Spring Brunch: Spinach and Strawberry Salad

 

 Spring fever is in the air.  

The weather is wonderful and what better time than now to have a nice Spring Brunch.  Make this for Mother's Day or just because.  

It's time to lighten up your dishes and celebrate with the season's fresh spring fruits and vegetables available now.  

I've seen some beautiful strawberries lately.  Plump, ripe, and juicy they make your mouth water just imagining how they taste.  So strawberries are the center of attention in today's salad.  Simple, delicate, but light and tasty.  A perfect first course for a wonderful meal!

I made this for Easter this year and it was a hit with everyone.  So here's the starting course of this wonderful Spring Brunch.  I'll be bringing the main course, side dishes, and dessert over the next week.

Remember to take time out with your family, to slow down and enjoy life...and a good spring meal!

Spinach and Strawberry Salad

Serves: 8 to 10

Time: 10 Minutes

2 (6-ounce) packages fresh baby spinach

2 pints fresh strawberries, sliced

1 English Cucumber, sliced

Raspberry Vinaigrette

Combine baby spinach and strawberries in a large bowl; toss with 1/2 cup Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing just before serving.

New York Style Sausage and Mushroom Pizza

Pizza has to been one of America's favorite foods.

It's so versatile that every region has their own version, both with the crust and the toppings!  Some examples are NY Style, Chicago Deep Dish, Detroit Sicilian Square and California Style.

Experimenting with different crusts and toppings is a lot of fun to do.   I remember visiting New York and there were two things I had to eat.  Junior's Cheesecake, and NY Style pizza.  We accomplished both!  The cheesecake was outstanding, but the pizza....AWESOME.  Something I will never forget.  The ambiance of the pizza place, and the flavor of the pizza itself.  Memories that are burned in my brain.

So let's re-create a NY Style pizza.  Most important is the crust.  You have to have a nice crust that is both crispy and chewy.  I used my Best Pizza Dough Ever as the crust and it was perfect.  Next, choosing the toppings.  I chose the same topping we had in NY.  Sausage and Mushroom.  Wonderful Italian sausage is cooked and crumbled, and placed alongside the cooked mushrooms on the pizza.  A little sauce, and some fresh mozzarella and the ingredients are set.

The result turned out really good.  The crust isn't exactly like that of NY, but will never be without their water which lends a flavor we can't get here.  But, it is a great variation!

New York Style Sausage and Mushroom Pizza

makes 1 12" pizza

Pizza dough (my Favorite Pizza Dough)
Pizza Sauce (your favorite or here's mine)
1/4 lb. cremini or button mushrooms, sliced 
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 lb. sweet or hot Italian pork sausages, casings removed 
All-purpose flour and cornmeal for dusting
1/2 lb. fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced 

Place a large pizza stone on the oven rack, and preheat an oven to 450°F, allowing at least 20 minutes for the oven to preheat fully. 

In a large frying pan, heat 1 Tbs. oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until they give off their juices and are browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the sausages to the pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring and breaking them up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the mushrooms. Set aside.

Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a ball.  Reserve one ball for another use.  Roll, pat and stretch the dough into a round about 12 inches in diameter.  Dust a pizza peel or the back of a baking sheet generously with cornmeal.  Transfer the dough to the peel.  Spread with the sauce, leaving a 3/4-inch border uncovered. Top with half of the mozzarella, and the mushroom mixture. 

Slide the pizza off the peel onto the hot stone. Bake until the crust is golden brown, about 12 minutes. Using a wide spatula or a rimless baking sheet, remove the baked pizza from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Cut and serve.

Easy Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

What should you do with your leftover chicken?

Make a quick weeknight meal of Easy Creamy Chicken Enchiladas.

This dish takes a little help from Philadelphia Santa Fe Blend Cooking Creme.  I saw this new product in my local grocery store and the Santa Fe flavor caught my eye.  What a great way to introduce Latin flavors into a cream cheese cooking creme!  I quickly bought some and couldn't wait to try it out.  It's an obvious choice for Enchiladas since you want your filling moist and creamy.

I had just made some chicken breasts the night before and had some leftovers.  Perfect redo for the leftovers!  If you don't have any leftover chickens on hand a rotisserie chicken will work.  If you want to make fresh poached chicken, check out my recipe here.

I also picked up a bottle of my favorite enchiladas sauce from Sprouts, which has a little kick.  These are going to be quick, but yummy enchiladas.  Don't worry, it's okay to take a little help from some pre-made ingredients.

The result?  I had just enough leftover chicken for MGG and me to each have 2 enchiladas.  The cooking creme was a great touch to the chicken.  The flavor was subtle and tasty.  These were perfect in a pinch!

I'm glad I tried it, and will try adding it to pasta next time.

So give this easy weeknight meal a try.  Be creative and add your favorite ingredients as well.  I'm sure it will be a winner at your house.

Easy Creamy Chicken Enchiladas 

serves 2


1/2 small yellow onion, diced small 
1 t canola oil
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken breasts
1 cup canned diced tomatoes, no salt added, drained 
1/4 tub (10 oz.) Philadelphia Santa Fe Blend Cooking Creme
1/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated 
4 flour tortillas (6 inch)
1 cup of enchiladas sauce
Garnish:  shredded cheese, sour cream (Optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add diced onion and cook for 5 minutes until soft, stirring occasionally.  Add chicken, tomatoes, cooking creme, and shredded cheese.  Stir to combine.

In a baking dish add a little of the enchilada sauce in the bottom.  Take 1/3 cup chicken mixture and place it down the center of each tortilla and roll up.  Place seam side down in a baking dish.  Continue until all enchiladas are complete.  Top with remaining enchiladas sauce and cover with foil.   Bake 15 minutes.  Remove cover and sprinkle with cheese.  Return to oven and bake uncovered 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Serve with garnishes if desired.