Kalamata olive Aioli Dip (Nordstrom Cafe)

Ingredients

• Kalamata Olive Aioli Dip:
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted
• 2 tablespoons roasted garlic
• 2 cups mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

• 1
  To make the dip, in a food processor fitted with the metal blade, process the garlic, olives, and roasted garlic and pulse until finely chopped. Add the mayo, and lemon juice, and process until the mixture is well blended and light purple. Transfer to a serving dish, and refrigerate.
• 
  
• Eat with french fries or on a sandwich.
• Source: http://www.tastebook.com/recipes/2549587-Bistro-French-Fries-with-Kalamata-olive-Aioli-Dip 

Balsamic Chicken, Spinach and Tomato Pasta Salad

Balsamic Chicken, Spinach and Tomato Pasta Salad

Serves 8

Prep: 15 min

Cook Time: 15 min

Ingredients:

1 (20-oz) pkg cheese tortellini

1 lb skinned and boned chicken breasts, cooked and diced

1 ½ c Newman’s Own Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

1 tsp Dijon mustard

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

2 cups firmly packed fresh spinach, chopped

¼ c. fresh basil, chopped

1 ½ c fresh cherry tomatoes, halved

½ c. diced yellow bell pepper

Directions:

Place chicken in a zip-lock bag with 1 cup of balsamic vinaigrette.  Marinate for at least 2 hours, but best if marinated overnight.  Take chicken out of bag and discard marinade.

In grill pan, grill chicken, about 5-6 minutes on each side until cooked through. 

Place yellow bell pepper slices in grill pan and grill about 2 minutes on each side.

Whisk together balsamic vinaigrette and yellow mustard in a bowl.

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drizzle with olive oil and let cool for 10 minutes.

Toss together pasta, chicken, balsamic mixture, spinach, and remaining 3 ingredients in large bowl.  Serve immediately, or, if desired, cover and chill 1 hr before serving.

Homemade Samoa Girl Scout Cookies

Jax made these April 2014.  A little different from Mom's cookies....
source: http://www.justataste.com/2013/02/homemade-samoas-girl-scout-cookies-recipe/

Yield: 4 dozen (2-inch) cookies || Prep time: 2 hours (includes chilling)  || Cook time: 15 min.

Ingredients:

For the cookies:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the coconut topping:
3 cups shredded sweetened coconut
15 ounces store-bought or homemade soft caramels
3 Tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 ounces dark chocolate (See Kelly's Notes)

Directions:

Make the cookies:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In three increments, add the flour mixture to the creamed butter, mixing between each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the milk and vanilla extract, blending until combined and the dough begins to come together in large pieces.

Use your hands to divide the dough in half, pressing it together to compact it into two disks. Wrap the disks securely in plastic wrap and refrigerate them until firm, about 1 hour.

Once the dough has chilled, roll each disk out onto a lightly floured surface until it is 1/8-inch thick. Cut out as many cookies as possible with a doughnut-shaped cookie cutter. (See Kelly's Notes for cookie cutter alternatives.) Place the cut-out cookies on a Silpat or parchment paper-lined baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the baking sheet half-way through, until the cookies are pale golden brown. Transfer the cookies to a wire wrack to cool completely.

Make the coconut topping:

Spread the coconut flakes onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake the coconut for about 10 minutes in a 350ºF oven until toasted, stirring frequently to ensure even browning and so that it does not burn. (See Kelly's Notes.) Remove the toasted coconut from the oven and set it aside.

Melt the caramels, milk and salt in a double-boiler by placing the caramels in a medium saucepot set over a large saucepot of simmering water. Cook, stirring, until the caramels are fully melted. Remove the saucepot from the heat and combine 3/4 of the caramel with the toasted coconut in a large bowl.

Carefully spread the remaining 1/4 cup of caramel atop the cooled cookies then press on a portion of the coconut mixture. Let the cookies cool for 30 minutes. If the caramel-coconut mixture thickens too much at any point while pressing it onto the cookies, return it to the double-boiler and warm it until it's spreadable again.

