Baseball Season Is Here: St. Louis Italian-Style Salad

It's baseball season again, and that means my hubby will be glued to the tv, watching the Cardinals.  St. Louis is one of my favorite culinary places to visit.  You can't beat a hotdog and a beer at the ballpark, toasted ravioli is out of this world, and the Italian restaurants on The Hill are all amazing.  With all of the tasty stuff around, you wouldn't think the thing I look most forward to is a salad.  Something about the combination of the artichoke hearts, Parmesan cheese and the sweet, creamy Italian dressing makes it the perfect start to any Italian meal.

The St. Louis Style Salad Line- Up

Place washed lettuce in a bowl.  Add red onion.

Add artichoke hearts and pimiento. 
(In this case I was out of pimientos,
so I added pepperoncini instead. 
You want something that will add a tangy flavor.)

Add Parmesan cheese.

Add Sweet Creamy Italian Style Dressing. 
(I stock up here whenever I'm in
St. Louis: www.shopvivano.com)

Toss salad together and add croutons.



Toss again to combine croutons with salad. 
Serve immediately.



St. Louis Style Salad
 
1 head Romaine lettuce chopped, or 1 package Romaine mix
1 red onion, very thinly sliced
4-5 pepperoncini peppers chopped OR 1 large jar diced pimiento peppers, drained
1 jar artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4-1/2 cup Sweet Creamy Italian Style salad dressing
1 package croutons

Place salad (washed of course) in a bowl.  Add onion, peppers or pimientos, artichoke hearts, Parmesan cheese and salad dressing.  Toss together until well combined.  Add croutons and toss to combine.  Serve immediately.

Prep Time:  Approximately 20 minutes     Cook Time:  0

Fried Chicken Tenders

There are as many recipes for fried chicken tenders as there are names.  Whether you call them chicken fingers, chicken tenders or chicken strips one thing remains the same.  The chicken needs to be juicy and flavorful and the breading needs to be crispy and not greasy.  We love this version.  Marinating in a buttermilk mixture results in chicken that is moist and succulent.  The combination of cracker crumbs and flour in the breading creates a coating that doesn't fall off during the frying process. 

The Fried Chicken Tender Line-Up

Combine buttermilk, beaten egg
and garlic powder.

Pound chicken breasts to an even thickness.

Cut into 1/2-inch strips. 
Season with salt and pepper.

Place in a zip-top bag and cover
with buttermilk mixture.  Marinate 2-4 hours.

Crush saltine crackers

Add flour, baking powder and salt. 
Shake to combine.

Drain chicken strips

Add chicken strips to the cracker mixture.
Shake to coat.  See how easy it is when
you use the bags?  Easy clean up too!

Heat oil in a heavy skillet.

Fry chicken strips in batches until
crispy and golden brown.

Drain on paper towels.

Be sure to serve with
Chicken Tender Dipping Sauce!

Fried Chicken Tenders
5-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 egg, beaten
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup all-purpose flour
1-2 packages saltine crackers
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
oil for frying

In a bowl combine buttermilk, beaten egg, and garlic powder.  Pound chicken breasts so they are all an even thickness.  Cut into 1/2-inch strips. Season with salt and pepper.  Place in heavy zip-top bag and pour marinade mixture over.  Close bag.  (Set bag in a bowl just in case there is a leak!)  Refrigerate 2-4 hours.  Crush saltine crackers.  Place in a zip-top bag and add flour, baking powder and salt.  Shake to combine.  Drain chicken strips, but do not pat dry.  You want them to remain moist so the breading will stick.  Place chicken strips in bag with breading and shake to coat.  Heat oven in skillet to about 350-365 degrees F.  Fry chicken tenders in hot oil in batches until golden brown and crispy.  Drain on paper towels.

Prep Time:  Approximately 2-4 hours     Cook Time:  Approximately 25 minutes

Chicken Tender Dipping Sauce

If you're a chicken tender aficionado, you will truly appreciate this recipe.  Honey mustard gets boring.  Ketchup is so last year.  Those chicken tenders need a lively, spicy sauce to take a dunk in!

The Dipping Sauce Line-Up...Easy Easy!

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. 
Add a dash of cracked black pepper.

Mix well.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serve with fried chicken tenders. 
This is very similar to a sauce found at a chicken tender restaurant.  You won't be disappointed!

Chicken Tender Dipping Sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
dash cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika

Combine all ingredients until well blended.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.  Serve with chicken tenders for dipping.

Prep Time:  Approximately 5 minutes     Cook Time:  0

Fire and Ice Salad: Great With Charcoaled Steak

This recipe takes its name from the cool, crisp vegetables and the tangy kick from the dressing.  It's simple to put together, with just a few ingredients.  It is both flavorful and colorful and just a little different from a regular salad.  You can adjust the amount of sugar and vinegar if you want a sweeter or more tangy flavor.  Perfect for pot lucks, and so tasty alongside a steak!

Fire and Ice Salad!  Time to get fired up!

Place cider vinegar in a saucepan.

Add water

Add celery seed

Add mustard seed

Add salt and pepper

Add sugar

Combine and bring to a boil.  Boil for 1 minute.

