Waldorf Salad

This salad gets its name from its origination at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in NYC and was first published in 1896.  Waldorf Salad is such an easy appetizer to make and take.  My parents make it nearly every year as a side dish for our family's Thanksgiving gathering, but it's perfect for any time of year!

Waldorf Salad
Ingredients:
4 Red Delicious Apples, cubed
1 1/2 cups celery, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
Lemon juice
Mayo

Directions:
Cube the apples. Toss them in lemon juice to keep them fresh. Mix all of the ingredients together without mayo. Then add mayo to your taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Easy Lasagna - from Caroline W.

Riding a horse with Caroline at
Thanksgiving in the late '80s

My cousin, Caroline, sent me this amazing lasagna recipe last year as I was putting together our family cookbook.  Kent loves lasagna, so I'd been looking for a good homemade lasagna recipe (this one's great because you don't have to precook the noodles).  This recipe has so much flavor and makes enough to feed us for a week! 

Easy Lasagna - from Caroline
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 lb Italian sausage
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup water
1 lg egg
1 (12 oz) container cottage cheese
1 1/2 tsp pepper
8 lasagna noodles, uncooked
1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
2 cups (8 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Brown beef and sausage, drain.  Stir in spaghetti sauce and water.  Combine egg, cottage cheese, and pepper. Spread 1/2 cup meat sauce in bottom of a 13x9 dish. Top with half each of uncooked noodles, cottage cheese mixture, spinach, meat sauce and mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers.  Cook at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake uncovered for 10 minutes.

Smoked Salmon and Veggie Cream Cheese Bagels - from Sally

Sally sent me this recipe from Food Network (Ina Garten) because it reminded her of one of our favorite dishes at Bottletree Bakery in Oxford.  She suggests adding slices of tomatoes, cucumbers, or red onions for some extra flavor and crunch.  At Bottletree, their bagels are also served with capers for extra saltiness.  I will definitely be eating one of these bagels very soon!

Smoked Salmon and Vegetable Cream Cheese Bagels
Ingredients:
2 sesame bagels (toast if desired)
Vegetable Cream Cheese, recipe follows
4 slices smoked salmon

Directions:
Slice the bagels in half horizontally and spread 1 tablespoon of the vegetable cream cheese over the bottom half of each bagel. Arrange 2 slices of smoked salmon over the cream cheese and place the remaining bagel halves on top. Cut the bagels in half crosswise and serve.

Vegetable Cream Cheese:
16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tablespoons minced scallions, white and green parts
2 tablespoons finely chopped carrot
2 tablespoons finely chopped celery
2 tablespoons finely chopped radish (2 radishes)
2 to 3 pinches kosher salt
1 pinch finely ground black pepper

Place the cream cheese, scallions, carrot, celery, radish, salt, and pepper in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed until blended.

Shrimp and Avocado Salad on Endive Leaves

This is another recipe from my church's Christmas Countdown event.  This was my favorite dish from the event, and I'm excited about trying it soon.  I think this recipe would be perfect for Spring and Summer gatherings.  It has such good flavor - the sesame seeds and scallions give it an Asian feel, so it would be perfect with sushi! 

Shrimp and Avocado Salad on Endive Leaves
(from Martha Stewart Living)  makes 24
Ingredients:
20 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 3 limes)
2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions (plus more for garnish)
1 jalapeno chile, stem, ribs and seeds removed, finely chopped (2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 firm, ripe Hass avocado, pitted and peeled
2 to 3 small Belgian endives
Black sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add shrimp, and cook until opaque, about 1 minute. Let cool, cut
into 1/4 inch pieces.

Transfer shrimp to a medium bowl. Add lime juice, chopped scallions, jalapeno, and salt. Stir to combine. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.  Just before serving, cut avocado into 1/4 inch cubes, and fold into shrimp mixture. Separate endive leaves, and arrange 24 on a platter. Spoon about 1 teaspoon shrimp salad on each leaf. Garnish with sliced scallions and sesame seeds, if desired.

