Pretzel Bread Panzanella Salad

Pretzel Bread is a curious thing: half roll, half pretzel. A nice toasty, pretzel-like exterior that gives way to a soft and bready center, it's my newest obsession. That may be due to the fact that my favorite snack is pretzels but regardless, it gives my sandwiches more oomph and makes them more special and admittedly, I've even snacked on them before. Needless to say, I'm happy to have this new bread option in my pantry however, I thought I could get a little more out of it and give it a different use, other than making my sandwiches more exciting.

Taking all of the flavors that just naturally compliment pretzels, mustard, cheese and herbs to start, I thought a Panzanella salad would be a great, new way to enjoy my new fave. Panzanella is Italian in origin and is traditionally comprised of stale bread, tomatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper, and sometimes onions and cucumbers sneak into the mix as well. Because of its heartiness, versatility and the fact that it can be thrown together in a pinch, Panzanella is something I often make. In this case, fresh baby spinach acted as the base of the salad, while little cubes of sharp cheddar cheese dotted the plate and a hearty mustard-herb vinaigrette supplied a welcoming tang at the end of each bite. The real star, of course, were the broken up bits of pretzel bread that were toasted with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper. It provided a great pretzel-like crunch; more texture than regular bread but still had that pretzel like quality that I love so much.

This salad is easy to make, yet satisfying enough to be a full on meal. Of course the ingredients can be interchanged and it works with practically any vegetable or fruit that you have on hand. The pretzel bread can be a little tricky to track down, but should you come across it, don't pass up the opportunity to give it a shot. At some point over the next couple of months I'm going to be making my own pretzel bread at home and when that happens, I'll be sure to share.

Pretzel Bread Panzanella Salad
Serves 2


- 2 pretzel rolls, broken up into small bits
- 2 large handfuls of baby spinach
- Cheddar Cheese, cut into cubes
- 2 TBS whole grain mustard
- 1 tsp fresh dill, chopped
- 1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 TBS Olive Oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 TBS Sherry Vinegar
- Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375. On a baking sheet, lay out the pretzel bread into a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake until the pretzel bread crisps up and turns golden brown. Set aside to cool. In a small bowl, whisk together mustard, dill, parsley, olive oil and vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide the salad into two bowls and sprinkle with cheese. Toss in the pretzel bread and drizzle with dressing. Serve immediately.

Black Barley of Death

The inspiration for this recipe came from one ingredient and this post started the same way all the others do; with a grocery list and a general idea what I wanted the end result to be. In this case, the inspiration inducing ingredient was black barley; a deeply colored cousin of the commonly known white barley. I had come across it the other day in Whole Foods and couldn't wait to put it to use, especially since I had never seen, nor heard of it. A quick Google search rendered little information on my new find so I got to work, treating it just like I would treat white barley.

I wish I could tell you that every recipe I create comes out at least somehow how I imagine it to be, but as anyone whose ever spent any time in the kitchen knows, that is an impossible feat to achieve. When things go wrong in the kitchen, it's easy to get frustrated and it seems the more you carefully select your ingredients and plan it all out, the more of a let down it can be. For me, one of the hardest lessons to learn (and I'm still in the process of learning it) is to take that frustration, learn what you can from it and then make the most of it, by salvaging what you can.

This dish was supposed to be a fusion of Middle Eastern flavors combined with some classic combinations and prepared with a couple of twists and turns. I started by prepping my ingredients and laying them out on the butcher's block so that they'd be at the ready. I made a vegetable stock out of the classic trio of carrots, celery and onions and then I added whole cloves and a bay leaf and let that simmer before I strained it. Once that was done, I reached for my star ingredient, black barley, and added it to my homemade stock. I let that simmer for an hour, but noticed that the barley still hadn't done much. I added water, the stock had been absorbed, then covered and let that simmer for another hour and a half. Still no results. By this time, in an emotional fit of frustration combined with hunger, I threw in the towel, dubbed the barley, "Black Barley of Death" and reached for my jar of couscous. Within 5 minutes, I had all of my components of my original dish added and I was ready to eat. Thank heavens for couscous..

