Sparkling Scarlet

Posted on by

Sparkling Scarlet

  • Servings: makes 1 drink
  • Print
1/2 ounce scarlet tea simple syrup, chilled (recipe below)

4 ounces prosecco, chilled

squeeze of lemon juice

1 ounce club soda, chilled

fresh mint leaves, for garnish

lemon wedges, for garnish

  1. In a serving glass add the simple syrup, prosecco and lemon juice. Gently stir. Top with club soda and served with fresh mint and a lemon wedge.

for the scarlet tea simple syrup

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

5 tablespoons scarlet loose leaf tea

  1. In a small sauce pan combine the water and sugar. Cook over low heat for 15 minutes and until the sugar is dissolved. Stir occasionally.
  2. Bring the mixture to a light summer and remove from the stove top. Add the loose leaf tea and steep for five minutes. Strain the leaves from the simple syrup mixture and bring to room temperature. Store in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Advertisements

Greek Shrimp Salad

Posted on by

I love a good Greek salad, don’t you?

One of my favorite memories when traveling in Greece YEARS ago (we’re talking pre-kid travels here) is consuming as many Greek salads as possible. Fresh cucumbers, summer-ripe tomatoes, melt in your mouth olives and creamy feta.There’s something missing, right? The leafy green. It was at that point I realized a true Greek salad contains no leafy green.

This love of Greek salad, coupled with a favorite memory makes me wonder: why don’t I ever make a Greek salad at home? It is a simple combination, healthy and de-licious.
Stateside we are used to the addition of the leafy green and a protein. It is a much more filling creation and can be served for more than just a side dish.Creating a stateside Greek salad at home is easy.

Pop over to Market Street and fill your cart with fresh, organic produce, cheese and condiments. Once home combine those beautiful cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, feta and romaine with extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar and the quintessential Greek herb, oregano.

You could stop there and be perfectly content, however, if you’re like me when shopping at Market Street, item after item calls your name and ends up in the basket ready to be taken home.That’s how I ended up with shrimp (they were on sale that day and the fish monger insisted I get some for my salad!) and a beautiful new bowl from the dish department. It was serendipitous because a leafy Greek salad topped with fresh shrimp in a brand new bowl kinda makes my day better.

I will say, creating a Greek Salad in the winter can be a bit…dicey. You see, one of the key features to a Greek salad is tomatoes. In winter, getting a summer sweet tomato is difficult.Have no fear, I have a bit of help for that: the oven.

Tomatoes, when roasted, yield a delicious concentrated tomato flavor which is perfect to add to this Greek Shrimp Salad. Plus, all those leftover tomato juices that are extracted from the roasting process are used in a tomato vinaigrette to top the salad.

Enjoying this salad should be on your winter must-do list. Then, once summer hits and every single tomato at Market Street is calling your name (as they always do) make this salad again (without roasting the tomatoes) and think of a summer holiday on the Greek Islands.

Greek Shrimp Salad

1/3 cup plus 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 1/2 pounds tomatoes, cut into eighths

1 red onion, quartered

1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined

zest of 1 lemon

3 tablespoons lemon juice

3 teaspoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons mint, chopped

1 head romaine lettuce, chopped

1/2 red onion, slice

1 to 2 English cucumbers, peeled, seeded and sliced

feta cheese (crumbled or cubed), to taste

pitted kalamata olives, to taste

  1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Place the shrimp, 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon oregano, lemon zest and 2 tablespoons olive oil into a bowl. Stir well. Set aside.
  3. Place the tomatoes and 1 onion into a bowl. Toss with 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon oregano. Pour the mixture onto a rimmed baking sheet. Place into the oven and roast for 35-40 minutes. To achieve a char on the vegetables, broil the mixture for the last 3-5 minutes of roasting.
  4. Remove the vegetable mixture from the oven. Carefully pour the juices into a small bowl. Add 1/3 cup olive oil to the pan juices. Stir to combine and let cool for 10 minutes. Place the shrimp in one layer onto the sheet pan. Place back into the oven and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the shrimp is pink and cooked through. Remove the sheet pan from the oven and let the shrimp cool for 10 minutes.
  5. Meanwhile In a small bowl combine the lemon juice, vinegar, mint and a pinch of salt. In a steady stream add the pan juices to the mixture, whisking continually.
  6. Place the lettuce, sliced red onions, cucumbers, cheese and olives into a large serving bowl. Toss the salad with the vinaigrette (to taste) and shrimp. Serve immediately or chilled.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of Market Street. All opinions are my own.

Chocolate Chip Dessert Shooters

Posted on by

Chocolate Chip Dessert Shooters

Author note: These dessert shooters can be made up to 2 hours before service. Feel free to use store bought caramel sauce and whipped cream

3 cups angel food cake, crust removed and diced into 1 inch cubes

chocolate pudding, chilled

chocolate chip cookies, crumbled

caramel sauce, see recipe below

whipped cream, click here for recipe

  1. In shot glasses, or preferred serving vessel add a bottom layer of angel food cake.
  2. Top the angel food cake with a few spoonfuls of chocolate pudding. Cover the pudding with crumbled chocolate chip cookies.
  3. Finish the dessert shooter with caramel sauce, whipped cream and crumbled cookies. Serve immediately.

for the caramel sauce

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 1/2 cups sugar

6 tablespoons water

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

3/4 cup cream

1 teaspoon kosher salt

  1. Add 3/4 cup of sugar, cream of tartar and water into a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat for six minutes, or until the sugar is dissolved.
  2. Add the remaining 3/4 cups of sugar to the sauce pan and increase the heat to high. Stir well. Bring to a boil and continue to cook for an additional 7-8 minutes, or until the sugar is a golden amber color. Stir occasionally.
  3. Remove from the heat and add the butter, stirring constantly. Slowly add the cream in about 4-5 batches. Stirring constantly.
  4. Add the salt and stir to incorporate.
  5. Let cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
  6. Store up to 3-4 weeks.

