Celery Salad

I love finding new salad recipes to try. They are such a great side dish and usually offer a refreshing crunch to the meal. I tore this recipe out of a Cooking Light magazine a few years ago and finally tried it recently with a couple of minor adaptations. So nice to have something new to do with celery!

Celery Salad

5 cups thinly sliced celery
3/4 cup finely diced parmesan cheese {I have used shredded, but diced creates a much better flavor!}
1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped and toasted
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil {I used organic cold-pressed}
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice {or bottled organic}
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt {or sea salt}

Combine ingredients in a large serving bowl and toss well. Serve shortly after mixing as ingredients will start to dry out after a while. About 8 servings - can also cut recipe in half.

My hubs is not a big celery fan and he even likes the flavors in this salad! Do you have a favorite salad?

This post linked to:
 ~ Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
 ~ Chic & Crafty Party at The Frugal Girls
 ~ I'm Lovin' It at TidyMom

That's Post 2 of my 22-post challenge for the month! :)

Have a blessed & refreshing day friends!

White Chocolate Lemon Cheesecake

For Easter, I had a hard time deciding on desserts to make {I even asked you to help me choose from this list}, but I ended up trying a new cheesecake recipe that combined a couple flavors I was wanting. I had saved this recipe from an ad years ago.

Though the lemon flavor is mild in this cheesecake, it's a yummy traditional-type cheesecake. I didn't like how the top was looking after I took it out of the oven, so I topped it with a sour cream topping - helps hide imperfections and it's yummy!

White Chocolate Lemon Cheesecake

Crust
6 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups flour
1 large egg yolk
1/8 teaspoon salt

Cheesecake
2 cups (12 oz. pkg) white chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 pkg (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large egg whites
1 large egg

Sour Cream Topping
1/2+ cup sour cream
Powdered sugar to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 9-inch springform pan.

Crust:
In small mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add flour, egg yolk, and salt and beat until combined. Press mixture onto bottom and 1 inch up side of prepared pan. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until crust is set.

Cheesecake:
Microwave white chocolate chips and cream in uncovered bowl on medium-high power (70%) for 1 minute. Stir. If necessary, microwave in additional 10-second intervals and stir until smooth. {Or gradually melt in bowl placed over pot of boiling water.}

In large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, lemon juice, lemon peel, and salt until smooth. Gradually beat in melted white chocolate chips. Beat in egg whites and egg. Pour into prepared crust.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until edge is lightly browned. Run knife around edge of cheesecake. If desired, add sour cream topping {Stir sour cream and sugar until smooth and spread evenly over top.} and bake additional 5 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Remove side of springform pan.

I do love cheesecake - do you? Though I really enjoyed this one, I think my fave is still the Creamy Baked Cheesecake. What's your favorite cheesecake?

This post linked to:
 ~ Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed With Grace
 ~ Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
 ~ Chic & Crafty Party at The Frugal Girls

You can stop and smell every recipe with me - just subscribe here! :)

Have a fabulous day friends!!

Cranberry-Raspberry Mousse-Topped Chocolate Cake

I got the basic recipe for this cake from a Pampered Chef recipe booklet several years ago.  I tried it once and it was yummy, but then I forgot all about it.  I made it for one of our Christmas desserts {I also made Peppermint Chocolate Ice Cream Pie which I posted over at Pennies and Blessings}.  The pretty pink on top of chocolate makes it a great choice for a Valentine's Day cake too, don't you think?

The original recipe called for a Devil's Food Cake mix, but I thought I'd be "cool" and make that part from scratch.  I mixed up temps though and had all kinds of trouble with this cake part.  Just shoulda made life easy and used a mix!  Oh, and also, depending on your springform pan, you might want to wrap the bottom in foil or put it on a cookie sheet unless you enjoy big globs of smoking/burning cake batter on the bottom of your oven which may cause your company to wonder what "that smell" could be.  *ahem*

After brushing the chocolate cake with cran-raspberry juice concentrate, the lovely pink mousse topping gets spread over and smoothed out, then off to the refrigerator it goes.

