Pots and Pins

Fresh Raspberry Bars...

I really wanted to go to Remlinger Farms on a sunny day and pick raspberries.  I even enlisted the help of some 9 year old girls to come with me, like Tom Sawyer getting his friends to help him paint the fence...."C'mon it'll be fun!  Work?  Naw, it's not work!  You'll love it!"  But the sun never shined...so I drove myself to the store, purchased berries from the sunny side of the state and made these wonderful bars.

 

 

 

 

 Like some lemon bars, these have a rich, shortbread crust as the base and once it's baked and cooled briefly, seedless raspberry jam is spread over the top, then fresh berries are added and smothered with a custard filling, made with cream cheese ...this recipe just screamed at me and I'm screaming at you...MAKE THIS!

 

 

 

 

If I tell you this is a Better Homes and Gardens recipe then you'll know it's tested, tried and true...but if I tell you the calorie content of each bar (209) then you won't want to make them because ONE bar is not enough, you'll need to eat 3 or 7 and then you're into double digits and instead of being able to lounge about licking your fingers, you'll be slugging your sorry arse over hill and dale to avoid slipping into a coma where you'll just dream about these bars!  Warning:  Eat at your own risk!

Fresh Raspberry Bars - Adapted From Better Homes and Gardens, Scott Peacock, May 2011

(Lest you think I'm a fool to try to adapt a Better Homes and Gardens recipe, after all, BHG is right up there with Betty Crocker and Julia Child, my adaptations were as follows:  I used salted butter instead of unsalted, regular salt instead of kosher, and instead of 4 oz. of cream cheese and 4 oz. of goat cheese, as the recipe called for, I used 8 oz. of cream cheese...and I made these changes because that's what I had in my pantry!) 

1 cup butter, cut into 1-inch chunks

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

softened butter for brushing sides of foil

3/4 cup seedless raspberry jam or preserves

1 pint (2 cups) fresh raspberries

1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

2 tablespoons lemon zest

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving extra foil extending over ends (to make it easy to lift the bars out of the pan); set aside.  In a large bowl beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until it just begins to blend and soften slightly, about 30 seconds.  Add brown sugar and salt, beat on low speed until incorporated, 30 seconds to 1 minute.  With mixer off, add the 2 cups flour.  Beat on low speed until flour is incorporated.  Increase speed to medium, mix until ingredients form an even, cohesive dough.  Break down into small chunks and distribute in prepared pan; with your fingers press dough into an even layer.  Bake 20 minutes or until dough has begun to puff and is just set.  Cool on wire rack for 5 minutes.

Lightly brush exposed sides of foil with softened butter to keep filling from sticking.  Spread jam evenly over crust.  Sprinkle evenly with raspberries. 

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.  Mix in granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon flour until blended.  With mixer running, add egg, egg yolk, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla.  Beat until smooth.  Pour custard batter evenly over berries and distribute evenly.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until barely set.  Transfer to a wire rack until completely cool, about 1 hour; cover and transfer to refrigerator.  Chill 2 hours.  Top will crack as it cools, don't be alarmed!  Use foil to lift the bars from pan.  With a knife or metal spatula, support the side of the bars while you gently peel the foil downward and away from sides of bars.

Cut into bars, about 1 1/2-inches by 2-inches, removing foil from the bottom, if necessary.  Sprinkle very lightly with powdered sugar.  Makes 24 bars.  

The only thing better than fresh raspberries is one of these Fresh Raspberry Bars...5 dangs for sure!

Two More Out The Door!

Out of the machine and in the mail!  A two-sided baseball table runner, made to fit a HUGE table, for a little boy's upcoming birthday - it turned out so cute!

The little baseballs are detachable so the runner can be washed - cute, no?

Runners are great - they can help set the theme for the party without the expense of an entire cloth.  This runner is going to a home with three little baseball fans...so I'm sure it's going to be used a lot!  Thanks Kimberly!

This ruffled white tablecloth is for Tami...she's going to have a beautiful birthday party for her little girl...and asked me to make this for her.  I like it so much I'm making one for myself!  This pic really doesn't do it justice because the cloth isn't pressed yet...but use your imaginations!  Tami is going to use a colored topper on top of this cloth...which I will make as soon as she tells me which color to use!

I did such a good job on both projects that I think I'll reward myself with a trip to the fabric shop!

It's good to be me.

Grilled Pizza...

