Chocolate Croissants and Fruit Salad

For Mother's Day breakfast, I made these frozen chocolate croissants from Trader Joe's and a simple strawberry and mango fruit salad! Whenever I would go to a coffee place or bakery when I was younger I would always order a chocolate croissant. They are my favorite breakfast pastry, and I was excited to discover that the frozen ones from Trader Joe's are very good! Like surprisingly good. They have to sit out overnight, so there is some planning involved, but you just leave them out on a baking sheet over night, and they'll be defrosted and risen for baking in the morning. There are only 4 in the box, but they do get pretty large once baked. And they are so flaky and buttery! I highly recommend them if you're looking for an easy way to have chocolate croissants from home.

I mean come on, look at those!

Mango, Quinoa, and Black Bean Salad Recipe

This is a very easy and healthy salad to make. I only recently started eating quinoa, but I've had very interesting and delicious recipes made with it. You can even use it to make a breakfast egg casserole! You can cook quinoa a few different ways, in a pot, or I've been using my rice cooker lately. Either way you do it, treat it a little like pasta and add salt to the water it's cooking in.

Quinoa Salad with Asparagus, Feta Cheese, and Olives

I made this quick and easy Quinoa Salad for dinner last night, and it turned out very delicious! I don't think I've ever had quinoa before or cooked with it, so it was a bit of an experiment. I modified the recipe quite a bit, as I always seem to do, so the recipe below is my altered version, with the link being the actual recipe I semi-followed. You can kind of treat this salad like a Greek salad as well, and add any other ingredients you might put in a Greek salad, such as cucumbers, kalamata olives, or even some red onion might be good.

Plated Thai-Style Pork Salad with Papaya and Mint

I already made this recipe in my Plated January 7th box review, but I made it again the other day, and thought I'd add the full recipe here. Along with any of my notes regarding differences between cooking it myself, and the actual recipe which you can find here. This is one of my favorite things I've made, so I highly recommend this recipe! Such an interesting combination I never would have thought of on my own, but now it might be a go-to recipe!

Piccino Restaurant Review

This is a special restaurant review because it's for one of my all time, (if not my absolute) favorite restaurants in San Francisco. I recommend anyone visit it because they are a very seasonal restaurant, using produce that's in season, and they change the menu everyday. I'm including in this post all of the photos, so far, of the food I've had.

I think one of the great things about Piccino is that if you don't have reservations, they usually have a seat at their counter bar seats, which are right in front of the kitchen, so you can watch them making your food. I find the counter seats are usually where I want to be sitting. They have regular tables, but I find them to be a little too dark at night for photos!

Another great thing is that they have a smaller cafe, where you can order coffee, or pizzas and sandwiches to go. It's right next to the main restaurant, so you can pop in there to grab lunch to go. I want to mention that unless you're getting a dinner second course dish, most of these are too small on their own, and you'll want to get a few menu items to share. Even if you get pizza, get about one for each person unless you're getting a bunch of other menu items. We usually just go through the menu that day and pick 3-4 menu items we want and share everything. They're very good about bringing extra clean  plates for each course.

Salads:

Pear, Pecan, and Blue Cheese Salad

Nectarine Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

I randomly threw together this salad, and it turned out to not only be beautiful to photograph, but also delicious and refreshing as well. It was just some romaine lettuce, chopped cucumber, celery, diced nectarine, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, and poppy seed dressing. I used some pre-made dressing, but have also had this salad with homemade dressing. Homemade is good, but hard to get that same taste in the dressing as store-bought. You could go either way.

Almost Famous Garden Salad

One of my favorite salads to make, it's a copycat recipe of Olive Garden's Garden Salad. You can add pretty much any veggies you want, but I'll post here the original recipe. It's great with these baby peppers we usually have in the fridge, and pepperoncini's are also good in the salad. The dressing is easy to make, you can just mix all the ingredients in a blender.

4th of July: Macaroni Salad and Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I was able to go visit the boyfriend for 4th of July, so him, his brother, and a friend got started on making some pulled pork for pulled pork sandwiches ahead of time. I wouldn't be able to get there until late, but I made some macaroni salad and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies ahead of time. I love this macaroni salad recipe, it's so good! For the oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, I just took my normal chocolate chip cookie recipe, and added about 2 cups of oats. Turned out great, and 4th of July was a lot of fun!

