Oh, this is the stuff that Italian dreams are made of, Portillo's Chopped Salad, creamy dressing, lots of bacon, cheese, pasta, what's not to love...

It's Monday, I was going to post a healthy salad and then I thought, no, why would I do that when I can share this knockoff Portillo's Chopped Salad with all of you.  If you're not familiar with Portillo's, it's a famous Italian restaurant in Chicago who's humble beginnings go back to 1963 when it all started as a hot dog stand.

Over the years, Portillo’s has developed a huge fan base that includes many Hollywood actors, professional athletes, and politicians – you can see many of their pictures hanging on their restaurant walls. 

SWEET ITALIAN DRESSING:

1/3 cup white or regular balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 teaspoons sugar, honey or maple
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

SALAD:

8 ounces (about 1 cup or so) uncooked Ditalini pasta (see note)
5 cups chopped lettuce (use what you like: romaine, spring mix, iceberg or a combo)
1 cup chopped red cabbage (see note)
1 cup chopped tomatoes
3 green onions, chopped
1/2 - 1 cup cooked and crumbled bacon
1/4 - 1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
2 cups cooked, diced chicken (see note)

Steps

Combine all the dressing ingredients in a blender or jar. Process or shake until well-combined. Add additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed. You can make and refrigerate the dressing a week or two in advance.

Cook the pasta according to package directions in boiling, salted water. Drain and rinse quickly with cool water so it doesn't stick together while it cools. Pour a few tablespoons of the dressing over the pasta and stir lightly. Set aside to cool to room temperature (spreading it into a flatter layer - versus mounded in a bowl - will speed up the cooling process).

In a large bowl, toss together the lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, and green onions. Add the cooled pasta, bacon, gorgonzola cheese, and chicken.

To serve, you can toss the salad with the dressing before serving - or, if you anticipate leftovers, add dressing only to the portions of salad served and then store the dressing and salad separately for fabulous leftovers.

Notes

Pasta: ditalini pasta is a tiny tube-shaped pasta. If you can't find it, you can easily substitute another small pasta shape. Even small elbow macaroni would work. You're looking for about 3 cups cooked pasta when it's all said and done. 

Lettuce: the lettuce is really customizable, the original Portillo's salad is a combination of iceberg, romaine and red cabbage. 

A rotisserie chicken works great here, as well as any other kind of leftover cooked/grilled chicken (the more flavorful, the better!). You could also leave the chicken out completely for a side dish salad.  

Vinegar: white balsamic vinegar works really well, but regular dark balsamic will work, too, just keep in mind that the darker dressing will add color to the salad.. I think you could easily use red or white wine vinegar, too. 

Leftovers: this salad makes the best leftovers. If you aren't going to eat the entire salad, just don't add the dressing until you serve it so it doesn't get soggy.
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#salad #choppedsalad #jancooksrealfood #portillos #bacon #tomatoes #healthyeating #healthyfood 

What's better on a cold Sunday night than a Stromboli  and football.  Well, no football for me, but the rest of you, go ahead enjoy it.  I'll just be in the kitchen, eating my Stromboli, catching up on past episodes of my favorite soap, The Young and Restless...

The original Pizza King in Evansville, In is home to Stromboli's, and there are none better.  We lived there for years and ate them many, many times, but now that we live in Middle Tennessee, they aren't readily available, so the search was on to duplicate their recipe.  I searched online, made several variations and this one is the closest I can come to Pizza King's.

Legend says that customers would fight over the last loaf of this bread. It was an over-the-counter item that was brought in warm and steamy, smelling like a chocolate fantasy. It freezes well and makes marvelous gifts when baked in smaller loaf pans. 

This recipe is from Elsah's Landing, a wonderful restaurant near St. Louis, that sadly, like so many family owned establishments, is long gone.  I ate there years ago and was so impressed I immediately bought all of their cookbooks and I've made, many, many wonderful dishes from them.  Their carrot cake has been a family favorite for years, but that's for another post.  

They now sell their cookbooks, used, on eBay, but ouch, they can be really pricey!

So, if you're looking for something a little different, the chocolate chips just take this banana bread to a new level.  Get out your bakeware, use those bananas on the counter that are overripe and whoever is lucky enough to eat this will thank you...

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup butter
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
3 Tbsp milk
2 cups sifted flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, or more, you can never add too many pecans 

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream sugar, egg and butter together in large mixer bowl. Beat until fluffy. Set aside.

Combine bananas and milk in small bowl. Set aside.

Sift flour, baking powder, and baking soda together in small bowl. Stir by hand into reserved creamed mixture alternately with reserved banana mixture until flour is just moistened.

Stir in chocolate chips and pecans. Grease 1 (9x5x3 inch) loaf pan. Turn batter into pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool on rack.

