Week 3 begins

Is it over yet? This all feels like a dream we're about to wake up from right?

I was convinced that tomorrow was Wednesday, but alas only Tuesday. All the days are blurring together. Today was a particularly difficult working/homeschooling/mom'ing day and I did none of these things particularly well. Good thing tomorrow is a new opportunity!

On a lighter note, we made a warm spinach salad for dinner and it was good. The girls ate it all up (I mean bacon anything C'mon...) and it only took 15 min of prep work.

Link to recipe here:
Spinach Salad

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Panzanella Salad

New Recipe Alert!

Earlier this week I made an Ina Garten Panzanella Salad and it was a hit... not so much with the kids but definitely for Ross and I. I loved the simplicity of all the fresh, colorful ingredients in this salad. If you can surmount the chopping, then it's quite simple. Don't skimp on the basil, it adds color and flavor!

As I was snapping some food pictures I hear "CHEEESE" and look over to find Paige Renae just smiling ear to ear. Cuteness.

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Sick Little Baby

After one week of (very part time) daycare, we have a sick little baby. Claire got pink eye (again) and she has an upper respiratory virus consisting of coughing, sneezing, and a fever. It's so hard seeing your lil boo all snotty and in pain. Also, bye bye sleep... it all goes out the window when you have a sick baby on your hands. Come on breastmilk anti-bodies, do your magic!

Before Claire got sick, here are some pictures from Memorial Day:

Ross smoked ribs and made a BBQ sauce and baked beans. Charles and Kelley brought a delicious pear & celery salad, see below for a similar recipe.

Noelle, with Ross, Erik, & Charles staring at the food.

Eddie

The crunchy pear and celery salad was right up my alley. I google'd and found this recipe, similar to the one they made! We had the blue cheese/walnut variation.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 stalks celery, trimmed and cut in half crosswise
• 2 tablespoons cider, pear, raspberry or other fruit vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 ripe pears, preferably red Bartlett or Anjou, diced
• 1 cup finely diced white Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted (see Tip)
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 6 large leaves butterhead or other lettuce

• PREPARATION

  1. Soak celery in a bowl of ice water for 15 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Cut into 1/2-inch pieces.
  2. Whisk vinegar, honey and salt in a large bowl until blended. Add pears; gently stir to coat. Add the celery, cheese and pecans; stir to combine. Season with pepper. Divide the lettuce leaves among 6 plates and top with a portion of salad. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

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Chipotle Corn and Caramelized Onion Potato Salad

Ross smoked a big brisket last weekend, so we needed to find a good 'ole American side to accompany it. I really like mustard-based potato salads (not the mayo ones!) and in my online searching I found a potato salad recipe which used chipotle peppers. Got to try that one!

Who knew grilled corn, roasted potatoes, caramelized onions, chipotles, and a bit of dijon mixed up together would taste so good?!

Chipotle Corn and Caramelized Onion Potato Salad
From Barefeet in the Kitchen, recipe adapted from Kompromised Kitchen

4 ears fresh corn, shucked with silks removed
6 medium size baby red potatoes, chopped very small into 1/4" pieces, about 2 1/2 cups
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 large yellow onions, very thinly sliced and then roughly chopped into shorter lengths OR 1 cupcaramelized onions
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 large chipotle peppers, finely minced
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
kosher salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to broil or preheat the grill to medium high. Lightly oil the ears of corn and then grill until lightly charred in places, rotating on the grill throughout the process. If using the oven, broil for 3-5 minutes until the corn begins to darken slightly on the tips. Remove the corn from the oven, flip each ear over and broil for another 3-4 minutes, until both sides are lightly browned. Set the corn aside and let it cool before removing the kernels from the cobs. When cool, remove the kernels and place them in a medium size bowl.

Set the oven to 425 degrees. Place the diced potatoes on a silpat lined baking sheet, or lightly grease a baking sheet with oil. Drizzle lightly with oil and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for about 30 minutes, stirring the potatoes once or twice while cooking.

While the potatoes are in the oven, caramelize the onions. In a large flat bottomed skillet, warm 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add the onions and stir to coat. Season with salt and pepper and let cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring every so often. When the onions are tender and lightly browned, add the minced garlic and stir for a couple minutes while it cooks. Once it is fragrant, remove from the heat and add the skillet mixture to the corn.

In a small bowl, stir together the chipotles, the mustard, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt and about 1/2 a teaspoon black pepper. Add this mixture to the corn and onions and stir well to thoroughly coat. When the potatoes are lightly browned and slightly crisp, add them to this mixture and toss to combine. Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!