While the results were not entirely what I expected, the flavors still worked together nicely. The fresh figs still gently popped with each bite, the eggplant still was soft and earthy and the fresh mint and parsley were still bright and welcome. I've put the original recipe below and I recommend trying it with barley, risotto, rice or in a pinch, turns out, couscous works just fine.

1 cup barley
5 fresh figs, quartered
1/2 green bell pepper, finely diced
1 eggplant, cubed
1 mango, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 bay leaf
3 whole cloves
1 orange, zested and juice reserved
1 tsp coriander
2 tsp cumin
A handful fresh parsley, chopped
A handful fresh mint, chopped
Salt and Pepper
Olive oil

In a medium-sized sauce pan and on medium heat, coat the pan in a thin layer of olive oil. Add the carrots, onion and celery and a generous pinch of salt. Cook the vegetables until they soften slightly and start to caramelize a little. Fill the rest of the pan up with water, add the bay leaf and cloves, lower the heat and let it simmer for a minimum of 30 minutes, strain out the vegetables and set the stock aside.

While the stock is simmering, coat the eggplant in a thin layer of olive oil and generously sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast the eggplant in an 400 degree oven until softened and set aside until ready for use.

Heat another sauce pan on medium heat and add another layer of olive oil. Heat the barley for a minute or so to toast it a bit. Add 3 cups of the vegetable stock, cumin and coriander, and bring mixture to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover the barley and let it cook until tender. Add the peppers and gently stir the barley to let the heat cook them through. Add the figs, eggplant, mango and orange zest, season with salt and pepper and then gradually add in orange, adding just enough to give it a light orange flavor. Finally, add the fresh mint and parsley, gently stir and serve when warm.

Quinoa Veggie "Meatballs"

I'd like to ask you to consider the meatball for a moment.  Humble in stature, it doesn't receive nearly as much attention as it deserves.  Instead, it's usually an afterthought.  Sometimes a poorly flavored concoction, sadly bubbling away in a crock pot at a buffet or just a meaty decoration to adorn a pile of pasta, the meatball suffers from some poor PR.  What is failed to be recognized is how convenient and versatile meatballs are.  Cute little round vessels of flavor, the meatball can be oh so much more than the traditionally Italian flavored meat rolled into a ball.  In fact, dare I say, it can even be delicious as a vegetarian dish.

A couple months back, I made my first version of a vegetarian (eggplant) meatballs and I fell in love.  In addition to my affection towards this recipe, I think it opened my eyes to a wide world of possibilities and flavor combinations.  The eggplant meatballs that I made are a lighter cousin to a traditional meatball but doesn't sacrifice flavor (usually the flaw in a well-meaning lighter version of a recipe).  However, being the self-competitive person that I am, I wanted to see if I could one up myself and create a completely different vegetarian meatball.

Mission accomplished, I must say.  I was thrilled with the way they came out and found myself liking them even more than my eggplant meatballs.  What really made these so good was the texture.  "Poppy" and slightly crunchy quinoa was very welcoming and a nice change of pace as well as was a great compliment to the tender mushrooms and sweet roasted red pepper bits.  I also added a couple pinches of crushed red pepper flakes just to keep things interesting and heat things up a bit (of course you can just leave those out if you're not into heat).

For serving, I thought these worked quite nicely in traditionally meatball parm. sub form, with lots of mozzarella melting down the sides and good quality crusty sub rolls.  These would also be a popular guest a party.  Served in a more miniature form, they could be accompanied by a simple marinara sauce and I guarantee they'd be a favorite as well as a conversation starter as I find there's still a good population that hasn't had the pleasure of being introduced to quinoa yet.

I loved this recipe so much that I've decided that it is worthy of being categorized in as a Recipe I Love.

Recipe is featured after the jump!

