I can't believe it's already been a month since our "Jeep Week" trip. We gathered our friends, packed up 7 Jeeps and hit the trail in southwest Montana, each night bringing us to a different location. We camped in a beautiful meadow the first night and found amazing mountain lakes the other nights. While several folks stayed the full 9 days, we stayed only 5, which was plenty considering the amount of dirt we accumulated!
Our meals for the trip were planned so each couple only had to make one breakfast or one dinner. We had dinner and made pulled pork and this salad. I hadn't made it previously, so I put it together and hoped for the best. I was surprised by how much everyone liked it and how quickly it was wiped out. Based on this success I made it again for our trip last weekend to see Tom Petty at the Gorge (awesome concert both nights!). Again, everyone loved it. So, here I am posting it to share. Just a hint, I prepared all the veggies and combined in one bag, put the almonds in their own bag and stored within the veggie bag. The dressing was stored in a tupperware container and I just let folks add as much as they wanted.
Naturally I found it at Simply Recipes.
Ingredients
2/3 cup slivered almonds
8 cups (1 lb) coarsely shredded napa cabbage
12 ounces snow peas, strings removed, rinsed and thinly sliced
1 1/3 cups thinly sliced radishes
1 1/3 cups thinly sliced green onions (including greens)
1 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves
1 cup lightly packed fresh parsley leaves
Dressing ingredients
3 Tbsp rice vinegar (seasoned or unseasoned)
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 clove peeled and minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
1 cup mayonnaise
Preparation
1 Spread almond slivers out in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast in a 350°F oven for 5-10 minutes, until nicely browned. OR toast in stick-free or cast-iron skillet on medium high, stirring frequently until browned. Set aside.
2 Combine cabbage, snow peas, radishes, green onions, cilantro in a large bowl. Can make this step a day or two ahead.
3 In a separate bowl, mix together the rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, ginger, and cayenne until sugar has dissolved. Whisk in the mayonnaise.
4 When ready to serve, gently combine the dressing and almonds with the cabbage mixture.
Serves 14-16.
PS - When this video is done, find the one along the bottom called "Sal & Elizabeth sledding at Cliff Lake". :)
What's so funny Zeke!? This is the laugh, the standard state of expression Zeke maintains anytime we're out in the woods. As Eric puts it, he's a "mountain dog" and can't get enough of 'em. The pup just loves to run free and explore the wild, sniffing every last twig and rock, chasing any animal that happens to cross his path. Watch out deer! I snapped this shot over the weekend on a family camping trip and thought it captured his laugh just right.
This weekend we camped with both sets of parents at a local recreation area and really had a good time. Between a hike to a nearby waterfall, catching up over margaritas and even a game of Loaded Questions around the campfire we had a great time!
Lately I have a variety of recipes I really want to get up here, but just haven't had the time. Right now I'm relaxing after running a 10K race this morning and thinking these Watermelon Margarita's sound just about right. I made them the other night for our bimonthly girls dinner and was very very happy with them. Being a light and refreshing drink with a tasty watermelon flavor, I have to say I was impressed. I'm thinking these would be perfect mixed in a pitcher for a bbq, to be followed by something else, like oh, a cold beer. The recipe was found in an awesome cookbook my dad loaned me called Great Gatherings, which I'd really suggest picking up a copy of if you enjoy entertaining or just love good recipes. Each "chapter" features a famous chef and they put together a full menu for a themed affair, even suggesting music and wine pairings.
Enjoy!
Watermelon Margaritas
Ingredients
Simple Syrup
3/4 C. Sugar
3/4 C. Water
3 lbs watermelon with rind intact
1 1/2 C (12 oz) fresh lime juice
Crushed ice or ice cubes
6 shots (9 oz) tequila
Preparation
To make the simple syrup, in a saucepan, combine the sugar and water and place over high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and then cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes, or until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
Cut off and discard the rind from the watermelon. Cut the flesh into chunks, removing as many of the seeds as you can. In a food processor or blender, process the watermelon chunks, in batches as necessary, to a smooth puree. Pass the puree through a fine-mesh sieve placed over a bowl. You should have about 3 cups of watermelon juice. Add the simple syrup and lime juice and stir well. Transfer to a pitcher and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 hours.
