Homemade Croutons

Back in my college days, I worked at cafe in the business building on campus...it was a tedious job and luckily I only worked there a year before I landed my dream job where I got payed to do my homework. However, I did learn a lot of great lessons regarding food prep and some great recipes as well. I use this one most often because I love salads and I don't think you can have a great salad without some great croutons! I never buy croutons because it's just so easy and cheap to make my own!

Brittney's Homemade Croutons:

Ingredients:

• 2-4 slices white bread (depending on the size of the salad)



• 2-3 tbsp. olive oil



• 1-2 tsp. minced garlic



• salt & pepper to taste

Method:

• slice bread into small cubes.



• Mix bread cubes with olive oil, garlic, salt & pepper until everything is combined.



• Transfer to a heated sillet. Cook croutons 1-2 minutes on each side until toasted.



• Add to your favorite salad and enjoy!

Cafe Rio Pork Salad

My new favorite kitchen gadget (a Christmas gift from my ever-so-generous mother-in-law), makes amazing salad dressing and I was able to put it good use when I made this dish last week:(Cuisinart Elite Die-Cast 12-Cup Food Processor- Williams Sonoma)

I love love love this recipe! Even though we now have Cafe Rio in southern California, I still love making this at home for my family. It's the perfect Sunday dinner if you plan on hosting a large group of people and you can even freeze the leftover dressing and use it later.The pork is very easy-just stick it in the crock pot and let it cook all day. I serve the salad on a warm torilla (I buy the uncooked pre-made tortillas at Costco and cook them right before I serve the salad), with rice, black beans, shredded cheese, avacadoes, diced tomatoes, tortilla strips, tomatillo dressing and a lime on the side.

Pork Barbacoa

3lb pork roast

16oz salsa

2 cups Dr. Pepper

1 cup brown sugar

Put roast in crock-pot. Mix Dr. Pepper and brown sugar. Pour over roast, along with the salsa. Cook on high 8 hours; remove pork and shred with fork. Return shredded meat to marinade in crock pot and keep warm until ready to serve.
Mexican Style White Rice

3 cups water

4 t chicken boullion

4 t garlic-minced

1/2 bunch cilantro

1 can green chiles

3/4 t salt

1 T butter

3 c rice

juice from 2 limes

Blend cilantro, green chilies and onion in food processor or blender. Bring water to boil and add all ingredients, simmer covered 30 minutes (or until rice is soft).

Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

1 package Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing

1 cup mayo

1 cup chopped cilantro

2 cloves garlic, chopped

3 chopped tomatillos (peel paper off)

1/3-1/2 cups buttermilk, to consistency

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

Put all ingredients in blender or food processor and mix

Perfect Valentine's Day Dinner:

I can't take all the credit for this one because it was my sister's idea, but she said since Valentine's Day falls on a Monday this year, she and her husband and kids were going to have a fun family night together instead of leaving the kids with a sitter. I loved the idea and have been thinking of dinner menu options that are all red and pink ever since. Here's what I've come up with:
Appetizer: Bruschetta
Main dish: Grilled salmon with fresh herbs
Side dish: Strawberry Feta Salad (reipe below)
Dessert: Chocolate fondue with strawberries, marhsmallows, graham crackers, bananas, and rice krispie treats.

Strawberry Feta Salad:

Salad Ingredients:

• 1 package caramelized pecans (I do the caramelizing myself with some butter, sugar, and a broiler).
• 3 cups strawberries, sliced
• 1 head lettuce
• feta cheese to taste

Dressing Ingredients:

• 1/4 part red onion
• 2 cups canola oil
• 2/3 cup white vinegar
• 2 tsp. dijon mustard
• 1 & 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp. salt

Method:

• In a large bowl combine all salad ingredients, except for the feta cheese.
• Blend all dressing ingredients in a food processor.
• Add feta cheese on top of salad, to taste, and pour dressing before serving.