wild rice salad with pecans and cranberries

I made this salad (yet another cranberry-containing salad...) for a friend's dinner party that ended up being cancelled.  I had absolutely no problem polishing off the whole bowl for lunch over the past few days.  I did let Kory have a little bit and he also liked it, so it's a keeper!  The recipe is based on one I found at foodess.com.

To toast pecans, cook in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until aromatic, about 5 minutes.

Ingredients

• 1 cup dry brown/wild rice mix
• 4 cups water or chicken broth
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/3 cup chopped green onion
• 1/2 cup chopped, toasted pecans
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 3 tbsp olive or vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup minced parsley
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, combine wild rice, water, 1 tbsp olive oil, and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 50 minutes, or until tender. Drain in a fine meshed sieve, and run under cold water to cool completely. Let stand in sieve for 5 minutes to fully drain.
2. In a medium bowl, combine wild rice, green onion, pecans and cranberries.
3. In a liquid measuring cup, combine oil, soy sauce, vinegar and parsley. Pour over salad and stir well to combine. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve cold or at room temperature.
4. May be made up 24 hours in advance and refrigerated until serving.

spinach, almond, and orzo salad with cranberries

I found this recipe on Family Kitchen and it is my new favorite salad.  The flavor combination of the tangy gorgonzola cheese and the sweet cranberries is amazing.  Throw in the toasty almonds for texture and the salad is officially perfect.

(photo from Family Kitchen blog)


Spinach and Orzo Salad with Cranberries and Almonds
Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com


1 cup whole wheat orzo, uncooked
3/4 cup toasted sliced almonds
about 3/4 of a 6 oz bag of baby spinach, thinly sliced
3/4 cup dried cranberries
4 oz gorgonzola, crumbled

For the dressing:
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (I toast in a nonstick skillet over med heat for about 5 minutes)
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1-2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons minced onion
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/3cup light flavored oil
salt and pepper to taste

Cook orzo according to instructions on package, set aside to cool completely.

To prepare dressing,  whisk together in a small bowl (or shake in a jar) sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, onion, paprika, vinegar, oil and pinches of salt and pepper.

In a large salad bowl combine orzo, almonds, spinach and cranberries. Gently toss ingredients with 1/3-1/2 amount of dressing, add more or less to your liking.

Add crumbled gorgonzola and gently toss again.

Serve immediately at room temperature or slightly chilled.

California Veggie Sandwiches

http://www.ezrapoundcake.com/archives/16580

We love this recipe found on pinterest!

California Sandwich To Go

Rebecca Crump (EzraPoundCake.com)

Makes 2 large sandwiches or 4 small wraps

Chive Spread:
• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt or mayonnaise (OR 2 tablespoons of each)
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Avocado Salad:
• 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
• 1 tomato, cored and chopped
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced (optional)
• Squeeze of lime juice
•  2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or cilantro
• Salt and pepper, to taste

• 4 slices bread (preferably whole grain) or 4 small tortillas (flour or multigrain)
• 1/4 cup alfalfa sprouts
• 2 to 4 slices pepper jack cheese

1. To Make the Chive Spread: In a small bowl, mix the Greek yogurt and chives. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. To Make the Avocado Salad: In a medium bowl, gently toss together the avocado, tomato, cucumber, lime juice and basil or cilantro. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
3. To Assemble: Spread the chive-yogurt mixture on all four bread slices. Divide the sprouts between two slices of bread, and top with avocado salad and cheese. Cover with the remaining slices of bread. (If using tortillas, spread the chive-yogurt mixture on the tortillas, and top with cheese, avocado salad and sprouts. Roll, and eat.)

chocolate eclair cake

I made this Cook's Country recipe to celebrate Kory and his sister's birthdays.  His mom always made a version of this for him growing up, but I am not a fan of either cool whip or instant pudding, so I wanted to try this homemade version.  It was delicious!  The only change Kory requested for next time was to use milk chocolate chips in the topping.

I wish I had gotten a picture, but the cake didn't last long and the slices were slightly messy coming out of the pan.

strawberry cheesecake bites

These tasty little treats were so incredibly easy and everyone loved them and requested seconds (and thirds...).  The recipe is from Family Kitchen and was just perfect for Valentine's Day.  I didn't get to keep them in my hands long enough to take a picture, so the picture is courtesy of the Family Kitchen site.

chewy chocolate chip cookies

 Kory insisted that I bake simple cookies for an exchange party the kids and I were invited to.  We found this recipe for chocolate chip cookies that got rave reviews, but changed out the chips for half butterscotch, half white chocolate.  The cookies were so yummy that we have baked at least four or five batches over the holidays.  They were even good enough for Santa :)