Pear, Pecan and Sweet & Spicy Bacon Salad

Someone has been a naughty blogger. If santa read food blogs, I would've gotten nothing but coal in my stocking. Lucky for me, he doesn't :) Here's a yummy holiday salad if you're feeling naughty OR nice!

Pear, Pecan and Sweet & Spicy Bacon Salad

1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
Dash cayenne pepper

3 slices bacon

6 ounces spring greens
1 pear, sliced
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup crumbled gorgonzola
Balsamic vinaigrette

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix together the sugar and spices, then lightly coat bacon with the spice mixture. Lay on a baking sheet and cook until crisp.

Meanwhile, toss together the spring greens, pear, pecans and gorgonzola. Add in the cooked bacon and dressing, then toss to combine.

Enjoy as a light meal or pair with your favorite bread or salad for something a bit heartier.

Lemony Shrimp Pasta

Apron's baaack! Sorry dear readers for the long blogging hiatus. Frankly, I was feeling less than inspired lately in the kitchen, and mostly following recipes. Well, I'm back and feeling more creative than ever, so be on the lookout for more tasty recipes!

Warming our tushes by the fire!

Friday was Christine's birthday, and there's nothing like a birthday to celebrate to get me in the mood to cook. We celebrated with a gentle roommate dinner, some spiked hot chocolate, a hot fire and some Muppets videos. A great night!

Lemony Shrimp Pasta

2 cups cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
24 ounces spaghetti
1 bunch kale
4 tablespoons butter, divided
1 1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup minced shallot
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 - 1/2 cup dry white wine, room temperature
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Italian parsley, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place cherry tomatoes on a baking sheet lined with foil, and drizzle with oil. Bake in oven 20-30 minutes, until blistering. Remove from heat and keep wrapped in foil.

While tomatoes cook, heat two large pots of water to boiling. Cook spaghetti in boiling water until al dente and set aside. Cut kale into pieces and boil about 5 minutes, also removing and keeping warm.

For the shrimp, heat a large skillet on medium high heat and melt 2 tablespoons butter. Season shrimp with salt and pepper to taste and red pepper flakes. Cook in skillet 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and keep warm. Reduce heat to medium, melt additional 2 tablespoons butter and cook shallots about two minutes. Add lemon juice, zest and wine to skillet and stir, scraping up any brown bits, simmering about 5 minutes. Add cornstarch, if needed, to thicken. Mix in shrimp, tomatoes and kale and serve over cooked spaghetti. Garnish with parsley if desired. I served with crusty bread to sop up the delicious lemony wine juice.

Apple and Pecan Salad

1 head lettuce
1 apple, halved, cored and sliced
1/3 cup pecan halves
1 orange, zested and juiced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Tear lettuce into bite-sized pieces and place in a large bowl with apple slices and pecan halves. For the dressing, combined orange zest and juice in a bowl and stream in olive oil while whisking. Season with salt and pepper to taste and toss with salad.

The birthday girl enjoying her meal!

Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad

This time of year is my favorite at the Farmer's Market. So many bright fruits and vegetables make their way to the stands, I tend to go a little nuts. Some fresh strawberries showed up a few weeks ago, so I decided to make a gentle salad highlighting them. I found a light and sweet honey goat cheese at HEB which I thought would be the perfect pair- it was!

Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad
16 ounces spring green mix
8 ounces sliced strawberries
11 pound chicken breast, grilled
3 ounces honey goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup pecan halves
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Toss greens, strawberries, chicken, goat cheese and pecans together in a large bowl. Whisk together oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper and toss in salad. Enjoy the fresh flavors!

Sweet Pecan Crusted Salmon with Honey Glazed Carrots and Stuffed Squash

Sometimes I go through phases where I cook certain proteins more than others. I realized I hadn't picked up a nice piece of salmon lately, so that was the order of the day. I realize I've been using pecans a lot lately, and I'm not quite ready to shake that, so here's another delicious dish featuring pecans in 2 ways.

Sweet Pecan Crusted Salmon

2 pounds salmon, skin removed
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup crushed pecans
1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place salmon on an oven-safe skillet. Combine honey and lemon juice in a microwave-safe glass and heat for 20 seconds on high. Stir and brush onto one side of salmon. Combine crushed pecans, rosemary and salt and pepper in a bowl. Press onto salmon skin. Cook 12-15 minutes, or until done.

Honey Glazed Carrots

1 pound baby carrots
1/2 cup honey
Salt and pepper to taste

Place a large pot of water to boil. Add carrots and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Drain and mix in honey and salt and pepper. Let heat another minute or so, until honey has melted.

Stuffed Squash

3 yellow and/or zucchini squash
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1/3 cup sage derby cheese, shredded
1/3 cup crushed pecans
Salt and pepper to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out pulp and reserve. Heat a non-stick skillet on medium heat and drizzle in oil. Add garlic and onion and saute about 3 minutes. While that cooks chop reserved squash pulp. Add pulp to garlic and onion mixture and saute another 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Place 6 squash halves on a baking sheet. Divide pulp mixture up evenly and place into emptied squash. Sprinkle with cheese, pecans and salt and pepper. Cook 40 to 45 minutes, or until cheese is melted and pecans are toasted.

Enjoy!

Grilled Pork Chops with Grape, Pecan and Blue Cheese Salad and Green Beans

Central Market has the BEST grapes right now which are seedless, huge and juicy. I decided to base my meal off this and make a simple, tasty side featuring grapes, pecans and blue cheese. Paired with pork chops and some almond green beans, it was a nice, colorful, complete meal.

Pork Chops with Greek Vinaigrette

4 6-ounce pork sirloin chops
1 cup Greek vinaigrette, divided
Salt and pepper to taste

Place pork chops in a large baggie with 3/4 cup vinaigrette. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour. Heat a large grill pan and spray with cooking spray. Place pork chops on pan and season with salt and pepper. Grill about 6 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Top with remaining vinaigrette and serve.

Grape, Pecan and Blue Cheese Salad

3 cups red seedless grapes
1 cup pecans
1 4-ounce container blue cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and chill. Enjoy!

Almond Green Beans

1 bag microwave-ready green beans
1 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup slivered almonds
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Microwave green beans for 3 minutes. While green beans are cooking, heat a large non stick skillet on medium heat and drizzle in olive oil Add green beans to pan with almonds, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Saute about 5 minutes and serve.