Melt the dark chocolate in a double-boiler or in the microwave. Dip the bottoms of the cookies in the chocolate and place them on a wax paper-lined baking sheet. Use a fork to drizzle the tops with chocolate. Let the cookies sit until the chocolate hardens fully.

Kelly's Notes:

If you don't have a doughnut-shaped cookie cutter, you can use two cookies cutters (such as a circular 2-inch and a circular 1-inch) to form the ring shape. Alternately, you can use the caps to any dry spices to serve as cookie cutters.

If the dough is too firm to roll out after being refrigerated, let it rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before rolling and cutting out the cookies.

The shortbread should be very pale golden in color. When in doubt, underbake it!

If using dark chocolate chips, 8 ounces is equal to about 1 1/3 cups chocolate chips.

Coconut burns very quickly, so keep an eye on it and stir often!

Spreading the cookies with the reserved 1/4 cup of caramel gives the coconut mixture a stickier base to adhere to.

Cheese Enchiladas

White Bean and Kale Soup

Yield: 6 to 8 servings || Time: 1½ to 3 hours, partially unattended

1 pound dried white beans (such as cannellini, Great Northern, or navy), rinsed and picked over
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and black pepper
6 cups vegetable stock
One 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
One 2-by-1-by-¼-inch Parmesan rind, cut into bite-sized pieces, if desired
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1½ pounds kale
1 tablespoon soy sauce
¼ cup roughly chopped basil leaves
Grated Parmesan cheese for garnish (optional)

1. Put the beans in a large pot and add enough water to cover them by 2 to 3 inches. Cover and bring to a boil, then adjust the heat so the water simmers gently. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender, 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on their size; season with salt. (You can do this step a day or two ahead of time: Cool the beans, transfer them to an airtight container with their cooking liquid, and refrigerate until you’re ready to make the soup.)

2. Put the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are very soft, 12 to 15 minutes. Add the drained beans along with the stock, tomatoes, Parmesan rind, thyme, and bay leaf. Stir, cover, and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the soup simmers steadily, and cook for 15 minutes.

3. Remove the thick stems and ribs from the kale and discard them; roughly chop the leaves. Stir the kale and soy sauce into the soup, cover, and cook until the kale is tender, about 10 minutes. Remove the thyme stems, bay leaf, and Parmesan rind (if desired). Stir in the basil and taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve hot, garnished with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired. (Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to several days.)

Jax notes: Also, I used all dried herbs except garlic because that' s what I had. I didn't use a parmesan rind because I didn't have one. And, I forgot to add the soy sauce initially, then added it later, but it tasted fine with or without.  I also added sausage

Pesto Orecchiette With Chicken Sausage

Pesto Orecchiette With Chicken Sausage

Serves 4

Hands-On Time: 20m

Total Time: 20m

Ingredients

·       3/4  pound  orecchiette

·       1/2  pound  green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

·       1  cup  frozen peas

·       1  tablespoon  olive oil

·       8  ounces  fully cooked Italian-style chicken sausage links, thinly sliced

·       1/3  cup  pesto

·       1/2  cup  grated Parmesan (2 ounces)

Directions

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions, adding the green beans and peas during the last 3 minutes of cooking. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water; drain the pasta and vegetables and return them to the pot.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, 6 to 8 minutes.

3. Add the sausage, pesto, Parmesan, and ½ cup of the reserved cooking water to the pasta and vegetables and toss to combine (add more cooking water as needed to loosen the sauce).

Tip

This recipe is also delicious with uncooked Italian sausage. Remove it from the casing and cook until no longer pink before adding it to the pasta and vegetables.

Nutritional Information

Calories 666; Fat 26g; Sat Fat 7g; Cholesterol 67mg; Sodium 913mg; Protein 32g; Carbohydrate 76g; Sugar 5g; Fiber 9g; Iron 4mg; Calcium 291mg