Ok, I have no picture of the salad I made for Christmas dinner because I didn't think about it until dinner was over, and by then, there wasn't much left to photograph. It was a simple salad of baby spring greens, glazed pecans, feta, dried cranberries, cucumbers and croutons with a vinaigrette. I made the glazed pecans, croutons and vinaigrette. So without further ado, here are the recipes.
The pecans are an adaptation from the Pillsbury recipe.
Glazed Pecans
2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs brown sugar
2 Tbs maple syrup
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 cups pecan halves
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a 12-inch skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add brown sugar, syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cook until bubbling. Add pecans and cook 2-3 minutes until pecans are well coated.
Spread on cookie sheet and bake 6-8 minutes until caramelized, but not burned. Let cool at least 30 minutes. Store in refrigerator or freezer.
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This recipe was tweaked from a Neely recipe on foodnetwork.com. There were no measurements, so these are an estimation.
Homemade Croutons
1 loaf French Bread
3-4 Tbs Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut bread into 1-inch cubes. Toss with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread into a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes, until browned.
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A great friend, Judy, gave me the recipe for this vinaigrette. When I first made it, I didn't have some of the ingredients, so I improvised and came up with this. I still have yet to find a dressing I like better.
Vinaigrette
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Dash of hot sauce
Whisk all ingredients together until sugar is dissolved.
My olive oil is a little fruity, so I add an extra splash of apple cider vinegar. Add a little more hot sauce to give it a bit of kick.
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