Marinated Fresh Mozzarella, Cucumber and Pepper Salad

Over the last few summers, this salad has become our go-to dish for bringing to cookouts and family pool parties.  It is quick and easy to prepare, involves no cooking and is a crowd favorite.  That is a triple bonus in my book.

D came up with the recipe for this salad after one of the "nice sample ladies" at Costso got to him and he came home with a big tub of marinated fresh mozzarella balls.  We had some peppers from the garden and cukes from the farmers market in the fridge.  With that a salad was born!

I think my 2nd favorite thing about this salad is how the balsamic vinegar gives just a hint of bite to the smoothness of the cheese and the sweetness of the peppers.  My 1st favorite thing is how I can make this the day or night before so I am not rushing around trying to get something together 30 minutes before we are to head out. 

I hope you enjoy this salad as much as we do.

Marinated fresh mozzarella, cucumber and pepper salad
(Source: Depths of D's Brain)
Ingredients

• 2 red pepper, cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 yellow pepper, cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 orange pepper, cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 cucumber, quartered and cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 large container of marinated fresh mozzarella balls (we use a 22 oz container of Mozzarella Fresca brand from Costco)
• 1/4 C olive oil (this amount may increase or decrease depending on how much oil is in your container of mozzarella balls)
• 1/4 C Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 T Italian Herb Blend
• 1 T garlic powder

Directions

• Place peppers and cucumbers in a large ceramic bowl.
• Drain oil from marinated mozzarella into the bowl
• Cut mozzarella balls in half (this gives a better mozz to veggie ratio)
• Combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar and herbs in a small bowl, mixing thoroughly.
• Pour over fresh mozzarella, peppers and cucumbers.
• Stir to coat everything completely
• For best flavor, place in fridge and allow flavors to meld for an hour or more.

You could add other veggies too, if you like. I think cherry tomatoes would be a great addition. I just don't like them so don't include them.
 
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Willow Wednesday

Riding in the car is the best!

Tout It Tuesday - #12

Welcome to Tout It Tuesday - #12!

Last week we had 129 link ups, the most ever!

I am so amazed, impressed and awed by the creativity of everyone who linked up! You all inspire me.

And to prove it, a link up from a previous Tout It Tuesday inspired me to make my own Blueberry Strawberry Jam! This stuff is so good! Thanks Crystal at A Pumpkin & A Princess!

With that, it is onto this week's features! I hope you like them as much as I do.

Adventures in Creating shared how she created this cool
Modern Wood Veneer Wall Art.
Being from West Michigan, furniture capital of the world,
I love this Eames veneer cutout.
Wonder if Rachelle would cut one out for me?

A Flock in the City shared how to make French Madeleines
Tamantha's post has inspired me to get out my never-ever-been-used
madeleine pan that is sitting in my cupboard.

Love and Laundry brought back some great memories with Easy Stromboli
Shatzi's recipe reminds me of my college days when a stromboli was the cheapest, yet most filling, thing on the menu of the local pizza place. Mine always had chicken, bacon and extra cheese inside!

Mamal Diane made some Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent
I have been looking for a liquid homemade laundry detergent recipe since liquid works better in our washer and this one from Diane looks like it fits the bill.

I was thinking of adding one more favorite to the list in the future, a favorite picked by you! If you see a project you like, click on "like" the one with the most likes will be our "Reader Favorite of the Week!"

Leave me a comment to let me know if you "like" this idea. :-D

 Make sure to grab the featured button!

<a href="http://www.claimingourspace.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg186/gooch100/COSButton-Featur ed.jpg" /></a>

I can't wait to see what people will be share this week and know that I will be inspired by everyone's projects and recipes.

Just a few rules/guidelines.

1. I would love it if you would follow through GFC or Bloglovin'. You can also follow on Twitter where I will be sharing my favorites throughout the week.

2. Please do not link parties or shops. Everything else is accepted.

3. Linking to Claiming Our Space isn't required but I would appreciate it if you would grab my button and either display it with the post you are linking up or under your list of parties.

<a href="http://www.claimingourspace.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg186/gooch100/COSButton-ToutIt Tuesdays.jpg" /></a>

4. Please try to visit at least two posts for each link you submit and leave a comment. Comments make everyone happy!

With all that out of the way, let's Tout It!

Blueberry-Strawberry Jam

Isn't that color gorgeous!

I love jam. There, I said it. I could probably eat jam every single day - on toast, on a PB&J sandwich, heated up and drizzeled on ice cream.  You get the idea.

So when Crystal from A Pumpkin & A Princess shared her recipe for Strawberry Blueberry Jam on Tout It Tuesday, I was inspired.  Though there were a couple of hiccups.  I didn't have a jam maker and I had more blueberries than strawberries, so I flipped and modified the recipe a little bit.