Quick Chicken Soup with Homemade Spinach and Herb Gnocchi

Do you remember that gnocchi I made the other day?  In my post I mentioned how great freezing it is because in a pinch, you've got homemade gnocchi that you can just boil up and eat (or add that extra step of frying it) to make an easy weeknight meal.  I was living proof of that last night.  I had worked late, came home exhausted and all I wanted to do was curl up and watch some mindless tv (i.e. watch a couple of episodes of How I Met Your Mother that I have saved up in my DVR...is it just me or is that show ridiculously addictive?).  Oddly enough (and this rarely happens) I didn't want to cook an elaborate meal.  I wanted to throw something together so that I could just spend the rest of the night doing nothing.  So I took some of my gnocchi out of the freezer and tossed it into some hot, salted water and then about 3 minutes later, I had fresh homemade gnocchi.  Then I took some chicken stock, chopped mushrooms, some leftover chopped chicken breast, some finely diced onion, a little bit of garlic and thyme and then boiled it until everything came together.  Fast forward about ten minutes and I was sitting in front of the TV, piping hot soup in hand, ready to laugh at what hijinks Ted Mosby was going to get himself into in order to find himself his wife.  Not bad at all.  The best part?  I even have leftovers for lunch.  I love when that happens!

Quick Chicken Soup with Homemade Spinach and Herb Gnocchi
- 1 carton chicken stock
- 1 cooked chicken breast, shredded
- 1/4 onion, finely chopped
- 6 large mushroom caps
- 1 cup Spinach and herb gnocchi
- 1 clove garlic, finely diced
- 1/2 tsp fresh thyme
- Salt and pepper to taste

Start by boiling the gnocchi in salted water until it floats.  Remove from water and set aside. Next, fry the onions in a little salt until they start to get translucent (about 5 minutes).  Add the garlic and fry for another minute or two and then add mushroom slices and cook until tender.  Lastly, add the chicken stock to the pot along with the thyme.  Salt and peper to taste and add the gnocchi just before serving.

Pomegranate Cranberry Qunioa Salad, Plus 13 Random Pomegranate Facts

Pomegranate Cranberry Quinoa Salad

Fair warning dear reader before I share my recipe for Pomegranate Cranberry Quinoa Salad, I'm going to get a little geeky on you.  When I sat down to write this post, I had so many different angles in mind on how I wanted to approach the subject of the pomegranate and I guess that's just a testament to how flippin' cool this winter fruit is.  Not only does it provide an amazing element of surprise to a dish, with it's deep ruby red exterior and burst of a combination of tart and tangy yet sweet juice that explodes on contact with biting down teeth, this fruit is chock full of a rich history.  Because I was personally curious, I thought I'd dig up some fun facts on the pomegranate:

1. The pomegranate is one of the oldest fruits
2. It is believed to be native to Iran
3. Pomegranates were a symbol of fertility and were planted outside temples because their leaves were green year round, symbolizing eternal life
4. Due to it's high nutrition content, the pomegranate is said to bring about emotional an physical peace
5. Pomegranates were prominently featured in early Egyptian and Greek art
6. Pomegranates play a role in Greek mythology and came to symbolize marriage in Greece, with married women wearing headdresses made of pomegranate leaves to signify their marital status
7. In Buddhism, the pomegranate is considered to be a blessed fruit and one of the greatest gifts
8. In early Japanese art, the pomegranate is often depicted as something used to ward off evil spirits
9. In early European days, the pomegranate was a symbol more than a food.  Depicted in art, literature and most prominently in medicine
10.  Henry VIII is said to have planted the first pomegranate tree in Britain
11. Pomegranates were also heavily depicted by such famous artists as Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali 
12. The first Pomegranate plants in North America were planted in Mexico 
13. Thomas Jefferson planted them in Monticello and attempts were made to plant them in New England colonies but harsh winters prevented them from growing (bummer)

Source

See? Wasn't that fun? I'm a total sucker for the symbolism and unique food history.  Through in some myths and magic and superstitions and I'm hooked.  Nerd alert, right? Anyway, the real point of this post is not to go on and on with the history of Pomegranates (as fun as that was) but to provide you with my latest little creation utilizing them.  This has all the makings of a favorite recipe.  It's easy to make, doesn't include a crazy long list of ingredients, it looks impressive and most importantly, it's insanely delicious.  Oh, and it's healthy too if you're into that sort of thing.  Not to mention, this packages up perfectly for a nice little work lunch and it's delicious hot or cold.  Enjoy!

