Spinach Apple Cranberry Salad for 2

I made myself a list of dinners to make to keep our meals less boring around here.  I get tired of the same old dinners all the time and thought why not do things a little different, break up the monotony.  This past year with the quarantine going on, social distancing, locked in and restaurants being closed, we eat all of our meals at home now and don't have the variety that restaurants have to offer.  I use to enjoy taking a night off of cooking dinner and going out to eat with the hubby on a Friday or Saturday night.  That doesn't happen now, but hopefully we can get back to that soon.

  Cooking all your meals at home takes a lot of creativity so it doesn't get boring.  I have never been the cook that has to have a pasta meal on Sunday, just because it's Sunday.  I like variety, it is the spice of life in my world.  I let my taste buds guide me to what I will make for dinner when I get up in the morning.  I go to my freezer pull out what I want and plan what sides, if any, I'll prepare to go with my meal. I'm lucky in the sense that my hubby will eat anything I put in front of him, he's good that way, hahahaha! Once, we had breakfast for dinner, he thought that was exotic.

Last night I made this Spinach Salad with Apples, Cranberries, Grilled Chicken and Bacon for dinner.  It was easy, and what I thought would be good in it I had in the fridge or pantry.  I put it together in just a few minutes and it was not only filling it was very tasty.

Recipe Below.

I started layering all my ingredients in a bowl.  I tossed in a little spring mix with my spinach, I'm crazy that way.

Cranberries, candied walnuts and a fresh Gala apple.

I used this Chicken as a shortcut, just heated it up in a frying pan.

One bag was good for two nice sized salads.

Add the chicken and feta cheese, because feta is always good.

And bacon, because that too always makes everything better.  I crisp this up in the microwave for added crunch.

Add the chicken.

And I used this gem of a dressing I found at Shady Maple an Amish grocery store.  You could probably make your own, although I don't have the amounts of the ingredients, you would have to use your taste as your judgement.  The ingredients are - apple cider vinegar, sugar, water, crushed red pepper, apple sauce, cinnamon, salt and apple juice.  Shake in a bottle or whisk it all together, season to your taste. Feel free to use any of your favorite dressings, a honey mustard or balsamic vinaigrette is good with it too.  

My salad topped with dressing and plain crispy wontons.  It was delicious!

Spinach Apple Cranberry Salad for 2 

Ingredients

1 9 oz. bag Perdue short cuts chicken strips

1 small bag fresh spinach

1 small box spring mix greens

1 large Gala apple

2 teaspoons lemon juice

3/4 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup glazed walnuts - or nut of your choice

1 cup feta cheese

1/4 cup bacon crumbles- crisp up in the microwave

Salad Dressing of your choice

1 cup crispy tortilla strips

Instructions

In a frying pan over medium heat, warm up the chicken strips and break them into smaller pieces as they heat. Set aside.

Divide the spinach between two large bowls.  Toss some spring mix with the spinach in each bowl.  Cut the apple in half and core it, cut into chunks and toss with the lemon juice.  Divide the apple, cranberries, walnuts, chicken, feta cheese and bacon between the two bowls.  Pour on the dressing and top with the crispy tortillas. Enjoy!

 

Outside Summer Time!

Summer time is a favorite time of mine (hmmm, a poet and didn't know it, hahaha!).   Kicking up my feet and  relaxing on the deck or in the yard.  It's laid back, slow, and I feel like I don't have a care in the world.  A tall glass of freshly brewed iced tea, swinging on the swing and listening to the sounds of nothing is a happy thing in my book, the lazy days of Summer.  

During the Summer months I try to cook everything for every meal on the grill, why dirty up the kitchen and heat up the house when you don't have too.  My gears were turning on Friday night as to how I could do a whole breakfast on the grill. Was it a risky thing to do? I didn't care, because if it didn't come out right, we would just eat cereal.  But it did turn out and it was perfect!  Try it, you won't be sorry, it was fun too.  I love eating outside, relaxing, reading the morning newspaper and having a great breakfast on the weekends.

I got the bacon started in the cast iron frying pan.  Invest in a few, they are inexpensive and they work great on the grill.  You wouldn't want to put your good cookware on the gas the grill.  

In another cast iron frying pan, on the side burner of the grill, were the hash browns.  Cook them like you would do inside, a little oil in the pan, season with salt and pepper and that's all they need.  The cast iron frying pan puts a great crust on them, makes them crispy.

 On my lightly oiled griddle (this came with my grill), Texas Toast French Toast is grilling.

 They grilled up perfectly.

 Bring on the pure maple syrup, or flavored syrups I love them too, and what can I say DELICIOUS!  Do not be afraid of the grill, you can cook anything on that thing that you cook inside.  Next I will try baking on it, that ought to be interesting.  Stay tuned!

I've Got The Blues

Ever since my kids were little, we have always tried to make a nice big breakfast on the weekends.  It was a nice change from having cereal, frozen waffles and frozen pancakes on busy weekday mornings, when I was trying to get them out the door to school.  They enjoyed smelling the bacon and sausage cooking and the pancakes, French toast or eggs grilling on the cook top.  They are now all grown, off on their own adventures, but when they are home on a weekend and not working, they still love to sit and have breakfast. 