Why does that slice of cake look so short?  Oh there's a story.  The cake was goopy in the middle because of all my temp goof-ups, brushing on juice, etc. so I didn't want to serve that part nor did I want to waste a bunch of topping on a hole in the middle.  I put an upside-down pyrex prep dish over the middle and pushed it all the way down - it was almost level with the cake.  Then I put the topping over everything and the glass in the middle kept the cake slicer from getting to any of the mushy center.  ~giggle~  It seems like my motto is: Above all, we *must* save the dessert!

Cranberry-Raspberry Mousse-Topped Chocolate Cake

 ~ adapted from a Pampered Chef recipe

1 9-ounce* package Devil's Food cake mix (box that makes only 1 layer cake/12 cupcakes or use 1 1/2 cups cake mix from bigger box or make your own half recipe)

1 cup thawed, frozen cran-raspberry juice concentrate, divided

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1 3.3-ounce package white chocolate instant pudding (I can't find this anymore, so I substitute cheesecake pudding)

8 ounces heavy whipping cream

Powdered sugar to taste

1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Grease and flour springform pan.  In mixing bowl, prepare cake mix (or homemade cake) according to package directions.  Pour batter into pan.  Wrap bottom of pan with foil or place on cookie sheet.  Bake 25-28 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Remove from oven and cool completely in pan on wire rack.

2.  Brush cake with 1/4 cup of the juice concentrate.  In bowl, whip heavy whipping cream and add powdered sugar to sweeten to taste.  Set aside 1 cup of whipped cream for garnish.

3.  Place softened cream cheese in large bowl.  Whisk until smooth.  Gradually add remaining juice concentrate, whisking until smooth.  Add pudding mix; whisk until smooth.  Fold in remaining whipped cream.  Spoon filling over cake and spread evenly.  Refrigerate cake for at least 30 minutes.

4.  Before serving, carefully remove springform pan side (I usually run a knife around the edge first).  Garnish top with a decorative border using remaining whipped cream (or just top each slice with some whipped cream).  Slice.  Serve.  Enjoy!

* Hello - might have been nice if I had actually noticed the 9 OUNCE part in front of the cake mix in the ingredients (which I just noticed NOW as I was typing this post)!  No wonder I got everything goofed up - I only needed to make a half recipe of the cake - LOL!  I was wondering why the cake seemed so much taller than the first time I ever made this dessert.  I am soooo not perfect - now you know.  ;)

Who else thinks that pink and chocolate are just delightful together?  :)  And who else agrees with me that above all, the dessert *must* be saved - LOL?

This post linked to:

 ~ Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

 ~ Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed With Grace

 ~ Chic & Crafty Party at The Frugal Girls

 ~ I'm Lovin' It at TidyMom

Have a fantastic day friends!!

Baked Caramel French Toast

For Christmas morning I wanted something special for breakfast, but I needed it to be easy since we would be going to church in the morning. I had thought about making some cinnamon rolls, but kiddo wasn't that interested (yes, this is my kid who also does not like brownies - something is clearly wrong - LOL). When I saw this recipe in my Best Recipes from American Country Inns and Bed & Breakfasts - I knew I had to try it! The best part was that I could put it together the night before and just pop it in the oven on Christmas morning!

You start with a yummy layer of caramel in the pan!

After putting in slices of French bread, you pour the egg mixture in, then cover and refrigerate overnight.

Look at that gooey caramel on top! No syrup needed here.

Baked Caramel French Toast

1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 loaf French bread, cut into 3/4 inch slices (I only fit 1/2 loaf or less)

In saucepan on medium-low, combine brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup. Stir until melted together. Spray 9x13 pan with nonstick spray. Pour caramel mixture into prepared pan.

In bowl, combine eggs, milk, and vanilla. Whisk well. Arrange bread slices over caramel mixture in pan - fit as many slices as you can, but keep in a single layer. Pour egg mixture over bread slices, making sure to coat all parts of bread. Cover dish and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, bring the dish to room temp as you preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Uncover baking dish and bake about 45-50 minutes. Serve directly from dish, flipping slices over onto plates so caramel layer is on top. Be sure to serve and eat right away so the caramel layer is nice and soft. After it sits for a bit, the caramel layer can get very chewy and harder to eat.

This was a fun treat for Christmas morning and a yummy version of French toast! I'd like to play around with the recipe and see what variations I could come up with. I think adding some pecans might be yummy.

