Panzanella by request

My friend Becki was telling me about a bread salad she had. This is a recipe for one that I like to toss together. The fun thing about salads is mixing it up, if you have a veggie that sounds good toss it in! If you want to go fancy with bread salad, here is a link to the bread salad served at San Francisco's famed Zuni Cafe.

1 (1 pound) loaf Italian bread
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 cup cucumber - peeled, seeded and chopped
1 cup chopped red onion
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

2 tablespoon chopped parsley

1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons vinegar (you could use balsamic, I have an amazing champagne vinegar I recently bought which would lend a lighter flavor)

This is your base of ingredients, after that I would see what was hanging around! Little left over roasted chicken, kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, experiment with extras, let me know how you do!

Pull apart or chop the bread into bite-size pieces.
In a salad bowl, combine the bread, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, garlic, basil, parsley and thyme. Add enough olive oil and vinegar to lightly coat, toss and serve. Toss in your extras.

Grilled Shrimp with Chipotle Dip

We have another great recipe from Trisha. Trish has shared so many great recipes that I have invited her to be a cook on the blog. I made this over the weekend, since Matt loves shrimp. It was a big hit! Trish recommends this as a great appetizer or meal! Enjoy.

Grilled Shrimp with Chipotle Dip

Marinate 1 lb. Shrimp in:
3 T. Fresh Lime Juice
2 T. extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 C. chopped fresh cilantro
3 green onion (chopped)
2 Large Garlic cloves, minced
pinch of Salt

Toss well and refrigerate for 1-4 hours. Drain Marinade and grill 2-4 minutes each side. Serve with Chipotle Dip.

Chipotle Dip:
1 1/2 C. non-fat plain yogurt
1/2 C. reduced fat sour cream
1-2 canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce (chopped finely or pureed)
1 T. fresh lime juice

Combine all dip ingredients and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Book Review

If you want to know what I thought of David Sedaris' new book When You Are Engulfed In Flames, head on over to Shoppings My Cardio to read all about it!

Summer Cocktails

Just in time for Friday, Summer Cocktails, I started thinking about this post when Matt & I where at the outdoor mall by our house waiting to meet our friends for a movie. Even though it was 103 in the shade, I knew it would be 40 degrees in the theatre, so I wore jeans. Well Matt asked me if I wanted to walk around & I said no I wanted a refreshing cocktail!

That same day my dear cousin Jeannie sent me a cocktail idea & I stumbled on a list of summery drinks on Forbes (yes, the money mag!). Here are some fun ideas:

Air Mail:
chilled wine glass 2 ounces Mount Gay Special Reserve White Rum 1 ounce fresh lime juice 3/4 ounces honey syrup* 2 to 3 ounces well chilled sparkling wine, such as Prosecco
Add the rum, lime juice and honey syrup to a shaker filled with ice. Shake well. Pour into wine glass and top with sparkling wine.
*Honey syrup dissolves more quickly and is easier to pour than pure honey. To make Siegal's, combine five parts inexpensive honey with two parts very hot water in a small bottle. Seal, and shake vigorously. Let cool.

Bikini-tini

3 ounces Bombay Sapphire gin squeeze of fresh lime juice 2 tbsp Blue Curacao 1 tbsp peach schnapps 1 tsp confectioners' sugar Fill a martini glass with ice and water to chill it. Half-fill a martini shaker with ice and add the gin, lime juice, Curacao, schnapps and sugar. Shake well for at least 30 seconds.
Pour out ice and water from martini glass, and poor in the mixture through a strainer. Garnish with lemon zest.

And my personal favorite J Girl's Summer in a Glass

Lemon & Rosemary! Put a few sprigs of fresh rosemary in a pitcher of sweet lemonade over night, serve on the rocks with vodka & friends!

Trisha's Buffalo Chicken Dip

Trish is a master at whipping up an appetizer, this buffalo chicken dip is sure to become a Super Bowl Classic. While this is Trish's recipe I could not resist this adorable picture of prima ballerina Reese Leigh! She is so cute.
Buffalo Chicken Wing Dip:
1 package cream cheese
2 chicken breasts
1/2 bottle buffalo chicken wing sauce
1/2 bottle of blue cheese dressing
8 oz block monterey jack cheese (shredded)

Boil and chop chicken, Layer cream cheese, chicken, chicken wing sauce, blue cheese, monterey jack cheese in a 9x13 pan.

Bake at 325 for 20 minutes

Stir and serve with nacho chips

Buffalo Chicken and Salsa Salad!

I love when friends send me their recipes. This one is from my friend Trisha in Colorado. Trish is a busy mom of little Reese, but she still makes time to whip up a fabulous dinner for her hubby! The picture is of the gorgeous Lemnah family at the aquarium.

From Trish:

Hey there! Just checked out your blog...it is looking great! I noticed all the salsa recipes...so I though I would add another...I made it last night and it was amazing. I served it on a bed of lettuce with sticks of celery... and topped it off with buffalo chicken I had baked....and Viola Buffalo Chicken and Salsa Salad!

Sweet Salsa:

In a bowl mix -

1 can black eyed peas

1 can shoe peg corn

1 can black beans

1 small jar pimentos

1 can sliced jalepenos - chop

Chop 2-3 stalks celery

Chop 1 small red onion

On stove stir: 1 cup olive oil, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup cider vinegar. Cook until sugar dissolves. Pour over all above listed ingredients and marinate overnight. Strain liquid and serve with nacho chips.

Thanks Trish, sounds yummy!

Greek Salad

I had two different people last week ask me how to make Greek Salad. I actually don't ever eat it since I am allergic to cucumbers, but it looks so great & fresh for summer, I thought I better figure something out! Here is how I would make it. Now since I can't taste this, if anyone makes it let me know how it is. This is a combination of a recipe from Food and Wine and one from Real Simple.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves

6 basil leaves

1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

1/2 pound chunk Feta cheese

1 medium cucumber, peeled and cut into bite-size chunks

1 8-ounce package cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

3/4 cup black olives (such as Kalamata)

1 lemon, quartered and seeded

Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper

To make the basil oil, combine the olive oil, 1 cup basil leaves, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in blender. Blend until smooth. Set aside.Divide the Feta, cucumber, tomatoes, olives, and the 6 basil leaves among 6 plates. Squeeze with lemon juice; drizzle with the basil oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.