Pomegranate Cranberry Quinoa Salad
*Serves about 4

- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups chicken stock (I like Kitchen Basics the best)
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- Juice of 1/2 an orange
- 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
- 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbs slivered almonds

To make the quinoa, you can use one of two methods: rice cooker method or on a stovetop.  (You cook quinoa the same way you cook rice: using a two parts liquid to one part quinoa.) For the stove top method, start by bringing the chicken stock to a boil.  Add the quinoa, cover and reduce head to low.  Let the quinoa simmer until the liquid has evaporated.  For the rice cooker method, add the stock and quinoa cover and hit start.

Once the quinoa is done, set it aside and let it cool slightly.  Add some olive oil to prevent clumping.  Once the quinoa has cooled slightly, add the orange juice and cranberries.  Toss to combine, salt and pepper to taste.  Gently mix in the pomegranate seeds and top with almonds.  Serve either warm, room temperature or cold.  In addition, pulled chicken would be great in here or for an entirely vegetarian option, you could sub vegetable stock for the chicken stock.

Full of Fall Salad with Red Pears

Red Pear Salad

There’s cooler air and a breeze that beckons you to grab a sweater or light jacket before you leave the house.  Yep, it seems that fall is officially here.  And why shouldn’t it be?  We are smack dab in the middle of September and in Boston, fall is making its presence known.  Like most Bostonians, I run around excitedly exclaiming, “I looove fall! It’s my favorite season!” and why shouldn’t it be? What’s not to love?  It’s the perfect temperature for enjoying the perfect night’s sleep, providing a nice chill in the air that makes you want to cozy up under your blankets.  And on a gorgeously sunny fall day, you almost can’t resist the urge to go apple picking.  Also, can you really go wrong munching on a cider donut and sipping hot mulled cider?  I think not.  And, please, don’t even get me started on fall in New England when the leaves change, I could talk non-stop about how perfect that time of year is (and sometimes I do).

Ahh, it’s great to be a New Englander.

Filled up to the brim with deep admiration and anticipation for the start of this new season, I am making a vow to go out of my way to enjoy each and every aspect of this brief, yet wonderful season.  That’s right SBK readers!  The next couple of months will be devoted to apples, cranberries, pumpkins, cider donuts and pies, maple syrup, cinnamony things, squashes of all different shapes and sizes.  Just thinking about it all makes me simply ecstatic! 

Aren't red pears beautiful?

To kick off this season of seasonal favorites, I’ll start with a simple salad based upon lots of fresh fall flavors.  This salad would be fantastic on its own for a healthy little lunch or if you want to beef it up a bit (sorry, bad pun) you could add some mustard rubbed pork to it.  This would be a great little “take to work” salad, just put some lemon juice on the sliced pears so that they don’t turn brown before you get to eat them. 

This crisp salad is made sweet by the addition of red pears and candied pecans. The goat cheese provides so a sweet and subtle tang that pairs so well with the sweetness of the pears.  It is dressed simply, just with a mustard cider vinaigrette and it completed with the addition of candied pecans that give it a maple-y boost.  This dish is a simple way to enjoy all of the flavors of this fall. For best results, wear a warm wooly sweater or wrap yourself in a soft blanket and enjoy with a mug of hot cider or a warm spicy tea.

Red Pear Salad with Homemade herb dressing

Full of Fall Salad with Red Pears

*Serves 2-4 people, depending on if it’s a side or meal.  Or by how hungry you are..

For the salad:

-         1 pear, cleaned, cored and cubed (I used a red pear here)

-         1 bag Arugula

-         About ½ cup crumbled goat cheese

-         A giant handful of candied pecans (I just used a store-bought variety)

For the dressing:

-         About ¼ cup Apple cider vinegar

-         About 1 tbs of honey (taste to your desired level of sweetness)

-         About 1 tbs of Dijon mustard

-         Fresh ground pepper

-         Salt (to taste)

To make the salad, place all salad ingredients into a big bowl and gently combine with your fingers or a set of tongs.  To make the dressing, put all of the contents into a small bowl and whisk together.  Taste and season accordingly.  Dress the salad and serve immediately. 

It's Too Hot To Cook Blueberry and Mandarin Salad

Whew!  Is it hot enough out there for you?

