As my waistline continues to grow and little miss Burton takes up more room on the inside I am finding dinner to be more of a light meal or snack.  So, I have been working on healthy alternatives to grabbing a milkshake or small bowl of ice cream.  Chicken Caesar Salad is my latest creation and I know it's not really new, but it is my version and everyone loved it so much it's been requested to return and often for dinner.  I agree, it is yummy and took all of about 15 minutes to prepare.

Chicken Caesar Salad

Ingredients

For Salad:
1 rotisserie chicken sliced
2 bags romaine lettuce
1 day old baguette diced
2 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbs Italian Seasoning
1/4 C Parmesan grated
1/2 lb. prosciutto cubed

For Dressing:
1 lemon zested and juiced
1/2 clove of garlic minced
1/4 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbs. Greek yogurt
1 anchovy fillet

Directions

Put all of the ingredients for dressing:  lemon zest, juice garlic, oil, mustard, yogurt and anchovy into the food processor and give it a good blitz.  If it's not creamy enough for your liking add a little more yogurt.  For a more traditional Caesar dressing replace the yogurt with an egg yolk.  Pregnant gals should avoid raw foods so yogurt works best in this case.  Place dressing in the bottom of a large salad bowl.
If your chicken isn't hot plop in it a frying pan and heat through.  Remove chicken from pan and add prosciutto cubes and cook until just crispy, remove from pan.  Toss the baguette cubes with olive oil and Italian seasoning.  Place cubes in frying pan and cook over med heat until crispy.  Empty bags of lettuce into a large salad bowl.  Top lettuce with chicken, prosciutto and homemade croutons.  Lastly, add Parmesan cheese and right before serving give it all a good toss to distribute the dressing.

Serves 6-8

Tweet Pin It

Last night dinner seemed like one more thing we had to do at the end of a rather busy day.  We had all snacked after school to have energy to proceed with gymnastics and lacrosse, but now the thought of dinner was daunting.  Logan, announced he was going to shower, but sandwiches would be ok.  River and Isa agreed and Chad was still at work but I knew he would be happy just to have something to eat by the time he made it home.  This could be no ordinary sandwich though.  River yielded a loaf of ciabatta, "Let's use this! I love this bread!"  I agreed and from there I knew where this loaf of bread would take us.  The picnic sandwich.  This is a great sandwich for tailgating, picnics, hikes, you name it.  Any kind of long loaf of crusty bread will do, just make sure it will hold up to the sauce that comes from the tomatoes.  We used what cheese and cured meats we had in the refrigerator and devoured the whole thing.  I even had to stash away Chad's portion or I think River would have eaten it as well.  We were all sated, dinner was a success and we did it together.

Picnic Sandwich

Ingredients

2 very ripe tomatoes, diced
1 shallot minced 
Fresh basil leaves (chiffonade)
Red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 ciabatta, baguette, or crusty loaf 
1 clove garlic, halved
Extra-virgin olive oil
Sliced cured meats: proscuitto, cappacola, spanish chorizo, sopressata, speck
Sliced cheese:  provolone, mozzarella

Directions

Mix the tomatoes, shallot and basil chiffonade in a bowl. Season with vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.  This is to your taste but a little goes a long way so taste as you go.  Set aside to marinate for 5 minutes.
Cut the ciabatta in half lengthwise and rub the insides with the garlic halves
Top on half with the tomato mixture. Spoon any remaining juice over the other half of the bread and the rest over the tomato mixture. Layer on you meats and lastly cheese. Place the top of the bread back on and press down. Wrap in parchment and then plastic wrap until serving. The longer it sits, the more the flavors will soak into the bread.

Tweet Pin It

Tweet

I feel as if I have discovered gold in my backyard.  After reading a few raving reviews for Saffron Cafe, I decided to invite a few friends to a 'gals night out' and see if there was any truth to the accolades.  We made reservations (definitely recommended) for a Friday night and made the short drive into downtown Indianapolis.
 

I had forgotten about this post and it was sitting in my drafts.  It was bitter cold this day, but we had a blast!


