Panzanella - A Farewell to Summer

Call it stubbornness, but the idea of a salad of bread just never appealed to me. Little did I know how amazing the combo of toasted bread, fresh garden tomatoes and a tasty selection of other mix-ins could be!

With our own garden and farm tomatoes still going strong, I wanted to find a light meal to celebrate the last of our summer produce. I was also looking for something quick and different. It didn't take much time on Pinterest to find the most gorgeous examples of Panzanella. But, I was still not sure it would be my "thing".

Sweet little grape tomatoes sliced in half,  Mozzarella pearls tossed with a good balsamic and tender basil leaves enticed me to put away my skepticism. My version here combines all my favorites of Caprese salad.

Of course, the bread had me worried.

I grabbed a crusty Italian loaf and toasted them with a little butter in my cast iron skillet. This is a great way to use up a stale loaf or extra bread. Definitely make the effort to grab a loaf you enjoy. I also love to make this with a hearty sourdough loaf.

Okay, I was feeling better about the dish. Toasted bread just makes the kitchen smell so warm and inviting.

Then it was time to bring it all together, toss it with olive oil and balsamic vinegar... then garnish with tender basil leaves. I took the whole bowl out to entice my husband inside for dinner. It was a feast for the eyes.

Andrea's Panzanella

You Will Need:

• 1 loaf of Italian or Sourdough bread, cubed
• 1 Tbsp. butter for toasting
• 1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup or more Mozzarella pearls
• 1/2 cup tender basil leaves (whole, chiffonade)
• 1/4 c. olive oil + more for drizzling
• 2 Tbsp. good balsamic vinegar + more to taste
• Fleur de Sel or Kosher salt to taste

Toast the cubed bread with butter in a large cast iron skillet. Turn to prevent burning. Set the bread aside in a large bowl.

In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, Mozzarella and basil. Toss with 1/4 cup olive oil and 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar. Add this to the bread immediately before serving. Toss gently and drizzle with additional olive oil and balsamic as needed. Season the salad with Fleur de Sel to taste.

Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Boston Cream Pie Fruit Salad

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Yoplait®. The opinions, experiences and text are all mine.

Whether I want to fix a quick snack or make an easy side to add to dinner, this Boston Cream Pie Fruit Salad is always a great choice! Using Yoplait Greek 100 Calories Boston Cream Pie yogurt is my secret for rich flavor and fast prep time.

Do you have a favorite Yoplait flavor?

This Boston Cream Pie is one of my favorites, and it contains just 100 calories. I am pretty sure the original custard can't claim that! I picked up my Yoplait yogurt at Walmart where you can find this flavor, plus a wide selection of other delicious options for Yoplait Original, Light, Greek, and Gogurt®.

Of course, when my family gets hungry they often ask for chips, cookies or other snacks. I try to keep it as fresh and simple as possible. Have you noticed how fast kid will tear through a bag of chips? Okay, when I make 'bagged' snack choices, I tend to mindlessly munch my way through the bag, too. This summer I am trying to make a conscious decision towards more wholesome snack choices for myself as well as the rest of my family.

During the summer, I don't have time to spend on complicated recipes. No, we like things as simple and fresh as we can make it. There is always fresh fruit in the fridge and my kids love to have their fruit tossed in it. I also add in some chopped nuts for more crunch and we are good to go!

Boston Cream Pie Fruit Salad

You will need:

• 1 - 5.3 oz. Yoplait Greek 100 Calories Boston Cream Pie
• 1 small apple, diced
• squeeze of fresh lemon
• 1/3 c. red grapes
• 1/3 c. cantaloupe, diced
• 1/3 c. blueberries
• 1/3 c. hazelnuts, roughly chopped

Toss the diced apple in a squeeze or two of fresh lemon juice to prevent browning. Put all the ingredients in a medium bowl and toss with yogurt. Serve immediately or chilled.

Enjoy!

Be sure to keep an eye out for in-store demos for Yoplait in select Walmart stores the weekend of July 10. If you get a chance to attend, I would love to hear all about it!

What ideas do you have for wholesome snacking this summer with Yoplait?

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

Hearty Holiday Chopped Salad

 I received Rachael Ray Cucina Stoneware from PotsandPans.com to facilitate this review.  A positive review was not required and all opinions and experiences are my own. 

Welcome back for week 2 of our Progressive Dinner Posts! I hope you all had a chance to enter the giveaway and check out my Pecan Encrusted Baked Salmon recipe, as well as all the amazing recipes from the other 5 bloggers participating.

