Pasadena Salad

Pasadena Salad

Serves 4-6

1 head romaine

3 Chicken breast, shredded

1 Cup Chopped celery

4 Stems of green onion, slice

1 Avocado, cut up

1 Granny Smith apples, cut up, skin on

1 110z. can of Mandarin Oranges, drained

¼ cup dried cranberries

 ½ cup of blue cheese

Add all into large bowl

Caramelized almonds     TRADER JOES has CARMELIZED pecans already prepared that we can use in place

½ c of sliced almonds

3 Tbls of sugar

Melt over medium heat (preferably in a non stick skillet) and stir until sugar melts and caramelizes almonds,

Cool and add to above

Dressing

¼ c extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbl of fresh chopped parsley

2 Tbl of sugar

2 Tbl of white wine Vinegar

Salt & Pepper to taste

Asain Lunch Noodles

If you’re looking to make something new and different for the kids, try making a big batch of fun Asian Lunchbox Noodles. I love them because they are delicious when served cold and can be filled with your kid’s favorite veggies or meat to personalize it just for them.

Fun Asian

Lunchbox Noodles1 pound linguine, cooked
4 tablespoons fresh parsley
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup Shredded Carrots
Cook your linguine noodles as directed on the packaging. Blend garlic in a food processor until fine. Add soy sauce, oils, vinegar, and brown sugar. Add enough peanut butter to make slightly thick. Blend until smooth. Add to pasta and toss with shredded carrots. If desired, you can top with chopped peanuts, sesame seeds, or grilled chicken strips.
(From facebook.com/glad  Mom Made tab)

The best recipe of all time!!!

I just discovered the best recipe ever and had to share!  Here it is:

*Preheat oven to 98.6 degrees

*Insert bun

*Let bake 40 weeks

*Set timer for April 7, 2013

When finished, it should look something like this:

or this:

That's right, the Ludlow family will soon be growing from 4 to 5 and we are SO excited!

Chicken Pasta Salad-from Anne Swanson

*2-4 chicken breasts cubed and cooked (really, just as much or as little as you prefer.  I also like to cut up meat from a rotisserie chicken sometimes b/c it give the salad a great flavor)
*rottini pasta-12-16 oz. pkg (I prefer the whole wheat kind)
*1 cup red or green seedless grapes sliced in half
*1 cup pineapple tidbits or crushed (my preference) pineapple (save the juice)
*1 cup water chestnuts or Jicama sliced into small pieces
*½ cup green onion
*1 cup cashews toasted
*1 cup celery diced
*2 red apples chopped and peeled (soak apples in pineapple juice once chopped to keep them from
turning brown; add the apples and juice to the salad)

Dressing:
*1 cup mayo
*1 cup coleslaw dressing

Mix all together in very large bowl and enjoy!  Tastes best if it is refrigerated for several hour to a day in advance.

Great when served with No-Knead Bread!

Peppermint-topped Brownies

Ingredients (from Sunset Magazine)

• 
  Preparation
• 10 tablespoon butter, plus more for pan $
• 6 ounces good-quality bittersweet chocolate, broken into large chunks
• 3 eggs $
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 80 hard, round, red-and-white peppermint swirl candies (17 oz.; see Notes)
• 1/2 pound semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup whipping cream

