Summer Recipe: Fresh Corn Salad

summer corn salad

We daydream about good thymes in the garden every summer. 🙂 Although we haven’t mastered many garden skills yet, we’re trying. Jenna has a strong showing of tomatoes and zucchini’s most summers. Jessica has had moderate success with spinach, herbs and radishes. Oh, and mint has multiplied everywhere. We are happy to report this year’s garden is growing, and fingers crossed we produce some actual food for our families, and the animals don’t grub on it all before we do.

With gardens, come more garden salads, and entertaining in the backyard. We hope to share more recipes with you, and heres’s the first one.

Fresh Summer Corn Salad
Recipe adapted by Cookie and Kate
serves 5-7 people as a side salad

Salad Ingredients:

  • 9 cherry tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/2 Yellow pepper, finely chopped
  • 1 jalapeno, with seeds removed and finely chopped
  • 5 Green onions, chopped
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta
  • 4 cobs fresh corn, either grilled or boiled and then sliced off the cob
  • 1/2 english cucumber, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped

Dressing Ingredients:

  • Red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons
  • Garlic, 2 cloves pressed
  • Olive oil, 1/4 cup
  • Sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon
  • Black pepper to taste

fresh corn salad from the garden

fresh corn salad for summer entertaining

DIY Succulent Fairy Garden

DIY succulent fairy gardenWith summer just around the corner, our kids need activities to keep them busy. This activity has painting, planting and fairy magic all rolled into one. Plus, this is a great planter for those of you who are green thumb challenged, because succulents are easier to keep alive than other plants.

Get all the details on Momtastic here.

garden essentials for the kiddos

garden kits for kids_jsorelle

Nani and Mimi have the Easter baskets filled with goodies, accessories and clothes, so instead of a typical Easter Basket this year, we bought the kids their own gardening essentials to grow their favorite vegetables. My fave, Target’s dollar section, had colorful watering cans for just $3 each and gardening tools, and good ‘ole Home Depot supplied the organic cucumber, carrot and pepper seed packets, as well as the Transplant Peat Pots.

You’ll Need:
organic potting soil
biodegradable peat pots
cellophane bags
seeds packets
tools
watering can
name labels

How To:
Fill the cellophane bags with potting soil and tie a bow, then just fill the watering cans with the gardening goods. All the kids need to do is plant, water, find a sunny spot…and watch them grow. Once the weather gets warm, we will transplant the biodegradable pots into pots or the garden.

DIY gardening kits for kids_jsorelle

DIY gardening kit for kids_jsorelle

DIY gardening kits_jsorelle

DIY gardening kits_jsorelle

DIY gardening kits for kids_jsorelle

It’s a fun project for the kids {especially on Monday, April 22 – Earth Day}, teaches them the responsibility necessary to take care of something, and they will have the opportunity to watch and eat what they sow.

NOTE: The potting soil bags look slightly foggy – seems the soil was somewhat wet, and when I took the watering cans outside, the outside cold temps ‘frosted’ the bags.

{images via j. sorelle}

thursday night FAC

It’s almost Friday, so make this week’s FAC on Thursday. Come on, you deserve it. Today, our ingredient from the garden is fresh strawberries, so it seems fitting that you celebrate your Thursday FAC with a Strawberry Margarita. I planted strawberries years ago, and they come back every year bigger and better. I don’t do a darn thing, and they keep growing. As long as I pick them before the rabbits and birds get them, life has been sweet with strawberries this summer.

The BEST….seriously, the BEST…margarita is a strawberry light from The Rio in downtown Denver {or Fort Collins, or Steamboat}. I can’t drink any other margs – they just don’t even come close. However, I think I’ve created one that does…I savored every last drop. Hope you do too.

Strawberry Margarita
recipe adapted from friend, Reid Griebling
yields 4 glasses

Ingredients
6 counts {yes, count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6…sorry I didn’t measure and followed bartender orders} white 100% Agave Tequila
1-2 tsp Agave Nectar
1.5 count Cointreau {or Triple Sec}
20 fresh strawberries
3 limes + 1 lime for garnish
2 cups of ice

How To
Add strawberries, agave nectar, Tequila, Cointreau, fresh squeezed lime juice and ice in a blender.
Adjust to taste.
Cheers!

{images via Tutto Bella}

spread the love…and the pesto

This summer, I’ve been obsessed with fresh basil. I’ve always loved it, especially fresh pesto. Basil has been one of my successful herbs in the garden this summer, so I’ve experimented with pesto recipes, and since this week is all about the garden, today I’m sharing a pesto recipe and how to make it a lovely hostess gift, or party favor. Because who wouldn’t love fresh pesto and an easy, already-prepared dinner for a gift?

{Sandy’s basil plant}

Basil, Spinach and Walnut Pesto
yields 1-2 cups
{I usually make Pesto with basil and pine nuts, but since I was out of pine nuts and I wanted to add Spinach for the kids, I modified it}

Ingredients
2 1/2 cup fresh Spinach
1 1/2 cup fresh Basil
1/3-1/2 cup Olive Oil
1/2 cup walnut
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

How To
Add basil, spinach, garlic, walnuts, parmesan cheese, and olive oil in a food processor, then add salt and pepper.
Puree until smooth.
Find a cute mason jar or small container for your homemade pesto, and if you want to dress it up a bit, add a bow and a label or Kraft paper like I did with ‘grazie’ stamped on it.

 

Other DIY Garden-Inspired Hostess Gifts
Give an upcycled mini herb garden.
This Lemonade Summer Cooler idea is absolutely adorable.
Personalized Coasters is a lovely gift and a fun DIY project for fresh drinks from the garden.
We love this hand-tied bouquet, wrapped in a nice tea towel.
Hot pads with fresh baked bread is yummy and useful.
DIY homemade Lavender Linen Spray sounds blissful…and necessary for my bedtime routine.

{images via Tutto Bella}