Caprese Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing

 

One of my favorite salads to make during these hot summer months.  Cool and refreshing and packed with so much flavor. What a wonderful combination. This dressing is so good!

Caprese Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing

4 ripe tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch slices

1 package fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 12-inch slices

fresh basil leaves

6 thick bacon slices, chopped

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Arrange tomatoes, cheese, and basil leaves on serving platter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  

You can put the tomatoes on top or the basil on top. Your preference. I do a combination of both.

Dressing

Saute chopped bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove from heat. 

Transfer 3 tablespoons of the bacon fat into a mixing bowl. Let stand for 1 minute. Whisk in vinegar, salt, and pepper. Drizzle over the salad right before serving.

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Frosted Brownie Drops

Frosted Brownie Drops

Give brownies a dressed up look by turning them upside down and then adding some frosting. Upside-down Muffin Pan brownies turn elegant when frosted.

• Frosted Brownie Drops
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• Brownies
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• 4  (1-ounce squares) unsweetened chocolate
• 2 sticks butter, slightly softened 
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks
• 
  

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Melt 4 ounces chocolate in a saucepan over low heat. Once it's melted, set it aside for 15 to 30 minutes, allowing it to cool. Make sure you cool it completely.

Using your stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the eggs two at a time. With mixer on low, drizzle in the cooled chocolate. Mix until just combined. Next, add in vanilla extract and mix until combined. Add flour and mix until just combined. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl and mix for five more seconds. 

Add chocolate chips and chocolate chunks and mix for just a few seconds on low, until they're mixed in well. 

Generously grease and flour mini-muffin pan. Scoop generous teaspoons of batter into each tin. It's important to keep the batter below the top of the rim of the cup so you don't get a muffin top.

Bake for 10 to 14 minutes, or until set. Remove pans and invert on a cooling rack. Allow brownie bites to cool completely.  

Simple Butter Cream Frosting

1 cup butter, softened

3-4 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1-2 Tablespoons milk 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

In large mixing bowl, beat butter until fluffy. Add three cups sugar, cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon milk, and vanilla extract. Beat until combined and fluffy. Adjust with more sugar or milk, depending on what consistency you’re looking for.  Fill pastry bag with frosting (or snip the corn off a plastic bag).

Turn brownies upside down and frost the top.

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Not Your Mama's Tuna Noodle Casserole

Not Your Mama's Tuna Noodle Casserole

This is definitely one of those recipes that will take you back to your childhood.  I can remember having it in school and at home when my Mom would make it. When I got older I wanted to change it up a little and make it better and that is what I set out to do.  Not so sure you can still call it tuna noodle casserole as I left out the peas and celery and that whole can of cream of mushroom soup and the potato chip topping.  But I can say I made it better.  This is a grown up version of that old recipe we ate as kids.  It’s richer and creamier and so delicious.

Not Your Mama's Tuna Noodle Casserole

12 ounces extra wide egg noodles

4 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cups of heavy cream

3 tablespoons cream of mushroom soup

2 small (5 oz) cans of tuna, drained and flaked into small pieces

1 ½ cups shredded gruyere cheese
salt and pepper to taste

2 cups panko breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 13 × 9 inch baking dish. Boil egg noodles in a large pot of salted boiling water until almost tender. Turn off heat, drain and return to pot to keep warm.

In a large skillet, heat 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat and cook onions until transparent.  Add flour and stir for about a minute.  

Next add the cream and stir constantly until sauce is thickened and bubbly. Turn off heat and season well with salt and black pepper to taste.  Add the Gruyere cheese and stir until melted.  If sauce is too thick add more cream to thin. Add tuna and stir to combine.

Add the sauce to the noodles and toss well.  Pour mixture into greased baking dish.  Add melted butter to panko and stir to moisten. Top casserole with buttered panko, completely covering the top.  

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until the bread crumbs are evenly browned and filling is bubbly.  

Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.  Serve with a nice tossed salad and some crusty bread.























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Apple Pecan Salad

 Pecan Apple Salad

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You know when you go to a restaurant and order one of their salads with all the great toppings?  If you’re like me, by the time I finish my salad, all the good toppings are gone with just a bunch of lettuce left.  Sometimes, I have to dig to the bottom of the bowl to get to the good stuff that fell through.  So, I decided to create a salad full of the good stuff. I love this salad and make it often.  Candied pecans, fresh sweet apples, dried cranberries and goat cheese make this salad unique and full of flavor.   There is something about this creamy and slightly tart goat cheese paired with crisp sweet apples that makes me crazy about it. So good you don’t even need a dressing!

 

Apple Pecan Salad

 

1/2 cup glazed pecan pieces

4 cups of chopped Romaine lettuce or other mixed greens

1 large or 2 small Honey Crisp apples, cored and diced small

1/2 cup creamy Goat Cheese, crumbled

½ cup dried cranberries or cherries

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Place lettuce in a serving bowl and add diced apples.  You can use your favorite “sweet” apple like Gala or Fugi.  I prefer Honey Crisp apples.  There is even a new apple that is wonderful.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Ever Crisp is a newer apple that’s a cross between a Honeycrisp and a Fuji. It’s got the crispness and effervescent flavor of the Honey Crisp, but the sturdiness of the Fuji. It’s perfect to be eaten fresh, all by itself, or to be put into fresh applications like this salad. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next add your pecans.  You can glaze them yourself but why bother when you can buy them already glazed and chopped.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add the dried cranberries or dried cherries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, slice and crumble your goat cheese.  I like to mix smaller and larger chunks so that you get some in every bite.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Toss lightly, taking care to keep the apples well distributed, and transfer to individual salad plates or bowls.  Sprinkle evenly with extra goat cheese and pecans; serve.

 

 

Want a bite?

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