This week is all about salads, and I hope you can find at least one or two perfect for your family gathering. I went with a hearty chopped salad full of endive, Fall corn, Gruyere cheese, tart green apples, dried cranberries, creamy avocado and a figure friendly citrus dressing. And thanks to our sponsor, I am serving mine up in Rachael Ray Cucina Stoneware oval platter, 

Here are all the delicious salads this week:

Busy-at-Home : Pear Pistachio and Pomegranate Salad with Lemon Balsamic Vinaigrette

Adventures in All Things Food: Hearty Holiday Chopped Salad

The Gunny Sack: Strawberry Pecan Pretzel Salad

Daily Dish Recipes: Holiday Avocado, Pomegranate and Spinach Salad

Flour on My Face: Fresh Fruit Pomegranate Salad

Will Cook for Smiles: Pomegranate Goat Cheese Salad

Last year we featured a few pieces from Rachael Ray Oven to Table Stoneware in the Progressive Dinner posts, and this year I was tickled by the Cucina Stoneware collection in this gorgeous Agave Blue color.

It matched my kitchen and dining color scheme perfectly! 

I received an Au Gratin dish, Loaf Pan, 3-Piece round Casserole and Lid Set as well as an Oval Platter and Oval Serving Bowl. For my salad this week, the Oval Platter was the perfect size.

This gorgeous stoneware will be a great addition to our holiday table this year. Both microwavable and dishwasher safe, all of the pieces are glazed in a vivid color with antiqued accents along the edges.

These pieces came from PotsandPans.com, where you can also find many other fabulous brands to fill your kitchen and table this season.

I have already served several meals with these dishes and serving platters, and have plans for many more. 

A delicious meal deserves to be dressed with attractive baking and serving-ware.

Connect with PotsandPans.com on Facebook, @PotsandPans on Twitter and on Pinterest.

And as for that salad...

I went with fresh and simple. A little lemon goes a long way to help keep the avocado and endive from browning quickly. And the simple lemon and olive oil dressing keeps things light and refreshing.

It is the perfect balance for all the other holiday goodies that find their way onto your plate.

I just have to say, the salad looks great on the platter... but looks aren't all I care about, it tastes great, too! 

Feel free to adjust the proportions to suit your tastes, but this salad has everything from flavorful cheese to crunchy endive and apple as well as the creamy avocado. 

Ready to dig in?

Hearty Holiday Chopped Salad

You Will Need:

• 2 c. romaine lettuce, chopped
• 2 lemons, juiced and divided
• 5 medium Belgian endive, chopped
• 1 green apple, cubed
• 3/4 c. Gruyere cheese, cubed
• 1/2 c. corn, blanched and cut off the cob
• 3 Tbsp. dried cranberries
• 1 avocado, cubed
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper

Toss the chopped endive and green apples in the juice of 1/2 a lemon.

In a large bowl toss together the romaine, endive, apple, cheese, corn, avocados and dried cranberries. Reserve a few dried cranberries and some avocado for garnishing the top.

Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Drizzle over the salad and toss gently to coat. Sprinkle the top with additional dried cranberries and avocado if desired. Serve immediately. 

And, let's not forget the Giveaway! 

I know you are probably eyeing this gorgeous Rachael Ray Cucina Stoneware... Well, PotsandPans.com is generously providing on lucky reader with the  winner's choice of $75 of the Cucina Stoneware. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Party Perfect Hawaiian Style Macaroni Salad

A staple at every backyard BBQ, picnic or family reunion is the macaroni salad. But, let's be frank, it isn't always that exciting. Limp noodles? Dripping in mayo? Bland?  Yeah, I have scooped myself a fair number of passable macaroni salads. Not, passing good, but more like, I'll pass.

But, there is a great little place called Ron's Island Grill in Eugene Oregon that serves up a mean Huli Huli Chicken with a side of pineapple and a scoop of macaroni salad. It is smooth, tangy and good. Now, you can choose any side at Ron's, but why wouldn't you choose the amazing macaroni salad?

My version is inspired by Cook's Country who added the bite of vinegar back into the noodles and even added in a touch of color and crunch with some veggies. I actually added just a bit more apple cider vinegar and more veggies. I think my favorite Hawaiian restaurant has finally met it's match.

Start by whipping up the wet mixture. This will be part of it. This recipe is all about timing. It isn't a barbaric dump and stir sort of affair, no, it has stages. No need to be intimidated though, it's just a salad.

Boil a pound of elbow macaroni noodles. For this recipe they are boiled long past the recommended time. The noodles should be very soft and ready to drink in the vinegar. Toss them in good apple cider vinegar. I prefer Bragg organic raw apple cider vinegar, but use what you have handy.

