Sour Cream Noodle Bake

Over the weekend I was faced with that age old dilemma of what to make for dinner.  What...this surprises you?  I wish that, because I write a food blog, I could just pull a crown rack of lamb out of the drawer!  When I do make something more involved I usually plan ahead for it.  But most nights, dinner needs to be easy to make and involve ingredients that I either have in the house or are easily obtainable.

I suppose in my mother's time she'd turn to her favorite cookbooks or ladies' magazines for ideas.  But I turn to my favorite blogs and, more and more, to Pinterest.  It didn't take long to come across a Pioneer Woman recipe that sounded perfect.  I had all the ingredients already and it involved egg noodles.  Brian loves egg noodles.

Despite normal food bloggers urges to mess with every recipe, I actually stayed pretty true to the original.  My quantities are a bit different because I used what I had in the house and I did substitute low fat ingredients.  Again, that's what I usually keep in the house.  The dish was very simple to put together and, to say Brian liked it would be a gross understatement.  He polished off his portion, some of my portion and what was left in the baking dish.  I was further informed that I was welcome to serve this to him anytime...and soon!  So, thank you Ree for the tasty eats and for fixing my dinner dilemma.  Enjoy!

Ingredients
(Based on The Pioneer Woman)
1 lb. Lean ground beef
1 Can (approx. 15 oz.) tomato sauce (I used salt and sugar free)
1 Package (approx. 8 oz.) egg noodles
1 Cup low fat cottage cheese
1 Cup low fat sour cream
1/4 Cup chopped scallions
1 Cup low fat shredded cheddar cheese
Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste

In a large skillet, brown the beef and then add the tomato sauce.  Season and simmer on low heat while you prepare the rest of the dish.

Cook the noodles in boiling salted water until they are done to your liking.  In a large bowl, mix together the cottage cheese, sour cream and scallions.  When the noodles are cooked and drained, add them to the bowl and mix.  Add additional salt, if needed, and plenty of pepper.

Place half the noodle mixture in a baking dish followed by half the beef mixture.  Top with half the shredded cheddar cheese.  Next layer on the remaining noodles followed by the remaining beef.  Finish with the remainder of the cheddar cheese.  Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes until the cheese has melted and everything is warmed through.  Makes approximately 4 servings.

Honey Beer Bread (& KitchenAid Stand Mixer Giveaway) #recipesfromtheheart

I have a lot of business to discuss with you all today in this very special group post.  I have a great recipe and yes, we have a fantastic giveaway.  Today's event is being hosted by Kim of Cravings of a Lunatic and Jen of Juanita's Cocina. They teamed up with their blogger friends to help raise awareness and support for Cancer and Hospice today in memory of Kim's dad. We encourage everyone to read the posts and share their own experiences with cancer. We also would like to encourage everyone to donate to the Canadian Cancer Society, the American Cancer Society and also to the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association. Hospice was a key element during Kim's father's battle with cancer. They made it possible for Kim to care for him at home. So please show your support and donate if you can. You can also contact your local Hospice and donate directly to them if you wish. A little goes a long way!

I struggled a bit with what to make for this event because, unlike heart disease, the link between cancer and food is more tenuous.  Kim wanted us to share personal stories but, the stories I have are not mine to share.  This disease has touched many who are close to me or close to people I care about.  In every one of those cases the disease struck without known risk factors.  Some ended with remission, others were taken from us much too soon.  But even those whose stories ended well moved into a new life group - survivors.  Winning warriors in a battle they would rather not have fought, with a history they'd rather not have had.  It's bittersweet.  And that is what finally led me to share this particular recipe with you today.

When I tell you that I don't like beer, you'll wonder what possessed me to make beer bread.  Well, it all started with a photo on Pinterest that led me to a blog called Cookie Monster Cooking and this tempting looking bread with the crunchy top.  I couldn't help myself and I rationalized that, I love beer battered onion rings so maybe I'll like this, too.  Yes, I know the onion rings are deep fried, don't mess with my warped train of thought here.

