still amazing!

Ohukaisia or Finish Crepes

Many of you are familiar with French crepes, these are a little different, similar, but not quite the same thing. Finish crepes are thicker, sweeter, smaller and have a little different texture and, of course they are filled with different kinds of things. The beauty of any kind of crepe is the versatility, you can fill them with sweet or savory items and they will taste fantastic!
This recipe is a family tradition from my childhood. When my dad was younger, he spent some time in Finland and, as he tells it, they ate crepes almost every day- they are quite popular all over the Scandinavian countries. He and his friends would make up a batch in the morning and eat their fill, then wrap them up and put them in their knapsacks for lunch and eat them cold at midday. They are fairly easy to make and very yummy! Anyone who knows my family has had these, my dad is famous for them!

Ohukaisia (Finish Crepes):

3 large Eggs
1 Quart Milk
2/3 Cup Sugar
2 Cups Flour
½ teaspoon Salt
3-4 Tablespoons melted Butter

My dad taught me to melt the butter first on the griddle then dump it into the batter, that way you’re greasing it as well as melting the butter for the recipe. Heat your griddle ot medium heat. Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix until the batter is smooth (add a few more Tbsp of flour if needed). Pour batter onto griddle in small circles, let them cook for about 3 minutes until edges just start to turn golden, but not brown, then flip and cook the other side for about 2 more minutes. Serve with melted butter and sugar, rolled up. You can fill or top them any way you like, but butter and sugar or berries are the traditional way in most of Scandinavia, according to my dad taught us.

Chicken Curry in a Hurry

I have to be honest, I have not eaten much curry in my life, but each time I have it has been great. Mike, however, LOVES CURRY. He has never met one he didn’t like. So, the other night he was craving curry, so we went to work to find a good, make at home version of one of his favorite dishes. After some searching, we found this one, I highly recommend it! One of my favorite things is that its so easy to control the heat, if you like your food more spicy (which we do) then add more cayenne pepper.

Chicken Curry in a Hurry

2 Tablespoons Flour
1 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (we add at least 1 teaspoon to ours)
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 Tablespoons Oil
1 Tablespoon Curry Powder
1 Onion,sliced
2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1 Cup Chicken Stock
1/3 Cup Golden Raisins
1 ½ Tablespoons Tomato Paste
¼ Cup Chopped Fresh Cilantro
¼ Cup Plain Yogurt

Cube the chicken into bite sized pieces. In a large reseal able bag, combine flour, slat and cayenne. Drop the chicken into the flour mixture and shake until the chicken is well coated. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat and add chicken. Sprinkle curry powder over chicken in the skillet, then cook chicken until it is browned. Remove chicken and add onions and garlic to skillet. Sauté for about 3 minutes, until the onions are limp. Add chicken stock, tomato paste, raisins and cooked chicken. Simmer for 8-10 minutes, until sauce thickens. Serve over rice topped with cilantro and yogurt.

*Mike and I really enjoyed this dish, however, I doubled the chicken coated with flour mixture and only added half of it back in, the rest I saved to feed as “nuggets” to my picky boys and they really liked it with rice. My kid friendly tip!

Dutch Oven Days!

During the summer, I struggle to muster much motivation to turn on the stove, heat up the kitchen and cook something; a few years ago, I discovered Dutch Oven cooking and have LOVED IT! I can't think of a Dutch Oven dish that I have not liked, however, this one is my absolute favorite of all time. My uncle is famous for this dish, so, in fairness, I cannot take the credit :) It tastes amazing, but, even better, it is fairly easy to make. My aunt and uncle have been bringing this to family get togethers for as long as I can remember. Thanks Brian and Vikki for sharing this one!!

Brian's Baked Beans:

1 lb Bacon, cubed
1 medium Onion, chopped
5 cans Pork and Beans
2 1/2 Cups Brown Sugar

The simplest way to get your coals started is in a chimney starter, but if you don't have one, any charcoal grill or fire pit will work just fine. You'll want to heat the coals for about 30 minutes before you begin (you could even prepare this over a burner if you want, but it's not as "authentic") I usually buy bulk bacon, the kind that's not even sliced yet, then I can cube it instead of cutting the strips, but, if you buy regular old sliced bacon it works as well. What you're going for is bite sized pieces of bacon. Grab a 12 inch Dutch Oven, heat it over hot coals and cook your bacon bites for a few minutes, you don't want the bacon crispy, just the fat cooked through. Add your chopped onion and saute until the onions are limp. Then, add your pork and beans, any brand will work, and the brown sugar. At this point, all you need to do is heat it through and serve. This is soooo good, I crave it during the summer!