Thai Chop Chop Salad

I know I sold you on my ramen salad a couple of weeks ago but this variation of an Asian chopped salad is my absolute favorite. The spicy peanut chicken can also be used to make stir-fry, pad thai and many other dishes but I like the zip it gives to this salad as well. I always make this marinade when I have a jar of PB that is at the end of its life. I don’t really measure the PB and I pour the rest of the contents for the marinade into the jar, screw the top on and shake it well to help pull the PB off the sides. I use a knife to scrape the rest off and continue to shake until I get most of the excess butter off of the jar. The marinade will last in your fridge for a week so you can always make it on a weekend and then save it for a quick week night stir fry dinner!

This salad does need a ton of prep work (everything is chopped so small) but I just love the way it looks like a bowl of confetti. I also like the extra crunchy texture brought by the cabbage and noodle mixture. While I am not a fan of eating a dressed salad as leftovers I will make an exception for this one because It still manages to hold a decent amount of texture instead of turning to a sloppy mess. Since a head of cabbage is actually a lot of food for two adults and one little guy, I always end up with way too much cabbage mixture so I end up saving the extras and using it to make chicken lettuce wraps or stir fry the next night.

1 Napa cabbage, thinly sliced

3 carrots, grated

1 red pepper, diced

1 cucumber, diced

1 pint of yellow grape tomatoes, chopped

3 spring onions, diced

½ C basil, chopped

½ C mint, chopped

1 package of ramen noodles, smashed

1 lb of boneless, skinless chicken

Asian Peanut Marinade:

½ C peanut butter (approximate)

½ C soy sauce

¼ C lime juice

¼ C rice wine vinegar

1 tbs Sriracha **adjust for your heat preference level

1 tbs Ketchup (helps thicken the marinade)

Sesame Dressing:

¼ C rice wine vinegar

2 tbs agave

2 tbs sesame oil

1 tbs sesame seeds

S&P

Marinade your chicken for up to 24 hours. Chop all the ingredients of the salad and toss in a bowl. Reserve some of the veggie mixture for a future recipe before adding the noodles. Grill and dice chicken. Add chicken and crunched noodles to the salad mixture and toss with sesame dressing. Garnish with additional sesame seeds and serve.

Semi-Homade Cream Cheese Fudge Brownies

These brownies are so decadent and delicious that they make me want to immediately jump on a treadmill. Lucky for all of us they really are not as bad for you as you think they should be and they are about the easiest dessert ever to make. I have made them for a couple of play dates (yes, I prefer to bake when I can make others eat my spoils) and I have gotten several complements on them so I figured they were definitely worth a post.

1 box of brownie mix (and everything specified on the directions)
1/2 bag of semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 a bar of low fat cream cheese

Prepare the brownies as specified on the box. When the brownies are almost cooked microwave chocolate and cream cheese in a bowl (about 1-2 minutes at 50% heat.) Stir until the mixture begins to blend and the cream cheese is melted. Scoop chocolate/cream cheese mixture on to the cooked brownies and spread until they are completely covered. Allow the pan to cool and then place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to allow the chocolate to set. Eat as fast as you can before they are all gone.

Bean and Potato Salad

I usually make this classic salad with green beans but when we headed to the market the other week the sugar snap peas were looking way better so we went for it. I liked the extra sweetness that the peas brought to the dish but I will say I’ll be heading back to the green beans since we are getting another crop of all three items in this week’s box. This is a great way to elevate your traditional potato salad by adding vegetables and removing the mayonnaise.  Its light and fresh and looks beautiful on a summer buffet!

1 bag of beans cleaned and trimmed

1 bag of small potatoes (I used the tri colored potatoes)

2 pints of cherry tomatoes

EVOO

S&P

Dressing:

1/3 C sherry vinegar

2 tbs Dijon mustard (whole grain)

¼ C EVOO

Garnish: thinly sliced green onions

Preheat the oven to 450 and roast any small potatoes (tossed in EVOO and S&P) on a cookie sheet for 30 minutes. Blanch beans in hot salted water for 1-3 minutes based on your desired crunch. Quickly run beans under cold water to stop the cooking time and set aside. Mix dressing in a small bowl and set aside. Add tomatoes, potatoes and beans to a bowl and slowly toss in dressing pouring small amounts in at a time until all the vegetables are evenly coated.  

