Cooking: Waldorf Salad

Ok, not really "cooking", more just "mixing". But Waldorf Salad is awesome! I always add pomegranate seeds to mine because they are so pretty and tasty.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of recipes out there for Waldorf Salad. Here's mine:

Salad parts:
Apples (I used 2 of each: braeburn, pink lady, honeycrisp, and granny smith)
Grapes, whatever kind are your favorite
2-3 stalks of celery
Pomegranate seeds
Walnuts

Dressing:
1 cup mayo
lemon juice, to taste
sugar, to taste

Chop up a few stalks of celery.

Cube the apples. Give them a quick dip in lemon juice to prevent browning!

A little trick I learned from Alton Brown, seed the pomegranates in a bowl of water.
1. You don't get squirted by red juice.
2. The seeds sink, the pith floats. Much easier to separate them that way!

I missed getting a photo of the dressing!

Mix everything together.

Final step: Put the yummy in the tummy!

This picture was taken 2 days after the salad was made.
Note that the apples are still almost their original
color, thanks to the lemon-juice bath!

Cooking: Chicken and Fennel Stew

I know I've been posting a lot of stews lately, but it's winter! Perfect soup/stew weather!

This is a recipe I've never made before, Chicken and Fennel Stew, from the cookbook The Primal Blueprint Cookbook.

The beer almost has my name!

Break down chicken. Salt & pepper (recipe didn't call for this, but I typically season my chicken before browning). Brown for about 5 minutes in a pot.

This is how NOT to do the chicken.
I got inpatient and pulled out the chicken
too early. They should be browned more.

Remove chicken and add chopped onion, fennel bulb, and mushrooms (I used a mixture of baby portabella and shitaki). Saute until softened.

Ground fennel seed. I used a mortar & pestle, you could also use a coffee grinder or finely chop with a knife if you don't have a mortar & pestle.
Smash saffron threads with a little bit of Belgian-style beer until they dye the beer.

Yes, my mortar & pestle is pink!

Add 1 1/2 bottles of Belgian-style beer to the pot. (Drink the leftover half a bottle!) Add the ground fennel seed and the saffron mixture. Add fresh minced garlic. Bring to a boil and add the chicken.

Cover and reduce heat to a simmer for about 30 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in 1/2 cup coconut milk. Add chopped kale and stir in until wilted.

Garnish with fresh chopped parsley. Yum!

Things I'll do different next time:

• De-bone and cube chicken instead of cooking whole bone-in pieces.
• Needs more salt. There was no salt called for in the recipe at all. (The recipe said to use either the beer or chicken stock, I obviously chose the beer; perhaps using chicken stock would have been enough salt.)

Cooking: Florida Seafood Casserole

This is one of my favorite casserole recipes, Florida Seafood Casserole!

And lemon juice! I missed getting it in the pic.

Saute chopped onion in butter until soft. 

Stir in 1/4 cup flour. Add half and half; cook until thick and bubbling.

Remove from heat. Stir in 1 cup cheddar cheese. (I do the cheese first because it melts in better.)

Then add:
3-4 cups cooked rice or quinoa
crab meat
cooked shrimp (I cut my shrimp in half to get more even distribution)
water chestnuts
pimentos (small jar or 1/2 a large jar)
handful of fresh parsley, chopped
lemon juice, to taste, about 3 tablespoons
salt & pepper, to taste

Mix well.

Pour into greased casserole dish. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes at 350°.

After removed from the oven, add the rest of the cheese and let it melt on top.

It sets up better if you wait about 10 minutes...
But I was hungry!

I also find this recipe makes a great brunch dish!