summertime heat and summertime eats

That's right! Two weeks ago it was cool April showers and now, in typical Ohio fashion, it feels like the dog days of summer. For several days now we've had bright sunshine and warm temperatures in the mid-80's! I do really love Spring, however, so I'm hoping we'll get a return to some of the more typical weather before the inevitable summer heat wave.

But, the warm weather does mean that C has fired up the charcoal grill twice this week, and boy, have we missed grilled food!

And, remember how I have a thing for food photography? Well, I just couldn't pass up photographing this salad before digging in. I thought the color of the tomatoes, carrots and almonds really popped against the deep green baby spinach. And, aside from being pretty, it was pretty darn tasty! I'll go ahead and jot down the ingredients here, even though no one comes to this blog for food fixes!

My Simple Sweet & Savory Salad

baby spinach

shredded carrot

chopped celery

pint grape tomatoes

dried cranberries

sliced almonds

crumbled feta cheese

We topped it with sliced grilled chicken, and drizzled it with a homemade mustard vinaigrette, courtesy of Everyday Food Magazine's cookbook Great Food Fast. That recipe:

4 teaspoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

whisk till combined, then add coarse salt and black pepper to taste

Voila! A quick, no-heat-in-the-kitchen meal.

This week I <3...

Sheesh! What a week, and it's only Wednesday. We are a little under the weather, frantically trying to prepare for Christmas only a week away, and we are recouping from two weekends in a row of birthday bashes for me as well as my little guy.

So, here's a brief post about the things that are getting me through the week sane. I <3 these things all the time, but this week especially.

~ Books. Specifically, Paper Towns (which is SO hard to put down); Birds and Words (yay! my parents gave this to me for my birthday); and, a set of Eric Carle's of split-page board books.

~ Hot tea. When it's cold and I feel crappy, I crave nothing more than tea. This Vanilla Comoro tea from Harney & Sons is sweet. Extra sweet and soothing with a spoonful of honey.

~ Pajamas. My friend surprised me with a cute set from Old Navy for my birthday. At least when I'm wearing cute ballerina slippers and a matching set of PJs, I don't feel like a total slob.

~ The World Wide Web. Where, oh where would I be without the Internet, especially when there's lots to do, and you feel run-down, and there's a sheet of ice coating your driveway! I've been able to browse online for gift ideas, so that when I get the time and energy to go shopping, I'll have a goal in mind; I've helped my cousins create a photo calendar for our impossible-to-buy-for grandparents thanks to Shutterfly; and I saved money and paper and time by inviting and thanking our birthday party guests via evite.

~ And last, but (in no way, shape or form) least: sugar and sweets! The leftover red velvet helicopter cake and cupcakes from J's "Happy Birthday Party" (as he adorably called it).

Find the red velvet cake recipe here. Very simple. Very yum.

Seasonal Eating

The blustery weather today had me craving warm comfort food. Tomato soup and grilled cheese was just the thing. And on top of being healthy and delicious, it all turned out so pretty that I had to try my hand at some food photography again. :)

Cheddar & Monterey Jack grilled cheese on crusty Italian bread.

Trader Joe's Organic Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper soup, topped with fresh basil, Parmesan, and homemade croutons.

food fotos

Somewhat inexplicably, I am suddenly interested in food photography. Of course, who doesn't love poring over a gorgeous cookbook, feeling hungrier by the minute? I will not use a cookbook without photos. What's the point? Seeing what a recipe looks like when it's all brought together has inspired me to try foods that I'd normally shy away from: a spinach and gruyere puff, sweet potato and leek casserole, chorizo fritatta, pork apple and potato saute, black bean brownies, to name a few.

The images alongside recipes in Everyday Food and the most recent cookbook I purchased, Better Homes and Gardens New Dieter's Cookbook, rekindled an interest in food photography. There are some great chef/photographer/bloggers out there, and a few months ago I met a local one. She stopped in the library and needed some help. As we were talking, she told me about the brand new blog she was setting up, the focus of which was to be on eating beautifully and eating well. I was totally impressed. Check out the Veg Lounge.

Another inspiration behind this sudden "hobby" is the newfound luxury of going out back to the garden, picking a few tomatoes, tossing them with some ingredients from the farmer's market or CSA and then eating a lovely savory healthy meal. Next year, we plan to really step up our garden from the two tomato plants and two pepper plants we have now. I want squash and/or zucchini, roma tomatoes, basil, cilantro and spinach as a bare minimum.

Well, this has been my roundabout introduction to my very first (and probably embarrassing) attempts at creating a photo-journal of meals we make. Hopefully this will serve as a benchmark from which I can improve, especially if I upgrade to a better camera!

three cheese tomato basil pizza; organic french baguette with basil-parmesan dipping oil



whole wheat waffles with cinnamon and blueberries