Chocolate Eclair Cake

This dessert is one of Kent's favorite recipes that his grandmother made while he was growing up.  His sister made it around Christmas and added peanut butter.  We found a copy of the recipe recently while looking through one of her cookbooks, and Kent thought we definitely needed to share it!

Chocolate Eclair Cake
Ingredients:
1 box plain graham crackers
2 boxes vanilla instant pudding
3 1/2 cups milk
1 (12 oz) container of cool whip

Glaze ingredients:
2 squares semi-sweet chocolate
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons milk
1 cup confectioners sugar

Directions:
Butter at 13x9 inch pyrex dish.  Mix the pudding with the milk as if you were making the pudding, then add the cool whip.  Let stand for just a minute to get firm.  Line the bottom of the dish with a layer of graham crackers.Then add 1/2 of the pudding mixture on top of this.  Put another layer of graham crackers, then the rest of the pudding.  End with a layer of graham crackers.

Glaze directions:
Melt chocolate squares and butter.  Stir in confectioners sugar until smooth, then add milk.  Pour this on top of graham crackers  This is best if done two days before it is to be served.

Beef Tenderloin with Shallot Sauce

My in-laws made this wonderful Southern Living dish for Christmas dinner.  It was a big hit with the whole family!  This would make a great meal anytime you're entertaining for a large crowd - it serves 16!

Beef Tenderloin with Shallot Sauce
Ingredients:
1 pound shallots, peeled and halved lengthwise
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 (8-pound) beef tenderloin, trimmed (see note)
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cups beef broth
1 cup dry Marsala wine
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Garnish: fresh thyme

Directions:
Toss shallots and 2 tablespoons oil in a bowl; stir in 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.  Set aside. 

Stir together 1 tablespoon salt and next 4 ingredients.  Rub tenderloin with 1/4 cup olive oil; sprinkle seasonings over top and sides of tenderloin, pressing gently with fingers.  Place tenderloin in a large lightly greased roasting pan; arrange shallots around tenderloin. 

Bake, uncovered, at 500 degrees for 25 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake 15 to 20 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of tenderloin registers 145 degrees (medium-rare) or 160 degrees (medium). 

Meanwhile, stir together beef broth and Marsala in a large skillet.  Bring to a boil; boil 8 minutes or until liquid is reduced to 2 cups. 

Remove tenderloin to a serving platter, and cover with aluminum foil; reserve shallots and drippings in pan.  Add broth reduction to pan, and place over medium heat on cook top, stirring to loosen particle from bottom of pan. 

Whisk together flour and water until smooth; stir into sauce in roasting pan.  Cook over medium heat 3 minutes, or until sauce is slightly thickened, stirring constantly.  Add butter, stirring just until melted.  Stir in 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  Thinly slice tenderloin and serve with sauce.  Garnish if desired.

Note:  Find beef tenderloin sealed in plastic in the meat section of your super market.  Once you trim the tenderloin, you should yield about 6 pounds of meat.  To save time, ask your butcher to trim it for you.

Wine Wednesday - E. Guigal Cotes du Rhone

I first became interested in Cotes du Rhone (a type of wine produced in France) when I was studying in Provence.  We spent a day at a vineyard near Arles, which is just on the tip of the area that is allowed to make Cotes du Rhone, studying production of the wine.  I bought several bottles that I packed very carefully to bring home!  Cotes do Rhone can be red, rose, or white - though most I've found for sale in the US have been red.

A few days ago, Kent and I tried the 2007 E. Guigal red Cotes du Rhone that we'd had in our cabinet for a while.  In doing research on this wine, I found that it was given 90 points by Robert Parker on his 100 point scale (for more information on the Parker wine rating system, click here).  I really liked this wine because it wasn't too overpowering.  The websites I looked through describe it as having smells "of jammy black raspberry, cherry, cassis, pepper and floral notes".  It is said to be the best wine ever produced by this maker.  It can be purchased on-line and at some Whole Foods locations for $12-15.