Although Brian is not a big beer drinker, he does like an occasional cold brew so I knew he wouldn't object to the flavor.  So, did I learn to love beer?  Um, no, but Brian liked it.  He said it tasted like a good beer bread.  I'd hoped that baking would tame the beer flavor quite a bit more than it did but that doesn't change the fact that this was a good recipe.  If you don't object to beer, you will absolutely like this bread.  In the end, between the beer and the honey, the bread is distinctly bittersweet.  And that, I thought, was actually the perfect type of recipe for this event.  Enjoy and see below for links to the rest of the great recipes from the other participants and details on entering the givaway.

Ingredients
(Slightly adapted from Cookie Monster Cooking)

Bread:
3 Cups all purpose flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 Teaspoons salt
3 Tablespoons honey
1 bottle (12 oz.) of your favorite beer
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

Honey Butter:
1 Stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 Cup honey
Dash of salt, to taste

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Add the honey and beer and whisk just until everything is combined.  Pour the batter into a buttered and floured loaf pan and our the melted butter over the top.  Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 50 - 60 minutes or until the top is golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean.  Let cool slightly before removing from the pan.  Makes approximately 10 servings.

To make the honey butter, combine the ingredients in a small bowl and mix until everything is thoroughly incorporated.  Spread on the sliced bread for a wonderful afternoon snack.


Check out the other great recipes from our group:

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Home-made Strawberry Topping by Cravings of a Lunatic

Chili Verde by Juanita's Cocina

S'Mores Brownies in Jars by That Skinny Chick Can Bake

Dark Chocolate and Orange Muffins by The Dutch Baker's Daughter

Boston Cream Pie by Pass The Sushi

My Fathers Day Recipe Round Up by Curry and Comfort

Tropical Smoothie by Dinners, Dishes and Desserts

Mini Gugelhupf by Masala Herb

Sauteed Strawberry and Sugarsnap Salad by Cook The Story

Cranberry Cashew Breakfast Muffins by In Fine Balance

Arugula Salad with Sundried Tomatoes and Mushrooms by Crazy Foodie Stunts

Spicy Beef Sliders by Katie's Cucina

Thai Red Curry Soup by Damn Delicious

Suman (Sweet Rice and Banana Leaves) by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Fresh Vegetable Salad by White Lights on Wednesday

Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream Sundae by The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen

Cinnamon Chip Cookie Butter Bars by The Messy Baker

Berry/Cherry Fro-Yo Ice Cream by Cookistry

Honey Beer Bread by Hungry Couple

Cinnamon-Chocolate Chip Pancakes by The Spiffy Cookie

Chocolate Cherry Granola Bars by Sweet Remedy

Cookies and Cream Brownies by Cooking in Stilettos

Blueberry Lemon Cake by Roxana's Home Baking

Angel Cake by Ninja Baking

Knit (or crocheted) Grey Brain Cancer Mustache Pin by Knit, Purl, Damn!

Enter for your chance to Win an Artisan® Series KitchenAid®  Stand Mixer in the color of your choice (there are 26 to choose from) as well as an Ice Cream Maker Attachment. A sweet choice for all,  this creative attachment features the largest ice cream bowl capacity in the industry. Prepare 2 quarts of ice cream, sorbet, gelato or other frozen desserts. We're pleased to announce the giveaway is open to Canadian residents, as well as U.S. Residents. Winner will be chosen and announced during the pinchatlive event, described below. Winner will also be notified via email and has 48 hours to respond. If winner does not respond another winner will be chosen. 1 Stand Mixer and 1 Ice Cream Attachment are being given away as a group, not 1 per blog just to be clear for our readers. 

