Tasty Tuesday -- Homemade Croutons & A Cooktop Challenge

It's only 2 days until Halloween!! Are you excited? Are you ready?

Today on Tasty Tuesday, I am sharing an easy recipe for Homemade Croutons. These are seriously simple and you can adjust the seasonings to whatever you enjoy. I typically make these with old, stale bread. This batch I actually used buns that were in the freezer too long. Once I made them into croutons, you never knew! Love not having to waste food.

Homemade Croutons

Ingredients
1 loaf of bread or package of buns
olive oil
herbs such as italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, pepper

Directions
Cube bread/buns and put into bowl.

Drizzle with olive oil.

Toss to cover bread completely. Sprinkle with seasonings. Spread on rimmed cookie sheet in a single layer. Put into a pre-heated 375 degree oven. Bake 10 minutes, turn/toss, bake 5 minutes longer. Check to see if the cubes are toasted.

Remove when toasted and allow to cool. Store in airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

For a printable recipe, click HERE.

Now...for something fun!! I'm here to let you know about a really cool live cook-off challenge and you could win an awesome prize!

Electrolux and Food52 will pit three influential chefs against each other in a live cook-off challenge hosted by Food52’s. This cook-off will be live on Food52’s website for a half-hour on November 6 at 12 pm CT. Viewers can engage with the chefs by answering questions and joining the chat. How cool would it be to learn a few new cooking techniques? Just log in via Twitter or Facebook to participate!
 

When you join in the conversation, you could win an Electrolux Induction Cooktop (worth $2,199!) or Electrolux Induction Range (worth $3,749!)

 

You could win one of these awesome cooktops...I think this would be the one I would pick!

Induction Cooktops: They range in price from $1,999 (30") to $2,199 (36") 

•Power Assist: Boils Water in 90 seconds.

•Precision Cooking: Control of a gas cooktop in an electric range.

•Keep Warm: Indefinitely hold food at the perfect serving temperature.

•Exceptional Temperature Control: Adjust heat with greater accuracy than gas or electric cooktops, especially at lower settings - perfect for melting chocolate and cooking delicate foods and sauces

So, tune in to food52.com on November 6th at 12 noon and you could win!

Tasty Tuesday --{Simple} Balsamic Vinaigrette

 

Happy Tuesday friends! I'm heading on my Summer Vacation today with the family! We are beyond excited! We will be traveling to England for the next two weeks! During that time, I will be having some of my blogger friends stop in and share their goodies with you. I know you will welcome them with open arms and hopefully find a few new blogs to follow, too!

 

So, one of my favorite dressings to top an everyday salad is this Easy Balsamic Vinaigrette. I almost always have the ingredients in my pantry to make it and it comes together quickly. The best part is that you can really customize it to your taste! And, control the sodium content, too! My mom shared this recipe with me too!

 

 

Balsamic Vinaigrette

2 tsp. Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbls. Red Wine Vinegar
1/3 c. Rice Wine Vinegar (such as Nakano)
2-3 tsp. sugar (or to taste, I use Stevia)
1/3 c. + 2 Tbls. Olive Oil
sprinkle of garlic powder, italian seasioning, salt and pepper (all according to taste)

Mix together in a salad dressing bottle. Shake and pour. A little goes a long way with this dressing! Store in the cupboard, shake before use. Should keep for 3-4 weeks, if it lasts that long.

For a printable version of this recipe, please click HERE.

Tasty Tuesday -- Pasta Salad

Remember a few weeks ago I participated in a Recipe Swap with Candy Girl? Candy Girl swapped and shared this on my blog. Today I'm sharing what I swapped over on her blog. This is a fresh and light pasta salad. It's a perfect side dish any summertime gatherings you might be attending! This salad is perfect for Spring and Summer, when asparagus is at its prime (and when you need to worry about the salad sitting out for a long time)! I made this for our Mother's Day cookout and it was a hit! Hope you enjoy it!

 

Pasta Salad with Asparagus and Basil Vinaigrette

Adapted from Cook’s Country

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

1 box pasta (any type is fine)

1 lb fresh asparagus

¼ c. pine nuts, toasted

1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

1/4 c – ½ c shredded Parmesan cheese

Dressing

6 Tbls. Olive Oil

½ c chopped fresh basil

3 Tbls. Lemon juice

1 shallot, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

½ tsp salt and pepper (each)

 

Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a large bowl (large enough for the pasta salad).

Steam asparagus until tender. I used the Steam Bags, but use your preferred method. When tender, run under cold water. Pat dry. Cut into chunks. Place in bowl with dressing.

Prepare pasta as directed on box. Drain. Toss in bowl with dressing and asparagus.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until chilled. Just before serving, add in pine nuts, tomatoes and Parmesan. Stir to combine. If you make the salad a day in advance, freshen up with a spoonful of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice.

This would go perfectly next to hamburgers, grilled chicken or pork chops! So fresh and tasty!

 

Tasty Tuesday--SKINNY Chicken Salad

This has got to be the best tasting Chicken Salad recipe I've ever made and it just happens to be a lighter version! SCORE! I use rotisserie chicken every time which makes for easy prep and delicious flavors!

SKINNY Chicken Salad
serves 4

Ingredients
1/2 c plain non-fat greek yogurt
2 Tbls. Red-Fat Miracle Whip
1 Tbls. Raw Honey
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 c. chopped, cooked chicken
1 1/2 c. red grapes, halved
1/4 c. chopped walnut or almonds (optional)
1/4 c. chopped celery (optional)

Directions

Combine first 8 ingredients to prepare the dressing until smooth.

 

Add chicken, grapes and if you are adding the nuts or celery, add them now, too. Toss and evenly cover. Refrigerate at least one hour to allow the flavors to combine.

 

  

 

You can serve this on a bed of lettuce, a piece of toast, crossiant or on the flat rounds! Anyway you have it, it is sure to be a favorite!

 

 

 

 

 



Tasty Tuesday--Pizza Pasta Salad

We had a family picnic over the weekend to celebrate by hubby's Grandma's 87th birthday. We are so blessed to have her--not only is she the sweetest person around, but earlier this year she was diagnosed with stomach cancer, had surgery and WON! It was a nice family gathering with delicious food! 
My hubs decided which recipe I should make (well, I narrowed down the choices) and this is what he picked! Its super easy and very delicious!

Pizza Pasta Salad 

 

 

serves 10 (or more)

3 cups penne pasta (or your favorite pasta), cooked & cooled
3 small-medium tomatoes, chopped
15 slices hard salami, finely chopped
1 cup mozzarella cheese (shredded, cubed or how ever you want it)
1/2 cup fresh basil, sliced
1/2 cup fresh shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup light balsamic vinaigrette dressing
salt & pepper to taste   

Make it:

Combine all ingredients together in a large bowl. Refrigerate for one hour to let the flavors combine. Serve and enjoy!

Original recipe inspiration came from here. I adapted it for our tastes and what I had in my frig!

Next time, I think I will substitute turkey pepperoni for the hard salami.

Try it and let me know what you think!

Cindy