Monthly Archives: July 2011

Fat Tuesday [Kate's Panzanella Salad]

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If you’ve been reading for a while, you know I love me some bread.  The other day, I stopped into my Trader Joe’s and was salivating over their bread section.  But since I am trying to cut out my pooch bread, I generally steer away. Around these parts, we call bread “The Bad Stuff”. I am a recovering bread-a-holic. It’s real, people. In fact, I would venture you may see a “celebrity” afflicted with this addiction on the next season of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.  I live in a constant fear of a bad relapse where I wake up dazed and confused in someone else’s home and can’t recall how I got there. Which is what happens every year on Thanksgiving, what with two, sometimes three varieties of stuffing at my disposal. And dinner rolls. And wine. But I digress.

Anyways, I had a thought. I could make a panzanella salad, one of my favorite summertime meals.  I’ve seen about a gazillion different recipes, but this time, I went rogue. And I created what I consider my very own version of Panzanella- cherry heirloom tomatoes doused with balsamic vinaigrette dressing and topped with mozzarella balls. It’s quite possible it’s been done before, but not in my house, so I can pretend I created it.  This got Kase’s seal of approval, and got me my bread fix, without me going overboard*. And you can tell yourself you had salad for dinner so you really deserve dessert. Know what I’m sayin?

Kate’s Panzanella Salad

Ingredientses**:

2 packages of cherry tomatoes (I used heirloom mixed with plain old cherry or grape tomatoes)

1 English Cucumber

1 Red Onion

1 loaf of crusty Italian bread or you can use a French Baguette

Maple Grove Farms Balsamic Vinaigrette with Maple Syrup

1 package of Ciliegine Mozarella Balls (these are the small, cherry sized mozzarella balls in the cheese section)

Fresh basil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

I like to grill my French loaf first, so I slice a few pieces and then grill them (either on the stove using a grilling pan or on the grill itself). Brush the bread with a little olive oil and place on grill, toasting each side.

Cut cherry tomatoes in half and place in bowl, along with thinly sliced onions. Peel and slice one english cucumber. Add to bowl.

Slice mozzarella balls in half and add to bowl.

Chop up some basil (to taste) and add to bowl.

Add cubed grilled bread and mix together while adding dressing to taste.

Enjoy!

*By overboard, I mean, there were three separate occasions this winter alone where I ate an entire tube of (baked) honey butter flaky Grands biscuits. That is 12 biscuits at about 400 calories each. Which I smeared with butter. Yes, that would be going overboard. But damn, they are good. You should try them sometime. I myself am banned. :(

**TM Teresa Guidice from Real Housewives of NJ.

A la Mode

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A la Mode. You know those are three of my favorite words in the English French language. If I spoke French, that is. Oui, Oui!  A la Mode also happens to be one of my favoritest blogs out there (see over there on my sidebar?), since its author has incredible taste and style. For realsies. So imagine my surprise when Shelli contacted me and wanted to feature Colin’s nursery over at her blog. Happy 4th of July to me!  There were fireworks people, and not of the pyrotechnic variety.

Definitely check Shelli’s blog out if you have time and haven’t done so already. Girl’s got skillz.  And please don’t compare our spaces- I know she has amazing style and design savviness that I just can’t compete with. But I’ll sure take a little nod from her.  Thanks Shelli!!

 

Fourth of July Fun

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And we’re off!  We’re taking the next week as a vacation week and we will be spending it, where else? Maine!  I believe I already told you about the themed parade on the Fourth throughout the streets of our little beach community.  Who’s got some great ideas for me? The theme is Musical Groups.  I was thinking Colin could really pull off being a Blues Brother with Kase as his partner in crime, but funnily enough, small black fedoras are hard to come by in the middle of summer.  I guess if worse comes to worst I found a skull cap at the Gap and he could go as the Edge and I could force Kase to be Bono. We’ll just have to see. If you’ve got other ideas, let em rip!  We’ve got three days to find a costume.

In the meantime, I wanna really live it up this fourth and make something patriotic to stuff in my gullet. After all, what is the 4th all about if not to celebrate our freedom to eat unbalanced meals consisting of baked goods all day long?  So I scoured the interwebs and came up with some.

These Lemon Blueberry Crumble bars are just my thing- I love love love blueberries with lemon. Hey, I love blueberries on their own. And they are plentiful in Maine, that’s for darn sure. But add a crumble (read: SUGAR!!!) and forget it. I will marry these blueberry bars. So glad they legalized baked goods marriage in NY. Now I just need to move there.

Of course there is the ubiquitous “Stars and Stripes Cake” that I don’t have the patience to take on, what with lining up enough blue berries and sliced strawberries to resemble the American Flag. And mine would never be historically accurate, because really, how do you FIT 50 mini marshmallow stars?  Not worth it. I don’t want to burn the calories I am going to consume just making the dessert, know what I’m saying?  So I take the easy way out: Make a cake that is already RED! More specifically, make Pioneer Woman’s Red Velvet Sheet Cake. And then add some blackberries to the top along with raspberries. Instant patriot.

And then there is this oldie, but definitely a goodie. Strawberry shortcake. It’s so easy, and involves whipped cream. What else could one possibly need?! Kase and I differ when it comes to desserts- I am a chocolate gal- he is not (a chocolate person, NOR a gal). But we agree on strawberry shortcake. In fact, it was the kind of cake we served on our wedding day.  Too bad I didn’t get to taste it. I heard it was great though. How could it not be? It always is.

I hope you have a great 4th!