Happy graduation, birthday, anniversary, independence, vacation day...and orzo salad with lemon, feta and pine nuts.

Well, you know I have a lot of catching up to do.  So, after friendly nudges, sweet "we miss you" e-mails, comments from my mom and husband, and straightforward "when are you going to start blogging again?," I am finally going to give up my blogging hiatus and get things back in gear.  I have no excuse, but that I work better on a schedule, and have been largely schedule-less since May. 

Here's a quick re-cap, in pictures.  

Summer Starts with a Graduation Celebration!

We celebrate our 6th Anniversary in Chattanooga, TN with a stay at Chanticleer Inn, great food, hiking, and city-exploring.  

Visits with family include a trip to Arrington Vineyards near Nashville, the Naval Museum in Pensacola, pre-Independence day celebrations, family meals, and time with friends.

 Independence day celebration in Philadelphia include a picnic near the Philadelphia Museum and a fireworks show over the Schuylkill River.  

Since returning from our Southern tour, my days have been relatively unhurried.  Window units notwithstanding, the heat still seems to slow things down to a molasses speed.  The job search, household chores, cooking (and apparently blogging) have all responded in kind, following snaillike paces of their own.

While I've occasionally turned on my oven for an occasion (pulled pork for Independence day, cookies for Bible study, brownies for my husband's guy-weekend retreat), it has been largely avoided on account of it's kitchen-stifling tendencies.  So, we've enjoyed our fill of grilled fare, sandwiches, and dishes which require minimal heat, like this delicious orzo salad.  

This has to be one of my favorite summer sides, one that I make often in warmer weather, and always elicits recipe requests.  The flavors just work so well together, it can be served cold or at room temperature, and goes well with almost anything you could throw on a grill.  

Orzo Salad with Lemon, Feta and Pine Nuts

Barely adapted from Bride & Groom First and Forever Cookbook

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 cup orzo
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/4 cup golden raisins
3 tablespoons chopped kalamata olives 
1/4 finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup basil, julienned 
2 ounces good quality feta cheese, crumbled

In a medium pot, cook the orzo to al dente in salted water.  Drain pasta.

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper and sugar.  Pour over the warm pasta, and let the pasta cool to room temperature.  

Add the pine nuts, raisins, olives, onion, basil and feta to the pasta, stir well.  Store Orzo salad in the refrigerator.  

This salad can be made up to two days in advance.  Salad is best at room temperature, but can be served cold.  

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Redeeming Myself

Yesterday, we spent the most glorious couple of hours outside.  My husband and I went to a little lunch restaurant with sidewalk cafe-style seating, and shared stories with some new friends. 

I had an idea that we were going to this little bistro, Anne's Kitchen Table.  Being the food-lover that I am, I scouted out the well-appointed menu online beforehand.  I tried to decide on the most delectable treat on the menu that would not leave me with regrets and heaviness afterward.  I decided on a salad, and had confirmation on the deliciousness of said salad from the raving reviews of a friend.  My goal was to enjoy myself, but to be good simultaneously. 

Well, you know what happened.  We arrived at the cafe, sat basking in the sun, and my good intentions went out the nonexistent window.  The scrumptious and cheese laden paninis drew my attention, and I almost surprised myself when I exclaimed "I'll have the chicken caprese panini, please!"  It was delectable.  I won't discuss my regrets.

So, I'm going to try to redeem myself today with a delicious and perfect-for-spring salad.  The tart apples and unexpected radishes give the long awaited crunch of crispness that is missing in the comfort food of winter.  It is delectable, and you won't have any regrets. 

Apple, Walnut, and Gorgonzola Salad

For the Lemon Poppyseed dressing

2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 tablespoon poppyseeds
zest of 1/2 lemon

In a blender, combine the honey, lemon juice, mustard and salt.  Pulse until well combined.  With the motor running, add the olive oil in a steady stream, until the dressing is emulsified.  Add the poppyseeds and zest, pulse once or twice to incorporate.

For the Salad:

6 cups spring baby greens
3 tablespoons lemon poppyseed dressing
5-6 radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 apple, cut into thin matchsticks
1/3 cup glazed walnuts
1/3 cup gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

In a large bowl, toss the baby greens with the dressing and about three-fourths of the radishes, apple, walnuts and cheese.  Arrange the rest on the top of the salad.  Drizzle a little dressing over the top.

