Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing

Our summer weather so far this year has been very mild with rain every couple of weeks which has been very good for our garden.  The romaine lettuce has been amazing this year!   Since we've had so much lettuce this summer I'm getting a little tired of the regular garden salad.  So I decided to change it up and make some Caesar dressing.  I realized right from the start I had no curtons for the salad and what's a Caesar salad without curtons?  So I made my own.  I buttered and sprinkled with garlic powder one side of five slices of bread and baked in the over at 400 degrees for about 5 minutes.  I then sliced them into one inch cubes, placed them in a bowl and tossed them with fresh dried thyme, oregano, and basil.  Very quick and easy curtons.

To begin your Caesar dressing.  It calls for 1 raw egg, if you aren't comfortable using a raw egg you can coddle an egg.  To coddle your egg, bring 1 quart of water to a simmer on the stove.  Place your egg while still in the shell in the simmering water for 1 minute, then remove the egg and place in a chilled bowl of water.

Dressing Ingredients:

1/2 cup Olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 Marans egg (if you don't have a Marans egg, any old egg will do I guess)

 salt to taste

pepper to taste

Worcestershire sauce, just a dash or two

This dressing is very fast and easy to make.  In a mixing bowl combine egg and garlic, slowly drizzle in the 1/2 cup of oil while mixing on medium speed.  Then add in your lemon, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce.  Once you have all of those combined add your Parmesan cheese.  Save back just enough Parmesan cheese to add to the top of your salad.

Enjoy!

Angie

Blueberry Tart

Blueberry season has come and gone here on the farm but I still want to share this delicious easy recipe with you.  When we lived in Alaska many, many years ago, my mom and dad would take us to pick wild blueberries, I must say they were the best blueberries I've ever had in my life.  My mother got this recipe form a dear friend named Sue Krazelak while we lived there.   Every time I make this it brings back good memories of picking berries on the tundra, trying to make enough noise so that the bears knew that we're in their territory.  The berries grew very low and thick on the ground and it was like walking on old bed springs.  The berries were very tiny and oh so tart but had a flavor like nothing I ever tasted since then.  Nothing like what we grow here.  That said I'll have to make do with my big, fat not so flavorful berries.  I'm forever ruined since I've tasted the real deal.

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

2 Tablespoons sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 Tablespoon white vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoons cinnamon 

3 cups blueberries

2 Tablespoons powdered sugar

The first part we're going to make is the crust for the tart.  Mix 1 cup flour, 2 Tablespoons sugar, salt and butter and vinegar, you might need to do this by hand it is very thick and sticky.  Next press the dough into a tart pan if you have one.  I don't have one so I just use a pie plate. Refrigerate at least 15 minutes.  Heat oven to 400 degrees.

While your crust is refrigerating, combine your 1/2 cup of sugar (if you have really tart berries you might want more sugar) 2 tablespoons of flour, and the cinnamon.  Stir in the 3 cups of blueberries. Spread filling over the crust and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes.  Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar and enjoy.   

Independence Day

I had a post in mind for today, but it did not really seem appropriate to post such an "everyday" kind of post when today is such an important day in our nation's history. 

Today our nation turns 238 years old.  The right to celebrate 238 years of freedom has not come without a huge price.  Men and women have been on the front lines of battle defending our rights many times.  Even during times of peace service men and women sacrifice by being away from their families, ready to defend us at a moments notice.

  I am proud to be a citizen of the United States of America!  I know that hard work and sacrifice are some of what has brought us to where we are today.  However I do not believe for a moment that we, as mere humans are capable of doing anything without a God allowing us to do so.  So today I am most grateful to God.  He has allowed us to be a great nation.  He has allowed us freedom that some in our world will never know.  Because of these freedoms God's word can be proclaimed freely, and I am most thankful for that!

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

2 Corinthians 3:17

May God bless America with many more Birthdays!

Melissa