A sunny, Sunday afternoon spent at the lake - totally relaxing. Except for the time that the kids were tubing of course. I would call that thrilling - Not so much relaxing. Why does being around the water make me hungry? I didn't tube or fish or do much of anything except relax and for some reason, I was exceptionally hungry that day - just because I was NEAR the water apparently. We had ribs for dinner and I had made a new pasta salad recipe from my taste of home magazine to go along with our meal. I loved the avocado and the artichokes in the salad but it was a little heavy on the lime juice. I will make this again but cut back on the lime just a little next time. Avocado and Artichoke Pasta Salad 1/2 pound spiral pasta 14 ounce can artichoke hearts, drained 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved 1 ripe avocado, peeled and cubed 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese Dressing 1/4 cup olive oil 2 Tablespoons lime juice 1 Tablespoon minced cilantro 1 1/2 teaspoons lime zest 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
Top with cilantro. Ribs and pasta salad and a day on the lake - happy summer friends.
Ciao!
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Naturally, I decided to turn my favorite summertime drink into a cupcake. (Doesn't everybody devise ways to turn beverages into cupcakes?) It's fun to experiment with new cupcake flavors and recipes but it can also be a little frustrating. It's not always as easy as I think it's going to be when I start substituting ingredients and changing quantities of ingredients. Cherry Limeade Cupcakes Ingredients 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 2 cups sugar 4 large eggs, at room temperature 1 cup frozen limeade concentrate, thawed 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cherry Buttercream 6 egg whites 1 1/2 cups sugar pinch salt 2 cups butter 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 2 Tablespoons maraschino cherry juice Combine egg whites, sugar and salt in bowl of mixer. Put over double boiler and whisk over simmering water until sugar melts and mixture is warm. (130 degrees) Transfer to mixer and beat with whisk until cooled and thickened. Switch to flat beater and beat in butter 1 Tablespoon at a time. Add cherry juice. Frost cupcakes. This wasn't a bad first attempt at Cherry Limeade Cupcakes but I think with a few more tweeks, it will be perfect. Summer is here and I have my cherry limeade cupcake - life is sweet.
Ciao! The kids are officially out of school for the summer. That is great news for Ryan and Courtney - for me it means that I am the parent of high school sophomore and a college freshman! Yikes, I feel old. Despite the fact that the reality is setting in that Ryan will be moving to out in just a few short months, I'm still looking forward to summer. I am ready to have everyone home for a while. (I actually laughed out loud even while I typed that because I know that our summer calendar is filling up quickly and it will be rare that we are all in this house at the same time.) Both kids have summer jobs this year which is going to make it even more challenging to have dinners together. I might just have to eat dinner a couple different times. I better find some great summer salad recipes. I love this broccoli salad recipe from simplyrecipes.com. It is crisp and fresh and just slightly sweet from the honey dressing. The crunchy almonds on top are the perfect compliment to this light summer salad. Broccoli Salad 1 teaspoon salt 5-6 cups fresh broccoli florets (about 1 pound of florets) 1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds 1/2 cup cooked, crumbled bacon 1/4 cup of red onion, chopped 1 cup of frozen peas, thawed 1 cup mayonnaise 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 1/4 cup honey
Add dressing to the salad and toss to mix well. Sprinkle with slivered almonds. This salad is really good. I would serve this as a side dish at a barbeque or any summer party. It will surprise you just how many people will eat broccoli when it's prepared like this.
Ciao! I am definitely a "dressing on the side" kind of girl. It get so mad at myself when I order a salad at a restaurant and I forget to say "dressing on the side" because it's usually way to overdressed for my taste. I really don't like a bowl of lettuce and vegetables that are swimming in dressing. My rules for dressing a salad are simple. Start with a great bowl of lettuce and vegetables. Add a few drops of dressing. Mix it in and voila - a perfectly dressed salad. Now compare the two salads. I know that some of you will prefer the salad on the left with much more dressing but as for me, I'll stick to the salad on the right. (I will admit that the picture on the left does lend itself much better to a blog post about salad dressing though.) Whether you like a little or a lot, this creamy Italian dressing is delicious. Creamy Italian Dressing ½ C. mayonnaise ¼ C. grated Parmesan cheese ¼ C. buttermilk 1½ tsp. minced garlic ½ tsp. minced fresh parsley ½ tsp. lemon juice 1 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese 1/2 cup buttermilk 1 clove garlic 1 teaspoon lemon juice fresh parsley (I overdid it on the parsley because my dressing came out a little green.) Yum. I love the Parmesan cheese in this dressing. (I'm assuming that's what makes this an Italian dressing instead of a ranch.) Drizzle on a little or a lot - I think you'll agree that it's really yummy.
Ciao! I don't buy a lot of bottled salad dressing because it's just so easy to make and it tastes so much better. (I do live with a couple of serious Hidden Valley Ranch lovers though, so I do keep that stocked in the frig.) I found this recipe for Honey Mustard dressing on anoregoncottage.com. As you might assume, the key ingredients are honey and mustard - along with a few other things. It's super simple to make and it's really yummy. I make mine in a smoothie blender because it's easy to clean and a perfect size for salad dressing. Honey Mustard Dressing 1/4 c. honey 1/4 c. Dijon 1 clove garlic, minced 2 Tb. lemon juice 1/3 c. rice vinegar (or apple cider vinegar) 3/4 c. olive oil 1/4 tsp. salt (or to taste)
Pour into a squeeze bottle. Serve on the salad of your choice. I LOVE summer salads. Romaine, spinach, cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, pumpkin seeds and honey mustard dressing - oh my! This salad just screams summer. Bring it on.
Ciao! |
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