Southwest Wedge Salad with Cilantro Ranch Dressing

Here's a southwestern version of the
popular wedge salad. Very colorful!

Spoon on cilantro ranch dressing and

Cilantro Ranch Dressing

scatter with black beans, corn, onions,
chopped tomatoes, and avocado chunks
sprinkled with Mexican blend cheese.
Sprinkle the top with fresh cilantro.

A good salad for a crowd. I cut the usual sized

wedges in half for the buffet that included

roast pork loin with mango salsa and herb

roast chicken with black beans and rice. 

A pot luck with friends.

I even decided to forgo my usual South Florida
footwear for my cowboy boots.

Southwest Wedge Salad

iceberg lettuce

chopped tomatoes

chopped avocado

chopped green (or red)  onion

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can Fiesta corn, drained

1 bag shredded Mexican cheese

chopped fresh cilantro

Cut head lettuce into wedges. Spoon on

Cilantro Ranch Dressing. Scatter on top:
beans, corn, tomatoes, avocado, onions,
shredded cheese and sprinkle top with
 cilantro. Serve extra dressing at the table.

Cilantro Ranch Dressing

1 C mayonnaise

1/2 C sour cream

1/2 C buttermilk

2 T lime juice

1 t garlic powder

1 t salt
1 t sugar

1/2 t pepper

1/2 t chili powder

1/2 t Worcestershire sauce

1/4 C chopped fresh cilantro

Whisk together. Store in a jar.

tip: For a great Chopped Salad, just chop the
 lettuce and add the remaining ingredients.
 Add chopped hard boiled eggs, chicken,
or shrimp for a filling entree. Spoon on
dressing and toss. Sprinkle with cheese.

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Designs By Gollum

BLT Wedge Salad

A good salad to serve with grilled steaks. 

I prep all the ingredients beforehand

 so it takes just minutes to assemble.

If you don't have buttermilk, 

just add a little extra sour cream.
I've given measurements for the seasonings
to give an idea, but you can just eyeball it.
No need to measure seasonings

This will make 1 C of dressing and you

can easily double the recipe.

I mix it up in a jar so any extra can easily be stored 

in the refrigerator and I can make a quick 

wedge salad for lunch. Sometimes I top it with
a chopped hard boiled egg.

For a buffet, make mini wedge salads.
Just cut each wedge diagonally in half
 again and put on a platter and then dress.
Crisp and fresh!

                         Wedge Salad

Iceberg lettuce

4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 tomato diced

1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese

Cut lettuce in half, then cut each half into 2 wedges. Slice out the core.

Put wedges on a large platter for serving or on individual plates. Spoon a little dressing over each wedge. Sprinkle with chopped tomato, crumbled bacon and shredded cheese.

Serve remaining dressing at the table. Serves 4

Buttermilk Dressing

1/2 C mayonnaise

1/4 C buttermilk

1/4 C sour cream

1/2 t garlic powder

1/2 t vinegar

1/2 t salt

1/4 t Worcestershire sauce-a dash

1/4 t pepper

pinch cayenne

Combine all ingredients in a jar.

*For a classic wedge salad with blue cheese 

dressing add 1/3 C crumbled blue cheese 

and omit the tomato, bacon, and cheddar. 

Enjoy!

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My Romantic Home,

The Charm Of Home,

Marshall Field's Special Sandwich

The Walnut Room, Marshall Field's Special 

Sandwich. Memories of a truly amazing 

department store on Chicago's State Street.

It was always a wonderful place to go for 

lunch. Sadly, Fields is no longer, but you can

 still make their signature sandwich

The 'sandwich' is in fact a mountainous, delightful 

salad. It's no longer served at the new 'Macy's, 

so here's a step-by-step way to assemble them. 

This is a great use for after-Thanksgiving turkey 

or whenever you have leftover turkey breast.

 Butter one slice of good fresh rye bread. 

(I used 2 smaller pieces.)

 Lay on Swiss cheese.

Add a few turkey slices then 

top with some iceberg lettuce slices.

