Spinach Salad with Oranges, Pomegranate, and Almonds

Tomorrow is the big day! Is everyone ready? I sure hope so. We are still without plans, but don't worry about us, we are excited to have a relaxing day. I am sure we will cook up something tasty, it just won't be the traditional feast.

If you need a last minute salad idea, I have a great one to share. I made this Spinach Salad with Oranges, Pomegranate, and Almonds for our Thanksgiving meal and it went over really well. I bought a big tub of fresh spinach from Costco. I added orange slices, pomegranate arils, and almonds. For the dressing, I whisked together olive oil, POM juice, red wine vinegar, fresh orange juice, a little agave, salt, and pepper.

The salad was gorgeous! I love the color the pomegranate and orange slices add. The almonds provided a nice little crunch too. The dressing was light and added just enough sweetness to the mix. Wow your family and friends with this salad tomorrow!

If you are still looking for Thanksgiving recipes, here are a few of my favorites:
My dad's famous Potato Rolls
Salad with Maple Mustard Dressing
Fresh Cranberry Sauce with Orange Zest
Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Yams, and Brussel Sprouts with Rosemary
Pumpkin Blondies
Apple Cinnamon Galette
Pumpkin Cake Roll

**And some good news-our blog was featured in the Salt Lake City Tribune today. Check out the article here! Thanks for mentioning us!**

Have a very happy and safe Thanksgiving!

Spinach Salad with Oranges, Pomegranate, and Almonds

(Printable Recipe)

Fresh spinach (I use the fresh spinach from Costco)
2 oranges, peeled and sliced
1 pomegranate, peeled and seeded
Almonds

Dressing:
1/2 cup POM juice
1 T red wine vinegar
Juice of one orange
2 T agave nectar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper-to taste

1. Add fresh spinach to a large salad bowl. Add the oranges, pomegranate arils, and almonds.
2. To make the dressing-in a small bowl add the POM juice, vinegar, orange juice, and agave nectar. Whisk in the olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Toss the salad with the dressing and serve.

Dorie's Corniest Corn Muffins

I only have to work three days this week. I love holidays:) Even though we don't have big Thanksgiving plans, I am still excited for some time off and football. Speaking of football, we saw The Blind Side over the weekend and we LOVED it. I highly recommend it!

I have been making a lot of soup lately. It always hits the spot on a cold day and unfortunately, Utah gets its fair share of cold days. Corn muffins are the perfect side to any bowl of steaming, hot soup or chili.

I made Dorie's Corniest Corn Muffins the other day and they were delicious. I love how easy they were to make. You can whip these up just as fast as a box of Jiffy mix and they are much better. I love the hearty chunks of corn and how moist and tender they are. I think they are best served warm with a drizzle of honey or a little homemade jam. Josh likes to dunk his in whatever soup we are having.

If you are afraid of yeast rolls, make these muffins for Thanksgiving this year. Your guests will appreciate a big basket of Dorie's corn muffins. I am sure of it!

Corniest Corn Muffins

Adapted from Baking From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan

(Printable Recipe)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
6 tablespoons sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
1 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 tablespoons corn oil
2 eggs
1 cup corn kernels-I used frozen corn

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Butter or spray the 12 muffin molds in a regular-size muffin tin, or fit the molds with paper muffin cups.

Working in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. In a large glass measuring cup with a spout or in another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, melted butter, oil, egg and yolk. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and, with the whisk or a rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir to blend. Don’t worry about being thorough – the batter will be lumpy and that’s just the way it should be. Stir in the corn kernels. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin molds.

Slide the pan into the oven and bake 15 to 18 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a knife inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Pull the pan from the oven and carefully lift each muffin out of its mold and onto a rack to cool.

Dorie's Storing Tips: Like all muffins, these are best eaten the day they are made. If you want to keep them, it’s best to wrap them airtight and pop them into the freezer, where they’ll keep for about a month; re-warm in a 300°F oven, if you’d like, or split them and toast them—do that and they’ll be that much more delicious with butter.

If you like these corn muffins, you might also like:

Spicy Corn Muffins from Two Peas and Their Pod

Skillet CornBread from Two Peas and Their Pod

Whole Wheat and Flax Cornbread Muffins from This Week for Dinner

Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins from Awake at the Whisk

Thanksgiving Side: Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Yams, and Brussel Sprouts with Fresh Rosemary

Do you have your Thanksgiving menu planned out yet? I will be sharing some of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes this week in case you need some last minute help:) I have mentioned before that I am not a huge fan of the traditional Thanksgiving foods, but don't worry, I always come up with tasty things to eat:)

We celebrated Thanksgiving early this year because my dad was visiting. We had a huge feast with all of the traditional foods. I also made roasted sweet potatoes, yams, and brussel sprouts. I added red onion, garlic, and fresh rosemary too. Roasting the vegetables really brings out the best flavor. This is an easy side dish that is healthy and full of flavor. I highly suggest you add roasted vegetables to your menu this year. They are my favorite.

