Orange, Grapefruit, Avocado, Pomegranate Salad is delicious and such a great winter salad

 

Orange and Grapefruit Salad

4 oranges

2 grapefruit

1 kiwi sliced

1 avocado sliced

 Butter lettuce head or 1 head iceburg

Pomegranate seeds

Crushed pistachios

Celery Seed Dressing

 

Section grapefruit by first peeling with sharp knife around and around getting all of the white pulp, then put knife between section to center without cutting through. Lift individual sections out so that no membrane is included. Squeeze remaining membrane on sections to get all of the juice out. Oranges sectioned the same. Arrange butter lettuce on the plate with slices of grapefruit, oranges, kiwi, and avocado. Pour a small amount of dressing and garnish with pomegranate seeds and pistachios.

Celery Seed Dressing

1 cup salad oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp paprika- can do ¾ tsp regular and ¼ tsp smoked paprika

2 5sp grated onion

10 tbl sugar

 

Blend well and slowly add:

1/3 cup rice vinegar

¼ cup red wine vinegar

1 tbl celery seed

Chill and serve (makes a lot)

Gingerbread Cookies

This dough is so easy to work with, you can roll the cookies out immediately (you don't have to regrigerate dough before rolling it out like a lot of other rolled-out shaped cookies). I used to make them frequently until I married Kim and he doesn't really like gingerbread.

1 cup molasses

1 cup shortening
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ginger

Bring molasses and shortening to a boil in medium saucepan. Blend in baking soda and water (it will foam). Add sugar, egg and vanilla. Blend in flour, cloves, cinnamon, salt and ginger. Roll out and cut out while still warm. The dough is easy to work with--you don't need flour as you roll it out.  

Bake at 375 for 7-8 minutes for cookies to eat or 10-12 minutes for cookies to make a house.

Fresh Pineapple Salad

 

Ingredients

2 cups Pineapples sliced
1 tbsp Honey
1 Tbsp Lime Juice
2 Limes zested
2 tbsp Ginger grated
3 tbsp mint leaves fresh

Instructions

Cut the pineapples into bite sized pieces.

Peel the ginger with a spoon. I have found this to be the easiest and most efficient method.

In a large mixing bowl, toss together 1 tbsp Honey, 1 tbsp Lime Juice, zest from 2 limes, and 2 tablespoons grated peeled fresh ginger.

3 tbsp fresh mint leaves, sliced. I lay them on top of each other and then roll it so that you can make mint ribbons. My friend uses this cool shredder scissors to do it! I am dying to try it!!

Mix with serving tongs.

Just before serving toss the salad with sliced mint leaves and few whole mint leaves to make the salad look extra pretty.

Nutrition
Sodium: 1mg | Calcium: 10mg | Vitamin C: 20.3mg | Vitamin A: 45IU | Sugar: 5g | Fiber: 0g | Potassium: 55mg | Cholesterol: 0mg | Calories: 28kcal | Saturated Fat: 0g | Fat: 0g | Protein: 0g | Carbohydrates: 7g | Iron: 0.2mg

Notes: I made this for a DUP lunch on 12/9/24 because I had some fresh pineapple, but it was supposed to be a fruit salad, so I felt like I should do something else with it and didn't have other fruit I wanted to add with it (I already had pomegranates and apples in the cabbage salad for the vegetable salad). So I found this online and had all the ingredients, so tried it. I combined it the night before so it had some time for the flavors to develop. It was a hit. I should have taken a picture when I had it in the clear bowl and had tossed a few mint leaves on top when I took it rather than after I put it in a smaller bowl. But you get the idea.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

David loves this soup.

 5 Tablespoons butter, divided
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 cup hopped carrots (about 2 medium)
2 cups roughly chopped portabella or baby bella mushrooms (don't always have this)
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning (don't typically have, I used chicken flavor base)
1 (12 oz) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
8 cups chicken broth or 8 cups water plus 2 Tablespoons and 2 teaspoons chicken base
1 cup wild rice
2 (6 oz) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed (can also use leftover rotisserie chicken--and honestly I like mixing dark meat with breast meat)
1/2 teasopoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (I usually don't add because Kim doesn't like pepper, add at table)
1/2 cup flour
2 cups milk

1. Melt 1 Tablespoon butter in large stockpot over medium heat. Add oonion, garlic, carrots, mushrooms, celery, and poultry seasoning and satue until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add artichoke hearts and chicken broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Add rice and chicken, reduce heat, cover and simmer 50-60 minutes or until rice is tender. When rice is tender, remove from heat and add salt and pepper. (I find that it takes even longer than 50-60 min to fully cook the wild rice, so pre-cook it or buy it pre-cooked at Trader Joe's. I found it's hard to find enough just plain wild rice so I bought it in bulk, can cook a batch up and freeze some for future use.)

2. When the soup has about 10 minutes left, melt remaining 4 Tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in four to make a roux. Slowly add milk, about 1/2 cup at a time, whisking constantly to remove lumps, until smooth and thickened to the consistency of thin pudding. Slowly whisk milk mixture into the soup and stir until combined.  Simmer 4-5 minutes, until slightly thickened. (I usually use powdered milk in cooking.)

