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July 16, 2010

Mom’s Green Salad

my mom's salad

While living under my parents roof, we were obligated to eat salad every night at dinner. As a mom, I applaud my mother for providing us with a healthy meal every night. As a child, I begrudgingly ate my salad; complaining the whole time.  A few years ago my mother fell in love with Ina Garten. She starting watching all of her shows, and then bought all of her cookbooks. Her Ina recipe binge has been quite a treat for our family and her dinner party guests! The only drawback is that we have to hear “Ina this and Ina that. Ina Ina Ina!” Occasionally a phone call is ended because an episode of Barefoot Contessa is on.

I love Ina

She tried this simple green salad dressing a few years ago and it has become a necessary staple in her fridge. It’s elevated the nightly dinner salad (which had a basic oil & vinegar dressing)into something quite fancy! I find myself going back for second & third helpings whenever I’m at my parent’s house for dinner.  I’m guilty of making too much of this salad when I’m helping her in the kitchen because I really just want as much as possible.

The ingredients of her salad are simple. This dressing is mixed with sliced cucumbers, vine ripened tomatoes, green onions, romaine lettuce & the hot ticket item-THE AVOCADO. My brother still grabs the bowl at the end of the meal and hogs all of the avocado chunks. I’ve always hated that. But if we didn’t fight over avocados and crispy potatoes, the Earth would stop spinning.
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July 11, 2010

Herb Butter & Goat Cheese Linguine

my bowl

I whipped up this simple recipe last night for dinner. We ate large bowlfuls outside on our back patio with some scrumptious red wine. What I like about this dish is that the heat of the pasta melts the goat cheese crumbles, making a creamy & tangy sauce. I also love the simple, yet complex taste of the fresh herb mixture paired with the buttery wine sauce & sweet heirloom tomatoes.  It’s tastes light AND rich at the same time. How is that even possible? The dangerous part is that it’s hard to stop eating the pasta. Perhaps, you’ll see what I mean….
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July 10, 2010

Sandi’s Blackberry Crumb Cake

what's up, blackberry?!

This cake disappeared from my kitchen counter in less than 24 hours. I’m not ashamed because I’ve already faced the fact that I have no intention of putting a bathing suit on this summer. Fat juicy blackberries suspended in a moist cake loaded with a pecan crumb topping. What could be better?  Now that breakfast is covered, what’s for lunch?
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July 7, 2010

Shrimp Scampi Pizza Bread

mouth watering...

Imagine you are out to dinner at an Italian restaurant and you’ve ordered Shrimp Scampi as your entree with a side of Alfredo sauce and Garlic Bread. Wow! Look at you! You are good at ordering! Now take those 3 things and put them together on an open faced sandwich and you have this smart little recipe! Yup. You heard me. How does it taste? Insanely fricking good, right?!

I could have eaten all 4 servings of this recipe. You think I am exaggerating? I’m not. No joke. The crispy crunch of the bread is well matched with the creamy sauce-saturated bread! Then you have the garlic! The shrimp! The ricotta!  Excuse me while I wipe the drool off my keyboard. CONTINUE READING

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July 6, 2010

Summer Salad Showdown!

Hungry for something light? Ditch that oven and stove and make a salad! It’s so hot outside! A crisp salad is just what the doctor ordered! Here are a few of my favorites that are guaranteed to get you out of a salad rut! There’s soo many good ones!

Check them out!

Arugula Strawberry Salad

Citrus Beet Salad

Thai Watermelon Salad

Blueberry Corn Salad

Indian Carrot Salad

Carrot Orange Radish Salad

Spicy Sprout Salad with Carrot Dressing

Jicama & Orange Salad

Spice Rubbed Salmon with Chickpea & Spinach Salad

Dijon Potato Salad

Tuna Salad with Avocado

Vietnamese Noodle Salad

Asian Inspired Mango Orange Slaw

Got any good ones?! Send me links!

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July 5, 2010

Peach Rosemary Spritzers

our 4th of july libation

Happy 5th of July! I am currently fostering a headache right now. It’s not a result of this cocktail, I promise. It was the beer that tempted me…and then hung me out to dry. Damn you, hot weather and beer! Why are you such a great combination??!  Liquor before beer and you’re in the clear? Is that right? What about wine? Wine spritzer before beer and what happens? Headache the next day? Check!

OK my brain is mush. The point is…this spritzer is SUPER good. The best part is eating the syrupy rosemary peaches when you finish your glass! The rosemary does a nice job of cutting the sweetness of the drink. It’s also super good without the wine too! I sampled a little bit of the drink I made my pregnant friend. Tasty business. Make some!
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July 2, 2010

Garden update, yada yada

echinacea!!!

I just realized that it’s been awhile since I updated my backyard garden progress. So what’s going on with that? Parts of my garden are thriving & other parts…not so much. It’s definitely been a learning process and I’m so fascinated by it all. I planted some Echinacea in the backyard and it’s finally blooming! It’s soo pretty! I love it.

What have I learned so far?
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