Roasted Sweet Poatoes, Yams, and Brussel Sprouts with Fresh Rosemary

(Printable Recipe)

2 sweet potatoes (white flesh), peeled and cut into cubes

2 yams (orange flesh), peeled and cut into cubes

2 cups brussel sprouts, washed and cut in half

1 red onion, cut into big chunks

5 garlic cloves, peeled

Drizzle of olive oil

Fresh rosemary, finely chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray.

2. Put the potatoes, yams, brussel sprouts, onion chunks, and garlic cloves in a large bowl.

3. Lightly drizzle the vegetables with olive oil. Stir until they are all coated.

4. Season the vegetables with the fresh rosemary and salt and pepper. Stir again.

5. On the large baking sheet, add the vegetables. Make sure they are laid out flat. Place the baking sheet in the hot oven.

6. Roast vegetables for about 40-45 minutes, stirring them every 15 minutes or so. I like them a little crispy around the edges:)

7. I always remove the garlic cloves to serve, but if you want to eat them, go for it. Serve hot.

If you like these roasted vegetables, you might also like:

Roasted Vegetables from Alexandra's Kitchen

Roasted Autumn Vegetable Chowder from Pinch My Salt

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Balsamic Vinegar from White on Rice Couple

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Red Onions, Rosemary, and Parmesan from Kalyn's Kitchen

Healthy Sweet Potato Fries from Two Peas and Their Pod

The Pioneer Woman Cooks and Skillet Cornbread

The world famous Pioneer Woman, Ree Drumond, was in Utah this week to promote her new cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks. Ree's blog is extremely popular, she has millions of fans. She is loved for her recipes, sense of humor, stellar photography, down to earth personality, beauty, and stories. (I could go on and on, but you all know she is amazing.)

I was fortunate enough to hear Ree speak at the Blogher Food Conference in San Francisco. She was one of the main presenters and I loved hearing about her life and blogging experiences. I even got to meet her after one of the sessions. Gaby and I went up to say hi and she was so sweet to us. So when I heard she was coming to Utah, I knew I couldn't miss out.

Ree was busy while she was in Utah. Everyone wanted a piece of her:) I watched her live cooking segment on Studio 5, the same show I made my banana cinnamon cake on a few months ago. She showcased her flat apple pie. Of course she was stunning and the pie looked amazing! Can't wait to make this one.

That night I attended the book signing with a few of my favorite Utah food blogging friends, Food Finery, Barbara Bakes, The Table Runner, and Vintage Mixer. We knew it was going to be a zoo, so we got there super early. The Table Runner was the first one in line, yahoo!

We had 3 hours to kill until The Pioneer Woman was supposed to speak so we ordered some food from Mazza and had a little picnic. We split vegetarian grape leaves, hummus, baba ganooj, and pita bread. It was quite tasty! Thanks Barbara for providing the blanket:)

While we were waiting in line we met some new friends. One of the girls behind us even was a regular reader of my blog. How fun!

I couldn't believe the massive amount of people that showed up. The line was neverending! There were people everywhere with cookbooks in there hands. You could feel the energy. We were finally let inside and we got front row seats.

When The Pioneer Woman arrived with Missy and her mother-in-law the room exploded with applause and loud cheers. The room was packed to the max! Ree spoke to the group and answered questions from the audience. She talked for about 20 minutes. A few of the highlights: she did her Ethel Merman impression, talked about wearing "spanks," and of course told a few funny ranch stories.

We were the first ones to get our books signed. I am so glad we got the golden A tickets. Ree was so nice and posed for a few photos. We were also able to chat for a few minutes. She remembered me from Blogher Food and even talked about a few of my tweets:) She said she loves Utah and wants to come back. I really hope she does.

When we left the bookstore the crowds were even thicker. There were people everywhere. I am glad Utah showed Ree how much we love her!

Now onto the book. I love it! I got it last week and haven't had time to make very many recipes, but I have enjoyed reading the stories and looking at the amazing photography. You can tell each page was crafted with love. The book reads like a family journal. Ree includes photos and stories about her family, ranch animals, friends, and recipes. Even Josh picked it up and commented on the pictures and pointed out a few recipes he wants to try-the pulled pork is at the top of the list:)

I did make Ree's skillet cornbread and it is fabulous. It took me five minutes to whip up. I don't have a skillet, gasp!, so I made it in a round cake pan. This is the easiest cornbread I have ever made and everyone loved it.