Apple Honey Roasted Chicken

Posted on by

Apple Honey Roasted Chicken

1 3- to 5-pound whole chicken

2 tablespoons kosher salt

freshly cracked black pepper (to your taste)

3-4 rosemary sprigs

5 sprigs thyme

1 bundle sage leaves

2 bay leaves

2 cinnamon sticks

2 apples, quartered

2 garlic cloves, halved

1 onion, quartered

3 unsalted butter, room temperature

2-3 tablespoons honey

kitchen thermometer

  1. Thirty minutes to 1 hour before roasting, remove the chicken from the fridge and begin to bring it to room temperature. Placing a cold chicken into a hot oven will increase the cooking time as well as affect the quality of the end product.
  2. Meanwhile, set the oven to 425 degrees.
  3. In a small bowl, combine the salt and pepper. Mix well.
  4. Remove the insides of the chicken, pat the chicken dry. Place in a cast-iron skillet, Dutch oven or small roasting pan.
  5. Pour about 1/2 the salt and pepper combination inside the chicken cavity. Then place a handful of herbs in the cavity, add the cinnamon stick followed by a few apple, garlic and onion pieces. Don’t worry if all the aromatics do not fit inside the chicken, they are not intended to. Truss (tie up) the chicken legs.
  6. Scatter the remaining apples, onions, garlic, cinnamon stick, and herbs around the chicken.
  7. Rub the butter over the chicken and massage it into the skin. Evenly sprinkle the remaining salt and pepper mixture over the chicken (There may be some left over and that is OK. each chicken is sized differently and may not require as much salt and pepper.) Then evenly drizzle the honey over the chicken.
  8. Cook the chicken for 50-65 minutes. After 50 minutes, place the kitchen thermometer between the chicken leg and breast. If the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees, the chicken is done. If not, place the chicken back in the oven and cook for an additional 5 to 15 minutes depending on its temperature. If the bird begins to darken quickly, loosely cover with foil to prevent burning.
  9. When the chicken is done remove from the oven, cover the chicken tightly with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes.
  10. Break the chicken down and then serve with the pan juices. If you plan on using for later, break the chicken down, place in a glass container and cover with the pan juices. The chicken will keep for about 5 days.

Instant Pot Rosemary Chicken White Bean Soup

Posted on by

Instant Pot Rosemary Chicken White Bean Soup

Author note: If you forgot to soak the beans, no problem. Increase the pressure cook time to 35 minutes. This soup is freezer friendly.

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1/2 cup carrots, peeled and diced

1/2 cup shallots (or onion), diced

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 pound great northern beans, soaked overnight and drained

4 rosemary sprigs

1 cup water

8 cups low sodium chicken stock

1 bay leaf, torn into four pieces

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar

2 cups cooked chicken, chopped

  1. Tie two pairs of rosemary sprigs with kitchen twine. Set aside.
  2. Add the oil, garlic, shallots, carrots, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1 pair of rosemary sprigs into the Instant Pot. Using the sauté feature, cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. Remove the garlic cloves.
  4. Add the beans to the Instant Pot. Stir to coat with the rosemary infused oil.
  5. Add the water, chicken stock, bay leaf and red pepper flakes to the beans. Stir well to combine.
  6. Secure the lid on the Instant Pot and using the soup feature, cook the bean soup for 7 minutes.
  7. Turn off the Instant Pot and let the pressure release naturally for 20 minutes.
  8. After 20 minutes release any remaining pressure. Once the pressure is released, remove the lid. Stir in the red wine vinegar and chicken.
  9. Wait five minutes and serve warm with crusty bread.

 

Shirley Temples

Posted on by

Shirley Temples

  • Servings: makes 1 drink
  • Print
Author note: This recipe has two versions of this beloved drink: non-boozy and boozy.

for the Shirley Temple

ginger ale

grenadine

maraschino cherry

whipped cream, optional

  1. In a serving glass pour the ginger ale over ice. Add a few splashes of grenadine, to taste. Top with whipped cream and cherry.

for the Adult Shirley Temple

Author note: One of the great things about a Shirley Temple is the grenadine. If you would like a sweeter cocktail make the ratio 1:1 (example 1 1/2 ounce vodka to 1 1/2 ounce grenadine). The recipe below is a less sweet version.

1 1/2 ounce vodka

1 tablespoon grenadine (or more to taste)

club soda, chilled

maraschino cherry

  1. Place the ice into a cocktail shaker. Pour the vodka and grenadine over ice. Shake until cold.
  2. Strain into a glass, top with club soda and cherry. Stir and serve immediately.

Endive and Butter Lettuce Green Apple Salad

Posted on by

Endive and Butter Lettuce Green Apple Salad

1 head endive leaves, core removed and leaves rough chopped

1 head butter lettuce, core removed and leaves rough chopped

10 green onions, white ends removed and green parts cut into thin strips

2 green apples, diced

roasted pistachios, chopped

Orange Herbed Vinaigrette, see recipe below

  1. In a large serving bowl place the green onions, green apples and roasted pistachios. Mix well.
  2. Add the endive and butter lettuce to the bowl. Place in the fridge. Toss with Orange Herbed Vinaigrette (to taste) before service. Top with pistachios.

for the orange basil shallot vinaigrette

1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, chopped

2 shallots, rough chopped

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

3 tablespoons sherry vinegar

zest of 1 orange

6 tablespoons fresh orange juice

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  1. Place all ingredients into a medium container that has a lid (ball jars worked great!). Shake until incorporated. Store in the fridge and serve chilled.

%d bloggers like this: