Over the course of the summer, I typically receive five or six phone calls from friends inquiring about my well-being. Their voices fraught with concern, they ask, “How are you doing in this heat, Dara? You’re drinking lots of water, right?” After years of watching me practically melt in the summertime heat, they know better than to ask me to go for a walk in the midday sun or sit at the sunny table on a restaurant patio. I mean, really, what is a gal from Canada, used to the temperate climate of Vancouver, doing in a place where the temperatures climb above 100 degrees F? Well, let’s just say that I spend a good portion of the summer either standing over an air-conditioning vent or submerged in a pool.

Considering my dislike for extreme temperatures, I do everything in my power to avoid turning on the oven during the summer. Light, easy meals that don’t require a lot of exertion to make (I really am pathetic, aren’t I?) appear on the table regularly. So, when I saw this chicken spinach salad by CarolinaHeartStrings, I knew it would become a favorite. Who can resist a fresh salad packed with tasty ingredients such as chicken, olives and artichokes, particularly when it is topped with a warm dressing that contains bacon?

Let’s start this recipe off on a very good foot, shall we? Now, the recipe calls for bacon bits, which I took to mean frying up some bacon so there’s enough for the salad and an extra piece for eating. I had to keep my energy up while snapping pictures, you know.

For the rest of the dressing, in a medium frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium- low heat. Add the chopped onion and minced garlic, and cook for 5 to 6 minutes to soften.

Add the brown sugar…

… balsamic vinegar, crumbled bacon and reserved liquid from the can of artichokes. Simmer gently for about 15 minutes. The aroma will make you salivate.

For the rest of the salad, you will need spinach, chopped cooked chicken breast, canned artichoke hearts, black olives and feta cheese. My kids were too busy fighting over the can of black olives, so they didn’t make it into the photo.

Divide the spinach leaves evenly between 4 plates and top with equal portions of the chicken, artichokes, black olives and feta cheese.

Spoon the warm dressing over the salads.

Serve and enjoy, preferably while sitting in a nice shady spot or beside an air-conditioning vent.

 
Thank you to Alessa and Tammi for this easy salad that we will be making again and again throughout the summer. Be sure to check out their blog Carolina Heartstrings for other great recipes and tales of their everyday lives.

Printable Recipe

Chicken Spinach Salad with warm Bacon-Artichoke Dressing

by Carolina HeartStrings on May 9, 2011 in Main Dish Salads, Salads May 9, 2011 Main Dish SaladsSalads

See post on Carolina HeartStrings’s site!

5.00 Mitt(s) 2 Rating(s)

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 4

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I have always loved the spinach salads served in restaurants with a warm bacon dressing. This is my version of what I’d order if I could have it made my way.

Ingredients

• FOR THE DRESSING:
• 4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• ¼ cups Onion, Minced
• 2 whole Large Garlic Cloves, Minced
• 4 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
• 3 Tablespoons Real Bacon Bits
• The Reserved Liquid From The Artichokes
• _____
• FOR THE SALAD:
• 1 bag (12 Oz. Size) Baby Spinach Leaves
• 4 whole Cooked Chicken Breasts, Cubed
• 1 cup Whole Pitted Black Olives
• 4 ounces, fluid Feta Cheese, Crumbled
• 1 jar (14 Oz. Size) Artichokes, Drained, Reserve Liquid For Dressing

Preparation Instructions

1. For the dressing, gently heat the oil and add the onion and garlic. Cook 5–6 minutes.

2. Add the remaining dressing ingredients and cook gently for 15 minutes.

3. Divide spinach between 4 plates and top with equal portions of all toppings (cut artichokes into topping size if neccessary).

4. Spoon warm dressing over salads.

 
 
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Dara Michalski is a doll and a sweetheart who clearly knows her way around the kitchen. She blogs at Cookin’ Canuck, where she shares her flavor-packed recipes and fun, engaging writing. The photography’s pretty incredible, too.

I’m a firm believer that a runny egg goes with everything. Whether it’s a bowl of pasta, atop a piece of toast, or accompanied by a drizzle of Hollandaise sauce, it’s simply perfect. Is there anything more attractive than a runny egg? I think not. 

That’s why when I saw this Baked Eggs in Spicy Tomato Sauce with Goat Cheese from TK member Apricosa (Erica), I couldn’t resist.

Goat cheese? Check. Tomato sauce? Check. And lastly, a runny egg? Triple check. 

Here’s what you’ll need: a can of crushed tomatoes (I’m a personal fan of San Marzano), goat cheese, eggs, diced carrots, diced onions, garlic, a few leaves of basil and some spices.  

Start with heating up some olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan. When it’s hot, add the diced onions…

The carrots…

And lastly, the garlic. Cook for 5-7 minutes, or until the onions are translucent and the carrots are soft. 

Open your can of crushed tomatoes and add them to the onion mixture. 

Add the basil and spices, which include oregano, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper. Since I’m a heat lover, I added a little extra crushed red pepper. Delicious. 

Stir the tomato mixture and let it simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes. The sauce will reduce, the carrots will soften even more and your entire house will smell incredible. All very good things. 

If you have an immersion blender, you can simply blend the tomato sauce in the pan. If you don’t, then transfer the sauce (in batches) to a blender. Warning: blending hot stuff can be a little dangerous (read: explosions anyone?).

Doing it in a few batches and allowing the hot air to escape will prevent it this from happening. 

Grab eight ramekins (I halved this recipe so I did four) and fill them about 3/4 of the way with tomato sauce.

I had no extra sauce! I love it when a recipe’s measurements are exactamundo, don’t you? 

Next add the goat cheese. 

And then add one egg to each of the ramekins. Top with some salt and pepper and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the white part has completely set. 

