Spaghetti Salad

Now that the warm weather is finally here you are going to start to see a lot of fun salad recipes. This salad can be paired up with just about anything and you can add or omit any ingredients that you want. I usually just throw in anything that I have in the refrigerator! Have fun with it :)
This salad is going to be paired up with some porterhouse steaks and shrimp that we are throwing on the grill with corn on the cob!

Spaghetti Salad

• 1 lb thin spaghetti (cooked, drained and rinsed under cold water)
• 3 tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1 large seedless cucumber, peeled and diced
• 1 can black olives, drained and cut in half
  
• 1 red onion, diced
• 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
• 3 tablespoons mild banana peppers, minced
  
• 1 16oz bottle Italian dressing (see notes)
• 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1/2 tablespoon poppy seeds

Cook the spaghetti according to the directions on the package, drain, rinse under cold water and place in a large bowl.

Chop all of the veggies and add to the bowl with the spaghetti.

I always find that a whole bottle of dressing is too much, so I start out using half the bottle. Mix half the bottle with the sesame seeds, poppy seeds and Parmesan cheese. Pour over the salad and toss to incorporate. I *always* make this the night before we plan to eat it because it really helps develop the flavors, not to mention it is super convenient. If it is too dry the next day, add more of the Italian dressing.

Now you can add the parsley and toss to combine!

Enjoy!!

Rosemary Garlic Cheese Bread

All I can say is yummmmmm. This bread is such a wonderful idea that I wish I could say this recipe is my own, but alas, it comes from none other than "Our Best Bites". If you are looking for a simple and delicious appetizer to enjoy, I would high recommend this one! Not only does it taste amazing, but it looks great too!

Rosemary Garlic Cheese Bread
Adapted from: Our Best Bites

1 loaf of crusty bread (16-24oz)
8oz mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup olive oil
4 cloves minced garlic
3 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil

Slice the bread every 1 1/2 inches almost all the way through, but not quite. Turn the loaf and cut in the same fashion going in the opposite direction to create a little cube pattern. These lovely little slits will hold all of the flavor and cheese!

Mix the olive oil with the garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper. Spread the olive oil mixture into all the cracks of the bread and then stuff with the cheese.

Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until you have a nice golden color with fantastic gooey cheese.

How amazing does that look?!?


Go ahead and pull a piece of the bread off....so good!

See how the cheese and oil baked right down into the bread!

Enjoy!!!!!

Greek Yogurt with Sweet Berries and Vanilla Sugar Croutons

I have a few confessions to make tonight. First, I will admit to you all that I cannot stop watching The Cooking Channel. It is literally on ALL DAY in my house. I watch while I do my housework, while I eat my lunch, and even while I play with the kids! *gasp*. I've said it before, but I'll say it again....there are certain things that I see and there is no question in my mind that I will love it. Last night I was watching Giada make a dessert that looked out of this world. I absolutely knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that I would be making this today. What I was worried about was that the original recipe would have me consuming an ungodly amount of calories and fat considering that the base was whole milk ricotta cheese. I just couldn't follow the recipe the way that it was aired because I didn't want to indulge quite that much. I decided that I could work around the worst of it and make it at least a little healthier. Please try this, I guarantee you'll love it. If you don't, give me a call -- I'll come over and eat it for you ;)

My second confession is that this dessert ended up being my dinner tonight!! I couldn't wait to eat and I just dove right in. I am not regretting that decision, but I did feel a little ashamed for a minute...I got over it.

Greek Yogurt with Sweet Berries and Vanilla Sugar Croutons
Adapted from: Giada De Laurentiis

• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 vanilla bean
• 1 cup blueberries
• 8 strawberries, stems removed and quartered
• the juice of 1 lemon (1/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/4 loaf of ciabatta bread, cubed
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• Chobani Greek yogurt
  

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

The first thing we are going to do is make the vanilla sugar. This is something that you should know how to make and use on a regular basis! Vanilla sugar is *super* good and can be used in every day things like french toast, coffee etc.. This particular recipe makes a nice big batch of it so you can keep it on hand for future use. If you don't want to make quite as much, simply cut the amounts in half.

