Wilted Spinach Salad with Blue Cheese & Hot Bacon and Onion Vinaigrette and Grilled Romaine with Blue Cheese and Bacon

This past Saturday night our family went to one of our favorite restaurants, Porterhouse. This restaurant is known for its yummy steaks. However, my favorite food at Porterhouse is their spinach salad with hot bacon vinaigrette. Such a simple salad that packs a lot of flavor. They also have an incredible Chocolate Martini... These two items always keep me coming back.

The grilled romaine salad is very similar to the spinach salad, except you use romaine and it's grilled on the BBQ. A great summer salad, that once again is very easy to make and wakes up your taste buds every time. Both salads are wonderful and great with any entrée. If you want to try something really special try one of these salads for a grill-out or a special occasion...you won't be disappointed. 

This post contains the following recipes...

Wilted Spinach with Hot Bacon Dressing
Grilled Romaine with Blue Cheese-Bacon Vinaigrette
Chocolate Martinis

Let's Make Wilted Spinach Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing, Blue Cheese & Red Onion
You will need the following ingredients: Baby spinach, a red onion. (I use both red and white), bacon, blue cheese crumbles, olive oil, white balsamic vinegar and freshly ground pepper.
Start by frying your bacon and onions in about one tablespoon of olive oil. Once they become  transparent and the bacon is crisp remove the bacon and onion to a bowl. (I strain the grease into a bowl and then pour it back into the frying pan to make the vinaigrette.

Add the white balsamic vinegar to the drippings and cook for about 3-4 minutes to make a reduction. Turn off burner and set aside. White balsamic vinegar gives a better presentation. You can purchase white balsamic vinegar at any grocery store.

Now it's time to build your salad...
First arrange your spinach leaves on salad plates. Top with the fried onions and bacon bits. Next sprinkle the blue cheese crumbles and then place a few red onion rings as garnish on the top. Pour one to two tablespoons of the balsamic vinegar reduction over the salad and sprinkle with a little fresh ground pepper. Viola', you have a masterpiece! Such a simple salad, but oh so good. Oh, don't forget about that Chocolate Martini. The combination of both is truly heavenly! The Chocolate Martini recipe follows the Grilled Romaine recipe.

Wilted Spinach With Hot Bacon Dressing Recipe:
Serves 4
Ingredients:
·         1 pkg. fresh spinach
·         ¾ C. finely diced red onion (leave a few slices for salad topping
·         1 T. olive oil
·         ½ C. white balsamic vinegar
·         ½ C. crumbled blue cheese crumbles
·         Freshly cracked pepper
 
Direction:
1.       Arrange spinach on salad plates
2.       Heat 1 T. of the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the onion and diced bacon and cook until bacon is crispy
3.       Remove bacon and onion by pouring through a strainer, leaving the left over bacon fat and olive oil in a separate bowl.
4.       Return 1 tablespoon of the reserved oil and bacon fat back into the frying pan and add the white balsamic vinegar. Cook for about 3 minutes to reduce and thicken the dressing. Remove from heat and set aside.
5.       Sprinkle the onion and bacon on top of the spinach leaves and sprinkle with blue cheese crumbles
6.       Top the salad with a few red onion rings
7.       Pour 1 to 2 tablespoons of hot bacon reduction over the salad
8.       Season to taste with freshly cracked black pepper

Grilled Romaine with Blue Cheese and Bacon Vinaigrette
Grilled Romaine with bacon and blue cheese crumbles is so good. Like the spinach salad, it packs an explosion of flavor. So fun to make in the summertime. Add those Chocolate Martinis, a great steak and grilled or baked potatoes and you have a feast.

Recipe:
Ingredients:
  • 4 T. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3/4 cup finely diced red onion
  • 1/2 lb. bacon, 1/4 inch dice
  • 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 3 romaine lettuce heads, cores removed and leafy ends trimmed, cut in half lengthwise
  • 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
  •  Freshly cracked black pepper
Directions:
  1. Preheat a grill to high
  2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the onion and bacon and cook until bacon is crispy. Remove onion and bacon from pan. Add the balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the skillet and reduce for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
  3. Brush the romaine with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Place on the grill cut-side down and quickly sear until grill marks are visible. Set aside
  4. For each serving, place a half head of romain cut-side up on a plate and drizzle with the balsamic dressing. Sprinkle with blue cheese and top with bacon and onion. Season with freshly cracked black pepper.
Chocolate Martini
...And last of all...a Chocolate Martini. I love this Chocolate Martini because it's crystal clear. I'm not a fan of milky drinks. This one is clear, crisp and with the hint of chocolate makes it my go to martini!