Top with a few pieces of basil and serve with toast. 

What I also love about this recipe (besides its deliciousness), is how it’s so versatile. This dish would make for a great breakfast, lunch or dinner. Also, did I mention there’s a runny egg involved? 

A big thank you to Erica for sharing this lovely recipe! Check out her blog, Apricosa, for a bunch of equally yumalicious meals.  

Printable Recipe

Baked Eggs in Spicy Tomato Sauce with Goat Cheese and Toast

by Apricosa (Erica) on January 12, 2011 in Breakfast, Eggs January 12, 2011 BreakfastEggs

See post on Apricosa (Erica)’s site!

5.00 Mitt(s) 3 Rating(s)

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 40 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 8

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A perfect make-ahead brunch dish!

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• ½ cups Diced Onion
• ¼ cups Carrot, Diced
• 2 cloves Garlic, Crushed And Chopped
• ⅛ teaspoons (or More) Red Pepper Flakes
• 28 ounces, weight Crushed Tomatoes
• ¼ teaspoons Dried Oregano
• ¼ cups (packed) Fresh Basil Leaves, Torn Into Pieces, Plus More For Garnish
• ½ cups Goat Cheese Crumbled
• 8 whole Eggs At Room Temperature
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 8 slices Toast Bread, Toasted Golden Brown And Cut Into Triangles
• Toast Points, To Serve

Preparation Instructions

To make the sauce, heat olive oil in a small pot over medium-high heat and saute the chopped onion, carrots, and garlic for a few minutes until slightly softened. Add red pepper flakes, crushed tomatoes, oregano, and basil, and stir to combine. Cover and bring just to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the bottom from burning. Remove from heat and let cool slightly, then blend well with an immersion stick blender. (Do ahead: sauce can be made up to a week ahead of time. Reheat before continuing.)

Spoon 1/4 cup of warm sauce into each of 8 ramekins (use leftover sauce for another use), then dot each ramekin with about 2 teaspoons crumbled goat cheese. (Do ahead: ramekins can be prepared with sauce and cheese the day before, then covered and refrigerated overnight. Heat in the preheating oven until ramekins and sauce are warm, not hot, and continue with the recipe.)

Crack an egg into each ramekin, sprinkle with salt, and bake in a preheated oven at 425F for 15-20 minutes, until whites have set but yolk is still soft.

Garnish with fresh basil chiffonade, if desired, and serve immediately with toast points for dipping into the yolk and sauce.

 
 
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Adrianna and Caroline are the lovely ladies behind the scrumptious blog A Cozy Kitchen. It’s filled with all kinds of mouthwatering recipes and gorgeous photography. Whether you’re in the mood for something vegetarian or meaty, fancy or pure comfort, light or decadent, there’s sure to be something there for everyone.

 
During my restaurant days, I used to make marshmallows from time to time. It was a rather complicated affair, with complicated ingredients like “inverted sugar.” I was delighted to see several recipes for marshmallows here on Tasty Kitchen that were much simpler. This one is by TK member Calamity Anne, and is originally for plain homemade marshmallows. I decided to add my own twist to it just like the olden days and make them flavored. Can you guess which flavor?

The ingredients that you need are sugar, light corn syrup, salt, vanilla, a mixture of cornstarch and powdered sugar, gelatin mixed with … water or your flavoring liquid—in this case, carrot juice!

You can really use any sized dish with sides. It just serves as a mold out of which you will cut your marshmallows. You’ll need to coat the dish with a bit of oil.

Then add a few tablespoons of the powdered sugar and cornstarch mixture.

Shake the mixture around the pan until it is well coated. You can leave the excess mixture in the bottom of the dish.

Next, let the gelatin and carrot juice mixture dissolve in a saucepan.

To that, add your granulated sugar.

Give it a stir and let it dissolve completely, then turn off the heat.

Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl that will fit to an electric mixer with a whisk attachment. You’ll need to scrape the liquid out of the saucepan since it’s very sticky.

To the bowl, add the corn syrup.

And the salt.

And the vanilla.

Whisk away for a while, and watch the mixture completely transform itself!

In about 15 minutes, it will be light and fluffy like, well, marshmallow fluff.

With a spatula, coax it out of the bowl. This is a sticky situation as well.

Spoon it into your coated baking dish…

And smooth it out with a spatula.

Now let it sit for about 2 hours so that it sets.

Once it is set, wet a knife and loosen the outsides of the marshmallow from the sides of dish.

Then you can cut them into any shape you please, wetting your knife every so often to make smooth cuts.

I went for the square look, but you could even use a cookie cutter if you’re feeling adventurous.

Toss each cube into the rest of your cornstarch and sugar mixture.

Pull them out one by one and give them a shake to remove any excess powder.

Set them on a wire rack, set over paper towels. This will help the outer skin dry out.

Then cover the whole affair with a paper towel and let them sit for up to 24 hours. If you’re feeling impatient you could skip this part, but it will help them store well and prevent them from sticking together.

Give these a try sometime! They’re a fun treat for a party or holiday. And think about the flavoring possibilities—they are endless! I’ve also tried lime juice and grapefruit juice, among others. Thanks to Calamity Anne for this great recipe! (Also check out this other marshmallow recipe from katydid.)

Visit Calamity Anne’s blog for her own step-by-step instructions and photos for these homemade marshmallows.

 
 
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There’s so much to say about Georgia, we don’t know where to start. Leaving Wall Street for the French Culinary Institute, followed by a stint at the Gramercy Tavern and La Chassagnette in France, her passion for food and food traditions are evident and inspiring. Visit her site at Georgia Pellegrini, where you’ll find more recipes, photos, learn all about her wonderful book Food Heroes, and enjoy her latest adventures.

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