Crunchy Iceberg Salad with Creamy Blue Cheese

 

I don’t know about the rest of you, but Ina has never let me down. Even with something as simple as the iconic wedge salad, Ina did it one better by slicing iceberg lettuce into “steaks,” as it were, in order to stretch further than the traditional wedge, make it heaps easier to eat, and a lot prettier. Here is her recipe, unadorned because it’s perfect as it is. The recipe is from her book Make It Ahead. The radishes in the picture I grew myself. I am most proud.

Crunchy Iceberg Salad with Creamy Blue Cheese

For the Dressing:

4 oz. Roquefort blue cheese, crumbled

⅔ c. good mayonnaise

⅓ c. plain Greek yogurt

1 T. sherry vinegar

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Salad:

4 tender inside celery stalks, trimmed & sliced crosswise ¼”
6 radishes, trimmed and sliced into thin rounds

5 scallions, trimmed, white & green parts sliced ¼”

1 large head iceberg lettuce, wilted outer leaves removed

4 - 6 oz. Roquefort blue cheese, crumbled

Fleur de sel

For the dressing, place 4 oz. of blue cheese in a small bowl and microwave for 15 seconds, until it begins to melt. Place the mayonnaise, yogurt, warm blue cheese, sherry vinegar, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until smooth. Set aside or refrigerate until ready to use.

 For the salad, combine the celery, radishes, and scallions in a bowl. Slice the whole head of lettuce across to make four ¾-inch-thick round disks and place each on a dinner plate. Spoon the dressing on the lettuce and sprinkle on a quarter of the vegetable mixture. Distribute the remaining crumbled blue cheese on the salads, sprinkle with fleur de sel and pepper, and serve.

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Bats & Webs Potato Snacks

Did you ever notice how the people with money seem to be the people who never spend it? I'm guessing that's probably why they have money. My dad has a few pennies in his pocket, but even so, makes it his habit to shop at Aldi. Now, he isn't really a cook, but manages to eat quite well by shopping there. A couple of months ago after we had lunch out together, because he needed a few things, I suggested that we go to Aldi. After our walk-thru we met at the checkout, him with a few items in his hands, me with my cart full to bursting. What a place! I could not believe all of the goodies that they had. Wonderful, quality items, beautiful produce, and what prices! Now I'm a diehard fan.

While it may seem like it, let me assure you that this is not a sponsored post, I just love Aldi.  Today I'm popping in to tell you about the cutest, crunchiest potato snacks that are perfect for Halloween. Look at these! Fluffy and light and shaped like bats and spider webs, and check out the detail! I served these to my son the other day with barbecued beef sandwiches and ended up sending him home with the rest of the bag.

If you're looking for some last minute snacks to fill some Halloween goodie bags, or to serve for your party, swing by Aldi and grab a bag of these. They're in the Halloween candy section. Hurry!

Have a great weekend everybody.

Tate's Bake Shop Chocolate Chip Cookies

I was looking forward to being snowed in today and spending all of my time in the kitchen testing new recipes from the enormous stack of coffeetable-sized cookbooks that I collected from the library recently, nearly throwing my back out when I lugged them to the car.  I did just that - for TEN HOURS - and when push came to shove, none of them really thrilled me.  I tried Marsala Mushroom Soup from The Italian Slow Cooker cookbook and it didn't hold a candle to the recipe I currently use.  I tried Whole Lemon Muffins from The Pastry Queen Royally Good Recipes cookbook and despite the fact that an ENTIRE lemon (skin, pith and all) goes into this recipe it just didn't taste all that lemony to me (although my husband loved them, so I may write about them later).  I also tried a new recipe for barbecue sauce when I found that I didn't have any to cover my seared ready-for-the-oven pork steaks and had to make some.  Sadly the bottled variety I usually use was better than the homemade version, alas.  

I did learn something though.  I learned that sometimes old favorites are the best.  So I lifted the lid on the cookie jar and pulled out a chocolate chip cookie.  Nothing says comfort like chocolate chips, and while it did nothing for my stiff neck, sore back, and aching feet, it did wonders for my soul.

Thin and crispy, yet rich and chewy, indulge yourself in a batch of Tate's Bake Shop Chocolate Chip Cookies.  You deserve them!

Tate's Bake Shop Chocolate Chip Cookies.

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter (2 sticks)

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed

1 teaspoon water

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 large eggs

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease, or parchment-line 2-3 cookie sheets.  In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. In another large bowl, cream the butter and sugars, then add the water and vanilla.  Mix until just combined.  Add eggs to the butter mixture and mix them lightly.  Stir in the flour mixture.  When flour is mixed in, fold in the chocolate chips. Drop 2 tablespoonfuls of the cookie dough, 2-inches apart on prepared cookie sheets.  (I used a cookie scoop for this.)  Make sure the cookie sheets are well greased.  I like to use parchment paper.  Bake for 12-17 minutes or until the edges and centers of the cookies are golden brown.  Remove from oven and allow to cool on wire racks.

For more tasty recipes from Tate's Bake Shop, I recommend their cookbook.  It is chock full of deliciousness.