Johannah's Favorite Berry Balsamic Salad with Candied Pecans

Berry Balsamic Salad with Candied Pecans

Source: Johannah Banham

Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 5 min Servings: Serves: 8 Source: sixsistersstuff.com

Ingredients

Salad:

• 1 (16 ounce) bag spring salad mix
• 2 cups strawberries (sliced)
• 1 cup blackberries
• 1/2 cup Feta cheese crumbles
• Candied pecans*
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup sugar

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup strawberry jam
• 3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Salad:

Toss together spring salad mix, sliced strawberries and blackberries. Add some Feta cheese for garnish (as much or little as you like).

*Candied pecans:

In a saucepan over medium heat, mix together chopped pecans and sugar.

Stir constantly for a few minutes until the sugar has caramelized and all of the pecans are coated.

Spread the coated pecans on a piece of foil or wax paper to cool.

After they are completely cool, break into pieces if they get clumped together. Add cooled pecans to salad and toss.

Creamy Spinach Tortellini Soup

AKA: The Soup, Upvote Soup

Source: Reddit

Ingredients

• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• ⅓ cup all purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp dried basil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 (14.5 oz) cans petite diced tomatoes
• 1 to 1 ½ lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 2 tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 4 cups frozen cheese tortellini (or fresh)
• 3 cups packed spinach 
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup heavy cream (or ½ &½)

Stovetop Instructions

1. In a large stock pot, heat 3 Tbsp olive oil over medium high heat.  Sauté onions garlic until onions are clear and starting to soften
2. Sprinkle in flour and basil into the pot, cook for 1-2 minutes.  Then add tomato paste, broth, tomatoes, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, then down to a simmer.
3. Cook and shred chicken thighs. 
4. While pot is simmering, add tortellini and Parmesan cheese.  Simmer for 10-15 minutes, until Tortellini is cooked through.
5. Bring down heat to low, stir in spinach and warmed cream.
6. Enjoy

*Can sub Italian sausage for chicken

*Can sub flavored tomatoes

Crockpot Instructions

1. In a Microwave safe bowl add onions, flour, basil, garlic, tomato paste and drizzle with olive oil.
2. Microwave for 5 minutes, stirring every 90 seconds or so. (The mixture will be pasty and look weird, but don't worry it will be okay in the end.). Add this mixture to the slow cooker.
3. Add broth, tomatoes, chicken, salt & pepper and stir
4. Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours (or until chicken is very tender.)
5. Add Tortellini and spinach, parmesan, and warmed cream.  (Cold cream can curdle!)
6. Shred chicken and add back, put lid on and cook on HIGH for about 10 more minutes, until pasta is cooked through.  
7. Ladle into serving bowls and enjoy!

Instant Pot Instructions

1. Turn IP on to sauté, on the highest setting.  Heat oil in the bottom of the pot.  Add the diced onion and stir for a couple of minutes.  Add in garlic and stir until onions are translucent.
2. Add in basil, tomato paste. broth, tomatoes, chicken, salt & pepper.  Give a quick stir.  Manual pressure cook for 15 minutes on HIGH.  Vent pressure when it timer beeps.
3. Remove chicken and cut or shred, add back.  Stir in pasta, spinach, parm, warmed cream. Heat on sauté to reheat quickly.  One tortellini is cooked through, serve. 

Chocolate Mousse Pie with Joe-Joe's Crust

Source: Trader Joe's Cooking Blog

Serves: 12

Prep and Cook Time: 15-29 minutes, not including chill time

Chill Time: 4 hours or overnight

Ingredients

• 28 Joe-Joe's Cookies (2 rows out of the package) (Or sub Oreos)
• ¼ cup melted unsalted butter (10-20 seconds in microwave or low heat on stove)

Filling

• 12 oz Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 14 oz Coconut Milk (light or regular, or coconut cream)
• 4 T. pureed Avocado

Instructions

• Preheat to 350º
• Crush cookies in a food processor until fine crumbs. Pour melted butter and pulse until combined.  Press crumbs firmly into a pie plate, using a glass to press and compact 
• Bake crust for 5-7 minutes.  Cool completely.
• Melt chips on stove or microwave. (Zap for 1 min and then in 30 sec increments, stirring in between, until smooth.
• Immediately blend for 20-30 seconds in blender until smooth: coconut milk, avocado and melted chocolate
• Put filling in crust, chill for 4 hours or overnight.  
• Optional: Serve with whipped cream and/or strawberries.

Captain’s Choice

Source: Gordon Tester

• Fish
• Ranch Dressing
• Onions
• Peppers
• Montreal Steak Seasoning
• Cayenne Pepper
• Black Pepper
• Parmesan cheese

Sprinkle fish with Montreal Steak Seasoning, place in a greased baking dish.  Surround with sliced peppers & onion.  Cover with ranch dressing, sprinkle with parm and add a dash of cayenne over the top and a sprinkle of black pepper.

Bake at 350º for 15-20 minutes, depending on how thick the fish is.  

Cucumber Sandwiches
Source: Pampered Chef

• 1 large cucumber
• fresh dill weed
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 1 package dry Italian dressing 
• 1 refrigerated Italian loaf dough in tube

1. BREAD: 
1. Preheat oven to 350º.  
2. Grease a bread tube and put the bread dough into it.  
3. Bake upright for 25-30 minutes.  
4. Cool and slice into thin slices.
2. SPREAD:
1. Let cream cheese come to room temp.
2. Cream cream cheese, spice packet and mayo together.
3. Chill for at least 6 hours.
4. Spread on bread slices.
3. CUCUMBER:
1. Peel and score edges with a fork.
2. Thinly slice.
3. Place one slice on top of spread on each bread slice.
4. DILL:
1. Top with a dill sprig on each cucumber.

