Cobb Salad

I love when summer rolls around and having a nice hearty salad for dinner. You can't go wrong with a cobb salad, it has everything in it! This recipe also includes the dressing, which is very yummy. This recipe says it serves 4-6, but it could easily serve 8-10 people.

Cobb Sadad
adapted from Williams Sonoma

Salad Ingredients:
3 hard-cooked eggs, peeled
8 bacon slices, cooked
1 head romaine lettuce, leaves separated and torn into bite-size pieces
2 Tbs. minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 Tbs. minced fresh chives, plus several longer chive lengths for garnish
2 cups chopped watercress (tough stems removed)
4 cups diced cooked turkey or chicken*
2 avocados, pitted, peeled and diced
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/4 lb. Blue Cheese, crumbles

Dressing Ingredients
1 oz. Blue cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, crushed and then minced
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:
Cut the hard-cooked eggs into 1/2-inch dice. Set aside. Crumble bacon and set aside. Toss the lettuce with the watercress. Make a bed of lettuce mix on a platter or shallow bowl. Mix together the parsley and minced chives. Arrange the eggs, bacon, mixed minced herbs, chicken, avocados, tomatoes and the 1/4 lb. cheese in a neat pattern atop the lettuce, in rows or in a checkerboard pattern, covering the lettuce almost completely.

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper. Using a fork, mash in the remaining 1 oz. cheese to make a paste. While whisking, slowly drizzle in the olive oil to form a thick dressing. Pour a little of the dressing over the salad and garnish with chive lengths. Serve immediately. Pass the remaining dressing at the table.

Serves 4 to 6.

*I used chicken breast, seasoned with salt and pepper and cooked on my George Foreman Grill.

Posted By: Julia

Feather Light Rolls

This is yet another of my favorite roll recipes. I came across the recipe when Duane's Grandma copied her recipe for rolls for me out of a church cookbook and they were on the same page. I had never made overnight rolls before and decided to give them a try. They were some of the softest rolls I'd ever had and so I make them regularly now. They're also great because you make the batter the night before and then they rise in the fridge overnight.

Featherlight Overnight Rolls

Joyce Walton

1 Tbsp. yeast

1 Tbsp. sugar

1/2 c. warm water

1 cup milk

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. margarine or butter

3/4 tsp. salt

3 eggs, well beaten

4 -6 cups flour

Mix yeast, 1 tablespoon sugar and warm water together. Set aside. Scald milk; cool. Combine salt, sugar and butter or margarine; add to milk. Add eggs and yeast mixture. Add 4 cups flour; mix well. At this point if it is really sticky just add more flour until it is a soft, but not too sticky dough. Put in greased bowl covered with plastic wrap overnight. Roll and cut out. Let rise until doubled. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Brush with butter when done.

Amazing Vanilla Buttermilk White Cake

I have to admit, when it comes to birthday cakes, lots of times I'll just doctor up a cake mix and call it good. Never again. After having this cake I am forever spoiled. I wanted a tall cake that would bake up thick and stand up to being moved and decorated. This cake was not only easy to decorate but was seriously one of the best, if not the best vanilla cake i've EVER had. It was so moist and the vanilla flavor was out of this world. In fact, I am already plotting ways to make it again. I just can't say enough good things about this cake. I can't wait to give Holly's other cakes a try.

Vanilla Buttermilk Cake

from Sky High Triple Layer Cakes

For the cake:

4 whole large eggs

2 egg yolks

2 tsp of vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup of buttermilk

3 cups of cake flour

2 cups of sugar

4 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

8 ounces of butter at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Butter the bottom and sides of three 8-inch cake pans. Line with parchment paper and grease the paper.Place the eggs and the yolks in a medium bowl. Add the vanilla and 1/4 cup of buttermilk and whisk all the ingredients well. Set Aside.Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a mixer; whisk to blend. Add the remaining buttermilk and butter to the dry ingredients and with the mixer on low speed, blend together. Raise the mixer to medium speed and beat until light fluffy; 2minutes.Add the egg mixture in three additions, scrapping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Divide the batter among all the pans.Bake the cake layers for 28-32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake layers cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn out the cakes onto a wire rack and remove the paper from the bottoms. Cool completely.

*I made mine in a 9 x 13 pan. If you do this just allow extra baking time.*

Below is the frosting I used. I think it highly contributed to the reason this is now one of my new all time favorite cakes.

Frosting:

from My Kitchen Cafe

1 pound cream cheese at room temperature

3 sticks butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

1 1/2 pounds confectioners' sugar, sifted

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on low speed, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and almond extracts. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth. This frosted a 9 x 13, a 9 in. round and 24 cupcakes. It makes A LOT!

I'm not by any means a great decorator but one tip I found that really helps is to freeze the cake (to get it really cold) before you decorate it. This was the first time I've tried it and it worked really well. It was also much easier to cut and there were a lot less crumbs.

Posted by: Sallie

Dark Balsamic, Soy and Honey Glazed Salmon

I love salmon, and I also try to fit fish into our weekly menu for the health benefits it provides. I have been on a search for a good salmon recipe for as long as I can remember, and I think I have finally found it! This was one of the best recipes for salmon I have ever had. I adapted it slightly to fit my preferences. Enjoy!