Pour over vegetables and toss to combine.

Chill until serving time.  Delish!

Happy Birthday To Me: Here's Looking Up Your Old Address and Other Toasts!

We don't give many toasts or cheers around here.  If it's a special occasion like a birthday dinner we might, which incidentally it is my birthday.  And I have a cast on my foot, and a blasted head cold, so my guess is my birthday dinner will be take out from my favorite Mexican restaurant.  And you know what?  I'm making my husband toast me.  Even if it's Diet Coke in a plastic cup from the football game.   Sometimes when we're silly one of us will say, "Here's looking up your old address," which is what Colonel Henry Blake used to say on M*A*S*H.  I'm not sure I've ever stood up and formally given a toast.  Well nothing that didn't start out, "Here's to you and here's to me..."  Every once in awhile on television or in a movie I will here someone say something that I am assuming to be the equivalent of, "CHEERS" but in another language.  It got me thinking, every day should be a celebration, every meal should be a celebration.  The time we spend together at the table should be a celebration.  Who cares if you're eating a Stouffer's Lasagna and drinking Hawaiian Punch?  Make a toast anyway.  And now, you'll now how to make it in Italian.  Enjoying my Taco Soup recipe?  Say, "Cheers" in Spanish!

Our "Bar" It's really an antique sideboard with an interesting history.  From the looks of it you think we said "CHEERS!" constantly, but I'm really more of a Diet Coke girl at heart.

CHEERS AROUND THE WORLD:

Afrikaans     Gesondheid!
Albanina     Gezuar!
Amharic     Desta!
Catalan     Salut!
Chinese     Ganbei!
Danish     Skal!
Dutch     Proost!
Finnish     Kippis!
French     A votre sante!
Gaelic (Irish)     Slainte! Just in time for St. Patrick's Day...
German     Prost!
Greek     Ebiba!
Hebrew     L'chaim!
Italian     Salute!
Japanese     Kampai!
Morse Code     _._  ....  .  .  ._.  ...
Norwegian     Skal!
Pig Latin     Eerschay!
Polish     Na zdrowie!
Portuguese     Saude!
Romanian     Noroc!  You know, for when you're in Transylvania...
Russian     Na zdorovye!
Serbo-Croation     Ziveldi!
Spanish     Salud!
Swahili     Hongera!
Taiwanese     Hotala!

My husband's grandmother's collection of Swanky Swizzle Sticks...

Most of these toasts are simply intend to wish each other well.  Some translate "To Life" or "To Your Health".  Some are simply, "Drink Up" or "Bottoms Up" 

If you want to go and get fancy, here are a few others with slightly different meanings:

Chinese     Yu sing  ("drink and win")
Danish     Bunden i vejret eller resten i haret ("Bottoms up or the rest in your hair")
English     Here's Mud In Your Eye
Greenlandic     Kassutta ("Let our glasses meet")

And here's one to all of you from The Devilish Dish:

"May you be in Heaven fifteen minutes before the Devil knows you are dead."

An Apple A Day...

Have you ever stopped to think how much of an impact food has on our lives?  Aside from being just something we put in our mouths and digest to survive, there's so much more to it.  On a professional level it's a major industry from television networks to the hospitality field.  It's grocery chains and little gourmet shops.  Right on down to the fellowship of sitting with your family or friends around and table and breaking bread together.  Cooking has such a profound influence on our civilization, that many phrases used in our everyday language have evolved from something to do with cooking, drinking or food.  Proverbs and witticisms handed down through generations, from all kinds of cultures often revolve around the same subject matter.  Here are a few that come to mind:

Don't cry over spilt milk

Too many cooks spoil the soup

Hunger makes the best sauce

You can't have your cake and eat it too

Out of the frying pan into the fire

An apple never falls far from the tree

A watched pot never boils

Sour grapes can never make sweet wine

You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar

One bad apple spoils the bin

The way to a man's heart is through his stomach

You can't get blood out of a turnip

Greatest thing since sliced bread

Don't bite the hand that feeds you

Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free

Cream always rises to the top

Don't butter your bread on both sides

Man does not live by bread alone

Slow as molasses

Fell off the turnip truck

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade

Cool as a cucumber

And...being The Devilish Dish, my personal favorite:

Breakfast Casserole: You Can Make It The Night Before!

It seems like most of us only have breakfast casseroles at a brunch or around the holidays.  Why we seem to save them for special occasions seems kind of silly.  They take minimal work, and can be prepared ahead.  You get an entire hearty breakfast in one dish, and it's way better than driving thru, or grabbing a donut.  And there's no rule that says you can't make this the night before a serve it for dinner!  Add some cinnamon rolls or fresh fruit and you've got a great meal for any time of day and any occasion.

The Breakfast Casserole Party!

Place croutons in a greased baking dish. 
Top with shredded cheese.

Beat eggs.

To eggs, add dry mustard.

Whisk in milk.

Add cream of mushroom soup to
egg mixture, stirring well.

Add browned sausage on top of cheese layer.

Pour egg mixture over sausage.

Top with sliced mushrooms
(Be sure to drain them first!)

Cover and refrigerate overnight. 
Bake the next morning for breakfast.  Yum!