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!

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.

Thing-A-Day 2009, Day 14

Happy Valentines Day!
I hope you had a great weekend with your loved ones, and if you were like us you probably stayed in rather than going out to an expensive dinner. We had a great time watching the slam dunk contest (the guy who won was my height, 5'6" and some how jumped over a nearly 7 foot man) and cooking a delicious meal.

We made a shrimp and andouille sausage pot pie with a puff pastry top from this month's Bon Appetit. it was AMAZING. I probably gained a few pounds, and I admit I ate way too much, but hey its in the name of love.

you can find the recipe here!