NOTES:

I tent my foil, be sure to poke holes in it, for the last fifteen minutes so that the top doesn't overbrown.

Sometimes I make these in mini-loaf pans.  They make great little joy gifts. 

I can't remember how long I bake these in mini loaf pans, so I went to Google, because Google always knows everything 😊

Baking in mini loaf pans is so much fun and so easy, too! The key is to adjust the bake time, reducing it by around 20-25%. Color and depth go into the final amount of time that should be reduced. Check your baking treats regularly for the best results

Mini Loaf Pans on Amazon

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#bananabread #chocolate #chocolatechip #yummy #food #jancooksrealfood #sundaybaking #bakingforfun #goodfood #sweettreats #fantasy #chocolatefantasy #stlouis 

Spring is on the horizon, the birds are singing, the daffies are blooming here in Middle Tennessee and when I think of spring and food, I immediately think of... lemon!   I'll be posting a fresh, tart, puckery lemon recipe every day for the month of March, just because...

 

This is really decadent pie adapted from a recipe by Trisha Yearwood.  I saw her make this on Trisha's Southern Cooking years ago and knew I just had to make it.  Hubby would eat this every week, but we would have to roll us out of the kitchen in a wheelbarrow, so I save it and make it for special occasions.  I have to share the full picture of it, it's just so good, so rustic and I have to admit, I really love this picture, even if I did take it years ago.  I'm posting the original recipe which calls for sweetened whipped cream, but that's a pain in the patootie, a squirt of Reddi Whip or a dollop of Cool Whip sprinkled with cinnamon works for me.  

And even better, forget the whipped cream altogether and top this piece of lusciousness with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.   This is best served warm, but then we're a family who love warm pies.  

 

I combined Half Baked Harvest's Lasagna soup with Carlsbad Cravings Lasagna Soup and came up with a wonderful variation.  Carlsbad Craving's recipe calls for you to break lasagna noodles in half and simmer  in the soup.  Well, have you ever tried breaking dry lasagna noodles?  All they do is fly all over the kitchen and break unevenly.  So then I found Half Baked Harvest's recipe and Tieghan called for cooking the lasagna noodles separately, then cutting them into manageable pieces because they are pliable after you cook them.  That made a lot more sense to me, and it was much easier.  Anyway, this is my variation of both of their recipes for an excellent cold winter evening soup, full of all the lasagna goodness we all love so much.

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef 
1 yellow onion, diced
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 24 oz. jar Prego Traditional Italian Sauce or marinara sauce
6 cups chicken broth - I use a big tablespoon of Chicken Better than Bouillon instead of chicken broth
1 14 oz. can can crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tsp EACH dried parsley, dried oregano, salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 whole bay leaf
8-10 oz. cooked lasagna noodles
1/2 cup heavy cream,optional**

CHEESE GARNISH:

shredded mozzarella cheese
freshly finely grated Parmesan cheese
ricotta cheese, whipped

Steps

Heat large Dutch oven/large soup pot over medium high heat. Add beef and onion and cook, stirring occasionally until beef is browned. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and saute for 30 seconds. Drain off any excess fat.

Add Prego Sauce, 6 cups chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, sugar and spices. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally (approximately 20-30 minutes).

 Discard bay leaf and stir in cooked lasagna noodles and heavy cream (optional).  Garnish individual servings with desired amount of cheeses.

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#lasagna #italian #yummy #jancooksrealfood #soup #italiansoup #lasagnasoup #lasagnalover #lasagnarecipe #comfortfood #homemadefood #halfbakedharvest 

You drive thru #Starbucks, buy a slice of their yummy lemon loaf for at least $3.50, knowing the next time they will have a price increase on your very favorite treat that you just are addicted to, then you buy a Venti Latte with a double shot of espresso, don't forget the tax and the tip, and oops, you've spent a chunka change.  Do that several times a month and it can be really painful.

But there is a better way.  Just make this at home and enjoy a slice every morning for days for a fraction of the price.  There are a lot of copycat Starbucks Lemon Loaf recipes floating around online, I've tried several that were just meh, and then I found this.  And yes, it's ahh-mazing. If you follow me, you know that I'm a huge lover of anything lemon, in fact so much so that next month I'm going to post a new lemon recipe for you every day for the entire month.

So get out your bakeware, grab your ingredients and stir up this yummy lemon bread, you don't even need a mixer.  This is very simple to make and you will love it!  You can even take a walk on the wild side and add some blueberries, but if you do, toss those blueberries in a bit of flour so that they don't all sink to the bottom.