Grilled Panzanella and Peaches

Whenever I come across a recipe for Panzanella, I don’t linger too long. For some reason, it has never appealed to me! All of that bread, in a salad? I guess because I have never been a crouton person, it just never occurred to me to pay any attention to it. It just doesn’t sound good to me. Well, I was wrong. It is good. It is very good. I couldn’t stop eating the croutons out of the bowl of leftovers!

The recipe for grilled peaches is below as well. We served ½ peach per person (with ice cream), but you could just as easily serve a whole peach per person. They were that good.

I hope that you have a wonderful Labor Day. Enjoy your day off of work, knowing that we are very blessed to have the freedoms that we have in this country, including the freedom to work. We are able to pursue education and to choose our careers and professions. What a great blessing.

Oh, and enjoy the remaining vestiges of summer. It really is supposed to last until September 22, but it’s not looking too promising around here.

Grilled Panzanella

From Ina Garten

Good olive oil

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons champagne vinegar

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded and sliced 1/2-inch thick

1 large ripe tomato, cut into 1-inch cubes

10 large basil leaves

3 tablespoons capers, drained

1 red onion, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds

1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 3 large pieces

1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into 3 large pieces

1/2 baguette, cut into 1-inch thick slices

Prepare a charcoal grill with hot coals. Brush the grilling rack with olive oil.

In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, mustard, vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.

Place the cucumber, tomato, basil and capers in a large bowl, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss together. Set aside.*

When the grill is ready, brush 1 side of the onion slices and the peppers with olive oil. Place them, olive oil side down, on the grill and cook for 4 minutes. Brush the other side with olive oil, turn them over and continue cooking an additional 4 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the grill and place on a cutting board. Slice the peppers 1/2-inch thick, separate the onion rings and add them both to the cucumber mixture.

Brush the bread slices on both sides with olive oil and toast them on the grill until golden.** Add them to the cucumber mixture. Pour the reserved vinaigrette over the vegetables and toss together. Serve warm.

*To minimize the number of bowls needed for our al fresco meal, I poured the dressing over the cold veggies before bringing them outside.

**I cut the bread into crouton-sized cubes before tossing them into the salad.

Grilled Peaches

Vegetable oil, for brusing (we used olive oil because we already had a bowl of it available)

2 peaches, halved and pitted

3-4 tablespoons brown sugar

Good ice cream

Brush the cut side of the peaches with oil. Place cut side down on the grill over medium-low heat and replace the lid on the grill. Allow the peaches to cook for about 4 minutes. Brush the other sides of the peaches with oil and flip the peaches over. Sprinkle the brown sugar on the cut side of the peaches. Replace the grill lid and cook for 8-10 minutes. Serve with ice cream.*

*I recommend dulce de leche or a good vanilla ice cream. A homemade lavender ice cream sounds divine, and we enjoyed it with butter pecan ice cream that our guests brought.

No Leftovers

At the end of last week, Kristin at the Kitchen Sink featured her first attempt at a Low Country Boil. This is a meal that I have made many times, and reading her article made me want to put that on our menu for this week’s meals. I added smoked sausage to the pot and cornbread to complete the meal. The first thing that my husband said was, “Are we having company?”, and then he became very excited that it was no special event, but just a Monday night dinner for the two of us.

This was our meal on Tuesday night:

Do you notice anything? You might not, but my husband did notice that there were no leftovers for him to eat for lunch on Tuesday. If you look closely, you will see that there are a lot of similar elements from our Low Country Boil! I took everything except the sausage and repurposed it for Tuesday’s dinner. Of course, my husband was a little disappointed when he realized that there were no leftovers for lunch, but he was very satisfied when dinner came around.

I was worried that because everything was cooked with the same spices on Monday night which is a good thing with that meal, that there would be the same essence throughout Tuesday’s meal (which I did not necessarily want). This really was not a problem; the new flavors that were added were really complemented by the Boil seasoning. Here’s how I did it:

1.) Corn on the Cob becomes a Corn and Cherry Tomato Salad

2 ears of corn, cooked

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1/2 red onion

2-3 stems of basil

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Cut the corn off of the cob using a sharp knife. Place the corn into a medium bowl. Half the cherry tomatoes and add to the corn. Finely dice the onion and add as well. Chiffonade or chop the basil, and add the basil and the rest of the ingredients to the bowl. Mix well, and serve at room temperature.

2.) Potatoes become Potato Salad

You can adjust your ingredients based on how many potatoes you have. Because I was using leftovers, I had fewer potatoes.