How many people asked you this today?  I counted three.  Every time I get asked this question I never know how to respond but as soon as that thermostat starts flirting with 90, it never fails.  A handful of people ask me that question.  But anyway, that's neither here nor there.  The main focus of tonight's post is all about avoiding the heat (boo) and enjoying the start to blueberry season (yay).  I love blueberries, big time and I love putting them into dishes you wouldn't expect.  I feel that oftentimes, the humble little blueberry is underestimated and only limited to desserts.  And in my book, that is soooo not the case!

Have you ever had big fresh blueberries in salad?  It's pairs so well with greens and tastes like summer in a bowl.  To accompany my greens and berries, I tossed in some mandarin orange slices and fresh-off the farm locally made basil and garlic goat cheese.  Then I topped it off with some crunchy chow mein noodles (I love putting these in salads.  It just adds another element to the salad and gives it some texture.) Then I dressed it all up with a simple dressing of raspberry vinegar, Dijon mustard, fresh basil, a little drizzle of honey and some salt and pepper.  Simply put, this salad just makes me happy.  Doesn't it just look beautiful?

A Veggie Tart and Why Farmer's Markets Make Me Happy

I feel like I owe you a disclaimer for my summer recipes.  It's an absolute fact and guarantee that about 75% of my summer recipes will include tomatoes.  I'm sorry but there is just nothing better than taking a bite of delicious fresh tomato.  It's inexplicable.  The smell alone of fresh tomatoes makes me weak in the knees and I plan of spending a lot of quality time with them over the next couple of months.  My apologies in advance.

To get things started, let me tell you how excited I was when I went to the Farmer's Market and saw the very first crop of tomatoes just sitting there in the sun, daring me to snatch up a couple.  This then begged the question of what to do with them.  After a little more thought (and a couple stops at the various farm stands) I thought it would be great to throw all of my Farmer's Market veggie finds into a tart (okay, a pizza with the sides rolled up).  It was delicious, getting all of those fresh flavors together and then spotted with some locally made garlic and basil goat cheese.  The meal was fantastic and I'm super excited because I've got plenty leftover to bring for lunch tomorrow (yay!)

Before I jot down my little recipe and call it a night, I want to pause for a moment to talk about all of the excitement of Farmer's Markets and why I'm all about them.  It seems all the magazines and blogs are talking about them so much these days and I think its only fair for me to tell you why I'm so ga-ga over them.  To me, cooking with the freshest ingredients is very important.  For one, it tastes better.  Simply put, the less something has to travel to get to your plate, the fresher its going to be and the better it will taste.  Don't believe me?  Do a little test.  Grab a tomato from a big chain grocery store and one from a Farmer's Market.  You'll probably be able to notice some differences already.  For one, I'm willing to bet that the Farmer's Market tomato smells more fragrant and even looks a little plumper and more red.  Slice yourself off a sample of each and take a taste.  See the difference?  

I could go on and on about this topic and discuss the nutritional value (the less traveling your produce does, the more nutritious it is) and then their are the economic values (keeping local money local) but what I am most concerned with is taste.  So gear up for some fun Farmer's Market finds and a summer full of fresh tomatoes and super fun things to do with them. 

Bustin' Out Of The Lunchtime Salad Rut

It's just so easy to get into a rut when it comes to salads and they I find myself getting bored with them often.  Since I'm on a huge vegetable kick lately, I wanted to pack a lunch for me to enjoy at work that combined healthy ingredients, but also twisted things up a bit to keep it interesting.  This little creation totally hit the spot.  Using a spinach and arugula mix, I tossed in slivered almonds, fresh blueberries and feta (blueberries and feta go surprisingly well together, by the way).  I like to package it all up in little baggies to keep all my ingredients fresh. (I know, I'm sorry environment.  It's wasteful to use so many little baggies but I like my salads to stay fresh.  How 'bout I remember to bring my reusable shopping bags with me to Trader Joe's and we call it even?)

Usually I like to make my own dressing but tonight I'm feeling sort of on the lazy side and can't seem to track down a portable container so it's a bottled balsamic for me to dress my greens up.  It won't be the same as my homemade, but it will still work.

