Monday, August 29, 2016

SUMMER HARVEST SALAD

Trips to the farmers' market have been wonderful this summer, after a good growing season.  The veggies are coming in fast and furious!  Tonight for dinner I made a salad out of some of the veggies.
Half eaten....

The beauty of this salad is that any number of veggies or ingredients can be added or substituted.  Throw in what you have on hand, and what you love, and you will love the end result.  The uniting ingredient is the salad dressing which I found on Lynne Rossetto Kasper's "Splendid Table" blog.

SUMMER HARVEST SALAD.  Serves 8 - 10.
The Dressing.
*  4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
*  2 tablespoons cider vinegar
*  2 teaspoons sugar
*  1-1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
*  10 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
*  Salt to taste
In a bowl, mix the lemon juice, vinegar, sugar and ground coriander.  Gradually whisk in the olive oil until well-blended.  Season to taste with salt.

The Salad.
*  2-3 large handfuls of cherry tomatoes, halved and seeded
*  1 large cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded using a spoon, and sliced
*  5 scallions/green onions, chopped
*  a small bunch of cilantro leaves, chopped
*  grilled corn from 1 large cob
*  1 cup cooked orzo (small Greek pasta)
*  Top with crumbled Feta cheese, just before serving
Put all salad ingredients in a large serving bowl, mix with salad dressing to taste (the recipe makes more than you will use for this salad).  Just before serving, crumble feta cheese on top.

ENJOY THIS HEALTHY AND DELICIOUS SALAD!!!




Friday, August 26, 2016

CAFE LATTE TURTLE CAKE... Sooooo Goooood!

Most everyone in this area has been to Cafe Latte on Grand Avenue in Saint Paul.  Without exception, their food is delicious, especially their desserts!  Many years ago their recipe for Turtle Cake was posted in the newspaper, and I immediately tore it out.  I've made the recipe a few times over the years, always to great reviews, so I recently made it for a potluck picnic.  Here is the recipe for your future enjoyment!



CAFE LATTE TURTLE CAKE - Makes 12 (big) servings.
*  1 egg
*  2/3 c. vegetable oil
*  1 c. buttermilk
*  2 c. flour
*  1-3/4 c. sugar
*  1/2 c. cocoa
*  1 tsp. salt
*  1 tbsp. baking soda
*  1 c. hot coffee
Preheat oven to 350ยบ.  Grease a 9"x12" pan.
Combine egg, oil and buttermilk.  In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, salt and baking soda.  Combine the egg mixture and the flour mixture, mixing well.  Slowly mix in hot coffee.  Turn into prepared pan and bake 40 to 45 minutes.  Frost when cooled.

Frosting
*  1 c. sugar
*  1/2 c. milk
*  5 tbsp. butter
*  1-1/2 c. chocolate chips
*  1/2 c. caramel topping [I used Hershey's brand this time, but I don't recommend it.]
*  1 c. toasted pecans
Mix sugar and milk in a saucepan, add butter and bring to a boil.  Put chocolate chips in a bowl, pour hot mixture over them and mix until smooth.  Spread over cooled cake.  Drizzle caramel topping over the frosting, and crunch toasted pecans over caramel with your hand.

Coffee adds a nice boost to chocolate cake.

Always use the best ingredients for the best result.

Making this cake requires no electric mixer; just mix with a spoon or whisk.
The result is more dense - a good thing in a chocolate cake!

The cake is quite rich; so cut smaller portions.  Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.