6 medium red potatoes, cut into pieces, boiled until cooked through

1 ¼ cups Mayonnaise

1 cup sour cream

¼ cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon celery seed

1 ½ teaspoon horseradish

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 cup chopped green onions

Mix all together and adjust for seasonings.

3.) Shrimp became Shrimp Burgers

½ pound peeled cooked shrimp

½ rib celery

2-3 stems parsley

1 green onion

1 large lemon

1 ½ tablespoons mayonnaise

½ cup cornbread crumbs (I used one cornbread muffin from the night before)

salt and pepper

hot pepper sauce
1 egg, beaten

1 tablespoon butter

Chop the shrimp, celery, parsley and onion. Place into a small bowl. Using a fine grater, zest half of the lemon and add to the bowl. Add the mayonnaise and cornbread. Add salt, pepper, and hot pepper sauce to taste. Add about half of the beaten egg, and mix well. The mixture will barely hold together.

Using your hands, make two burgers from the mixture. They will hold together better if they are thicker, rather than wider. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

Heat the butter over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet. Carefully add the burgers, using a spatula to press any parts that have fallen apart. Cook for 3-4 minutes, and then use two spatulas to carefully turn both burgers. Cook on the other side for 3-4 minutes. Serve over a bed of baby greens.

Progress, and another Versatile Salad

Here's a little bit of what I've been up to lately:

We bought this bookshelf from Ikea. I think that it looks pretty, don't you? Those two frames at the top hold two tiny little paintings that my husband and I bought in Montmartre.

This is some of today's handiwork. We hung all of these frames!

Our little kitchen table.

Our "hutch" and the plates that I hung last week.

Another part of our kitchen, and a painting that I also hung last week.

I've decided that I work best when I'm working on one thing at a time, or in this case, one room at a time. So, today...the hall. Tomorrow, I think I'll work on our bedroom. Hopefully I'll have some more progress to show soon!

Saturday night we went to a "mixer" for incoming students. It was a barbecue, and we brought a salad with us. I also made a similar salad last week, so I'll give you both variations here.

Mixed Green Salad with Pecans, Goat Cheese and Fruit

10-12 ounces mixed salad greens
8 ounces crumbled goat cheese (you could also use blue or feta cheese)
Fruit--I use 2 pears, cut into slices, or 1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved
1/2 cup pecans
1/4 cup white sugar
pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
salt
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (I used "Pear Infused White Balsamic, you could also use Cider Vinegar or Red Wine Vinegar)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
fresh ground black pepper, to taste

For the Pecans:

Place a piece of parchment or wax paper on the counter. In a skillet over medium heat, heat the 1/4 cup sugar until it just begins to melt. Add the red pepper and pecans. Stir until the sugar is melted and the pecans are coated. Transfer to the parchment paper and sprinkle with salt. Allow the pecans to cool completely and break into small pieces.

For the dressing:

Mix the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, mustard, sugar, salt and peppers in a small bowl. Whisk well.

To serve, toss the greens with 1/4 cup of the salad dressing. Put the pecans, fruit and cheese on top, and toss lightly. Add more dressing sparingly, if needed.

A summer salad

To me, summer just aches to be celebrated with good food. I take that back--I love celebrating every season with good food. I love the change in the seasons, when I get to dust off those recipes that haven't been visited in a year.

This year, with our recent upheaval, we haven't had too much time to celebrate summer. We had a short stay at the beach with my parents, just before we moved. Those few days, plus the wonderful going away dinner with all of it's homemade indulgences that my family gave us (barbeque, home-made baked beans, old-fashioned potato salad, oh my!), have really been the extent of our summer bliss.

So, now that we're some-what settled, it's time to enjoy the season. I decided to try out Ina's "summer garden pasta," which I made more into a salad. Here it is:

Summer Garden Pasta Salad
adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 small cloves garlic, minced
5 basil leaves, julienned
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
pinch or two of kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 oz dried pasta (I used campanelle, but fusilli would work well too)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (fresh, please)
several handfuls of mixed baby greens



Mix the first seven ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and allow this to marinate at room temperature for about four hours.

Cook the pasta in boiling water with salt until al dente. Drain and add the pasta to the bowl with the cherry tomatoes. Add the cheese and toss well.

Place a handful or two of baby greens on a plate. Put a few spoonfuls of pasta on top, making sure to drizzle a little of the olive oil marinade over the salad, and sprinkle some extra cheese on top. Enjoy!