I served this French toast with some bacon and Fabulous Fruit Salad (couldn't find nectarines for it so I subbed some white peaches I found). Did you have something special for breakfast Christmas morning? Do you have a fave French toast recipe?

This post is linked to:
 ~ Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed With Grace
 ~ Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
 ~ Chic & Crafty at The Frugal Girls
 ~ Fusion Fridays at Jane Deere

Have a delicious day friends!

Wine Biscuits with Rosemary and Pepper

I've wanted to try this recipe for quite a while and finally had the perfect occasion to make it for.  I love these biscuits!  They are a wonderful appetizer!  A little sweet and a little savory at the same time.

I found the recipe in Pam Anderson's cookbook The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight & Eating Great.  You can cut the dough into small circles, but I happened to have a small flower cookie cutter that I used.  And they perfectly fit into my olive tray!  Serve them up with a little goat cheese - yum!

Wine Biscuits with Rosemary and Pepper

1/2 cup dry red wine
1 cup flour ( I used unbleached)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Pour wine into a saucepan over medium-high heat.  Bring to a boil and keep boiling until wine reduces by half (2-3 minutes).

Put oven racks to upper and lower thirds of oven.  Preheat to 325 degrees.  Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Combine flour, sugar, pepper, rosemary, salt and baking powder in food processor.  Stir oil into wine and add mixture to dry ingredients.  Process until dough starts to come together.  Place dough on lightly floured surface and roll out to about 1/8 inch thickness.  Use a cookie cutter or something round about 1 1/2 inches across to cut out dough.  Place cut-outs on prepared cookie sheets.  Roll and cut out scraps too.  You should get about 3 dozen small rounds or cut-outs.

Bake for 30 minutes, until crisp and golden.  Cool completely on wire rack.  Can store in airtight container for up to a month.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Don't they sound yummy?  Now you have something new to take to your next party or just to save and nibble on a couple at a time with a glass of wine.  I notice the pics make them look a little golden brown - they actually have a more reddish color from the wine.

This post is linked to:
~ Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
~ Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed With Grace
~ Chic & Crafty at The Frugal Girls
~ I'm Lovin' It at TidyMom
~ Fusion Fridays at Jane Deere

Have a fantastic day friends!!

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Finally - here are the yummy muffins I mentioned last week!  I saw a recipe for lemon muffins in a cookbook, made a couple changes and thought the recipe would be even better with blueberries!

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

1 lemon
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
2 cups all-purpose flour (I used unbleached)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 dash salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 to 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Zest lemon; set zest aside.  Slice lemon in half and squeeze out juice, removing seeds.  Mix lemon juice with 1 tablespoon of the sugar and set aside.

In bowl, combine remaining 1 cup sugar, flour, baking powder, salt and the lemon zest.  In separate bowl, mix eggs and buttermilk.  Stir in melted butter.  Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir just until mixed.  Batter will be lumpy.  Fold in blueberries.

Spray 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.  Fill muffin cups until batter is used up.  Bake 25 minutes, or until lightly browned on top.  Let cool in muffin tin 10 minutes.  Brush tops of muffins with lemon juice mixture.  Remove muffins from tin.  Serve warm or at room temp.  Makes 12 muffins.

Yummy!!  I love lemon and blueberry together!  And I love that the tops are brushed with a lemon juice/sugar glaze to enhance the moist lemony flavor.

What's your favorite muffin recipe?

This post is linked to:
~ Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed With Grace
~ Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

Have a delicious day friends!

Pizza Pasta Salad

I tore this recipe out of a magazine a year ago and saved it.  So glad I did!  As the weather warms up, I love to have pasta salads and there are so many good ones!  Tried it recently and it was yummy - the family enjoyed it.  It would be nice for a potluck too.

Pizza Pasta Salad
Salt and pepper
1 lb bowtie, penne, or shell pasta
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
3/4 cup sliced marinated artichoke hearts
8 oz bocconcini (small fresh mozzarella nuggets - even my cheap grocery store Winco had them!), cut into small or bite-size pieces
4 oz pepperoni or salami, diced (I had pepperoni slices, so I quartered them)
1/2 cup shredded fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

1.  Boil large pot of salted water.  Add pasta and cook according to directions, until al dente.  Drain and spread on greased baking sheet to cool.

