Great Summer Night Meal

I have a confession...not life-altering but just the same...I love sesame oil/seeds...anything sesame "says me" (cheesy)! Anyway, with that off my chest, I made us a sesame pasta chicken salad for dinner the other evening, and it was delightful! Seeing that the weather is hot! hot! hot! I decided to go with something lighter and chilled! So, I chose this off my Pinterest and went to work on our dinner! Here is how you make this exceptional salad...

First you're going to start with a small pan/skillet and heat it up over medium/high heat. Add 1/4 cup of sesame seeds and roast them in the pan. (You won't need oil, water or anything like that). Remember to stir them frequently so they don't burn. After you have "browned" the seeds, remove them from the heat completely and set aside. Now, you are going to cook one package of bow tie pasta in salted water. While you have the pasta cooking you are going to combine the following in an air tight jar (I just whisked mine in a bowl) and mix very well; 1/2 cup of vegetable oil, 1/3 cup of light soy sauce, 1/3 cup of rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, 3 tablespoons of sugar, the browned sesame seeds, 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger, and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Mix this dressing well.

Sorry, this is the only pic I got. (It's the dressing) The camera died right after this! But believe me, it doesn't need a picture to show you how delicious it is. Just read the ingredients and allow your taste buds do the rest of the talking :)

Once the pasta is finished, drain the water and run cold water over the pasta to cool it off. Pour the dressing over the pasta along with 3 cups of shredded and cooked chicken, 1/3 cup of cilantro, and 1/3 cup of chopped green onion and mix well. Voila! You have a fast, easy, super delicious, cool dinner on a hot summer day! I found this recipe at Trickschefs.com. Here is the run down and directions one more time


Sesame Pasta Chicken Salad
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 (16 ounce) package bow tie pasta
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup light soy sauce
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 cups shredded, cooked chicken breast meat
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup chopped green onion

Heat skillet on med/high heat. Add sesame seeds--cook, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and set aside.

Bring salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook about 8-10 minutes or as package directs. Drain the pasta and rinse with cold water then transfer to a large bowl. 

In a jar (or bowl) combine the vegetable oil, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, sesame seeds, giner and pepper. Mix well.

Pour dressing over pasta and toss. Gently mix in chicken, cilantro, and green onions

~Happy Eating~

Recipe round up - a few new dishes for you to try

Warmer weather tends to lighten up our dinners like sandwiches and salads with lots of fresh veggies. Here are a few things we've liked at our house in the past few weeks:

These are the toppings for a tasty fried fish sandwich. Gwyneth Paltrow (aka GP) has a great recipe for a fried sole sandwich with spicy mayo in her cookbook My Father's Daughter. I bought thick, flaky cod fillets instead of sole and subbed hot dog buns for the baguette. With bread and butter pickles, spicy arugula, a squeeze of lemon and the kicky mayo--delish! Here's a link to the recipe.

Right up there with GP in my "be my bff, please" list is Tyler Florence. His cookbook Family Meal is not only gorgeous to look at, it's full of recipes you'll want to share with your family, friends and neighbors--the point of the book. Though sometimes his recipes can skew a bit more fussy than I prefer, this recipe for angel hair pasta with arugula and lemon is simple, comes together in minutes and tastes like something off a fine dining menu---and yet approachable. I don't know how else to explain it. Red pepper flakes and sliced garlic simmer in olive oil infusing it with a warm spice--but not too hot. The bright, peppery arugula (we need a new adjective for arugula--but peppery is such a good one), lemon and salty Parmesan cheese are perfect together. I served with a simple baked salmon. Shutterbean has a good step by step on her blog here. 

photo from Once Upon a Chef blog 

I can't say enough good things about this Asian slaw with ginger peanut dressing from Once Upon a Chef blog that was floating around on Pinterest. Though the dressing looks a little complicated (several ingredients) it comes together quickly and is SO delicious. It's perfect on this salad but would also be great over hot noodles or as a dipping sauce for spring rolls. Crunchy carrots, cabbage, red peppers and edamame---light but filling for a summer supper. I served with baked fish. 

