recipes Archives - Strange Daze Indeed

Pear and Gorgonzola Holiday Salad – #LitehouseHolidazzle

December 5, 2015 By Debra Pearlstein 74 Comments

For me, the holiday season is all about good cheer: family gathered around the fireplace, people helping one another out, finding a gift that is personal and touches the heart. I enjoy the traditions as well as creating new ones with those I love.

We have a lot of parties that we are invited to and enjoy having people over as well. I love making this holiday salad as it is bright and cheerful as well as having a sophisticated and delightful blend of flavors.

One of the secrets to this delicious salad is how easy it is to make. I used three wonderful products from Litehouse Foods which made it so simple and yet so elegant. Litehouse provides quality, fresh products, with NO artificial preservatives, NO MSG’s, and award-winning taste. Yes, I am a fan!

First of all, I was inspired by Litehouse’s Pear Gorgonzola salad dressing. It tastes very fresh and has one of my favorite combos which perfectly complement one another.

Gorgonzola is a unique robust aromatic cheese produced in Northern Italy. In fact, it was first produced in the Italian town Gorgonzola in 879 AD.

If you happen to enjoy gorgonzola, you will love Litehouse’s Artisan Gorgonzola Cheese crumbles which come in a useful resealable bag. I add it to just about everything and even eat it by itself. So delicious and the best gorgonzola I’ve had.

I buy Litehouse herbs often, and the mint is so lovely to have on hand. It adds a delightful pop of subtle flavor.

To make this salad you will need:

5 oz Butter Lettuce (buy this fresh or packaged)

2 pears – (you can use what is in season) – I chose to use Bartlett and Forelle, which are two of my favorites for the taste and the colors. The sweet flavors of Forelle and Bartlett are both enhanced when matched with tart foods like the gorgonzola.

1/4 cup Litehouse Simply Artisan Reserve Gorgonzola cheese crumbles

1/4 cup walnut halves

1/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries

Litehouse Foods Pear Gorgonzola Dressing to taste

A pinch of Litehouse Foods Dried Mint

Add your lettuce to a large bowl, then add your pears cut into thin slices, next add your cranberries and walnuts, sprinkle with the gorgonzola crumbles. Add Litehouse Pear Gorgonzola dressing to taste and top it off with a hint of mint.

This is delicious served with homemade olive bread or any fresh and crusty bread or baguette.

The tangy tart and sweet flavors of the pears, gorgonzola and cranberries combined with the crunch of the walnuts are divine and the bright festive colors will have you feeling merry in no time at all! Happy Holidays!

Litehouse Foods help ramp up your creativity, and, right now, they are offering you a coupon to save you $1 on any of their delicious products.

I also wanted to share their amazing holiday contest with you!

Share your favorite holiday creations you use to dazzle your guests for your chance to win 1 of 3 $1,000 grocery cards and a year’s supply of Litehouse Dressing which you can use to make your family an epic holiday feast!

And, since ’tis the season, let’s have a giveaway right here for the same three Litehouse products that I received!

1 Litehouse Foods Artisan Gorgonzola Cheese crumbles

1 Bottle of Litehouse Pear Gorgonzola Dressing

and 1 bottle of Litehouse Foods dried Mint

Entry -Form

Open to US residents, ends 12/16

This review and giveaway was made possible by iConnect Influencer Management and Litehouse Foods. I was compensated for my participation in this campaign, but all opinions are 100% mine.

BBQ Chicken Burritos with #KCMasterpiece

June 1, 2014 By Debra Pearlstein 56 Comments

The weather has been getting warm; the flowers are in bloom; and, for me, this brings to mind one thing: BBQ!

I love that hickory-smoked tangy delicious tantalizing flavor on anything within reason.

I came up with this recipe on a day when I wanted to make a quick meal for the family that was both healthy and delicious.

This recipe uses only five ingredients, takes about 20 minutes and has just the right tang to spice up your day.

I buy 10″ tortillas and heat them in an ungreased skillet on med-high for about 10-15 seconds per side.

You can either roast your chicken beforehand or go the quick route and buy a rotisserie chicken.

burritocooking

Grab your black beans, cooked corn and KC Masterpiece Original. They go in a pan with the shredded roast chicken.

In summer, we have wonderful fresh corn in New England so I like to use fresh cooked whenever I have it since it’s so easy to just skim off the cob with a knife.

My recipe for 4 follows. Hope you enjoy it!

