Birthday dinner course 1 : Beet and gorgonzola salad with orange vinaigrette

As mentioned the other day I was planning a fancy dinner for Hamish's birthday. Im going to post each course separately for your viewing pleasure.

This recipe is based off one found in the Williams Sonoma "Healthful Cooking" Cookbook (pg 76). I changed it a bit due to not having some of the ingredients on hand (dill, green onions, garlic). I think it turned out great despite missing a few items.

For salad:

Spring mix salad greens

2 cooked beets (I buy the Trader Joes brand)

Cucumber

Gorgonzola cheese (crumbled)

Orange segments (1 orange)

Vinaigrette:

3 tbs orange juice

2 tbs olive oil

1 tbs red wine vinegar

1 tsp orange zest

Kosher salt

Fresh ground pepper

Combine all vinaigrette ingredients in small bowl and whisk well. Set aside

In a large salad bowl combine ingredients for salad and toss with vinaigrette.

{Review}

Great tasting and easy dressing recipe. One I will keep on hand for sure. I love making a fresh dressing. It makes such a difference and is better for you!

Husband approved ( I think hes actually starting to like beets..yay!)

{Serve with}

Anything!

{Time}

10 min or less

Salad with orange, fennel and asparagus

I made this salad to go with our Easter dinner and as you can tell I broke out the fine china :)

Epicurious March 2007



2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard
1/8 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Zest from 1 orange
1 pound thick asparagus, ends trimmed
4 medium oranges
1 small bulb fennel, trimmed, quartered, cored, and very thinly sliced crosswise
3 quarts loosely packed tender salad greens such as mâche, Boston, or red leaf lettuce, torn
1/3 cup fresh chives, finely chopped (optional)


Preparation
In small bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt, and pepper. Gradually whisk in oil, then zest.

In large sauté pan, bring 1 inch water to boil. Add asparagus and simmer until bright green, about 1 minute. Drain in colander, then rinse under cold running water until cool. Thinly slice on diagonal and transfer to large bowl.


Cut peel and white pith from oranges. Working over medium bowl, cut between membranes to release segments. Add segments and any juice in medium bowl to large bowl with asparagus; squeeze juice from membranes into dressing and whisk to combine.

Add fennel and then salad greens to large bowl. Drizzle with dressing and toss gently. Sprinkle chives on top and serve immediately.

{Review}
Tip: I had never worked with fennel so didn't know how to slice it. Here are directions if needed.
I added a dash of balsamic and also squeezed some orange juice into the dressing to zest it up a bit.
I also marinated the asparagus and fennel in dressing for a few hours before tossing with salad and adding orange segments.
Overall this was a great salad
Husband approved!

{Serve with}
Anything! Great side salad

{Time}
10 min or less

Summer surprise

I don't know why this dessert is called summer surprise but I do know its tasty!

Ingredients:

Strawberries
Blueberries
Raspberries
Nectarines or peaches
Brown sugar
Sour cream

* Note: you can really use any type of fresh fruit you want in this. Sometimes I add blackberries which are good too.

Cut strawberries and peaches/nectarines into bite sized pieces. Toss all fruit in a bowl with 4 tbs of brown sugar (you might need a bit more depending on how much fruit you have). Place in serving dish then spread a thin layer of sour cream over the top, kind of like icing a cake. Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

{Review}
This is a really easy dessert and super yummy. For some reason the brown sugar and sour cream combo is just so good.
Husband approved


{Time}
10 min or less

Homemade croutons

Im notorious for buying a loaf of hot french bread at the supermarket, eating half of it then letting the other half go bad. Well, I don't technically feel that its my fault. The bread seems to get stale after one day! Right?

What better way to save bread then homemade croutons! They are super easy and really tasty

Ingredients:

Day old bread cut into cubes
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Pepper
Herbs like rosemary, thyme (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Cut bread into cubes and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Add dried herbs if desired.

When adding the olive oil you want to coat the bread but not soak it.

Spread out on baking sheet and cook for 15 min or until crispy and brown. Let cool and transfer to a ziploc bag. They will stay fresh for several days (if they last that long).

Top salads or eat as a tasty snack. Yum!