watermelon and feta cheese salad

i know i've been neglecting this blog recently - between starting my master's program, moving to a new town, and trying to adjust to not working, it's been pretty crazy. i'm sorry! hopefully there won't be another big gap like this one in the posts for awhile.

this can hardly count as a recipe, but it's something simple that i absolutely love to make, and it's a nice alternative from a more traditional side salad. it also makes a great main course - just cook up some chicken tenders or breasts with salt and pepper, lemon juice and a little mint, and it makes a filling meal all on its own.

there are a lot of recipes emerging in this vein - the combination of watermelon and feta is a big deal right now. this is my own combination of several of them, as well as a few of my personal additives.

you will need:

1 bag of baby spinach, rinsed

about 1 cup of fresh watermelon

about 1 cup of fresh strawberries

1/3 cup feta cheese

1/4 cup pistachio nutmeats, roasted and salted

10 medium mint leaves, rinsed

equal parts olive oil and balsamic vinegar (about 1/2 cup total)

salad is pretty self-explanatory to assemble, but just in case: throw your spinach into a bowl.

cube the watermelon - i like it in pretty small, bite-sized pieces.

hull the strawberries, then chop them into halves - or quarters, depending on how large they are.

add both the watermelon and the strawberries to the spinach.

top this with feta cheese...

...and add the pistachios.

finally, grab the mint and chop it up. i like to make the pieces big enough that you can still find it in the salad once it's tossed.

add the mint to the salad. then, in a separate container just mix together the oil and vinegar, toss with the salad and serve.

super simple, but unexpected and really delicious.

pizza time

i'm sure this will be the first of many posts of pizza - i love it, and never make the same one twice. i try different dough recipes (although i admit i use a lot of pre-made doughs from various stores, including trader joe's and whole foods), new combinations of old favorite ingredients, and different items for sauces.

i've gotten into the habit of making two pizzas every time - one with a red sauce, and one with something new. lately it's been alfredo on the other pizza, which is what i did last night. i'm not going to write out a recipe since pizza is pretty self-explanatory, but i will offer some photos and the list of ingredients i used this last time.

i used dough from trader joe's - an herb blend for the white pizza, and wheat for the red. my husband chose the ingredients on this one, so both of these pizzas are some of his favorite things.

the herb crust was covered in creamy alfredo sauce, then topped with pesto chicken (marinated with pesto, garlic and olive oil in a ziplock bag, then sliced and cooked in small pan), diced hearts of palm, green peppers, black olives, and shredded cheese. i also added basil and parsley to the top.

  
the wheat crust was covered in a tomato-based sauce, then topped with sliced pepperoni, sliced canadian bacon, black olives, and a lot of shredded cheese. this i topped with basil, oregano, and crushed red peppers.

both pizzas were baked for about 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

some of my other favorite toppings include:

pesto, as sauce

olive oil, as sauce, then sprinkled with balsamic vinegar

ricotta cheese

bacon

sausage

capers

sun-dried tomatoes

artichoke hearts

 spinach

fresh basil

feta cheese

fresh sliced mozzarella

a new take on barbecue sauce

with the end of summer looming, i'm trying to get in all of my warm-weather favorites before fall starts to creep in. but something i've never loved is barbecue sauce - for some reason, the flavors have never appealed to me. with that in mind, i wanted to create a sauce that i could enjoy - but one that would still satisfy my barbecue sauce-loving husband. the solution: root beer!

this sauce is simple to make, and makes enough for several meals - it would taste fantastic on a burger too. the barbecue sauce recipe is taken from several different recipes i found, and the chicken recipe is from tyler florence's show on the food network. i adapted the brine marinade a bit and substituted my own sauce recipe, but i'm sure the original is worth trying as well.

you will need:

several chicken breasts (i used 3 so that i would have extra sauce, but this makes enough for at least 6)

for the brine marinade:

2 cups water

2 tbsp salt

1/4 cup light brown sugar

2 garlic cloves, minced or crushed

4 sprigs fresh thyme (or dried, if you can't find fresh)

for the barbecue sauce:

 1 cup root beer

1 cup ketchup (i used trader joe's because it's a bit sweeter than heinz)

1/2 cup orange juice

1 slice bacon, uncooked

4 tbsp worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp light brown sugar

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp molasses

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp fresh thyme

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste 

 

 

 combine all the ingredients for the brine in a small bowl.

place the chicken breasts into a large ziplock bag, and cover with the brine. seal and refrigerator for at least 15 minutes, or until you're ready to grill - i marinated mine for about 3 hours.

 

for the barbecue sauce, combine all the ingredients into a large saucepan and bring to a boil.

once boiling, turn the heat down and allow to simmer for 20 minutes. the sauce will reduce and thicken.

 

remove the bacon and keep on very low heat until you're ready to use on chicken. if you're just making the sauce, allow to cool and store in the refrigerator. the sauce is good for about 2 weeks.

for the chicken breasts, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. lightly grease a grill pan with a bit of oil, and place over medium heat. remove the chicken from the brine marinade and grill for about 10 minutes, flipping once.

 

remove the chicken breasts from the grill pan and place onto a lightly greased baking sheet. pop into the oven for 15 minutes, then remove and baste generously with the barbecue sauce.

don't worry about making a mess - i really don't think there's a non-messy way to cover chicken in this sauce...

put chicken into the oven again for 25 more minutes. during this time, take out to cover in sauce one more time, then replace.

remove chicken from the oven, and serve with extra sauce. i served my chicken with curly fries and a green bean medley - and i actually really loved the sauce. Cooking the chicken this way after marinated with the brine leaves it incredibly moist and full of flavor.