Stir in all the vinegar, but be careful not to take a deep breath over the pot. That stuff will knock you over!

While living in Japan I remember touring brewery for vinegar. Climbing up a big vat to look inside the operation, no one warned me not to inhale. The stuff just about knocked me off the ladder. Now I have a deep respect for rice wine vinegar.

When the noodles cool slightly, mix in the sauce. Stir it up and let the noodles soak it in. Don't worry. There will be more sauce to add later.

After it is completely cools you can toss in the green onions, carrots and celery along with more sauce. Now the macaroni salad is ready to chill before serving. This stuff tastes even better the following day.

Just a little warning... this mac salad is not short on flavor and creaminess, but it is also full fat. If you want to cut it back and add skim milk, sadly, it won't turn out the same way.

Hawaiian Style Macaroni Salad

You Will Need:

• 2 c. whole milk
• 2 c. mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• salt and pepper
• 1 lb. elbow macaroni
• 1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 carrots, peeled and grated
• 2 ribs of celery, thinly sliced
• 1/4 tsp. paprika

Whisk together 1 1/2 cups milk, 1 cup mayo, brown sugar and 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Chill until needed.

Boil the pasta for about 15 minutes, until the elbow macaroni is very soft. Gently drain and drizzle with the apple cider vinegar while still hot. Toss gently so all the noodles are coated. Let the pasta cool for 10 minutes and then coat with the dressing. Allow to then sit and cool completely. 

Once cooled, add the sliced green onions, carrot and celery. In a small bowl whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup milk and 1 cup mayo. Dress the noodles and stir to coat completely. Add additional salt and pepper and the paprika to taste. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving. It also serves well the following day.

Enjoy!

Do you have a favorite Macaroni Salad?

Warm Grilled Potato Salad

Potato salad can be so.... bleh. You, know? It is actually one of the things I just skip at picnics or BBQs. I have had several twists on the classic potato, egg and mayo concoction, but it just doesn't do it for me.

So, I was thrilled when I first tasted my Mother-In-Law's Warm Grilled Potato Salad. It comes from Al Roker's Big Bad Book of Barbeque and has a flavor all it's own. I am still trying to get ahold of a copy... I might have to break down and order one used because I am dying to try some of the other recipes in there.

The keys to this salad are the grilled flavor, a light dressing with apple cider vinegar and mayo, and crispy bacon. Don't skimp on the last part. I try to get the best bacon I can find because those little salty bits really make the dish.

Now, do you see what this potato salad isn't like the rest?

This salad is more suited for at home meals than taking to a picnic because it should be eaten fresh. This is one salad that will taste fine the next day, but doen't improve with time.

Start with 2lbs of baby red potatoes. I don't worry about scrubbing them unless they are extra dirty. Boil till fork tender and then toss with olive oil and salt while they cool. This can be done ahead of time and just wait to grill them right before serving.

Make up the dressing ahead of time. You will want to toss the potatoes right before serving.

whisk together the apple cider vinegar, oil, mayo, as well as salt and pepper to taste.

With the grill on high, carmelize the outside of the potaotes. Place in a large bowl and toss with the sliced red onion, crumbled bacon and dressing. Season the dish with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with chopped Italian leaf parsley.

Now, this will make quite the statement at your next backyard cookout. This is one dish that never lasts long at my family's gatherings. I hope you will enjoy sharing it with your own family this Summer.

Warm Grilled Potato Salad

You Will Need:

• 4 lbs. baby red potatoes
• 6 Tbsp. olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

_______________

• 1/2 c. mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
• salt & pepper to taste

________________

• 6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumblend
• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 handful of Italian flat leaf parseley, chopped

In a large pot, cover the the potatoes with 2-inches of generously salted water. Bring up to a boil and cook till you can easily peirce the potatoes. Drain and transfer to a baking dish or try. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Once the potatoe are cool enough to handle, cut in half and toss again in the olive oil and seasoning in the dish.

Preheat your grill ahead of time. About 20 minutes before serving, put the potatoes on and turn as needed until they are crisp and golden brown. 

While the potatoes are cooking, cook the bacon, crumble it and set aside. Whisk together the mayo, apple cider vinegar, oil and salt and pepper.

In a large bowl toss the finished potatoes with the bacon, red onions and dressing. Coat completely and garnish with chopped Italian flat leaf parsley. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Taco Salad Time! Make it Fun with Good Cook inspired Tortilla Bowls

 I am part of the Good Cook Blogger Program and received these products for review. All opinions and experiences are my own. #‎goodcookkitchenexprt‬

There is so much going on during the Summer months that I usually have a few go-to meals I slip in almost weekly. Grilled chicken and vegetables, check. Waffles with fresh fruit and whipped cream, check. And then there is taco salad.