The Easy Cheesy Squash Bake Up-Date

Everyone has been raving about the easy cheesy zucchini bake recipe on Pinterest lately. While I do think it is tasty and delicious I found myself wishing it was more of a one dish wonder so that I could serve it as an entrée.

My solution to this conundrum was to add a hearty amount of Italian chicken sausage to pump up the protein while not going overboard with fat. The experiment went so well that I might try it next time with pulled rotisserie chicken. Little B loved it and assured us all he was  eating a bowl of pizza and 703 Daddy was even willing to give it a second try so I will definitely be making this one again. The original recipe I used was from the blog Kalyn’s Kitchen and has been adapted by my family to fit  our specific tastes so here we go.

2-4 summer squash of any variety, zucchini, yellow squash, pan patty cut into slices.

1 C fresh basil, chopped

2 T green onions, chopped

½ tsp Italian seasoning

1 C shredded cheese, I used an Italian blend

½ C grated Parmesan

1 C chopped tomatoes

2 mild Italian chicken sausages

1 clove of garlic, chopped

1 C white wine

Take the sausage out of the casing and cook it in a pan with garlic, white wine and Italian seasoning until fully cooked. Add the squash, and tomatoes and continue to cook until everything looks like it is cooked through. Transfer to a baking dish and toss with the fresh basil, onions, parmesan and ½ the shredded cheese. Use the rest of the cheese to top the casserole and bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes

Cardboard Garbage Truck

This was by far the largest project of the party but from the moment I saw pictures of garbage truck Halloween costumes on line I knew I needed to make a large scale yard ornament for our party. Little B loves making forts so I knew it would come in handy well beyond the party date and boy was I right. Since its completion we have spent hours dunking balls into it, snuggling up with books and blankets and of course playing hide and seek. Construction did take a while but it cost us less than $10 in supplies so to me it was way worth it. While we did a large scale version you could totally scale down your approach for a costume sized version this fall. Add a couple of shoulder straps to hang it from and you will be good to go!

1 large box (we used the box from our new microwave)

1 medium box (we used a medium home depot moving box left over from our move)

1 small box (we used a diaper box)

Packing tape- I keep this on hand for all sorts of projects

Glue gun and glue- This is my favorite crafting tool EVER.

Box cutter

3 cans of spray paint- 2 green, 1 yellow

4 pieces of black paper cut into large circles

Print outs for your graphics, we found all of ours on line for free.

Open the medium box completely flat. This is the box you will use to create the back hopper end of the truck. Lay the box out flat with the large box on top of it so that you can make sure the box with lines up. If the flattened box is wider and sticking out from underneath the large box use the box cutter to trim it to the correct size. Then tape the trimmed box piece to the back end of your truck allowing one of the corner folds to act as the shape for the pointed hopper. Once the piece is firmly secured reinforce the back end with extra pieces of cardboard and then cut a cover for the open spaces out of the leftover cardboard pieces. Use the box cutter to cut a door in the side of the box and a whole on the top so that the kids could pop open the top. Tape all pieces together securely. Spray paint the entire box dark green and set it aside to dry. Spray the small box yellow and set aside to dry. Once boxes are dry glue the yellow box onto the front end of the truck to use as a cab. Glue the wheels and the graphics on and you are finished. 

Watermelon, Watercress and Feta Salad

Here comes yet another delicious twist on the watermelon salad. I love the bitterness the watercress brings to this salad as well as the color contrast. While I served it in a large bowl for a buffet style meal this time I have also served the feta sprinkled over chunks of watermelon laid out on a bed of watercress for a bit of a more contemporary effect. Its absolutely delicious either way and since its so simple I cant help but include it in my list of delicious recipes.

1 whole seedless watermelon, cut into one inch cubes

2 large bunches of watercress, washed and dried

1-2 cups Feta, crumbled

Dressing:

¼ C EVOO

1 lime, juiced, zested

S&P

Toss the ingredients of the salad together and pour dressing over the top. Serve immediately.

