Archives for: January 2013

SHARE A RECIPE

I have been on vacation, enjoying cruise ship food and missing home cooked meals, so I thought it appropriate to Jenerously share one of my favorite everyday recipes.  If you are ever in a hurry and want to serve a fresh salad that can also double as an entrée, this is the recipe for you.  I am not promising that it will change your life, but it may come darn close.  It is the perfect blend of sweet, spicy and savory.  It is easy to make and you will get a TON of compliments for your salad-making skills.  Truth is…most people overlook making a good salad, so this one really stands out!

Here’s the recipe…and I am going to call out specific brands because BRANDS MATTER.  It is not “from scratch” like most of my recipes, but it is quick and easy.

JENNY CHOP (serves 6-8)

2 bags of Triple Hearts lettuce (finely chopped)

2 Hass avocados, chopped

1 cup of Craisins dried cranberries

1 cup of Almond Accents – Honey Roasted or Butter Toffee

4 oz. crumbled goat cheese

1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Olive Oil

Newman’s Own Light Balsamic Vinaigrette

Emeril’s Original Essence

Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a sauté pan.  The bottom of the pan should be completely covered in olive oil, so adjust accordingly.  Wash shrimp, dry and coat generously with Emeril’s Original Essence…BAM!  Sauté for just a few minutes, remove from the heat and set the pan aside.  The spicy olive oil will serve as the base of your dressing.   Toss the lettuce, avocado, cranberries and almonds.  Add shrimp and oil from the pan.  Add the goat cheese.  If more dressing is needed, top off with Newman’s Own Light Balsamic Vinaigrette.  If you like toppings as much as I do, get creative!  You may want to add another texture or flavor to the mix such as grape tomatoes, blueberries, cucumbers, bacon crumbles, etc.  If you don’t like goat cheese, feel free to substitute bleu cheese or feta.  Make it your own creation…but may you always call it the “Jenny Chop”…Buen Provecho!

LEAVE A GREAT TIP

Tonight, my husband and I went to Ruth’s Chris and had an amazing dinner, as usual…

Joe, our waiter, suggested a killer Cab, made some modifications to the prix-fixe dessert of peanut-butter-something-or-other (yuck!) and even listened to my boring wine-speak (AHA!…finally some ‘good karma’ from yesterday’s AC incident).  Needless to say, Joe got an exceptionally good tip…

When calculating the tip, we begin by figuring out the percentage that correlates with the level of service.  And, servers start with 20% in mind…I know as I waited tables for WAY TOO LONG.  Anything above 20% IS a compliment.  So, I ask you to think about what an extra $10-20 really costs you when rewarding someone for delivering an amazing experience.  Since they measure the percentages closely to gauge your level of satisfaction with their performance, even a 5-spot would be rewarding.  Tip Away!