Mixed Green Salad with Strawberry Blue Cheese Dressing

I find myself being possessive these days.  Words like "mine" and "mommy's" are being bandied about so often you would think I was getting paid to catalog the entirety of the contents under this roof.  Even my friend Jess has commented on my possessiveness.

This possessiveness probably is a result of:
a) The commandeering of my unicorn.
b) The recent attempts to kidnap the moose that was given to me to replace the stolen unicorn.  I would just like to point out that the moose actually came with a baby moose.  And the baby moose was given to Max.  So Max actually has his own moose.
c) The encroachment on my headband collection.  Yes I still wear headbands. And I recently purchased a 6-pack of polka-dotted headbands in various colors.  Max loved the green one so I handed it over to him.  But that apparently isn't enough.  He wants them all.  As though he is concerned about properly accessorizing his wardrobe of striped tee-shirts and sweatpants.

So after playing defense against all the toddler invasions, it is nice to have something that is mine.  Jenn's salad.  A salad with strawberry blue cheese dressing.  A category of food that is safe from the hands of the little guy.  It has turned me into one of... them.  But only for a minute.

I'm totally loving this article on Cooking Light - they have categorized some dishes on the basis of "mood!" Though I didn't see a category for "possessive," they've totally got you covered if you are feeling nostalgic, romantic, adventurous, relaxed, or happy!

Ingredients
scant 1 cup chopped strawberries
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sour cream
3 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
2 ounces blue cheese
1 tablespoon roasted and salted pepitas
freshly ground black pepper

For the salad:
1 cup chopped romaine lettuce
4 cups mixed greens
2 chopped scallions
1/2 cup torn basil
handful sliced strawberries
1-2 tablespoons roasted and salted pepitas
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions
For the dressing: Blend the dressing ingredients together with an immersion or regular blender.

For the salad:  In a large bowl, toss the lettuce, scallions, basil, sliced strawberries, and pepitas.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste.  Toss the salad with desired amount of strawberry dressing.

A Review - ProCook Gourmet Stainless Steel 11" Frying Pan

A new review post!
Today we are taking a look at the ProCook Gourmet Stainless Steel 11" Frying Pan.
Click HERE for the review!

Battle of the Bloggers - Za'atar and Sesame Zucchini Bites with a Sesame Lemon Dipping Sauce

Here we are posting another zucchini recipe this week, acting as though we have a garden and an abundance of zucchini that we are desperately trying to use up.  This is not the case.  No such garden exists.  Between all the bugs, dirt, allergies, and bugs, I can safely say that gardening is not my thing. 

My reason for posting zucchini again - these thick slices of zucchini are coated and baked in a mixture of panko, za’atar, and sesame seeds, and served with a lemon-sesame dipping sauce - comes from a very non-altruistic place.  

I have such a huge favor to ask of you.  If you like this recipe, I would love for you to to vote for it!

Smart Balance is running a Battle of the Bloggers competition.  The blogger whose recipe receives the most votes at the end of the contest will win a yearlong contract with Smart Balance to develop recipes!  

To vote for the entry (it's super quick):
 •  CLICK HERE to head to the Battle of the Bloggers Facebook app!  Then vote!

You will even have a chance to win prizes, including Calphalon products and a year's supply of Smart Balance products!  The contest runs now through August 11th.  

Ingredients

For the bites:

2 medium zucchini, cut into slices (about 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch thick)

1 cup buttermilk

2 cups panko

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon za'atar

2 tablespoons roasted sesame seeds

ground sumac, for sprinkling

paprika, for sprinkling

Smart Balance Cooking Spray

For the dip:

1/4 cup Smart Balance Omega Plus Mayonnaise

1/4 cup Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon tahini

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon honey

pinch ground sumac

1/2 teaspoon za'atar

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds, plus more for serving

Instructions

To make the zucchini bites:

Heat oven to 400.  Place buttermilk in a shallow bowl.  Mix together panko, salt, pepper, za'atar, and sesame seeds.  Place in a second shallow bowl.  Dip each zucchini slice first in buttermilk and then in the panko mixture.  Repeat for each slice.  Place on lined baking sheet.  Sprinkle each bite with just a pinch of sumac and paprika.  Spray the zucchini bites with cooking spray.  Bake for about 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

To make the dipping sauce:

Stir all ingredients together.  Adjust salt and pepper to taste.  Sprinkle sesame seeds on top before serving. 

Tomato, Brown Butter, Ricotta Pasta with Zucchini and Roasted Garlic

I know that as an adult human being who lives in this thing we call society, I should share.  I should want to share.  And this desire is one I should be attempting to cultivate in my offspring.  Perhaps by modeling such behavior myself.

But this is easier said than done.

We have our favorite brunch spot.  Rustic servingware, with mason jars as far as the eye can see.  Pomegranate mimosas. Delicious food offerings. Friendly servers.  And best of all, a location on a rail line.  Which means Max can eagerly anticipate the passing of a train.  It feels like the most perfect of morning dining spots in the entire world for us.