2.  In large bowl, combine cooled pasta with oil.  Stir until all pasta is coated.  Add remaining ingredients.  Toss well and add salt and pepper to taste.  Makes 8 servings.

Best if prepared within 2 hours of serving.  Can add a pinch of crushed red pepper for a little kick.


How does that sound?  Just in time for those Memorial Day gatherings too.  Don't be afraid to switch out ingredients and make it your own.


This recipe is linked to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed With Grace.

Have a tasty day friends!

White Chocolate Berry Pie

It's been a while since I've shared a recipe so I'll give you a yummy one today!  Strawberries are in season (yay) so it's perfect timing for this recipe.  I had clipped this recipe (maybe out of an ad) years ago and ran across it again.  Sounded good and I wanted to try a new dessert recipe!

The pie turned out yummy!  My family loved it - light & fluffy, topped with sweet berries.

Why didn't I turn the berries the other way, with points out?  I have no idea, but that would have been prettier.  And I had planned to use a squeeze bottle to make beautiful white chocolate drizzles, but it was too small of a quantity and came out in clumps - LOL!  I think it looks yummy anyway.  Oh and the crust - confession - that is a Marie Callender's frozen crust.  I didn't feel up to attempting pie crust (have ya seen a scarier crust?) again...yet.

White Chocolate Berry Pie
1 pie crust (homemade, refrigerated, or frozen)
5 squares White Chocolate (I used a 4 oz. bar of Ghiradelli - 6 squares in the recipe & 2 for the drizzle)
2 tablespoons milk
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1 cup whipping cream, whipped
2 cups sliced strawberries (could top with raspberries or other berries too)

Prepare and bake pie crust.  Cool completely.

Microwave 4 squares ( I did 6) white chocolate and milk.  Microwave on high for 45 seconds to 1 minute and stir until melted.  Cool to room temp.

Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and orange peel in small bowl with electric mixer on low until smooth.  Beat in white chocolate mixture.

Fold prepared whipped cream into white chocolate mixture.  Spread in bottom of pie crust.  Arrange berries on top of filling.  Melt remaining white chocolate and drizzle over the top.

Refrigerate 1 hour or until time to serve.  Store in refrigerator.

Enjoy!

This recipe is linked up to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at At The Well.  Stop by both for more yummy recipes!

Do you have a favorite strawberry recipe?  Have a fabulous day friends!

Tasty Tuesday ~ Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

Oh this is such a yummy recipe!  But I have to tell you a story first (isn't that always the way with bloggers?).

I was recently getting ready to make a cheesecake (this one) and needed a few things from the grocery store.  Hubs and son were forced decided to go into the store for me.  I had asked for 3 packages of Philadelphia cream cheese.  They called me while they were in the store and asked if I could use 1 more package.  Of course I could find a use for 1 more package of cream cheese, but why the 4th?  Hubs told me that son had spotted an offer - buy 4 packages of Philly and get a free cookbook.  I told them to go for it and assumed I'd be sending some proofs of purchase for a booklet.  But out of the store they came with this:

An actual cookbook!  And a nice one at that!  It's full of yummy recipes!  It's called Spread a Little Joy - OK I will - LOL!  Well yes I did look at the dessert section first and saw this recipe and knew I HAD to make it, especially since a few ladies would be coming over to my house and could taste test it for me (they all loved it)!  :)

I like this ice cream recipe because you don't need an ice cream maker!  It's very simple to make and it is SO rich and delicious - you only need small servings!  You might want to serve some at a holiday gathering.

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

1 pkg (8 oz) Philadelphia cream cheese, softened
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup whipping cream
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled (I was able to get fresh at the store, but you could try frozen whole strawberries partially thawed if fresh aren't available)
3 honey graham crackers, coarsely chopped

Mix cream cheese, condensed milk, whipping cream, and lemon zest in bowl with mixer until well blended.  Freeze about 4 hours or until almost solid.

Beat frozen cream cheese mixture with mixer until creamy.  Put strawberries in blender and blend until smooth (my old blender had a hard time; could also try a food processor).  Add berries to cream cheese mixture along with chopped graham crackers and mix well.  Freeze 8 hours or until firm.