There are bonus prizes for the pinchatlive event. We are giving away 1 Vanilla Infused Gift Box Set, 1 Lemon Infused Gift Box Set and a $30 Amazon Gift Card.  In order to participate in this event follow the Pinterest Board #recipesfromtheheart. Hop on the Pinterest board on June 22 at 2 pm Est to follow along. We'll ask questions and those who comment are entered to win the bonus prizes. There will be a G+ Hangout on Air during the event as well. Winners of the pinchatlive event must be Canadian or U.S. residents. Visit Facebook.com/KitchenAidCanada and click on the “More than a Mixer” tab to explore all 12 attachments available for the KitchenAid® Stand Mixer.

a Rafflecopter giveaway  

Ice Cream and Berries and Cake, Oh, My! #TasteSumer

There are a number of things that happen around here that I file under the category of Being a Food Blogger Does Not Suck.  Samples of fun new kitchen tools for me to play with and review.  Boxes that arrive with free cookies, bottles of liquor and all kinds of other tasty samples.  Coupons.  And the occasional really cool invitation.

Strawberry Lemonade Smash Cocktails

How cool you ask?  What would you say if you were invited to a private event at the Jacques Torres chocolate store where you could meet Mr. Chocolate himself, taste sample after sample of all his new ice cream flavors complete with outrageous toppings, sip a rum cocktail made with fresh strawberries courtesy of co-host Driscoll's Berries and stuff your face with freshly made strawberry shortcake in honor of National Strawberry Shortcake day?  You'd say hell yes, that's what you'd say!  I did, too.

The drool-worthy selection of ice cream toppings!

I brought my friend Susan from The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen because that's a woman who loves ice cream, booze and cake!  We both stuffed ourselves sick daintily sampled a variety of the offered treats and declared them to be quite fine.  Some items, like the ice creams, needed to be sampled multiple times to arrive at that conclusion but it's all in a day's work for a food blogger.

Anita (left) and Susan (right) with Chef Jacques Torres

We also both imposed on Chef Torres to pose for photographs.  I have no idea why the photographer (that would be my girl, Susan) caught me not smiling because I was pretty much grinning from ear to ear around this man.  Talent aside, he is one of the warmest, friendliest people I've ever had the pleasure to meet and his perpetual smile makes everything right with the world.

The evening's fun included a gift bag with some of the Jacques Torres chocolates, a well made whisk (can never have too many of those), the recipe for the shortcake, a pound of the plump, juicy Driscoll's berries and a container of the new strawberry ice cream line.  I wish I could say I enjoyed these items but Brian pretty much relieved me of them as soon as he was home and all I saw afterwards were empty containers and a happily smiling man.  Oh, well...

Check out this link to see Driscoll's anatomy of a shortcake and read other fun strawberry facts.  I have a long standing love of shortcake and I made my own, light version, using the beautiful Driscoll's berries in honor of National Strawberry Shortcake Day.  You can see my recipe here and check out Driscoll's on Facebook and Pinterest for more delicious inspiration. 

Oven "Fried" Falafel

My love of falafel is nearly as old as I am.  My parents enjoyed that type of cuisine so I grew up eating lots of hummus, tahini and those delicious little fried chickpea balls.  And, over the years, nothing has changed.  Well, except my resolve to not eat too many greasy little fried things.

When I find myself at a restaurant that serves them, all my resolve flies out the window.  But at home, I can usually calm the craving with a much healthier, oven "fried" version.  These spicy, slightly crunchy balls taste great served with rice but I generally opt for a platter loaded with pita, lots of vegetables and plenty of lemony tahini dressing.  Definitely my idea of a heavenly meal.  Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 Can (approx. 15 oz.) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 Egg
1 Teaspoon cumin
1/2 Teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 Teaspoon onion powder
1 Tablespoon chopped cilantro (or scallions, if you prefer)
1 Tablespoon flour
Dash of cayenne pepper
Salt & pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon olive or canola oil

Place the chickpeas in a large bowl and mash them with a potato masher or fork.  They should still be a little chunky.  Stir in the cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, flour, cayenne and cilantro.  Season with salt and pepper to taste before mixing in the egg.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the tablespoon of oil over the paper.  Form 1 oz. balls (I used a 1 oz. scoop) of the mixture and place them on the greased baking sheet.  Bake in a pre-heated 425 degree oven for 20 - 30 minutes, until the falafel balls are golden brown.  Makes approximately 1 dozen falafel, or 3 - 4 servings.  Serve with pita or other flatbread, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion and tahini sauce.