Despite our love for this establishment, there is a reticence in sharing this location with others.  I don't want to sully its amazingness with a bad memory.  With someone who won't appreciate all it has to offer.  Or what if they now think it is their spot, when we were the ones who found it first?  Is it really such an awful thing to have a secret spot?  Am I a supremely selfish human being?

I suppose I have a guilty conscience about this.  To assuage my guilt just a bit, I am sharing a pasta dish with one of man's most wonderful substances - brown butter.  A tomato sauce with roasted zucchini slices, roasted garlic, browned butter, and ricotta cheese.

I suppose I do have the ability to share.  But only when I want to.

Ingredients
2 medium zucchini, sliced on mandolin
pasta of choice (pictured above: penne)
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper

1 head garlic
extra virgin olive oil

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 small onion, halved
1/3 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup basil leaves, torn

Instructions
To make the zucchini:  Heat oven to 400.  Place zucchini slices in a 9 x 13 pan, drizzle with oil, salt, and pepper, and roast for about 20 minutes until all brown and melty.

To make the roasted garlic:  Heat oven to 400. Take off the papery outer skin of the garlic bulb. Don’t remove all the skin, just the stuff that comes off easily. The head of garlic should still remain intact. Slice off the pointy end of the bulb to expose all the cloves. Place in a small greased ramekin and cover with olive oil. Sprinkle just a pinch of salt and cover with aluminum foil. Place in oven and roast for about 45 minutes. The cloves of garlic will be all nice and soft.

To make the sauce:  In a large sauté pan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Let the butter brown, about 5-7 minutes. You will see brown specks that have formed on the bottom of the pan. Be careful to not burn the butter, otherwise the taste will be altered. Add in the roasted zucchini slices and roasted cloves of garlic. Mix those into the browned butter. Stir in crushed tomatoes. Add onion halves. Let the mixture come together over low heat for about 40 minutes. Once the onion halves are soft, remove from the sauce. Add cheeses. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with basil.

Serve with pasta (I used penne) cooked according to manufacturer's directions.

Watermelon, Lime, Cotija and Basil Salad

My pastimes include making loud, obnoxious noises.  Like beast noises.  Seth just yells "beast" when I get on a roll.  He occasionally makes a remark about me needing to stop being so beasty, but we all know that he secretly loves the absurd soundscapes I create.

Possible reasons these ridiculous sounds include:
-my way of filling up the space with my essence even when I have nothing to say
-my subconscious is creating performance art
-I just love the freedom in making primal, beastial sounds for no apparent reason
-I enjoy the contrast of making loud beast noises while wearing a dress
-I relish in Seth's annoyance
-all of the above
-none of the above

On Netflix, we see this documentary called "Thunderbeast" popping up in recommendations.  At first it was a joke, like, "Haha, look, Netflix even knows that I'm a beast, maybe I'm even in the movie."

Then Thunderbeast became a fixture.  Always sitting there as a recommended title to watch.  So eventually I was like, huh, what is Thunderbeast even about? Oh buffaloes/bison?, I don't actually know anything about this animal.  Maybe I should learn something.

So it was played.  But between Max, and okay, lets face it, Max, the documentary never got my full attention.  But I was interested.  Thunderbeast is an oddly compelling animal.

Thunderbeast was played again. And again.  Like ten more times.  I still haven't finished it.  I'm sure the NSA is wondering why someone would keep playing this documentary over and over and over again.  Especially when the person supposedly watching it still knows nothing about the animal except that the buffaloes were quite mean to a  lost fawn and left her to some wolves.  And that they have a keen sense of smell.

One of these days I will finally finish it.

Until then, I have a salad.  Pink watermelon chunks sprinkled with basil, cotija cheese, lime juice, and lime zest..  So bright and loud and refreshing.  Just like the noises I create.

Ingredients
watermelon chunks
cotija cheese
lime juice
lime zest
basil

Instructions
Just toss some watermelon chunks with torn basil leaves.  Sprinkle with a bit of cotija cheese and lime zest.  Finish with a drizzle of lime juice.

A Plum Sandwich, with Prosciutto, Provolone, Arugula, and Sage

There is nothing like ever so carefully building up the foundation of a lovely day in your head... and then having it all come crashing down.

Okay, maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration.  But not by much (I can be extremely melodramatic).

I thought I was going to have a nice Saturday with the tot.  It was a gorgeous day, and Seth was at work, so I figured I would put on my fun-mom hat (okay, more like a slightly embarrassing sun hat) and go to the beach - play in the sand, prance around in the water, then grab some food in the harbor and watch some boats sail on by.

We arrived at the beach.  Within 2 minutes, Max was found throwing sand.  Totally not allowed. A thing he has been banned from doing.  I'm not really sure why sand looks so appealing to throw, as opposed to say, scooping into funnel shaped toys that have wheels that spin when sand is dumped into them.  But I digress.

