I Heart Greek Yogurt

Yet another reason I love Greek yogurt....

{Pasta with Zucchini, Tomatoes and Creamy Lemon-Yogurt Sauce}

 I tried a new pasta recipe found via Pinterest last night... and it was absolutely delish!  It was probably not quite as healthy after piling on the shredded parmesan... but healthy enough.  I know Greek yogurt sauce sounds strange, but I promise, its creamy&cheesy and not at all tart.

 

how Sweet it is

{strawberry mango basil salsa & homemade tortilla chips}

I just recently discovered this awesome food blog called How Sweet It Is. The blogger behind it is hilarious and up-beat, the food photos are vibrant and incredibly well-styled (I'm constantly drooling at my computer screen), and her recipes are creative in the best ways ever-- she basically just takes all the yummiest ingredients you could ever think of and makes them into recipes you seriously wish you had thought of yourself!  It's as if she knows what all of my favorite foods are, and then takes those foods and combines them into super simple recipes.  S'mores + brownies.  Buffalo chicken + nachos.  Cake batter + pancakes.  Oreos + chocolate + peanut butter.  Bacon + chocolate + peanut butter.  I'm telling you she's a genius!

So far I've tried a few recipes and have loved them all: buffalo chicken pasta, enchilada lasagna, grilled breakfast pizza (this one was AMAAAAZING! and how much more simple can it get?!) and strawberry mango basil salsa (best salsa I ever made).  But I'm dying to try the creamy caprese pasta and s'mores pie.  You must check out her blog!

Fresh Air

A few snippets from my leisurely Sunday. :)

 {hiking at Peters Canyon Regional Park}

 {refreshing watermelon salad - recipe found here}

 {a simple summer cocktail}

 {juicy lucy}

{afternoon reading & wildflowers picked on the hike}

Best Salmon Burgers ever

{Rachael Ray's Everything Salmon Burgers
with Scallion Sour Cream-Cream Cheese Sauce}

Broke in our new grill with these yummy salmon burgers, recipe courtesy of good 'ole Rachael Ray.  I love that I can do a quick search of whatever type of food I'm craving at the moment on www.foodnetwork.com right before I leave the office, pick up the ingredients on the way home, and end up with an amazing meal for dinner that night.  These salmon burgers aren't dry and dense like a fillet would be because you grind the fish up and mix in some fresh dill and seasoning.  And the dill flavor (an herb that is rarely used in my kitchen) makes it such a unique dish that adds diversity to my usual cooking routine!

Rachael Ray's Everything Salmon Burgers with Scallion Sour Cream- Cream Cheese Sauce (Recipe found here)

Ingredients

• 4 (6-ounce) skinless salmon fillets, cut into large chunks
• 1 tablespoon grill seasoning, (recommended: Montreal Seasoning by McCormick)
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
• 1/2 cup softened cream cheese
• 3 scallions, whites and greens, chopped
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• Green leaf lettuce, for topping
• Sliced beefsteak or vine ripe tomato, for topping
• Sliced red onion, for topping
• Crusty kaiser rolls, split and toasted

Preheat outdoor grill if using to medium high. Prepare hot grill with cooking spray. Indoors, use a large skillet rather than a grill pan and preheat with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil to medium-high heat.

Place salmon in food processor and pulse to coarse grind meat to form burgers. Transfer fish to a mixing bowl and season with grill seasoning, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, and dill. Mix and form 4 patties. Drizzle the burgers with extra-virgin olive oil.

Cook burgers 3 minutes on each side for a pink center, 4 to 5 minutes on each side for fully cooked fish.  While burgers cook, combine in a bowl the cream cheese and the scallions and fold in sour cream and lemon juice.  Top the burgers with lettuce, tomato, onion and sauce on crusty, toasted buns.

A Patriotic Backyard BBQ

How fun and festive would it be to lounge around all day on a summery outdoor sofa with bright colored pillows and patio-perfect decor?  I can't wait to indulge in some super savory appetizers, all-American hot dogs, and red, white, and blue desserts this weekend.  Let's all raise our patriotic themed cocktails in thanks and remembrance of those who have served this country!

CB2 red tray table

Blueberries Gone Wild cocktails

New York style hot dogs

Crate and Barrel charcoal grill

West Elm outdoor furniture and pillows

Bakerella's Patriotic Cake Pops

West Elm Candleholders

Crate and Barrel serveware

The Girl Who Ate Everything's Bloomin' Onion Bread

Salmon en Papillote

Salmon en Papillote is a fantastic weeknight dinner. It takes a maximum of 25 minutes, is healthy, and actually looks pretty fancy! En Papillote means 'in parchment' and cooks the food using steam.

Ingredients

1) A salmon fillet for each person you are feeding

2) A lemon or lime, sliced thinly

3) Olive Oil

4) Fresh dill (or dry dill or salmon seasoning)

5) Asparagus

6) Parchment Paper (foil may work too)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut a piece of parchment paper about 1 foot long for each salmon fillet.

Fold parchment paper in half.

Place cut and washed asparagus on either half of the parchment.

Place salmon fillet on top of asparagus.

Drizzle salmon and asparagus with olive oil.

Sprinkle with dill (or choice of seasoning).

