Tag: SEASONAL CELEBRATIONS

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This BLT Salad will be a Mother’s Day Favorite!

Posted in Aging with Grace Blogger, blog, Breakfast and Brunch, entertaining, Fashion, Food and Lifestyle Blogger, food blogger, Food Blogger, Fourth of July, HEALTHY CHOICES, HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS, Living & Loving Life at 60 Years Young, MAIN COURSE SALADS, Memorial Day, MOTHER'S DAY, recipes, SALADS, SEASONAL CELEBRATIONS, Summer Suppers, Uncategorized, VEGGIES AND VEGANTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

If you are looking for a great salad to add to your picnic for Mom’s Day, graduation, or just a get-together, try this BLT Salad…..all the flavors of that favorite  bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich in a bowl! Simple and delicious!

BLT PASTA SALAD

with

Creamy Bacon Dressing

 

To keep the dressing from curdling, be sure to cool the bacon drippings to room temperature before adding to the mayonnaise.

Makes 20 servings 

COOK:

1 lb. dry campanelle pasta
1 lb. thick-sliced bacon, diced

WHISK:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. minced shallots
2 Tbsp. minced fresh basil
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
2 tsp.sugar

Salt and black pepper to taste

STIR IN:

4 cups chopped romaine lettuce 4 cups halved grape tomatoes

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package directions. Transfer pasta to a bowl of ice water; drain well.

Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Transfer bacon to a paper- towel-lined plate. Reserve 3 Tbsp. drippings; set aside to cool.Whisk together mayonnaise, reserved drippings, shallots, basil, vinegar, and sugar in a large bowl; season with salt and pepper.

Stir in pasta, romaine, tomatoes, and bacon; toss to coat. Season salad with salt and pepper.

Dear Friends! I hope you enjoy this delicious salad! This year, I used medium sized ball jars for individual servings….they looked super cute on the table, and made serving easy (the best!).

This year will be my daughter, Jodi’s, first “Almost A Mom’s Day!” They are deciding what to name the baby, and I’m trying to decide what the baby will call Steve and I. 

Check out some of my fun finds! As always, thanks for swinging by and have a wonderful Mother’s Day!

Cheers! Laura

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Ready for the Winter Olympics? Don’t Forget your Chopsticks!

Posted in Aging with Grace Blogger, Food Blogger, KOREAN FOOD, Living & Loving Life at 60 Years Young, SEASONAL CELEBRATIONS, WINTER, WINTER OLYMPICSTagged , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Experiencing a culture through food fascinates me; not only because of my obsession with what people eat, but I do believe that food is a window to the people and history of a culture.

Recently, I watched an interview with David Chang, a Korean Michelin Chef and International Food Correspondent to the 2018 Winter Olympics.  You can watch David Chang’s Interview with Eater here.

David gave quite a bit of information and insight into the Korean culture. I was a bit surprised that many of the foods that are traditionally eaten in South Korea were born out of scarcity. The Korean people were forced to forage edible things from their environment not just during times of war but other times as well. Interesting enough, the Korean people maintain these traditions as a cultural comfort food which conjures up warm memories of family gatherings.

KOREAN SEOUL FOOD

There is also a distinct difference in Korean street food which is a mix of Asian cultures, and the epicurean delights for the bon vivant. David’s interview inspired my curiosity to check out the vast variety of street food venders, where you can find everything from Japanese sushi to Chinese Peking Duck. 

As a fan of Korean food, I want to share this amazing recipe for Korean Beef Tacos from Cuisine Magazine. 

Korean Beef  Street Tacos (Serves 2)

Image 2-8-18 at 5.12 PM.jpg INGREDIENTS
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
  • 1 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
  • 1/2 tsp. sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
  • Dash of cayenne pepper
  • 2 cups shredded napa or savoy cabbage
  • 2 Tbsp. chopped scallions
  • 1/4 cup plum or duck sauce
  • 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
  • 1/4 tsp. cornstarch
  • 8 oz. sirloin or flat iron steak, very thinly sliced
  • 2 Tbsp. peanut oil
  • 4 flour tortillas (6–8 inches)

For the slaw, whisk together:
lime juice, 1 Tbsp. soy sauce,
1 tsp. sesame oil, sugar, paprika, and cayenne in a large bowl.
Add cabbage and scallions,
and toss lightly to coat.
For the steak, whisk together:

  1. plum sauce, 1/4 cup soy sauce,
    1 Tbsp. sesame oil, and cornstarch in another bowl.
  2. Add steak and toss to coat.
  3. Heat peanut oil in a nonstick skillet over high.
  4. Remove steak from bowl and let excess marinade drip back into the bowl.
  5. Add steak to skillet and stir-fry to desired doneness, 2–3 minutes.
  6. Remove steak from skillet with a slotted spoon.

Heat tortillas according to package directions. Assemble tacos with steak and slaw.

Dear Friends, Thanks for swinging by today. I’m looking forward to watching the incredible athletes this year in the Winter Olympics. Aside from the food, hard to believe that it could be, my favorites are the snowboarding and skiing competition.

I give these kids and their families so much credit for the incredible commitment. I only wish that we could do more for kids who don’t have those resources and enable them to have those experiences early and on a significant level to make an impact.

For me, that would be a perfect world.

Have a great weekend and check out some of my fun finds!

Cheers!

🍷Laura

PS…Get your comfies on with these Pajamagram jammies, pour a glass of wine and enoy the Winter Olympics!

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KOREAN BOWLS AND CHOPSTICKS

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HAPPY HALLOWEEN! No Tricks, Just Treat Yourself to this Delicious Pumpkin Cookie with Cream Cheese Frosting!

Posted in Aging with Grace Blogger, AUTUMN, BACK TO SCHOOL, blog, Comfort Food, COOKIES, DESSERT, entertaining, FALL, Food and Lifestyle Blogger, food blogger, Food Blogger, Living & Loving Life at 60 Years Young, PUMPKIN, recipes, SEASONAL CELEBRATIONS, UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

Cookies are hands down the ultimate comfort food for fall. It seems that every holiday celebration features a favorite cookie as a part of the seasonal celebration. Serve these little Pumpkin bites warm with a cold glass of milk. Don’t forget….always underbake!

PUMPKIN COOKIES WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

pumpkin-cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 oz. cream cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.
  2. In another bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Stir in the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture by hand until just combined.
  3. Drop on prepared baking sheets by heaping tablespoonfuls; Butter the bottom of a drinking glass and then dip the bottom of the glass in a bowl of sugar. Flatten the dough balls with the bottom of the glass until they are about ¾ inch thick, dipping the glass in sugar as necessary to prevent sticking.
  4. Bake in preheated oven for 13 to 15 minutes. Cool cookies on wire rack.
  5. Once cookies have cooled completely, frost or drizzle with cream cheese frosting.
  6. While the cookies are cooling make frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and pumpkin pie spice and beat until smooth and creamy.