We've grilled pizza about 5 times in the last month...I've become a savant with pizza dough, truly, I can have it whipped up and in the oven rising in about 10 minutes!  The Boy has become quite skilled at manning the grill and flipping the crusts but I've noticed he lacks imagination when it comes to toppings...sauce, sausage and cheese, nothing more.  When my nieces were here they proved to be a bit more adventurous and decorated their pizzas like they were on Project Runway.  The mister, well, let's just say he's not a big fan of pizza...oh, he'll eat it, slice after slice, but with each bite he complains about how he's not supposed to eat pizza because he's on a diet (yeah, the seefood diet...see-food-eat!) 

(I might have let it rise just a tad too long!)  Last night the girls from church came over to grill some pizza...it had rained all day and was stinkin' cold out...so my plan was for them to grill the crust outside on the grill, umbrellas overhead, and then pop them into the oven to finish up the toppings.  Luckily, the sun came out just as we turned on the grill...ONE HOUR of sunlight for the entire day!

 

 

 

 

 

Everything was prepped and ready for them, and once they chopped, diced and sliced the veggies they sauteed them so they would be precooked and ready to top the pizzas.  Then the girls hand-stretched-out the dough...I was thinking thin crusts but the longer they worked the thicker they got!  Outside the grill-girls had everything under control...

 

 

 

 

 

Now that's serious pie!  Of course, if you are making pizzas for a crowd, like we did last night, then the oven comes in handy.  After the crusts were grilled on each side we brought them in to be topped and baked...not as much chaos that way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The girls continued to grill the crusts outside while the oven finished them up inside -  450 degree oven for about 5 minutes, just long enough for the cheese to melt and the toppings to be heated through.  (Since we pre-cooked the peppers and sausage, the baking time is very short.)  I know for most of you the thought of turning on your ovens is about as welcoming as toe fungus...but here in the Great Northwest,  turning on the oven is about as close to summer as it gets!

Grilling pizza is a FUN and inexpensive way to feed a crowd.  I made a quadruple batch of dough, each batch made four pizzas, about ten-inches in diameter...so we made 16 pizzas!  Crazy fun!  Try this one with your kids, your grandkids or your big baby husband for a quick weeknight meal - dang fun!

Click here for the Home-made Pizza Dough recipe...it's dang good!

You can follow the recipe and bake your pizzas in the oven or, if you're going to grill them, here's what you need to know: 

Brush olive oil all over one side of pizza, then put that side DOWN onto a hot grill and immediately brush the top side with olive oil and close the lid.  Let crusts cook for about 3 to 4 minutes (about 350 degrees or medium heat), or until they are lightly browned and have nice grill marks, then open grill, and using tongs, flip the crusts to the other side, and fly into action!  Spoon on your sauce, cheese, veggies, meat - whatever!  But be quick and then close the lid and as the bottom of the crust bakes so will the top and after 3 minutes or so you'll have yourself one the best tasting pizzas outside of Italy...promise! 

OR...put your crusts on the grill and grill both sides, then remove and top your crusts inside and bake in a 450 degree oven for about 5 minutes or until the toppings are heated through and the cheese is hot and bubbly.

Wantobe Quilter Campaign!!!

Calling all Wantobe Quilters? 

Hello friends! I would love to welcome you

to the Wantobe Quilters Campaign!!  It's going to be three months worth of FUN and PRIZES for BRAND NEW QUILTERS! 

All you wannabe's who have 

wanted to learn to quilt...now you have a chance to win everything

you need to get you going!!

Sponsored by Sew We Quilt at Stash Manicure

 Stash is going to giveaway prizes FIVE times a week for TWELVE weeks!  Do the math - that's a lot of loot!

And that loot includes supplies that will have you quilting

before you know it...From sewing machines to irons, to die cutters,

mats, rotary cutters, sewing baskets, scissors, batting, needles,

roller sewing machine bags, patterns, books, magazines...everything

you could imagine to assist you in being a NEW Quilter.

 

Even if you are already part of this community you can win

quilting stuff too...Tuesday and Thursday are days for us experienced quilters,

and I use that term loosely!

All you have to do is send me your name, phone number 

and email (email it to me at [email protected]) and I will submit it to the organizer, because if you win

something, I can win something too!!

Oh, you also need to head on over to Stash and become a follower of that blog - which if you're not already, you will love. 

Thatis it!! There are over 49 Sponsors involved.

I am pretty excited to be part of this, sew should you.

I love being a QUILTER! 

For more information click on over to Stash and read all about it...but remember to tell them I sent you!

Quilt Group Friday...

