Over the weekend I hosted my sister’s “Vintage Circus” themed baby shower. She is having a little boy (Leonardo or “Leo”) at the end of September!  A vintage circus was the perfect theme for a baby named Leo (the Lion!).  Again, the theme guided the party planning but I did not go overboard. I found some vintage clowns at a thrift store; a toy carousal that I spray painted and I used popcorn holders as a vase for flowers. I also set up a tent outside and decorated with draping fabric and ribbons. I spent about $50 on all of the decorations…not bad!  Instead of getting to carnival-y on the food I went for fresh and summery. I also didn’t do anything too heavy because my Aunt Lin made beautiful and decadent circus cupcakes for desert!

Here was the menu:

Caprese Salad and baguette

Fresh Spinach Dip and veggies

Torta di Riso (My grandmother’s Italian recipe)

Fresh Fruit

Pesto Green Beans**

Balsamic Glazed Chicken

 

The menu was the hit of the party. The combination went well together and left people satisfied but not overly full. I will share the pesto green beans recipe. This was a hit and I used the pesto that I made last week and picked up green beans at the farmer’s market the day before.

Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures while I was making this dish, but it is very simple so I think just following the recipe you will do just fine!

Pest Green Beans:

Serves 4-6

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 2 minutes

You will need:

2 lb green beans, stemmed

1/2 recipe Presto Pesto

1 cup fresh parmesean cheese, grated

1/4 cup walnuts, toasted

Directions:

Bring large pot of water to a boil. Remove stem tops from green beans. "Blanch" green beans in the boiling water (leave beans in water no more than 2 minutes or until they turn a bright green- you want them crispy and NOT cooked or mushy).  Drain beans. Return beans back to pot.  Add pesto and parmesean cheese and mix well (I used tongs to do this). Transfer to serving bowl and sprinkle walnuts over the top as garnish. Refridgerate until ready to serve (could be eaten warm too but works very well as a cold salad).

Enjoy!

(I'll leave you with a picture of the cupcakes, so cute!!)

 

 

 

 

Yes we live in Minneapolis and our city was just voted the healthiest city by the American College of Sports Medicine.  Many factors gave us this best rating such as our overall good health, education, income, and a higher percentage of physical activity. These are things your would expect to be evaluated, but there are several other factors I find interesting and reason to be proud of us and our city. 

For example, we have a higher percentage of city land in parks, more people bike and walk to work, more dog parks and more tennis courts.   

A couple additional factors near and dear to our hearts- there are more farmers markets and more people eating the recommended 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily. 

                                    

So take advantage of our long awaited warm weather and get out and stroll your local farmers market. Get creative with the early produce.  One of the things I just made was my version of Cobb salad with freshly picked leaf lettuce.

I added fresh corn cut from the cob, blue cheese, crisp bacon, grape tomatoes, avocado, hard cooked egg and a little sliced Italian ham.  Yummm!

To get step-by-step directions for making Cobb Salad -including how to cook a hard-boiled egg-check out the lunch section of our First Kitchen DVD.

If any of you took our advice and planted a few herb pots, you're now realizing that they are ready to harvest in great abundance.  The basil, thyme, parsley, mint- just to name a few.  I even got brave and planted an heirloom tomato seedling in  a pot on the deck and believe it or not it has tomatoes on it!   I can't wait to make a simple salad with those tomatoes and my fresh basil and maybe a typical caprese salad.  Or make this great tomato salsa to top some grilled chicken.

1 ½ cups red and yellow cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 tablespoons chopped sun dried tomatoes
2 teaspoons capers (optional)
½ teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil (or lemon flavored olive oil)
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
Salt
Pepper

Toss all ingredients in a skillet and heat slightly to bring out the flavors.  Serve over grilled chicken. Yumm!

                                                      

Okay, you didn't plant those herbs-  Well you're in luck.  Your local farmers market or stand is loaded with  seasonal produce right now- and the price is right.  Go out this weekend and explore and enjoy!

 

The fall is breezing in and soon summer will be a distant memory….No need to fret (or freeze)!  There are many exciting fall activities that can be enjoyed outdoors- it will just take one more layer of clothingJ 

 

Since we have discovered the fun of cooking, what better way to do so than with fresh ingredients that you can find at your local farmer’s market! 

Most farmers’ markets are usually open until the end of October so there is still plenty of time to make a trip and get busy planning a fall feast!  Among the produce you’ll find in season this time of year include: Apples, Squash, Garlic, Sweet Potatoes, Tomatoes, Swiss Chard, Pumpkin, Pears, Mushrooms, Parsnips, Ginger, Cauliflower and Figs. 

 

 

You can throw together a simple sauté of garlic, squash, swiss chard, and mushrooms tossed with a little olive oil and salt…. serve it with a grilled chicken breast and you’ve got a tasty and healthy fall meal!  For the more experienced- try your hand at a basic apple pie recipe, you’ll be sure to have all the neighbors lining up at your door!  For more ideas check out our FK DVD! 

 

 

To head to the Farmer’s Market that is…

Most of your city’s local markets have opened and have an abundance of fresh fruits, vegetables and other products for sale, with many of them grown and produced locally. 

 

Make a morning of it…it is a GREAT start to your day!  Many of them are open on the weekends and offer perks such as coffee and local food to fuel up on!  I went last Saturday and enjoyed a fresh cup of coffee and a caramel roll while I strolled the rows and rows of fresh fruits, vegetables, arts/crafts and flowers.  I bought ingredients for my dinner and a bouquet of flowers just for fun…. best of all I supported my local farmers and had an awesome time!

 

If you are in Minnesota, check out this site to help find your nearest Farmer’s Market:
http://www.mda.state.mn.us/food/minnesotagrown/farmersmarkets.htm, otherwise check your official state department of agriculture website for locations near you!  

 

Happy Summer!