Cut your vanilla bean down the middle of the pod and scrape the seeds by sliding the blade of your paring knife down the inside of the vanilla bean. Combine 2 cups of sugar with the the vanilla in the food processor. Pulse until it is completely incorporated, about 30 seconds. Set aside 1 1/2 tablespoons of the vanilla sugar for the croutons. The remaining sugar can be stored in an air tight container, like a mason jar, for up to 3-4 months. Cut the empty vanilla pod into 1 inch pieces and store it in the jar with the sugar. Give the jar a shake before using to incorporate even more of the wonderful vanilla through your sugar.


Cut the ciabatta bread into cubes and place in a large bowl. Pour the melted butter over the bread and then use your hands to make sure all of the bread is coated. Sprinkle the bread with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the vanilla sugar and give it another toss to be sure it is on all the bread. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the bread out in a single layer on the pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Allow them to cool completely. I made mine a few hours ahead of time...they were sooooo good!!!!! I could eat these things all by themselves!


Now we can move on to the fruit. In a saucepan, combine 1/2 cup sugar with the orange juice and lemon juice over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until the sugar is dissolved. Add the blueberries and strawberries and cook for an additional 5-6 minutes, or until the fruit has softened up. Allow te fruit to cool to room temperature before using.


I used my all time favorite yogurt, Chobani, as the base for this dessert. If you've never tried Greek yogurt, you MUST do it. It is full of protein and has such a thick, creamy and wonderful texture. The tang of Greek yogurt is so fantastic; there is just no comparison between Greek yogurt and regular yogurt.

Place the yogurt in the bottom of your bowl (use as much or as little as you like). Give it a nice spoonful of the berries and then top with the vanilla sugar croutons.

This was amazing! Tangy Greek yogurt, sweet berries, crunchy and sweet croutons. Yummy!!!

Enjoy!!!

What is your favorite dessert? This one jumped right up to the top of my charts!

Middle Eastern Vegetable Salad with Toasted Pita Chips

I spent the entire day today thinking about what to make for dinner. It was one of those days where I just wasn't inspired to make any one particular thing. I had some chicken breasts in the refrigerator, but beyond that I had no clue what would be on the dinner table tonight. It got to be around 2:00 this afternoon and I finally reached for a cookbook and hoped that something would jump out at me. I came across this recipe for "middle eastern vegetable salad" by Ina Garten and decided that this would be part of my dinner. I was still unsure of what to do with the chicken, so I went with my trusty baked chicken recipe that never lets me down. If you've been following my blog for a while now then I'm sure you've seen the recipe, but just in case you haven't, you can find it HERE. I'm looking forward to the end of a dreary and cold Monday! I'm sure I'll have my spunk back by tomorrow :)

Middle Eastern Vegetable Salad with Toasted Pita Chips
Adapted from: Ina Garten

• 1 12-16oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed under cold water
  
• 1 pound tomatoes, seeded, cored and diced
• 1 seedless cucumber, halved and diced (I peeled mine but this is optional)
• 10 scallions, thinly diced
• 1/3 cup fresh basil, chiffonade
  
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley, minced
  
• 1/3 cup fresh mint *see note*, chiffonade
  
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 8 oz greek feta, cubed (not crumbled)
• pita bread - to make the chips (I used whole wheat pita)
  

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Seed, core and chop the tomatoes, peel and dice the cucumber and slice the scallions.

Chiffonade the basil by stacking the leaves together, rolling them and then cutting them into thin strips.

Place the tomatoes, cucumber, scallions, chickpeas, mint, basil and parsley in a large bowl and combine.

**note** My mint was looking rather pathetic when I grabbed it to use it for this dish, so I decided to omit it. I thought it was really good even without the mint, it is your choice whether you want to use it or not.

In a small bowl, combine the garlic, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until it is emulsified. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss.

Cube the feta and gently fold it into the salad.

Cut the pita bread into triangles and place on a baking sheet that has been lightly coated with cooking spray. Brush a little olive oil on the top of each pita chip and then sprinkle them with a little garlic powder, kosher salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. They will be lightly brown and delicious!

If you want to serve it up with my baked chicken, you can find that incredibly simple recipe here.

Enjoy!