Just before serving, remove the watermelon-lime juice mixture from the refrigerator and stir well. Fill 6 tall glasses with ice and pour 1 shot of tequila in each. Serve immediately. Mmmm!
In case you're not seeing the trend, I like baked goods. They're a great treat and easy to share, preventing me from eating every last one myself. Which... I would do since my husband isn't all that into sweets. I actually made this batch for an event my mom has organized for Friday night. I sure hope they like 'em!
These turned out surprisingly tasty! I was definitely intrigued by the recipe, a bit skeptical and was happy with the results. They are some what of a cross between a ginger snap and a sugar cookie. Although, I'm sure you already picked up on that from the name.
Anyway, this recipe came from my Food & Wine magazine. I've had the page in my clippings recipe binder for some time and I'm glad I've finally gotten around to making them. They are pretty easy to make and roll out, even with my high end blue plastic rolling pin (Target $1 bins!). You do need to watch them carefully while they are baking since they tend to brown really quick once they start. The original recipe called for 20 minutes, but I backed it down to 16-18 minutes. I'd still suggest keeping an eye on them.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks ( 1/2 pound) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the ground ginger, baking soda and salt. In a standing electric mixer fitted with a paddle, or using a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter with the sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla, scraping the side and bottom of the bowl. Beat in the dry ingredients at medium-low speed. Divide the dough in half. Pat each half into a round, wrap them in plastic and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece of dough 1/8-inch thick. Using a 2-inch biscuit cutter, stamp out rounds as close together as possible. Arrange the rounds on large baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Gather the scraps and reroll, cutting out more cookies.
- Bake the cookies in batches for about 16-18 minutes, until golden; shift the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking. Let the cookies cool on the sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely.
I think what really spurred this was the discovery of the Pink Penguin blog. Seriously, the girl can sew! Plus, her style is totally what I like. I love the vintage, retro look and feel, as well as handmade items that don't look TOO handmade. The way I actually stumbled across her blog was through a newsletter I receive from Photojojo. They sent the link for making this cute camera bag.
Anyway, she has a great tutorial that I was finally able to use this week. I, of course, had to scour eBay for a good deal on cute fabric, wait for it and then find time to make it. I have to say I'm proud of my buttonhole and shaping the corners of the bias tape. I love it and have already received nice compliments on it (not that I was showing it off). And naturally, it's pink.
PS I'm baking some Ginger Sugar Cookies right now. If they turn out, I'll share the recipe here.
Not only do I get excited to find I have all the ingredients on hand to whip up a batch of cookies, it's even more thrilling to find I can make something other than your basic standards. I ran across this recipe and thought they sounded interesting and quite possibly pretty good. Fortunately, I was not run astray and was delighted to find something I will make time and again. Not only are they quick and easy to whip up, but you can even vary them using lemon or maybe adding a hint of vanilla and omitting the citrus and seeds. These particular cookies taste like a sugar cookie with a hint of orange and the slight nuttiness of poppy seeds.
This recipe was found, naturally, at the Simple Recipes blog. As you'll see it was only yesterday's post.
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup of sugar
- 1/2 cup of butter, room temperature
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon of orange zest
- 1 1/4 cup of flour
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds
Preparation
1 Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
2 Add the egg and the orange zest, beat for thirty seconds, scraping down the bowl part way through to ensure even mixing.
3 In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly sift it into the butter mixture until just combined. Fold in the poppy seeds.
4 Place heaping teaspoonfuls on a non stick baking sheet, allowing them space as they will spread as they bake.
5 Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes or until just turning golden around the edges. Remove from oven. Let sit on the baking sheet for a minute or two to let the cookies solidify a bit, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Enjoy!Oh, and I have to say I'm thrilled with how perfectly round they are and I didn't even try!