Author Archives: Lea Ann

Chicken Salad with Strawberries and Red Onions

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Chicken Salad with Strawberries

Chicken Salad with Strawberries and Red Onions.

Have I ever told you that I live five minutes from where I work?  OK, during a snow storm, it’s probably seven. And if I hit the stop light at Highlands Ranch Parkway, that will add an extra minute to the calculations.  How far do you commute to work?

This was an easy dinner because I came home at lunch, put two small boneless/skinless chicken breasts in the crockpot at about 11:30. I ate lunch, made the dressing for salad, spent time on social media and was back at work by 12:30 (ish).

With the crockpot set on high, the chicken breasts were done when I left work at 5:25, arriving home at 5:30. (Yay for the green light at Highlands Ranch Parkway.)

Placing the chicken breasts on a cutting board to cool while I assembled the rest of the ingredients, dinner was on the table at 6:20. Actually it would have been on the table at 5:45 but a glass of wine with feet propped up on the coffee table delayed the process. Priorities.

Easy Chicken Salad with Strawberries

Fresh and healthy with chicken, strawberries, celery, red onion, and raisins all piled on top of butter lettuce. Let’s take a look:

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Chicken Salad with Strawberries
Author: 
Recipe type: Salad
Cuisine: American
Serves: 2
 

Ingredients
  • 2 cups chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 breasts)
  • 2 cups quartered small strawberries (about 1 pint)
  • ⅓ cup finely chopped celery
  • ⅓ cup sliced red onion
  • 2 tablespoons golden raisins
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
  • 4 cups butter lettuce

Instructions
  1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Combine sesame seeds and next 6 ingredients (sesame seeds through pepper) in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Pour over chicken mixture; toss well to coat. Cover and chill for about 30 minutes. (I didn’t do this step) Serve over salad greens.

Chicken Salad with Strawberries…It’s What’s for Dinner.

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Macaroni and Cheese with Tomatoes, May SRC

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Mac and Cheese Plated

Ina Garten’s Macaroni and Cheese with Tomatoes

Secret Recipe Club

Where has the time gone? Are you kidding me? It’s already time for SRC Reveal Day?  Busy, busy, busy at work, being assigned to Bizzy Bakes blog for this month’s Secret Recipe Club made for a much welcomed and easy project. In other words, my kind of food.

Pasta in Antique Collander

You know you’re old when the first colander you ever bought is now considered to be “vintage”. 

To say I don’t know much about the author of Bizzy Bakes would be an understatement. Without an “About” section, I really don’t even know the his/her name. But what I do know is that I’ve found a great blog and have bookmarked several recipes from the site that I want to try very soon, Grilled Chicken Cutlets with Sweet Tomato Sauce, Lemon Chicken Pasta, and a vegetable medley Southwestern Saute. See, what did I tell you, my kind of food. Thanks for some great recipes Bizzy.

Ina Garten Mac and Cheese

Making enough for an army, this was baked in my 7 quart. Le Creuset.

Since I’ve been craving macaroni and cheese for about a year now, my selection was easy. Ina Gartin’s recipe for Macaroni and Cheese with Tomatoes. Bizzy tweaked Ina’s recipe switching Gruyere for Monterey Jack. And plain cheddar for the extra sharp. I used Gruyere and sharp cheddar. With milk/flour/butter that creates the sauce, this is a decadent creamy pasta dish. I love the tart and sweet flavor that the topping of tomatoes bring to the overall flavor…and a crunchy topping of buttered bread crumbs that toast while baking makes this is a keeper. Let’s take a look at what I did:

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Ina Garten’s Macaroni and Cheese with Tomatoes
Author: 
Recipe type: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
 

Ingredients
  • Kosher salt
  • Vegetable oil
  • 1 pound elbow macaroni or cavatappi
  • 1 quart milk
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • 12 ounces Gruyere, grated (4 cups)
  • 8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (2 cups)
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¾ pound fresh tomatoes (4 small)
  • 1½ cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)

Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.
  3. Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don’t boil it. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large (4-quart) pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Pour into a 3-quart baking dish.
  4. Slice the tomatoes and arrange on top. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.
  5. Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/mac-and-cheese-recipe2/index.html?oc=linkback

Ina Garten’s Macaroni and Cheese with Tomatoes…It’s What’s for Dinners.

To See All The Recipes In The May SRC Click Below

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Tyler Florence’s Crock Pot Roast Beef Tacos

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Crockpot Beef Tacos

I work in the Real Estate Industry as a Sales Executive for Heritage Title. What’s a title Insurance company? We do a lot of important things to insure against fraud, but we’re most famous for our end result where we gather Realtors, Lenders, Buyers and Sellers around a closing table and make everyone sign documents until their hands cramp and then we hand over the keys to the American dream, a new home. It’s either feast or famine in our business, and let me tell you it’s a feeding frenzy feast right now. Buyers are standing in line to preview homes, multiple offers are flying into seller’s hands which results in bidding wars with sellers getting $20 to $30 thousand over the listing price. What does all this boil down to? It’s a great time to sell a home and with interest rates still so low, it’s also a good time to buy. And all of us in the industry are running so fast to keep up that we’re out of breath. That’s a good thing.

