Summer Eats

To be honest- I haven't been all that creative with our food menu this Summer. It's consisted of a lot of smoothies, salads, grilled chicken, and whatever is easiest to make. But I really do love Summer food best of all. I love the pasta salads, the fresh herbs, the outside dining... Everything about Summer food is just awesome.

So while I don't have any real recipes to share, I thought it would be fun to show you some of the things that are getting in our bellies these warm months. First- caprese salad. Seriously, how wonderful is this stuff? I make it with fresh basil from our garden, grape tomatoes, fresh mozzarella chunks, and balsamic vinaigrette dressing. It's just to die for.

Then, Pioneer Woman's iced coffee has been one of the beverages of choice (after lemonade, the pregnant woman's cocktail, of course). I pinned this recipe ages ago and for some reason just never made it. Finally, a few weeks ago I was yearning for some iced coffee and so I whipped up a batch (actually, it has to sit overnight, so it's hard to whip it up) using decaf coffee. Um, incredible! It truly is the best! 

We picked fresh strawberries from my Grandparent's garden a month or so ago and froze them, and we still have a ton left. I've made strawberry rhubarb crisp twice, as well as used them in smoothies on a daily basis. Know what else I put in my smoothies? Fresh spinach. No joke- you can't even tell it's in there (besides a slight green hue), and it's a great way to get a serving of veggies in. 

Finally, we discovered the awesomeness of Aldi pre-made pizza crust. I must admit, I was a sceptic at first, but once we tried it I was converted. I love making my own pizza dough, but right now it's just not top priority. A pre-made crust makes for a really easy and delicious dinner.

So that's a little bit of what's been on our menu this Summer. Do you have any great Summer recipes to share? I'd LOVE to hear about them!

WIAW- Road Trip Edition

Maybe y'all have guessed why I haven't been replying to comments (or leaving any on your lovely blogs!) for the past two weeks... Yup, I was on VACATION! Oh, wonderful vacation.

We took a road trip to Virginia to visit tons of family and friends (it seems like lately everyone I know either lives in or is moving to Virginia...). I have so many pictures to share, but I thought it would be fun to first link up to Jenn's What I Ate Wednesday party and share some of the amazing foods that we ate on our road trip...









Because really, what is a vacation without some awesome food? So here is a smattering of just some of the incredible things we chowed down...

Ham and cheese sandwich baked into a croissant (does that just blow your mind like it does mine???) at a fabulous bakery in a little town called Middleburg.

Also from that bakery- THE best molasses spice cookie I have ever had in my life. I must try and recreate this at home.

Later on, we went to Georgetown and had pizza. I kid you not, it was the best pizza I have ever had. Maybe it was just being on vacation, but pretty much all the food we ate was the best. 

At my Aunt's house, we had an extraordinary chicken curry dish that she made for us. 

So good, it deserves two pictures. We also had homemade chai lattes to go with it (or chai masala, in keeping with the indian theme). Her secret is to use coconut milk- genius, right? Oops, guess it's not a secret anymore!

Josh and I went on a date one morning to Waffle House. I have some fond memories of eating here as a child when we would visit family in Florida. I love their buttermilk waffles and hash browns with cheese and onion... A heart attack on a plate, but so worth it. 

At the end of our trip, we got to stop by a fellow blogger's house and have a BBQ dinner! The whole dinner was fan-freaking-tastic, but the only picture I got was of the cupcakes. We're talking homemade vanilla cupcakes with strawberry frosting... YUMMY. Also, notice how the frosting was melting a little? It's really hot in VA. 

I also got to eat at Chick-Fil-A for the first time ever. Why is this restaurant not in Minnesota? I feel so cheated! I loved the waffle fries and the lemonade, I think I could eat there every day.

In case you were worried, nary a pound was gained during this trip either. In between eating, we were so busy swimming in the ocean, going for walks, and clambering up mountains (yes, mountains), that every calorie I consumed was obliterated shortly thereafter. Woohoo!

I'm so happy to be home again! I miss my family and friends, but there's something so wonderful about coming back to your own home after being away. Also, I can't wait to sit down and really catch up with what you all have been up to! Happy Wednesday, friends!

A Breadmaking Adventure

Well, I made bread for the first time ever the other day, and I must say it was quite an experience. At times it was fun and exciting, and I felt like a pioneer woman with my hands in the dough and flour covering nearly every square inch of me. At other times, it was more frustrating and seriously, it's hard work kneading dough for 10 minutes at a time!

I used the french bread recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook (love that cookbook!). It called for 6 cups of flour, but I only managed to knead in about 4 3/4 cups. My mom told me later that the recipe is just an approximated amount, and usually you use much less flour. Wish I had known that before!

That's probably why the bread turned out really dense and kind of wrinkly on top. Oooh, now doesn't that look appetizing? =)


But surprisingly, it came out of the oven smelling like bread, and it also actually tasted like bread.


So, although my first experience with making bread was not perfect by any means, it was a small step towards something that could become one of my favorite baking pastimes.

And next time, I'm using less flour.