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!

Focaccia Bread

I love to knead bread by hand, I've always thought it was fun, so I knew I would love this recipe. It's a great bread recipe to accompany any dish: soups, pastas, beef, etc. I even microwaved a few leftover pieces and served them the next day and it still tasted great. My favorite is to serve it with olive oil and balsamic vinegar to dip it in.

Focaccia Bread

Ingredients:

• 2 & 3/4 cups all-purpose flour




• 1 tsp. salt




• 1 tsp. white sugar




• 1 tbsp. active dry yeast




• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil




• 1 cup water




• 1 tsp. garlic powder




• 1-2 tbsp. olive oil




• 1 tsp. dried oregano




• 1 tsp. dried thyme




• 1 tsp. fresh minced basil




• 1 pinch ground black pepper




• 3 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese




• 1 cup mozzarella cheese

Method:

• In a large bowl, place flour, salt, sugar, yeast, and garlic powder.




• Fold in the vegetable oild and water.




• When the dough has come together, place it on a lightly floured surface, and knead it until resilient but smooth.




• Lightly brush with oil on both sides and place the dough in the bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.




• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.




• Press dough down and flatten; place on greased baking sheet. Pat into a 1/2-inch thick rectangle.




• Brush top with olive oil and sprinkle with final ingredients of oregano, thyme, basil, black pepper, Paremsan cheese, and mozzarella cheese.




• Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.

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.

Christmas Carrots

This is one recipe where I wish I had "smell-o-vision" because these carrots smell amazing! They are a great Christmas side dish because the combination of brown sugar and orange zest gives off a tasty Christmas aroma.

Ingredients:

2 pounds carrots

1/4 teaspoon salt, if desired

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup margarine or butter

1 teaspoon grated orange peel

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Peel the carrots, and cut into 1/4-inch slices. Heat 1 inch water to boiling in the saucepan over high heat. Add the 1/4 teaspoon salt if desired. Add the carrot slices. Cover and heat to boiling again. Reduce heat just enough so water bubbles gently. Cook covered 12 to 15 mins or until carrots are tender when pierced with a fork. While carrots are cooking, heat the brown sugar, margarine, orange peel and 1/2 teaspoon salt in the skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved and mixture is bubbly. Be careful not to overcook or the mixture will taste scorched. Remove the skillet from the heat. Drain carrots in a strainer, then stir them into the brown sugar mixture. Cook over low heat about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally and gently, until carrots are glazed and hot.
This recipe from CDKitchen for Brown Sugar-Glazed Carrots serves/makes 6

Tortellini Salad

I doubled the recipe (given to me by my friend Jolisa) and made this pasta salad for my New Year's party last night. It's pretty simple and only took about 10 minutes to prepare. You can serve it immediately while its warm or put it in the fridge and serve it cold. It's a great compliment to any main dish; I served it along with pizza, buffalo wings, and breadsticks. Yes, the diet starts today!

Ingredients:

1 pkg. 9 ounces refrigerated cheese tortellini

1/2 pound fresh mozzarella cheese (1 inch balls/cubes)

1 jar (7 1/2 ounces marinated quartered artichoke hearts, drained)

1 can 6 ounces pitted ripe olives, drained

1 medium bell pepper, chopped

1/4 cup prepared pesto

3 tbsp. white wine vinegar

Method:

1. Cook tortellini according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.

2. Drain tortellini; add to cheese mixture and toss to coat. Serve warm or refrigerate until chilled.Makes 9 servings.

Ruth's Chris' Sweet Potato Casserole

My husband has a serious obsession with Ruth's Chris and every time we eat there, we order their sweet potatoes. They are amazing! Even if you don't like sweet potatoes, you will love them at that restaurant. For Thanksgiving last year, I was assigned to make the sweet potatoes, so my mother-in-law and I searched around for Ruth's Chris' recipe and found it! They were so good and suprisingly so easy to make!

Ruth's Chris' Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients for the Crust:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 cup chopped nuts (pecans preferred)
• 1 stick butter, (1/2 cup, melted)

Ingredients for the sweet potato mixture:

• 3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs-well beaten
• 1/3 stick butter

Method:

Combine brown sugar, flour, nuts, and butter in mixing bowl. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine sweet potatoes, sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs, and butter in a mixing bowl in the order listed. Mix thoroughly. Pour mixture into buttered baking dish. Sprinkle the surface of the sweet potato mixture evenly with the crust mixture. Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to set at least 30 minutes before serving.