INGREDIENTS:

3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream 
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil, don't use olive oil for this, it needs to be vegetable oil
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1 to 2 tablespoons lemon extract, to taste (make sure you're using tablespoons not teaspoons)* and preferably use 2 tablespoons of this extract for maximum pucker power 
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
 2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Lemon Glaze:

1 cup confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice, or as necessary for consistency

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with  cooking spray, then make a parchment paper saddle and put in the pan so that you can lift the cooked loaf out easily.  Also spray the parchment paper with cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs, sugar, sour cream, and whisk vigorously until smooth and combined.

Drizzle in the oil while whisking to combine.

Add the lemon zest, lemon extract, and whisk to combine. Note – I used 2 tablespoons of lemon extract because no actual lemon juice is used in the loaf and I found 2 tablespoons lemon extract necessary for full-bodied lemon flavor, don't wimp out on this, just do it!

Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and stir until just combined, don’t overmix. Some lumps will be present and that’s okay, don’t try to stir them smooth.

Turn the batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula.

Bake for about 50 to 52 minutes, or until top is domed, set, and toothpick inserted in the center crack comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs but no batter. In the last 10 minutes of baking, tent pan with foil (loosely drape a sheet of foil over pan) to prevent excessive browning on the top and sides of bread before center cooks through.

Allow loaf to cool in pan on top of a wire rack for at least 30 minutes (I cooled 4 hours) before turning out onto rack to cool completely before glazing.

Lemon Glaze:

In a small bowl, add the confectioner’s sugar and slowly drizzle in the lemon juice while whisking until smooth and combined. You may need to play with the sugar and lemon juice amounts a bit as necessary for desired consistency and flavor.

Evenly drizzle glaze over bread before slicing and serving.

Extra glaze can be spread on the cut surface of the bread like you’d spread butter on toast and it soaks right in making the bread even moister and more lemony. Or you can halve the glaze recipe if you’re not a glaze person.

NOTES:

Bread will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months; I don’t recommend storing it in the fridge because it will dry out.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE KITCHEN GADGETS:

I've had a Butter Bell for years and sometimes I just assume that others have them as well.  I'm the kitchen gadget queen, and I try everything, but this is really a great way to keep soft butter on your counter at the ready.

This is the original Butter Bell, it's available in many colors and so worth the money, I have a red one, and I've  used it every day for years.

 

I was watching Paula Deen live one day on Facebook and she had Michael in the kitchen making her dill tuna salad.  Talk about a duck out of water 😂  It looked so good, so I found the recipe and it was a must try for me.  It didn't disappoint, the infusion of dill was wonderful.

I did add a few ingredients to intensify the flavors, as I love dill in tuna, so here's the recipe, with my tweaks.

2 cans (6-ounces each) solid white tuna, packed in water, drained
2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and finely chopped
⅓ cup mayonnaise
juice of ½ a lemon
lemon zest
1 tsp. dried dill weed
3 tablespoons thinly sliced chives (I substitute scallions when I don't have chives in the garden)
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 tablespoon dill pickle relish
1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
mixed salad greens, optional
toasted sourdough or whole-wheat bread (optional)

Steps:

In a mixing bowl, combine the tuna, eggs, mayonnaise, lemon juice, chives, celery, relish, and onion. Season the salad with a big pinch of salt and pepper and stir to combine. Serve on a bed of salad greens or on toasted bread, if you like. 

Healthy Options:

Low fat mayo is obvious choice but I''m a big fan of 20 calorie Miracle Whip Light - don't judge 😁 
Yogurt works,  but it's too sour for me.  Or you could just take a walk on the wild side and just mix it with yellow mustard.

Egg whites instead of whole eggs, or one egg yolk and two egg whites.  It's little things, but those darn calories add up really quickly 😖

I've had one of these handy tuna strainers for years.  I see so many people open a can of tuna, and drain it with the lid partially on, not a good idea, who knows what's on that lid.  With this, you just take the lid completely off and push to strain.  So easy.

Tuna Strainer

I've also had a vegetable chopper similar to this one, and it's one of my most used kitchen gadgets.  I use it multiple times weekly and I use it for my tuna salad because I never seem to have dill pickle relish.  I just substitute dill pickles using the smallest dice with this gadget and it works great.  I'm sure many of you have this, it's been around for years, just posting in case you don't.   I really like this one, it has more blades than mine, and then there's the color.  Love the color! 

Vegetable Chopper

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#tuna #tunasalad #pauladeen #saladlover #whatsforlunch #jancooksrealfood #yummy #healthyfood #tunasandwich #pauladeen #pauladeensfamilykitchen #pioneerwoman

 

This is my favorite pasta dish of all time and I'm a pasta lover.  I first ate this at The Olde Spaghetti Factory years ago and have made it countless times since.  If you haven't eaten this, you're really missing a wonderful dish.  Don't let the picture of this simple dish fool you, this pasta is full of flavor, it's pungent, intense, delicious, comfort food, it's simply divine and it takes only minutes to make.  I've made