To make the tahini, combine 2 tablespoons of sesame paste, 3 tablespoons of water, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder and salt & pepper to taste.  Whisk until thoroughly combined.

This recipe is being shared at The Weekend Potluck , Walking on Sunshine, FoodieFriendsFriday, Thursday's Treasures

Strawberry Shortcake Light

I've got strawberries on the brain in a big way lately.  Partly it's because it's almost summer and there are lots of lovely berries in the market that are far too tempting not to buy.  But, I was also recently chatting with a PR representative for Driscoll's Berries.  She reminded me that National Strawberry Shortcake Day is on the 14th and was also generous enough to send me some coupons for Driscoll's products.

Strawberry shortcake has a special place in my heart because it was one of the first desserts I ever mastered, many years ago.  I was working at Better Homes & Gardens magazine and was given a copy of their cookbook.  It was filled with lots of basic, comfort recipes that were perfect for the novice cook I was at the time.  Their shortcake recipe, done in the biscuit style, caught my eye and I learned to make it.  So well, in fact, that it became my go-to "fancy" dessert for years.  Even now, when I hear the name, I think back to those times but, in fact, I haven't made it or eaten it in years.  I'm always reluctant to pile gobs of whipped heavy cream onto my plate.  It's so good and so easy to eat that I end up eating way too much.  Sigh...

But speaking with the rep got me thinking about that dessert and what I could do to lighten it up.  The answer, as it turned out, was also very close to my heart.  When I was growing up, my mother frequently baked light sponge cakes and topped them with a sweetened berry and sour cream mixture.  I substituted Greek yogurt for the sour cream, sweetened it slightly and added the plump, juicy Discroll's berries.  The filling is so light and delicious that I'd happily eat it by itself but adding the fluffy biscuits elevates this dessert to a level I'd proudly serve to guests.  That is, if we actually had any of it left.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

Biscuits:
2 1/4 Cups all purpose flour
1/4 Cup Sugar plus 1 tablespoon
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/4 Teaspoon baking soda
1 Teaspoon salt
1 Stick unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1" pieces
1 Cup buttermilk
1 Tablespoon cream or half & half

Strawberry Yogurt Sauce:
16 oz. Greek style yogurt
1/4 Cup sugar
1 lb. Strawberries, hulled and sliced

Make the sauce by placing the yogurt into a bowl and whisking in the sugar until combined.  Stir in the strawberries and refrigerate for at least an hour.  The strawberries will bleed some of their juice into the yogurt.

Make the biscuits by combining the flour, 1/4 cup of sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.  Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or fork until the mixture resembles course crumbs.  Add the buttermilk and stir just until combined.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface to approximately a 3/4" thickness.  Use a 3" round cutter to cut the biscuits and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Re-roll the dough scraps to make more biscuits.  Brush the top of each biscuit with the cream or half & half and sprinkle on the remaining tablespoon of sugar.

Bake in a pre-heated 425 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until the tops are light golden brown.  Allow to cool before slicing each biscuit in half.  Place a scoop of the yogurt berry mixture on one half and top with the other half of the biscuit.  Makes approximately 6 servings.

This recipe is being shared at The Weekend Potluck , Walking on Sunshine, FoodieFriendsFriday, Thursday's Treasures

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Swirl Bundt Cake #BundAMonth

What is it about bundts?  For me, the fun of this type of pan is the swirl you can make inside the cake.  So when the founders of our monthly bundt group, Anuradha of Baker Street and Lora of Cake Duchess, decided that our June theme would be swirly bundts, I was all in.  I've swirled before, even when it wasn't part of our challenge, but Murphy's Law stepped in this time.  My first attempt was a complete, although tasty, failure but I'll tell you about that another time.  Today let's focus on the success and complete peanut buttery deliciousness of this properly swirled cake.

