Anything-You-Love Salad with Blue Cheese and Pecans

Until recently I didn't love blue cheese. But a good friend made me a salad with blue cheese crumbles, pecans, and this dressing and I fell in love.

Here's my today version salad with a flavorful shallot dressing.



For the salad:

• Arugula, Boston lettuce, or any green of your choice (I have also made it with pea shoots!)
• 1/4 cup dried cherries
• 2 slices of smoked turkey, shredded or sliced
• A nice chunk of blue cheese, broken up (today I had Livradois Bleu D'Auvergne from Whole Foods - it was so yummy!)
• 2 Tbs or more of chopped pecans
• Slices of ripe pear (I didn't have any today, but usually I love to add it on top!)

Shallot Dressing

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot (1 small)
• 2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• A few grinds of fresh black pepper

Whisk together oil, shallot, vinegar, maple syrup, salt, and pepper in a jar.
Toss with salad and fixings and enjoy!

Dressing adapted from: http://m.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Spinach-and-Endive-Salad-with-Pecans-and-Blue-Cheese-236012

Homemade Nutty Cone

A classic treat that might remind you of an ice cream truck or a quick treat on a trip... these were much easier to make than I thought although it takes some time and patience!




Ingredients:

1. Sugar cones
2. 7 oz semi-sweet chocolate (chips or bars)
3. 2 Tbs coconut oil
4. Vanilla ice cream (or any other ice cream of your choice - I made one with coffee, strawberry and vanilla which was really good!)
5. Crushed salted peanuts (or almonds or both!)

Supplies:

Parchment paper
Cups to stand the cones in OR an empty egg carton, turned upside down, with holes cut into it for the cones to stand in

Directions:

1. Make the chocolate "magic shell":

In a double boiler, melt chocolate and coconut oil together until smooth. If you don't have a double boiler, do what I do: find a metal mixing bowl that sits right into the top of a small saucepan so that it's secure and covers the entire opening of the saucepan. Put about an inch of water in the saucepan and bring to a simmer. Put the bowl above it with the chocolate and coconut oil inside. When it's smooth, turn off the heat and leave it on the stovetop.

2. Take your ice cream out of the freezer so it will soften slightly.

3. Coat the inside of the cones:

Using a small spoon, pour a small amount into each cone, rotating and tilting so it covers the inside of the cone. You will probably need about 2 teaspoons per cone. Make sure the bottom of the inside of the cone has chocolate in it (this will be really yummy for those last bites!).

Stand each cone in a holder or cup and place in freezer until solid, about ten minutes.

4. Remove each cone and fill with ice cream. Tear of a strip of parchment paper, cut in half, and wrap around the cone so that it's tight on the cone and extends about 1 inch above the top of the cone. Secure with a piece of clear tape. Add some ice cream to the top of the cone almost up to the top of the parchment paper.

Return to freezer. Repeat for each cone. Leave in freezer for about an hour, or longer if your ice cream was very soft.

5. Remove cone from freezer and spoon chocolate sauce on top so it covers the surface of the ice cream. Immediately sprinkle your crushed nuts on top to cover. You want to do this right away before the chocolate hardens, which happens quickly!

Return to freezer. Repeat for each cone. Leave in freezer for at least 15 minutes more.

6. To serve. Gently remove parchment paper from each cone and enjoy!

Sources:
"Magic" Chocolate Shell recipe from: http://www.eatthelove.com/2011/03/wordless-recipe-how-to-make-own-ice-cream-magic-chocolate-hard-shell/

Technique for putting this all together adapted from: http://kitchenbouquet.blogspot.com/2011/07/welcome-to-ice-cream-social-2011.html?m=1 

Gingerbread

Traditional gingerbread is so easy to make and smells and tastes wonderful. I made some for my son's 5th grade class for "Colonial Craft Day" and they were all eaten up! They can be made in a baking dish like brownies or in cupcake papers as seen here. 

Makes enough for 9 x 13 baking dish or 16 muffins

Ingredients:

• 6 Tbs unsalted butter, softened
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 2 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• powdered sugar or whipped cream for topping and decoration

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9x13-inch baking pan (or put muffin papers in tins - no buttering and flouring necessary).

2. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg, and set aside. 

3. With an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar together until light.

4. Beat in molasses.

5. Beat in eggs one at a time.

6. Add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with 2 additions of milk (Begin and end with flour). 

7. Pour batter into the prepared pan or muffin papers. 

8. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes (or 10 - 14 minutes for muffins).

9. Let cool, then cut into squares.

Adapted from: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/double-ginger-gingerbread