So I gave him a warning.  If you throw the sand again, we are leaving.  His response was a gleeful "go bye-bye."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes and wonder how he could possibly be okay with leaving the beach.  Why wouldn't someone want to play here for awhile?

I got us away from the ever-so-temping sand and into the water.  We frolicked and splashed in the water for about 20 minutes.  Then we got out of the water.

As soon as we got back to our towels, the sand throwing began anew.  Another warning was given, and subsequently ignored.  And thus we left the beach after all of 30 minutes. And out of those 30, about 1/5 were taken up with admonishments.

So we trekked home, no longer stopping for lunch.  And as we made our way home, I called Seth to complain, pointing out that none of the other kids were throwing sand.  He tried to comfort me by offering up the explanation that the other sand-throwing kids were already taken home.

So once we got home, I needed food.  Something comforting.  Something interesting.  Something that would make up for the shattering of my Saturday plans. Something that would help assuage my fears that my offspring will forever be the annoying kid throwing sand.

Sometimes our best laid plans are thwarted by toddlers.  And I suppose when life gives you lemons you are supposed to make lemonade.  I didn't make lemonade.  But I made a grilled cheese stuffed with things like provolone, prosciutto, arugula, sage, plums, and a lemony spread.  I guess there are worse things in life than having a Saturday turn into a warm crispy sandwich.

For more information about one of my very favorite fruits, the plum, check out this slideshow from Cooking Light! Sooooo many varieties of plums that I need to try!

Ingredients
2 slices sourdough bread
2 slices thinly sliced prosciutto
1 slice provolone
4-6 sage leaves
1 plum, sliced
handful arugula leaves
drizzle of olive oil
lemon wedge
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
canola oil, for cooking

For the sauce:
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
Mix mayonnaise, yogurt, mustard, lemon juice, lemon zest, and sumac in bowl.  Adjust salt and pepper to taste.  Refrigerate.

On slice of bread, make a bed of arugula leaves.  Drizzle with just a bit of olive oil and lemon juice, and sprinkle salt and pepper.  Next add the prosciutto, then the provolone, the sage leaves, the slices of plum, then, finally, the desired amount of the sauce.  Heat some oil in cast iron skillet or other frying pan.  Add sandwich, brown on one side (about 2-3 minutes).  Flip, and brown on the other.

Kettle Chips with a Cheesy, Caramelized Onion, Malt Vinegar Dip

Max and I recently had a dispute.

A handful of toys were lying on the bedroom floor.  I told the tot that we could go to the park, but only after he picked up his toys.

He refused.  Seriously, if I showed you the picture of the toys you would be like wow, that would take all of 5 seconds to clean up.  But nonetheless, it was the principle…toys get cleaned up and then we can go to the park.

I decided to relax a bit and sprawled out on the bed with a book, hoping to force Max to be in continuous confrontation with the “mess” and, subsequently, clean it up.   And then afterwards, we could head out to bask in the sunshine and blue skies and climb the big toy.

I sat.  Max sat.  After a long while, Max asked to use the potty, which was downstairs.  So I said of course!  We went down the stairs and he bolted… right for the front door.  Not the bathroom.  But the front door.  And he frantically tried to open it and kept making the ASL sign for "swing" and saying park.

He tricked me!  Or at least tried to.  I mean, it is hard to imagine that he thought that by just getting me to go down the stairs would be enough for me to say of course, of course we can go to the park.  But you know, he is still at the toddler stage in life, so I’m guessing his analytic and reasoning skills have yet to really come together.

Unlike my offspring, kettle chips are not here to deceive us.

Kettle chips are made with all-natural, non-GMO products.  No weird ingredients.  They take unpeeled potatoes, cook in small batches, and season with delicious flavors.  That's it.

And you can taste the amazingness.  So crunchy and potato-y.  Everything a potato chip should be.

We made a dip to go along with our chips.  We liked both the Backyard Barbecue and the Sea Salt and Pepper chips with our Cheesy Caramelized Onion Dip, with Malt Vinegar.  Even our deceptive tot was captivated by the wonderful, real Kettle Chips.  Perhaps he can learn something from them.

Don't forget to show some love for Kettle Chips on social media - here for Twitter (#TheRealKettleChips), and here for Facebook.

Ingredients

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup grated Gruyere cheese, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling on top
1/2 cup grated smoked Gouda
1 cup caramelized onions
1 tablespoon malt vinegar
1 sprig thyme
salt and pepper, to taste
favorite Kettle Chips (we used Salt and Pepper and Backyard Barbecue)

Instructions
Heat oven to 400.  In mixing bowl, stir together cream cheese, sour cream, Gruyere, smoked Gouda, onions, vinegar, seasonings, and thyme leaves.  Place in ovenproof bowl, sprinkle top with 1/4 cup Gruyere.  Bake for about 20 minutes until bubbly, and brown on top. Serve with Kettle Chips.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Kettle Brand. The opinions and text are all mine.