Greek Pasta Salad

We went to a neighborhood beach picnic this evening. It's an annual thing and something that I really, really love about our neighborhood. We are a real community and growing up, I never really knew anyone much less everyone on our street. I know it sounds a little Beaver Cleaver, but it makes me feel safe and happy.

Anyhow, I made a simple pasta salad and wanted to share the recipe with you.

Boil a box of pasta ( I think I used elbow)

In a bowl, add a can of rinsed garbanzo beans, chopped steamed broccoli, thinly sliced snap peas, a little green onion, and diced cucumber. In retrospect, I would have added some chopped sun-dried tomatoes, but I forgot. Add 1 C. of crumbled feta cheese with Mediterranean Herbs (You can find a block of this at the market)

Add a handful of pitted Greek green olives, a good pinch of kosher salt and pepper.

Once the pasta is Al Dente, rinse under cool running water.

Make a dijon vinaigrette of :
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
the juice from 1 lemon
1/2 C. olive oil
1 tsp. Greek Seasoning (McCormack makes it)
a pinch of salt and pepper

Stir to combine and add vinaigrette to the bowl. Add pasta and stir to combine. I made this earlier in the day and stored until ready to use.

It was delicious, healthy and super easy. P.S. You can also add chopped artichoke hearts.

Grilled chicken and a mess o'veggies

I can tell summer is coming to an end, the evenings are getting cooler and the sun is setting earlier. I have to admit I always look forward to those cool crisp fall mornings when the sun shines a little bit differently, and I can pull out my long sleeve shirts and pants.

I was having lunch with a friend today and we made a top 10 list of reasons to be happy summer is almost over, #1 being that the kids go back to school!!

Anyhow, I met a friend and her kids this afternoon and the kids all played, then a couple kids came back to our house for dinner. 1 has a gluten intolerance so I kept it really simple and made boneless, skinless, grilled chicken thighs with olive oil, the juice from a fresh lemon and a good pinch of kosher salt and pepper.

I have made these a million times and I've found the key to great grilling is to sear the food on the grill at a very high heat, then remove from the grill, cover in foil and continue cooking in a 500 degree oven until cooked through. The meat always stays tender and juicy.

While the chicken finished cooking in the oven, I quickly steamed broccoli, rinsed some snap peas, and sliced some cucumber. I also added a handful of baby corn, some sliced strawberries and blueberries.

I made a little pasta, but not much as 1 child can't have it and I didn't want the other 3 to fill up on it.

Everyone came to the table, ate happily and not one complaint about a missing nugget, french fry or chocolate dipped anything.

Kids LIKE simple food, kid food is not meant for kids or anyone else for that matter...

Back to School at Whole Foods, September 12

School starts next week! yippeee!!!! Summer has been fun, but I am ready for the girlies to go back to school.

The new lunch boxes are bought, and it's time to start thinking about packing lunches. The school lunches in our town are abhorrent so for now, I am happy to pack the kids lunch.

I am doing a great Back to School event at our local Whole Foods in Westport on Friday, September 12 from 4-6 p.m. to offer advice on how to pack healthy and EASY lunches and snacks for kids.

I got to peruse the aisles today, one of my most favorite things to do, and came home with a bunch of new foods that the girls taste tested.

I will also be giving suggestions for gluten, dairy and nut free selections.

Tonight's dinner, turkey meatballs, meatless hamburgers which my little one devoured and shaped ravioli (all from Whole Foods).

The weather was beautiful today and we spent a great afternoon at the beach, I even paddled on a boogie board with Abby today in the ocean, it was so much fun.

peaches and blueberries

I took the kids to pick peaches and blueberries today and wanted to ask for any ideas of what to do with 25 pounds of peaches and blueberries- got any good recipes you'd like to share??

Meatballs in a flash

We went to a Bridgeport Bluefish game tonight with some friends and I wanted to feed the kids before we went. My younger daughter had been asking to make meatballs, so we made them today- she even helped- a little!!!

We used 1 lb. of 85% lean ground beef (ground turkey works well too)
about 1/4 C of egg whites
1/2 C. seasoned bread crumbs
a good shake of garlic salt

Combine all ingredients (your hands work best). Heat a little olive oil in a nonstick pan on high heat.

Roll meatballs and add to pan once oil shimmers. Let the meatballs brown on all sides (don't roll them around, let them get good and brown before turning).

Once meatballs have browned on all sides, add a jar of marinara sauce to the pan, a finely diced onion and a bunch of sliced mushrooms. Turn the heat down to medium low, cover and let meatballs cook through for about 20 minutes. You can turn the heat way down and let them simmer much longer.

Boil some pasta and -viola!

Another friend stopped in today and all of the kids ended up eating dinner. Everyone was happy and had 2 or 3 servings.

Curried shrimp with couscous

We had friends over for dinner last night and I had made some grilled curried shrimp for a party recently, so I decided to make these. The recipe is very easy and great for a dinner party.

Defrost 1 bag of uncooked, peeled, cleaned and deveined shrimp
Once thawed, add to a Tupperware with
3 Tbs. of Olive Oil
2 Tbs. of Curry powder
1 Tbs. of ground Tumeric
1 Tbs. cumin
pinch of kosher salt and pepper

Let marinade overnight or for at least 20 minutes.

Heat grill to HIGH. Once hot, add shrimp and cook for 1 minute per side, turn once. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I served this with a couscous that I made with golden raisins, toasted slivered almonds and chopped green onions.

It was a great summer time meal and very easy to make.

Zucchini Bread and Camp Mom.

The girls are finished with summer camp and they are home with me. Initially I was pretty anxious about it, but have decided to look at it as an adventure and take the time to go places we have never been.

We went bowling this morning, visited the horses at Emma's barn, then went for a tour of the Lockwood Matthew's Mansion in Norwalk. The girls had gone here on a field trip this summer and raved about it. They insisted we return and so we went today for a 1 hour tour. I was surprised how interested they were in the history of this building, it was interesting to me, and I was (secretly) thrilled this held their attention.

We came home and the kids took a break, Abby went to Chess club and I took them for Mickey D's. I had some leftover Angel Hair pasta with garlic, olive oil and Parmesan cheese.

I am having friends over for dinner on Friday and am planning to make those Provencal Tartlets that I demo'ed at the Peacock Party in NY.

I have finally gotten a decent crop of zucchini in the garden and made a yummy zucchini bread. Here's the recipe.

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 eggs
2 cups granular sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon orange zest


Preheat oven at 350 degrees F. Grease (2) 9 by 5-inch loaf pans.
Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, spices and baking soda.
In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and fluffy. Add sugar, and continue beating until well blended. Stir in oil, vanilla, zucchini, pecans, chocolate chips, and orange zest. Stir in sifted ingredients. Pour into prepared loaf pans.
Bake for 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove loaves from pans and cool.