Spring Roll Salad

Perfect Pairing:  Mandolin

 

I have been lucky enough to tag along with my parents to Cabo over the last few years.  That trip is really something to look forward to when you live in Chiberia.  Especially this year!  We take it easy on vacation and spend a lot of time enjoying the views, reading, swimming, fishing (dad only), walking on the beach, trying new restaurants, meeting new friends, kayaking, working out, etc.  It is exactly what vacation should be! 

 

The first few times we went we barely left our resort for some reason.  Then in the last couple of years we have been all about trying new restaurants.  Cabo has some fabulous fine dining venues and charming holes in the wall with great food.  If you have an upcoming trip to Cabo and want some restaurant recommendations, shoot me an email at PerfectingThePairingBlog@gmail.com.  We keep notes on our favorites.

We love to sit outside and have the chef prepare the fish my dad caught that day.  This is just one of the charming spots that we go to every year.  Mom and I fell in love with the hanging basket lights that are all over Cabo, and actually brought some back with us this year.

 

We usually stick around the resort for lunch.  They had a new item on the menu this year called a Spring Roll Salad.  Basically it is a deconstructed spring roll in salad form served over lettuce.  It was the perfect poolside lunch.  Let’s be honest, anything with this view tastes pretty great.

 

I was determined to recreate the salad once I came home, and I think I came pretty close!

 

Thin rice noodles are combined with carrots, peppers, edamame, and fresh herbs (great time to use the herbs you are growing!), and then the whole thing is tossed in a light soy and sesame dressing.  I chose to not serve mine over lettuce, but you certainly could.  It is also great topped with grilled shrimp or chicken.

 

If you have a mandolin, this is the time to break it out!  I used it to slice strips of carrots which I then julienned.  I also used it for the pepper strips on a slightly wider setting.

 

I am excited to serve this at my next summer BBQ!  Such a change from the traditional summer fare.

 

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Garlic and Herb Cheese Crostini with Summer Tomato Sauce
 

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Chocolate and Banana Overnight French Toast

Perfect Pairing:  Overnight softened butter

I must have a thing for overnight breakfast items.  Let me demonstrate.

Overnight Muesli (fun fact, I don’t think I have EVER spelled muesli correctly on the first attempt)

Overnight French Toast

Overnight Cornbread Strata

Overnight All Purpose Breakfast Casserole

I love being able to get the prep work done the night before, and breakfast is ready for the oven the next morning.  Often, I will prepare breakfast while I am making dinner and enlist family and friends to do the cleanup.  It is a good system.

I needed to add one more overnight recipe to the breakfast lineup, Chocolate and Banana French Toast.  It is as good as it sounds.

It is made of layers of cinnamon raisin bread, bananas, chocolate chips, and is topped with an oatmeal streusel (also never get the spelling of that right on the first try).  How can you go wrong with those ingredients? 

You could easily swap out the cinnamon raisin bread for just cinnamon if you don’t like raisins in your breakfast.  I know that is pretty common.  I personally really liked it with the raisins.  You can top with syrup, but it hardly needs it.  Gilding the lily?

The oatmeal streusel is made with oatmeal, brown sugar, and softened butter.  It is really important for the butter to be soft when you mix this up.  I would suggest putting the butter on the counter the night before when you are prepping.  It will be the perfect consistency in the morning.  There have been many times I have tried to speed up the process by using the microwave, but I inevitably forget and end up with half melted, half softened butter.

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing:  Raisin Bran Muffins

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing:  Best Ever Blueberry Muffins

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Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Perfect Pairing: Spring loaded scoop

Finally!  The start of summer is here!  No wonder record levels of people are hitting the roads this weekend.  This winter made everyone crazy for warm weather and warm weather activities.  I can’t wait!

There has been a lack of posting in May on Perfecting the Pairing, mainly because of an  incredible trip to France.  I just got home a couple days ago and I am adjusting to real life.  I was in Paris for work and then extended for a few days of vacation in Nice.  I studied for a semester in Nice and this was my first time back.  I still adore it!  The trip was absolutely wonderful, mainly because I was joined by my fabulous boyfriend.  Talk about romantic!  Some highlights??  Well don’t mind if I do!

Exploring Paris, walks along the Seine, and Montmarte

Top of the Eiffel Tower at sunset

Speaking of the Eiffel Tower, my welcome reception dinner room (I was the meeting planner) had a pretty insane view.

The food and wine, obviously!

Clearly we hated this meal.

We finished our time in Paris with a dinner cruise on the Seine.  Wow.  Just.... wow.

My favorite part of Nice is the old section of the town, Vieux Nice.  Filled with tiny streets, old buildings, shops, and charm.