Trash Bash: Decorations (garlands, flowers and poms)

I had so many fun projects to work on for B’s party that I figured it would be better to break them out into a couple of posts so that I could do them all justice. The decorations were obviously a huge portion of the party since there are NO Garbage Truck party packs out there on the internet or in the party stores. You can order a la carte items from specialty stores on etsy but the items are still few and far between.

Garlands: I made several types of “trash” garlands to hang around the house. Most of them were super easy and only required me to save items I would usually recycle and hang them with string, the other was a bit more time consuming but turned out so cute that I am glad I put the time in.

Re-purposed box flags garland: I cut out a triangle template and traced it onto boxes from packaged items I usually purchase such as cereal, crackers and granola bars. Once all the triangles were cut out I whole punched the tops and then strung them up with butcher twine. These beauties hung across the house and deck in several locations. Most of this work was done while watching 2 seasons of Downton Abbey on Amazon. That really made crafting so much more fun. 

Simple Recyclable Garlands: I did three types of recyclable garlands, whole boxes, crushed cans and plastic bottles. For the boxes I used the same type of boxes and just strung them whole across butcher thread. Since we tend to buy the same items I tried to rotate the boxes so that different colors would pop next to each other. For the cans I washed and crushed soda cans (the Mr. quite the soda drinker) and strung them through their tabs on butcher twine. For the plastics I simply tied each clean, crushed bottle around its neck spacing them each a few inches apart allowing them space to hang. The garlands were a super fun and creative way to decorate while spending almost no money (only a couple bucks for the butcher twine) but I will say that it was a shocking lesson in just how much trash one family can generate in a months’ time. 

Trash Flowers: I made two different types of trash flowers for the party. For the first set I drew a flower outline on the inside of a box and cut along the lines. Glue a round trash object such as a crushed tin can, bottle cap or crumpled paper to the center to add a three dimensional effect and then affix the entire flower to a cardboard tube. Group these flowers together in a “vase” or glue them upright to paper to make them appear to grow from your tablescape. For the second set I used several sheets of color advertisements or magazine print. Fold 2 sheets of paper like an accordion and stack them together so that you can tie both with a piece of twine. Fan the accordion folds out and staple the loose pieces together so that a circle is formed. Glue a circular object to the center and then glue the flower to a cardboard tube for the stem.

News Paper Pom Poms: I love making tissue poms for events. I think they are just super sweet so I wanted to achieve that same look using newspaper to keep with our Reduce, Reuse, Recycle trash theme. I used eight sheets of newspaper for each pom and I will say that the smaller color advertisement sheets worked the best size wise. To make a pom you lay your 8 sheets of paper in a stack on a flat surface. Starting at one end you fold the stack in 1 inch increments making an accordion. Once you have finished you secure the center of the stack. I did this by tying twine tightly around the center. This was the same twine I used to hang the pom from. Once the center is secured you can begin to fan out the pom layer by layer being careful not to rip the sheets of paper. Fluff the papers to help shape the pom and then hang from the twine. Since these poms are quite a bit heavier than tissue poms you will need to purchase some adhesive hooks like command hooks to hang them from. These are great temporary hanging options that are easy to remove without leaving any holes in your ceiling.

The final touch I added are the separated recyclable materials in apothecary jars which is one of my favorite ways to decorate. These festive flutes are a great way to display unusual or everyday objects in a unique way. I always grab mine at HomeGoods or similar places and while I have my staple items I keep in them most of the year I like to change them out with festive items for holidays and other big events.

Forbidden Rice and Mango Salad

Forbidden rice (or black rice) is an absolutely beautiful ingredient to work with. This simple dish is truly a show stopper for a summer event. The black rice gives just the right exotic touch to make it seem way more gourmet than it actually is. I love the bright pops of color against that show even more vivid against the dark base and of course the delicious sweetness that the mango brings. This dish is a favorite of my sister who always seems to have the best ideas.