So what's in it:

- Greens (I used a spinach/arugula mix)
- Blueberries
- Slivered almonds
- Feta
- Balsamic dressing

Could it get any easier than that?  What a nice little salad change up.  Nothing too outlandish or complicated, but just enough to keep lunch time interesting.

There's A New Quinoa In Town...And It's Red!

I was at Trader Joe's the other day and stopped right in my tracks, mouth gaping open, for in front of me on the shelf was a new kind of Quinoa, red quinoa to be exact...talk about about a big day!  I do love me some quinoa and it's kind of been a little obsession of mine recently.  It's crazy healthy for you, changes up some basic rice dishes and the best part, it's really fun to say.  Try it.  Go ahead.  No one's listening.

Needless to say, I quickly scooped up my new find, headed to register and then tried to figure out what the heck I was going to make with it.  I landed on a little salad of sorts because I wanted something easy that I could consecutively take to work this week.  Not to mention I wanted something cold because it's been crazy hot here!  With all of this in mind, I combined some random ingredients that I happened to have on hand; cucumbers, lemon and fresh parsley.  Then I got a little crazy by adding in some dried cranberries and almonds.  Next came the flavoring.  I feel like I always default to basil (because it's my favorite) but I figured I was already on a creative streak, why stop now?  In went a couple pinches of coriander and cumin followed by some salt and pepper.  It was a great little summer salad that combined lots of great textures and flavors.

After all of this was all said and done, I'll admit, I didn't get much of a taste difference between the red and white versions.  The main difference is that you have to check your teeth more often because the red quinoa shows up a lot more than the white.  Texture-wise it was pretty comparable too.  Wanting to learn more about red vs. white quinoa I turned to trusty Google and still came up empty handed.  Apparently, there isn't much difference between the two (one site mentioned that red quinoa is a little tougher but I didn't really notice that).  Overall, no need to rush out and buy red quinoa over white, I guess its just nice to know there there are options.  And it does look pretty sweet when it's all plated up.  Just be sure to check your teeth in the mirror once your done.

Chilled Summer Quinoa Salad
*Serves 3-4 comfortably
- 1 cup Red Quinoa (you could certainly use white here too)
- 2 cups chicken/vegetable broth
- 1/2 an English cucumber (or a regular cucumber with the seeds removed) roughly chopped
- 1 shallot, sliced thin
- A generously large handful of dried cranberries
- The juice of a lemon
- A couple of generous pinches of cumin
- A couple pinches of ground coriander
- Salt and pepper to taste
- A small handful of flat leaf parsley
- A small handful of unsalted slivered almonds

Make the Quinoa according the package using the broth instead of water (flavor, flavor, flavor!).  Once the quinoa is done, fluff it with a fork.  Add the lemon juice, cumin,ground coriander, salt and pepper.  Chill completely.  Once the quinoa has cooled, stir in the cucumbers, cranberries, almonds and parley.  Serve chilled.  This will keep fresh in the refrigerator (covered) for a couple of days.

Veggie Salad Sandwich

I do love salads.  What's not to love? The versatility and ease of them is attractive and if made right, with a substantial balance of fresh vegetables and fruits, they provide a satisfyingly healthy meal.  The problem?  Sometimes I get sick of them and need to shake things up a bit.

Enter the Veggie Salad Sandwich..

Piled high with an array of fresh vegetables, provolone cheese (I like Sargento's Light Provolone Cheese the best) and then sandwiched in between some crusty whole wheat ciabatta bread, this makes for a nice little lunch or dinner.  I also used a spicy brown mustard to boost the flavor a bit, providing a nice little tang.  I tend to like to make this a lot in the spring and summer when the weather's really nice and I don't want to turn on my oven.  Or, this recipe comes in handy when I have a bunch of random vegetables on hand.  It's a great way to use up those odds and ends.  I also make these a lot to take to work for lunch.

Fresh Strawberry Salad with Homemade Lemon Poppyseed Dressing

Stop what you are doing right now and go make this salad.  I'm serious.  Put down the laptop and get into the kitchen.  It's like the start of summer dumped into a bowl and sprinkled with the sweetness that only this time of year can bring and you shouldn't wait a minute longer to have it.  (Pay no attention to the fact that it is only about 20 degrees outside right now. Thank you unpredictable Boston weather.)