Father's Day Dinner: Steak, Fries and Veggie Salad

My dad is a classic steak and potatoes kind of guy, so for Father's Day, I already knew what his answer would be to "What do you want for dinner?" So I set out to do a variation on this theme, which included fries! The steak was marinaded in a mixture of chipotle peppers and cocoa powder (yes, you read that right, cocoa powder).

The veggie salad was a combination of tomatoes, peppers (sort of like bell peppers, but we had these tiny ones in various colors that are also sweet), cucumber, red onion, fresh dill, fresh parsley, olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.

The sauce I served with the fries was called "Fry Sauce" and is just equal parts mayonnaise and ketchup, with a little Sriracha thrown in for fun.

Selland's Market-Cafe and Adanberto's

B and I decided to go hiking out in Coloma, but before we went, we were hungry! Selland's has been on our to-eat list, so we stopped by to grab some food before we went. We didn't order anything too exciting, but it was all very good! I got a small Mediterranean salad, which was full of red onion, cucumbers, kalamata olives, feta cheese, and bell peppers. It was very refreshing, and just what I needed.

B and I both ordered a BLTA, which was kind of messy, but very delicious. I am so proud of him for eating the tomatoes on the sandwich, normally he picks off the tomatoes on burgers and sandwiches. He's more recently started to just eat it instead of freaking out about it. I attribute this to my foodie influence of course. 

I had 2 of their lemon cookies for dessert, which I devoured before they could be photographed, sadly. But I highly recommend them! Order them! They are wonderful : )

After hiking, B and I went back to my place, started drinking, and eventually got an inevitable carne asada fry craving. We had to go try the only place nearby that's open all night, and has carne asada fries, Adanberto's. I have explained the trick to carne asada fries in other posts, but I'll re-explain here. You pour 4 containers of hot sauce all over the fries, then proceed to double-handed stir. (In our case, we each stir with one fork.) Then eat with a fork. 

Now, these carne asada fries were not as good as my favorite place in San Diego, Cotixan's. However, they were good enough that come another drunken night, I may go back and get some. Cotixan's are better mostly because they make their own hot sauce in giant containers that is delicious. I will say though, that the carne asada on these fries was a little better quality than at Cotixan's. 

Rosemary Rolls, Caesar Salad, and Steak with Peppercorn Sauce

This was another Pioneer Woman meal, and it turned out wonderful! The meal consisted of Rosemary Rolls, Caesar Salad with homemade dressing and croutons, and Steak with Peppercorn Sauce. The rolls were just made with frozen rolls, I did not make them from scratch! I did discover my local megamart has a ton of stuff in their bulk bins, including spices. I noticed they have vanilla beans, for very cheap and peppercorns. It was nice to just get the couple tablespoons I need for the steak sauce, and not have to buy a whole jar for $5 or $10 or whatever it would come out to. You do need to start this meal a little ahead of time, because the frozen rolls need time to thaw and rise for a couple of hours. Overall, this meal was delicious, and I went back for seconds!

Rosemary Rolls
Here's the recipe adapted from Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:

• 15 frozen, unbaked, un-risen dinner rolls (I only managed 11 in the skillet)
• Melted butter
• Coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
• Coarse sea salt
• 
  
• Directions:

1. Place the dinner rolls in a large lightly buttered skillet, allowing some space between the rolls. Cover with a dish towel or cloth napkin and set aside in a warm place to rise for at least 2 to 3 hours (I just preheat the oven, and let them sit on the back of the top of the oven).

2. When risen, the rolls should be poufy and soft. Brush melted butter onto the rolls. Then sprinkle the rolls with chopped rosemary. Finally, sprinkle with sea salt.

3. Bake (as instructions on the packet - usually 400 degrees F) for 15 to 20 minutes. Don't be alarmed if you pull them out of the oven and they've risen way over the surface of the pan. Within a minute or two, they'll calm right down.

Caesar Salad
Here's the recipe adapted from Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:

Salad Dressing:

• 4 whole anchovy fillets
• 2 tablespoons (and up to 3 tablespoons) Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon balsamic or red wine vinegar (balsamic makes it nice and rich)
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, peeled
• 1/2 whole lemon, juiced
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1 dash salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Croutons:
• 1/2 loaf crusty French bread
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, peeled
• Salt
• Salad:
• Hearts of romaine lettuce
• Fresh Parmesan wedge

Directions:

1. For the dressing: Place the anchovies into a blender or food processor. Throw in the Dijon mustard, vinegar, Worcestershire, garlic and lemon juice. Pulse the processor or blend on low speed for several seconds. Scrape down the sides.

