The other night I threw a small dinner party. As I was putting together the menu, I thought – how about Wedge Salads? I’ve never made them, but love the crunchy, freshness of the lettuce with all the toppings – plus I’m a bit obsessed with blue cheese. If I may say so, this was a huge hit with my guests! You can certainly use a chunky blue cheese dressing from the store but this simple recipe takes less than 5 minutes to make and it’s worth the effort. For the Wedge Salad, I’ll tell you how I top it and you can decide how many you’re making at a time.
Easy Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing
1 c sour cream
1/2 c mayonnaise
3/4 c chunky blue cheese
1/2 t red wine vinegar
1/2 t lemon juice
sea salt & coarse ground cracked black pepper to taste
Place together in a bowl and stir together until mixed. It’s ready to serve and will be even better in 24 hours.
Wedge Salad
Iceberg lettuce – cut into wedges (I can get six wedges from a head of iceberg lettuce – remove the core)
chopped tomatoes
chopped crispy bacon (I sprinkle pepper on my bacon before cooking it)
chopped fresh chives
blue cheese dressing
blue cheese crumbles to top
When I served this the other night, I neglected to take a picture. I placed six wedges on a vibrant green platter and then topped them. It was gorgeous and a showy way to present a Wedge Salad for a dinner party. Tonight, I made up two for Spence and I. Here’s what my wedge looks like.
1 c seasoned bread crumbs (see bonus recipe below)
1-2 T extra virgin olive oil
fresh chopped basil, thymes, chives & parsley
In a large casserole dish, layer the chicken, top with the marinara sauce. Mix the cheeses together, then layer over the sauce. In a small bowl, mix the chopped herbs with the bread crumbs and sprinkle them on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Remove and let it rest for five minutes before serving. I served this over herbed fusilli pasta, with Caprese Salad (recipe in yesterday’s post) and bread from our favorite Italian bakery.
Marinara Sauce (Red Sauce) – from the Extra Virgin Cookbook
28 oz can of Marzano tomatoes
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1/3 red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
red pepper flakes – optional
salt & pepper to taste
2 T fresh basil – torn just before adding to the pot
Pour the tomatoes into a saucepan. Using an immersion blender to smooth the sauce breaking down the tomatoes. For a more rustic sauce, you can crush them by hand or with a wooden spoon.
In a saute pan, heat the olive oil and add the onion. Saute for 6-8 minutes, add the garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes more. If you are adding red pepper flakes, do so now as well as salt and pepper.
Add the onion and garlic mixture to the tomatoes, stir to combine and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 2 T of fresh torn basil.
Homemade Crouton Bread Crumbs
6-8 c stale bread cubed (any combination of breads)
4 T olive oil
4 T melted butter
2 t garlic seasoning
2 t Italian seasoning
1 t dried rosemary – crumbled
Place the bread in a single layer on a sheet pan. Combine the olive oil, butter and seasonings together. Pour over the bread and toss together to coat. Place in the oven at 275 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove and stir the bread. Place back in the oven for at least 15 minutes more or until crunchy. Remove and cool. You could stop here as these are now delicious croutons but if you want scrumptious bread crumbs, place them in a ziploc bag and pulverize them with a meat tenderizer or rolling pin.
I’ve mentioned my maternal grandfather and his talent for cooking in earlier posts, sharing some of his best recipes with my followers. This is one, once discovered, that he made often for us; I haven’t made it in years. Farmer’s Markets are currently brimming with vibrantly fresh zucchini and I’ve been thinking how hungry I am for this easy and satisfying dish. As always, I’ve tweaked the recipe but just a bit…. and it was great!
Italian Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats serves 4-8
3 – 4 zucchini
1 lb italian sausage
1/3 c chopped shallots
1-2 large cloves minced garlic
1/2 chopped green pepper
1/2 c grated parmesan + more for topping
1 c shredded mozzarella
1/2 c plain bread crumbs
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 t fresh thyme (you can use dried)
red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
Start by boiling salted water in a large deep pot. Place the zucchini (whole) in the pot for 15 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool.
