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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Pineapple Steak Marinade

 Who Knew? Pineapple can make your steak tender.

Wanna know a secret? My secret for making the most tender steaks you'll find anywhere? Come a little closer....

The secret is Pineapple juice. Pineapples contain Bromelain, a natural and powerful tenderizer that breaks down collagen in steak or any other meat, leaving it fork tender. There's nothing better...don't waste your money on those expensive meat tenderizers. 

Get a can of Pineapple juice. You don't want the sugary stuff. You want 100% pineapple juice....or better yet, cut up a fresh pineapple and throw it in the food processor or juicer and process it until you make your own juice. Put the steak or other meat you want to tenderize in a shallow pan and pour the juice over the meat. Refrigerate it until you are ready to cook. Since the acids in pineapple are so strong, do not marinate the meat more than 8 hours, or the acids themselves will start to cook the meat. I sometimes use just the pineapple juice but more often I make up a marinade....Like this one for steak....it is delicious!

Pineapple Steak Marinade

1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup cider vinegar
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons onion powder
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon natural mesquite flavor liquid smoke
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 cup honey, to coat steaks
sea salt and pepper

Whisk together the ketchup, cider vinegar, garlic, onion powder, pineapple juice, crushed red pepper, liquid smoke, cumin and oregano in a shallow baking dish. Put a layer of honey on both sides of the steaks and place the steaks in the marinade, tossing to cover both sides. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours. Remove steaks from marinade and pat dry with paper towels to soak up most of the marinate off the steaks. Season with salt and pepper and grill to desired doneness.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken and Pineapple Kabobs

Bacon Wrapped Chicken and Pineapple Kabobs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moist and tender chicken bites wrapped in smokey bacon and grilled with pineapple.  So flavorful and delicious and so tropical.  The bacon and pineapple caramelizes and the sauce is perfect!   This is one of my favorite go to recipes for summer. I make them in the oven or on the grill.  Both ways work! 

Note: You will also need skewers. I used 8″ bamboo skewers. If you use bamboo skewers, you should soak them in water for about 30 minutes prior to use. You can also use metal skewers. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Bacon Wrapped Chicken and Pineapple Kabobs

 

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 ½ inch pieces

Fresh pineapple chunks or use frozen or canned (reserve juice)

Wooden or metal skewers

½ cup olive oil

salt and black pepper

 

Marinade

 

1/3 cup pineapple juice

1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon ground ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

pinch of red pepper flakes 

 

First, cube the chicken then place the chicken and pineapple chunks into a shallow dish. Cut the chicken breasts about the same size as the pineapple. Mix the soy sauce, pineapple juice, olive oil, minced garlic, ginger and brown sugar together to create the marinade. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pour the marinade over the chicken and pineapple, then cover and refrigerate for an hour, no more than 2 hours.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remove chicken and pineapple from the marinade and shake off excess.  Alternating between the chicken and pineapple, thread the pieces onto the skewers. Season them with salt and pepper. Next wrap the entire skewer with bacon.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sprinkle bacon with brown sugar.  This will help caramelize the bacon. Set skewers aside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Barbecue Sauce

1 cup ketchup

1 cup low sodium soy sauce

¼ cup honey

1 tablespoon yellow mustard

¼ cup brown sugar, packed

2 garlic cloves, whole

1 lemon, juiced

½ cup olive oil

 

In a saucepan over medium heat, add the ketchup, soy sauce, honey, mustard, sugar, garlic, and lemon juice. 

Bring to a simmer and cook gently until thickened, about 10 minutes. Set aside and cool.  Remove the whole garlic cloves from the barbecue sauce and discard; put about half the sauce into a small bowl for later.

If using the oven:

If using the oven, brush the grill pan or a baking sheet with olive oil. Heat the pan in the oven for about 10 minutes at 450 degrees.  You want the pan hot. Lay the kabobs on the hot pan and bake for 5 minutes.  Then brush with barbecue sauce. Flip and then brush the kabobs with barbecue sauce every 10 minutes or until they are cooked through.  Temperature when done will be 165 degrees.

For the Grill:

Preheat the grill over medium-high heat. Brush the grates with olive oil.  Grill the kabobs for 5 minutes. Then brush with the barbecue sauce and grill for another 5 minutes.  Turn the kabobs over and brush with more sauce.Grill for an additional 5 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. Serve immediately and enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to serve:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Serve with reserved barbecue sauce on the side for dipping.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Serve the skewers with a side of rice.  Drizzle the sauce on top of the rice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remove the chicken, pineapple and bacon from the skewers and serve on top of a bed of rice.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Chocolate Covered Cannoli's

 Chocolate Covered Cannoli's

So, I said to myself…. “Self, are you going to make another typical cannoli recipe?  Or are you going to make a spectacular cannoli recipe?”  So I decided to make a show-stopping cannoli!  A chocolate covered show stopping cannoli!  Now,  I don't profess to be a magician, but I sure can make these disappear within a few seconds when I put them out for friends and family. The problem with cannoli’s is that you can’t save them for very long.  And you can’t really freeze them either.  Your only option is to eat them right away.  Anyone have any objections?

Chocolate Covered Cannoli's

4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter, softened
2 egg yolks
3/4 cup white wine
vegetable oil for frying

To make shells, mix flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Cut in butter.
Add egg yolks; stir with a fork. Stir in wine, 1 tablespoon at a time, with a fork until dough clings together. Form a ball with the dough and let stand for 30 minutes. Roll dough almost paper thin, on a well-floured surface.

Using the rim of a wide glass such as a margarita glass (about 3-4 inches across), make circle imprints into rolled dough. Using a paring knife, make sure circles are cut all the way through. Roll each circle of dough around a metal cannoli tube, overlapping the ends and press to seal, flaring out the edges slightly.

Fry one or two at a time in hot melted shortening for about one minute, turning to brown all sides. Remove from hot grease and drain on paper towels, seam side down. 

Let cool a minute or two before trying to remove metal tube. To remove the tube hold cannoli shell down on the paper towel and carefully slide the tube out one end. Leave cannoli shells on paper towel, seam side down to cool completely.

Chocolate Covering

1 (12-ounce) bag semisweet chocolate chips

Melt chocolate over a double boiler and dip half of each cannoli shell in the chocolate. Allow any excess chocolate to drip off then lay shells out on a waxed paper-lined tray to set while you prepare the filling.

Filling

3/4 cup whole milk ricotta cheese (liquid completely drained)
3/4 cup mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of salt

Lay a piece of cheese cloth over a bowl and then pour your ricotta over it so that the liquid drains.  Squeeze out any excess moisture in cheesecloth

Mix all ingredients together. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use (at least a couple of hours). When ready to serve, use a Ziploc bag with the bottom corner snipped off or a pastry bag and pipe filling into one end of a shell to the center, then into other end. Repeat with remaining shells and filling. Serve immediately.

You can dip these in whatever topping you like. I sometimes dip them in mini chocolate chips and dust with confectioners' sugar.

I use the Norpro 3660 Stainless Steel Cannoli Forms, Set of 4

to make my shells.  Only $5.65 on Amazon.  Click on the link below to buy yours.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LBU1VQ/ref=as_li_ss_sm_fb_us_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=213733&creative=399837&creativeASIN=B000LBU1VQ&linkCode=shr&tag=welchome08-20&linkId=OFBKEHSFDTSVJFFM&refRID=1RK4RKGBFKF22G55DN99

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