The chocolate batter has a good, deep flavor without being tooth-achingly sweet and the peanut butter batter compliments it well.  This cake makes for a great morning treat with coffee or a cup of tea.  Enjoy!






Ingredients
2 Cups all purpose flour, divided
2 Teaspoons baking powder, divided
1 Teaspoon baking soda, divided
1/4 Cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 Cups sugar
3 Eggs
2 Sticks unsalted butter
3/4 Cup water
1 Teaspoon vanilla
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1/2 Cup peanut butter

In one small bowl, combine 1 cup of flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda.  Do the same in a second small bowl and add the cocoa powder to that one.

In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and eggs.  Add the butter and continue beating.  Add the water, vanilla and salt.  Divide the mixture evenly into two bowls.

Add the peanut butter to one bowl, beat until smooth and fold in the first bowl of flour, baking powder and baking soda.

To the second bowl, fold in the flour mixture with the cocoa powder.

Butter and flour a 12 cup bundt pan.  Add half the peanut butter batter to the pan, followed by half the chocolate batter, followed by the second half of the peanut butter batter and topped off with the final half of the chocolate batter.  Using a butter knife, gently swirl the batters together but do not over mix.  Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 50 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.  Allow to cool very well before removing from the pan.  Makes approximately 10 servings.

This recipe is being shared at The Weekend Potluck , Walking on Sunshine, FoodieFriendsFriday, Thursday's Treasures

Want to join us and be part of Bundt-a-Month?
- Use berries to bake us a swirly bundt for June and post it before June 30, 2013
- Use the #BundtAMonth hashtag in your title
- Add your entry to the linky tool below
- Link back to our announcement posts
- Follow Bundt-a-Month on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/BundtaMonth where we feature all our gorgeous bundt cakes.  Or head over to our Pinterest board at https://pinterest.com/bakerstreet/bundtamonth/ for inspiration.
- Link to BundtaMonth on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/BundtaMonth
- Link to BundtaMonth on Pinterest at https://pinterest.com/bakerstreet/bundtamonth/

Please visit the other participating bloggers to see their amazing swirl bundt creations:

• Apple Swirl Bundt Cake by Renee at Magnolia Days
• Cinnamon Praline Pecan Swirl Bundt Cake by Karen at In the Kitchen With KP
• Cinnamon Pecan Swirl with Cinnamon Glaze by Stacy at Food Lust People Love
• Chocolate and Peanut Butter Swirl Bundt by Anita at Hungry Couple
• Chocolate Matcha Swirl by Kim from Ninja Baking
• Double Chocolate Swirl Bundt Cake by Lora at Cake Duchess
• Lemon Raspberry Swirl Bundt Cake by Carrie at Poet In The Pantry
• Lemon Basil Blueberry Swirl Bundt Cake by Kate at Food Babbles
• Nutella Swirl Bundt by Veronica at My Catholic Kitchen
• Nutella Swirl Bundt Cake by Anuradha at Baker Street
• Orange Creamsicle Bundt by Holly at A Baker’s House
• Strawberry Nutella Swirl Mini Bundts by Alice at Hip Foodie Mom
• Strawberry Swirl Cream Cheese Bundt by Sandra at The Sweet Sensations
• The Spiced Life Espresso Swirled Bundt Cake by Laura at The Spiced Life
• Vanilla Cherry Swirl Mini Bundt Cakes by Heather at Hezzi D’s Books and Cooks
• Zebra Bundt by Tara at Noshing With The Nolands

Light Spaghetti Squash Gratin

I have a new love interest.  He's short and squat and quite a bit yellow.  He hangs around with the vegetables in the garden but, when you get him home to the privacy of your kitchen, he turns into pasta.  Dreamy, forbidden, empty carbs, pasta.  Yes, my new love is a veggie in a carb suit.  What's not to love about that?