Recipe:
Ingredients:
  • 1 1/2 oz. vanilla vodka
  • 1 1/2 oz. white creme de cacao
  • 1  oz.  Frangelico
Directions:
  1. Combine vanilla vodka, creme de cacao, and Frangelico and ice cubes in a cocktail shaker.
  2. Shake thoroughly. Strain into a martini glass.
  3. Garnish with a chocolate swizzle stick or a Hershey Kiss skewered on a cocktail pick.
Thanks to "At Coblu Flame Kitchen" for a great beverage recipe.



One Final Thought...
Well, that's it for this week's post. Again, I can't emphasize how yummy these two salads are. A quick salad to make anytime. I do hope you will try one of these or both. Full of flavor and good for you!
Cake Flour Substitutes
I don't know about you, but when a cake or other baking item requires cake flour, I always pass on the recipe. Buying cake flour for one item seems to be a little costly for one recipe. So here's a tip. You can use regular flour to make a particular recipe that requires cake flour. For every cup of cake flour that is required in a recipe you can substitute with the following. Measure out 1 cup of flour and remove 2 tablespoons of the flour. Replace those 2 tablespoons of flour with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. If you require more flour do the same thing. Make sure you sift the flour and cornstarch so it is well incorporated. I love this tip. I've now used it several times and it works great.


Always remember..."Life's short...eat dessert first!"...words to live by! 
Labels: , , , , ,

Number & Alphabet Cakes...So Very Fun to Make!

                                 
 Number & Alphabet Cakes-So Very Fun To Make
This post has been so much fun to write. As I've written on my "about page", I was a cake decorator in a previous life. Now, I only do special cakes for my grandchildren. My granddaughter turned 9 this June. She's a pink girl and especially loves cupcakes. This year I decided to try making something other than cupcakes and decided on a number cake. This was so much fun to do. I checked out number cakes and desserts on Pinterest and decided to invest in a "Number"/"Alphabet Pan" made by Wilton. I also checked out some youtube videos on using the number/alphabet pan. 
Now it was time to decide what sugary confections I could place on top of the cake. That was definitely the fun part. This cake was loaded with all edible confections. From fondant hearts to pink meringue vanilla wafers. I also added fondant daisies and pretzel M&M daisies. I had plenty of dipping wafers left over to dip a lot of pretzels and place them on top of the cake also. There were also rainbow cake decorations I purchased in the birthday cake isle at Walmart and pink and gold chocolate coins that I added as an afterthought. It gave some sparkle to the already filled cake top. This was definitely a fun project.
Cookie Number Cakes
When I first started looking for some inspiration on Pinterest, they also had cookie number cakes. The picture above shows a cookie number cake. I couldn't decide at first if I wanted to go with cake or a large cookie. In the end I decided the cake would be much better. Last year I made her a cookie cake with donut shapes on it. She also loves donuts.  So a number cake it was!

Let's Make a Number Cake
Making the cake is pretty simple. I used one boxed cake mix for making this cake. Follow the instructions on the cake box. I purchased the Number/Alphabet Pan from Amazon. You can also find it at Craft stores or online at Wilton.com. It's a great pan with many ideas...letters, numbers, and other kid friendly ideas for making birthday cakes.
Note: After I bake my cakes, I turn it out on a waxed paper covered cookie sheet and cover it with plastic wrap and store in the freezer until I'm ready to decorate. This keeps the cake very moist. That's it for the cake for the time being.

Next, all the fun stuff! Let's start with the Fondant
Making fondant is really pretty easy. I have used this recipe forever. This recipe is from "Make Fabulous Cakes" website. She also has a video that shows you exactly how to make it. I will include her video below the recipe. This recipe freezes well.
I use fondant to make embellishments for cakes. This recipe is not overly sweet. It sounds like it because of the ingredients, but it's pretty smooth. The kids love it.

There are little plunger cutters for making small flowers, hearts, leaves and other embellishments. You can find them on the internet. They are very reasonable in price. On this cake I used the small flower cutter and the heart cutter to make lots of little embellishments. Again, the kids love eating them!