I make pancakes the easy way, but add blueberries.  Blueberry pancakes are my favorite, and the blueberries are so good for you.  Follow the directions on the box for the amount you want to make, after mixing the batter fold in fresh blueberries.

 Drop by small ladle onto an oiled griddle, wait for the bubbles to appear and then flip to the other side.

 I love hearing the blueberries pop and sizzle as the the pancakes are cooking.

 Breakfast is served with bacon and orange juice.

 Look at those beautiful blues bursting with flavor!  See, it doesn't take long to make a delicious breakfast  for everyone to enjoy.

To Go, Please

It's not unusual for me to find notes waiting at my bedroom door in the morning.  My kids are always on the run. They get up and are out of the house very early.  One drives to work and the other has to catch the train into the city for college.  Usually when I find their notes, it's for a breakfast sandwich that they can eat while moving.  This is one I made yesterday morning.

 My ingredients - Pop the bagel in the toaster oven, scramble eggs with a little hot sauce, salt and pepper.  Spray a small frying pan with cooking spray and cook the eggs. Microwave the bacon in a paper towel while the bagel is toasting and the eggs are cooking.  Last few minutes of the bagel toasting,  put 1 slice of cheese on each side of the bagel, let it melt.  Top with the bacon and then the scrambled eggs.  

Ready to go!  Wrap in foil to keep warm.  It takes only a few minutes for a perfect bacon, egg and cheese sandwich on an everything bagel.

Sheesh, This Is One Good Quiche!

This is one of my favorite quiches and everytime I make it, it gets rave reviews.  Quiche is for breakfast, lunch or dinner, that's what makes it a great dish.  You can change up the ingredients to make it to your taste.  This time around I added bacon and a little hot sauce.  Recipe below.

Start with a 9" store bought pie crust, generally they are deep dish crusts.  Mix up the eggs and cream.

 Pour egg mixture into the shell with the other layered ingredients and bake, easy peasy!

 It comes out perfect everytime! 

Spinach, Cheese and Bacon Quiche

Ingredients

1 - 9" frozen unbaked pie crust

1 tablespoon of butter

1/2 cup of chopped red onion

2 cups fresh spinach

4 large eggs

1 1/4 cups heavy cream, also called whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon of hot sauce

1 1/2 cups grated gruyere cheese, can also use cheddar

1 cup of  packaged Hormel Chopped Bacon 

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Unwrap pie crust and prick bottom and sides of crust with a fork so it does not puff up during baking.  Bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned.  If it puffs during baking prick it so it's goes flat. Cool, but leave on the baking sheet.  Turn oven down to 325 degrees.

Melt butter in a medium frying pan over medium heat.  Cook onions until soft, turn off heat and let cool.  In covered bowl, steam the spinach in the microwave on high for 1 minute.  Squeeze all the water out of the spinach by putting it between paper towels, or using a fine mesh strainer.  Set aside.

Whisk together the eggs, cream, salt, pepper and hot sauce in a medium size bowl.  Set aside.

Spread onions on the bottom of the pie crust, top with cheese.  Pull apart the spinach and scatter it across the cheese. Top with the bacon.  Pour the egg mixture over the top.

Bake in a 325 degree oven for 55 minutes or until golden brown on top.  This can be served hot or cold.

NOTE: You can also add mushrooms, but cook before you add them.  They have a lot of water content and will make the quiche soggy.

Wake Up Sleepy Head - French Toast and Crispy Bacon

French Toast, as far back as I can remember, was always made with eggs and bread, that was it.  Whoever was cooking it, always flattened it with a spatula to make sure it cooked all the way through.  YUK! I hate it flattened out, not very tasty or appealing to the eye.  I add a few things to mine nowadays that give my French Toast a sweeter, richer flavor and it's light and fluffy.  Recipe below.

Start with your ingredients.  I mix them all in a shallow bowl, like a pie plate, its easier and the bread fits perfect.

 Dip the bread on both sides and on to the griddle they go!

Flip them over, PERFECT!

Delicious French Toast like you never had before.

 Easy tip on how to cook bacon without getting everything greasy:  Cook on a baking sheet with a cooling rack.  Preheat the oven to 300 degrees, this temperature keeps it from smoking.  Line the rack with bacon, making sure bacon is not hanging over the edge of the pan, and in about 25 minutes crispy cooked bacon.  One pound of bacon should fit on 2 large baking sheets.  It is a little bit healthier cooking it this way, because a lot of the fat drains off of it, lands in the pan, and the bacon is not bathing in it.

Sunday Breakfast French Toast

1 Tbsp canola oil

1 loaf of Texas Toast sliced bread

6 large eggs

3 Tbsp heavy cream

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Powdered Sugar for dusting

Pure Maple syrup

Coat a griddle with the tablespoon of canola oil. I spread it with a paper towel.  Set the heat to medium to warm up the griddle. Crack the eggs into a shallow dish.  Add the heavy cream, vanilla and cinnamon. Whisk together until all in combined.  Dip the bread on both sides in the egg mixture, then put on the griddle.  When browned on one side flip and cook the other side.  If you have a gas or electric stove cooking times will be different.  Dust with powdered sugar and serve with warm maple syrup and bacon.  Makes 10 slices.

NOTE: I also use flavored coffee creamers in place of the heavy cream, they give more depth of flavor to the French Toast.