Trying spaghetti squash has been on my to-do list for so long I'd almost forgotten about it.  But, since we're trying to eat lighter around here, I finally got around to tossing one of those babies into the oven.  After an hour, I took it out, let it cool just long enough to handle and cut it in half with a large serrated knife.  I scooped out the seeds, got a large fork and proceeded to scrape the flesh to see if it would, indeed, turn into spaghetti.  It did!

I gave it a quick taste just to see what I was dealing with.  It was bland, of course, because I hadn't seasoned it yet but I was more curious about the texture.  I'm a big veggie fan so I was pretty confident I'd like the taste but the texture gave me some pause.  Would it be stringy?  Would it turn to mush?  Happily the answer to both was no.  I quickly tossed it with some olive oil and Parmesan cheese and ate it all...an entire squash!  The next day I bought another one and began experimenting with my new obsession.  I started with a light gratin and I've been making it and eating it and making it and eating it again and again.  Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 Spaghetti squash
1 Tablespoon butter
2 Cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
1 Cup low fat milk
1/2 Cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tablespoons scallions or chives, chopped
1/4 Cup seasoned panko breadcrumbs
2 Teaspoons olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

Using a large fork, pierce the skin of the squash several times and roast in a 400 degree oven for 1 hour.  Remove and allow to cool enough to handle.  Cut the squash in half, lengthwise, with a serrated knife.  Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds and discard.  Scrape the remaining flesh with a fork until it shreds into a spaghetti like texture.

Melt the butter in a large skillet and add the garlic.  Cook on low heat for a couple of minutes until it begins to soften.  Add the flour and whisk to incorporate it into the butter.  Add the milk and whisk continuously until the butter/flour mixture is fully incorporated and there are no lumps.  The sauce will thicken.  Add in the Parmesan cheese and herbs and remove from the heat.  When the squash is cooked and shredded, add it to the sauce, mix thoroughly and season with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs with the olive oil and sprinkle on top of the squash mixture.  Bake in a 400 degree oven for approximately 20 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are a light golden brown.  Makes about 2 generous servings.

This recipe is being shared at The Weekend Potluck , Walking on Sunshine, FoodieFriendsFriday, Thursday's Treasures

Tuscan Bean Salad

Have you ever eaten lunch at Costco?  I don't mean that you've ordered a hot dog at their concession stand.  What I mean is that, while you were pushing your shopping cart around, you stopped every few feet at the sample tables and helped yourself to whatever they were offering until you were full.  Brian and I are definitely Costco diners although we rarely buy the product being sampled.  We do spend quite a lot of money there, even if it's on non-sampled products, so I rather think they'd forgive us.  And it's not that we don't think what we sampled tasted good.  It usually does.  But when we look at the nutrition panel of whatever it is, we ask each other how it's even possible to get that much fat and calories into that size container!  But our dietary reluctance to buy doesn't mean we aren't inspired to cook.

When we were at Costco to stock up for the long Memorial Day weekend, we were treated to a delicious Tuscan bean salad served up on a tortilla chip.  Delicious!  And completely inspiring.  I looked at the ingredients and realized I could make a healthy version of this pretty easily.  So maybe we didn't buy a container of that salad, but we did buy all the ingredients to make it.  Naturally I replaced the chemical name ingredients with actual food and seasonings and I probably cut the oil they used in half.  But what was left was a serviceable copy of the salad and it was both good and good for you.  Enjoy!

Ingredients
Salad:
1 Can (approx. 15 oz.) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 Can (approx. 15 oz.) white cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 Cup (raw weight) barley
1 Green bell pepper, finely diced
1 Fresh tomato, diced
2 Sun dried tomatoes, diced
1/4 Red onion, chopped
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Dressing:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon low fat mayonnaise
4 Cloves garlic, minced
1/4 Teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 Teaspoon garlic powder
Salt & pepper to taste

Place the barley in a pot and add 1 cup of water.  Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low and cook for approximately 30 minutes or until the water has been absorbed and the grains are tender.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together all the dressing ingredients.  Add the chick peas, white beans, bell pepper, fresh tomato, sun dried tomatoes, red onion and basil.  Add the cooled barley, toss and season to taste.  Makes approximately 8 servings.