Even my kids go nuts for taco salad night. But, I have a secret. I plan to make our usualy taco salad night even more fun with these easy tortilla bowls. Baked, not fried, they only take 15 minutes to create. Doesn't everyone love to eat dinner in an edible bowl?

Taco Salad Bowls

You Will Need:

• 6 flour tortillas
• grapeseed oil spray
• taco seasoning
• 1 c. ground beef
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 head of iceberg lettuce, shredded
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• grape tomatoes
• avocado, sliced
• sour cream
• catalina dressing

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Spray the inside of both pan halves liberally with grapeseed oil. Spray the tortillas lightly and dust with taco seasoning. Fit flour tortillas into the pan by ruffling the tortilla edges till they fit. Put the top on lightly, the pan mayb not close due to the tortilla's size. Don't worry.

Bake for 14 - 16 minutes or until the edges start to turn golden brown and the tortilla becomes crispy. Remove from the oven and let the shells cool on a wire rack.

While the tortillas bake, brown the ground beef and season lightly with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool and drain.

Assemble all the remaining salad ingredients and fill your salad bowl to suit your tastes. Top with sour cream and catalina dressing.

Enjoy!

Now doesn't that look yummy? These bowls are perfect portions for me... big eaters can grab an extra bowl if they want.

Okay, this is another fun and versatile Good Cook product. Use it for a savory dish, like these taco salads in edible flour tortilla bowls or whip up something sweet. I am planning to make a black bottom bowl to hold some homemade strawberry ice cream topped with vanilla rhubarb sauce.  Good Cook just happened to throw a Twister ice cream scoop in my box with the pan. Yeah, stay tuned for that fun...

My thoughts on the pan? I didn't have any trouble cleaning it up. Of course, I did use oil, so it wiped up easily, but I have had good success with easy cleaning and durability with all my Good Cook products.

You can grab your own Bake-a-Bowl pan set on the Good Cook site. While you are there, use CODE: BAKEBOWL to get a 25% off coupon to goodcook.com for the Good Cook Sweet Creations.

You can also find the Bake-a-Bowl at Bed Bath and Beyond.

Ready to dig in?

Be sure to check out all the other Bake-a-Bowl creations from Good Cook Experts and then be sure to enter to win a pan set for yourself.

You can follow Good Cook on twitter (@GoodCookcom) and see all the fun we are baking up in the kitchen by checking out the hashtags #goodcookcom and #sweetcreations.

What would you bake into bowl form?

Be inspired...

An InLinkz Link-up

Giveaway Time!!

If you made it all the way down here, you must really want to win this pan for yourself. I have one pan to give away to one lucky reader. This giveaway will end 5/23/2014 at midnight PST. Winner must be 18, US only. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer - One prize per household for each Good Cook event. If someone wins on 2 or more blogs, they - or their family members - cannot win a second prize from another blog in the same event. If a household has won a prize in a Good Cook event, they can't win again for 6 months. If a household has won more than one prize in a Good Cook even, they can't win again for 12 months. Good Cook will confirm that winners are eligible and will disqualify anyone who has won more than once. Prizes ship from Good Cook and can take 8-10 weeks after the contest ends, unless otherwise stated. You must be 18 or older to win. US shipping addresses only. Good Cook reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal value if sufficient inventory is not available.

Anything but Boring! My Month of Salad Swaps with Fresh Express

I received free products from the sponsor of the Moms Meet(SM) program, May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet blogger, I agreed to try and post about this product. My opinions and experiences are my own and do not reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC, or the product manufacturer.

Does the idea of 30 days of salad make your cringe? Do you get tired of the "same old, same old" lettuce and tomato sides?

I have to admit that I have found myself in that rut several times but this past month I have renewed my appreciation and love of a good salad. Now I am convinced it is all about what goes into your salad. How do you build your salad?

Usually I grab a bag of salad mix at the grocery store and then some sweet bell peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms and occaisionally an avocado. Yes, that means all my salads pretty much taste the same. No wonder I would rather eat a cheeseburger.

Throwing caution to the wind, I downloaded the Fresh Express 30 Day #saladswap App for my iPhone. I mean, at Free, I couldn't really go wrong, right?

Fresh Express is available at both Target and my local grocery store, and it is the bag I grab when I want either an easy salad kit or a ready-to-eat bagged salad mix. They are washed, rinsed, and gently dried, then sealed in a patented “Keep-Crisp®” breathable bag.

I love the wide variety of salad options.

