Greek Salad

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Greek Salad

The week before last I shared my new favorite salad dressing recipe, so I thought it was only prudent to share my favorite salad that goes with it. Greek salads are so basic, but definitely more special than your run-of-the-mill tossed green salad. There’s something about the zesty flavors of the kalamata olives and feta cheese that have always made this salad a superstar in my book.

I’ve mentioned before that one thing we have around here in our rural area is plenty of good Greek food, as several Greek families, whom are all related – relocated to our area ages ago and opened up restaurants. They take pride in always having the best ingredients when it comes to olives, olive oils, and cheeses. So, my first taste of a Greek salad was at a small place called Ocean Deli – and it’s pretty tough to beat.

Andy puts roasted green peppers on his Greek salads, and I think it really sets it apart from all the others I’ve tried over the years. So, I always add that to the ones I make here at home. I always try to stock up on good feta cheese while I’m in the big city too. You know, the variety that’s packed in brine and usually made with sheep’s milk…or at least a combination of cow and sheep’s milk. I find it’s always creamier than the other stuff. But, in a pinch – a standard supermarket feta suffices just fine.

I have been packing this salad for Jon to take to lunch at least 2 days a week for 2 years now, and he’s never gotten tired of it. I often make it for side salads as well, or even topped with some grilled chicken – it makes a delicious light meal in the warmer months. I’m pretty sure if you make it once, you’ll find yourself making it often too! A kitchen standard for sure!

Greek Salad

2 cups romaine lettuce, washed and roughly chopped
2 cups mixed baby greens, rinsed
1 green bell pepper
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup Creamy Feta Vinaigrette (or your favorite Greek salad dressing)
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
8 whole pepperocini peppers

Roast the pepper over an open flame on a gas grill, or roast it in the broiler until the skin is nice and blistered on the outside – about 4 minutes per side. Once charred, place in a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 10 minutes. This “steams” the pepper, and make the skin easier to peel off. Once cooled enough to touch, peel as much as the skin off as you can. Roughly chop the pepper into bite-sized pieces.

Combine the lettuces, roasted pepper, onion, tomatoes, cucumber, and salad dressing in a large bowl. Toss to combine.

Sprinkle kalamata olives and crumbled feta cheese on top of the salad before serving. Garnish with pepperocini peppers.

Strawberry-Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

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Strawberry-Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Gosh – it sure has a busy week around here. I’ve been in the kitchen baking pretty much everyday – rolls, bread, pitas, and this delicious coffee cake. This blackberry version has long been my favorite, but when I came across this strawberry-cream cheese version on Pinterest I couldn’t wait to try something different. I also happened to have everything I needed right on hand, as I had some strawberries in the refrigerator that were on their last leg and needed to be put to use in something.

The cake batter comes together quickly, then you top with a simple cream cheese mixture and a quick homemade strawberry jam using fresh berries, then it’s all topped off with a delicious almond streusel. The cake was tender and sweet, and the layers of toppings from the cream cheese and strawberries just made it totally rich and decadent. Not to mention how beautiful it turned out!

It would be a show stopper at a Sunday morning breakfast or brunch for sure. Or, just to bake on an idle Friday night and have around for nibbling on all weekend long. We’re looking forward to a family trip with our crew, as well as one of my best friend and her family to Ocean City. We’re heading to a restaurant we’ve been dying to try, The Shark on the Harbor – and then it’s on to The Annual Waterman’s Expo! A trip to the boardwalk and Thrasher’s might also have to be in order…you know, for the baby. Then on Sunday, football of course. Still trying to decide what munchies to make. I’m thinking a big dish of roasted Seahawk is definitely on the menu. Heh. GO NINERS! I hope that everyone has a great weekend! 

Strawberry-Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

For the strawberry jam:
1 1/2 cup fresh strawberries, quartered
3 tbsp sugar
3 tsp water
1.5 tsp cornstarch

For the crumb topping:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
4 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/2 cup sliced almonds

For the cream cheese layer:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the cake:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flour and 9-inch springform pan and set asdie.

To make the strawberry jam, combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl to make a slurry. In a small saucepan, combine the strawberries and sugar. Cook over low heat for about 5 minutes, or until the strawberries release their juices. Add the cornstarch mix and stir until well combined. Stir for another minute or two until it has thickened. Remove from heat. Let cool to room temperature while you prepare the rest of the cake.

Beat the cream cheese on medium speed for about 30 seconds until smooth. Add in the sugar, egg, and vanilla and beat until well combined. Set aside.

To make the crumb topping, combine the flour and sugar in a small bowl and mix to combine. Pour in the melted butter and mash with a fork until the mixture is crumbly. Set aside.

To make the cake, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. In a 2-cup measuring cupl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, yogurt, and vanilla until well blended. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the liquid ingredients. Fold together gently until evenly combined and no streaks remain, being careful not to over mix. Pour the the batter into the prepared pan in an even layer.

Carefully layer the cream cheese layer on top of the cake batter, as well as the strawberry layer – spreading out evenly. Top with all of the crumb topping, and then sprinkle with the sliced almonds.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 50-60 minutes until cake is set and nicely browned on top. Remove from oven and let sit for 30 minutes before removing from springform pan. Let cool for at least another 30 minutes before serving.

