Steak and Blue Cheese Salad - Main Dish Salad

We are big fans of main dish salads and to help you lose

those holiday pounds that are still sticking around,

I thought I would create this salad.

I am using my grill pan that my daughter gave me a few years

ago to cook the steaks and the asparagus.  I seasoned them both

with olive oil and Montreal Steak Seasoning.

This salad is so wonderful with tomatoes, red onions, grilled

asparagus and mushrooms.  It is really tasty and filling.

It was just the two of us, although my teenage son came

home later and finished off the steak.

Normally I like to make my own dressing and I

am not a big fan of light dressings, but these two

from Paul Newman caught my eye and I have

loved experimenting with both of them.

(No, this is not an ad, but everyone that I have served

these dressings to wants to know what they are.)

 

For the dressing I mixed the Light Lime and my favorite

Ranch dressing and added Danish blue cheese.  I used

1/4 C. of each and it was the perfect combination.  The

Newman's Light Lime added such a fun punch to the

dressing.

Danish blue cheese is sooo creamy.  I picked mine up at

Wal Mart. 

Try this for a great "light" main dish salad.

I will be posting this with

Tasty Tuesday

Foodie Friday

Romantic Chocolate Creme Brulee

The romance of chocolate!

When we talk about chocolate being a romantic food,

what do you think it is?  Is it the flavor, or is it the

texture, or maybe both.  For me, so much of my

pleasure in chocolate is the silky texture.  If it is grainy

or gritty, then I would rather not eat it.

Chocolate Creme Brulee takes both chocolate and

creme brulee to a higher level, combining the flavors

and silky textures of both.

It is a perfect Valentine's  Day dessert.

I found these great heart shaped ramekins in a pale pink that

I knew would be perfect at Tai Pan. 

I love the color and the scalloped edges.

At only $1.57 each, I just had to get them.

Creme brulee is a simple combination of cream, sugar and

egg yolks.  This one has the addition of chocolate.

The French tend to have some of the most decadent desserts.

This French dessert then bakes in a bain marie - French for

water bath.  We owe so much to the French aristocracy and

their pastry chefs for world famous desserts like creme brulee.

I like to use a silicone oven mitt when I am working with

removing a pan like this out of the oven.  That way I won't

get burned if the hot water spills on my mitt.

After it bakes, cools and is refrigerated for 2 hours minimum,

top it with a combination of white and brown sugar.

I was so excited to use my little kitchen torch to melt the

sugar, but then I realize it didn't come with the butane,

and hubby couldn't find any at the store, so we did the

traditional melting under the broiler.

Chocolate Creme Brulee Recipe

2 C. heavy whipping cream

1/2 C. sugar

1/2 C. melted semi-sweet chocolate chips

6 egg yolks (large eggs)

3/4 tsp. vanilla

1/4 C. white sugar

1/4 C. brown sugar

Combine the cream and sugar in a medium sized

sauce pan and heat until warm.  Pour it over the

chocolate chips, whisking to melt the chocolate

and to make it smooth.  Whisk the egg yolks, then

whisk them into the chocolate cream a little at a

time.  Add the vanilla.  Pour into 6 small ramekins.

Place ramekins in a 10x15 inch bun pan.  Place

the pan in a preheated 350 degree oven with

the ramekins on the pan.  Pour hot water into

the bun pan around the ramekins and coming half

way up the ramekins.  Bake for 30 minutes.

Carefully remove from oven.  Remove ramekins

from the hot water and allow to cool to room temp.

then place in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.  The

baked creme must be cold so that it doesn't melt

when you broil the topping.

Remove from fridge and top with a mixture of

the white and brown sugar.  Broil the top under

the oven broiler, watching carefully not to burn or

use a small kitchen torch to melt the sugar. 

I like the creme brulee to become cold again, so

I like to place it back in the refrigerator for a couple

of hours. 

Fantastique!!

Bring a little romance to your table

anytime of the year with

Chocolate Creme Brulee.

I have to tell you that when I was last musing about having dessert

first on my Raspberry Bread Pudding post,

Maggie from The White Farmhouse said that

her mother, who was tiny always ate dessert first.  Maggie asked

the doctorabout that.

He told her that if you had to eat dessert (duh!) you

should eat it first as your body burns up the calories while digesting

the rest of your meal.  Now, Maggie, that is the kind of feedback

I love to hear.  Go visit Maggie, she has a great blog!

This romantic dessert will be partying

at

Pink Saturday

Favorite Things

Made By You Monday

Tasty Tuesday

Her Majesty, The Ice Queen's Table

The Ice Queen has certainly been to visit

here, spreading her magic of cold.

Through her influence, temperatures have dropped

to zero.

Purple Chocolat Home has set a table for her

to try and appease her.

Everything is frosty whites and silver, coldly beautiful

just like Her Majesty.

Ice drops decorate the table, dripping from

branches at the table's center and at

the center of the plates too.

You can see the table reflects the frostiness

of the out of doors.

Only the best for Her Majesty's table.

A gossamer shimmer of silver organza underlies it all.

Sparkling snowflakes adorn the napkin holders.

Layer upon layer of snow and ice.

Truly majestic.

The silvered salad plates remind one of an

ice skating pond.

Floating atop the ice skating pond are

crystalledized

branches.

A crown to symbolize a table fit for Her

Royal Highness.

Three crown jeweled bottles to serve her from.

Such luxury is necessary for her table.

You can almost hear the ice crack and pop.

Yes, she truly did appear, as evidenced by her icy

crown jewels.

Maybe pleasing her will bring a spring thaw soon.

Napkin rings, silver salad bowls, chargers - Z Gallerie

White large plates, crystal votives, crystal branches - Tai Pan

Crown bottles and crown ornament - Tai Pan

Silver plated flatware - Horchow

Silver plated goblets - Spiegel

This royal table will be on display

at

Tablescapes Thursday

Feathered Nest

Favorite Things

Valentine Counter Top

The kitchen island gets changed often.  I had a winter white

arrangement on the counter but now it is time for Valentines.

These fun red wood blocks spell out love, but when I went

to get them out of the storage box this year, the O

was missing.  Where could an O disappear to, I ask.

I improvised with this darling diamond ring votive

candle holder that my friend Ann gave me. 

I think it is better than it would have been.

(The O is still missing in action!)

Several people have commented on the diamond

ring.  It certainly fits the Valentine's mood.

If you saw my tablescape from last week, you know that

I enjoy Valentine's candy boxes and save them for

decor.  This year I found this great Dove chocolate box.

The shape is just exotic and it is a metal tin.

You can find this at Target or Wal Mart, or probably

any grocery store.

Of course, I will enjoy the Dove chocolates

melting slowly in my mouth.  They have the

most incredible mouthfeel.

This fun metal cloche is new this year and I have

already used it in several table tops.

This adorable heart shaped dish was a gift last

year and is usually filled with candy.

A beaded votive candle holder glows at night.

This is the winter white arrangement I had in the center of

my winter counter top decor.  I just added a few bright

red touches to make it over for this counter top.

I made this myself by filling the container with foam insulation,

then letting the insulation dry and adding silk florals,

greenery, balls and spanish moss.  This is so easy

and fun to do.

Fill your house with a little Valentine's Day color.

Come and visit both of the following parties and see a

lot more Tabletops and transformations from Boring

to Better.  Parties are a great way to get to meet other

very talented and fun bloggers.

I will be sharing this at these parties,

Tabletop Tuesday

Boring to Better

Feathered Nest