Take ice cream out of freezer about 15 minutes before serving.  Let stand at room temperature so it will soften a little before scooping.  Makes about 4 cups of ice cream.  Enjoy!

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Are you going to try it?  It really is simple and anybody that you serve it to will be oh so impressed with your culinary talents (while you chuckle to yourself at how little you worked making it)!

I'm linking this up to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam, where you can find all kinds of yummy recipes!

Have a tasty day friends!

Tasty Tuesday ~ Caramel Sauce

I had thought about making my own caramel sauce for the last couple of years, but I was always too intimidated to try it.  I was making a dessert for my wedding anniversary last week and it called for caramel.  The recipe said to melt a bag of caramels and mix with evaporated milk to make a caramel sauce.  I decided this was my chance to attempt homemade caramel sauce!  I can be crazy like that.

I looked at several recipes and then ended up with my own measurements.  This makes a little thicker sauce, close to the consistency of melted caramels.

Simple ingredients!

The sugar turns to crystals and then starts to melt.

Carmelized sugar.

All mixed together!

The finished product!

I need to *confess* that I burnt the first batch!  And I almost ruined the second batch!  I'll give you the recipe and then some helpful tips.

Caramel Sauce

1 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Put sugar in large (2-3 quart because it will foam up) saucepan with a heavy bottom.  Over medium-high heat, stir sugar with wooden spoon or whisk until it begins to clump in crystals, then stir constantly.  Keep stirring until sugar melts completely and has a *caramel* color.  Add butter (some foaming will occur) and stir constantly with whisk until butter melts.  Remove pan from heat.  Pour cream slowly in pan while stirring briskly with whisk - mixture will foam up.  Keep stirring until caramel is smooth.  Add vanilla extract and stir.  Pour caramel in glass jar to cool.  After cooling, refrigerate.  Can be kept in refrigerator 2 weeks and heated up to use as necessary.

Tips:
~ Have all ingredients measured out and ready to go - no time for leaving the stove!
~ Wear hot pads!  When the mixture foams up, it's very hot and you should protect your hands/arms.
~ If your carmelized sugar mixture smells burnt or like strong molasses, don't add your butter & cream 'cause you already burnt the sugar and nothing will fix it.  Ask me how I know.  :)
~ Don't let the melting sugar get too dark - it changes from carmelized to burnt really fast!
~ Practice with a half batch to get the hang of it.
~ Don't use a skimpy pan or the bottom will get too hot and your sugar will be more likely to burn.
~ If the mixture clumps when adding cream, put it back on heat and keep stirring until smooth.
~ If you want a less thick caramel sauce, you can try increasing the butter and/or cream.

Is that helpful?  Or too confusing?  Once you try it a couple of times, you start to get a feel for it.  Here are a couple of helpful links with more info on making caramel sauce:

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/caramel_sauce/
http://video.about.com/americanfood/Easy-Caramel-Sauce.htm 

Have you made your own caramel sauce?  Let me know if you give it a try!  It's soooo delicious!  You'll have to stop back here for CHOCOLATE Friday to see what I used this caramel sauce for!

I linked up to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam today!  Stop by for all sorts of yummy recipes!

Have a tasty day friends!  :)

Tasty Tuesday ~ Slaw With Poppy Seed Dressing

It's Tasty Tuesday and I have a yummy recipe to share today!  I am happy to share this recipe with you as strawberries are in season and make this recipe delicious!  This is one of hubs and my fave recipes and is a great one to take to a picnic.  I found this recipe years ago in a Good Housekeeping magazine.

Slaw With Poppy Seed Dressing

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 small shallot, coarsely chopped
1 small head green cabbage (1 1/2 lbs), cored and thinly sliced ( I cheat and buy angel hair slaw in the bag)
2 cups seedless red grapes (about 1/2 lb), each cut in half
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1 pint strawberries, hulled and cut lengthwise into quarters (or eighths if large)

1.  Prepare dressing:  In blender, combine oil, vinegar, sugar, mustard, poppy seeds, salt, and shallot.  Blend until smooth.  Transfer dressing to large serving bowl.

