A delicious and easy Balsamic Glaze recipe, or Balsamic Reduction sauce. Just like you’d find drizzled over an elegant meal in a restaurant. Recipe below.
Balsamic Reduction Sauce, or Balsamic Glaze Recipe
38
Monthly Archives: April 2011
Jalapeno Steak Sauce Burger with Grilled Vegetables
What are your favorite flavor additions to spruce up plain old grilled burgers? We’ve been experimenting and with warmer weather, our grill has officially come out of hibernation.
As you know, with a Christmas gift of a grilling class at a local cooking school, we now have another cook in the house. Bob has been experimenting with different grilled hamburger recipes and when talking with friend Shera she quickly shared her husband’s favorite recipe. Sounded so delicious and we had to give it a try. Let’s take a look:
Crab Cakes Benedict With Spicy Hollandaise Sauce
There are so many things to talk about with this post. A new method (for me) to make Hollandaise Sauce in a blender, a great new flavor for the Hollandaise Sauce, and a double-yolked egg when I went to make the Hollandaise Sauce.
I guess there’s really only one thing to talk about…The Hollandaise Sauce.
No Recipe Required: Chili Dogs
Chili Dogs
- Open and heat a can of Cattle Drive Chili (Costco)
- Heat up hot dogs
- Microwave hot dog buns 15 seconds
- Top with grated cheddar cheese and chopped onion
- Side with bbq potato chips
It’s What’s For Dinner.
April Wine Time
2004 Vieux Telegraphe
Last Fall, Bob came up with a great idea to get our wine-loving friends together once a month, at our house, to taste test a notable bottle of wine.
When this bunch gets together, and due to a series of incidents at a certain bed and breakfast back-yard gazebo in Oregon, laying down rules is a rule.
Simple. Bob picks out the wine, I provide an appetizer, Tom and Kathy and Dan and Teri trade off turns bringing another bottle of wine and an additional appetizer.
I don’t know why I don’t blog about it more. Maybe we’re just having too much fun to take photos?
I’d like to put a stop to that, so sit back and enjoy April’s event.
Grilled Chicken Wilted Salad
During the week I try to plan lots of light-meal salads for dinner. They’re salads that contain lean meats, lots of greens and vegetables tossed into a single dish meal with a lively vinaigrette. Not only are they delicious and healthy, they also make way for weekends filled with cheeseburgers, Italian sausage laden pasta dishes, bacon and egg breakfasts and dare I mention…ice cream topped cinnamon bun bread.
This Grilled Chicken Wilted Salad is one of my favorites. It comes together in about 30 minutes and can practically be made one-handed without having to put down your after work/before dinner glass of wine. The combination of flavors here are striking thanks to the warm dressing, Kalamata olives and rosemary dusted chicken tenders. And with the techniques of tossing the chicken and onion in olive oil before cooking and finishing by steaming the whole dish covered with a plate, you end up with a nice texture and wonderful warm flavors. Let’s take a look:
Grilled Chicken Wilted Salad
- 1 lb chicken tenderloin
- 1 medium onion, halved lengthwise, cut into thin wedges (this might be the only time you’d have to set down your wine)
- 3 Tbs olive oil
- 1 Tbs snipped fresh rosemary or 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
- 3/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 cup cranberry or pomegranate juice
- 2 Tbs red wine vinegar
- 2 6-oz. pkg. baby spinach leaves
- 1/4 cup sliced pitted Kalamata olives
- 1/4 cup pine nuts or slivered almonds, toasted
Heat indoor electric grill or grill pan over medium heat.
In a bowl combine chicken and onions. Toss with two tablespoons of the olive oil, rosemary, and 1/4 teaspoon each pepper and salt.
Grill chicken and onions on grill rack or in grill pan for ten minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink, internal temperature reaches 170 degrees F, and onions are tender, turning once.
Meanwhile, for dressing, in a saucepan combine juice; vinegar; and remaining olive oil, pepper and salt. Bring juice mixture just to boiling; remove from heat. Place spinach, olives, pine nuts, chicken, and onions in an extra-large salad bowl; toss to combine. Pour warm dressing over salad mixture. Toss lightly. Cover salad with a large plate for one to two minutes or just until spinach is wilted. Remove plate. Serve immediately. Makes six servings.
Grilled Chicken Wilted Salad…It’s What’s for Dinner.
One Year Ago: Ranch Grilled Chicken Tacos
Sunday Brunch Menu
After a full meal with many delicious offerings Bob and I enjoy a ritual of asking “what was the best thing on the plate?” 99% of the time we’ll agree that the potatoes, no matter how they were prepared, win the contest.
Stephanie with lil’ Chili
This Sunday Brunch post mortem ended up with quite a different scenario.
Our God Daughter Stephanie came over presenting a perfect opportunity to try out new recipes on my favorite little guinea pig. Stephanie lives in Ft. Collins, about an hour North of Denver.
She attends Colorado State University, majoring in Communications with a minor in Political Science. She graduates in December and we couldn’t be prouder.
Let’s take a look at what I cooked up for brunch and find out what won the “best on the plate” contest.
