Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

Best served with white wine on a new porch while the baby is sleeping. We had no wine, a very awake baby, and a crappy old porch and it was still good!


Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
Adapted from Gimme Some Oven

• 1 pound dry farfalle pasta
• 1 pound cooked chicken breasts, diced
• 1 small head of Romaine lettuce, roughly chopped
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup croutons, I cheated and used store bought
• 1 batch of Greek Yogurt Caesar Dressing (see below)
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• NEXT TIME: 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

Cook pasta in salted water according to package instructions.  Drain the pasta with a colander and rinse with cold water.  Add pasta to a large salad bowl.

Add remaining ingredients and toss until combined. Serve immediately. 

Greek Yogurt Caesar Dressing

• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 3-4 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons anchovy paste
• 2 teaspoons worestershire sauce
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• pinch of pepper
• 2-4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Whisk together all ingredients except for the lemon juice.  Whisk in the lemon juice one tablespoon at a time until the balance taste right. Serve immediately or refrigerate for 3 days.

Breakfast Pizza, anyone?

My absolute favorite thing on a groggy Saturday is throwing a fried egg on top of leftovers. Well, we didn't have any leftovers.  The good news is this is the best breakfast ever. The bad news is your day can get nothing but worse from here. 

Breakfast Pizza

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

• one pizza dough thawed since last night 
• 6 strips bacon
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 2 cups grated mozzarella
• 6 large eggs
• pepper, freshly ground obvi
• 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons chives, thinly sliced
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• cornstarch

The night before thaw your pizza dough or make a pizza dough.  As soon as you wake up the only goal is to bring that dough to room temperature. That means dough out of the fridge before you put your contacts in or before you get the crying baby. Priorities.

30 minutes before you want to bake- put a pizza stone or a baking pan in the oven and preheat to 500 degrees F. If you aren't worried the smoke detector will go off its because your oven isn't hot enough or you have disabled that thing years ago.

Meanwhile: prepare everything else. Roll out the dough on a floured countertop, fry the bacon and chop it up, grate the cheeses, and chop the herbs.

When everything is ready pull out the pizza stone and place on the countertop (probably on pot holders). Sprinkle cornstarch on the stone or pan and then the place the rolled out dough on top. Top the dough with the Parm, Mozzarella, and bacon. Crack the eggs over the cheese.

Bake for 8-10 minutes rotating the pizza halfway through.  Before removing make sure the egg whites are set, and crust is golden.  Scoot it off the stone to a cutting board.  Sprinkle all of the onions and herbs on top. Cool until the cheese is set (like 2 minutes) and serve asap.

Naan Naan Naan Naan

Homemade breads are the most rewarding, even if they are the messiest. Oh Lord this was good. I even froze a couple and they are just as good out of the freezer with a quick trip through the toaster oven.

Please, eat with the Greek Pork Patties. They are the perfect bread to sop up the leftover grease in the skillet.

Homemade Naan

Adapted from Gimme Some Oven

Makes 8

• 1 cup warm water
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 1/4 teaspoons dry active yeast
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup butter
• 3 cloves garlic, minced

In a bowl for a stand mixer, let the honey dissolve in the water, sprinkle the yeast on top and give it a stir.  Let sit for 5 minutes until yeast is foamy.

With the dough hook attachment, turn the mixer on low and add egg, baking powder, salt, Greek yogurt and lastly flour.  Increase speed to medium low for 3 minutes until dough is smooth and a little sticky. 

Remove dough, shape into a ball and then put it back in the bowl. Cover it with a towel and let sit in a warm location for an hour. Dough should double in size. 

Meanwhile heat the butter in a small pot and once melted at the garlic. Cook for a minute or two then remove from heat and set aside.

Once the dough has doubled move to a floured surface and cut into 8 even pieces.  Roll each piece into a ball then with a rolling pin roll out into a large oval about 1/4 inch thick. Brush both sides with butter.

Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add a piece of rolled-out dough, cook for a minute, flip and cook for another minute. It should be a golden brown with some darker brown circles. Adjust heat accordingly and scrape down the pan for any left-behind garlic bits between batches.  Move finished naan on a plate covered with a towel.