In this close-up you can see the small flowers and hearts...it added more items to make it cute...plus more items to eat.
Homemade Fondant

Marshmallow Fondant
Ingredients:
  • 1 (1 lb. or 454 gm) bag of mini marshmallows (I use the big ones...just remember to weigh them if  you are using the big ones.
  • 2 T. water
  • 5-6 cups of powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp. of lemon, orange, almond or vanilla extract (optional)...I use the almond extract
Directions:
  1. Place the marshmallows in a big bowl.
  2. Add water.
  3. Microwave it for a minute. Let it rest in microwave for a minute, then microwave it again for 1 minutes.
  4. In the meantime grease a wooden spoon with shortening.
  5. Mix marshmallows until all melted and smooth. Add flavors and color if using. (I just make my fondant white and add the color I need mixing it by kneading the color into the fondant).
  6. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and mix.
  7. Add another 2 cups of powdered sugar and mix again. It will be harder to mix with a spoon at this stage. Use a scraper to get to the bits at the bottom of the bowl. Use your hands to knead the dough. (I grease my hands at this point to keep the dough from sticking to my hands).
  8. The dough will still be sticky at this point. Add 1 to 2 more cups of powdered sugar. The amount varies depending on how sticky the dough is.
  9. I mix it in a bowl and then place it on my pie mat to knead. It's totally up to you how you want to do it. Just keep in mind you might need to grease your hands a few times.
  10. Make it into a ball shape and cover with plastic wrap and it inside a tight sealed container or baggie. Don't forget to squeeze the air out.
  11. This recipe is enough to cover up to a 12" round cake 4" high. I have never used it on a cake. I use my fondant for making shapes, flowers and other decorations for cakes or cupcakes. Thanks "Make Fabulous Cakes" for a great recipe for fondant...and it's a lot cheaper than buying it pre-made.
 Simple Meringue Cookies
Next up is Meringue Cookies. I found this recipe also on Pinterest. The recipe comes from "That Skinny Chick Can Bake". It's a simple recipe and the meringue cookies turn out perfect. You will need a cake decorating bag with a star tip to make the cookies. This recipe makes 24 meringue cookies which is great...some leftovers for the baker to munch on...
    Simple Meringue Cookies
Ingredients:
  • 2 egg whites, at room temperature
  • 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
  • A pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup sugar, superfine preferred, but not necessary (I used regular sugar and they turned out great!)
Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 225 degrees F. Line a baking sheet (or two) with parchment paper.
  2. Place egg whites into a mixing bowl and beat until frothy. Add the cream of tartar, the pinch of salt, and beat until soft peaks form. With mixer running, slowly add sugar, one tablespoon at a time until sugar is dissolved and stiff peaks form.
  3. Pipe or scoop tablespoons of the meringue onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing approximately 2 inches apart.
  4. Bake for 45 minutes, then turn oven off. Without opening the door, et stand in oven for 1 hour (so the total time in the oven is 1 hour and 45 minutes but it's only turned on for the first 45 minutes)
Daisy Pretzel Bites
Making daisy pretzel bites are super easy to do. The one thing that is tuff. I made Brooke's cake in June. M&M pastels are only available around Easter. So if you are thinking about making these daisy bites, buy a package of them in the spring. I checked on the M&M website and M&M's can be frozen for long term storage. However they must be in an air tight container. I did find them online, however the cost was a little pricey. I now have the remainder of the bag in an airtight container in the freezer to be used at a later date. These are so fun to make. The best part is eating them. You get the sweet and salty taste in every bite.
Daisy Pretzel Bites
Ingredients:
  • 1 bag square pretzels (Snyders of Hanover thins)- I tried using regular mini pretzels, but the M&M's 
  •    didn't stay on very good. The Snyder's Pretzels work the best)
  • 1 bag plain chocolate M&Ms in springtime colors***see note above on when to buy
  • 1 package of white candy melts
Directions:
  1. Place pretzels on a cookie sheet covered in parchment or aluminum foil or waxed paper.
  2. Put one candy melt on top of each pretzel
  3. Place cookie sheet in oven at 225 degrees for 2-3 minutes
  4. Place M&M's on top of melted candy melts...easy peasy!
Dipped Pretzels and Candy Coated Vanilla Wafers
Once you're done making the daisy bites, you will have left over candy melts. So I decided to make coated pretzels and vanilla wafers to also put on the top of the cake. I used sprinkles (jimmys) on the vanilla wafers and colored sugar on the pretzels. I also found a variety pack of sprinkles in pink with different shapes and used them on the wafers. There's really no recipe for these, just spread the melted candy melts on the wafers and sprinkle with colorful sprinkles. As for the pretzels, just dip them and lay them on a lined cookie sheet to dry. 
I have been having issues with melting the candy melts for awhile. I finally went on youtube and found a great video on how to melt these little babies without burning or scorching them. If the heat is too high they don't coat the candies evenly and it gets really thick. Using a  microwave works much better. There is also a thinning agent called Paramount Crystals or Wilton EZ Thin Dipping Aid that helps the thinning process. Below is a video that I used to get those melts right.