Hop on over to What's Gaby Cooking for another terrific recipe from The Pioneer Woman. Our goal is to go to the ranch someday:)

Skillet Cornbread
Recipe from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

(Printable Recipe)

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. shortening

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

In a bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, salt and baking powder & whisk together.
Measure buttermilk and milk in a measuring cup. Stir in the egg with a fork. Add baking soda and stir. Pour into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir with a fork just until combined.

In a small bowl, melt 1/4 cup shortening in the microwave. Slowly add melted shortening to the batter, stirring just until combined. In an iron skillet over high heat, melt the remaining 2 Tbsp. shortening. Pour the batter into the hot skillet and spread to even out the surface. Cook on the stovetop for about a minute, then bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. The edges should be crispy.

*NOTE* I don't have a cast iron skillet, so I just sprayed a 9 inch round cake pan and baked the cornbread in the oven. I didn't melt the 2 T. of shortening or cook it on the stove. Those were my only changes. I baked it for 20 minutes.

Spinach Salad with Tortellini, Dried Cranberries, Apples, Almonds, and Feta

I love browsing Foodgawker and TasteSpotting for cooking and baking inspiration. The only problem is I usually end up hungry:) Last week I saw Picky Cook's tortellini salad and immediately bookmarked it.

On Sunday I was feeling lazy, but still wanted a tasty meal. This salad popped into my mind. I didn't have the exact ingredients, but that didn't stop me. I just switched things up a bit. I used frozen cheese tortellini and spinach as the base of the salad. I also added in dried cranberries, Granny Smith apple slices, almonds, and feta cheese. I drizzled the salad with balsamic dressing and voila-a masterpiece in minutes.

The dried cranberries and apples gave the salad a nice sweetness. The almonds also added a nice crunch. This salad is very filling because of the tortellini and all of the goodies involved. Enjoy it as a meal or serve a little bit on the side of your favorite fall soup.

Spinach Salad with Tortellini, Dried Cranberries, Apples, Almonds, and Feta

Inspired by Picky Cook

(Printable Recipe)

Fresh spinach leaves

Cheese tortellini, cooked, drained, and chilled

Dried cranberries

Granny Smith apple, cut into thin slices

Almonds

Feta cheese

Balsamic dressing

1. Cook the tortellini according to package instructions. I used frozen tortellini. Drain and rinse with cold water.

2. Place a bed of spinach on a plate.

3. Add tortellini, dried cranberries, apple slices, almonds, feta cheese, and dressing.

4. Eat and enjoy.

You might also like:
Greek Style Tortellini Salad from RecipeGirl
Pesto Tortellini with Sauteed Vegetables and Parmesan Cheese from For the Love of Cooking
Tortellini Skewers from Dana Treat

Tortellini Vegetable Soup from Two Peas and Their Pod

Recipe for Roasted Potato Wedges

It's finally Friday, yahoo! Any fun plans? I have the day off so I am catching up on house cleaning and errands. Tonight I am going to meet up with two of my food blogging friends for dinner. Kalyn, of Kalyn's Kitchen, is having me and Chris, from Mele Cotte, over for dinner. It should be a fun night.

My dad is flying in late tonight from Illinois. He is only going to be here for the weekend, but I will take what I can get:) We plan on going to the Farmer's Market Saturday morning and we might try a hike later on. We will pack in as much fun as possible.

Today I am sharing an easy recipe for roasted potato wedges. They are the perfect side to so many dishes. Adults and kids love them too. You can keep it simple and flavor them with salt and pepper, or you spice things up with Cajun spices, chili powder, cumin, etc. I like to add fresh rosemary and Spike seasoning. You can serve them plain or with dipping sauces. Roasted potato wedges are a healthy alternative to French fries. They are tasty, easy, and cheap too!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Roasted Potato Wedges

(Printable Recipe)

4 potatoes, washed, scrubbed, and cut into wedges (we leave the skin on)

Olive oil

Salt/pepper (use other seasonings if you wish)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. On a baking sheet toss the potato wedges with a little bit of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Use additional seasonings if you wish.

3. Spread out the wedges on the baking sheet. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Make sure you toss and turn the wedges every 10 to 15 minutes. You want them to be a little crispy.

4. Serve plain or with dipping sauces such as ketchup, bbq sauce, etc.