Chopped Salad, American-style!

This salad dates back aways, but while it may be historic, it is really delicious. If you don't have the time or interest in this dressing, we have substituted a Honey-Lemon yogurt dressing.

Ingredients:

• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved or 1 or 2 large tomatoes, diced
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 2 Romaine lettuces, or 4 little Boston or butter lettuces, sliced thin
• 1 cup of black olives, sliced thin
• 1 cup baby carrots, sliced thin
• 1 cup celery, sliced thin
• 1 handfuls of mixed fresh herbs (parsley, basil, chives, mint)
• 2 teaspoons English mustard
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Steps:

1. Wash the salad ingredients and drain, then get a large chopping board and a chef’s knife, and get ready to chop!
2. It is important to dice the tomatoes, pepper, cucumber into 1/2 inch pieces, as this will help to bind with the dressing when you come back to mix it in.
3. With the greens, just make sure you chop them all into 1/2 inch strips.
4. Make a well in the center of the veggies.
5. Add the mustard, vinegar, and oil - mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Now fuss with the flavor, remember you don't get time to let this stand, it must be flavorful from the get-go.
6. Toss the salad well and bring to the table to a choruses of "Hurrahs".

Serves 6.

Perfect Custard

This is a great base custard, especially for trifle. Hold those egg whites for another day (angel food cake, anyone?).

Ingredients

• 3 cups whole milk
• 8 large egg yolks
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Steps

1. Heat milk in a 2 1/2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until hot but not boiling.
2. While milk heats, whisk together yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a heatproof bowl until smooth.
3. Add 1 cup hot milk to yolk mixture in a stream, whisking, then add remaining milk, whisking constantly. Transfer mixture to saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and registers 170°F on thermometer, 6 to 10 minutes (do not boil).
4. Immediately force custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl and stir in butter and vanilla.
5. Chill custard, its surface covered with wax paper, until cold and thickened, at least 3 hours.

Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Pancakes

So, the little ones asked for BFD (breakfast-for-dinner) and they love pancakes above all else (much to my waffle-philia). Daughter #2 "Sweet-Tooth" said, "Oh, what about... chocolate chip pancakes?"

With buttermilk in the fridge for a couple of recipes later this week, this seemed like a logical choice for light, fluffy pancakes.

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour (mix-n-match white and wheat flours)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 4 Tbsp oil or melted butter
• 1 cup of mini chocolate chips

Steps

1. Heat a griddle at 375 F.
2. Mix together the dry ingredients thoroughly.
3. Make a well in the dry stuff and crack the eggs. Scramble the eggs. Slowly add the milks and the oil. Mix until just moistened (like brownie batter).
4. Finally add the chips and just mix through.