River knows you go faster when you lay down



Mike, River and Logan take a run together



Our Winterwonderland in Zionsville



Logan and River built an awesome fort



Isabella loves to snowboard

It's Christmas break so I set up a sledding and lunch party with my girlfriends and their kids.  We all went to Mulberry Park for some righteous sledding, snowboarding and even skiing (Thanks to Tanner's ambitious yet short runs down the hill!).  I guess it is as good as it gets here in Zionsvillle, yet even without the mountains we all love and miss, we couldn't have had a better time.  By the time our fingertips and noses were frosty, cheeks and lips chapped from the wind and legs worn our from the many hikes back up the hill, we were ready for a cozy seat by the fire.  We all headed back to our home for creamy Tomato Bisque and a grilled cheese buffet.  We had various cheeses and sliced breads and everyone got to pick their own combination.  The girls brought loads of cookies to enjoy at the end of our meal while the kids watched Home Alone (a classic that gets played at least 3 or 4 times during this season in our home).  I've added the bisque recipe below and I especially like it with sriracha sauce added for a little kick.  As for the grilled cheese buffet pick three cheese you enjoy.  We used Havarti, White Cheddar, Pepperjack and Provolone.  I bought breads from Panera; an asaigo baguette, whole grain Italian loaf and a crusty white loaf.  Smear the outer sides of your sandwich with butter, sear on a grill pan or skillet and eat while hot. 

Tomato Bisque 

Ingredients

1/4 C finely diced onions
1/4 C finely diced celery
1 C oil (or you can substitute 1/2 of the C bacon drippings, 1/2 C olive oil)
1 C all-purpose flour
2 16 oz. cans whole peeled Italian tomatoes
1 Tbs chicken bouillon powder
2 C hot water
1 qt. heavy cream
pinch of red pepper flakes

When the tissues are piling up on the nightstand, the bedroom is imbued with the heavy scent of eucalyptus and peppermint, the shades are drawn and you've became a mouth breather due to severe congestion, nothing and I mean there is nothing to me like a bowl of steaming hot soup.  Hopefully you aren't the one who has to make it for yourself as well.  But, if you do next time you throw together a batch of your most comforting hug in a bowl, make extra and freeze it!  I do it every time I make soup and it works great for lunches, sick days, even a quick snack.  This is my version of mini meatball soup and it goes pretty fast around our home.  In fact, I can't think of a time that River didn't ask for seconds.  Add a chunk of crusty bread and your set.

Mini Meatball Soup by Molly Seal

Ingredients

4 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 32 oz. can of Italian Plum tomatoes (crushed by hand)
6 C beef stock
2 C water
1 14 oz can White Beans (drained)
1 pkg frozen spinach (thawed)
2 carrots peeled and diced
2 stalks celery diced
1 white onion diced
pinch of chili flakes
1 Tbs. Italian Seasoning
1 Lb. ground beef and pork combined
1 garlic clove minced
1/2 C plain breadcrumbs
1 egg beaten
1 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper

Instructions

Combine ground beef and port with minced garlic, breadcrumbs, egg, parsley and season with salt and pepper.  When well mixed, roll into 1" or smaller meatballs depending upon your taste.  In a skillet, pour 2 Tbs. olive oil and brown mini meatballs all over.  Set aside on a paper towel lined tray to drain. 
In a large pot, heat last 2 Tbs. olive oil and add carrots, celery and onion over medium heat, about 5 minutes.  While these are sauteing, squeeze the spinach of extra water.   Once the veg are softened, add the spinach, beans, chili flakes and Italian seasoning to the pot.  Pour the hand crushed tomatoes, beef stock to the pot as well.  When the soup begins to bubble add the mini meatballs and water to cover.  (You may have more mini meatballs than you desire.  If so freeze the extras in a freezer bag for another meal).  Bring to a bubble again cover and turn down to a simmer for about 5 minutes.  Taste for seasoning, add salt and pepper if necessary.  Serves 8-10