CHOPPED!

I must admit: in the summer I tend to get spoiled with the variety of fresh, local vegetables available at the grocery store and I don't take advantage of the produce while it's available and cheap!

So this weekend, I rectified that by making a big bowl of Chopped Salad!

When I lived outside of Chicago, there was a local restaurant that made the best chopped salad. (My mom will vouch for me on this, because she loved going to Gullivers when she visited me and she almost always ordered the chopped salad!) And ever since that amazing place, I've loved chopped salads.

I think the chopped salad is a pretty incredible invention. Not only can it combine a huge variety of ingredients, but the small pieces ensure that every bite is delicious! And with all the incredible veggies available this time of year, I couldn't resist making one! So for my chopped salad, I grabbed some of my favorite vegetables from my fridge (along with the non-veggies: bacon and cheese).

After everything was washed (and the bacon was cooking) I got to chopping. This isn't necessarily the fastest meal to make, since it requires a lot of knife skills (which I don't posses), but the extra time spent at the cutting board is totally worth it!

After I was done peeling/chopping my various veggies, I had a bowl full of tasty 'bits.'

And with a quick stir, everything was incorporated!

So I served up a small bowl of veggies...

And topped it with bits of bacon and tiny cubes of cheese. (I know- a real chopped salad would have the bacon and cheese mixed into the salad... but since I wanted to veggies to keep in the fridge for another meal, I decided to add these 'extras' later.)

After the salad was ready to go, I turned my attention to the dressing. I've recently stumbled upon a great ration for my balsamic/honey vinaigrette (see photo below), and while it may not suit everyone's taste, I just love it! (I could also just be in love with the AWESOME fig balsamic vinegar I have... it's to die for!)

Since I'm old-school, I added all the vinaigrette ingredients to a canning jar and shook it until it was combined...

Before spooning it on top of my chopped salad.

And that my friends...

Is how you make the most delicious chopped salad!

(Looks good, right? I love that every bit can include so many different things!)

The only bad thing about chopped salads? They're gone way too quickly!

Thanks for stopping by- I hope you have a great day!

Totally tomatoes!

Earlier this summer, I completed my first "solo" canning experience (under the helpful eye of my mom). And you know what? I really liked it!

So with tomatoes coming into season, my mom suggested I try my hand at another canning venture...

SALSA!!

I was pretty excited about the prospect... but unlike the last time, this canning experience would take place in my NYC kitchen. For those of you who have visited me, you know that my kitchen is "cozy" and "modest", both terms that brokers here use to make tiny kitchens sound nicer!

So after lots of phone calls home asking every possible question I could think of, not to mention a package from the midwest full of canning tools and a nice new canning pot, I was ready to make my salsa! 

So I gathered up my ingredients: tomatoes, salsa seasoning and vinegar!

Then I set up my canning stations. With very little counter space available, along with a mini-stove, I had to be pretty organized to ensure that I had the space and heat sources available for everything I needed.

I started by blanching the tomatoes. After 1 minute in boiling water...

I dropped them into a bowl of ice water.

This easy step makes the skin slide right off the tomato. Then I took that funny looking tool and dug the stem right out of the fruit before tossing it into my food processor.

I prefer salsa with a few lumps, so I chose to process some of the tomatoes while I diced the rest by hand.

I poured the 10 cups of tomatoes into my soup pot along with the salsa seasoning...

And a half cup of white vinegar before heating the mixture until it boiled.

While the salsa heated, I also boiled some canning jars and lids. Once the salsa was boiling I pulled a jar from the pot...

Placed a funnel in the mouth of the jar...

And ladled the piping hot salsa into the jar, taking care to leave about half an inch empty at the top.

Once I wiped the lip of the jar to ensure that there wasn't any tomato residue that might have prevented the sealing, I placed a lid on the rim and screwed on the ring to secure the lid.

When I had finished canning a double batch of the salsa I was very proud of two facts:

#1: All 10 pints of my salsa "popped" (which meant that they ALL sealed)

#2: I was able to take photos during my canning, which is a pretty fast and stressful process for a newbie canner like me

Oh- and to top it all off, the salsa tastes great! (We really like the Mrs. Wages seasoning brand in our family!)

So if you're ever interested in canning salsa, you should pick up a packet or two of Salsa Seasoning- it's delicious, and the canning recipe is included on the back of the package!

