Spinach Salad

I did my first run of this salad...and it went well. I got the recipe from a very good friend of mine who got it from her mother in law. It's a refreshing summery salad. Quite healthy indeed. Thank you for the recipe!!!

It's a spinach salad with pears, strawberries, and candied walnuts (see previous post) .

Spinach Salad

ingredients:
bagged baby spinach (several bags - depends on how much you want to make)
sliced ripe red strawberries
sliced ripe pear (the yellowish/green kind - sorry I forgot the variety)
candied walnuts (refer to previous post)
**You could also buy this already made
Kraft Creamy Poppyseed dressing
**variation - I bought crumbled Gorgonzola cheese for those who wanted it in their salad . This is not part of the original recipe.


preparation:
Toss the ingredients.
Add pears just before serving (so they don't turn brown)
You could also add the nuts last so they remain crunchy.

Everyone liked the salad. It was practically gone. My only error - not buying bagged baby spinach. Instead, I bought the big-ass bag from Costco not realizing how big an "stemmy" the pieces were. So I de-stemmed some of the leaves. Yikes!

Candied Walnuts

These are great as a snack or in the spinach salad recipe (the post after this one). I just doubled the reicpe from the website.

Candied Walnuts
(courtesy of www.epicurious.com )

ingredients:
non stick vegetable spray (Reynolds Release nonstick foil)
2 cups walnuts
2 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
generous pinch of cayenne pepper (although I skipped this ingredient - it seemed too 'wierd' to put in)


preparation:
preheat oven to 325
Spray baking sheet with nonstick spray (Or use Reynolds Release nonstick foil - this worked really well - also a virtually mess free cleanup)
combine walnuts and all remaining ingredients in medium bowl; toss to coat
Spread nut mixture on prepared baking sheet (some nuts may clump together)
Bake until nuts are deep golden and sugar mixture is bubbling, stirring occasionally to break up clumps, about 15 minutes
Cool completely on baking sheet
(can be made 3 days ahead. Store in airtight container)

Makes 2 cups
Bon Appetit
December 2000

My mom's Bibingka

Bibingka - a Filipino dessert made out of sweet rice flour. Many different variations. This one's my mom's. Thanks mom!

Bibinkga

ingredients:
1 box Mochiko sweet rice flour
3 cups of fresh milk
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 stick of melted margarine (or butter) *add this last

preparation:
Mix everything in a bowl
pour into buttered 13x9 glass baking dish
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour
test for doneness by poking with toothpick (done when toothpick comes out clean)

cut into diamond shapes. save the nice crusy edges for yourself!
tastes better the next day...

Coming soon...the recipe for Bibingka Royale (royale with cheese...)

Beef Ribs Nillaga

Made this last night...Oh my God, it's so good! In Filipino cooking, nillaga is basically boiled meat with vegetables...


Beef Ribs Nillaga

ingredients:
3-4 lbs of beef ribs (I used the short rib/flanken style cut)
1 medium onion, sliced thinly
several pieces of ginger (it's up to you)
water
4 carrots (peeled and cut into large chunks)
2 potatoes (peeled and cut into large chunks)
1 or 2 bunches of red swiss chard (chopped into big pieces, stems too)
black peppercorns
2 packets of guava soup base (can be found at Filipino food stores)

• Place ribs in deep stockpot and cover with enough water to cover the ribs and then some.
• Boil the ribs and skim any scum that floats to the surface.
• Once the soup is clear, add the onions and ginger and a small teaspoon of black peppercorns.
• Simmer for 1 - 1/2 hours until meat is soft and tender.
• Add the 2 packets of guava soup base.
• Add the carrots and potatoes. Boil until soft - about 10 minutes.
• Add the swiss chard. Turn off the heat.
• Serve hot with white rice.

OPTIONAL --- This suggestion is from my mom:
She does not add the vegetables until the next day. Here's why...she likes to get rid of the fat.

You separate the meat from the soup.
Keep the soup separate in another container and refrigerate overnight.
Scrape off any fat that rose to the surface the next day. She hates fat, but fat tastes good!
Do not add the vegetables until the next day. After fat is scraped from soup, you can reheat the soup and then boil the vegetables with the meat.

But if you're like me, you pretty much eat it the same day!

BAKED BRIE WITH PEPPER JELLY

I don't remember where I got this recipe but I've made it several times. The pepper jelly is a nice offset to the creamy brie and the bacon adds a nice saltiness.


1 15-oz round Brie
1/4 cup pepper jelly
4 green onions, thinly sliced
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut top rind from Brie. Set in casserole dish. Spread top with pepper jelly and srinkle green onions and bacon over top.

2. Bake uncovered until hot and bubbly, about 10 minutes. Serve with baguette slices or wheat crackers.

BAKED CRAB DIP

This is a super easy recipe that I've benn making for years. My girlfried from my undergrad days gave me this recipe. It's from a church cookbook. It's quite spicy but creamy and yummy.

16 ounces sour cream
16 ounces cream cheese
8 ounces green chile salsa, it's made with green chilies but is red
6 green onions, chopped
1/4 pound crab meat, shredded or chopped
1 shepherd's loaf
1 baguette


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix ingredients together and set aside. Cut top off of bread and hollow out, being careful not to break the inner bread to much. Pour crab mixture into loaf and set loaf on a baking sheet. Replace bread top and bake for 1 hour. Meanwhile, cut baguette and hollowed out bread into chunks. When dip is ready, serve on a platter surrounded by bread cubes.