How to melt Candy Melts and how to use thinning aid VIDEO
I also added small candy rainbow decorations that you can purchase from Walmart. I found them in the cake decorating section of the store. It added more color to already very colorful cake.

Royal Icing Daisies
I also added some royal icing daisies.  I love daisies and I thought they would also be cute on the cake.
I love making royal icing daisies. They are a very simple flower to make. You will need a #104 rose tip and a flower nail (cake decorating tool for roses and other flowers. The recipe for royal icing is very simple and the flowers will last forever, as long as you store them in an air-tight container.



Royal Icing 
Royal Icing Ingredients:
1/2 pound powdered sugar (sifted)
2 1/2  tablespoons meringue powder
3 tablespoons water and more if needed
1/2 teaspoon clear extract (your choice)

Instructions:   

  1. Combine the sugar and meringue powder in a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or you can use a regular mixer. 
  2. Mix on low speed until well combined. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the water.
  3. Next, add a clear extract (of your choice) to make your frosting take on different flavors.
  4. If your mixture isn’t thin enough, add more water…1 tablespoon at a time.
  5. Mix on medium-low speed for 5 minutes.
  6. Color icing with desired food colors by blending a drop of coloring into the icing. Gradually blend additional drops until you achieve the desired color.
  7. Immediately cover the icing with plastic wrap covering the surface of the icing. This icing dries fast, so plastic wrap will keep it pliable. Store in your fridge for up to 10 days.

    This recipe will make 1 cup of icing, enough for 12 cookies. If you are going to be making a lot of colors and cookies you will want to double, triple, etc. this recipe.


    Buttercream Frosting to Frost the Cake... 
    Now it's time to frost that number cake. Below is my favorite recipe for buttercream frosting. I've used the same recipe, in variations, for years. It creamy and not so terribly sweet. You can even change a few ingredients around and make dozens of different flavors of buttercream.
    Ingredients:
    • 1/2 c. shortening
    • 1/2 c. margarine or butter
    • 4 c. powdered sugar
    • 1 tsp. vanilla (I use clear vanilla to keep the frosting as white
    •                as it can be)
    • 1/2 tsp. almond extract
    • milk   (add a little at a time to the consistency that you want
    Directions:
    1. Beat shortening and margarine until the color is almost white.  This will take a few minutes
    2. Add powdered sugar slowly, vanilla, almond extract and about a scant 1/4 cup milk and beat until blended.  Add more milk to get to your consistency. Remember a little milk goes a long way.  Add milk by tablespoons.
    I used this frosting on my watermelon cookies, which I wrote about in another post, 
    "Decorated Cookies" for all occasions"

    Final Touches
    Well, now it's time to place all the goodies on your frosted decorated cake. My buttercream frosting is a wonderful recipe. So simple and yet so good. The directions below will give you a flawless frosted cake. Just follow the instructions.  You're number cake is just about done...
    1. After removing your cake from the freezer, remove plastic wrap and let sit on counter for about 15 minutes. The moisture from the cake being frozen will rise to the top. Wipe the cake down gently with a paper towel.
    2. Put a thin crumb layer of frosting on the cake. This will set all those pesky crumbs in place.
    3. Put your cake in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes to set that crumb frosting layer
    4. Start applying the second layer of frosting. There should be no crumbs showing through because you got them in the first layer.
    5. Frost the top first. Use a cake spatula to spread the frosting.
    6. Frost all sides of your cake and use a bench scrapper to smooth out any frosting.
    7. Using your spatula take remaining frosting from sides at the top and spread evenly on the top.
    8. For the number or letter cakes make small dollops of frosting using a large #2A piping tip on the whole top to give it a look of small marbles.  See cookie cake above.
    9. Start adding all the edible goodies to the top of the cake. There is no wrong way of doing this. I placed the large items first and then the smaller ones all around the big ones.
    Not that your cake will look like mine, but I think I've given a lot of people some ideas for their own number/letter cake. It's truly easy and the smiles you will get from that son, grandson, daughter or granddaughter is priceless.  I'm so glad that I have the time to make memories for the little ones now....

    ...And Here it is!
    I love the way it turned out. In Hindsight, I think I should have done the sides of the cake in pink rather than white. I think it would have stood out more. If I have the opportunity to make another one, I will definitely color the sides and then put the white piping around the base.
    Beautiful, whimsical, yummy cakes for special people in your family. I do hope you enjoyed this post. I truly enjoyed making my granddaughter's 9th Birthday Cake. It turned out great. The best part...you could eat everything that was on the cake along with the cake itself...until next time...

    Always remember..."Life's short...eat dessert first!"...words to live by! 
    Labels: , ,
    Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)