Eze is a medieval village between Nice and Monaco and is pretty much heaven on earth. 

 

This would be the most expensive mojito and gin and tonic in history but totally worth it because it came with a view.

On our last morning we went to the flower and produce markets in Vieux Nice.  

We couldn’t resist buying some strawberries to enjoy with our baguette sandwiches.  I forgot strawberries could be so good.  

Until next time Nice!

So, it was pretty a pretty amazing trip.  Fortunately, the best part of vacation (the man) came back to Chicago with me!

Muffins!  One weekend morning I was craving muffins and came up with these lemon poppy seed muffins with a lemon glaze.  They were so easy and tasty.  The glaze puts them over the top!

I have talked about spring loaded scoops on here many times, but I am going to keep pushing them.  They are the perfect tool for muffins, cookies, truffles, etc.  Every kitchen needs a set in various sizes!

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing:  Sweet Potato and Sausage Breakfast Hash

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing:  Spinach and Artichoke Grilled Cheese

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Grilled Chili Lime Sweet Potatoes

Perfect Pairing:  Tongs

Don't look now, but I think Spring has finally sprung in Chicago!  It is about time.  It looks like it will be a lovely weekend for a wedding of two of my favorite people.  My cousin, Scott, is marrying the incredible Natalie on Saturday right on Michigan Avenue.  I am so excited for them and for the wedding! 

Since we have some warm weather you may want to fire up the grill!  Try out these grilled sweet potatoes.  They are the perfect warm weather side.
 
I absolutely adore sweet potatoes.  I think they fit perfectly into one of my favorite categories, sweet and salty.  They are great baked with a little butter and salt, but this grilled recipe is a fun change. 

Before grilling the potatoes I peeled and wedged them, and then par-boiled them.  I figured they would burn on the grill before they got cooked through.  You want to get them to just fork tender, but not mushy.  Before going on the grill they are tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, and chili powder.  When they are done they are topped with fresh lime juice and zest.  It seems like an odd combination but it works really well with the chili powder.  Such a healthy side dish!

The potatoes will need to be turned occasionally on the grill, and the easiest way to do that is with a good pair of tongs.  I would put tongs on my short list of necessary kitchen equipment.  I really like the OXO version with the locking pop top.  I can’t tell you how many people I have watched struggle with how to “work” the tongs with that kind of top.  I get a kick out of it.

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing:  Simple Lemon Green Beans

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing:  Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies

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Tuna Noodle Casserole

Perfect Pairing:  Rainy day

 

Tuna noodle casserole typically does not fall under the gourmet category.  It may not be fancy but it is some seriously good comfort food.

A few weeks ago after church my boyfriend and I were going to swing by the grocery store to pick up something for lunch.  It was a cold and rainy day, which is the perfect setup for comfort food and movies.  I asked him what sounded good and gave him a rundown of possible menu options and he chose pasta.  So for the rest of the ride to the store I came up with a tuna noodle casserole recipe in my head.

 

Friends…. This is good eats.  It was the perfect thing to enjoy on a rainy day (which there have been WAY too many of recently in Chicago) and it was really cheap!  The sauce is a simple white sauce that is enhanced with Dijon mustard, sour cream, and two kinds of cheese.  No canned soups here!  I swapped out the traditional potato chip topping for Ritz crackers since I had them on hand.

 

Plan on lots of leftovers!  I sent some home with my boyfriend who ended up eating it for the next four out of five meals.  I think it is safe to say he liked it.
 

 

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing:  Greek Turkey Burgers

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Risotto with Corn, Roasted Peppers, and Pepper Jack Cheese

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Asparagus and Eggs

Perfect Pairing:  Peeler

Growing up we had asparagus almost every night for dinner in the spring.  It grew in a patch of garden at the very back of our yard.  I had no idea how lucky I was to be eating fresh asparagus every night! 

Asparagus is a great thing to have in a garden because it grows back so quickly.  I swear we could clean out the patch and it would be ready to harvest again in a couple of days.  I have fond memories of walking out to the back of the yard on a gorgeous spring evening with the dog to pick asparagus for dinner.

This recipe for asparagus and eggs is great for a quick brunch or even a light dinner.  It is fresh, healthy, and delicious.  Roasted asparagus is tossed in lemon juice, then topped off with parmesan shavings and a fried egg.

The Perfect Pairing for this recipe is a vegetable peeler.  It is the perfect tool to use for parmesan shavings.

 

 

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing:  Sweet Potato with Kale, Mushrooms, and Pancetta

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Thai Chicken Noodle Soup

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