Company Eggs

• 8 slices bread (cubed)
• 2/3 lb. cheddar (shredded)
• 8 eggs (beaten)
• 1/2 lb. bacon (fried) or ham (diced)
• 1 tsp. salt
• dash of pepper
• 3 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 tsp. dry mustard

1. Cube bread and place in the bottom of a 9x13" buttered glass dish.
2. Add shredded cheese to well beaten eggs.
3. Add milk, bacon (or ham), salt, pepper, mustard to egg mixture.
4. Pour over the bread, cover the dish and refrigerate overnight.
5. In the morning, take out of the refrigerator and set out on counter for 30-45 minutes, @preheat oven and bake 45 minutes @ 350º.
6. Take out of oven and let sit for 5-10 minutes before eating.

Journey's End Vegetable Soup

Source: Journey's End Restaurant, Mundelein, IL
Yield: About 9 cups

Thank you for 33 great years; we will miss you all.  We hope you enjoy making our soup as much as we did!

• 1/4 cup bacon drippings or margarine

1. 1/2 cup peeled and diced carrot
2. 1/2 cup diced onion
3. 1/2 cup diced celery
4. 1/4 tsp. oregano
5. 1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
6. 1/8 tsp. basil
7. 1/8 tsp. thyme
8. 1/8 tsp. rosemary
9. 1 clove minced garlic
10. 1 bay leaf

• 7 cups beef stock
• 1 cup canned chopped tomatoes
• 1-2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 2/3 cup peeled and diced potato
• 1/3 cup peeled and diced turnip
• 1/4 cup cooked red kidney beans
• 1/4 cup cooked navy or lima beans
• 2 tbsp. soup pasta
• 1 tbsp. chopped parsley
• 1 tbsp. barley
• 1 tbsp. split peas*
• 1 cup chopped spinach
• 1 cup chopped cabbage

Heat bacon drippings or margarine in heavy saucepan over medium heat.

Add next ten ingredients and cook until vegetables soften, stirring frequently.  Add 1/4 cup flour to form a roux, stirring until smooth.  Add all remaining ingredients; cover and cook for approximately 50 minutes.  

Season with salt and pepper.

*No longer in our version, but in the original

Dutch Baby Batter

Source: Ray Walker (Owner Walker Bros. The Original Pancake House)
Yield: Four 8" pancakes or two 12" pancakes

• 4 tsp. clarified butter
• 8 oz. skim milk
• 4 oz. heavy whipping cream
• 12 large eggs
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• dash nutmeg

Directions:

Mix milk, cream, and eggs in a large bowl using a wire whisk.  Mix in the sugar then the flour until there are no lumps. Add the salt and nutmeg, mix until smooth

Place 1 tsp. of clarified butter (non-clarified butter will burn) in an 8" Teflon coated warm skillet.  Let butter melt and move skillet to have butter coat entire cooking surface.  Pour 10 oz. of batter into the skillet and place into a 400º preheated oven.  Let cook for 8-10 minutes in a convection oven or 25-30 minutes in a conventional oven until it is nicely browned.  As the edge of the Dutch Baby firms up and rises at at least and edge higher than the pan, gently spin it in the pan to loosen any friction and encourage a higher rising edge.  It may rise as high as 8", so plan your oven space accordingly.

This recipe yields 4 Dutch Baby pancakes using 8" skillets.  You may cook 2 at a time in the oven, paying close attention to the color and cooking.  You may also cook a larger Dutch Baby in a 12" skillet using twice the butter and batter.

Apple Pancake "My Signature Recipe"

Source: Richard Walker  www.richardwalkers.com 
Yield: 2 pancakes, 2-4 servings

• 1 c. water
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 4 tsp. skim milk powder
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1/16 tsp grated nutmeg
• 1/2 cup clarified butter
• 2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
• 
  
• 2/3 cup superfine sugar mixed with 2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1. Whisk together water, cream, and milk powder.  Beat eggs and whisk into water mixture. Add confectioner's sugar, flour, salt, and nutmeg and beat to remove lumps.
2. Heat the butter in a 10 inch, heavy bottomed, Teflon, oven-proof skillet.  Add half the apples and sauté over low-medium heat for 2 minutes.  Sprinkle with half the sugar-cinnamon mixture and cook over medium heat until apples are browned and glazed. 
3. Pour half of batter over apples in skillet.  Bake apple pancake in preheated 400º oven for 18 minutes until pancake is puffed around sides, golden, and firm in the center.  Remove immediately from  oven.  Place a dinner plate over the skillet.  Carefully and quickly flip pan upside down over plate so pancake comes out apple-side up.
4. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make second pancake.

Baked Beef Stew

• 1 lb. beef, cubed
• 3 T. olive oil
• 2 T. flour
• 3 large carrots
• 1 turnip
• 1/2 lb. new potatoes
• 14.5 can diced tomatoes with Italian herbs
• 32 oz. beef broth

1. Brown beef in oil with flour, add to a 13"x9" pan.
2. Chunk up carrots and turnips, add to pan.
3. Add potatoes, tomatoes, and broth.
4. Bake at 350º for 1 1/2 hours or until beef is tender and broth has thickened.