2.  Add cabbage and grapes to dressing in bowl.  Toss until evenly coated with dressing.  If not serving right away, cover and refrigerate up to 4 hours.  Toss with pecans and strawberries just before serving.

Makes 11 cups or 16 accompaniment servings (close to 2/3 cup)
Per serving:  100 cal, 6 g fat, 2 g fiber, approx. 2 WW pts

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I do hope you get a chance to try it out - it's so yummy!  Be sure to stop by Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam where you can find all sorts of yummy recipes linked up!

Have a tasty day friends!

Tasty Tuesday ~ Caesar Couscous

I enjoy Tasty Tuesday with Jen and thought it would be a good opportunity to share an easy side dish recipe with you!

I just love the versatility of couscous!  Do you cook with it?  It's actually a very small pasta and cooks up in as little as 5 minutes.  I buy boxes of whole wheat couscous at Trader Joe's, but you can find it in most grocery stores in the pasta aisle.

I found this recipe in a magazine several years ago, saved it, and finally made it a few months ago.  I enjoyed it and will probably serve it up a few times this year!

Caesar Couscous

1 box (10 oz) couscous, cooked according to package directions
2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup Caesar dressing
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

Combine ingredients in a large bowl, and serve.

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Very simple, but a nice change from the usual salad!  What are you cooking up today?  Link up your recipes for Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam!

Have a tasty day friends!  :)

Tasty Tuesday ~ Nothin' Says Love Like A Valentine Dinner

 

I always enjoy Tasty Tuesday with Jen at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam!  I usually link up a previous post, but this week I thought I would actually post some recipes for you today - I'm going to share my Valentine's Dinner with you!

Jennifer at Savor the Thyme and Kelsey from The Naptime Chef were talking about how "Food is love" which is just what I thought of this Valentine's Day!  We don't usually do much to celebrate the day as we would rather do romantic sweet things year-round, but this year I thought it would be nice to express my love for my family in a simple way.  I decided to spend a good part of the day making an extra-special meal for my family.  I usually cook good dinners, but they are easy and simple.  The fancier dinners are reserved for company or holidays.  Why not make a fancy dinner for my sweet little family?  Here's what we had (it was actually mostly a repeat of what I made Christmas Day, but we all love it!):

Chicken Caesar Lasagna

 

This lasagna recipe is over at my healthier blog (Stop Eating All The Chocolates).

Festive Winter Salad with Walnuts and Apples

1 pkg any European-style salad mix (I used organic mixed baby greens)

1 thinly sliced tart apple (I use any variety apple I have on hand)

1 pkg (4 oz) Blue Cheese, crumbled (or Gorgonzola)

1 cup walnut halves

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (white balsamic keeps the salad prettier)

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine salad, apples, walnuts and Blue Cheese.  Whisk together oil and vinegar; pour over salad.  Add salt and pepper to taste, then toss well.  Serve immediately.

Rosemary Asiago Rolls

 

8 frozen Bridgford Parkerhouse Rolls, thawed (I used Rhodes frozen rolls, can use homemade dinner roll dough too)

1/3 cup crumbled Asiago cheese

1 Tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh rosemary

1/2 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt

Lightly grease baking sheet.  Place thawed rolls on lightly floured board.  Top rolls with equal amounts of cheese and rosemary and knead lightly to mix in dough.  Brush rolls with olive oil and lightly sprinkle with salt.  Place on prepared baking sheet and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes or until doubled in size.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Bake for 12-15 minutes or until cooked and golden brown.

Powdered Sugar Pound Cakes with Chocolate Raspberry Ganache

I made our favorite Powdered Sugar Pound Cakes in my flower molds and combined them with the Chocolate Raspberry Ganache from the Chocolate-Raspberry Cookie Trifle recipe (melted semi-sweet chocolate chips, seedless raspberry jam, and a little half and half) - it was a delicious combination!

My family really loved and appreciated the extra effort that I put into our dinner.  I even got out the china to put it on and some goblets for our sparkling cider!

How do you express love with your food?  You can submit a Food is Love post through today (2/16) - stop by Savor The Thyme or The Naptime Chef for details and be sure to stop for Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam to check out all the delicious recipe links!

Have a terrifically tasty day friends!