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350°. Butter a 9- by 13-in. baking pan. In a medium saucepan, stir butter and bittersweet chocolate over very low heat with a heatproof rubber spatula until just melted (do not let simmer or boil). Remove from heat and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
2. 2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Slowly pour chocolate-butter mixture into egg mixture, whisking constantly. Into a separate bowl, sift flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder, then whisk together. With a clean rubber spatula, gently fold flour mixture into egg mixture until just combined.
3. 3. Spread batter evenly in the baking pan. Bake 20 to 30 minutes, or until brownies are firm, beginning to pull away from sides of pan, and a toothpick inserted in center emerges with only a few crumbs clinging to it. Let brownies cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
4. 4. Reduce oven temperature to 300°. Line a level, rimmed 11 1/2- by 16-in. baking sheet with parchment. With a pencil, draw a grid of 1 3/4-in. squares on parchment (5 rows of 8), leaving about a 1-in. border, and turn parchment over. Place a mint in the center of each square. Bake 15 to 25 minutes, or until completely melted into 1 large sheet, but remove before candy begins to turn yellow. Immediately score peppermint squares with a pizza cutter, using pencil lines as your guide. If scored lines don't hold, rescore quickly. Let candy cool completely. Gently break into squares along score lines. Arrange, bake, and score remaining 40 candies the same way (you'll have extra squares; pick the prettiest).
5. 5. In the top of a double boiler or a metal bowl set over simmering water, combine chopped semisweet chocolate and whipping cream. Cook, stirring often, until melted and blended. Remove from heat and let ganache cool until just warm.
6. 6. Pour ganache over cooled brownies in pan and allow to set until firm, about 2 hours at room temperature or 1 hour in the refrigerator.
7. 7. Place peppermint squares bottom side up on ganache, leaving enough room between squares to cut brownies. Cut brownies into squares along edges of peppermint tops, wiping knife clean between cuts. Remove brownies from pan, discard (or eat) scraps, and return brownies to pan. Cover with plastic wrap, making sure wrap does not touch peppermint, and refrigerate 3 hours (to soften candy a bit). Serve slightly chilled.
8. More toppings to try. Why stop at peppermint? Try these other embellishments for our rich, soft brownies. Be generous with amounts, and chill brownies so that the topping sets.
9. Coconut and Macadamia: Sprinkle shredded toasted coconut and chopped toasted macadamia nuts over the just-warm ganache layer.
10. Crushed Toffee: Sprinkle crushed toffee bits over the just-warm ganache layer.
11. Double Peanut: Warm up natural-style peanut butter (creamy or chunky) and spread over cooled brownies. Refrigerate until peanut butter is firm; top with ganache and chopped peanuts.
12. Raspberry: Spread raspberry jam over cooled brownies and top with ganache.
13. Rocky Road: Preheat broiler. Spread half of the just-warm ganache over cooled brownies, then top with mini marshmallows and chopped walnuts. Broil brownies for about 1 minute, or until marshmallows are toasted and beginning to melt together. Remove from oven and drizzle with remaining ganache.
14. White Chocolate Swirl: Spoon dollops of melted white chocolate over the just-warm ganache layer and make marbled swirls using a toothpick or a knife.
15. Note: Nutritional analysis is per brownie. Notes: You can make the brownies with ganache 3 days ahead, cover with plastic wrap (making sure it does not touch ganache), and chill. The tops can be made up to a week ahead and stored airtight at room temperature. Look for hard, round peppermint swirl candies, also called starlight mints, with bright red color. Keep an eye on the candies as they melt; some brands don't spread as quickly or as thinly as others. You may want to make a test batch using 12 mints arranged in 3 rows of 4 to determine whether you'll need to adjust your oven's temperature or space the candies closer together.

Note:

You can make the brownies with ganache 3 days ahead, cover with plastic wrap (making sure it does not touch ganache), and chill. The tops can be made up to a week ahead and stored airtight at room temperature. Look for hard, round peppermint swirl candies, also called starlight mints, with bright red color; we liked Golden Gate Goodies brand (99 cents for a 6-oz. bag; available at Longs Drugs; visit longs.com for store locations). Keep an eye on the candies as they melt; some brands don't spread as quickly or as thinly as others. You may want to make a test batch using 12 mints arranged in 3 rows of 4 to determine whether you'll need to adjust your oven's temperature or space the candies closer together.

Sunset 
DECEMBER 2007

Cafe Rio Creamy Tomatillo Salad Dressing (2 versions)

VERSION #1
1 packet hidden valley ranch buttermilk dressing
1 c. buttermilk
1 c. mayo or sour cream
2-3 tomatillos (peel off outer leaf/shell)
1 tsp. crushed garlic
¾ bunch fresh cilantro
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
juice from 1 lime (about 2 tsp.)
salt & pepper

Blend all ingredients in the blender. Refrigerate.

VERSION #2 (this is the one on that hand-written piece of paper we all have:)
1/3 cups sour cream
3/4 cup mayo
1 bunch cilantro
1 packet ranch dressing mix
4 Tbls green salsa (tomatillo salsa)
2 cloves garlic
1/8 tsp. Tabasco
juice of one lime

Mix all ingredients in blender. Refrigerate.

Cafe Rio Lime-Cilantro Rice

2 Tbsp. oil
4 c. long grain rice (6 c. water)
1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
juice of 2 limes
2 tsp. crushed garlic

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add rice, cilantro, and garlic. Saute 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add water and lime juice and bring to boil. Then reduce heat and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed by the rice (about 20 minutes). You can also use a rice cooker if you have one.  Great to serve with Cafe Rio pulled pork and dressing.