Port Angeles is on the Olympic Peninsula; it's a scenic three hour drive/ferry ride from Seattle to the "banana belt" of Washington where it's usually sunny, but sun is scarce around here this summer.  Port Angeles is also only a short distance from Forks, the now infamous town where vampires live side by side with humans.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some of the scenes from the Twilight movies were shot in Port Angeles - it's the in place for all wannabe vampires and a sweet little town, and it's just a short ferry ride to Victoria, B.C.  But we didn't go there to suck anyone's blood or to see if our skin would glow in daylight, or to ride the ferry to B.C., nope, we went there for our annual quilt meeting at Terry's home - which always proves to be a great time!

It was Barbara's turn to receive blocks from the group and she requested these half-square triangle blocks.  They are 16 1/2-inches BIG!  They are going to make a beautiful quilt...I'm always hesitant to make blocks for Barbara because she sews so perfectly...but I want you to know that I followed the instructions to a "T" and I even PINNED AND IRONED!!  Although I did notice, after I was done sewing my block together, that one of my fabrics was directional and not all pieces were going the same direction!!  Story of my life!  So sorry Barbara!  I tried!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marsha brought in her quilt top, blocks we had made for her, and asked for opinions on borders...there were seven of us so she got seven opinions.  I just loved Denise's block - perfectly paper pieced!  I think Marsha is going to put yo-yo's in the "posts" on her quilt and do a pieced border...but we'll see!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When Marsha was in England last year she purchased tea towels whereever she could and is now thinking of cutting them up into pieces for a quilt.  Using tea towels for a travel memory quilt is a great idea!!  And she's got a lot to work with here - good luck Marsha!

We loved this quilt!  Terry made it and it's so beautifully quilted and super soft.  There was light coming from behind the quilt so some of the background fabrics are showing through but those strips are white, so it looks like all of the blocks, including those little ones in the border, are floating.

 

 

 

 

 

Terry always pieces the backs of her quilts - it's really two quilts in one!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The quilt above is called Corn and Beans, that I remember, but not who brought it!!  It's wonderful, whoever it belong to!

Terry has a long-arm quilting buisness and this is what she is working on now - by the way, if you need someone to quilt your quilt for you, who will do a perfect, amazing job, Terry is you gal...email me for her information, she one of the best I've ever seen and even if you don't live around her, you can mail her your top and she'll mail you back a piece of art. 

Peewee Herman sits on top of Terry's book shelf... "I know you are but what am I!...Are too!  Am Not!  Are too!  Am Not!...That's so funny I forgot to laugh!"  Oh Peewee, just seeing you made me remember to laugh!    

On our way back to reality we stopped at Quilted Strait - a picturesque quilt shop filled with thousands of bolts of fabrics!  It's located in Port Gamble, Washington - the most scenic little town around!  Port Gample, just outside of Kingston, has been the backdrop for many movies because of it's so quaint and charming.  For those of us who live on the other side of the pond, the Edmonds ferry to Kingston makes Quilted Strait just a short trip away!!  It was a great quilt meeting - not a lot of quilts to show, but we made up for that with lots of laughter.  Thanks Terry, it's always a treat! 

Planet Barbecue...The Cookbook

One of my New Year's resolutions in 2010, was to not buy any more cookbooks and magazines as I had developed a strange addiction to both.  I subscribed to about ten magazines and I loved and read them all, but when I realized my magazine addition had spun out of control, as in, I was buying magazines at the grocery store that I already subscribed to and had already read...well, I had an intervention with myself:  My name is Nan and I'm a magazine addict.  I girded up my loins and  quit cold turkey.  Standing in the line at the grocery store was torture for me...I had to resist the urge to grab a magazine...ANY magazine...I must have looked like a junkie going through withdrawals...biting my nails, shifting my weight from side to side...frantically digging through my purse for gum or mints or anything to distract me until it was my turn to put my groceries on the moving conveyor belt and inch past the magazines that had such power over me.  And now, a year and a half later, I can tell you, like most addicts, I have had some slip-ups...but, like a social drinker, I have learned to manage my addition and now only subscribe to THREE magazines - Bon Appetit, Cooks Illustrated, and Southern Living...the holy trinity when it comes to magazines. 