Place sliced lemon or lime over salmon fillet.

Fold the empty half of the parchment paper over the salmon.

Fold over edges of parchment paper to make a sealed package.

Place parchment packets on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for about 20 to 22 minutes.

Voila! A gorgeous dinner that you didn't have to slave 3 hours in the kitchen to make!

Tasty Thai

 {Tom Yum Gai - hot and sour chicken soup}

I love Thai food.  It is always at the top of my list of suggestions when ordering takeout, but until this weekend I have never attempted to cook it myself.  I was in the mood to try some new recipes, so after a quick Google search, I decided on these recipes for Tom Yum Gai and Pad See Ew, my two favorite Thai dishes.  All the ingredients were easily found at my local 99 Ranch, and I only made a few substitutions (soup: fresh oyster mushrooms in place of button and canned straw mushrooms, noodles: Chinese broccoli in place of normal broccoli and omitted carrots).  The soup turned out amazing and tasted just like the versions I've tried at Thai restaurants, except with an added kick from the serrano chilies.  The noodles were also yummy but the sauce was a tad light (as you can see) for my liking.  Next time, I'll try using dark soy sauce as directed in this recipe.  Overall it was quite a success, these dishes will definitely be added into my regular rotation.

 

 {Beef Pad See Ew - Thai rice noodles}

 {enjoy with Thai iced tea}

Giada's Penne with Treviso and Goat Cheese

{Penne with Treviso and Goat Cheese}

While sitting in the chair at the dentist's office, I watched a Giada at Home episode where she made this yummy looking Penne with Treviso and Goat Cheese pasta.  I looked it up when I got home and tried it out myself and now it's one of my new favorites!  It's so simple (basically just throw everything into one pan), fresh (with lemon juice and basil), and nutritious (with healthy spinach and radicchio).  I used about half as much cheese as the recipe calls for, and garnished with shredded parmesan instead of goat cheese (I mixed the goat cheese in the pasta-- I think she did this on the show).  I love how unique and tasty this recipe is because of the creamy, tangy, balsamic flavored sauce.

Giada's Penne with Treviso and Goat Cheese (Recipe found here)

Ingredients

• 1 pound penne pasta
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, halved
• 1 pound treviso or radicchio, chopped (about 4 cups)
• 3 packed cups (3 ounces) baby spinach
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1-1/2 cups grated Parmesan
• 1-1/2 cups (11 ounces) goat cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 cup basil leaves, torn

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water.

In a 12-inch skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant and golden, about 1 minute. Remove the garlic and discard.  Add the treviso, spinach, chicken stock, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of salt, and red pepper flakes. Cook until the treviso and spinach are wilted, about 6 to 8 minutes.  Add the pasta and Parmesan. Toss well and thin out the sauce with a little pasta water, if needed. Season with salt, to taste.  Transfer the penne to serving bowls. Top each portion with the crumbled goat cheese and garnish with basil before serving.

Pear Clafoutis

 {Pear Clafoutis}

I was inspired by this recipe I saw on Because I'm Addicted, and I'm so glad I made it because it's simple and easy and the end result looks totally professional and quite fancy if I may say so myself (I mean c'mon, it's French)!  I used pear instead of apricot just because I love pears.  Apparently the traditional french dessert Clafoutis, is made with cherries, but if it's made with another fruit it is called Flaugnarde instead.  However, it seems that most people call it clafoutis no matter what type of fruit they use--including Ina Garten.

The most intriguing thing to me about this recipe is that you literally just pour the mixture in the pan without actually making a crust separately, but when you bake it the crust expands like crazy and forms at the sides and bottom and is the best part of the whole dish!  I LOVE the crust and custard-like filling.

{in the oven}

Pear Clafoutis (recipe found here)

• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 3 large pears, peeled, cored, sliced
• Optional: powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 325°F. Generously butter 9-inch-diameter pie pan. Beat eggs, 1/2 cup sugar and salt in medium bowl to blend. Whisk in flour. Add milk, butter, vanilla and lemon peel and whisk until smooth. Arrange pears in bottom of prepared plate. Pour custard over pears. Bake until clafoutis is set in center and golden on top, about 55 minutes. Sprinkle powdered sugar over and serve.

Ad Hoc At Home: Braised Pork Belly

After visiting Ad Hoc in Napa Valley twice and loving the food, I felt it was necessary to purchase the Ad Hoc at Home cookbook. The restaurant menu is prix fix only and the food can be described as homestyle cooking at it's best. It's definitely the type of food Jason and I enjoy cooking and eating!

{the cookbook has amazing pictures...}

{...and includes a lot of background information on the main ingredients being used, as well as very helpful how-to instructions}

After debating between pork belly confit or braised pork belly, I came to the conclusion that I could not stomach the idea of covering already fatty pork belly in lard! So braised pork belly it was!

Don't be fooled by the short list of ingredients this recipe requires! It took a total of two days to make this recipe, because you have to brine the pork belly overnight, then press it for another 8 hours so the connective tissue gels (sounds nasty), then braise it.

Phew, it's done! The finished product, served with Curried Cauliflower and Green Bean Salad with Lemon Yogurt from Food and Wine.

The verdict: Good but probably not worth the effort.