Note: sometimes add additional cooked rice by putting warm rice in the bowl and addition the soup. I seem to recall we cooked additional rice in it one time and the rice cooked up too much, kind of like when rice becomes rice pudding, so don't recommend addition it to the soup while cooking.

This recipe is from "Savoring the Seasons with Our Best Bites" by Sara Wells & Kate Jones

Tomato Shrimp Gnocchi

 

Tomato and Shrimp Gnocchi

 

INGREDIENTS

• 24 oz cherry tomatoes
• 1 lb jumbo shrimp, peeled & deveined
• 1 lb gnocchi
• 12 oz marinated mozzarella balls
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• fresh basil, for garnish
• parmesan cheese, for garnish

 

Directions

·         Step 1

·         Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. In a small bowl, coat the shrimp with 1 tablespoon of the oil from the mozzarella balls container. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

·         Step 2

·         In a large bowl combine tomatoes, garlic, gnocchi and 2 tablespoons of the oil from the mozzarella balls. Evenly spread the mixture in a single layer on the prepared sheet pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 12 minutes.

·         Step 3

·         Add the shrimp to the sheet pan. Bake for an additional 8 minutes or until the gnocchi is slightly browned, tomatoes have started to burst, and the shrimp has an internal temperature of 145°F.

·         Step 4

·         Transfer to a serving dish and add mozzarella balls. Garnish with basil and parmesan cheese.

Minestrone Soup

 

Minestrone Soup

Prep Time: 15minutes mins

Cook Time: 30minutes mins

Serves 4 to 6

 

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 garlic cloves, grated
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1½ cups cooked white beans or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup chopped green beans
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ¾ cup small pasta, elbows, shells, orecchiette
• ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
• Red pepper flakes
• Grated Parmesan cheese, optional, for serving

 

Instructions

1.                  Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, salt, and several grinds of black pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften.

2.                  Add the garlic, tomatoes, beans, green beans, broth, bay leaves, oregano, and thyme. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

3.                  Stir in the pasta and cook, uncovered, for 10 more minutes, until the pasta is cooked through.

4.                  Season to taste and serve with parsley, red pepper flakes, and parmesan, if desired.

 

Slow Cooker Italian Pot Roast-made with home grown tomatoes but can use canned

 

Slow Cooker Italian Pot Roast

Ingredients

3 pound beef roast (chuck will produce the most tender result)

5 teaspoons kosher salt (divided)

1 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 cloves garlic (peeled left whole)

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

4 celery stalks (quartered)

2 carrots (peeled and quartered)

32 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes

3 cups beef broth

fresh parsley (to serve)

 

Instructions

 Take the beef roast out of the refrigerator and let come to room temperature by sitting on the counter 10-15 minutes.

1 three pound beef roast

• Sprinkle roast evenly with 3 teaspoons kosher salt and all of the pepper.

1 teaspoon pepper

• Heat a Dutch oven or large pan over high heat then add olive oil.

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

• Sear beef roast on all sides, rotating every 3-4 minutes, so that it forms a golden brown crust on all sides. Remove from pan and place in slow cooker if you didn’t use the stove-top-safe slow cooker insert.
• Add all remaining ingredients to the slow cooker: garlic, rosemary, celery, carrots, tomatoes, beef broth, wine and remaining 2 teaspoons of kosher salt.

4 cloves garlic,2 sprigs fresh rosemary,4 celery stalks,2 carrots,32 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes,2 cups beef broth,1 cup dry red wine

• Heat on Low for 8 Hours.
• To serve, remove beef from slow cooker and let rest 10 minutes. Shred with fork is slice against the grain. Serve with vegetables on the side and fresh parsley.

 

Crispy Shaved Brussels Sprouts I made this for Thanksgiving 2024 in Las Vegas

 

Crispy Shaved Brussels Sprouts

 Prep Time:10minutes minutes

 Cook Time:20minutes minutes

 Total Time:30minutes minutes

 Servings:8

 Calories:115kcal

 Author:Danielle Esposti

 

Ingredients

• 3 lb Brussels sprouts
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp ground pepper

 

Instructions

1.                   Heat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.                   Trim the Brussels sprouts. Use a paring knife to slice off the woody ends, then remove any withered or bruised leaves. Slice each sprout in half from top to bottom. Lay the Brussels sprouts cut side down; starting at the tip, slice each sprout crosswise into ¼″ ribbons to create shreds.

3.                   Transfer the shredded Brussels sprouts to a large mixing bowl. Add the olive oil, vinegar, salt, garlic powder, and pepper and toss until the sprouts are evenly coated.

4.                   Spread the Brussels sprouts over the prepared baking sheet in a shallow, even layer.

5.                   Transfer to the oven and roast 20-22 minutes, stirring two or three times, until golden brown and very crispy.

6.                   Taste for seasoning, and adjust the salt and pepper to taste if needed. Serve warm, right away. Enjoy!

 

Notes

• Doubling the recipe? Use two baking sheets. Aim for an even, shallow layer of shredded brussels sprouts to avoid overcrowding and to ensure they roast, not steam.
• Add Bacon

Use melted bacon fat instead of olive oil for a subtle flavor infusion. Or, chop 4 slices of bacon, saute until golden brown, and mix into the cooked brussels sprouts just before serving.