 

 Cookbooks are a whole 'nuther thing.  I have tried, I truly have, and while I have done better, I am not yet cured and can't even claim to be a "social cookbook imbiber."  My name is Nan and I'm a cookbook addict!  But I do have new, self-imposed parameters when it comes to buying cookbooks...I will only purchase a cookbook that comes highly recommended by someone I trust or from a place where I have personally eaten."   And that was the case with Planet Barbecue by Steve Raichlen.  I first heard about this book from my friend Chris, the mastermind behind  Nibble Me This.  If you haven't been to Chris' blog, you need to go - right now - but first put on a bib because everything he posts will make you drool.  I read Chris' review of Planet Barbecue and ordered it straight away.  When it came I quickly browsed through it but half way I discovered I was late to a wedding reception and had forgotten to buy a gift...so I stuck a check in the book, wrapped it up and gave it away then quickly forgot about it!  A few months later I purchased it again...because the newlywed couple I gave the book to wrote me the nicest note and raved about all the great food they had made from Steve's easy to follow recipes...I bought myself a copy...but once again, it turned into a gift.  And then the rains arrived, our grill was tucked away for the winter and I put Planet Barbecue our of my mind until last week when I saw it for half price at Barnes and Nobles (and you can order it now through Amazon for practically nothing!!)  This time, I did not give it away!  I read it cover to cover and it is fascinating!  I have dog-earred about half the book and have made 3 dishes so far - all outstanding - and I'll share those with you soon. 

 

 From appetizers to desserts, there are over 300 recipes from around the world - it's as much as a travel book as it is a cookbook!  If you're not up to speed with your barbecue techniques, this book will get you there...even if you're a highly-challenged-gas-grill-gal like myself.

Paella de Camerones y Embutidos...Paella with Shrimp and Sausage

Remember I told you about the mister booking flights for us last year to Italy?  He booked and paid Continental Airlines, then got annoyed with them and decided to book with Delta instead.  After he paid Delta he called Continental back and demanded his money back...Continental is still laughing.  We have one year to use those tickets or lose them...and the year mark is fast approaching...in May we started to plan our trip...Ireland, Scotland, England...then we switched gears and decided to go to Hong Kong, China and Vietnam...then scratched that and settled on France, Spain and Italy...and now, after months of arguing discussing this trip, we may not even leave the country!  The Euro is so high our wallets would just hemorrhage $$$...so now we're thinking of going to D.C., New York and Boston...but nothing is set in stone and at the rate we're going we might just have to settle for Tacoma, Olympia and Portland.

 

 

 

 

I did kind of have my heart set on Spain...checked out several cooking classes in Barcelona that would have taught me the fine art of Tapas...and Paella...but since it appears, for now, that I will only be taking imaginary trips to Spain, I decided to kick-start my fictional vacay with Paella...and may I just tell you, it's muy delicioso!  You HAVE to click on those pics above to see them better...because Paella would not have been on the menu had we not stopped at Hull's Shrimp yesterday.  We, my quilt group, discovered Hull's last year on our annual trek to Port Angeles so this year we went prepared with a cooler...and Hull's didn't disappoint.  Driving through the forest to Hull's had us all silently humming the theme song to the movie, Deliverance...but what they lacked for in ambiance they certainly made up for in quality shrimp...sweet, fresh and huge...and at $11 a pound for the jumbo prawns, as the Aussie would say, trying not to imagine how many health violations they might have was a small price to pay.

 

 

 

Paella (pie-aye-a) is a Spanish dish, originating in Valencia, Spain...creamy rice with any number of combinations of vegetables, meats and fish.  So it's a very versatile dish - you can use what you have on hand or what's in season...and while there are many, many recipes for Paella, I opted to combine several and the results were much better than I'd hoped for...I licked my plate and so did the mister!  He even said, "Wow, this is good, you need to write this one down!"  And so I did.

 

 

 

 

I didn't have a Paella Pan - a big, round flat pan which paella is traditionally cooked and served in (pictured below), so I improvised and used my Italian pan we hand-carried from Florence to Sorrento to Rome to New York to Seattle...only to discover I could have purchased one just like it 15 miles from my house and saved myself a rotator cuff issue... oh well...it's similar to a Paella pan...it's big, with a large round bottom surface...reminds me of me.  If you don't have a Paella pan, you can use a large skillet, it will work just fine.

Onions, red bell pepper, zucchini, Andouille sausage, hot Hungarian Paprika and Saffron threads (which turn the rice into a beautiful yellow color), are cooked until the flavors begin to meld.  Broth is poured in along with Arborio rice and 20 minutes later, when the rice is soft and fluffy, frozen peas are added along with grape tomatoes and cooked shrimp (or uncooked, whatever you have).  Once it's heated through it's ready to serve - straight from the pan to the table, where everyone can dig in for what is sure to be one of the best meals you'll ever have.  