I'm sure your summer is already full of picnics, birthday parties, family reunions and cook outs. My mother in law made these cutie panda cakes for our recent family get together. These are among the MANY cute ideas on Bakarella's blog. They were a big hit with the kiddos and adults alike. Chocolate chips make up the eyes, nose and ears of these little mini panda cakes. Have fun placing the chocolate sprinkle, well, any way you can, for a mouth. The more random the placement the cuter the expression. Tip--recruit help! Three of us in shifts put together a tray of 80 or so mini cupcakes-ha! Several steps but SO worth the results. 

Have you tried anything worth sharing lately? 

Kale Caesar-ish salad - a stress relieving salad. no, really.

Leah here. Today has been....difficult. Not bad, but challenging. Sundays are never a walk in the park. It's my fault, too. I totally veg out on Friday night. Usually we get takeout food and always I catch up on my week of DVRed trash TV.  We live Saturday to the fullest. Trips to the farmers market. Lots of backyard playing. Long naps. Then either another takeout dinner or something easy and comforting. Then Sunday comes and it's time to face the reality of planning for the new week ahead. This means menu planning, grocery shopping, laundry, general house cleaning, ironing those things in need of it. In protest I often stay in my pjs until noon.

Today was no different but throw in a rambunctious and newly hard headed, nay, DRAMATIC 27 month old and this mommy was worn out. I sent hubs out to run errands, plopped kiddo in front of the TV and tried to gain control of my kitchen / laundry situation. You know when you just CAN'T stay on top of it? I'd clear the dishes and then it was time to switch the laundry. Kiddo dumps box of legos all over the living room. We clean that up and it's time for her lunch. More dishes and mess to clear. I swear I could sweep four times a day and not control the crumbs and general grit that is my kitchen floor. DING! Another load of laundry is done. By nap time, I was READY for a break. And for my lunch. And I settled on a very stress relieving salad.

SALAD!? "Leah!" you're yelling at me, "We don't come here for stinking salads!" Well, burritos and baked goods soon enough, friends. Today we're talking salad. A kale salad with Caesar-ish flavors. You'll feel like you're getting away with something bad for you. You'll chomp on chewy kale and your stress will slip away through your jaws and your tension will be tamed by your full, soothed belly.

First of all, I LOVE Tracy and her ShutterBean blog. She's great on Twitter, tries out a lot of recipes she finds online like I like to do, PLUS she's bff's with Joy of Joy the Baker, another blog I adore. When menu planning this morning I ran across Tracy's Tuscan kale salad with perocino cheese. I had most of the ingredients and filed it away for a future meal. Nope. I needed it for lunch.

Tuscan Kale Salad with Pecorino
slightly adapted from Shutterbean

Makes 2 generous servings (or one if you are a grouchy mommy)

• 1 bunch Tuscan Kale (I used about 1/3 to 1/2)
• 1 thin slice country bread or 1/4 c. good, homemade coarse bread crumbs 
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt, plus a pinch
• 1/4 c. finely grated Pecorino cheese, plus additional for garnish (I had parmesan on hand and it was great)
• 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for garnish (I only had vegetable oil. It worked fine but EVOO would have been best)
• freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon (I used half a lemon but more would have been better)
• 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes (mmmmmm...)
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

Trim the bottom two inches off the kale stems and discard. Slice the kale into 3/4-inch ribbons or shred with your hands (more stress relief!) I ended up with about two or three overflowing cups. Place the kale in a large bowl.

Toast bread on both sides and tear it into small pieces. Grind in a food processor until the mixture forms coarse crumbs.

Using a mortar and pestle or a heavy knife (my choice), pound or mince the garlic and 1/4 tsp. salt into a paste. Transfer the garlic to a small bowl. Add 1/4 c. cheese, 3 Tbsp. oil, lemon juice, a pinch of salt, pepper flakes, and black pepper and whisk to combine.

Pour the dressing over the kale and toss very well to combine thoroughly. Really scrunch the leaves with your hands working in the dressing. It breaks up the fibers making it less chewy as raw kale can tend to be.  Let the salad sit for about five minutes for the flavors to combine and lemon to break down the kale even more. 