In another pan, brown the sausage, onions, garlic and green pepper, drain.
Slice the zucchini in half, scoop out the middles (I used a melon baller), saving them for the stuffing. Turn them face down on a paper towels to dry a bit, then place face up in an oven safe dish.
In a separate bowl, chop the zucchini that was scooped out. To that, add the egg, parmesan, mozzarella, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, thyme and red pepper flakes. Stir just to combine. Add the cooled sausage mixture, stir together. Spoon the sausage filling into the zucchini.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove and top with a few handfuls of parmesan and bake for another 5-10 minutes, until melted. Let them rest for 5 minutes and serve. Bon appetit!
I made these the day before which allowed the flavors to blend even more. I removed them from the refrigerator about an hour before baking and served them with my (famous) bruschetta. Watch for that recipe in future posts…..
I have a confession. I have never successfully prepared ribs….until earlier this week. My failure many years ago left such an indelible memory that I decided it was easier to order them out. Then came the challenge from my Mom.
“You’re such a great cook, how come you never make ribs?”
Well, this week after researching “baby back ribs” and “slow cooker” on Pinterest I decided, “if not now, when?” Challenge accepted!
Spence is out of town visiting his best friend and I needed a dinner partner to honestly critique my creation, a compilation of several recipes. Mom was happy to oblige. It was a simple, set it and forget it preparation and most importantly they were delicious!
Easy Slow-Cooker Baby Back Ribs – serves 2-4
3 lbs baby back ribs
Dry Rub Spice for Pork (I used one from Market Street Saloon in Charleston SC)
1/2 vidalia onion – cut into thick slices
1 can A&W Diet Root Beer (you can use Coca Cola)
BBQ Sauce (I used Open Pit Original)
First remove the silver skin from the backside of the ribs. Thanks to Pinterest, I learned that by slipping a butter knife under it, pulling gently backwards it will come off easily – if it’s too slippery pull it with a kitchen towel. (Omitting this step had lots to do with my epic fail years ago).
Cut the rack of ribs into 3 sections. Generously cover all surfaces of the ribs with the dry rub and massage into the meat. Wrap the ribs and put them back into the refrigerator for 24 hours if you have the time.
I used a Reynolds Slow Cooker Bag which incidentally makes clean up super easy.
Place the sliced onion at the bottom of the slow cooker followed by the can of root beer.
Next place the ribs into the liquid and turn your slow cooker to the low setting. Cover and step away for 3 hours. After 3 hours, turn the ribs reversing the top side with the bottom and cover again. Let them slow cook for another 3 hours.
Set oven at 375 degrees. Remove the ribs from the slow cooker and place onto a foil covered pan. Baste all surfaces of the ribs with BBQ sauce. Place into the oven for 10-15 minutes until the sauce carmelizes. Serve and enjoy!
At Bucuti and Tara Beach Resort, there is a very special, fine dining restaurant called Carte Blanche. Seating only 14 guests per evening, the reservations must be made well in advance and re-confirmed 24 hours prior to dining. We were celebrating my 60th birthday on this trip and I’m such a foodie that when I was able to secure reservations, I did so.
Promptly at 7:00 p.m., the doors open and the guests are ushered in.
Hector puts the finishing touches in place as rose petals added to the romantic ambiance
Just a coincidence, when we sat down at the semi-circle, granite topped dining area, I’d chosen seats where the chef would be prepping and cooking right in front of us. Once we were seated Dennis and Glen, our chef, introduced themselves. Dennis would handle the adult beverages, offering a wine pairing with each of the chef’s special courses to come though diners could have anything they preferred. If you’ve visited this blog before, you may have guessed that we chose the wine pairing. Since we’d all be together for the next few hours they asked that we introduce ourselves, where we were from and if we were celebrating anything special. Not surprisingly, we had anniversaries, newlyweds and birthdays.
While Glen took drink orders, everyone had a glass of Prosecco (my favorite) while we got a chance to talk with other guests, anticipating Glen’s first creation.