Making all these salads actually showed me that changing up my bagged salad preference can make an old salad taste new again. I always grabbed the Spring Mix before, but now I have some new favorites for my family including the Sweet Butter and Veggie Lover's mixes.

Okay, the App gave me a list of options for swapping out my favorite high calorie foods for a sensible, but delicious salad. And there were so many great options including this Cheeseburger Salad recipe to replace and save calories from a traditional burger. The little meatballs were a perfect to satisfy my tastebuds and all my favorite cheeseburger components were on one plate.

Signing up at saladswap.com also gave me access to a progress tracker (keeping track of all those great salad swaps I am making!), motivation along my journey and even some Fresh Express coupons. Who doesn't love coupons? The website resources along with the App on my phone, got me ready to dig into some great salads. Check out the site for more information.

All these great salads even inspired me to create something new at home. Here is my Mandarin Orange Sesame Chicken salad using pre-cooked chicken strips, mandarin orange segments, Fresh Express Sweet Butter Lettuce mix, slivered almonds and sesame ginger dressing. I highly recomend it. And there isn't a tomato in sight.

Now, my 30 days are not up, but I wanted to share the fun so you can sign up and start on your own salad swaps. Head over to the site, saladswap.com or download the App and then head over to grab a coupon from Moms Meet to get you started. While you are there, check out Moms Meet, a fun place where eco-minded parents meet. There is some great information and products being discussed there.

Connect with Fresh Express on Facebook and Pinterest for even more inspiration and product information.

What would like to swap?

Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil - A Pantry Staple in Our Home #spon

*Disclaimer - I was provided a bottle of Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil to facilitate my recipes and review. All opinions and experiences are my own.

Summer allows for so many fresh recipe ideas in our home. The vegetables are ready to be picked in the field and I try keep our meals simple and delicious.

I think July and August are my favorite months. Our farm grows bell peppers, tomatoes and eggplant in abundance. The perfect pairing for these fresh and local veggies is a good bottle of olive oil. Armed with Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil in my pantry, I can create several different meal ideas in very little time. One of our family favorites is pizza!

I like making my own pizza dough. I add olive oil to the mixture and place it in my bread machine and walk away. It is much easier to make than you might think. I also use the olive oil to brush my crust with and then drizzle over the vegetables before baking. So even if you prefer a pre-made dough, olive oil can give you a crisp and flavorful crust while keeping your veggies moist and delicious.

Kruse's Friday Night Pizza Crust

You Will Need:

• 1 1/3 c. water
• 1/4 c. Bertolli Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. SAF yeast

Add the ingredients as directed to your machine. My machine calls for wet, dry and yeast last. Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients to add the yeast. Select the dough setting on your bread machine.

Place a pizza stone in your oven and preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

I like to pre-cook my crust before adding fresh veggies and homemade sauce so it doesn't get soggy in the middle. I stretch out my crust and then brush it with olive oil before baking for 5 minutes. Top as desired and then brush the edges with more olive oil and drizzle a little more over the vegetables before baking. Bake to warm through and melt the cheese.

The sky is the limit with fresh pizza toppings! I go for whatever is ripe and ready at the moment.

I love the flavor and quality of Bertolli olive oils. Bertolli is the brand I also buy regularly for my family. Extra Virgin Olive Oil  has a more distinct and stronger flavor, and I love it paired with fresh vegetables.

When not using it for pizza, I also love making simple dressings with it. One of my favorites is a simply dressed Greek Salad. My husband loves this lettuce-free version. It is hearty, sweet, salty and fresh.

Greek Salad with Lemon Dressing (Horiatiki)

You Will Need:

Salad

• 3 Roma tomatoes, sliced and halved
• 1/3 c. kalmata olives, halved
• 2 green bell pepper
• 1 cucumber, peeled, halved and sliced thin 
• 1/4 c. feta cheese, crumbled

Dressing

• 1/4 c. Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 3 - 4 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Toss together all the ingredients except the feta in a large bowl. Set aside.

Whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing and pour over the vegetables. Toss gently to coat. Sprinkle the feta cheese over the top of the salad and serve immediately.

Of course, Bertolli is a favorite of chefs as well. Celebrity Chef Fabio Viviani, Top Chef All-Star and Fan Favorite, has created some delectable Summer recipes featuring Bertolli Olive Oil. You can find those recipes on these on the Bertolli website:

Gorgonzola Radicchio Penne Recipe
Spicy Mediterranean Linguine with Tuna Recipe

Also check out this Youtube video of Chef Fabio Viviani in action making the Flank Steak with Chickpea Arugala Salad:


Have you tried Bertolli Olive Oil before? How do you use it?