Thanks for stopping by and joining me in this little canning adventure- I hope you have a great weekend!

Rhubarb Crisp

One of the things I like to do when I stay at my parents house is raid their garden. So when my mom suggested that I bake some Rhubarb Crisp for my dad, I was happy to oblige.

First, I walked out to one of their gardens...

Located the rhubarb plant...

And proceeded to slice some stalks from the plant.

(Even though the end of the stalks look pink, this particular plant is a Green Rhubarb, so the majority of the stalks are green.)

I then brought the stalks inside, and after a thorough washing, I chopped them up into little pieces. (Doesn't this look like a bowl of chopped celery?)

Then I added some brown sugar...

And cinnamon to the rhubarb, giving it a quick stir.

In a separate bowl, I made the crisp "topping" by combining butter, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, and oatmeal with a pastry cutter.

After I stuffed a few ramekins with the rhubarb, I topped them with a generous helping of the crisp "topping".

Then I placed the ramekins on a baking sheet, and placed them in a pre-heated oven.

About half an hour later, I pulled these tasty dishes from the oven...

So my dad could help himself to individual portions of Rhubarb Crisp whenever he wanted it!

If you'd like to bake up this easy crisp, here's the recipe:

Rhubarb Crisp

Ingredients:

Rhubarb mixture:

Chopped rhubarb (enough to fill your desired baking dish)

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Crisp topping:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup oats

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/3 cup butter, softened

Directions:

Clean and chop rhubarb, and mix with brown sugar and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, combine crisp topping with pastry cutter. Place rhubarb mixture in greased baking dish(es), and bake in pre-heated 375 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes, or until the rhubarb is tender and crisp is "bubbling". Serve with ice cream or Greek yogurt (my dad's preference).

As you might suspect,  Rhubarb Crisp is somewhat tart, so it's best served with ice cream or Greek yogurt (my dad's favorite).

Thanks for visiting- I hope you have a great weekend!

Greek Pita Wraps

When I first moved to NYC, I had no idea that I was moving to a predominantly Greek neighborhood. So if I had known back then how much I would come to love Greek food, I would have been very surprised. You see, now that I have lived amidst souvlaki, saganaki, tzatziki and lemon potatoes for the past 5 years, I have totally fallen in love!

While getting Greek take-out in my 'hood is pretty easy, every now and then I want to make it for myself! So after a quick trip to my local grocer over the weekend, I was able to whip up this recipe for Greek Pita Wraps!

First, I started with a plate full of fresh veggies: lettuce, cucumber, tomato and red onion.

To that I added Kalamata Olives. (My grocer has a self-serve olive bar, and actually offers Kalamatas with or without pits. For the purpose of this recipe, I went pit-less!)

Once I'd washed and dried the veggies, I diced them up.

(I ended up using a whole tomato, half a cucumber, half of a (small) red onion, and about 8 olives.)

While at the grocer, I also picked up a slab of feta cheese. My grocer's deli sells over 10 different kinds of feta, but the guy behind the counter assured me that this was a good choice (and then he only charged me for half of the slab... gotta love my neighborhood!).

So I broke off a chunk and crumbled it up... (please ignore my pruney fingers- I had just finished doing my dishes!)...

And added it into a bowl with the rest of my veggies.

So while I had most of the wrap ready, I still hadn't tackled the Greek dressing. I wanted to make some from scratch, so I headed to my cupboards and came up with the following recipe:

1/4 cup olive oil and 1/8 cup red wine vinegar...

Plus a scant 1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder...

And a heaping 1/8 teaspoon of basil...

Along with a dash of dill...

Once the dressing was sufficiently mixed, I poured it over the veggies and cheese...

And stirred it until it was combined!

Meanwhile I placed a pita on a plate, with a leaf of lettuce on top. Then I spooned some of the veggie and cheese mixture onto the lettuce...

(Tell me that doesn't look amazing!)

Before wrapping it up to enjoy!

I've got to tell you- this was a very delicious sandwich and was a quick and easy way to enjoy some summer veggies!

So even if you don't have the good fortune to live in a neighborhood with tasty Greek food like me...

With this simple recipe, you can pretend that you do!

Thanks for stopping by- I hope you have a great day!