2 C black rice (or forbidden rice)
3 tri color peppers, diced
1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
3 lemons zested and juiced
2 mangoes, diced
EVOO

1 tsp Honey

Salt

*for a hit of spice add a dash of Sriracha to the dressing


Cook black rice in salted water in a rice cooker. I do a 1/1 ratio because for this dish I prefer the rice to be a little on the crunchy side. Add chopped cilantro, diced mangoes (reserving about ½ of one), lemon zest, and peppers to the rice and toss.  For the dressing you will add blend the remainder of the mango, lemon juice and honey until the mango is fully processed. Slowly stream about ¼ c of EVOO in until the mixture thickens. Toss the salad in dressing, garnish with additional cilantro and serve.

Ben’s Trash Bash: The Big Birthday Reveal

 Take out the recycling. Take out the trash. Its time for Ben's second birthday bash!

For weeks now I have been working on decorations for B’s big 2^nd birthday party. Once I wrapped my head around his requested theme I don’t know which one of us was more excited for the big day. It was definitely a lot of work but I will say we did save a boat load on decoration costs thanks to some creative thinking and a little lot of elbow grease. Lucky for me there happen to be a handful of other creative moms left their ideas on the internet, and for them I am greatly appreciative.

back lighting makes for bad pictures: Clockwise starting on left: Table Centerpiece, Mantel decorations and family slideshow (through flicker on apple tv), full table set up

We all had the best time celebrating with family and friends. The weather was perfect (although the yard was a big buggy for some) and the food and beverages were flowing. B received unlimited juice box privileges for the day, loved the worms on his cupcake and even managed to scarf down a bite or two of other food between his play. He mingled his way through the party exclaiming several time “best birfday eva” at the top of his lungs which leads me to believe that it was a success. Playtime included yard and water play as well as an appearance by our neighbors bounce house (Thanks Nicky and Peter). It truly was an awesome day so hopefully the pictures do it justice. 

Clockwise: re-purposed boxes as flags, re-purposed box garland, Happy Birthday banner, recycled paper party hats, newspaper pom poms, separate your recyclables: plastic caps, corks and bottle caps as decorations, frond door signage "Birthdays Stink & I'm Another Year Odor", plastic bottle garlands for the stairs.

Junk Food to the MAX!: Trashy trail mix and chip boxes, trash can utensils, pile o' dirt cake and cupcakes, litter bug lemonade, food & drink table signage

Some of my favorite party details include the signage, designed by our friend Anand, the cardboard box trash truck my father in-law and I worked on and the super cute trash can party favors.  Tutorials on specific items to come! While I created almost all the items seen on this post for the party, many of the ideas were borrowed from others. Check out the list of inspiration blog posts below for more trashy ideas to make your next garbage bash a smash!

 Blogs to be credited for all the trashy ideas: Picture Perfect Party Co, Hostess with the Mostess, Cakes likes a Party

Grilled BBQ Chicken Wedge Salad

Grilled lettuce to me has always been something I thought would be like soggy salad something I absolutely detest so I was beyond skeptical about trying this out. I had seen a recipe for a wedge salad with BBQ chicken and I just felt like grilling the lettuce would take it the extra mile. I did happen to buy extra lettuce as a back up plan.

Verdict: absolutely delicious. Not only was the salad an explosion of flavors the grilled lettuce was spectacular. I might just grill my romaine from now on. While I basically followed a basic wedge salad recipe from start to finish I will say that I had to add my couple extra steps of flare per usual.This salad was so full of flavor that it needed no dressing at all. Next time I might add a couple rings of grilled red onion to the mix just to kick it up a notch.

2 lbs chicken tenders
1 bottle of BBQ sauce
2 heads of romaine lettuce
blue cheese crumbles
bacon, crumbled (1 strip per salad)
1 C pecans, toasted
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, chopped
EVOO


Marinate the chicken tenders in your favorite BBQ sauce. I let mine sit in the fridge for a full day while I was out. Cook bacon and allow to cool. Cut rinsed romaine heads in half and drizzle EVOO over the flat half (this is the side you will place on the grill.) Grill the chicken and then the romaine. The romaine should be on the on for 3-5 minutes total. Quickly toast the pecans for 1 minute, just long enough to get the oils to come to the surface. Place a 1/2 head of lettuce on each plate, arrange 2-3 tenders on each salad and then sprinkle with tomatoes, nuts, cheese and bacon. Serve immediately.