Cobb Salad

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2010/04/classic-cobb-salad/

Serves 4 to 6

Dressing (Heads up: I found I only needed half of this)
3/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Salad
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, cored and shredded
1/2 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 bunch watercress, some of the stems trimmed, chopped
2 ounces blue cheese, crumbled (we used a Stilton)
6 strips cooked bacon, roughly chopped
3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 medium tomatoes, peeled*, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons chives, minced

Make the dressing: Combine the canola oil, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, Worcestershire, sugar, and garlic in a blender. Purée the ingredients to make a smooth dressing and season with salt and pepper. Set the dressing aside.

Make the salad: On a (very) large platter, combine the iceberg and romaine lettuces along with the watercress. Arrange the blue cheese, bacon, eggs, tomatoes, chicken, and avocado on top of the greens in neat rows. To serve, drizzle salad with dressing, season with salt and pepper, and top with chives. Alternatively, toss everything together in a bowl.

Do ahead: Salad dressing keeps, covered and refrigerated, for up to one week. Individual ingredients (except the avocado, which is too prone to browning) can be prepped and chopped, and kept in separate containers in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble the salad. However, no doubt due to sturdiness of 2/3 of the lettuces, I found that the entire assembled salad kept surprisingly well wrapped in plastic in the fridge for a few hours.

Bagel Bombs

Freezer-Friendly Everything Bagel Bombs

  • 1 lb refrigerated pizza dough
  • 10 egg whites (or 5 whole eggs)
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 6 oz diced ham
  • 4-8 oz shredded cheese
  • 12 cups water
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • Everything bagel seasoning, to taste’
DIRECTIONS
  1. Divide the pizza dough into 8 even pieces and roll into balls. Cover with a kitchen towel and allow to rise for 20 minutes.
  2. While you wait for the dough to rise, scramble the eggs in a nonstick pan over medium heat, seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside and let cool.
  3. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a nonstick baking sheet with parchment paper.
  4. Gently flatten the dough balls with your palm, and top with the eggs, diced ham, and shredded cheddar cheese. Pull the sides of the dough up and around the filling, pinching to seal. Pull up the perpendicular sides and pinch. Continue until the filling is completely covered and dough is sealed. Place, seam-side down, on the prepared baking sheet and cover with a kitchen towel. Let sit for 15 minutes.
  5. Fill a large pot with 12 cups of water and bring to a gentle boil. Mix in 1 tablespoon honey. Place half of the bagel bundles into the boiling water for 1 minute, turning once halfway through. Remove from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the second half of the bagels.
  6. Sprinkle the bagels with everything bagel seasoning and then bake until golden brown and cooked through, about 25-30 minutes. Serve warm, or let cool to room temperature, wrap individually, and freeze for future use.