The Amuse Bouche was Grouper Ceviche, one of my favorite things in the world. Dennis paired the Ceviche with a Reisling from Germany, Spence’s favorite wine.
Absolutely delicious and such a refreshing start to the evening.
Glen prepared the appetizer next and to my delight it was a Seared Sea Scallop, wrapped in bacon and served over a Dutch-style potato salad with basil, capers, micro-greens, a dollop of creme fraiche, salsa verde and baby spinach. Dennis paired this with a lovely Vin D’Alsace, French Pinot Gris.
Presentation was perfection and the flavors were heavenly.
The next course featured white aspargus, finely chopped hard-boiled egg with ham and a white wine hollandaise with minced parsley and chives served with a Gruner Veltliner Terrassen, an Austrian white wine – perfect!
Too pretty to eat (but I did)
Glen’s next creation was Red Snapper, Shrimp and Fennel with Carrot and Micro Mustard Greens plated over a Lobster Bisque cream sauce; Dennis paired this with Stag’s Leap Chardonnay.
Seriously delicious!
Next up I saw the most succulent lollipop lamb chops that Glen was prepping.
The lamb chops were served with eggplant and basil roasted with tomatoes and spinach and paired with Malbec.
What can I say? Wow!
Around this time, Spence was nodding off a bit and I glanced at my watch – it was 10:30 and Glen was telling us that dessert was either a cheesecake or a chocolate choice, recommending we each try one and share. As delicious as we knew they’d be, we were so stuffed, we opted to skip dessert and that last glass of wine.
All in all, a fabulous evening and a meal I won’t soon forget.
lemon, olive oil, pepper & seasoned salt (I use Melting Pot’s Garlic & Wine Seasoning)
cilantro – optional
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Using a muffin tin, place a wonton wrapper into each cup, pressing in as shown below. Place a cube of cream cheese in each.
Bake for 7-10 minutes until golden brown.
While they are baking, remove the tails from the shrimp, place on a platter. Drizzle with olive oil, seasoned salt and pepper, then squeeze fresh lemon over the top. Place in oven for 4-5 minutes.
Lift each wonton onto a plate. Place a dollop of cocktail sauce over the softened cream cheese, then top with a shrimp or two and a cilantro leaf, if desired. Serve and enjoy!
Mother’s Day gift from Bucuti and Tara Beach Resorts, a beautifully wrapped, scented soap – just lovely!
While in Aruba we celebrated Mother’s Day and after seeing that there was a special menu being offered at Bucuti and Tara Beach Resort’s Elements Restaurant (our favorite in Aruba) we made reservations. It didn’t disappoint!
Mother’s Day Dinner Menu
Choice of:
Smoked Salmon Carpaccio – Norwegian smoked salmon thinly layered over frisée greens with pumpernickel wedges and balsamic emulsion
– or –
Cauliflower Cream Soup – Roasted cauliflower unified with a hint of truffle butter and gently infused with parmesan cheese
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Grilled Mango Sea Bass Fillet – Carefully pan seared and topped with fresh mango salsa
Set on a mirror of Passion Beurre Blanc and served with roasted seasonal vegetables
– or –
Twin Tournedos Argentina Style – USDA choice tenderloin steaks char broiled and accompanied by a savory Chimichurri sauce and seasonal vegetables
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All main courses are served with choice of garlic mashed potatoes or wild rice
Mint Chocolate Crème Brûlée -Flavorful custard with a touch of mint and flamed caramelized sugar
Spence and I both selected the Salmon Carpaccio appetizer.
For our entrees, I chose the Sea Bass and Spence chose the Twin Tournedos – mine with the wild rice and his with the garlic mashed potatoes.
And of course, we saved room for the Mint Chocolate Creme Brulee – did you have any doubt?
A truly scrumptious meal and memorable Mother’s Day!
For this next installment, as promised, I’m going to talk about the daily breakfast included with our stay at Bucuti and Tara Beach Resort. Spence teases me about photographing my food when I travel “Laura’s Eating and Drinking Vacation Diary” as he calls it. But come on, if you’re a foodie it makes sense!
