Zucchini Carpaccio, the perfect summer side

It's always hard coming up with quick and tasty weeknight meals in the summer. It's so hot I never feel like turning on the oven and the 'go to' BBQ starts to get a little old halfway through the summer.  With it being so hot out I have been craving something light. I love getting zucchini carpaccio in restaurants, but never actually tried making it myself. It was super easy to make and a great, light starter to a summer meal. I made this with some grilled shrimp and a french bread and it was a perfect summer dinner! 

What you'll need:

2 zucchinis

salt and pepper

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 lemon, juiced

shaved Parmesan cheese

fresh mint leaves, chopped

Directions

Using a mandolin (or a very sharp knife if you don't have a mandolin), slice zucchini into very thin rounds. Put in a colander and sprinkle a little salt over to get out excess water (let sit for about 20-30 min). Pat dry with a paper towel. Overlap zucchini disks on a plate. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle the evoo and lemon juice and scatter shaved Parmesan cheese. Garnish with mint leaves. 

My Grilled Shrimp Recipe

adapted from Martha Stewart

What you'll need:

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon minced jalapeno (seeds removed) 

1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 cloves)

1 tablespoon fresh grated lemon zest

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound shrimp, peeled & deveined 

Directions

Combine all ingredients except shrimp in plastic ziploc bag. Add shrimp and massage with marinade. The longer it marinates, the more flavor it has. (even overnight is good)

Heat grill and cook, turning once, until shrimp are slightly charred and cooked through. 

About 5 minutes. 

Signs of the "Party" Times

When I was planning Harper's 1st Birthday last year I was in search of a sign for the Candy Bar. 

Of course my first go to was etsy. I came across snappy design which is located in Arizona and run by Angie Lowry. She offers an array of adorable pre-made signs at her etsy shop, which range from $15-$55. She will also custom create a sign for you, offering many colors and types to choose from.

Since I received my "Candy Shop" sign in November I've ordered 4 more for other parties, including a Lemonade Stand Sign, Apple Cider Sign, Say Cheese sign (for a photo booth prop) and a Dress Up sign for Harper's playroom.

Angie is a pleasure to work with! I highly recommend checking out her shop here.

Farm to Table Spring 2013

My family has a house in upstate NY. About 3 years ago my friend Lisa and I, who are both into cooking, decided it would be fun to go up there, spend the day at a local farm and then cook a Farm to Table dinner with the items we purchased that day. We found a wonderful farm in Warwick, NY called Pennings Farm. They have an orchard to go picking, a farmer's market, a garden center, a barnyard area where the kids can feed the animals as well as a harvest grill and brewery to sit and enjoy lunch and a beer. I highly recommend checking out Pennings for a day trip! It's about an hour and a half from NYC.

LIsa and I started this tradition in the Winter of 2010 and are now on our 5th Seasonal Farm to Table Dinner. What started as the four of us, me and my husband and Lisa and her husband, has now turned into 6, as we have both had babies along the way. (Plus our 2 dogs, Parker and Elvis). 

Our husbands like to make fun of us, as we tend to go a little overboard and cook for a party of 24, not 4, so our motto has become "more is more" (as you can see at the bottom of our menu).

For our Spring 2013 Farm to Table Dinner we decided to go with a Mediterranean Theme:

Chopped Greek Salad

Lamb 3 Ways; chops, kabobs and sausage

Warm Lemon & Shallot Potato Salad

Spring Orzo Salad

and a dessert purchased at the local farm, which was a rhubarb pie

Menu designed by Lisa, who is owner of Larkspur Studios

We started the meal with a strawberry and mint prosecco cocktail

Spring Orzo Salad 

What you'll need

1 bunch asparagus, diced

15-ounce can artichoke hearts

1 1/2 cups sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 shallots, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

12 ounce box of orzo 

1 lemon, zested & juiced

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/3 cup olive oil

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Turn off the heat and add in asparagus for 2-3 minutes. While the asparagus are in the water, heat one tablespoon olive oil in a saute pan. Add in shallots and garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Drain asparagus and rinse with cold water.

In a large bowl add the cooked orzo, asparagus and sauteed shallots and garlic. Quarter the artichokes and add them to the bowl. Add in sun-dried tomatoes with oil and lemon zest. Mix.

In another bowl whisk together the lemon juice, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper. While whisking, slowly pour olive oil into the vinegar. Once emulsified, stir the dressing into the salad. Let sit and marinate for about 5 hours and serve at room temp.

Chopped Greek Salad

 Lamb 2 of the 3 ways

 Rhubarb Pie from Pennings Farm

Stay tuned for our Summer 2013 Farm to Table in August!