Sailboat Baby Blanket

I made this baby blanket or a coworker who is due in October.  She is having a boy and the nursery will have a nautical theme.  Gavin even helped me make the pattern!

Kale Salad with Olive Oil, Lemon and Parmesan

I was very apprehensive about trying raw kale.  I heard it really doesn't taste good at all.  So I was pleasantly surprised when I found a similar recipe to this one and I tried it.  Believe me, this kale salad is DELICIOUS!  I found the original recipe at http://www.themeaningofpie.com/2011/09/kale-salad-with-lemon-and-parmesan and then made some adjustments.

1 bunch curly kale
1 cup pine nuts
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
1 lemon
1/2 olive oil
1 tbsp honey (optional)
Cherry tomatoes (optional)

1.  Wash the kale and dry either with a salad spinner or paper towels.  Remove the stems and chop into fine strips.
2.  In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, and honey, if using.  Whisk together until combined.
3.  Add the pine nuts, cheese, tomatoes and toss.  Add the dressing and toss again.
4.  Season with salt and pepper.
I made this last weekend as well. I was out of Parmesan cheese so I substituted Feta cheese.  Markus also brought back some pumpkin seed oil from Austria from our last trip there and I used some of that.  It really kicked up the taste!  If you can ever get your hands on pumpkin seed oil, GET IT!  It's fantastic on salads.  For those of you wondering if kids will like this, my son couldn't get enough and he is 10 years old.  Last weekend, I also made cubed steak in the crockpot with brown gravy and pearlized couscous.  He was more interested in this salad and even asked for seconds.

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Football Night Taco Bar

 On Sunday night, we had a football party at Markus' house.  I made a yummy Buffalo Chicken Dip for an appetizer served with tortilla chips, carrots, celery and bell peppers.  Then I prepped the table for the tacos.  We had raw onions, tomatoes, cilantro, salsa, tobasco sauce, cheese, lettuce, and roasted bell peppers with onions.  Then I cooked different meats.  We had seasoned ground beef, lime and cilantro shrimp, and chicken with BBQ powder.  We also gave everyone the option of hard shell or soft tacos. 

 

I stole the idea of using a muffin pan to hold some of the toppings.  I found it on Pinterest and it worked like a charm.  On think on that site, they had used it as a condiment holder for a hot dog party or something.

The party was a success even though I forgot to have sour cream on hand but nobody asked for it so I guess I was the only one who noticed.  I would love to try this idea again with some other foods...cupcake bar, sundae bar, hot dog bar, pasta bar...!