2. With the food processor or blender on, drizzle the olive oil into the mixture in a small stream. Scrape down the sides. Add the Parmesan, salt and a generous grind of black pepper. Pulse the whole thing together and mix until thoroughly combined. Refrigerate the dressing for a few hours (it just gets better!) before using it on the salad.

3. For the croutons: Slice the bread into thick slices and cut them into 1-inch cubes. Throw them onto a baking sheet.

4. Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan or skillet over low heat.

5. Crush-but don't chop-the garlic and add them to the oil. Use a spoon to move the garlic around in the pan. After 3 to 5 minutes, turn off the heat and remove the garlic from the pan.

6. Slowly drizzle the olive oil over the bread cubes. Mix together with your hands, and then sprinkle lightly with salt. Toss and cook in the pan until golden brown and crisp. (Add a little butter for more flavor!)

7. For the salad: Wash and dry the hearts of romaine lettuce. Leave them whole. Use a vegetable peeler and shave off large, thin slices of Parmesan.

8. Drizzle about half of the dressing over the top of the hearts. Throw in a good handful of the Parmesan shavings. Give it a good initial toss, just so you can evaluate how much more dressing you need.

9. Add more dressing and Parmesan to taste. Add the cooled croutons. Toss gently.

Steak with Peppercorn SauceHere's the recipe adapted from Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:
Steaks:
4 whole beef fillets or other good steaks
Lemon pepper

• Seasoned salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Melted butter
• Sauce:
• 2 to 3 tablespoons tri-color peppercorns, crushed
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 beef bouillon cube
• 2 to 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup brandy
• 3/4 to 1 cup heavy cream (can substitute half-and-half for some of the cream)

Directions:

1. For the steaks: Sprinkle both sides of the steak with lemon pepper, seasoned salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side over high heat, and then a further 3 to 5 minutes over lower heat. Brush with melted butter as they cook.

2. Meanwhile, make the sauce: Start by crushing the peppercorns with a rolling pin in a zip-top bag and set them aside.

3. Next, heat a heavy ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat and melt the butter. Crumble in the beef bouillon cube. Whisk to combine. Then add the Dijon mustard to the skillet and whisk it around a bit. Pour in the brandy. Whisk the Dijon and brandy together until combined, and then let it bubble for about 45 seconds or so. Then pour in the heavy cream and the crushed peppercorns. Whisk it all together, allowing it to bubble for a few minutes to thicken. Spoon it over the grilled steaks.

Spinach-Pita Salad

This salad doesn't really have instructions, it's just a very simple recipe. I did use naan bread instead of pita, because I like it more, but use whatever you want.

Here's the recipe adapted from Food Network Magazine

Soak 1/4 sliced red onion in cold water, 10 minutes; drain. Mix 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon chopped dill, and salt and pepper. Brush 2 pitas with some of the seasoned oil, then toss 2 cups cherry tomatoes in the rest. Cook the pitas in a grill pan until marked, then tear into pieces. Grill the tomatoes until marked. Toss the pita and tomatoes with 6 cups baby spinach, 1/4 sliced cucumber, 1/4 cup kalamata olives, the onion, 2 tablespoons olive oil, the juice of 1 lemon, 1/4 cup chopped dill, and salt and pepper.

BLT Salad

BLT Salad...so good! What else is there to say about a salad with bacon? Just that it's awesome, there isn't really else to say. So I point you to the photo below...

Here's the recipe adapted from Michael Symon

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt
6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil, plus more for grilling
3 large heirloom tomatoes, cut into medium wedges
1 avocado, cut into medium wedges
2 romaine lettuce hearts, quartered
20 fresh basil leaves, torn
1 pound bacon, cut into large dice and cooked until crisp
Country bread, for serving, optional

Directions:

1. Place the garlic in a medium bowl with a generous pinch of salt. Add the vinegar and slowly whisk in the oil. Add the tomatoes and avocado to the dressing and toss to coat.

2. Preheat the grill to high.

3. Brush the romaine with olive oil and season with salt. Place face-down on the grill and cook quickly for about 20 seconds, and then lay face-up on a platter.

4. Add the basil and bacon to the tomato mixture, quickly toss and serve over the warm romaine with some grilled country bread if desired.

Grapefruit, Olive, Onion, and Basil Salad

The first part of this story starts with me having a grapefruit addiction...I eat them almost everyday lately. My mom buys me a big Costco bag of them, and I go through it in about 2 weeks. I just cut one in half, sprinkle a bunch of salt all over it, and then go to town cutting out each wedge, and digging them out with a spoon. Then, once all the slices are gone, I'll sprinkle more salt into the juice left at the bottom, and scoop that out as well. 