BBQ Chicken Burritos with #KCMasterpiece

Ingredients

1 roasted chicken - about 4 cups shredded
1/2 cup KC Masterpiece Original Barbecue Sauce
1/2 cup frozen corn that you've steamed or fresh cooked corn niblets skimmed off the cob
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed
4 10" tortillas

Instructions

Take your chicken and shred it. I don't like to shred it too small. Place in a bowl.
Place your skillet on medium - medium high and add the chicken, barbecue sauce, corn, and black beans. Stir well as you cook for about 5 minutes.
Warm your tortillas and place them on a plate. Spoon 1/4 of the mixture into each and roll up.
Serve whole or cut in half.
Garnish as desired.

https://www.strangedazeindeed.com/2014/06/bbq-chicken-tortillas-with-kcmasterpiece.html

For garnishes I use whatever I have handy. I like to add a dollop of sour cream. You can use reduced-fat or Greek yogurt if you like! I like to garnish with fresh lime wedges avocado and cilantro. I also add salsa and guacamole if I have them!

Don’t get too stressed out though! Summer is for good times not sweating over a hot stove!

This recipe is so easy because it features KC Masterpiece which is my all-time favorite. For me, it has just the right balance of heartiness, flavor and spice and takes a simple dish from ordinary to extraordinary.

Disclosure: This post is in partnership with DataRank and #KCMasterpiece; however, the recipe and opinions are expressly my own.

Labor Day and a wonderful recipe for Peach Pie

May 11, 2014 By Debra Pearlstein 41 Comments

Have you seen Labor Day yet?

If you have, or even if you haven’t, you may have heard that a peach pie has a major role in this film!

Last weekend, I invited a good friend over to have coffee and my own Peach Pie and watch the movie on DVD.Though my pie did not turn out as perfect as the one in Labor Day, we had a great time! My friend loved the movie, especially the chemistry between the two main characters and the romance.

I found Labor Day to be a movie that illustrates how life can change in just a second. Each one of us has to decide for ourselves what chances to take, and oftentimes following your gut and your heart will take you places you never imagined or dreamed possible. Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin are excellent in this drama that is about life and love, and about coming of age for Henry, brilliantly played by Gattlin Griffith.

Each of the main characters in the movie undergoes a transformation. When it opens, Adele (Winslet) has been paralyzed with grief and depression over events in her life. Frank (Brolin), the stranger who enters Adele and Henry’s lives unexpectedly as he jumps out a hospital window to escape from prison has been leading an empty existence and Henry is struggling to understand adolescence and having to become an adult way too early.

I don’t want to spoil it for you as it’s now on DVD and you can check it out! I found it fascinating how just five days can change a life forever and a peach pie can be so much more than just dessert.

Speaking of peach pie, one of my favorite scenes is the “peach pie baking scene”. It’s a very sensual scene somewhat reminiscent of the pottery scene in Ghost, yet it has its own special “flavor”.

The recipe for the pie comes from author (of the book, Labor Day) Joyce Maynard’s mom, and Maynard taught Brolin and Winslet how to make that very same pie for Labor Day. The above photo shows Maynard (in the red sweater) sharing her recipe with Kate and Josh and the dialogue in the scene comes from her own special tips. To become confident for the scene, Brolin’s character, Frank, baked a pie every day on the set so it would be authentic. And it is!

For those who want to learn how to make the peach pie Josh Brolin made in Labor Day, the recipe follows:

Labor Day Peach Pie

Ingredients

3 pounds peaches
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Crisco vegetable shortening
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon chilled butter, cut into pieces
1/3 to 1/2 cup ice water
2 tablespoons Minute tapioca (plus 2 additional tbsp to stir into peaches)
1 beaten egg
1 tablespoon sugar

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine the peaches, sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon. Stir in 2 tbsp Minute Tapioca to help absorb juices. Let stand, stirring occasionally.
Preheat the oven to 400°. In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, work in the shortening and 1 stick of butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the ice water over the flour mixture, stirring gently with a fork. Continue adding the water just until the dough holds together. Shape the dough into a ball and divide it into two discs, one slightly larger than the other.
Place the smaller disc on a sheet of waxed paper, and use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll the dough into a 12-inch circle. If the dough sticks to the rolling pin, dust it lightly with more flour. Lay a 9- to 10-inch pie pan face down on top of the circle; flip the pan over and remove the paper. For the crust, on a sheet of waxed paper, roll out the other disc to form a 14-inch circle. Do not roll the dough more than necessary.
Sprinkle the tapioca on the bottom crust. Add the filling, mounding it in the center, and dot with 1 tablespoon butter. Lift the waxed paper with the remaining crust and flip it over the filling. Peel back waxed paper. Trim the edges of the crusts and pinch together the top and bottom crusts. Optional: Roll out the trimmings and cut into decorative shapes. Brush the pie with the egg, and arrange the shapes on the crust. Sprinkle with sugar. Poke fork holes or cut vents in the top crust. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.

https://www.strangedazeindeed.com/2014/05/oflabordayandpeachpie.html

Enjoy!