Friday Photo - I caught a fish!

Fresh Blue Fin in Nantucket

For Father's day my brother and I took my dad out fishing off the coast of Nantucket. I know, between Savannah and Nantucket I am pretty much living a summer straight out of novel. I had never caught a fish bigger than my hand, and was really excited to real in a big one. My brother ended up catching a gigantic 36" Striped Bass which was of course the biggest fish I have ever seen. The thing about my brother is that he manages to win at everything. Seriously. Card Games, fantasy football, catching the biggest fish... everything. But it all evens out because we brought these puppies back to our rental house and he made us some delicious ceviche, so it does pay to have a brother that wins. Look how shiny that eye is!

Panzanella Salad

I hate tomatoes but I secretly want to like them. They look so good, and then every time I eat one I gag. My mom says that she used to hate them when she was little too, so I keep trying just in case my tastes have changed. Well, yesterday I started craving them and remembered this bread salad I had seen Ina Garten making on the food network. I thought for sure I was going to make this whole salad and then hate it, but alas, it was so good that I had it for lunch today too! Maybe I am about to turn a new leaf when it comes to tomatoes? I hope so. Here is the recipe I used, which I adapted from Ina's based on what we had in the pantry:

Dressing
1 tbs Dijon Mustard
1 clove garlic, chopped finely
Juice and zest of one lemon
1 tbs white wine vinegar
3 tbs olive oil
Salt and pepper
Combine everything in a little jar, put the lid on and shake it up until its emulsified.

Salad
1 cucumber chopped into chunks
2 tomatoes (heirloom are best I guess?) chopped into chunks
2 big handfuls arugula
1 big handful of basil, rolled up into little cigars and chopped
half of a red onion sliced into super thin half moons
fresh mozzarella chopped into chunk (optional only if you are crazy)
some stale bread (we used a baguette, the more the better)

Cut the bread up into chunks (maybe 2" pieces") and toss it in a pan over medium heat with some olive oil to get it crispy and toasted. Put them in the bottom of a big salad bowl and put the rest of the salad ingredients on top. add dressing to taste and toss. Top with mozzarella and enjoy!

Friday Photo - Strawberry Jam!

Last Minute Strawberry Jam from Cheri Neufeld

Tomorrow I am taking a canning class with Marisa, where she will teach us the basics of preserving food and how not to die of botulism in the process.  I have been shoving berries down my gullet for the last few weeks because they are only available locally for a few months of the year, so I am super excited to learn how to make strawberry jam. My only experience with canning was when my mother (bless her heart) and I attempted to make pickles when I was seven. We used the wrong kind of salt and result was gag-worthy. I am determined to get it right so that I can one day be that mom/aunt/grandma who has a secret pickle recipe that she only gives to her family members. People will break into my house to try to find it but they will fail. It will be all stored up in my brain.

Ice Cream and Berries - the Perfect Combination

My husband has forbidden me from buying an ice cream maker because he is afraid he will gain a hundred pounds or get diabetes. Every time I find a delicious sorbet or ice cream recipe I shed a small tear knowing I will never be able to make it without a machine... Until I found this on Tartlette!

Raspberry Parfait Lollipops from Tartlette

If I could be anything in the world besides a graphic designer, it would either be a food stylist or a pastry chef. Helen from Tartlette is both!  You can find this recipe and a million more mouth watering ideas over on at Tartlette.

Memorial Day, Southern Style

Enjoying the Sunset at the Boathouse on Hilton Head

Last weekend we took a trip down south to Savannah and Hilton Head and it was absolutely fantastic. We ate everything in sight, and did a whole lot of relaxing on the beach. The people were so nice and well mannered, real southern gents and jewels! I have been dreaming about Savannah for a long time, and I was not let down.

We stopped for peaches at a roadside stand.

The weather was perfect!

The view from our place was awesome

We ate buttermilk biscuits...

and shrimp and grits...

and sampled our first pralines.

We tried to walk off all the food by looking at beautiful houses...

and beautiful fountains...

and beautiful moss-covered trees.

we took a drive to the wildlife refuge to look for gators...

and we saw them... up close!

The trip was amazing, we did everything we set out to do (or in the case of getting sunburned, to avoid). A fantastic time was had by all!

Tabbouleh- The first sign of summer

When I was little we would go to visit my grandma in Petoskey, Michigan during the summer and she and my mother, along with my aunts would make this disgusting looking salad I called "taboooly".  I couldn't imagine eating something that looked  like oatmeal and vegetables stuffed inside a pita bread and stuck with my turkey and yellow mustard on wheat. Last summer I was on my pre-wedding diet that drove me to the edge of sanity, but also reunited me with tabbouleh which as it turns out is quite delicious. It is really refreshing on hot summer days, it is chock full of healthy vegetables, and best of all you can make a giant batch of it and keep it in the fridge for several days. Here is how I make it:


Tabbouleh Salad
1 cup Bulgar Wheat (in the bulk food section)
1 cucumber peeled and chopped
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 lemon (zest and juice)
4 scallions chopped (white and most of the green part)
1 cup chopped parsley
1 cup chopped mint
1/3 cup crumbled feta
drizzle of good olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl combine the bulgar wheat with 2 cups of boiling water and let it sit for about 45 minutes until the grains are soft when you eat them. Drain the wheat in a fine sieve, removing all of the excess water. Add the vegetables, herbs, lemon zest and juice, and feta. Stir to combine and add a drizzle of olive oil. Season to taste. I like mine cold, but you can eat it at room temperature as well. Enjoy!

Miniature delights by Petit Plat

Some people are good at things I want to be good at, and other people are good at things I didn't even know existed. Take Stephanie of Petit Plat for example; she has a background in architecture but then one day got bored (her words, not mine) and decided to try making something special out of clay. Yes, these mouthwatering baked goods are actually made out of clay!

But wait, it gets better. Not only are they made out of clay, they are actually miniature versions of their life-sized counterparts. As in a ratio of 1:12, as in really really small. 

all photos via Petit Plat's Flickr

That is mind blowing enough for this Tuesday, I am sure that you will need to lay down after this. If you are looking to see more of Stephanie's amazing work, including tutorials, please head on over to her blog here, or her Etsy site here where you can purchase some super cute ice cream cone earrings!

Edible Valentines Gifts

I was over on Bakerella, sabotaging my hopes of making it through the day san chocolate, when I saw these cookies in a jar:

via// Bakerella

How cute would these be to give to your friends for Valentine's day? I could also see them being good gifts to give to teachers, I think I will bring a jar to Susi, my Spanish tutor next week. Tengo la suerte de que no lee mucho en ingles, asi que no quiero arruinar la sorpresa! You can click here for the recipe and also super cute templates for the labels courtesy of Bakerella.

Sprouts!

My husband recently declared brussels sprouts to be the most delicious vegetables in the world. I happen to give that honor to green beans, but these are looking pretty tasty I must admit. The front Sprout is supposed  to be more clearly in focus.

//via Me!

Last week, after reading the "Our approach to Food Photos" section at Smitten Kitchen, I decided to purchase a new lens for my camera. It is the first time i have used a camera with a fixed focal length and moving back and forth to zoom is very foreign. The other main difficulty I have is that my house has very little natural light, so i have to use a slow shutter speed. This makes for a lot of blurry pictures! Maybe I need a tripod? Any other thoughts?