The second part of this story, is the time when I saw this recipe on Food Network, with Giada making this weird salad, consisting of grapefruits, red onion, basil, oil and balsamic vinegar and black olives...yes, olives. I was kind of weirded out by it, but figured the olives added a nice amount of saltiness to the dish that it needed. Giada was right, this salad is delicious. I had two helpings. 

If you're one of those people who eats a grapefruit with sugar, stop what you're doing and start using salt, and then make this salad. I think people who like sugar on their grapefruit are weird. You should just get over the fact that you have no taste and knowledge of how sourness and saltiness are a match made in heaven. I'm sort of embarrassed to say that I'll stand over the sink eating a lemon sprinkled with salt sometimes. Back to the salad...go make it before grapefruit season is gone!

Here's the recipe adapted from Giada

Ingredients: 

• 2 grapefruits, trimmed of skin and cut into large slices
• 1/2 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup pitted chopped black olives (we didn't have any so I used these fancy Sicilian green olives we had. Even Kalamata olives would be great. Use what you have)
• 1 bunch basil, leaves thinly sliced (about 1 cup) (I didn't have any fresh basil, so I used basil from a tube and mixed it in with the dressing. Do what you have to do)
• 3 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 
  
• Directions:
• 1. Place the grapefruit slices in a slightly overlapping pattern on a serving platter. Sprinkle the onion slices over the grapefruit. Then sprinkle the olives. Top with the basil. Drizzle the balsamic vinegar and olive oil over the salad. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve.

Chicago Fire Pizzeria - Palladio

I had been meaning to take B to Chicago Fire Pizzeria, they had just opened a new location closer to my house, and I have been to their other location in Folsom. You may remember my other post from my last visit. Anyways, I didn't like the Caesar Salad at the other location, the lettuce was wilting and kind of brown, but the one I had at the new location was fresh, crisp and very tasty! I was glad I decided to try it again. 

I had heard of their Greek Fries, and since I love French fries more than all other foods combined, I had to try them too! They had great flavor, and they serve a wedge of lemon with them. I highly suggestion squeezing it over them lightly, it adds a nice tang to the fries. The small was perfect to share between the two of us, but if you have a larger dining party, you should probably get the large.

Since I had already tried their thin crust pizza and loved it, I had to know how their deep dish pizza would be. B also likes deep dish more than thin usually, so we just stuck with the classic Pepperoni Deep Dish. It was very good, but I didn't like the crust as much as I liked the thin crust. It was however very good as leftovers. We ordered a medium, so we could take home the leftovers.

I really enjoyed the new location, it wasn't busy, and our drinks were refilled frequently. I will definitely go back and try some of their other menu items!

La Bou

I love this little restaurant! La Bou is a small chain in the Sacramento area that serves sandwiches, soup, fresh baked french bread, baked goods, and salads. They're only open until about 4PM, so it's mostly breakfast and lunch. My favorite thing to order is a half sandwich, half salad combo, with a BLT on the baguette, and the Chinese Chicken Salad. I also usually order half a baguette, sliced, with a large dill sauce. Let me tell you a bit more about this wonderful place to eat.


Their baguettes are amazing! I always get a bunch of it to go, because it's so cheap and a great tasty snack. The dill sauce is a must-get. You dip the slices of bread in the dill sauce, faint, rinse and repeat. I love getting the sandwich on this bread as well, and sometimes in a moment of pure sin, I dip my BLT sandwich into the dill sauce. Their BLT is simple, but heavenly on this bread. I usually season it with some salt and pepper, but otherwise it's perfect.


The Chinese Chicken Salad is amazing as well. It comes with peanuts and this wonderful dressing that is the kind of dressing you want on every asian salad. It also makes me feel a little healthier, even after scarfing down half a baguette without hesitation.


I don't order much else, but from what I hear, pretty much everything on their menu is delicious. Their soups are wonderful looking, and perhaps when it gets colder, I'll try some of those. If you order a combo, it comes with 2 slices of baguette, so you have those to dip in the soup or in the dill sauce.


If you get a chance to go here, go as soon as possible! If you need a quick, cheap snack, just order half or a full baguette sliced, with a large dill sauce; you won't regret it, I promise.

