Super Salad

We LOVE Chic-fil-a! We were so sad when they stopped offering the carrot salad. 😞 But, then we discovered the Super Salad, and we had a new love! So, we wanted to begin making it at home. I found a recipe on Our Best Bites. Yum! The salad dressing is especially delicious!

Copycat Chick Fil A Superfood Salad

Serves 8

Fresh broccoli and kale is tossed with tart dried cherries and sunflower seeds and then drizzled in a maple cider vinaigrette to make a quick superfood salad that everyone will love (even if they hate kale!)

Maple-Cider Vinaigrette

1. 1/3 cup cider vinegar (if you can, use something murky like Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar)
2. 1 green onion, trimmed about 1" on top and the "hairy" root end on the bottom
3. 1 teaspoon Creole or mild coarse grain mustard
4. 1 teaspoon kosher salt
5. A few cracks of fresh black pepper
6. 2/3 cup real maple syrup
7. 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (I use our garlic olive oil)
8. Instructions
   1. In the jar of your blender, combine the vinegar, onion, mustard, salt, pepper, and maple syrup. Blend until smooth. With the blender running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Set aside.
   2. In a very large bowl, combine the broccoli, kale, cherries, and sunflower seeds. Drizzle about 3/4 of the dressing onto the salad and toss to coat evenly. Add more dressing if desired. Refrigerate for up to 24 hours. 
9. SALAD
   1. 4 cups broccoli, broken into small pieces
10. 8-10 cups chopped kale (8 oz.)
11. 6 oz. tart dry cherries or craisins

1/3 cup salted, shelled sunflower seeds

If you'd like a little extra flavor or protein, try crumbling a little feta or mild goat cheese on, right before serving.

Recipe shared by Robin.

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My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cafe Cookies (These are like the big, fat, chewy cookies that you find in cafes – only better!)

Makes 18 big cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Sift flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

Cream together melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended.

Beat in vanilla, egg and egg yolk until light and creamy.

Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon.

Drop the cookies 1/4 cup at a time onto baking sheet. Cookies should be approximately three inches apart.

Bake for 21 minutes on non-stick pans or 15-17 minutes on regular cookie sheet. Cool on baking racks.

Recipe shared by Jann.

Sailor Jack

Sailor Jack Spice Cups Recipe

From Deanna McCaulley from The Old Hen 

One of my favorite fall treats while working at Scandia Bakery & Lefse Factory as a teenager was the spice cup. It represented everything lovely and spicy about the holidays in one cute little cup.  You too, will love these sweet things!

First, preheat oven to 350F

• 1/2 cup (or one stick) of butter, softened
• 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 3/4 cup molasses
• 2 t. baking powder
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1 t. salt
• 3 cups flour
• 3 T. ground cinnamon
• 2 T. ground cloves
• 1/2 t. ground nutmeg
• 1 T. ground allspice
• 1 t. ground white pepper
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 1/2 cup raisins

Cream together butter, oil, sour cream, and sugar. Add eggs, buttermilk, and molasses. Mix well.

Add baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well. Add flour until well combined.

Spices. All da spices… Do not question. Just add them and smile for it is fall.

Slowly add warm water and mix well.

And what is a spice cup without raisins?

Dear Raisins,

I am sorry for the way I neglected you and discarded you in my youth. I now see the error of my ways. I love you.

Love,

Deanna

Using a 1/3 measuring cup, scoop batter into muffin tins coated with non-stick baking spray. If using large muffin tins, use 2/3 measuring cup as your batter scooper.

Happy girl. Happy girl. Happy girl.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until fork poked into one comes out clean. Be sure not to overbake or they will be dry.

While spice cups are baking, make the glaze by whisking together 2 cups of powdered sugar and 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water.

Let spice cups cool for about 15-20 minutes upside-down. Pour glaze over spice cups. You cannot do this without a smile on your face. I’ve tried. Be sure to pour as slowly & evenly as possible, getting it all around the edges of each spice cup for full coverage. The back of a spoon is helpful to help cover the sides.

Spice cups are even better when made the day before you plan to serve them. The spices are out-of-control delicious on day two. Be sure to cover once the glaze dries with plastic while they sit overnight.

Sausage Kale Soup

Copycat Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana

We love this soup!

(The original recipe is in black. My changes are in RED.)

5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (I leave out the bacon.)
1 lb. ground Italian sausage (I use Jimmy Dean Original sausage.)
1 onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 (32oz.) container of chicken stock (4 cups) (I use vegetable broth.) (I double the broth amount.)
3 cups cubed russet potatoes (Sometimes I leave out the potatoes.)
4-6 carrots peeled and sliced
1 tsp. salt (to taste)
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
2 cups chopped kale (I use a whole 10 oz. bag of kale.)
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream (I leave out the cream.)
1 can Navy Beans (white beans)

Garnish: Parmesan cheese, grated, to taste (I don't add the cheese.)

Brown the sausage in a large pot. Add onions. Add the garlic. Drain excess fat. To the large pot, add the chicken stock and potatoes. (I add everything to the pot, after the sausage is browned and let it simmer on low on the stove for 1 hour or two.) Cover and bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer for 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Pour in the heavy cream. Season with salt and pepper. Add the kale and the chopped bacon. Bring the soup to a simmer and let the kale soften. Taste the soup and season to taste. Serve!

(This could be cooked in a crockpot, too.)

Recipe shared by Robin

Slow Cooker Chocolate Lava Cake

Slow Cooker Chocolate Lava Cake

Ingredients for cake

Box of chocolate cake mix

3 eggs

1 and ¼ cups milk

½ cup vegetable oil

Ingredients for the topping

1   four serving size box of instant chocolate pudding

2  c. milk

1  12 oz bag of chocolate chips

Beat together cake mix, oil, eggs, and milk with electric mixer until smooth.  Spray slow cooker with Pam. Pour mixture into crock pot and smooth out to edges.

Beat together the 2 cups of milk and pudding and pour over cake mix already in crock pot.  Then sprinkle chocolate chips over the top.  Do not stir.  Cover and cook on high for 2-2 ½ hours.  You will know when it is done when the outside and middle set up like a sponge.  It may take 3 hours to set. 

Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Recipe shared by Karen.

Brownie Pudding/ Lava Cake

This is a wonderful cake recipe.  It turns out like a lava cake.  So good!

 Brownie Pudding

2 C Flour                                               4 Tbsp shortening/butter

4 tsp baking powder                       2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp salt                                              1 c milk

1 ½ c sugar                                          1 c coarsely chopped nuts

4 T cocoa

Sauce

1 c  brown sugar                               1 c karo or pancake syrup

4 Tbsp  cocoa                                     1 ½ boiling water

Place dry ingredients in mixing bowl. Cut in shortening/butter. Add milk, vanilla and nuts.  Spread in 9 x 13 pan. Next put dry sauce ingredients  in small mixing bowl. Add syrup and boiling water. Stir well.  Pour over other ingredients already in 9 x 13 pan. Quickly put into a 350 degree oven and bake for 45 minutes.

Recipe shared by Karen.