Our Fabulous Bites

Homemade Teriyaki Sauce 1 teaspoon sesame seeds (you can toast them if you like) 1 teaspoon cornstarch 1/2 cup soy sauce 2 tablespoons mirin or rice vinegar 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger 1 teaspoon sesame oil Makes 3/4 cup In small mixing bowl, mix the cornstarch with 2 teaspoons of warm water.  Set aside. In small pan, combine the soy sauce, mirin, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and 1/3 cup water.  Place over medium-high heat and stir occasionally until the sauce comes to a low boil.  Reduce the heat to medium and add the dissolved cornstarch.  Continue stirring until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat and add the sesame oil and the sesame seeds. Store in refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month.

I am pretty sure I'm the only one looking at this blog anymore, and that is okay.  I still like using it to record recipes I find and want to repeat. Jeff chose this for dinner one night, and I was a bit afraid of the dressing, but I wanted to set a good example for my kids so I tried it.  Turns out, I liked it.  Everyone liked it, though my son wished we had left out the chickpeas.  So I gave him my chicken, and he gave me his legumes, and we were both happy.  Jeff and I thought the cheese was a waste.  We didn't really taste it, so why include it?  The dressing is similar to Thousand Island Dressing, but we thought this tasted better than what we have had from the store.  ( I don't normally care for thousand island dressing on salad, but I liked this salad) Serves 4-6 servings, takes about 45 minutes to prepare. New York Chopped Salad Salad Ingredients 1 pound bone-in skin-on chicken breast 1 tablespoon olive oil kosher salt ground...

We recently had a group dinner with friends and we were to bring this dressing.  My friend sent me her recipe but she let me know there are several versions of this.  I don't know about all the versions but we thought this was yummy.  I'm told it is similar to a Cafe Rio dressing. Ingredients 1 packet of buttermilk ranch dressing 1 cup mayo 1 cup buttermilk 1 bunch of cilantro (cut off the stems at the bottom of bunch but don't worry about getting all the leaves off the stems) 2 tomatillos, husked 1 jalapeno, seeded garlic powder, just a few shakes juice from 1 lime Instructions Blend all ingredients in a blender until creamy and smooth.  Let chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.

This is a favorite recipe of mine, but since I'm the only one in the house who likes it and it makes a HUMONGOUS amount, I rarely get a chance to make it. So, I was excited when Mom asked me to bring a salad to the family dinner last week, knowing just what I would make!! Spring Salad by Sheri Blacker For sugared almonds: melt butter in skillet, add sugar, then almonds. Stir until sugar is dissolved and almonds are coated and toasted. For whatever reason, I have yet to have these turn out like Sheri's. Mine are always like almond brittle, so I just break it up into little pieces after it has cooled. Mom suggested I try making it with no butter, but heat the almonds and sugar over low heat until carmelized, adding a tad bit of water if needed, so I will try that next time. ¼ cup sliced almonds 3 Tbls butter 1/3 cup sugar For salad combine: 1 head red or green leaf lettuce, torn 3-4 cups spring mix 4 cups baby spinach 1 bunch red or purple grapes, cut in half...

Oh yes. This dressing is scrumpdidliumptious. It has a similar taste to the tomatillo dressing that everyone loves; Cafe Rio copycat dressing. But it doesn't have mayonnaise, so it's a healthier, my friends :) Plus it's got a bit of a guacamole taste, which I could eat all day long. You could also make it thicker and use it as a sandwich spread! Zesty Avocado Cilantro Dressing 3/4 c milk  1 small jalapeno, seeds removed, unless you want it extra spicy. 1/4 c fresh cilantro 1 medium haas avocado 1 clove garlic 2 tbsp chopped scallion juice of 1 lime 1/8 tsp cumin 1/4 tsp ground pepper 1/2 tsp kosher salt Place all the ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. For a thinner dressing, just add more milk, or less if you'd like it as a dip or spread. Bon Appetite!

1 16 oz jar of La Victoria green salsa (or any green salsa with tomatillo as main ingredient) 1 pkg buttermilk ranch dressing (dry) 1/2 cup sour cream 1/2 cup low fat mayonnaise 1/2 cup buttermilk (or regular milk) 1 cup fresh cilantro 2 cloves pressed garlic 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 1/2 tsp salt 2 T fresh lime juice 1/2 tsp cumin 1/2 cup sugar few drops tabasco sauce (optional) Blend all together in blender until smooth and creamy. According to Jeremy this is the best dressing in the world. You can use this lots of ways, use your sweet pork to make a salad and use this for the dressing, I used this instead of sour cream in my sweet pork burrito. So delicious, and a tad bit spicy!

For someone like me who just loves loves loves Ranch and not a big fan of vinaigrette's this was a blessing for me! I have been searching for a vinaigrette that I could handle and love so I can finally be eating healthier salads. I have a mustard Vinaigrette from France that Monique taught me, but I would like more than one option. So I finally found it! RED WINE Vinaigrette, it is delicious!! Red Wine Vinaigrette 5 Tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar 1 Tbsp. Fresh Lemon Juice 1 1/2 Tsp. Dried Oregano 6 Tbsp. Olive Oil (I also like to add some Dijon Mustard every once in a while) Bon Appetite!