Grilled Vegetable Salad (0 Star)

My pictures aren't the greatest but this salad was amazing. There were a lot of steps so it was a tad intensive to make (for me, maybe not for you expert cooks out there) but very much worth it. I'm posting the recipe here because I made some minor changes such as decreasing the red wine vinegar because I didn't want that flavor so strong and omitting the 6 tablespoons of olive oil in the dressing because everything was already coated in plenty of oil, I thought. I was very happy with the results. The flavors in this salad are fantastic together. I doubled it and took it to a barbecue this weekend and forgot to force it upon my children--um, I mean, allow them to sample it--so I don't know if they liked it, but I seriously doubt it.

Grilled Vegetable Salad

Several tablespoons grape seed, coconut, or olive oil
2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch rounds (Sweet potatoes, NOT yams! Sweet potatoes = yum, yams = not so yum.)
3 small zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch strips
3 slices uncooked bacon
1 small leek, trimmed, scrubbed and chopped, about 1/2 cup (I used 1 medium yellow onion because I forgot to buy leeks and it was still great.)
1 cup frozen corn
3 ounces fresh baby spinach (a couple of handfuls)
2 T red wine or balsamic vinegar
1 T fresh chopped rosemary (or 1 tsp dried)
1 T chopped fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese (shavings or shredded)

Preheat BBQ grill or stove-top grill pan to medium-high heat. Brush oil over grates and on both sides of the sliced sweet potato and zucchini. (I put the cut up veggies in a bowl with several tablespoons of olive oil and stirred to coat.) Place on hot grill and cook until tender, flipping once halfway through, cooking about 10-15 minutes. (Mine were done at about 4-6 minutes total; 2-3 minutes per side.) The sweet potato may take a bit longer than the zucchini, but be sure to remove it from the grill before it gets too soft to pick up in one piece. (There should be some pretty grill lines on the vegetables but they should not be blackened too much. Otherwise the zucchini will get mushy and the sweet potato gets a bitter taste when blackened.) Set aside to cool, then chop into 1/2-inch pieces.

Meanwhile, cook bacon (whole or chopped, whatever you prefer) in a medium skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from the pan and leave about a Tablespoon or so of the bacon fat in the pan. Add chopped leeks (or onion) to the skillet and saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until they soften. Add frozen corn to the skillet and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, 4-5 minutes until corn is thawed and golden brown spots begin to appear. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

In a large salad bowl combine all of the warm, cooked vegetables (grilled and sauteed), the bacon (chopped), vinegar, rosemary, oregano, and Parmesan shavings. Mix until everything is coated in the oil and vinegar and let it sit for about 10 minutes to allow the spinach to wilt. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Makes about 6 servings.

Nat's Notes:

1. Leeks are notorious for being gritty between layers. The best way to prep them is to first trim them, then chop them, then throw the chopped leek into a bowl full of cool water. Swish the leeks around and let it sit for a couple minutes to allow the sand to sink to the bottom of the bowl. Remove washed leeks with a skimmer/spider or slotted spoon.
2. Make sure the sweet potatoes are about 1/4-inch thick. If they're too thick, they won't cook through before the outsides get too black, and if they're too thin, they won't stay in one piece when you take them off the grill. They may have a slight bite to them, but they're still good that way.

For better pictures and the original recipe, go here.

Fruit Salad

I love summer!

I made this salad for lunch today and enjoyed it so much. I purchased all of these fruits on sale for great prices and that made it taste all the better. It has strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and mango. Isn't summer the best?

What's More American Than... (1 Star)

...cherry pie!!



In my opinion, cherry pie (not from a can), ranks pretty high on "The Best Things in the World" list.



This may be the last pie that I ever make from cherries from our (tart) cherry tree. (Sniff.) It is dying and I am amazed that we got any cherries from it at all this year, but we got enough for about a half-pie's worth. So I made a little pie and (some of us) enjoyed it very much.



And I mean VERY much. Wow, just look at these pictures. I can hardly stand it because this pie is now gone and these pictures make me so hungry for it.



Cherry Pie Filling

2 pounds sour cherries, pitted
1 cup white sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a saucepan, combine cherries, sugar and cornstarch. Let sit for about 10 minutes. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until the juices thicken and become translucent. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and almond extract. Mix thoroughly and set aside while you make the crust.

For fruit pies, I think my mother-in-law's pie crust recipe is the greatest. It is so flaky and perfectly crispy yet tender. It's pretty easy, too.

Janie's Pie Crust
(Makes enough for the top and bottom crust for a nine inch pie.)

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup cold water

Stir to combine the flour and salt. Add the oil and cold water and stir with a fork until just combined. Roll out half the dough between two pieces of wax paper for the bottom crust. When it is about 13-14 inches diameter, peel off the top piece of wax paper and then lift up the piece of paper that still has the crust attached and flip it over onto the pie pan. Center it on the pan and then gently peel off the wax paper. Gently lift the sides of the crust until it lines the bottom of the pie pan snugly. With a small knife, trim the edges of the crust flush with the edge of the pan. Add any extra crust to the other half.

Fill with the cherry pie filling and then roll out the other half of dough between the wax paper and, using the same method described above, place the crust on top of the pie. Fold any excess top crust under the edge of the bottom crust to create a thicker edge crust. If there are any places where there is substantially more crust hanging over than others, trim the excess and add it to the thin spots. When all the crust has been folded over, using one finger from one hand (this finger presses from the top) and the thumb and forefinger from the other hand (these fingers press from the side of the crust with one on either side of the finger pressing from the top), press the crust together into flutes.

Brush the top of the crust with milk or cream and sprinkle with sugar. Cut several slits in the top of the crust for steam to vent.

Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Allow to cool for at least an hour before serving so the filling can set.

Barbeque Chicken Ranch Spaghetti (0 Star)

This recipe is from Picky Palate (found here) and Brandon and I loved it. I was very surprised that the boys didn't like it AT ALL. Actually, I guess I should have know that onions in the spaghetti noodles would not be well received. Oh, well--toast for them, superb meal for Brandon and I.

I followed the recipe exactly. For the barbecue chicken, I cooked 2 1/2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts in barbecue sauce on low in the crock pot for about 6-8 hours. Then I shredded them and added a teaspoon of salt, two tablespoons of brown sugar and a dash of liquid smoke.