Homemade Soft Pretzels
If you decide to make these AH-mazing homemade soft pretzels, make sure someone else is home to help you eat them. I had to wait FIVE excruciating hours for Casey to get home and I SWEAR I almost locked myself out of the house TWICE so I wouldn't eat more. When Casey finally arrived, I had a pretzel filled dinner waiting for him. For an appetizer, he started off with a plain pretzel dipped in hot mustard. His entree was a cheesy jalapeno pretzel with a few dashes of Tapatio. For dessert, he devoured a crispy cinnamon sugar pretzel. That's right. Three courses of doughy goodness for my husband. That's how we roll.
You should make these pretzels this weekend if you can! The active time is a snap and the inactive/proofing time can be spent cleaning up your kitchen or doing crunches while watching trashy TV. The bottom line: these pretzels are LEGIT and people will be impressed! I kinda feel like opening up my own soft pretzel stand outside our house featuring Honey Rosemary Lemonade. Wouldn't that be awesome? I'm totally dreaming.
p.s.- Cross off another item from my 31 comes before 32 list. #15. Make my own soft pretzels!
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Giardiniera
What the heck is Giardiniera? It's a spicy Italian pickled vegetable mixture that's mostly eaten as an antipasto. Sometimes it's included in salads and it's occasionally shoved into a delicious Italian sub. In my case, it's a healthy snack eaten directly out of the jar!
Ever since I had this simple salad at one of our favorite pizza places, I've been somewhat addicted to the taste of crunchy pickled carrots, tangy bites of cauliflower and red peppers with spicy slices of Serrano peppers. It's definitely a party in your mouth! When I wasn't able to find a reasonably priced jar of Giardiniera in my local grocery store, I figured I'd make my own. Turns out it's a cinch to make and the second you open the lid, one whiff will you transport you to that kitschy Italian restaurant from your childhood. Pickling your own vegetables is super fun! I highly recommend it.
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Creamed Summer Corn
Just when I thought fresh summer corn on the cob couldn't get any better, I made this Creamed Summer Corn! It's light, buttery, creamy and has something so absolutely wonderful in it- LIME. Casey swore there had to be some magical spice in the creamed corn. He sat at the dinner table devouring bite after bite, trying to figure it out. There's a bit of cayenne in the mix, but that's it! The lime is really what turns this creamed corn into something absolutely unreal. You'll see.
I made this recipe with 9 ears of corn for the 6 of us, and paired it with a few slabs of ribs while we were on vacation in Tahoe. Guess what? There was no creamed corn left. Good sign? Most def!
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French Fries
FACT: French fries are my kryptonite. The second I see fries piled on a plate, my knees go weak. My hand immediately reaches out for some, and my brain flashes MUST. INHALE. NOW. I black out...and then I find myself next to an empty plate with salty/greasy fingers. I'm always down for french fries.
Knowing how to make your own french fries is like having a loaded gun in the house. It's dangerous. REALLY REALLY dangerous. You end up "taste testing" a whole bunch and by the time you sit down to eat a "few," you get a second wind and eat the REST! If you allow yourself to make some, you'll see what I mean. I made these fries a few weeks ago with grilled cheeseburgers and they were crispy, golden, and dee-lish! We opted for lettuce wraps on our cheeseburgers...only to justify eating more french fries.
Oh BTW! We can cross off #17 Make french fries from scratch- from my 31 comes before 32 list.
Crispy Fried Chicken
I think it's incredibly important to challenge yourself in the kitchen, and making fried chicken is a GREAT way to do so. If it means you'll make your fried chicken-loving friend/spouse/partner/child happy, then it's totally worth it. If it means you might not be able to button up your skinny jeans at the end on the night, then WHY ARE YOU WEARING SKINNY JEANS while eating fried chicken?? Seriously! You should know better. Think-elastic waist pants with a non-clingy dress on top. It's summer.
Let's get back to challenges! This one was a challenge. Not because the process was complicated (it's really not!), but because I am always terrified to fry things in bubbling hot oil. I've been burned by oil countless times, due to my general kitchen klutziness and impulse to do MULTIPLE things in the kitchen while frying. Don't be me. Pay attention when you fry stuff. Put blinders on and focus. Why? Because delicious Crispy Fried Chicken is worth the attention. Also it's amazing with a drizzle of honey on top. Just saying...
Iceberg Wedges with Gorgonzola Dressing
I LOVE an iceberg wedge salad, don't you? I'm easily seduced when I see a nice wedge on a restaurant menu. I can't help myself. They're novel, they're fun and they usually have a creamy dressing & something bacon-y to boot. Seriously, what's not to like? I made fried chicken this past weekend (we'll get to that, next post!) and needed something cool, crisp, and refreshing to serve with it. This iceberg wedge salad extravaganza proved to be a match made in heaven with my OH-SO crispy FRIED CHICKEN.
Because I aimed to add crispy cooked bacon to this salad (WHY NOT?!), I bought low fat buttermilk & fat free Greek yogurt for the dressing. The lower fat options didn't make a speck of difference in the overall taste. Isn't it good to plan ahead? The creamy/sharpness of the Gorgonzola dressing was phenomenal with the sweet/juicy plum tomatoes I sprinkled around the edge of each plate. I didn't feel an ounce of guilt after eating 2 servings in one night. I HAVE to make this again when I get around to making "killer hot wings" for my husband this summer. It's on my list, after all.
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Charred Corn Salad
You seriously need to make this. Why? Because it has the potential of being your GO-TO SUMMER SALAD of 2011. The kind of salad you make so often, you don't have to refer to the recipe anymore. The salad at the party that everyone asks about! The salad that you amaze people with when you top it on grilled pizza! The one that makes you love summer and everything that it stands for....sweltering heat included!
See where I'm going with this?
Why is it delicious? Well, the charred white corn is sweet, smoky & crunchy. The lime and jalapeno dressing make it spicy/zesty! The orange peppers give extra color /crunch and the creamy avocados well...they're the reason why I couldn't stop eating this salad. Get out your grocery list and put this on there.
Cabbage Apple Slaw with Maple Pecans
First bite: WHOA! That's TANGY.
Second bite: Hey! That's a glazed Maple Pecan! It's sweet, crunchy & it really balances out that tangy apple.
Third bite: FOR THE LOVE OF CRUNCH!
Fourth bite: I like you Cabbage Apple Slaw, really I do.
If you're looking for a good kick in the pants, tangy, crunchy slaw. This one's for you!
