World Best Salad

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Total Time: 15 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins

Servings: 4
8 cups loose leaf lettuce (try a variety of lettuce including heirloom lettuce if possible)
2 medium tomatoes, sliced (heirloom tomatoes if available)
1/2 cup walnuts
1 cup blue cheese, crumbled
1 orange, peeled, seeded and sectioned (blood orange or valencia would be great!)
2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup raspberry vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar (decreased from 1/2 cup)
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon dried mediterranean oregano (or 1 teaspoon fresh if you have it)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 in a jar with a tight fitting lid combine olive oil, vinegar, sugar, dijon mustard, oregano and pepper. shake well.
2 tear the lettuce and place on individual salad plates.
3 add the tomato pieces, walnuts, and blue cheese.
4 garnish with orange sections and egg quarters; drizzle with raspberry vinaigrette. finish with a sprinkle of fresh cracked black pepper.

Total Time: 15 mins Preparation Time: 5 mins Cook Time: 10 mins

1 heat/light up your barbeque and allow the flames to die down.
2 season the beef with pepper, but no salt - salt draws out the juices and toughens the meat! (you can add salt if you need it at the end.).
3 with damp hands - shape the minced beef into two patties/burgers.
4 cook the burgers to your liking - remember to place your blue cheese on top of the burgers to melt just before serving; then toast the burger buns or french bread.
5 assemble your burger like so: bottom bun: lettuce, tomatoes, bearnaise sauce and burger with melted blue cheese. spread the dijon mustard on the top bun, then place the onions and cornichons on top of the burger, with an extra dollop of bearnaise sauce if you wish - then add the top bun.
6 if making these for a crowd - have all the condiments and salad ingredients handy and on a platter - and people can help themselves, as soon as the burgers are cooked.
7 you could fry your onion - but i like the taste of raw red onion in these burgers!

Total Time: 20 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 10 mins

1 1. to make dressing rub a large salad bowl with the cut side of the garlic. combine the mustard vinegar, wine, salt and pepper in a bowl. wisk in the oil, 1 t. at a time, to form a thick vinaigrette.
2 2. cut the cheeses in half crossways uning a sharp knife.
3 3. preheat the broiler to hot. arrance the bread slices on a baking sheet and toast on one side. turn overand place a poece of cheese cut side up on each slice. drizzle with oil and btoil until the cheese is lightly browned on top.
4 4. place the greens and the dressing in the salad bowl and toss to coat the greens thoroughly. kivide the salad among four plates, top each with a goat cheese crouton and serve, garnished with chives.

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

1 cook the macaroni according to the package directions and drain.
2 preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3 spray a large (2 quart) casserole with nonstick cooking spray.
4 in a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the macaroni with the butter, beaten egg, and 1 3/4 cups of cheese. stir it thoroughly.
5 place the macaroni mixture in the microwave oven on high for about 2 minutes to melt the cheese more thoroughly. mix it well.
6 add the milk, salt, mustard and tomatoes to the macaroni and toss.
7 pour the mixture into the casserole and smooth the top with a spatula.
8 sprinkle it with the remaining cheese and bread crumbs and bake it, uncovered, for 40-45 minutes, or until it is set.
9 (meanwhile, prepare a salad, if you are serving it.)
10 serve it immediately, refrigerate it for up to 24 hours, or freeze it for up to 3 months.

Total Time: 9 hrs 15 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 9 hrs

Servings: 8
7 lbs beef brisket
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon onion salt
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup granulated sugar or 1/2 cup splenda sugar substitute
1 cup barbecue sauce
1 cup broth, from cooked brisket (i usually use whatever broth there is, even if it is more than a cup)
1 cup wishbone russian salad dressing (not creamy)

1 mix seasonings and worcestershire sauce together and rub into meat.
2 wrap tightly in heavy-duty aluminum foil.
3 (i use a reynolds large foil bag) place in baking pan.
4 cook 7 to 8 hours at 275 degrees f.
5 remove from oven, and remove from foil.
6 reserve broth for sauce.
7 trim fat, slice and put brisket back in pan.
8 mix together ingredients for sauce.
9 pour over brisket slices and bake 300 degrees f.
10 for 1 hour.
11 i usually roast meat the day before, refrigerate then fat very easy to remove from broth and brisket.

Total Time: 2 hrs 15 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs

1 in a large bowl, toss together the salad veggies.
2 in a separate bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients until the sugar is dissolved and pour over the veggies.
3 refrigerate for several hours (if you think of it, stir a couple of times during this time). i think it tastes best after being refrigerated several days.

Total Time: 45 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

1 1. poach or microwave the salmon filets until tender. flake with fork.
2 2. trim and discard tough ends of asparagus and cut into 1" pieces. blanch about 2-3 minutes until just barely tender.
3 3. blanch potatoes and peas for a minute or so until just tender. potatoes should lose their starch but still have a little crunch to them.
4 4. add all ingredients together except asparagus, salmon and pasta and toss and allow to marinate until pasta is cooked.
5 5. boil pasta till al dente according to package directions. drain and toss with dressing and vegetables. gently fold in salmon and asparagus just before serving. serve at room temperature. (leftovers are good cold too.).