BLT on baguette, with more bread and dill sauce

Chinese Chicken Salad

Chipotle Steak and Side Salad

For this meal, there wasn't really a recipe. My mom threw together the steak and my dad grilled it. I made the salad based on another recipe but without some major components. So I'll just post some pictures for your food porn pleasure.

Cheddar and Bacon Potato Salad

I decided to make this yesterday to take to work for my lunch. I've never made potato salad before, and this turned out pretty good! I actually liked the taste of it better when I just made it, as opposed to later after it had been in the fridge. But it was still pretty tasty!

Here's the recipe adapted from the Divine Dinner Party

Prep Time: 20 min | Cooking Time: 25 min | Difficulty: Easy | Serves: 4


Ingredients:
4 medium Potatoes
½ tsp Seasoning Salt
7 slices Bacon, cooked crisp, drained, crumbled
4 Green Onions, sliced
1 Cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
8 Oz. Sour Cream
½ tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
⅓ C. Mayonnaise
½ tsp Garlic Salt
1 tsp Prepared Mustard


Directions:
1. Boil potatoes until perfectly tender. Drain and allow to cool to warm-- they shouldn't be hot enough to melt the cheese.

2. Peel (if desired-- I like to leave the peel on) and cube potatoes and place in a large serving bowl. Sprinkle with seasoning salt. Mix gently.

3. In a separate bowl whisk together the sour cream, pepper, mayo, garlic salt, and mustard.

4. Add bacon, onion, and cheese to the potatoes. Mix gently. Stir in the dressing mixture.

5. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving.

Roasted Chicken Purses and Panzanella

Because I used part of a rotisserie chicken for my Chicken Salad Sandwiches, I decided to try and get another recipe that I could use the rest for. I found this dish, Roasted Chicken Purses, and made a simple Italian salad to go with it. I did have some trouble with the purses opening in the boiling water, but I think it was mostly because I was in a hurry and didn't seal them well. So, make sure if you make this dish, take the time to seal the wontons well. I think they seal better with water than with egg, which is what the recipe called for. Here's how they looked...

Roasted Chicken Purses

Panzanella

Roasted Chicken Purses
Here's the recipe adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

Prep Time: 30 min | Cooking Time: 20 min | Difficulty: Easy | Serves: 4


Ingredients:
1 ¼ cups Shredded Roasted Chicken (Or Any Leftover Chicken, light and/or dark meat)
¾ cup Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
½ Lemon, zested
½ tsp Chopped Fresh Thyme Leaves
½ tsp Salt, plus more for sprinkling
¼ tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper, plus more for sprinkling
32 Small Square Wonton Wrappers
4 Tbsp Butter
¼ cup Grated Parmesan
Water, for sealing wontons


Directions:
1. In a small bowl combine the chicken, ricotta cheese, lemon zest, thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.


2. On a dry work surface place 8 wonton wrappers. Place a rounded teaspoon of the chicken mixture in the center of each wrapper. Using a pastry brush, brush the egg wash around the chicken mixture. Bring four corners of the wonton square together over the filling to form a purse. Press the edges together tightly to form a seal. Wipe the board with a towel until dry and continue making batches of 8 with the remaining wonton skins.


3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. 


4. Add the purses and cook until they float to the surface, stirring occasionally, about 4 to 5 minutes. Drain the ravioli.


5. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a medium skillet. Turn off the heat, add the cooked pyramids and gently toss. Transfer the pyramids to 4 serving plates. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.


Panzanella
Here's the recipe adapted from Ina Garten


Prep Time: 15 min | Difficulty: Easy | Serves: 4-6


Ingredients:
3 Tbsp Good Olive Oil
1 small French Bread Or Boule, cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)
1 tsp Kosher Salt
2 Large, ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 English Cucumber, unpeeled, and sliced ½-inch thick
1 Red Bell Pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
½ Red Onion, cut in ½ and thinly sliced
10 large Basil Leaves, coarsely chopped
3 Tbsp Capers, drained
For The Vinaigrette:
1 tsp Finely Minced Garlic
½ tsp Dijon Mustard
1 ½ Tbsp White Wine Vinegar
¼ cup Good Olive Oil
½ tsp Kosher Salt
¼ tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper


Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large saute pan. Add the bread and salt; cook over low to medium heat, tossing frequently, for 10 minutes, or until nicely browned. Add more oil as needed.


2. For the vinaigrette, whisk all the ingredients together.


3. In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, red onion, basil, and capers. Add the bread cubes and toss with the vinaigrette. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Serve, or allow the salad to sit for about half an hour for the flavors to blend.