Eggplant Pepper Salad

by Mrs Marvel

Here’s a newspaper clipping for a salad I think I would have to pass on. I have tried to like eggplant, but the best way to eat it seems to be (to me) smothered in red sauce and parmesan cheese. The recipe reminds me a little bit of a salad I used to make with red & green peppers, cucumbers, and red onions.

Eggplant Pepper Salad

2 medium eggplants

3 cloves garlic, pressed

3 green onions, finely chopped

1 green pepper, seeded and diced

1 sweet red pepper, seeded and diced

1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt, pepper

Broil eggplants, turning several times, until outer skin is charred and inside is very tender. Allow to cool slightly. Remove charred skin and let dark brown juice drain onto paper towels.

Mash pulp. Add garlic, green onions, green and red peppers, parsley, lemon juice, vinegar and olive oil. Mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes 8 servings.

Chinese Chicken Salad

by Mrs Marvel

I remember a friend of my mother’s bringing a “new” salad to one of the many potluck parties we had, and everyone raved about it. To the point that they asked her to bring it over and over and it became “her thing” for a while. 35 years later, I am wondering if we can even call this “Chinese chicken salad” out of fear of cultural appropriation!

Look for my interpretation of this card below the transcription.

Chinese Chicken Salad

Marinate 3 chicken breasts in soy sauce about an hour – Cook until tender. Cool, shred into strips.

Shred 1/2 lettuce in strips

1 bunch green onions, sliced thin

Use green [something…]

Rice noodles – toasted almonds

Toasted sesame seeds – top with red ginger strips

 

Dressing

2 Tbsp sesame oil

1/4 c rice vinegar

1/4 c oil

Little soy sauce

Fresh ginger strips

1 tsp mustard

salt

 

Mrs Marvel’s Method

Marinate the chicken & cook, shred

Use cabbage instead of lettuce, shred fine, or use 1 full bag from the grocery store

1 bunch green onions sliced thin

1 package Ramen noodles, uncooked, crushed in small pieces

Assemble in bowl for presentation: cabbage, chicken, noodle pieces, toasted almonds & red ginger strips, then sesame seeds. Pour over dressing right before serving.

If just for eating: throw everything in the bowl together, add dressing, toss & serve

Caesar Salad

by Mrs Marvel

We are all probably feeling bloated after the holidays, and since so many people make a New Year’s healthy eating resolution, let’s look at a salad that gives no consideration to calories or health at all!

Caesar Salad – 1 head Romaine, 1 head lettuce

Heat 2 Tbsp oil & 1 minced clove garlic

Add 2 c bread crumbs – brown lightly

Sprinkle 1/4 c parmesan + 1/4 c bleu cheese over salad leaves (cut up)

Combine 1/2 c oil – 1/4 cup lemon juice – 1/4 tsp tabasco – 1/4 tsp dry mustard – 3/4 tsp salt

Pour over greens + add 1 raw egg _  toss until leaves are coated & egg disappears – add bread croutons

Makes 6 servings

Almond Whipped Cream Topping

by Mrs Marvel

Recently, my husband bought us a new scanner. It has the ability to quickly scan photos and papers at high quality, plus it organizes as it scans. Basically, this has saved me. Earlier in 2020 I bought a large inventory of recipes, but it was daunting to scan them. My previous method was on a traditional flat-bed scanner which would take 3 cards at a time. It was a tedious process that I sort of dreaded. With this new scanner, just last weekend I scanned a year’s worth of recipes. In an hour. The finishing process of naming and watermarking each file can now be broken down into small chunks to keep me moving rather than spending a full day scanning and finishing – and still not really making a dent in the volume. Sometimes having a hobby like this is almost a punishment lol. But now, WOW, I can add posts without much effort. Hopefully that means I will not miss a post for you. :-)

Almond Whipped Cream Topping

Beat 1 cup chilled whipping cream, 2 tbsp sugar & 1/2 tsp almond extract in chilled bowl until stiff. About 2 cups topping.

Festive Oat Fruitcake

by Mrs Marvel

Ok, last one, I promise! I couldn’t pass up this fruitcake recipe that calls for oatmeal. All the variations on fruitcake may be why they have such a bad reputation now – seems like everyone was trying to differentiate themselves with a new twist on fruitcake. I have only really had the type my great-grandmother made, although this year we tried a new type. The making was simple, as of writing time, we haven’t cut into it yet.

Festive Oat Fruitcake

1 cup boiling water

1 cup Quaker Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)

1 2/3 cups mixed chopped candied fruit

1 1/2 cups ready-to-use mincemeat

1 1/2 cups chopped nuts

3/4 cup chopped dates

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons soda

1 teaspoon salt

3 eggs, beaten

3/4 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup apple jelly

Pour boiling water over oats. Cover; let stand 20 minutes. Combine candied fruit, mincemeat, nuts and dates. Add combined dry ingredients; mix well. Combine oats mixture, eggs, oil and vanilla; stir into fruit mixture. Spoon into well-greased and floured 10-inch tube pan. Bake in preheated moderate oven (300º F) 1 hour and 45 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan. Melt jelly over low heat; spoon over top of cake to glaze. Garnish with candied cherry halves and pecan halves, if desired. Makes one 10-inch round fruit cake. Can be frozen after baking.