At home, I’m lucky if I can get Spence to have the occasional yogurt for breakfast. He just isn’t a breakfast guy – until we get to Bucuti.
Serving till 11:00, we stroll down around 10:00, are greeted by Martin who seats us (we prefer inside). Then comes the decisions – what to choose?
eggs to order – Nancy or Marjorie (depending on the day) will prepare eggs expertly including omelets – a favorite of Spence’s
Bacon and sausage
Potatoes – different varieties each day
Specialty items that change daily – some of which were eggs benedict, arepas, red beans and rice, empanadas style meat filled little goodies were among my favorites
4 kinds of juice plus fruit or veggie infused water
2 -3 kinds of meat – ham, pastrami, mortadella to name a few and 2-3 kinds of cheeses – always including gouda
smoked salmon or smoked trout with cream cheese, onions and capers
fresh fruit platters – multiple varieties each day including: pineapple, papaya, watermelon, cantelope, honeydew, mango, dragon fruit and passion fruit as well as bananas, apples, kiwi and orange on the other side of the buffet
easily eight types of bread as well as pastries, croissants, bagels, english muffins, banana bread and pound cake with an assortment of jams, spreads and butter
Yogurt and topping of granola, dried fruits
Cereals (3-4 varieties)
I’ve probably forgotten something but I think you get the drift. Amazing. This year I got to try dragon and passion fruit, both of which I’m totally smitten. Succulent, perfectly fresh and delicious, I had to stop short of gorging on these, such a treat. With attentive, friendly service from Nakarid, Ricardo and Lina, it is the best way to start each day when staying at Bucuti and Tara Beach Resort.
Eggs Benedict, Bacon and Papaya
Eggs, Raisin Toast, Dragon and Passion Fruit, Bacon and Pink Grapefruit Juice
Mango, Pineapple, Dragon Fruit, Hardboiled Egg, Cinnamon Roll and Pink Grapefruit Juice
Papaya, Roasted Potatoes, Pineapple, Cinnamon Roll & Eggs Benedict
Arepa, Dragon and Passion Fruit, Papaya and Pink Grapefruit Juice
The splendor of Passion and Dragon Fruits
The inside of a Passion Fruit, I found it easiest to eat with a fork and the seeds and flesh just lift out. The seeds are edible in both Dragon and Passion fruit. Now the challenge, can I find these in Michigan? I hope so!
I recently came across a recipe on Pinterest by The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond. I’ve long admired her rise from blogger to Food Network star. She’s also a busy wife, mother of four, photographer and cookbook author who lives on a massive working ranch in Oklahoma. Her food is hearty, delicious and prepared with love.
7 Can Soup couldn’t be easier. As the owner of an always well-stocked pantry and a lover of soup on a bitter cold winter day, I had to try this recipe. This is my version, slightly modified from the original. Spence and I found it to be absolutely delicious!
7 Can Soup in a Crockpot
serves 14 Weight Watcher Smart Points 7
1 can black beans
1 can corn
1 can pinto beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can Rotel tomatoes with green chiles
1 28 oz can San Marzano tomatoes
1 can chili with no beans
8 oz velveeta white cheese – cubed
1/2 c chopped flat-leaf parsley
garlic seasoning – to taste (I used a generous amount)
1 t salt
1 t pepper
2 T hot sauce (optional)
Drain and rinse the black beans, pour into crockpot. Open the corn, pinto and kidney beans, Rotel tomatoes and pour into the crockpot including liquid from those cans. Add the San Marzano tomatoes after chopping them as well as the liquid from that can. Finally add the chili. Stir gently to blend and turn the crockpot on low for two hours. Add the garlic seasoning, salt, pepper and hot sauce, stir and turn crockpot on high for one hour. Add the parsley and cubed cheese, stir every five minutes until the cheese is full melted throughout the soup and serve.
This recipe lends itself to endless variations, check out the original version on Pinterest and enjoy!
