Berrylicious Summer Salad

This sweet and savory berry salad combines all the delicious flavors of summer together in one bowl....the perfect side dish for your next party, picnic, or Memorial Day celebration!

I will never forget the time, several years ago, when Jorden told me I really needed to cut back on all the fruit I was buying. Too expensive! he said. And I just laughed at him. Because I am CRAZY about fruit....and it's insanely good for you....and if there's anything I'm going to cut back on, it's not going to be fruit! (Sorry, Jorden.)

Living in the Midwest, good fruit can often be hard to come by. For much of the year, we are limited to apples, oranges, bananas, and pears (oh - and strawberries - if you want to spend $5 a pound and have them taste like nothing!) So when summer rolls around, and all the fruits come out of hiding, I'm like a little kid in a candy shop. And so are my kids! We usually just enjoy it "as is" or dump it all into a big bowl and call it fruit salad....but this time around I decided to take a more sophisticated approach.

I imagined all the things I would want in a sweet & savory spinach salad....and then just left out the spinach. Strawberries, blueberries, walnuts, feta cheese, homemade balsamic vinaigrette.....can you get any more sophisticated (or any more delicious!) than that? I dare you.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have to tell you that my 6 year old daughter and our 9 year old neighbor, though skeptical, both tried the salad and really liked it! But when Jorden tried it, he wasn't a huge fan. I actually knew that would be the case - he's not a big sweet & savory kind of guy. And/or I'm starting to think he might really have something against fruit. Or.... maybe....just the cost of fruit! (Yes, Jorden.....I am laughing at you. And, for the record, this salad is amazing!)

Berrylicious Summer Salad

2 c. fresh blueberries

2 c. fresh strawberries, cut into eighths

1 c. chopped walnuts

4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

1/2 c. balsamic vinaigrette dressing

Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing 

3/4 c. olive oil

3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

2 tsp. minced red onion

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. pepper

(*Adapted from The America's Test kitchen Family Cookbook: Basic Vinaigrette recipe)

   

Enjoy!

Looking for another delicious recipe using fresh summer ingredients? Check out my Red, White & Basil Dip!

Thanks for taking a peek inside my Lemon Tree Dwelling...

I hope you feel right at home!

-Cathy

A Little Birdie Told Me.....Cafe Press

Full disclosure: CafePress.com provided me with a gift card for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. To see the full line of Cafe Press products, visit CafePress.com.

I have to admit....I am really not much of a t-shirt gal. But when a little birdie told me about this cute little birdie t-shirt from Cafe Press, I had to reconsider! You may remember seeing this shirt here a while back, along with a bunch of other cute finds from Cafe Press. What I didn't tell you was that I literally spent an entire afternoon that day perusing their website because there was SO MUCH cute stuff! After much back and forth (I wanted to make sure I found the cutest of cute for all of you!) I finally narrowed it down to my top 8. And, while I really did love the mustache clutch and Keep Calm coffee mug, there was something about this t-shirt that I just had to have.

So I pulled the trigger and ordered it, and less than a week later, it arrived in the mail! I couldn't wait to put it on :)

The first thing I noticed when I pulled it out of the package was the COLOR! Isn't it pretty? Perfect for summer, and it matches my first-ever pedicure I got with my mom this past weekend. Fun! The next thing I noticed was the QUALITY - it is 100% organic combed cotton and looks & feels fabulous! And, finally, the FIT. With my small frame, I am used to t-shirts looking boxy and completely unflattering (no wonder I'm not a t-shirt gal, right?) But the fit on this one is spot on. It's the kind of t-shirt I will actually wear....in fact, I could see myself spending a LOT of time in it!

The true test, though, was how well it would wash. I am always a little nervous about fading, shrinkage, and peeling....so I turned the shirt inside out to wash it (I wanted to protect the little birdie!) Then I popped it into the dryer and....voila! Clean shirt, as good as new! No fading, no shrinkage, no cracking or peeling. And you know what? The more I wear it, the more I love it! This is something I'm not used to when it comes to t-shirts. Hmmmmmm.....maybe I'll become a t-shirt person, after all!

Thanks, Cafe Press! I love my new t-shirt!

What about you....? What do you love from Cafe Press??

Thanks for taking a peek inside my Lemon Tree Dwelling...
I hope you feel right at home!
-Cathy

Red, White, & Basil Dip {And a Tribute to my Grandpa}

Tomatoes, feta cheese, basil, and Greek dressing - a quick, easy, and delicious summer dip, straight from the garden...and just in time for your Memorial Day celebrations!

Do you remember back in February when I shared my grandma's Banana Cake recipe? And I told you about my grandpa's love of sharing all his stories and memorabilia, including my grandma's old journals? Well, what I didn't tell you is that, aside from stories about my grandma, 90% of the stories my grandpa tells are about his time in the Army. My grandpa is a WWII veteran, and although he served some 70 years ago, when he tells his stories you'd think it was just yesterday.

