CHROI AND ME

Friday, June 1, 2012

Maggiano's Chopped Salad Recipe

New site launching soon! And it's going to be awesome. For now, a recipe:

If you have ever been to Maggiano's Restaurant and ordered their chopped salad, you probably want this recipe. It's so yummy and crunchy, and since it's a chopped salad, all of the pieces are bite-sized so you can avoid that half-piece-of-lettuce-hanging-out-of-the-mouth thing that always seems to happen to me when I order salad in a restaurant.

Seriously, chefs, we are not livestock and nobody wants to sit there cutting up their salad like a steak. BITE SIZE! It's a good thing.

this is what I feel like when I eat salad in a restaurant
(photo credit)

I found this at an awesome site called Recipe Goldmine. They aren't kidding - it really is a goldmine of recipes, check them out: Recipe Goldmine

The original looked like it was used for industrial proportions, so I've broken it down to realistic quantities, and altered it only a little. This is a big hit at our family functions, and I always get requests to bring it.
When my in-laws call it goes something like this:

"Hey Heid, are you guys coming over for ______?" Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Birthday, you name it.
"Yeah, of course, what can I bring?"
"You know, can you make that Maggiano's salad? Everybody likes it."
"Of course! No problem. See you Sunday..."

Warning: if you bring this salad to a family supper or pot luck, be prepared to get asked to bring it next time!

Dressing:

1 Tbsp mustard
2 Tbsp + 2 tsp sugar
3 oz. water (1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp)
2 tsp chopped garlic (if you use too much garlic it causes stomach upset )
2 Tbsp. red vinegar
1/2 cup white vinegar
Salt to taste (I use a decent pinch of kosher salt)
2 cups canola oil
Put all above ingredients in blender and process until smooth

Then slowly drizzle in:
1/2 cup olive oil

Then add & pulse:
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp fresh chopped oregano or 1/4 tsp dried.

Makes almost a quart. The extra dressing can go in the fridge, or in a nice jar with a ribbon around it as a hostess gift.

Maggiano's Chopped Salad
(photo credit)

Salad:
All ingredients should be bite size or smaller, about 1/2 inch diced

1 head iceberg lettuce, diced
2-4 Roma tomatoes, diced
Small bunch scallions, diced (about 4-5)
I will also add cucumbers if on hand.
Garnish:
1 lb bacon* cooked crisp, drained & chopped
4-5 oz crumbled blue cheese
2 avocados, diced, or sliced and fanned over top of salad.

If serving as a meal, add grilled marinated chicken breast.

Makes enough to bring to a big dinner, 10-12 people. Half the salad recipe for less people, but the dressing will keep in the fridge so make as much as you want.

If you have vegetarians you can serve the bacon on the side; likewise with the blue cheese, because not everyone like blue cheese. You could also substitute Feta or sharp cheddar.

*original recipe calls for crispy prosciutto, pan fried and chopped. Just depends on what you like and/or have on hand. I like bacon - its easy and delicious and everyone likes it. You could also substitute any type of cold salami or savory lunch meat.

Enjoy!

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Alternative Fashion Society

Last night I attended an event in downtown Phoenix. The Alternative Fashion Society showcased 15 up-and-coming Phoenix designers in a show called Madame Trapeze, and I was fortunate enough to have been invited. We were there to support my BFF's nephew and daughter who were involved in the show, and hey, when your kids actually want you to show up to something, you go. Let me just say it's been a loooong time since I've done anything this late, loud, and downtown.

Promoter Jen Deveroux along with Alekzander Shaw and Nelson Hawks produced a feast for the eyes, and DJ tricky t had the place thumping with a non-stop mix of fresh and vintage dance and alt tracks. The venue was well managed, clean and the crowd, cool. Onstage before and during the show, a handful of local artists worked on canvases, and an array of fine art stood as a backdrop. I was very impressed with all of the art exhibited, almost as impressed as seeing the works-in-progress develop right before my eyes, throughout the show.

Banding Hendrix, progressive artist and muralist.

Nyla the High Pimptress (a.k.a. Myryka, my amazing former bellydance teacher) entertained the crowd pre- and during the show with sultry twists on the circular trapeze.

