Author: Debbie
Amy Bradley-Hole: Sensation Salad {Foodie Friday}
I love recipes with a history. One of my favorite salads, sensation salad, is just such a dish.
I first became addicted to sensation salads as a young girl in Louisiana. They were commonly found on the menus at most seafood restaurants and steakhouses. When I grew up and moved out-of-state, I was saddened to find that this tangy, garlicky salad was not served in any restaurants! I had to have the recipe, so I started doing a little research on the sensation salad’s origin.
It turns out this famous starter salad was first created at a restaurant called Bob & Jake’s in Baton Rouge. For a long time, it was only available there, and at a few other restaurants in Baton Rouge, but as with all great dishes, it slowly migrated across the state.
We mostly think of salads as being a summertime food, but sensation salad is really a perfect accompaniment for fall’s heartier dishes. Its cool crispness pairs well with soups, chilis, and of course spicier fare like etouffees.
The crisp and cold quality is the secret to a great sensation salad. For that reason, the recipe only calls for iceberg lettuce. No, this is not about healthy greens and vegetables — leave those salads for the summer, when fresh produce is more abundant. For this salad, you want a nice head of iceberg that has been in the fridge for a while.
Salad
2015-10-08 06:36:23
Ingredients
- 4 cups chopped cold iceberg lettuce
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 cloves garlic, minced and mashed
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1/2 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 tablespoon black pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon granulated garlic
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1 cup grated Romano cheese
Instructions
- Combine the oils, lemon juice, mashed garlic, vinegar, salt, pepper, and granulated garlic in a jar or cruet with a lid. Shake VERY well to combine all the ingredients.
- It's best to place this in the refrigerator to let the flavors incorporate for about 24 hours, but you can use immediately if necessary. Just before serving, shake the dressing again.
- Mix the chopped lettuce and parsley. Top with the dressing, and toss to coat.
- This is a type of "soaked" salad, so don't be afraid to use plenty of dressing. Once you've done this, add the Romano cheese, and toss again.
Arkansas Women Bloggers https://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/
As mentioned, this salad goes well with spicy, warm dishes. Duck season is coming up here in Arkansas, so consider trying it with a hearty duck gumbo. If you’re like me, though, you’ll find yourself craving sensation salad all year long, with all kinds of meals!
Getting to Know 
Your ARWB Foodies
Your ARWB FoodiesWhat food reminds you of childhood?
Marinated crab claws, trout almondine, and escargot. These were dishes we ate for “special occasions.” They were served at my favorite restaurants growing up, so they remind me of special family dinners.
What is your favorite international cuisine?
British food is the most comforting to me. It’s easy-to-make comfort food that has a lot of appeal for everyone in the family.Asian food has the flavors I most enjoy. Lemongrass, cilantro, chili, soy — these are the ingredients I crave on a regular basis, and Asian dishes are the only ones to satisfy my cravings.I owe a debt to Italian food, though, as it has helped me create a business. I have spent much time in Italian kitchens, and I’ve learned from some wonderful Italian home cooks and chefs. Italian food is simple but perfect.
What is always in your refrigerator at home?
Milk. Sauvignon blanc. Bacon. String cheese. Ketchup.
Milk. Sauvignon blanc. Bacon. String cheese. Ketchup.
What is your go-to ingredient hat you use time and time again?
Garlic. I use it in almost everything. And I typically use twice what the recipe calls for.
Do you have a favorite food indulgence?
I love gas station food.
What is your most used cookbook?
The Illustrated Kitchen Bible by Victoria Blashford-Snell.
What is your favorite kitchen gadget?
A mezzaluna. I cook a lot with herbs, and it’s such a quick and easy way to mince them. If appliances count as gadgets, though, I love my Ninja. There’s no way I’m going to chop, stir, or blend by hand, when that amazing machine will do it for me.
What is your favorite food meal to cook at home?
What is your favorite food meal to cook at home?
Either boeuf bourguignon or pasta all’Amatriciana.
What is a cooking tip that you would like to share with beginning cooks?
Practice practice practice. Cooking is not an easy skill, and it takes lots of time and practice to master. Don’t be afraid to mess up. Resign yourself to wasting money on recipes and eating some gross meals. And don’t beat yourself up when you do screw up. Just throw it in the trash or feed it to your dog, then order a pizza, and try again the next day. It gets easier the more you do it.
When you’re not cooking, what are your favorite pastimes?
Reading, hiking, and shopping.
What else would you like us to know about you?
I grew up in Louisiana, which means my palate demands strong flavors. I absolutely loathe bland food. I think it’s a crime against humanity.I have two kids who pretty much can’t stand anything I cook for them.My mother-in-law is the best cook I know. When she comes to visit us, I want to chain her in the kitchen and make her cook for me. Thankfully, she doesn’t mind obliging. She worships at the shrine of Delia Smith. I think everyone should own a Delia cookbook.
Amy Bradley-Hole is a freelance writer and speaker who covers tech, travel, business and parenting. She’s a true Southern girl, but she’s lived and traveled all over the world. She blogs at Freaky Perfect about the freakiness of her not-so-perfect life. When she’s not goofing around on the internet, she dreams up new ways to drive her husband and two young boys crazy. Follow her on Twitter at @amybhole.
Sunday Link-Up {Oct. 4, 2015}
Lyndi Fultz: Grilled Tostadas with Grilled Sweet Potatoes, Grilled Chicken, Beans and Rice. {Foodie Friday}
There is such a thing called season fatigue. It happens when one season is ending and another begins. Let’s be honest, the fatigue sets in about a month before the new season actually begins. You know that itchy feeling you get when you are ready for fall?
