Arugula, Pear, & Goat Cheese Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Serves 4-6.

Adapted from Food52.com

Vinaigrette:

1 shallot, minced

1-3 tablespoon pomegranate molasses *(see note below)

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1/2 tablespoon sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

*I made my own pomegranate molasses, using this recipe. Actually, I made my own cranberry-pomegranate molasses, because I accidently grabbed that instead of straight up pomegranate juice. When I made the dressing, I had to add more of the molasses than the original recipe called for to get the right amount of flavor (closer to 3 tablespoons), but store bought pomegranate molasses may be stronger.

Salad:

4 cups arugula, lightly packed

4 cups romaine, torn into bite-sized pieces

2 ripe pears, cored thinly sliced

1/3 cup dried cranberries (the original recipe calls for pomegranate seeds, which would be delicious, but I just used what I had)

1/3 cup pistachios, toasted and coarsely chopped

1/3 cup fresh goat cheese

In a small bowl, combine the shallot, pomegranate molasses, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper, and whisk until combined. Whisk in olive oil until well combined.

In a large bowl, combine arugula, romaine pears, cranberries, pistachios, and goat cheese, reserving some of the goat cheese, cranberries, and pistachios for the top of the salad. Gently toss to combine.

Drizzle about ¾ of the prepared vinaigrette over the salad. Gently toss. If salad looks dry, add more vinaigrette in small increments until it is dressed to your liking. Sprinkle with reserved goat cheese, cranberries, and pistachios and serve.

Frozen Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:
6 oz. chopped semisweet chocolate (or chocolate chips)
3 cups whole milk, divided
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. your favorite powdered hot chocolate mix
3 Tbsp. sugar
6 cups ice cubes
Whipped cream for garnish
Preparation:
Place chopped chocolate and 1/4 cup of the milk in a microwave-safe container. Heat on 50% power for 1 minute. Stir.

Heat on 50% power for 30 seconds. Stir. If necessary, continue heating in 30-second increments until chocolate is melted.

Add hot chocolate mix and sugar. Stir.

Slowly pour in 1/2 cup of the milk. Stir, and let cool to room temperature.

Pour cooled chocolate mixture into blender. Add remaining milk and ice cubes. Puree until smooth.

Top with whipped, more chocolate chips and cream and serve immediately.

Makes 2 giant frozen hot chocolates for 4 smaller ones.

Bacon, Ham and Spinach Quiche

via Our Best Bites (of course)

Quiche

½ lb. bacon
10 oz. package spinach
1 c. sour cream (I use light)
salt and pepper to taste
2 unbaked pie crusts
1 onion, minced
½ lb. diced mushrooms
2 c. diced ham
16 oz. Colby Jack or sharp cheddar cheese (*I used Swiss for one and I preferred it over Cheddar)
4 oz. Parmesan cheese
8 eggs
1 c. half and half (I use fat-free)
1 Tbsp. parsley

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brown bacon, drain, crumble, and set aside. Saute spinach in bacon drippings (I told you we were going to be naughty). Drain. Saute onions. Add mushrooms. Stir in ham and bacon. Combine spinach, sour cream, salt, and pepper. Add meat mixture. Mix in cheese. Divide into each pie crust.

 

Mix eggs, half and half, and parsley. Pour over pies. Place pies in oven and bake 45-50 minutes or until tops are puffed and golden brown. Let stand 5-10 minutes. Each pie serves 8.

 

**If reheating, cover pie with foil and bake at 325 for about 20-30 minutes, checking frequently to make sure it’s not getting too brown. You could also pop it in the microwave (without foil! The Daily Bite is NOT responsible for your exploding microwave!), but you run the risk of gummy crust and rubbery, exploding eggs.**

 

NOTE: This recipe makes two pies, so you can either feed a crowd, make one for your family and take the other pie to someone else (it makes a great post-baby dinner with a salad and some orange rolls), or you can freeze it and heat it up when it’s convenient for you. Another great thing is that it definitely tastes better the next day, so if you’re having a breakfast or brunch, you can make it the night before and then easily heat it up the next day and no one will ever know that you weren’t up slaving away at 5:00 in the morning.

Butter Toffee Popcorn

Today I am bringing this deliciousness to Lunch Club. There is a lot of it. Do not eat in one sitting, or you might experience that awful bliss of a sugar-induced tummy ache. :)

Butter Toffee Popcorn
from melskitchencafe.com

*Note: you want about 18 cups of popped corn. I've found that about 1/4 cup of unpopped kernels yields about 5 1/2 to 6 cups popped corn. While the recipe calls for 3/4 cup unpopped kernels, be sure to only add it a bit at a time in shifts according to your popcorn popper so the kernels don't burn. (That is Mel's comment. I don't have a popcorn popper, so I pop mine in a brown paper bag in the microwave. You can find the method here.)

*Makes about 18 cups of toffee popcorn (that seems like a lot, but trust me, it goes fast!)

3/4 cup unpopped popcorn kernels, white or yellow (I popped extra popcorn)
2 sticks butter
2 1/4 cups light brown sugar
3/4 cup dark corn syrup (I substituted honey)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
2-3 cups roasted, salted peanuts

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Grease two large rimmed baking sheets and set aside.

Pop the popcorn kernels, in shifts if needed to ensure your popcorn popper doesn't burn the popcorn, and place the popcorn in a large bowl, sifting through to remove the unpopped kernels.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. When melted add the brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Bring to a boil while stirring. Once the mixture starts boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring often, for 3 minutes. The mixture will be slightly thickened. Take the pot off the heat and stir in the vanilla and baking soda. The mixture will bubble so be careful.

Pour the caramel over the popcorn and mix slightly. Add the peanuts and mix well but gently (so you don't break apart the popcorn) until the popcorn is evenly coated and the peanuts are distributed through the mixture.

Turn the popcorn out onto the baking sheets, spreading into an even layer. Bake the popcorn for one hour, stirring and tossing every 20 minutes. Move the bottom tray to the upper rack and vice versa each time you stir. The popcorn will deepen in color and harden a bit as the caramel bakes and sets. Cool the popcorn to room temperature. Store in an airtight container. I've found the popcorn will keep, stored tightly, for 1-2 weeks.