Dark Balsamic, Soy and Honey Glazed Salmon
adapted from bigoven.com

Ingredients:
3 pounds Salmon
3 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 cup Vegetable oil
2 tablespoon Brown sugar
1 tablespoon Honey
2 1/2 tablespoon Soy sauce

Instructions:
Wash and prepare salmon. Whisk vegetable oil, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, honey and soy sauce until mixed well (emulsified). In a large airtight recloseable (ziploc) bag, carefully place the salmon. Add marinade. Marinate in fridge for 1-3 hours (do not overmarinate... you still want to primarily taste the salmon).

Remove fish from marinade, reserving marinade. Broil 4 inches from the flame for 5-10 minutes depending on thickness of fish, until it flakes easily.

Meanwhile, heat marinade in a small sauce pan over medium high heat until thickened. Pour marinade over fish and serve.

Posted By: Julia

3 Envelope Roast

After working all day and then fitting in a gym session, the last thing I want to do is come home and cook a meal. That is why I love my crock pot. There's nothing better then walking in the door from a long day, starving, and smelling dinner already cooked! This recipe is so easy and it was absolutely delicious. The sauce made "gravy" that would be perfect with some mashed potatoes on the side.

3 Envelope Roast
adapted from bigoven.com

Ingredients:
3 pound beef roast such as chuck roast
1 envelope of dry Italian salad dressing mix
1 envelope of dry ranch salad dressing mix
1 envelope of dry brown gravy mix
2 cups water

Instructions :
Put the water in a measuring cup that is larger then the amount of water you are using. Now add and mix all three envelopes of dry salad dressings to the water. Mix until blended completely.
Brown the roast (if desired). Add the meat to your cooker. Pour the water, salad dressing mixture over the roast. In the slow cooker cook it on high for about 4 hours on low about 8 hours.

Posted By: Julia

Quick Tomato-Basil Pasta With Fresh Mozzarella

I don't know about you, ,but as soon as spring rolls around I start wanting more veggies, and fresher, lighter foods. This meal was just that. A light, flavorful marinara sauce with fresh basil and the ultimate---fresh mozzarella. Seriously, don't substitute it with regular mozzarella, it just won't be the same. The bonus is, this meal is also fast and comes together in about 30 minutes.

Quick Tomato-Basil Pasta with Fresh Mozzarella

Cook''s Country

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic , minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes
5 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon sugar
Table salt
1 fusilli pasta
8 ounces fresh mini mozzarella balls , drained and cut in half ( I just sliced up a brick of fresh mozzarella because it was way cheaper)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. 2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons oil, garlic, and pepper flakes in medium saucepan over medium heat until fragrant but not brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in crushed and diced tomatoes, bring to simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in 3 tablespoons basil, sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. 3. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta to boiling water. Cook until al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking water, drain pasta, and transfer back to pot. Stir in sauce and remaining tablespoon oil, and cook over medium heat until heated through (adding reserved water if pasta seems dry), about 1 minute. Stir in mozzarella and season with salt. Serve, sprinkling with remaining 2 tablespoons basil and Parmesan. Serves 4

A "Home Made" Wedding Cake

Last Saturday, May 9th, my dear friends Crystal and Rob got married. Crystal, knowing that I love to bake, had asked me about 8 months ago if I would make her wedding cake and of course I agreed! She told me that I could make a small "display" cake and just have a sheet cake in the back to serve. However, I told her that if I was doing this, I was doing it ALL THE WAY!

So, after doing a little research, I puchased the book Wedding Cakes You Can Make: Designing, Baking, and Decorating the Perfect Wedding Cake by Dede Wilson. The book is amazing. Dede has a very realistic approach to do-it-yourself wedding cakes. Her two main focuses of making a wedding cake are asthetics and taste, which I found very important because more often than not, the wedding cake looks fabulous but doesn't taste very good. She has very detailed instructions from where to get your cake supplies, how to separate eggs, all the way down to transporting your cake from one location to another. She also throws in some personal stories that she has from making wedding cakes, which make the book warm hearted and entertaining.

For the past 8 months, I have been baking "practice" cakes and making tubs and tubs of "practice" buttercream. Fortunately, I have been able to use a lot of my practice cakes for birthday cakes and parties!

The biggest challenge I had to overcome to make this cake was that I live in Las Vegas, and the wedding was held in Jamestown, New York. In the end, I decided to bake all the cake layers in Las Vegas, the day we flew out. I also had make the buttercream frosting and filling over the previous month and had stored it in my freezer. My husband and I packed up a large plastic tub with all the cake layers (left in the pans for protection), the frosting, and all the cake supplies. We then checked the tub on the plane. Let's just say when we went to get our baggage and the tub came out all in one piece, we were so relieved!!

The day of the wedding, we went to the reception hall and I assembled and frosted the cake, and added the final flower decorations. The entire thing went off with out a hitch, amazingly! The bride and groom loved the cake and I was so happy to be able to contribute something to their special day.

This is what the cake was composed of:

Bottom Tier:

Cake: White cake with bittersweet chocolate shavings and kirsch soaked dried cherries

Filling: Vanilla Buttercream with chocolate covered cherries

Frosting: Vanilla Buttercream

Middle Tier:

Cake: White chocolate cake

Filling: Raspberry Buttercream

Frosting: Vanilla Buttercream

Top Tier:

Cake: Vanilla cake

Filling: Vanilla Buttercream

Frosting: Vanilla Buttercream

Because the recipes and instructions are so detailed, I'm not going to post them (I would have to post almost the whole book!). However, if you are interested in making your own wedding cake, or one for a friend, I would highly suggest picking up a copy of the book I mentioned and practice, practice, practice!

Posted By: Julia