As for the fashion, what can I say - it's definitely alternative. Most of it is some sort of bedroom wear/lingerie, and very sexy if you have the body to pull it off, which most of these girls (and guys) did. Though alternative boudoir and costume lines like Dolls R'nt Dead, Missconstrued, and Hell on Heels definitely took center stage, there were a few exceptions. Notably, a street/skate line called Noble Savage, custom couture line Looks Good Anya, Robot Rowboat, HausofStardust, the much-talked-about Kelly Calabrese, and a line of latex fashion that I could see Katy Perry and Nikki Minaj (or maybe that girl in 50 Shades of Gray) fighting over, Vital Vein.

Here are some photos, click on one to see a slideshow.

HausofStardust

vital vein

hell on heels couture

this model (above) flipped me off with a flourish, which I thought was pretty cool,
and seemed in character for her since the back of her legs are tattooed
"Fuck" and "You"
I say stick to your guns,
consistency is admirable.

kelly calabrese

dolls r'nt dead

Robot Rowboat (model: Tiffany Brown)

looks good an-ya

noble savage

noble savage, the designer

There were many more, 15 designers in all, which is way too much for a little suburban horse blogger like me to keep track of (although I did feel pretty badass in the press pit with my notebook and auto-focus camera). All I can say is, if you are looking for fun in Phoenix, don't mind being out late, and are open minded, check out an Alternative Fashion Society show. The last thing you will be is bored.

And how about these posters? Shout out to the graphic designer.

If you were a part of this event and would like me to add credits to any of the above photos, please comment below, I will be glad to accommodate.

Live an artful life.

The End

kelly calabrese

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Desert in bloom

Living in the desert can be great...sometimes. We have absolutely beautiful winters here. While the rest of the country is freezing and shoveling snow, we* are playing golf and drinking freshly squeezed orange juice.

But summer.

ugh.

Summer is creeping up on us. Last weekend we had our first round of 100+ temperatures. Like a little teaser, it only lasted a few days. Then we got the very welcome and much needed blessing of a brief rain shower.

In the desert you find yourself yearning for rain like a castaway scans the sea for ships on the horizon. It is a sign of life, sent from faraway.

We haven't had nearly enough rain lately. Arizona's yearly average for rain is about 7 inches. Last year, the Phoenix area totaled a little over four inches - for the whole year. This year so far we have not even reached .75 inches of rain.

Is a drought in the desert redundant?

All I know is, it's dry. Too dry. And when it does rain, this is how I feel:

Tim Robbins in The Shawshank Redemption, one of the best movies ever.

But in between winter and summer, we do get a little nibble of spring. It's that sliver of time before all the non-native plants start turning brown from the heat.

You can tell it's spring when the Palo Verde trees bloom.

The Palo Verde ("green stick") is Arizona's state tree, and gets its name from the green bark it wears.

In the spring, these trees burst into color, covered in yellow flowers, and virtually hum with the presence of bees, busily drinking the nectar and pollinating away.

When the blooms expire, they carpet the ground.

This yucca is about 25 feet tall.

sage

oleanders (non-native), a hedge.

And since I am a midwesterner at heart, I have to have little bits of annual color on my front porch.

I wanted to get a picture of a Saguaro Blossom. Saguaros (pronounced sah-WAH-ro) are those huge cactuses (cacti) that you see in the stereotypical desert panorama:

The state flower of Arizona, the Saguaro blossom forms in clusters at the top of each arm of the cactus. They bloom April-June, and since they open at night, the main pollinators are nectar-drinking bats.

Did you ever wonder about the pleated structure of a cactus? Cacti are pleated to allow for the expansion that occurs when the plant is able to soak up large amounts of water, as it does in monsoon season. When the cactus dries out, the pleats deepen and become more pronounced. This has the added effect of being able to provide shade for itself from the heat of the sun.

Since you pretty much need a ladder to get a picture of the saguaro blossom, I thought I would just search for a good shot for you on the net. I have no idea how I'd get a ladder into my Civic.

Here you go: