Chopped Salad

Another delightful recipe from my last cooking class. It's easy, healthy and delicious. She didn't give out exact measurements, but I have given her estimations that she gave in class. You can toy with the ingredients and figure out what works best for you.

Chopped Salad from Chef Nancy

Cucumber, preferably hothouse, peeled and diced (if you use a hothouse or English one, you don't need to peel if you don't mind the skin. but if you have to use a regular one, you should peel the skin)

Tomato, diced

Red onion, minced (about 1/4 cup)

Garlic, minced (about one clove)

Jalapeno, finely minced, seeded if wanted (about 2 Tbs. This ingredient is optional)

Cilantro, chopped (half cup)

Scallions, chopped (half cup)

Olive oil (1/4 cup)

Freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice (3 Tbs)

Cumin powder (teaspoon)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

***Tips--Do not skip the fresh herbs! The ratio of cucumber to tomato is supposed to be roughly 2/3 cukes to 1/3 tomatoes.

Toss all the vegetables together in a large bowl. Use lots of cucumber and tomato and little of everything else. Then dress with oil, lemon juice, cumin, salt and pepper, and toss very well.

Barefoot Contessa's White Pizza With Arugula

The other night, I decided to try my hand at making homemade pizza (much to my son's delight). It took a little bit of time and effort, but it was fun to make them with Nathaniel. The only problem now is that Nathaniel doesn't feel that other pizzas are up to par to eat anymore and it looks like I'll be making more pizzas in the future. This is a Barefoot Contessa recipe from her newest cookbook that I purchased a few weeks back. She uses a garlic oil instead of red sauce and 3 different kinds of cheese for the pizza, then she tops it with arugula with a lemon vinaigrette. It's a perfect pizza!

White Pizza With Arugula

Tonight's Dinner

I went to TJ Maxx today and ended up finding some cute Italian plates, so that I would finally have some color for my pictures on the blog. The first course that I made tonight was one of Jayni's recipes from last night. I love this simple salad and it's a great way to enjoy your tomatoes.

Jayni's Avocado, Tomato and Mozzarella Salad

2 avocados, peeled and pitted, then cut into 1/2 inch dice
12 oz cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered (I used my baby Roma tomatoes and cut them up into smaller chunks)
8 oz small fresh mozzarella balls, sliced in half (use as many as desired)
extra-virgin olive oil
1 large lemon
salt and black pepper, to taste

Divide the avocado, tomatoes and mozzarella among four large salad plates. Arrange as desired. Drizzle olive oil over each salad. Slice the lemon in half and squeeze over the salads, to taste. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

I had a 3 lb chuck roast sitting in my fridge that needed to be eaten. Not having any potatoes in the house, I decided that I needed to figure out something beside just throwing the roast in a crock pot and calling it good. I found a recipe for Italian beef on cooks.com. Italian beef sandwiches are extremely popular in Chicago (where I ate one for the first time a couple of visits before) and I love the fact that this recipe is super easy (perfect for those lazy, cold winter weekends that will be coming up). My boys love spicier food, so next time, I'll be adding some extra heat to the beef. Other than that, they loved it!