Garnish with chopped chives and enjoy!
SPINACH, PISTACHIO & PECORINO SALAD
Ingredients:
2 tbsps. Extra-virgin olive oil (As you know, I do think it makes a difference.)
4 tsps. cider vinegar (If you don’t have cider vinegar, you can use white wine vinegar.)
½ tsp. honey
1/8 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
½ cup red onion, sliced vertically
¼ cup unsalted pistachios, roasted and chopped (You can also use walnuts or sliced almonds.)
1 5 oz. package of baby spinach
¼ cup Pecorino Romano cheese, shaved (I use a vegetable peeler.)
4 medium mushroom caps, sliced
Directions:
Whisk first 5 ingredients together in a small bowl. In a separate bowl combine onion, nuts, mushroom slices, and spinach. Add the oil mixture and toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve and enjoy!
TOM’S CHILLED CUCUMBER-AVOCADO SOUP
Ingredients:
1 cucumber, peeled and coarsely diced (reserve 2 tbsps. for garnish)
1 avocado, peeled and coarsely diced (reserve 1 tbsp. for garnish)
½ tsp. finely grated lime zest (You can substitute a lemon, but since we have a lime tree that produces and produces, I always use limes.)
1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro (reserve 1 tbsp. for garnish)
1 large green onion, coarsely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup cold water
1 ½ tsps. kosher salt
¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper
Directions:
Puree the ingredients and ladle into 4 bowls, garnishing with reserved cucumber and avocado. Cover each bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Garnish with reserved cilantro leaves. Serve and enjoy!
NOTE: I prefer this soup on a hot day. Another reason I like this soup is in addition to the lime tree we have an avocado tree as well as lots of green onions and depending on the season, cucumbers.
LIAM’S PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
Ingredients:
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar (I prefer to use light brown sugar.)
½ cup peanut butter (Creamy or chunky, your preference.)
¾ cup softened butter
1 egg (I like jumbo eggs.)
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
¾ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. table salt
8 oz. peanut butter chips
2 tbsps. sugar for fork dipping
Directions:
In a large bowl mix the peanut butter, sugars, butter, and egg. Stir in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. When fully combined, gently stir in the peanut butter chips. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours.
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Shape dough into balls, approximately 1 ¼ inches. Place about 3 inches apart. Dip a fork in the remaining sugar and flatten the balls, making crisscross patterns.
Bake until light brown, approximately 9 – 10 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack. Enjoy!
CHICKEN CORDON BLEU WITH RASPBERRY CHIPOTLE SAUCE
Ingredients:
2 large skinless chicken breasts
12 slices of Black Forest deli ham
4 slices of pepper-jack cheese
Oil cooking spray
Salt and pepper
Toothpicks
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the chicken breasts in half, widthwise, making 4 chicken breasts. Butterfly each one and lay it open like a book. Make four stacks of 3 pieces of ham and 1 piece of cheese. Tightly roll each one up and place it in the center of a butterflied breast. Fold over the top of the breast to conceal the ham and cheese and secure with toothpicks. Repeat for other 3.
Spray baking dish with oil. Salt and pepper the chicken breasts on both sides and place in dish. Bake for 25 minutes. Heat raspberry sauce in microwave for 2 minutes. Remove the toothpicks, plate chicken breasts, and drizzle sauce over the top. Place extra sauce in a gravy boat to be used as needed. Enjoy!
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ABOUT DIANNE
Dianne lives in Huntington Beach, California, with her husband, Tom, a former California State Senator, and her boxer dog, Kelly. Her passions are cooking, reading, and dogs, so whenever she has a little free time, you can either find her in the kitchen, playing with Kelly in the back yard, or curled up with the latest book she’s reading.
Her other books are available below:
Amazon: Blue Coyote Motel
Amazon: Coyote in Provence
Amazon: Cornered Coyote
Amazon: Coyote Series
Amazon: Kelly’s Koffee Shop
Amazon: Murder at Jade Cove
Amazon: White Cloud Retreat
Amazon: Marriage and Murder
Amazon: Murder in Cottage #6
Amazon: Murder in the Pearl District
Amazon: Murder and Brandy Boy
Amazon: Murder in Calico Gold
Amazon: The Death Card
Amazon: Murder at The Cooking School
Amazon: Murder & The Monkey Band
Amazon: Murder at The Bed & Breakfast
Amazon: Murder at The Secret Cave
Amazon: Murder in Cuba
Amazon: The Blue Butterfly
Amazon: Trouble at the Kennel
Amazon: Murdered by Words
Amazon: Murdered by Country Music
Amazon: Murder at the Big T Lodge
Amazon: Murdered in Argentina
Amazon: Murder on the East Coast
Amazon: Murder at the Clinic
Amazon: Murder at the Polo Club
Please feel free to follow her on these social media sites:
Website: http://www.DianneHarman.com
Blog: http://www.DianneHarman.com/blog
Email: dianne@dianneharman.com
Twitter: @DianneDHarman
Google+
Facebook Author Page (Thriller)
Facebook Author Page Cozy Mystery
Amazon Author Page
Blue Coyote Motel, an Amazon Kindle Best Seller, was a quarterfinalist in Amazon’s Breakthrough Novel Award Contest and was also a Goodreads Psychological Thriller of the Month Book.