Store in airtight container for up to 3 days. 

Source: highly adapted from Food Wanderings In Asia

Mushroom Risotto

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Mushroom Risotto

Last week I’d made a delicious roasted chicken for dinner, and being the frugal girl that I am – couldn’t let that chicken carcass go in the trash can without making a batch of chicken stock with it first. When menu planning for that week I took stock of what I had in the pantry before heading to the store to do my weekly grocery stock-up. I had a full package of arborio rice, and a bunch of samples of different varieties of dried mushrooms that the good folks at Marx Gourmet Foods had sent me – so I put mushroom risotto on the lineup.

I ended up making it on a cold, rainy evening…and this filling meal couldn’t have been more perfect. I’ve gone on before about how wonderful dried mushrooms are to keep around. They add so much flavor to whatever dish you use them for, and they never go bad in the pantry. While I’d say porcini is my hands down favorite, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the matsutake. They were lighter in flavor, almost floral. I’d imagine they would be absolutely perfect in a big batch of homemade ramen noodles! But, if you can’t find them – don’t sweat it. The dried porcinis alone, combined with the earthy flavors of the sauteed fresh mushrooms will give more than enough flavor to this dish!

The stirring necessary is a little bit time consuming, but take if you take the time to enjoy a glass of wine (that you’ve been forced to open for the dish!)…it makes it a little more fun, and the time pass quicker. And the result you’ll get in the end is so worth it! A thick, rich, and creamy dish – that is just bursting with flavor. Great for my gluten-free friends, and could easily be made into a vegetarian dish by using vegetable broth instead of chicken stock. I’ve only made one other risotto in the past, but I’m looking forward to trying some different recipes in the future!

Mushroom Risotto

1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
1/2 ounce dried matsutake mushrooms
1 cup boiling water
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 shallots, minced
4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced
6 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon thyme, minced
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1 cup white wine
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock (warm)
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
salt & pepper to taste
2 Tbsp parsley, chopped

Cover the dried porcini mushrooms in the boiling water and let sit 30 minutes. Strain through a coffee strainer to remove and grit, reserving the soaking liquid. Pour reserved liquid into chicken stock warming on stove. Roughly chop the dried mushrooms and set aside.

Melt the butter and olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the fresh mushrooms and saute until they turn tender and have released their liquids and are starting to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme and saute until fragrant, about a minute longer. Add chopped dried mushrooms and toss to combine. Remove the mushroom mixture to a bowl and set aside.

Add the rice to the hot pan and toast until it starts to turn translucent, about 1-3 minutes. Add the white wine to deglaze the bottom of the pan, stirring with a wooden spoon until the wine has been soaked up by the rice.

Add the warm stock to the sauce pan 1 cup at a time while stirring constantly, until most of the liquid is absorbed. Repeat process until you’ve used all the stock and the rice is nice and tender to the bite.

Add the butter and Parmesan and stir until it’s combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley just before serving.

Source: adapted from Back to Basics by Ina Garten

Sourdough Oatmeal Rolls

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Sourdough Oatmeal Rolls

There’s few things in this world like freshly baked bread right out of the oven. I’ve been getting more and more into baking bread these days, especially having a sourdough starter hanging out in the fridge. Every Sunday morning when I “feed it”, I feel terrible throwing away half of it – I’ll try to pawn it off on friends, but I’ve pretty much run out of takers at this point, so I’ve resolved to baking something with it on Sunday.

These sourdough oatmeal rolls were one of those resolutions. They are a delicious savory dinner roll. Chewy and tender, with a hint of sweetness from honey, and plenty of texture from the addition of oatmeal in the bread – as well as sprinkled on the top of the rolls before baking.

It makes two pans of rolls, which was enough to us to enjoy with dinner on Sunday night – and a batch to stick in the freezer to enjoy on an evening soon. I love having fresh bread just waiting in the freezer. Plus, one less trip to the store with a toddler in tow is always a good thing! This is one we’ll be making again and again for sure, as I just loved the flavor and texture. Actually, I’m thinking a batch of our favorite ham & cheese sliders might be in order for lunch next weekend on these bad boys! 

Sourdough Oatmeal Rolls

1/2 cup warm water
1 Tbsp honey
2 tsp active-dry yeast (or 1 package)
1 Tbsp molasses
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup sourdough starter
1/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup quick cooking oats (1/4 cup reserved for topping)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp butter, melted (for brushing tops)
Combine warm water and honey in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Sprinkle yeast over the top of the water and let sit for 10 minutes.

Add the molasses, egg, sourdough starter, 1/4 cup melted butter, 1/2 cup oats, and flour to the bowl. Mix on low speed until a shaggy dough is formed. Switch to dough hook and knead on medium-low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.

Place in well oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled – about 90 minutes.

Grease the bottom and sides of 2 8-inch baking pans. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide in half. Equally divide each half into 7 pieces about the size of a golf ball (2 ounces each if you’re weighing). Gently roll into rounds and place in the pans, leaving about half an inch of space between them. Cover rolls with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise for at least 30 minutes, or until they’ve expanded to fill the pan.

Preheat oven to 400º. Brush with each pan with half of the melted butter and sprinkle with half of the oats. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until golden brown.

Source: adapted from Allrecipes