 Top with a large outer leaf to create a dome.
The Marshall Field sandwich had a huge dome
of lettuce on top. I've cut it back a bit.

 Top with a few more turkey slices.

 Spoon on good, preferably homemade 1000 Island

Dressing. Top with crisp bacon slices, hardboiled 

egg slices and tomato slices. Add a  sprig of

 parsley or basil to the top.  

 Layers of deliciousness! 

A little bite of everything on my fork. 

Marshall Field's Special Sandwich

Ingredients:

Iceberg lettuce
Turkey, thinly sliced
1000 Island Dressing, my easy homemade recipe HERE
Swiss cheese
Fresh good rye bread
Butter, softened
Bacon, 2 sliced cooked
Slice if hardboiled egg
Slice of tomato

How To Assemble:

1. Butter the rye bread and place on large plate.
2. Cover bread with Swiss cheese slice.
3. Next add 1 or 2 thin slices of turkey to cover.
4. Remove the large outer leaves from the lettuce
    and set aside.
5. Slice the some of the remaining lettuce into a
    few large sections and arrange a section on top
    of the turkey and Swiss cheese.
6. Cover the open-face 'sandwich' with the big
     outer lettuce leaf.
7. Top that leaf with several slices of turkey,
8. Spoon an ample amount of 1000 dressing over
     the top, allowing it to drizzle down the sides.
9. Add the bacon slices, criss-cross on top.
10. Add tomato slice and egg slice, top mound
      with a parsley sprig.

Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

I've created a board on Pinterest for
Marshall Field's

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The Charm Of Home, Rattlebridge Farm,

Teacup Eggs

These cute little teacup omelets take

 just about 2 minutes to make.

Assemble each teacup egg anyway you like

 it and pop it into the microwave.

A very fast breakfast, perfect little lunch or 

even dinner.

 Today I used leftover salsa and cheddar-jack

cheese and a dash of hot sauce.

  Everyone can make their own eggs with
 their favorite ingredients. This is a good time
to use that little bit of leftover vegetables
from dinner; like spinach, mushrooms,

 asparagus, broccoli, onions, peppers, along with

 fresh tomatoes, scallions, basil, and any cheese;

 cheddar, Swiss, mozzarella, feta, anything!

 I can even make these on our road 

trips in the van's microwave.

Teacup Eggs

(for each teacup)

2 eggs

2 T milk

salt & pepper

2 T cheese

2 T favorite fillings

Rub the inside of the teacup with oil

or butter. Crack the eggs into the cup

and whisk with a fork. Mix in the milk.

Stir in your choice of toppings: 

cheese, leftover cooked vegetables, 

spinach, mushrooms, peppers,

scallions, etc. No need to measure 

just don't fill more than 3/4 full. 

Micro for 45 seconds, 

remove and stir gently then return to

 microwave for another 30-45 seconds,

more or less until puffed and no longer

runny. Remove carefully.

Enjoy!

tip: You can also use ramekins or bake a large

batch of them on a baking sheet

in a 350º oven for about 15-20 minutes,

until golden and puffed.

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Herb Mayonnaise

You'll never want plain mayo on your
sandwich again!

Today I had a BALT sandwich for lunch; 

bacon, avocado, lettuce, tomato made even

 tastier with herb mayonnaise. 

It mixes up quickly. To 1 C mayonnaise stir in:

thyme, dill, parsley, red and black pepper.

 Mix well. Keep in the refrigerator.

It's great on a BLT or any sandwich. 

I got this recipe from a favorite lunch

spot in Bryson City, NC, the
 Everett Street Diner.

Herb Mayonnaise
1 C mayonnaise
1-1/2 t thyme
3/4 t dill 
1/2 t parsley
1/2 t red pepper flakes
1/4 t black pepper
Mix and store in a jar.

Enjoy!

 I also use my Homemade 1000 Island Dressing on sandwiches
 Get that recipe HERE.
Links: Rattlebridge Farm, Between Naps On The Porch