Take a close look at the bacon. See that shiny glaze? A mixture of brown sugar, cayenne and black pepper turns an over-the-top delicious slice of bacon into a dog fight for second helpings.
Linda’s Strawberry Spinach Salad Recipe
With temperatures in the 80′s on Saturday and snow on Sunday, it’s officially Springtime in the Rockies, which has inspired me to post this change of seasons, simple and fresh salad recipe.
One of my favorites, it comes from my friend Linda. This is the same Linda that brought us Linda’s Moist and Delicious Corn Bread recipe. I love the tangy dressing on this quick fix salad and it’s a staple all summer long, whether alongside a cheeseburger off the grill or a dish of pasta from the stove-top. With an all-star line-up of ingredients of seasoned rice vinegar, Tabasco and sugar for the tangy tart vinaigrette combined with the fresh crunch of the crisp spinach, sweet plump strawberries and salty sunflower seeds, you’ve got one great combination of flavors.
Let’s take a look.
Linda’s Spinach and Strawberry Salad:
2 Tbs seasoned rice vinegar
1/4 Cup olive oil
2 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs Tabasco sauce
2 Whole green onions — chopped
3 Tbs sunflower seeds
1 Pint strawberries — sliced
1 Bunch baby spinach — (12 oz)
1. Rinse spinach, add strawberries and sunflower seeds. Add dressing.
Speaking of friends, look at this little gadget Cauleen gave me for Christmas. It makes whisking up a vinaigrette a breeze. Just add ingredients and squeeze the handle which activates a stirrring spiral inside the carafe and voila. It even comes with a little pouring spout for use at the table. Recipes for classic vinaigrettes are printed on the outside along with measurement lines for ingredients. L-O-V-E love this thing.
Linda’s Strawberry Spinach Salad…It’s What’s for Dinner.
One Year Ago: Shrimp and Grits
Abbie’s Favorite Chicken Macaroni Salad Recipe
Last Saturday was our monthly Front Range Food Blogger Meetup over at Barb’s house. Barb writes Vino Luci Style, lives in a central Denver location and generously opens her doors to host our group of local food bloggers. I so look forward to our gatherings. Not only is it the ultimate potluck event, but we also get down to business and spend time with discussions to better our blogs. Last month we had photography demonstrations and last week we focused on SEO optimization. So far there’s been about a dozen of us attend, and I’m personally loving every minute of it.
Barb suggested that we blog about and post recipes for the dishes we bring so she can link to them on our Meetup page. I’m all for that since I spend half the social hour begging for recipes. Here’s my latest contribution to our meeting.
My Favorite Chicken Macaroni Salad. Although I’ve had this recipe for about 30 years, it’s not one I make often because I simply can’t be trusted around it. I’ll stand over the kitchen island and eat half the bowl in minutes. So while the “servings” portion of the recipe indicates eight, if I’m around it’s actually six for me and two for you…two if you’re lucky.
Abbie, Macaroni Salad Afficianado
Well it seems I have a macaroni salad soul mate named Abbie. Here’s how the whole thing came down (so to speak). The meeting was winding down. We had all but packed up our leftovers. We had divvied up and Saran wrapped portions of cookies, pastries and assorted goodies to take home and were in the living room finishing conversations when we heard a big crash.
Kirsten over at My Kitchen in the Rockies promptly went to investigate and found Abbie, Barb’s adorable Cocker Spaniel (who although she doesn’t write a food blog is most certainly an important member of our group) with her head buried in my bowl of macaroni salad which she had wrestled to the floor, stripped off the foil covering and was taking those big gasping doggie bites…you know the ones…where they can hardly breath because they’re trying to inhale as much as possible before being caught.
To protect the innocent Kirsten quickly picked up the evidence but once the story leaked, we all had a good laugh. Of course, Barb was unnecessarily horrified, and commented on my blog: “Abbie and I are both sorry she showed little manners. I guess I need a sign, “As cute as she may look, she is a dog who takes advantage of any situation where food is involved”
Abbie, you’re a girl after my own heart!
How do I feel about the whole thing? High five paw Abbie. A compliment that you loved my macaroni salad, but sorry Sistah…I can’t be trusted around the stuff either…but I bet I could have had that bowl emptied before Kirsten got there. 
I mean c’mon there was still half of it left.
My Abbie’s Favorite Chicken Macaroni Salad:
4 cups large shell macaroni — cooked
10 oz chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite sized pieces. (I’ve used rotisserie, canned and breasts cooked and cubed – it all works)
8 oz frozen peas
1 cup celery, finely chopped
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup cider vinegar
3 Tbs sugar
Salt
Pepper
Dillweed
Servings: 8
As with my potato salad, I like to have all the ingredients in a large bowl and then add my hot drained starch on top, letting everything sit for a couple of minutes to steam the vegetables and seasonings before I mix together. After stirring, adjust flavors to suit your palate. I usually start with 1 Tsp dried dill and also tweak salt, sugar and vinegar to get it just right for me. As always this is better if it sits overnight in the fridge.
Abbie’s Favorite Chicken Macaroni Salad Recipe…It’s What’s for Dinner.
One Year Ago: Curried Egg Salad Sandwiches