My grandpa was drafted into the Army on February 28th, 1949 at the age of 21. His draft number was #817. He can still recite the speech given that day by the Army Sergeant: "Whether you know it or not, whether you like it or not, you've been in the Army since 6:00 this morning and your pay is $21 a month." When I asked him whether or not he liked it, he simply told me he had been raised to accept whatever situation he found himself in. In other words, it didn't really matter what he thought!

He was sent from Milwaukee to Camp Livingston, Louisiana, where he was assigned to the 32nd Infantry Division. Because of his typing skills, his specific assignment was as clerk to the Provost Marshal, where he worked for a total of 17 months. He can still remember the exact date he was told, out of the blue, "Congratulations, Clarence. You've been promoted to Sergeant." And the date, 3 days later, he was told, "Congratulations, Clarence. You've been promoted to Master Sergeant." He says that they never told him why he was promoted so quickly (he skipped a number of rankings) and he never asked....but what he does know is that he quickly became "the most hated man in the Army" for all his promotions.

He left the United States for England on the Queen Mary at 5:00 am. on May 11, 1942. It was the first time that more than 10,000 people had been on the boat at the same time. Once in England, he was transferred to the Claims Department and eventually promoted to Warrant Officer, and from there was transferred a dozen more times before finishing out his service in Paris. When I asked my grandpa to reflect on his time in the military, he said that so much of his experience was about being in the right place at the right time. It was about luck. At the age of 94, I think my grandpa feels very lucky, indeed. And you know what? We feel it right back. Lucky to have him in our lives. Lucky to be able to listen to his stories. Lucky to have the wonderful family that all started with my grandma and him. Lucky to be able to celebrate this Memorial Day with him.

This simple dip is one of our family's summertime favorites. Made with tomatoes, feta cheese, basil, and Greek dressing, it is light, refreshing, flavorful....and the perfect addition to a Memorial Day or 4th of July celebration.


Red, White & Basil Dip
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 c. fresh basil, chopped
1/4 c. Greek salad dressing (*I used the same recipe I used in my Quinoa Stuffed Peppers)  

Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Serve with blue corn tortilla chips. 

Enjoy!

How will you be celebrating this Memorial Day weekend?

Thanks for taking a peek inside my Lemon Tree Dwelling....

I hope you feel right at home!

-Cathy

Red, White & Blue Sugar Cookie Cups

Sugar cookie cups with a hint of coconut, topped with cream cheese frosting, shredded coconut, and strawberries....the perfect little bite-sized dessert for Memorial Day, 4th of July, or your next summer picnic!

A few years back, when we were in the process of selling our first home and looking for a new one, one of my top criteria was that our new home was in a walkable community. I loved the idea of being able to walk with the kids to parks, restaurants, and coffee shops....and I loved the idea of my kids growing up in a community where people were always out and about!

BBQ Chicken Mini Pizzas

Mini BBQ Chicken Pizzas - made in muffin tins - a new twist on pizza, and sure to be a hit!

So what's a mom to do when her kids decide they are sick of pizza....!? Yes, really. Pizza. My favorite go-to dinner, movie night menu, sleepover food, take-out option.... My kids have recently gone from being excited about it to DONE with it. I guess maybe this would fit into the "too much of a good thing..." category.

{Nautical-Inspired} Bead & Twine Vases

Nautical-inspired twine wrapped vases....with a bright, fun twist!

Growing up as the third girl in a family of four kids, I always felt the need to stand out. To be different. Not in a rebellious way, but because I wanted (needed) to be my own person. Which led to a lifetime of decisions like french horn instead of flute, cello instead of violin, babysitting instead of corn detassling. And, later in life, choosing to be friends with the "alternative" crowd....which was funny, because when it came to being different, I stood out like a sore thumb in that crowd! But, hey, at least I stood apart from my sisters.......!

Birthday Cake Oreo Blondies

Decadent blondies topped with cream cheese and Birthday Cake Oreos....your new favorite birthday treat!

When you have a big family like mine, it is easy to feel like you are ALWAYS celebrating birthdays! Because you kind of ARE..... Between both sets of parents, siblings, spouses, and all our kids, there are only 3 months out of the year when we AREN'T celebrating a family birthday! For the longest time, we used to buy gifts for everyone.....well, we stopped doing that a while ago with Jorden's family, and this year my family finally wised up, too! As my sister said, "At some point, when you are buying someone their 18th workout outfit, it's time to just be done." And so we are!

Strawberry Shortcake Pops

Strawberry Shortcake Pops- the quintessential summer dessert....on a stick!

One of my favorite summer memories is going strawberry picking with my family. Despite the early morning and the hot sun and the hours of squatting as we made our way through rows and rows of strawberries.....it always felt totally worth it. Probably because the strawberries were so fresh and juicy and flavorful. Probably because I tended to eat as many as I put in the basket. Probably because I loved having our kitchen table and counter tops filled with baskets upon baskets of strawberries that I knew would be turned into strawberry pies, strawberry jam, and strawberry shortcake. Strawberry picking meant that, for two weeks out of the summer, we were in strawberry heaven.