Promises, promises. I know. I told you days ago I would post two more salads and an appetizer for your Mother's Day menu, which is THIS WEEK. It's been a little hectic around here.
For one, Stephen returned home from his mission to Puebla in March. That deserves its own post (later). Here's a little glimpse of the "most wonderful day, ever" .
That was the most anticipated hug, ever. Two years is a long time.
And then, there is/was baseball, baseball, and more baseball.
My cute mom came to visit...
Cuddling with my favorite 6 month old grand baby.
Brookie graduated from the U. Two college graduates. Check.
All good stuff. Just not a lot of blogging time.
Alrightly. The Mother's Day Menu 2013:
Salad number one. Loved this recipe. All of the main ingredients are my favorites alone, but this combo is one of those "match made in heaven" deals. Creamy Roquefort cheese, soft butter lettuce, toasted sweetened walnuts, dried cranberries, a crunchy apple, and bacon.
Your mom is going to love this.
Cape Cod Salad
adapted from Barefoot Contessa
print recipe
8 ounces thick-cut bacon
12 ounces baby arugula, or butter lettuce
1 large apple, I like Gala or Granny Smith, skin on, sliced thin
1 cup toasted walnut halves, 1 tablespoons sugar if desired
1/2 cup dried cranberries
6 ounces blue cheese, such as Roquefort, crumbled
print recipe
8 ounces thick-cut bacon
12 ounces baby arugula, or butter lettuce
1 large apple, I like Gala or Granny Smith, skin on, sliced thin
1 cup toasted walnut halves, 1 tablespoons sugar if desired
1/2 cup dried cranberries
6 ounces blue cheese, such as Roquefort, crumbled
Dressing:
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup olive oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup olive oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place walnut halves on lined baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes or until fragrant. If desired, sprinkle with about 1 tablespoon of sugar right after removing from oven.
Remove bacon from package, keeping bacon in one slab, lay on cutting board and slice into 1 inch thick slices. Fry in non stick pan over medium high heat, separating pieces as you cook. When bacon is cooked and crispy , remove from heat. Remove bacon from pan with slotted spoon onto a paper towel lined plate. Set aside.
For the dressing, whisk together the vinegar, orange zest, orange juice, mustard, maple syrup, 1 teaspoon salt, and the pepper in a bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil.
In a large bowl, toss together the greens, apple, walnuts, cranberries, bacon and blue cheese.
When ready to serve, toss all salad ingredients with just enough dressing to lightly coat leaves of lettuce.
Toss the salad with just enough dressing to moisten. Serve immediately.
Serves approximately 6 as a side salad.
This post made me cry tears of happiness for you! Hugging your Stephen. Your sweet mother. Your adorable granddaughter. Your beautiful Brookie graduating. Such milestones! Our son is thinking of putting his papers in the end of summer! I remember getting a lump in my throat reading your post of Stephen's farewell and thinking, "How do you survive without them for two years?" Anyways, sorry for the rant. I love everything you make. I will definitely add Cape Cod Salad to my Mother's Day Menu. The Lobster and Shells recipe also looks mouth watering. I had to run and open up my Ina Garten cookbook! Where do you buy fresh crab here in Utah?
ReplyDeleteHi Stephanie, having a missionary has been such a wonderful experience all the way around! Unlike 20-30 years ago, there are now several places to purchase fresh seafood in Utah. If you live near Salt Lake, Market Street Broiler on 13th has an excellent assortment of fresh seafood. Costco has lobster and crab available at various times of the year, including the week before Mother's Day. When I made this salad last month, I purchased my lobster tails from the fresh meat and seafood dept at at Smith's Marketplace in Bountiful. They had two different varieties, I purchased the sweeter cold water variety a little more expensive, but worth it for this salad. Here is a great link to buying lobster tails. http://www.cookingfishmonger.com/frozen-lobster-tails.html
Delete