This recipe is being shared at The Weekend Potluck , Walking on Sunshine, FoodieFriendsFriday, Thursday's Treasures

Life in the Big City - Summer Style

I hope you enjoyed the first installment of Life in the Big City a couple of weeks ago.  No sooner do I start bringing you along with me through my days in New York City though, when summer hits and it's time to head out of the city.  OK, so technically it's not summer yet, but Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start to summer for big city folks.  For us, long summer weekends mean getting out of the hot city and heading to the south shore of Long Island.  Out there we're a couple of minutes drive from beaches and marinas but, best of all, is the nearly two acres of grass and woods right outside our door.

The irony here is that the holiday weekend was anything but summer-like.  Cold and rainy on Friday and Saturday, cold and windy on Sunday.  Monday, at least, was the best of the days and it was sunny and warm enough to have our BBQ get-together in the garden.  Even so, I was walking around with a sweater and we slept under an electric blanket the entire time we were out there.  Oh, well.  It'll be hot soon enough.  Memorial Day weekend also means stocking up at Costco, mowing and trimming the grass and cleaning and dragging out the patio furniture.

We don't normally eat a lot of steaks but we can't resist them on the grill.  With frozen cocktails, fresh asparagus and sweet Long Island corn, it's a pretty perfect meal.  Oh, and Brian cooks all of it! ;)

I did feel pretty sorry for him, though, because he woke up on Saturday morning with a cold and was definitely not feeling well the whole weekend.  So far I haven't caught it, which I consider amazing.  Fingers crossed.

Hanging out, watching Brian mow the grass.

Hadley is in absolute heaven when we're out there.  After all, city dogs rarely get a chance to run free.  We go for walks every day but it's not the same as chasing a ball, untethered, over an acre of grass.  Poor thing was so exhausted by the time we got back to the city that she slept for two days!  She loves it, though, and she's a great traveler.  We acclimated her to car travel when she was a baby and now she just naps peacefully in the back seat even on the longest road trips.

Just because we were away for a while doesn't mean I haven't been pinning up a storm.  Most of my pins these days are for berry desserts since I'm going through a slight strawberry obsession.

Speaking of obsessions, did you all see my recipe for cauliflower "fried rice?"  I still can't get over how good this is and not a carb in sight.  I've made a bowl of this for lunch almost every day this week.

Next week is our 6th anniversary so I'm trying to decide how we'll celebrate.  Brian, for all his amazing qualities, is not ever going to be the one planning a celebration for anything...  I know that's going to be the case for my birthday next month, too.  Can't have everything.

And speaking of Mr. Hungry Couple, he and the furry sous are...relaxing in the garden.  So long till next time!

The Month in Review - May 2013

I really don't know where May went.  Wasn't it just yesterday that I was impatiently waiting for the start of summer weekends?  Maybe the cold temperatures threw me off because I certainly can't remember another Memorial Day weekend where we had to turn on the heat and sleep under an electric blanket.  But despite the strange weather and my apparent inability to keep track of time, we did eat quite well in May.

We kicked the month off with a lots of Mexican themed Cinco de Mayo recipes and added another entry to the bundt cake collection.  There were a few other desserts but also lots of lighter, healthier fare in anticipation of the warm weather.  We also started a new Life in the Big City feature that I hope you'll like.  So let's take a quick look back before we move forward to summer, sun and surf.  Enjoy!

Cinco de Mayo Recipe Round Up

Individual Chocolate Pudding Cheesecake Parfaits

Very Berry Streusel Bundt Cake

Quinoa & Chickpea Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing

Chocolate Chip Bread

Creamy Lemon Dill Dressing

The French Cosmo

Life in the Big City

Lemon Blueberry Ricotta Bread

Tarragon Chicken Salad Slaw

Roasted Beet & Herbed Goat Cheese Sandwich

Happy Memorial Day!

Cauliflower "Fried Rice"