4 years ago: Deutschland Countdown

3 years ago: South American Paradise

2 years ago: Bye Bye 27

1 year ago: Wild Rice Salad

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Watermelon Feta Salad

You know those recipes where you throw a bunch of ingredients together and the whole time you're wondering, "Is this going to work?"

Enter this "perfect for summer" Watermelon Feta Salad:

Watermelon, feta, cucumber, mint, basil, onion, cilantro, lime juice, olives, bell pepper, jalapeno... What?? But somehow, all together it tastes so good!

Give it a try!


Recipe from therightrecipe

Herbed Watermelon Salad

For the salad:

4 cups cubed seedless watermelon (small bite-sized pieces)

2 cups cubed baby cucumber

1/2 cup finely chopped sweet red or yellow pepper

1/2 cup sliced Kalamata olives

1/4 cup finely minces red onion

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1 cup diced feta cheese

For the vinaigrette:

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

zest of one lime

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

sea salt and pepper to taste

Place watermelon, cucumber, sweet pepper, olives, red onion, jalapeño, cilantro, mint and basil in a large bowl. (you will add the feta cheese later)

For the vinaigrette:  whisk together lime juice, lime zest, olive oil, and honey in a small bowl,  Season with salt to taste and set aside.

Just before serving, drain excess liquid from watermelon mixture, then add vinaigrette and feta to the salad and toss lightly to coat. Taste and correct seasonings if needed.  Serves 6

note:  Can be made 1-2 hours ahead but keep in mind that the watermelon and the cucumber will start to release their juices and will water down the salad.  If you make it ahead, you will want to drain some of the juices before serving.

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Corn Bread and Black Bean Panzanella

We made this Jalapeno Cornbread and Black Bean Panzanella recipe last week and really enjoyed it. Yes, it takes about an hour to whip up the cornbread, bake it, then let it cool but it was oooohhh so easy to make. I mean, seriously, it's not like you're getting fitbit steps from the bake time in the oven... 

The black bean salad was a nice twist on a classic, with the addition of lots of spinach. The lime juice you add actually "cooks" and wilts the spinach some, so don't be afraid. My only complaint about this recipe was that my chopped Jalapeno all ended up rising to the top of the cornbread during cooking, so there wasn't even distribution throughout. You should try this recipe out, great for summer!

(I added a side of some smoked salmon for additional protein).

Recipe from Eats Well With Others:

Jalapeno Cornbread
Makes 1 9-inch loaf, adapted from Closet Cooking

Ingredients

• 1 cup soymilk (or buttermilk, or regular milk)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped finely

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375. Grease a 9-inch loaf pan (or just line with parchment).
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, and eggs. In a second bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing until just incorporated. Fold in the jalapenos. Pour into the prepared pan.
4. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely.

Cornbread and Black Bean Panzanella
Serves 4-6, adapted from How Sweet Eats

Ingredients

• 1 batch of jalapeno cornbread (see above)
• 10 oz baby spinach
• 8 oz dried black beans, soaked overnight and boiled until tender
• 12 oz frozen sweet corn, thawed and drained
• 2 medium jalapenos, seeded and chopped
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced
• juice of 4 limes, divided
• 1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 tsp black pepper, plus more to taste
• 1 avocado, cubed
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tsp honey

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425. Spread the cornbread cubes on a parchment lined baking sheet and toast in the oven for 6-7 minutes. Toss and cook for another 6 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
2. In a large bowl, toss together the spinach, black beans, corn, jalapenos, red onion, cilantro, half of the lime juice, salt and pepper.  Let sit for 10 minutes.
3. Toss in the avocado and grape tomatoes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, rice vinegar, red pepper flakes, honey, remaining lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Add to the salad and toss to combine. Stir in the cornbread cubes and serve.

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Salmon and Bean Salad

During our trip to the northeast, Aunt Jean made a delicious summertime salad for our backyard BBQ party. It was a hit, so we asked her for the recipe and viola, we made an Alaska version with salmon. Enjoy!

TONNO E FAGIOLI (TUNA & BEANS) 

MIX: 

½ large red onion thinly sliced

2 large crushed garlic cloves

1/2C olive oil

1T white wine vinegar 

ADD: 

4C canned cannelloni (white kidney) beans

2 6oz. cans white tuna (or fresh fish like salmon!)

4 handfuls sliced fresh basil

salt & pepper to taste 

cherry tomatoes and/or chopped red pepper added

OPTIONAL:

Crumbled feta cheese

3 years ago: Photo Lesson

2 years ago: M is for Mason

1 year ago: McHugh Creek

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