Saturday, May 25, 2013

Nicoise Salad.

"Knee- swa"

If you have never heard of nicoise salad, it is basically a salad that contains green beans, tuna, and some sort of vinaigrette. The salad is light refreshing and reminds me of summer. We have had a lot of snow lately (In May) and this salad was a nice reminder that summer is coming sooner or later. This dish really sits well and is great for next day lunch.


It's graduation weekend at St. Thomas and I can't believe it has been an entire year since I graduated from college. Where has the time gone? In no way does it feel like I graduated a whole year ago. And what a year its been... I could not be more grateful of everything I have. Hope you are able to enjoy the long weekend and get outside a little bit. I am just hoping the rain holds off for a few more days. 

Nicoise Salad

What you need:
- 1 lb green beans, cooked al dente and cooled
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 3 cans tuna (in water), drained
- 1 12 oz can black olives
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4oz feta cheese (optional)

Dressing: 
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard 

In a small bowl, mix dressing. Combine all salad ingredients and top with dressing. 








Thursday, May 23, 2013

Raw Summer Salad.

Long time no chat. 

Phew. Has it been a long time or what? So the question is, what have I been up to lately? Well it has been a pretty crazy couple of weeks. Lots of studying, traveling to chicago for my brothers wedding and to visit Kathleen, two visits from Andrea, and lots of walks around the lakes. It's finally warming up here, not that the current weather shows it well, and its so nice to walk around one of the 10,000 lakes here in Minnesota. Today we went for a long relaxing walk around Lake of the Isles and the uptown area. I have to admit it is by far my favorite lake. The beautiful path is lined by vast lake areas, narrow streams, and mansions. Its a must see. 

Food? We have been eating all over the map. We spent the entire beautiful weekend in Chicago eating. An awesome dinner at MK and an even more extravagant brunch at the Waldorf Astoria.  I have a few pictures and hopefully I will do a recap of the weekend soon. At home we have been enjoying simple meals and I have been utilizing Damian in the kitchen as much as possible to maximize study time. Once I pass my tests, which feels like forever away, I will start blogging again all the time. I feel like I have so much to share! Hopefully I will find some time in the next few weeks to do a bunch of recaps. For now, here is a super simple and delicious recipe. 

Raw Summer Salad

What you need:
- 1 large hothouse cucumber, sliced
- 4 baby red peppers, chopped
- 3 orange/yellow peppers, chopped
- 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons honey
- freshly grated garlic and salt (from TJ's)
- freshly cracked pepper

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients. Serve chilled. 





Saturday, May 4, 2013

Strawberry Blueberry Oatmeal Bake.

Oldie but goodie. 

I made this recipe a few weeks back (my birthday week to be exact) but I thought I would post it because its so darn good. The extra special thing about this post is its the first time I have used this awesome new Minnesota shaped cutting board! Andrea gave it to me for my birthday and it is just the perfect size for appetizers, cheese plates, and these cool photos. Most days we have overnight oats for breakfast but lately I have been making different oatmeal bakes for busier weeks. Love oatmeal? Love breakfast? Then you would love this. 

A little update on the home front- I am still studying all the time and the test day is getting closer and closer. I really can't wait until its over. This next weekend we are heading to Chicago for my brother's wedding. We fly out on Friday (no work- woot woot!) and are visiting Kathleen for the evening. I am so excited to get away because I honestly can't remember the last time we went somewhere on "vacation". Hopefully I will remember to take lots of photos to share. In the meantime, eat some oatmeal.


Strawberry Blueberry Oatmeal Bake

What you need:
- 2 bananas sliced
- 3 cups oats (old fashioned)
- 1 pint blueberries 
- 1/2 pint strawberries, sliced
- 2 cups milk
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 egg
- toppings of choice: shredded coconut, greek yogurt, raisins, granola

Preheat oven to 365 degrees. In a bowl, combine oats, milk, honey, and egg. Spray bottom of a glass baking dish and layer banana slices across the bottom. add a portion of the blueberries and all of the strawberries. Pour oat mixture in pan and top with blueberries and shredded coconut. Bake for 20-25 minutes and let cool.