Bicycle Tray

What says summer is near better than a bicycle built for two!  I found this on the shelf at Target and there were a few other choices, too!

Street Corn

What a great side dish!

Peel 6 ears of fresh corn, and cut off the kernels.

Heat olive oil in a skillet and grill the corn until it starts to brown, stirring often.

Meanwhile, mix 1/2 cup sour cream with 1/4 cup grated Parm, 1 T lime juice, 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper.

Remove corn from the heat and stir in the mixture and serve!

Tastes delicious!

Pita Bread Spread

Just made this chicken mixture today, served it on pita bread.

Take cooked chicken and chop it (mine was just grilled in a pan with S&P), Add in a can of drained, rinsed chickpeas, chopped cucumber, sliced radishes, chopped cilantro, ground cumin and olive oil mixed with lemon juice!

That's it!  And it's so good for a picnic, or just lunch at home!

Garlic Home Fries

I made these garlic home fries (recipe from Food Network Magazine) and they were so deliciously good!

Just cut red potatoes into 1/2 cubes and boil in salted boiling water (covered) about 6 minutes. Drain, and then cook in a cast iron skillet of 2 T unsalted butter and 2 T olive oil (preheated).  Spread into single layer and cook undisturbed for 5 minutes.

Add 1/2 chopped onion and 1/2 tsp paprika, flip potatoes and cook 5 more minutes.  Stir once, then cook another 5 minutes.

Meanwhile chop 1/4 cup fresh parsley with 1 clove chopped garlic and 1 tsp salt - chopping and mashing together.  When potatoes are done, add this mixture to the skillet and toss - cooking through - about 2 minutes.  Season if needed, with S&P (taste first - may only need pepper).

This is a great side dish to any meal!

Restaurant Salad at Home

Just had this amazing salad at a local place called Verskebap.  This photo is NOT enhanced - that's just how fresh and colorful the salad is!  It was very tasty, low in calories, and I will definitely be making this at home!

It consists of:

• spring mix, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, red peppers
• veggie patties on the side
• garlic viniagrette dressing

It's easy to put the salad together, with your favorite ingredients.You can purchase veggie patties if you like, already made.  Here's a great recipe from Epicurious for the dressing:

Ingredients

• 1 to 2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
• Zest of 1 large lemon (about 2 teaspoons)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 cup canola oil or other neutral salad oil, such as walnut
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preparation

Using a mortar and pestle, grind or crush garlic, lemon zest, and salt into a fine paste. Combine lemon juice, vinegar, water and sugar. Add to the garlic paste and then whisk in oil slowly; adjust seasoning to taste.

Fence Herb Garden

A friend of mine purchased kids' beach buckets at Walmart for 97 cents each, planted herbs in each one, and hung them along her fence.  She used zip ties around the bucket to attach them to the fence. A super cute idea!

Boots for Rain!

We live in a rain soaked area right now, with way too much rain coming down...so I thought I'd post a cute pair of rain boots for wearing...to stay dry!  from Kohls! They have sooo many cute styles!