Cool & Creamy Cucumber Spread Bites

I didn't try goat cheese until I was an adult but it was love at first bite.  I remember that first bite of warm, creamy cheese crusted in ground pecans on top of my already delicious salad.  SO GOOD.  When my favorite restaurant removed that selection from the menu I honestly could have cried...though to be fair, I'm pretty sure that was during the pregnant-and-crying-over-cob-salad days. :-)

 Goat cheese is a lot like cream cheese, but tangier without being overpowering.  It's kind of like a cross between feta and cream cheese actually.  Not that I'm a cheese expert or anything.

It's scrumptious in salad.  Tantalizing on a pizza.  Perfect on it's own with crackers.  Delicious in an omelet.  Delectable with fruit.  If you haven't tried Trader Joe's Wild Blueberry and Vanilla Chèvre you are missing out my friend.

Ok I'll stop.

But there is absolutely nothing not to like about goat cheese.

Caprese Farro Salads and Endless Grains

Well guys, I still have a ridiculous number of weird grains in my pantry.  Ok, weird grains might not really be a fair description- more like wonderful and underutilized grains.

I've tried to cook my way through them (thank goodness they have an insane shelf life!) but no matter how many ways I find to use them they're still there.  Have you ever been to a restaurant and been served a ginormous salad and no matter how much you eat it doesn't seem like you've made a dent?

No...that's just me?  Ok, well it's just like that.  I cook and cook and cook and cook and it's like freaking Strega Nona's pot in there.  Never-ending grains.

Thankfully- and if you've been following along with my postings for any amount of time you know this already- I'm a bit obsessed with interesting side dishes.  I just love mixing things up and trying out new ways to accompany meals, and fun new grains are always a great addition.  I've already written about a delicious Farro Salad with Asparagus and Parmesan and Barley Lime Fiesta Salad, so it's pretty obvious that I'm a fan of grain salads.  When I worked with Swanson a few months ago and was asked to create a recipe using their broth I knew that I was going to get a little creative and make- yet another- yummy salad and work on using up some of those grains in the pantry!

S'mores Pretzel Bites and Busy Summer Days

This summer has definitely been a juggling act- I want to be this fun, active mom who plans great day trips full of picnics and great summer memories.  Sometimes I succeed- more often I don't.  While I started out this summer aiming for our weeks to be jam packed with adventures in reality we've been adventuring far less than I had planned.  Between popcorn and housework I'd say I'm averaging a trip to the pool, an out of town adventure, and maybe a library outing a week.

 Life just gets in the way sometimes.

What can you do, right?

Anyway life has also gotten in the way of keeping up with blogging- but not of cooking (still have to feed a family even when things are busy!) so I have a lot of writing to catch up on!

I was looking through recipes this morning searching for some dinner inspiration and I noticed that a few more of my recipes have been published on Allrecipes without me noticing!  Better yet, they've all been reviewed a time or two already.  It's always fun to think about perfect strangers out there making something you've created in their own kitchens somewhere out there.  I may have a bit of a backlog of recipes to share with you, but I'll get through them- starting with these S'mores Pretzel Bites.

Tortellini Salad with Grilled Tomato Vinaigrette

Pretty much every weekend means family time, a smoky grill, and fun foods around here.

Throw in a blue sky and some time in the pool and I'm a seriously happy lady!

I so look forward to cooking for the weekends.  I know I keep saying it...but I love sides.  That's where I have my fun when it comes to feeding people during the summer.  I'm always on the lookout for fun new salads, and the other day I came across an interesting-sounding recipe for Tortellini Salad with Grilled Tomato Vinaigrette and knew I had to give it a try.

Honestly, until I made (and promptly fell in love with) the Broccoli and Tortellini Salad I wrote about last year it had never occurred to me to use tortellini in a pasta salad.  I was definitely missing out, because it's fabulous.  It makes for a heartier salad and you get the benefit of the flavor of the cheesy tortellini filling as well.

No going back.  I find myself searching out tortellini salad recipes now!

More Fun With Frozen Drinks: Amaretto Sours

There was a time when I was young.
I know, hard to believe, even for me these days, but I totally was.

I used to go out with friends, stay out late, take impromptu road trips...lol those days are gone my friends.  I took my 10 year-old to her first concert the other night, didn't get home until almost midnight, and was soooo ready to crash by the time I got home after my late night.

Times have changed.

Anyway, back in the days of fun nights out with friends the Amaretto Sour was definitely my go-to beverage.  I'm not really sure why...I think somewhere in the back of my head it stuck that my mom- which is hard to believe, as she simply doesn't drink at all- is rumored to have enjoyed them at some point in time.  When I turned 21 it just sort of became my default drink order when I would go out.

These days sweet drinks have been replaced with dry red wines as my go-to beverage- in fact, I don't think I realized how long ago my early 20's were until, during a rare weekend away last year in Asheville, NC,  I ordered an Amaretto Sour on a whim while waiting for our table at a restaurant.

My husband stared at me in shock asking, "Who ARE you??".

Apparently I've been a wine person for longer than I thought if my Amaretto Sour days ended before  our relationship began!

Simple Meals and the Perfect Wrap Sauce

I fall back on wraps fairly often, especially when the weather is warm.  With the veggies and a little lunch meat they're refreshing and satisfying- and very easy to adapt to whatever you happen to have in the fridge at the moment.

There have been MANY nights when I realize my day has been filled with kids and popcorn orders and I'm just absolutely out of time at the end of the day when it's dinner time and my husband is about to get home from work.  Wraps are definitely a step up from a box of macaroni and way tastier, (generally) far better for us, and definitely easier on the pocketbook than having my husband grab fast food on the way home!

 Not to mention they're pretty much the perfect portable picnic food when the kids and I get out of the house for summer adventuring.

Summer Picnic Pinwheels: Spicing Things Up With Mezzetta Peppers

I seem to have a love affair with each season.  I eagerly anticipate the crisp air of Fall, the gray skies and holidays Winter brings, the kiss of warmth and blooming flowers of Spring.

And then there's Summer.

Ah, Summer...I love the feeling of the sun warming my skin, time at the pool, adventures with the kids, picnic lunches, the smell of tri-tip and other goodies wafting into the house as my husband tends to the grill, staving off the stifling heat with friends over a glass of Viognier (I've been dipping my toes into whites lately- something I never thought I'd say!).  Honestly, as a general rule there's not much I don't love about Summer.  The warmth and blue skies just make my soul sing.