A couple of weeks ago, I got to go pick these beauties. If you know me, you know that I love figs and get excited each summer when they are in season. We ate a bunch of these plain, as they were sweet as honey. I also gave some away to family and friends. I did a little cooking with them; threw them on salads, in yogurt, and the like. But, the best thing I did this year was make fig pizza. The recipe will be up next week, so stay tuned!
I don’t know about where you are, but it’s pretty sweltering here today! I’ve been in and out of my house everyday this summer trying to get this kitchen renovation finished. Looks like we’re getting close! On days like this, I find myself needing a really cool lunch. Salads are perfect for this. Who am I kidding though? I eat some variation of a salad almost everyday of the year for lunch. I need my greens on a regular basis!
Into this salad, I threw about 2C of lettuce, 2tbs. golden raisins, 1/2 apple, 1tbs. garden fresh green onions, 1tbs. shredded smoked gouda.
My “go to” salad dressing usually consists of:
horseradish mustard
pepper jelly (homemade, from a friend)
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
I really don’t measure much, but the mix of sweet and salty in this salad with the dressing was outstanding.
I don’t know if it’s hot where you are, but it’s HOT here! It seems that in the last few weeks a heat wave has been moving across the country. July is always rough for those of us in the South. I’ll (hopefully) be escaping the heat in a few short weeks for some cooler temps. In the meantime, this watermelon, lime, berry granita is sure to keep us (and YOU) cool and refreshed!
First, make a simple syrup by boiling 1/4C water. Add 1/2C sugar to the boiling water and stir until sugar is dissolved. Take off heat and let cool about 30 minutes.
Once simple syrup is cool, add it to a blender along with 2C watermelon, 1tbs. lime juice, 3/4C mixed berries, and 2C ice. Blend until ice is crushed, but not liquefied.
Enjoy this as a fabulous afternoon refresher!
On Friday, we started a friend’s bachelorette evening with “cocktail hour on the porch” at my house. It was really nice and casual, and very easy to prep for. We had mojitos and water (for hydration!) with fresh mint, lemon, and lime. We had dinner reservations, so I kept the food really light, only serving tortilla chips and salsa. All in all, it was a great start to the evening and everyone enjoyed themselves!
This is Cami, our five year old King Charles Spaniel. Isn’t she fabulous? We happen to think so. She’s a joyful little thing, and has brought us years of happiness. We hope for many more years of continued happiness with her. Her 5th birthday was July 1. So, I guess this is a belated Happy Birthday to Cami post!
These are so easy to make, and they are quite the tasty treat.
To make, I thinly sliced 3 zucchini. Then, I tossed the slices in olive oil with salt and pepper and (my favorite) chipotle. I laid them on my dehydrator sheets, and set them to dehydrate for 7 hours on 135. They were not completely dehydrated at this point, and could have gone longer, but I like them a little softer, so I stopped dehydrating at 7 hours.
Happy 4th! I have made these peppers the last two years to bring to our July 4 gathering, and they are always a big hit. I made a slightly different version this year by leaving ground beef out of the cheese mixture. Feel free to add it, if you like. I think they are great either way!
1 bag of small red, yellow, orange peppers
2 small containers of cream cheese
1 pack of bacon
fresh basil and thyme finely chopped
salt, pepper, chipotle seasoning to taste
Wash and dry all peppers, cut off tops of peppers. Set aside. Make cheese mixture by mixing all cream cheese, herbs, and seasonings together. Blend well. Fill peppers with cheese mixture. Cut bacon slices in half. Wrap peppers with bacon. Secure with a toothpick. This year, we put 5 finished peppers onto a skewer, and laid the skewers on a pan. We cooked these in the oven on 450 for 30-40 minutes. You can also grill them. Just be careful because the cheese may leak! Sorry, I don’t have a photo of the finished product. We were rushing to leave!
I love chicken salad and experiment with different recipes all the time. My latest experiment was fabulous, so I thought I’d share the recipe.
Combine:
1 chicken breast, seasoned and grilled
2 hardboiled eggs, chopped
half of an apple, chopped
1/4-1/2C of chopped walnuts
1/4-1/2C green onions
3 tbs mayonnaise
1tbs horseradish mustard
Nature’s Seasoning and Chipotle to taste
