Take-out Fake-out

Dane was out of town recently, and as the saying goes, "When the cat is away, the mouse will play" . . or eat pasta all week, either one. Since I only had to cook for myself and was feeling a little lazy, I ate pasta for 3 nights in a row and cleaned out all those partial boxes or bags of pasta in my cabinets. 

I also got to try a new recipe while Dane was gone. (Just FYI, he’d eat peanut butter and honey sandwiches for all of eternity if he were left alone.) I made Pioneer Woman's sesame noodles and couldn't slurp them down fast enough (literally, as I was Skyping with Dane, I was scarfing them down as fast as I could--partially so I could talk and partially because they are so darn good). This is a great quick fix for my Chinese take-out cravings, keeps well for leftovers, and can be served hot or cold. 

Bottom line: sesame noodles will be added to my rotating weekly meals menu. 

Here's Pioneer Woman's original recipe. To make it more of a well-rounded meal (sadly, I can't eat just pasta 24/7), I added one sautéed chopped bell pepper (I picked a green one) and two chopped chicken breasts (I just salt, pepper, and bake my chicken breasts when I just need them to mix into a recipe).

Chop a little . . . 

Mix a little . . .

And that's it! 

A note on proportions: I used the original measurements for the sesame sauce, but for the pasta, I eyeballed two servings of whole wheat spaghetti. This allowed for plenty of sauce to coat the chicken. 

Excuse me as I play around with my paper camera app . . .

Enjoy!

-Madison

The Big Salad

I am a Seinfeld fan. When Dane and I were dating in college, we spent one fall break together watching every season, every episode. We only took breaks to eat. As a result of binge watching, many of the episodes are a blur, but I do remember the soup nazi, George sleeping under his desk, sidling, and of course, Elaine’s big salad.

Here’s a clip to remind you. “Tomatoes like volleyballs.”

This is how I envision the big salad, and it’s without-a-doubt the best salad I make.

My mom gave me this recipe, and it’s a knock-off of Garozzo’s house salad. If you live in Kansas City, hopefully you've heard of Garozzo’s, and if not, now you have a reason to go experience some real Italian food. 

I mentioned in an earlier post ("Daily Bread") that Dane and I eat the big salad for dinner at least once a week. To serve two, I usually cut the recipe in half, but here is the big version.

Salad:

About 10 oz. romaine (get the good organic kind in the big, plastic tub--it's greener, leafier, ergo healthier, and has a longer shelf life)

1 good-sized red onion, sliced 

1 big jar (or 2 small jars) of artichoke hearts, drained and chopped up

Two of my favorite things.

Dressing:

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 Tsp. sugar 

Whisk together the dressing, and toss it all together! I think the dressing is my favorite part. Or maybe the onions. Or artichokes. 

So pretty.

Eat immediately. This salad doesn’t keep, but don’t worry, you won’t have leftovers. If you are taking this salad to a party, keep the romaine, veggies, and dressing separate until you're ready to toss and serve.

Get fancy and serve it up with some bread, oil and balsamic for dipping, and some red wine (I'm drinking Louis Martini Cabernet Sauvignon).  

Enjoy!

-Madison