Creamy Scallion Dressing

I enjoy garden talk. The other afternoon I was conversing with a fellow gardener, both of us lamenting the fact that our harvests were a bit lean thus far this season. I do have a bumper crop of scallions (re-grown from those initially purchased at the market) however, so decided to pull up a couple of them, pinch off a couple of basil leaves, and throw them together along with other pantry staples to create a truly fresh salad dressing. There’s nothing like making homemade salad dressing, but particularly when you’re using your own fresh herbs and vegetables. This one is light, fragrant, and as you can see, the color is beautiful.

Creamy Scallion Dressing

2 scallions, cut into 2” pieces

2 fresh basil leaves

½ c. vegetable oil

¼ c. cider vinegar

1 T. sugar

½ t. Worcestershire sauce

¼ t. dry mustard

½ t. kosher salt

¼ t. freshly ground black pepper

 Place all ingredients into the work bowl of a mini food processor. Process until smooth and creamy. Taste for seasoning. Refrigerate four hours or overnight before serving to allow flavors to meld.

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Creamy Olive Dressing

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I eat a lot of salad; I think I get that from my dad. There was not a day that would go by that he didn’t have a salad. Those, and his martinis, are probably what led to his long life. He chalked it up to clean living, but who knows? (Insert wry smile.) Unlike my dad, I don’t have bottles of salad dressing stacked up in my fridge like cord wood as he did. No, I make my dressing fresh. One thing that makes homemade salad dressing super easy is having a mini ninja blender. If you don’t have one of these, you need to get one. It has a multitude of uses, of course, but it makes brilliant salad dressing. When you use this blender to make salad dressing it will stay emulsified no matter how long you keep it in the fridge. No more shaking in the hopes of returning it to the wonderfully blended state that it was initially, it stays that way. This creamy flavorful dressing will delight olive lovers. If one of them happens to be you, you must try this. It is equally as good on a green salad as it is in a pasta salad.

Creamy Olive Dressing

½ c. mayonnaise

½ c. sour cream

1 garlic clove, halved

¼ c. roughly chopped parsley

1 T. chopped scallion (1 medium)

1½ T. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1½ T. olive oil

1/3 c. ripe (black) olives, drained

1/3 c. Kalamata olives, drained

1/8 - 1/4 t. kosher salt

Few gratings freshly ground black pepper

Place all ingredients into a blender (I use a mini ninja blender) and process until smooth. Keeps in the refrigerator for 7 to 10 days.

 

Turkey Dinner Chowder

Sometimes it can be a challenge coming up with yet another use for those Thanksgiving leftovers that doesn't send your family running.  Turkey sandwiches are great, but after a while the desire for something hearty and satisfying overtakes the love for turkey on white with mayo and a dollop of cranberries.  That's where this recipe comes in handy.  You can literally dump in any and all leftovers (okay, not the cranberries) to make this delicious chowder.  Once made, you can serve it in a bowl over a mound of mashed potatoes, pile of dressing, or a scoop of rice, making it an entirely new way to present Thanksgiving dinner.  My family inhaled both the potatoes and the dressing so I added the rice directly to the soup.  However you choose to enjoy yours, it will be delicious.

Turkey Dinner Chowder

3 slices bacon, diced
1 8-oz.  package button mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 T.  butter
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
8 cups turkey stock

2 cups turkey gravy, skimmed of fat
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
3 cups chopped cooked turkey meat
1 1/2 cups corn

Place diced bacon into a large heavy stock pot and cook until browned.  Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain.  Add mushrooms to pot and cook until beginning to brown; transfer to medium bowl.  Add butter to same pot along with carrots, celery, and onion.  Cover; cook until vegetables begin to soften, stirring often, about 7 minutes.  Sprinkle flour over all, and stir 1 minute.  Return mushrooms to pot.  Mix in turkey stock, gravy, and rubbed sage, and bring to boil, stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer 15 minutes.  Add bacon, turkey meat, and corn to soup.  Simmer to blend flavors, about 10 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

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Homemade Croutons

Have you ever wondered what to do with your old buns?  Your old, stale, dried out buns?  And by this I mean hot dog, hamburger, and sandwich buns.  The buns that always seem to come either too many or few to the package and you either never have enough or you have way too many.  If you have too many, consider yourself in luck!  Stale sandwich buns make the best croutons, bar none. They make a great addition to salads, to top soups, as a tasty snack, and the best part is they freeze beautifully so you can make them now to serve at Thanksgiving!

Select an assortment of buns that have seen better days.

Using a bread knife, slice them into half-inch squares.

Gather the spices you'd like to use to season them.  These are the ones that I use, but it's really a personal preference.  Try not to use too many with heavy concentrations of salt or your croutons will be too salty.

One secret to good croutons is butter.  Be generous, but not overly so or they'll not dry properly in the oven.  Put a stick of butter into a large saute pan and add your spices.  Stir everything together as the butter melts.

Add the bread cubes and stir to coat well.  After sauteing them in butter and seasoning, they'll bake in the oven for an hour or so to dry out.

Bake them in a slow oven (250 degrees F) for an hour to an hour and a half.  They should look like this when they're finished, i.e. dry and golden brown.  Remove from the oven and let cool.

Now enjoy them in your favorite soup or salad.

Here's a recipe that I like.

Cream of Spinach Soup with Onions and Mushrooms

(With homemade croutons)

1/2 pound mushrooms, cleaned and very thinly sliced

2 shallots, finely chopped

1 large onions, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 T. butter

1/4 cup dry white wine

1-1/2 T. flour

1 cans chicken broth (14.5 oz.)

1/2 pkg. frozen chopped spinach (10 oz)

1 cup cream

1/4 t. freshly grated nutmeg

Salt and white pepper to taste

In a large pan or Dutch oven, place first 5 ingredients and saute mixture over low heat, until mushrooms and onions are soft and all the liquid rendered, is evaporated. Add wine and cook until evaporated. Stir in flour and cook and stir for about 2 minutes, turning all the while. Stir in broth and spinach and simmer soup for 2 minutes. Add cream and simmer soup for 10 minutes, uncovered. Add seasonings to taste.

(Aren't these little bowls the cutest? I picked them up in the clearance section of Anthropologie for half off! Now I wish I'd have bought more than two, but I always feel guilty picking up yet another dish of some sort even though I love them. I love them ALL!)

Bon Appetit!

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