This crock pot roast beef taco recipe was a life saver this week. Easy and with plenty of leftovers for a couple of quick dinners. Simple with seasoning and big on flavor, the meat went into the crock pot before I went to work and I arrived home to an aromatic party that filled every nook and cranny of our house.

I used a tri-tip roast, and as with any slow cooked meat, it was fall apart, melt in your mouth wonderful. This recipe caught my eye because we’re fans of ancho chili powder. And simply adding cumin, cayenne and bay leaves, I knew the flavors would be to our liking. Served with shredded cabbage, guacamole, or sliced avocado and your favorite salsa and you’ve got a great treat. The recipe calls for frying and shaping your own tacos but I just heated up soft white corn tacos. Give this one a try.

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Tyler Florence Crock Pot Roast Beef Tacos
Author: 
 

Ingredients
  • 2 pounds beef shoulder
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, (recommended: San Marzano)
  • 1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
  • 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 3 bay leaves
  • Vegetable oil, for deep frying
  • 6 fresh medium corn tortillas
  • Kosher salt
  • 3 cups finely shredded white cabbage

Instructions
  1. Season all sides of the beef with a fair amount of salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, or other heavy pot that has a tight cover, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over moderately high heat. Add the garlic and the beef to the pot, browning the meat on all sides, taking the time to get a nice crust on the outside. Add the onion and allow to lightly brown, about 3 to 4 minutes.
  2. Add the crushed tomatoes, plus 1 tomato can of water, spices, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and add enough water to cover the meat. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer with a lid for 3 hours until the meat is fork tender. Let meat cool in the liquid. Shred meat and set aside.
  3. Heat a large pot of oil over medium heat. When oil reaches 350 degrees F, fry the corn tortillas 1 at a time. Place the tortilla in the oil and wait about 30 seconds. Then use the handle of a wooden spoon to press down into the center of the tortilla and fold it in the middle. Hold down for a few seconds waiting for the tortilla to form into taco shell and then drain on paper towels. Season with salt.
  4. Or heat soft corn tortillas by wrapping them in a clean dish towel that’s been dampened with water. Place in gallon size plastic storage bag. Don’t seal the bag. Place them in the microwave and cook for two minutes at 50% power. Let them steam in the bag for 4 minutes before removing.

Tyler Florence’s Crock Pot Roast Beef Tacos … It’s What’s for Dinner.

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Steak and Egg Sandwich, Dunkin’ Donuts Copycat

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Breakfast SandwichRise and shine. How about a steak and egg sandwich? This is a ground steak burger patty on top of a toasted English muffin, with some cheese melted on top, then topped with an over easy fried egg and a couple good shakes of hot sauce. It’s accompanied by some potato wedges that have been salt and peppered, oiled, sprinkled with smoked paprika and roasted.

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Marie Rose Sauce with Battered Cod

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Fry Sauce

About once a month, I’ll innocently be driving down the street and my car will mysteriously pull itself into a McDonalds and I suddenly find myself eating a Filet-O-Fish Sandwich. I don’t get fries, so the guilt level is minimal.

marie rose sauce with seafood

I’ve been wanting to make my own Filet-O-Fish at home so picked up a package of Safeway frozen cod filets, only to open them up to find two inch thick odd shaped chunks of fish. Most certainly would’t work for a sandwich. So I pulled out my Marie Rose Sauce with Battered Cod recipe and simply served it over some greens that were tossed with lemon juice and olive oil.

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Albondigas de Camerones, Mexican Shrimp Soup

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Shrimp Meatball Soup

Even though we’re having beautiful Spring temperatures today and I’m getting ready to uncover the grill for the first time this season, it was just this past Tuesday that Denver saw a frigid storm blow through and leave an icy beginning to a six inch blanket of snow that covered everything in sight. Folks…it was cold. On April 23rd I was wearing my full length black wool coat with a heavy scarf around my neck and we found ourselves slurping this wonderful and warming Mexican shrimp soup.

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Rosemary Garlic Pasta with Chickpeas and a Winner

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Rosemary Garlic Pasta

Rosemary and garlic flavored pasta was a great canvas to add fresh rosemary, red pepper flakes, and who doesn’t mind adding fresh garlic to some already present garlic flavor. Stir in some chickpeas for texture and top with some grated Parmesan cheese, it was a hearty and flavor packed dinner.

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