This is so good I'm thinking of putting it on the Christmas Menu!  It's so colorful and flavor-filled it would be a hit any time of the year but it's also special so making this during the holidays would be a sure-fire crowd pleaser!  But I have to say, it definitely hit the spot on the most beautiful sunny day we've had this summer...give this one a try - it's 5 dangs worthy for sure!

Paella de Camerones y Embutidos - Paella with Shrimp and Sausage - Adapted from several recipes, including Ina Garten's Lobster Paella

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 large white onion, diced

1 medium zucchini, diced

4 Andouille sausage (12 oz.) sliced (purchase the fully cooked ones)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

4 cups chicken broth or stock

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

1/4 teaspoon or a generous pinch of Saffron threads

1/4 teaspoon hot Hungarian Paprika (it's not all that spicy but does give a nice little kick but you could use regular Paprika if desired)

1/4 cup Pernod or Sambuca, optional (both are anise/licorice flavored liquors that bring depth to this dish...I would recommend using but it's your call)

1 cup frozen petite green peas

1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half

1 1/2 lbs. shrimp, cooked and de-veined

fresh parsley for garnish, optional

lemon wedges for serving, optional - but SO good!

In a large Paella pan or a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.  Stir in red bell pepper, onion, zucchini and Andouille sausage.  Cook, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes, or until vegetables are soft.  Stir in salt and pepper, chicken broth, rice, saffron and paprika.  Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.  Remove from heat, remove lid and carefully pour in Pernod or Sambuca, if using, then return to heat.  Stir in peas, tomatoes, and shrimp.  Cover with lid and allow to simmer for 5 minutes or until heated through.  Sprinkle with parsley and serve with lemon wedges.  Serves 6.

Here Comes The Bride...

 

 My beautiful niece Gracie was a good sport and tried on my latest acquisition..my friend Dawn thought her wedding dress had been thrown out, then, while sorting through some things in her garage she found it stuffed inside a picnic basket!  It was stained and dirty beyond description so she was just going to toss it but thought maybe I could use it somehow (I had to ask myself, "What part of me screams stained and dirty wedding dress?") Dawn could not bring herself to throw it out and it looked like no amount of cleaning would fix it...so I ended up with her dress...(again, stained and dirty wedding dress...call Nan?!?!?)  It sat in a heap on the floor for a few days while I wondered what I was going to do with it...I had no idea and toyed with tossing it out but I couldn't bring myself to do that...so, since I had nothing to lose, and I regret not taking a before picture because you wouldn't believe it...Dawn's 25 year old, $5,000 wedding dress, went into the washing machine and dryer and came out looking as good as new!  It needs to be pressed and if those sleeves were redone, well, you can see, it's very Kate Middleton-esque and would look just as great on any SIZE ZERO bride as it does on my 13 year old niece! 

Maybe Dawn gave it to me for MY next wedding?!?  I'll have to lose a limb or two to fit into it though...

Couscous Stuffed Tomatoes...

At first, my niece Gracie turned her nose up at this...and laughed when I told her it was couscous...she'd never heard of it before and said it looked like, "Grandma's fish-eye salad."  She meant frog-eye salad which is made with ancini di pepe pasta, a very teensy, round pasta (frog-eye salad is supposed to be great but I cannot bring myself to eat anything that begins with the words frog-eye!) Couscous is not named after an amphibians body part nor is it really pasta, it's made from semolina and wheat flour but it's toasted rather than dried and has a bit of a nutty flavor.  I love to use Israeli Couscous, also known as Pearl Couscous, it's bigger and as we all know, bigger is better, but couscous comes in smaller sizes, too.  Gracie holds the title as the "smartest" in her famdamly but her title is now in jeopardy, not over couscous, but because when we were talking about places to go and see in SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, she said, "How far is it to the White House?"  Her sister Callie, and I, stopped breathing...we stared at her and waited to see if she was joking...she was not...and then we burst out laughing...Umm, let's see, give or take a few hundred miles the White House is about THREE THOUSAND MILES away!  Gracie had herself a good laugh, too, and then she ate couscous.

 

 

 

 

This is a great salad, with or without the tomatoes, but stuffing the tomatoes is just more fun.  You can buy couscous from Whole Foods in the bulk foods area or in a box, Near East is brand that most grocery stores carry.  And you can eat this as a hot or cold salad...either way it's dang good.

Little balls of goodness surrounded by shredded Parmesan cheese, bits of red and green onion and crispy bacon...need I say more?  If you've got pine nuts, toss them into the mix, too, and then it's all drizzled with lemon juice and olive oil...

