How are you? It's been a while since I have written, so bear with me while I catch you up. Well, I survived my No Sugar January Challenge and guess what? I'm still (mostly) doing it! I really enjoyed taking a step away from the refined sugar and processed food cloud that surrounds me (I blame my children) and found some really good ways of snacking mindfully. My grocery bill did increase a little, but my waistline went down a little. So, it balanced out. My tooth stopped hurting, I have been sleeping better, and I expanded my cooking repertoire. I found some really great recipes and some not so great recipes. But I appreciate you guys sticking around and asking how it's going. Thanks for all your support! Also, there are a lot of new people reading, so if you want to read any of the older posts, you can find them at caskandgrove.blogspot.com.
And now, the store! We finally (Finally!) have some Northern Hemisphere extra virgin olive oils. I ordered two Italian oils, two Spanish oils, and three Organic Californian oils. I have high hopes for these guys. They're chemistry is outstanding and the Oro Bailen Picual from Spain racked up on the awards last month. Last year's Southern Hemisphere Harvest wasn't one of my all-time favorites. I felt like there were good mild olive oils and decent robust olive oils, but nothing really available in the medium intensity. It looks like this won't be the case for this harvest. We should have all the olives represented now! We'll have those coming out in the store throughout the next few weeks.
Speaking of olive oil, let me say that I am profoundly impressed with this magical substance, and not just because I peddle it. Right around Christmas time, I noticed that my sweet little baby had some angry red patches of skin on her chest. I didn't think too much about it, and suddenly her whole body was broken out. Being a rookie with treating skin problems (my son never had any), I bought pretty much anything I could find in Target/Walmart/Walgreens that was for eczema. Nothing put a dent it. For about a month, she would break out in a new spot every few days. My pediatrician prescribed a steroid cream, but I couldn't put that on her continuously. I could use it on break outs, but how should I prevent them? Then I went into our local baby store, Terra Tots and bought Birth Song Botanical's Healing Salve, per Jennifer's recommendation. MAGIC! It worked better than anything else in clearing her up. First ingredient? Olive oil. Now that she has stopped breaking out, I am preventing more angry skin by using the olive oil soap we carry at Cask & Grove and by smearing her with our Organic Extra Virgin Olive oil after her baths at night. It is amazing. Gentle and effective with no weird ingredients. Winning! Anyway, just thought I would share that nugget of info. (Also, if you ever have baby/kid questions, the folks at Terra Tots are a great resource.) Moving on...
We have more jars of olives, for all you olive aficionados out there. I have the small almond stuffed kind and the Abuela Recipe that is the large pitted, Gordal olives with onions. We should have some stuffed with green chilies as well. I also ordered more pesto, since my homemade pesto from the end of summer has long since run out. The pesto we carry is the next best thing to homemade, in my opinion. I like to add a tablespoon or two into my Pasta Primavera or use it, thinned with olive oil, as a pizza sauce. It's good stuff. Again, no weird ingredients or fillers!
Have you guys ever met someone who says, as a blanket statement, "I don't like salads?" Well, friends, I am here to dare that someone, no, I double dog dare that someone to say, "I don't like this salad." This, is the King of All Salads. It's basically your appetizer, main course, and dessert rolled into one. This is the Honey Mustard Cobb Salad. I don't know if that's the actual name, but it's the one I'm giving it. It has the following: crunchy Romaine, juicy cherry tomatoes, crispy bacon, pungent red onion, creamy avocado, perfectly hard boiled egg, and (insert adjective) grilled/baked chicken, topped with a sweet and tangy Honey Mustard Dressing. Yes. It's happening.
It seems like it will take a lot of prep, because it does. But it's 100% worth it. And I'll present you with some short cuts. First, preheat your oven to 400. You're going to bake your bacon. If you have never made oven bacon before, this will forever change the way you make bacon. Line a baking sheet with foil, put a wire cooling rack on top of your foil lined baking sheet. Lay your bacon out flat on the rack. Stick it in the oven for 35-40 minutes, rotating it if you have a hot spot in your oven. No splattering grease, no messy clean-up, perfectly even doneness. You're welcome. While you're bacon is baking, go ahead and bake your chicken, too! Grab another baking sheet, drizzle your chicken with (Garlic Infused) Olive Oil, salt and pepper and now you are free to prep the other items.Make 4 hard boiled eggs, which ever way you prefer to do that. I am Instant Potting anything that will stand still, so that's how I did mine. (I can't help myself! I need to write a love poem to Instant Pot.) Wash and chop your lettuce, slice a 1/4 of a red onion, grab a handful or two of cherry tomatoes, and halve and slice an avocado. Throw your salad all together and move on to your dressing.
By the way, the Garlic Olive Oil is the Flavor of the Month, so 20% off! Use it in anything you can dream of. I made a Cacio e Pepe Popcorn that was delicious. Air popped popcorn, Garlic Olive Oil, finely grated Parmesan Cheese, salt and black pepper. It was intense.
Well, enjoy your rainy rest of the week! I'll leave you with the recipe for Honey Mustard Cobb Salad so that the next time you hear, "I don't like salads," you can slap this together and say, "Oh yeah? Try this!" P.S. I bet if you wanted to make this a vegetarian salad, it would still be amazing with crispy baked tofu and chickpeas instead of the chicken and bacon. Any who, see you guys soon!
Honey Mustard Cobb Salad, aka "The King of All Salads"
Adapted from Cafe Delites and NY Times
10 oz. bacon, cooked and chopped1 lb. chicken breasts or thighs, cooked and chopped
4 eggs, hard boiled
1 head Romaine lettuce, washed and chopped
1 c. cherry tomatoes
1 avocado, sliced
1/4 red onion, sliced
Honey Mustard Dressing:
1/3 c. honey
3 Tbsp. Spicy brown mustard or Grainy mustard
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. Garlic Olive Oil
2 Tbsp. Apple Cider or Red Wine Vinegar
1. Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with foil, put a wire cooling rack on top of your foil lined baking sheet. Lay your bacon out flat on the rack. Bake for 35-40 minutes, rotating if necessary. When finished baking, transfer the bacon to paper towels until cool enough to crumble.
2. Drizzle chicken with Garlic Olive Oil, season with salt and pepper and grill, pan fry, or bake along side the bacon. (They bake for approximately the same amount of time, so it makes good sense to bake the chicken and bacon at the same time, but I understand if you prefer it grilled.) When chicken is cooked through and cool enough to handle, transfer to cutting board and slice thinly.
4. Prep all other salad ingredients. Wash and chop your lettuce, then slice your tomatoes, avocado, and red onion.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together all the Dressing ingredients until smooth.
6. Assemble your salad either in individual bowls or on a gigantic platter and dig in with gusto.
Cheers,
Andrea