It's very simple really, sweet strawberries sprinkled atop mache lettuce and dotted by smooth and tangy goat cheese and crunchy slivered almonds.  The entire salad is then lightly dressed by a homemade lemon poppyseed dressing.  Without a doubt, this is happiness in a bowl.

The real trick to finding the perfect strawberries is to pick the ones that are the most fragrant.  If they don't have a strong and sweet smell to them, they won't be the succulent strawberries we all know and love.  Same with the lemon that you select for the homemade lemon poppy seed dressing.  Make sure they have a great and strong lemony smell to them and your dressing will be that much tastier.

So what are you doing still reading my blog?  Get into the kitchen and make it already!

Water Recovery = Turkey, Apple Cheddar Panini with Cranberry Mustard

Like most Bostonians, I am still trying to recover from this mess of a water situation.  It's amazing how much you miss that stuff when its not there or hard to come by.  Case in point, I was running all throughout Back Bay trying to find someone, (anyone!) who would sell me a cup of coffee yesterday.  I went to Dunkin's, Starbucks, Souper Salad and then finally struck gold at Au Bon Pain, who was brewing it, slowly but surely. I've gotta have my one cup a day....

To give you an idea of the pandemonium that ensued at the grocery stores, here's a shot I took with my Blackberry..

Shelves were literally wiped clean, down to the last bottle of any sort of liquid (soda, OJ, seltzer water, you name it, it was gone).  Notice the coolers above the barren shelves?  Oh, sweet, sweet irony.  And if this madness weren't enough, there is a heat wave blanketing the metro Boston area, bringing unseasonably high temperatures that make the presence of an ice cold glass of water missed even more.  Boston might be my home, but I am certainly not lovin' that dirty water!

So last night, I wanted something easy, delicious and that wouldn't require much water for cleaning.  Enter the humble turkey sandwich, twisted up a bit in true SBK form (pay no attention to the paper plates).  Although nothing super crazy here, this hit the spot.  I started with soft freshly baked sesame bread and smothered on a tangy cranberry honey mustard (see picture to the right, this stuff is awesome) and then added cheddar cheese, oven roasted turkey (I usually opt for a Boar's Head low sodium kind because it tastes a little more natural to me).  I also used refreshing green apples to punch up this plain-jane sandwich.  Thankfully, we got the "all-clear" on not having to boil water today, meaning things should be getting back to business as usual tomorrow.  I'm just looking forward to getting back to enjoying my morning cup of coffee and not having to boil water just to brush my teeth!

The Perfect Bite: Roasted Red Pepper Baguettes with Mache Salad

"The Perfect Bite" is a term that I use to describe the way that I eat.  I like to savor each bite, take it all in pure appreciation.  I like to organize each forkful into a perfect little bite with all components of a dish accounted for and represented, maximizing flavor.  This usually means that I am one of the last ones at the dinner table, munching away, but I don't care.  I believe that food is one of the simplest pleasures that we as humans get to enjoy.  And the best part is that we get to enjoy this a couple of times, each day.  

The reason I am telling you all this is because this little creation I cooked up today has maximum "perfect bite" capabilities.  Each time you sink your teeth into this crusty baguette, you get a rush of amazing flavors coming at you all at once (no fork positioning required).  There's the crunchiness of the toasty baguette followed by a layer of smooth tangy goat cheese topped off by sweet and soft roasted red peppers and peppery fresh basil.  I completed this dish by adding a couple drizzles of extra virgin olive oil and some flecks of coarse sea salt.  Talk about a satisfying meal!  The perfect spring afternoon treat or excellent for a light dinner.  This is the type of meal that makes you appreciate food and want to savor each and every last bite.  

To compliment this meal, I added a site of mache lettuce (arugula or spinach would also be good here) and dressed it only with a couple squirts of fresh lemon juice, fresh ground pepper, and a couple of fresh Parmesan cheese flecks.  It was so fresh and natural and quite simply delicious. 

One special note about the goat cheese, it's not for everyone and if it's not your thing, you could also melt some fresh mozzarella or provolone on top of the baguette or opt for some salty feta.  All very fine choices.