BLT Steak Salad with Buttermilk Ranch

In between preparing for #marchmadnesssnacks, and making a meal for a family in our community, I had lunch.  I was super busy, but whipped up this salad with leftover steak from the previous night's dinner, leftover bacon from a quiche, and  of salad ingredients I always have on  hand.  I whipped it up in just a few minutes and it was AH-MAY-Zing.  All those flavors together made my afternoon.  I ate standing up as I cooked the rest of the afternoon.  The steak and bacon with the red onion and tomatoes popped in my mouth.  I know that all sounds corny, but it was true. Trying to keep up with a gluten free-er and cleaner way of eating has been pretty easy so far.  I have indulged a little on the dark side, but not as much as I normally would.  Read my post for day 4 as I came to a "food lovers epiphany"....

Ingredients

Romaine lettuce

Red onion

Grape tomatoes

Cooked bacon

Cooked steak

Ranch dressing

Directions

Just a few notes about salad making. 

I like to make all the ingredients uniform in size.  This makes the best "bite".  

I made rings out of thinly sliced onion, halved the tomatoes on the vertical, thinly sliced the steak and then sprinkled the bacon on top, then drizzled the ranch.  

Cheese Terrine with Maple Balsamic & Pecans

A terrine  is a French forcemeat loaf similar to a pâté, made with more coarsely chopped ingredients. Terrines are usually served cold or at room temperature.  I love making layered cheese terrines. The ingredients are forced, or pushed together to create many layers  flavorful ingredients.   The first one I made was with goat cheese, pesto, sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts I served at a cocktail party - style wedding reception.  It is an elegant display of food and offers an interesting combination of flavors.  For the NCAA Tournament games last evening I made a cheese terrine made from cream cheese seasoned with Herbs de Provence and layered it with a Balsamic Maple Dressing and honey roasted pecans.  Served with a light water cracker, this spread takes center stage.  

Ingredients

6 oz. cream cheese 1/4  cup heavy cream Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 3 Tbs. Herbs de Provence

3 Tbs. maple  dressing (homemade or store-bought) 1/4 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped More dressing  for drizzling

Directions

1. Line the inside of a custard cup or another small dish, about 2-3 inches across, with plastic; let the ends extend over the sides a few inches. 
2. In a mixing bowl, mash the cheese and  cream with a fork, or in a food processor, and season with salt and a few grinds of pepper; 
3. Add Herbs de Provence. 
4. Spoon about one-third of the cheese into the lined bowl and pack it into an even layer. 
5. Spread half  the dressing almost completely to the sides of the first layer of cheese. 
6. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp. of pecans.
7. Top with another third of the cheese, more dressing, and another Tbsp. of pecans.
8. Top with the remaining cheese. Smooth out.
9. Pack down, fold the plastic over, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
10. Half an hour before serving, take the bowl out of the refrigerator. 
11. Pull on the edges of the plastic to loosen the terrine from the bowl.
12. Invert the terrine onto a plate, drizzle with dressing, and let sit for 1/2 hour to warm up.  
13. Sprinkle with the remaining pecans, season with more herbs.