 Hollow out a large beefstake tomato for each serving (serves 4) by cutting off top and then, using a grapefruit spoon, scoop out the sides, being careful not to poke through bottom.  Fill those beautiful tomatoes with the couscous and you're ready to eat...oh maybe throw caution to the wind and place a sprig of parsley on top, then you'll be ready to eat!

 

Couscous Stuffed Tomatoes - Adapted from Redbook Magazine, June 2011

1 cup Israeli Couscous or 1 box (5 oz.) Near East Couscous, cooked according to package directions

4 large beefstake tomatoes, rinsed, dried and hollowed out

3 green onions, finely diced

2 tablespoon red onion, finely diced

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1/2 lb. bacon, cooked until crisp or shredded prosciutto works great, too

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted, optional

3 tablespoons olive oil (or more if you like)

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

springs of fresh basil or Italian parsley for garnish, optional

Put couscous in a medium pan and cover with an inch of water.  Cook over medium-high heat until couscous is done, al dente, soft but with a bit of chew, about 5 to 6 minutes.  Drain and rinse.  Meanwhile, fry bacon until crisp, drain on paper toweling.  When bacon is cool to the touch, crumble. Prepare tomatoes by scooping out the seedy parts and discarding.  Turn tomatoes upside to drain for a minute. Sprinkle inside of tomatoes with salt and pepper to taste. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice and1/2 teaspoon each of sea salt and freshly ground pepper.  Stir in couscous, bacon, onions, Parmesan cheese and pine nuts, if using, and toss to combine.  Spoon mixture into tomatoes.  Garnish with fresh basil or Italian parsley, if desired.  

Cucumber and Zucchini Salad...

I've had my nieces here visiting this past week...little darlings...except for the wet towels they leave on the floor, curling irons they leave plugged in and ON (along with every light in the house), readjusting my desk chair to suit them and extra items they toss into the grocery cart when I'm not looking...$18 worth of nail polish!  Seriously!

Callie is on the left, Gracie on the right and they are so cute I can't get mad at them, even though they talk me into things (like getting henna tattoos) that you just wouldn't believe!  We've been shopping, to the movies (twice) in and out of the city (twice) and eating, eating, eating.  Last night I made this salad, we needed something healthy to go with the pastries from Le Panier and the chocolates from Fran's and the donuts from Top Pots!

 

 

 

 

When I first came across this recipe, on one of my favorite cooking blogs, White on Rice Couple, I realized I had all of the ingredients on hand and made it immediately.  That was over a month ago and I've been making it weekly ever since.  Christina Ferrare came up with this recipe for her new cookbook, Big Bowl of Love, and Todd and Diane, the brains behind White on Rice, did the photography for her cookbook - beautiful, beautiful pictures!  

Now, I'm no Christina Ferrare, who calls her elegant-looking recipe, Cucumber and Zucchini Carpaccio Salad.  I'm more of a Betty Subaru kind of gal so I skipped the elegant presentation, poured it all into a bowl and served it up in heaping piles...then watched everyone dig in.  And everyone I've served this to has loved it...and so have I.  It's light and refreshing with fresh dill, the surprise of fresh mint and pecans in a rice-vinegar-olive-oil-lemon-juice dressing...make this one - you'll feel better, especially if you've had a day where the only thing faster than the money flying out of your wallet was the scale soaring to new heights!

Cucumber and Zucchini Salad - Adapted from Christina Ferrare's Big Bowl Of Love, via White on Rice Couple

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint

1 tablespoon finely chopped Italian parsley

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh dill

*2 zucchini, sliced thin

*2 cucumbers, sliced thin

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola or Feta cheese

1/4 cup chopped toasted pecans or walnuts (put in a dry skillet over medium-high heat and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly toasted)

fresh cracked black pepper

Combine olive oil, lemon juice, rice wine vinegar, mint, dill and Italian parsley in a medium bowl and whisk together until well blended.  Set aside.  In a large bowl, combine zucchini, cucumbers and pecans.  Sprinkle lightly with salt and add cracked pepper to taste.  Pour dressing over top and toss to mix.  Serve immediately.  Serves 4 to 6. 

*Christina's recipe calls for the zucchini and cukes to be sliced paper thin but since I don't own a mandolin, I couldn't get them that thin.  I did slice mine in my food processor and they were fine and since I wasn't serving them as carpaccio, they didn't need to be see-through!)