When ready to serve, topped with the bread crumbs & additional cheese. Here's what mine ended up looking like topped with a few bites of roasted beets on top--like little pieces of candy. Love em!

Looks like enough for two, doesn't it? Oh, it is. But I savored every chewy, garlicky bite. 

See? Already making a good dent here. I washed to down with the lime flavored La Croix. Have you had one of these babies? I'm addicted. Just lightly flavored sparkling water. But something about them feels really special. Like it should be served poolside. They aren't paying me, promise. But you should seriously try them. 

And this salad! The flavors are a lot like a Caesar salad. The garlic and pepper flakes give a nice sharp bite and are complimented by the salty parm or pecorino. The lemon is fresh, bright and excellent with the kale. If you like kale, you will love this salad. If you love garlic, you will love this salad. 

And now, my tension is slightly relieved from all that chewing. I feel like I ate something naughty but I really have a belly full of kale. I'm still in sweatpants. There is still a pile of clothes to be ironed and kiddo will be up from her nap soon. But it all seems a bit more manageable after a nice lunch. 

springy recipes to get you our of a dinner rut

Leah here---and I'm openly admitting that sometimes I get in a cooking rut. Some weeks I rip out a handful of recipes I find in magazines, pin dozens of tasty looking entrees on Pinterest and can't wait to plan my week. Other weeks I've got nothing. Nothing sounds good. "Can't we just eat scrambled eggs for dinner every night?" I think. A nice side of buttery toast...I see nothing wrong with this picture.

But because I like to make things adventurous (sometimes difficult, my family would say) I like to keep dinner different each night with a sprinkle of familiar standbys. Now, that's not to say breakfast never happens for dinner. It's actually some of our favorites.

Here are a few new recipes I've tried in the last few weeks that got rave reviews at my house and they're so simple, I'll spare you the step by step photos. Hopefully they'll get you in the "try something new" mindset.

As mentioned, breakfast for dinner is a hit at my house. These lemon cornmeal pancakes from Two Peas and a Pod blog were so delish! There's nothing wrong with the flour based, fluffy flapjacks we all love, but the thought of adding lemon sounded like a nice switch. The cornmeal base makes them more cake like than normal. I'm a two pancake girl. I may have nibbled on a third later that night. I loved these topped with warm blackberry jam.

I'm ready for warmer weather and this southwestern avocado and black bean salad from Paula Dean sounded like a good transition to lighter meals. I did want some protein or texture so this night I sauteed some large shrimp in olive oil after tossing them in a few warm spices like cumin and a dash of cayenne plus garlic and onion powder. Both my husband and I cleared our plates but I can't help but think it could have been improved with even more lime juice and some cumin mixed in to the dressing.

I have to warn you--if we eat sushi together, I'll probably ask if I can have your pickled ginger. Yes, the garnish. The palate cleanser. I can't get enough of that hot pink pickled goodness. But I figured out how to make a good substitute to snack on at home. Picked red onions. This recipe on Bon Appetit's web site was so simple.

I made these to go on pork tacos--and promptly ruined the pork. Didn't matter. I've been eating these with a fork (and, ok, my fingers) all weekend. Simply slice a red onion thin and soak in apple cider vinegar, a little salt and sugar. I let these soak overnight....so good! Would be great on a barbecue sandwich. I might be making these all summer.

A few more "hits" at my house lately:

French dip crescent rolls from Mama Loves Food. Wish I would have doubled the recipe! This might be my new secret weapon at parties.

Strawberry season is too short. I'm making this addicting strawberry bruschetta from Annie's Eats until the last berry falls from the vine.

I'm not sure which was tastier, this blackened chicken from Sarcastic Cooking or the avocado cream on top. Use what you've got. She blended avocado with yogurt. I blended it with a little sour cream and mayo.

Like what you've seen here? Almost all of the recipes were found on Pinterest. Are you on Pinterest? Follow me here, I'll follow you and we'll find new favorites together.