Oh hello there...

I feel like I've been in hiding for the past two weeks...but I really haven't.  Lots of exciting things going on, but sadly none of it made it back to this little place.  Here is the quick rundown...

{ Fabulous Visits }
My parents, sister and her bf came out to Ohio for a long Easter weekend celebration.  We had the best time golfing, bbq'ing, hiking, checking out Lebron and the Cavs, teaching Lambeau to swim, eating, drinking...you know...all the good things in life.  Oh, and on top of that Cleveland decided to break temp records from the 1960's with four days straight of 80+ degree weather.  THANK YOU.  Thank you from the very bottom of my heart Cleveland.  It was glorious.  Following that visit, Jake's parents stopped off after a trip to see my sis-in-law Kenzie in Nashville.  We got spoiled with a repeat of the above...golfing, bbq'ing, hiking, checking out the Cleveland Indians on Opening Day, more swim lessons for Beau...have I mentioned how much I love Spring?  I could really kick myself for not having the camera out more often.  I've slipped in to a terrible habit of always forgetting it, or completely forgetting I even have one.  So you'll have to use your imagination for the events listed above. ;)

I do thankfully have some good news on the technology front.  FINALLY, the old laptop got replaced by a much spiffier shinier version. Oh, and a faster / less prone to freezing / constantly shutting down version.  I love it, and can finally get started on some of the blog projects I mentioned a few months ago.  The only problem has been that most of my computer time has been spent transferring files between the two and *attempting* to clean up all my photos.  For every picture I post on this site, I usually take about ten...which means there is a whole lotta unedited food photos taking up precious space.  Thankfully it does mean dredging up some fun photos that either got lost in the mix or buried away months ago.  So here are a few Mediterranean inspired recipes from photos taken last year - enJOY!

This recipe will have to come from a much larger post, on one of my absolute favorite meals of all time.  It verges on my potential "Death Row Dinner" (You know, just in case I ever end up on death row and have to pick my very last meal? It's like that.  Seems like a totally normal thing to think about, right)?  Anyway, the makings of this salad come from a Greek feast created by my Aunt Patti and Uncle Chris.  Years ago they conjured up the most amazing recipes for Souvlaki, Lemon Rice, Garlic Pita and a perfect Greek Salad.  It's one of my favorite meals for entertaining, and the leftovers are through the roof good.  The salad above is an example of that - some fresh spinach, leftover Souvlaki, lemon rice (I used orzo, but you get the drift), /Greek olives, feta and the magic Greek dressing.  I promise I'll post all of the recipes in detail as soon as I make the real deal again, but for a quick version of my favorite salad, you can go with the following:

INGREDIENTS

1 bag baby spinach

Cubed + grilled chicken or pork (marinate with a little lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, oregano + garlic salt)

Lemon Orzo (prepare 1C orzo as directed, drain and toss with 1T butter and 2T fresh lemon juice)

Greek Olives

Crumbled Feta

Magic Greek Dressing (recipe below)

INGREDIENTS:

2/3 cup Red Wine vinegar

1 C olive oil

1 Red Onion, sliced thin
1 T oregano
1 t garlic salt
1 t pepper
1 t sugar
2 T Lemon juice
DIRECTIONS: Pour all of the ingredients (except the sliced onion) in a large mason canning jar and shake like hell until it's evenly combined.  Then toss in the sliced onion and refrigerate for at least 24 hours (I know, it sounds like a pain, but so worth it).  The onions marinate with all the flavors and lose all of their bitterness, becoming sweet and super flavorful - the perfect compliment to any salad.  You'll have tons of leftover dressing, just store in the fridge and it will last you for weeks.  Just allow the dressing to come to room temp before serving, shaking well each time to combine the oil and vinegar. 
To serve, just layer all of the salad ingredients above and lightly drizzle with the Greek dressing (be sure to get a few of those marinated onions on there as well)!

This is another simple take on the Florentine Chicken Pita I posted a few months back.  It's a spin on a flatbread Jake always orders at a restaurant called Aladdin's in our neighborhood.  Now at first it sounds a bit strange, but the combination of hummus with honey mustard is so good.  To prepare, just follow the pita steps listed on the Florentine Chicken, and then top with hummus, grilled chicken, caramelized onions (sliced onions sauteed with a bit of balsamic vinegar), feta a drizzle of honey mustard and cracked pepper.  If you don't have a brand of honey mustard you like, it is very easy to make on your own.  Just start with a 2 tablespoons of dijon mustard, add a heaping tablespoon of honey and a splash (1/2 t) of white vinegar.  Whisk together and season to taste (more honey if it's not sweet enough, more vinegar if it's too sweet).

 
This couscous salad works great warmed up for dinner or chilled the next day for a quick lunch.  Couscous also comes in whole wheat versions, which is basically awesome guilt free whole grain goodness. 
INGREDIENTS
1 C whole wheat couscous
1 + 1/2 C Water + 1/4 t salt
1 C cubed roasted chicken breast (rotisserie chicken is a great time saver for this one)
1/2 C chopped artichokes (if using canned, just drain thoroughly)
1/2 C halved cherry tomatoes, sprinkled with s+p
1/2 C diced fresh mozzarella
3 T. fresh basil, chopped
1/2C kalamata olives, pitted and cut in half
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 t olive oil
Cracked pepper
INSTRUCTIONS: Bring water to boil. Add to couscous and salt, cover and let sit for 15 minutes. Fluff with fork. Add remaining ingredients and toss gently - serve immediately or refrigerate once cool. 

Lots more to come...I hope you all are enjoying SPRING wherever you are!