You are done with mowing the grass, washing bug splatters off the windshield, and you find yourself wearing a sweater to work because the weatherman said that it will be in the low 80s today. Think about that. If it is springtime and the weatherman says low 80s, the shorts and tank are donned faster than you can say Off! mosquito spray.
As we tiptoe into the cooler waters of fall, there are a few areas of summer we may still want to hold on to and linger a while before we let them go. The slowing down of summertime we enjoy such as eating outside, grilling, nibbling on smaller plates and chilling over longer conversations.
For today’s foodie Friday, I got to thinking. What would be better than to share a dinner idea that has us transitioning from summer to fall? The ingredients really can be anything but should follow along this format:
GRILLING + SUMMER STAPLE + FALL INGREDENT = #summer2fall
It’s that simple really. I can’t wait to hear what combinations you come up with or dream up. By all means, comment before you actually make dinner. Just be sure to come back and share a photo or two. We’re in this together.
How does a grilled tostada with grilled sweet potatoes and grilled chicken sound, to get you started?
Thanks for a good time, summer.
C’mon, fall.
Lyndi Fultz: Grilled Tostadas with Grilled Sweet Potatoes Grilled Chicken Beans and Rice.
Ingredients
- 1 sweet potato
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 chicken breast
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup rice
- 1 cup great northern or white beans
- 1 small tomato
- 1 small avocado
- Pam oil spray
- 6 corn tortillas
- 4oz crumbled feta cheese
- 3 tablespoons sour cream
- dash of Tabasco or hot sauce
Instructions
- Peel sweet potato and slice lengthwise. Coat with 1 tablespoon olive oil and microwave for 2 ½ minutes.
- Heat gas grill to 400 degrees.
- Cutlet chicken breast and coat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Season sweet potato and chicken breast with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
- Grill for 5 minutes, each side, until cooked and remove from heat. Place both in tinfoil
- and secure tightly, setting it aside to continue cooking and allowing the juices to set in
- the chicken.
- Microwave rice and beans until thoroughly heated.
- Dice tomato and cube avocado.
- Pam corn tortillas on both side and place on grill for 2-3 minutes on each side to form a
- stiff tostada. Remove from heat.
- Line out all of your ingredients: rice, beans, sliced chicken, sliced sweet potato, sour
- cream, rice, beans, tomato, avocado, goat cheese, and Tabasco hot sauce.
- Layer each tostada with each ingredients, plate, find a nice comfy cozy spot on the back
- deck and enjoy
Arkansas Women Bloggers All Rights Reserved
Happy summer to fall, ya’ll.
Getting to Know Your ARWB Foodies
What food reminds you of childhood?
cheese omelets
When I was a kid, my mom made runny, undercooked, boring scrambled eggs. I decided to take matters in my own hands and learned how to 1) make dry scrambled eggs and 2) kicked it up a notch and learned how to make cheese omelets. Never again did I have runny, undercooked, boring scrambled eggs. Thanks mom!
When I was a kid, my mom made runny, undercooked, boring scrambled eggs. I decided to take matters in my own hands and learned how to 1) make dry scrambled eggs and 2) kicked it up a notch and learned how to make cheese omelets. Never again did I have runny, undercooked, boring scrambled eggs. Thanks mom!
What is your favorite international cuisine?
slow food from France and Italy
I like the country rustic fare from just about anywhere: fresh fish plucked from the sea, lightly but perfectly seasoned, wine with brie and fruit and long conversations, and whole chicken simmered in broth with garlic. I can appreciate fancy food yet I fall in love with simplicity that is delicious.
I like the country rustic fare from just about anywhere: fresh fish plucked from the sea, lightly but perfectly seasoned, wine with brie and fruit and long conversations, and whole chicken simmered in broth with garlic. I can appreciate fancy food yet I fall in love with simplicity that is delicious.
What is always in your refrigerator at home?
good, grass-fed butter
whole whipping cream
parmesan cheese
farm eggs
large curd cottage cheese
whole milk plain yogurt
brussel sprouts
thyme
minced garlic in a jar (what, you didn’t think I always mince my own garlic, did you?)
whole whipping cream
parmesan cheese
farm eggs
large curd cottage cheese
whole milk plain yogurt
brussel sprouts
thyme
minced garlic in a jar (what, you didn’t think I always mince my own garlic, did you?)
What is your go-to ingredients that you use time and time again?
fresh thyme
Do you have a favorite food indulgence?
fried chicken, yes please
What is your most used cookbook?
What is your favorite kitchen gadget?
santoku knife
What is your favorite food meal to cook at home?
What is your favorite food meal to cook at home?
pan slow-cooked paillard chicken in broth with balsamic and dijon
What is a cooking tip that you would like to share with beginning cooks?
Sign up for Cook’s Illustrated because they will absolutely teach you how to cook
When you’re not cooking, what are your favorite pastimes?
kayaking, fishing or just hanging out in the lake, remodeling, landscaping, going for drives with my husband and hanging out with family.
What else would you like us to know about you?
I need a clutter-free zone to function properly.
I need a clutter-free zone to function properly.
Arkansas Women Blogger member Lyndi Fultz writes about living and eating well from her life in beautiful Northwest Arkansas at nwafoodie. Much of her blogging inspiration comes from this gem of a place, which she refers to as the proverbial land of milk-and-honey. Read more related to cooking, entertaining, gadget suggestions, ingredient explorations, local finds, local restaurant treasures, kitchen tour spotlights, and always with a healthy and simplistic approach.
Connect with Lyndi:
twitter – @nwafoodie
fb – /nwafoodie
pinteret – nwafoodie
Getting to Know Your ARWB Foodies