The end result is still tasty and downright amazing.  And the color, well, that is amazing too. This deep rich purple. The photo doesn't even begin to do it justice.  I would show you the actual jam on a biscuit or piece of toast, but the open jar was used up last week on the sandwiches I brought for lunch. Yup, it was so good I ended up having a PB&J sandwich every day.

Unfortunately our strawberry season is ending, but I hope to still be able to pick up a few more quarts so I can whip up another batch of this.  If not, I will just savor my jam all winter long!

Blueberry Strawberry Jam
Modified from: Blueberry Jam from Vanilla Garlic

Ingredients

• 2 lb blueberries - crushed
• 1 lb strawberries - crushed
• 1 lb sugar
• 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon butter (optional-helps keep the foam down)

Directions

• Place small plate in freezer
• Place crushed blueberries and strawberries along with the lemon juice in a medium to large pot, I prefer to use a stainless steel pot. 
• Heat over medium to medium high heat for about 3-5 minutes.  
• Add sugar, stirring to combine. Continue heating until it comes to a rolling boil.
• Add butter.
• Stir frequently so the jam doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.
• After about 20 minutes of boiling, remove plate from freezer and put approximately 1 teaspoon of hot jam onto the freezer plate and let it sit on the counter for 30 seconds. If when tipped the mound moves just slightly, you are done. If it runs, continue to boil for another 5 minutes and test again.
• Once your jam is done, spoon into sterilized canning jars leaving 1/4 inch of head space. Wipe top of jar and threads to remove any jam that has spilled.  Seal with rings and new lids.
• If planning on consuming immediately: Store in refrigerator
• For long tern storage: Process in hot/boiling water bath according to your elevation.
• I found this to be a great primer on hot/boiling water bath canning

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

Check out the places I party.

 

Weekend To Dos 6/23-24 & Menu Plan 6/24-6/30

Whoops! I thought I had set this to post yesterday morning but, well, apparently not!

It is definitely summer! The weekend activities have started up and this weekend is no exception.

To Dos

1. Neighbor's High School Graduation Open House
2. Family Pool Party
3. Cleaning, Grocery, Laundry
4. Finish spreading bark in the garden
5. Doggie Day Spa for Willow
6. Blog posts and photos
7. Finish steps in the side yard
8. Plant veggie seeds
9. Finish fence post flower project

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This week's menu plan is almost a direct copy of last week's. Why? Because it was so hot here last week, neither D or I felt like cooking anything. We don't have central air and the cool air from the window units in the other rooms just don't cool off the kitchen. So we ate salads or went out.

But it is going to be much cooler this week and, now, the menu plan is already done. Yay!

Sunday:  Steaks with Spinach Strawberry Salad
Monday:  Baked pork chops with Swiss chard
Tuesday:  FITF
Wednesday:  BBQ chicken on the grill
Thursday:  Salmon on a large dinner salad
Friday:  FITF
Saturday:  Grilled cheese sandwiches, chips and a salad

Claiming Our Space Is Now on Instagram

Source

Claiming Our Space is now on Instagram!  It's so exciting! 

You can follow us via the icon on the left.

D and I both have Android phones so we needed to wait until Instagram for Android came out.  Once it did, we were all over it.  OK, I was all over it and D signed up later.  I love all how you can manipulate your images to make them look amazing.

My personal favorite effects are probably Hefe or Nashville.

Be warned, Willow is probably our most photographed subject but we be sharing projects in progress, photos of some of some of our adventures and basically anything else that catches our eye!

We hope you will join us on our Instagram photo journey.

Willow Wednesday

This is what I think of Mom taking so many pictures of me.
Or maybe this is what I look like right before I sneeze.

Tout It Tuesday - #11

Welcome to Tout It Tuesday - #11!

Thanks to everyone who linked up last week!  We had 78 link ups! Here's to breaking 100 this week!

It is so exciting to see what everyone is sharing! I just hope everyone is as inspired as I am. 

Here are my favorites from last week.

Babblings and More created her outdoor pillows.

Baking with Blondie shared these amazing lemon shortbread cookies

Match Made on Hudson transformed fish tank coral into fab bookends

 Make sure to grab the featured button!

<a href="http://www.claimingourspace.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg186/gooch100/COSButton-Featured.jpg" /></a>

I can't wait to see what people will be share this week and know that I will be inspired by everyone's projects and recipes.

Just a few rules/guidelines.

1. I would love it if you would follow through GFC or Bloglovin'. You can also follow on Twitter where I will be sharing my favorites throughout the week.

2. Please do not link parties or shops. Everything else is accepted.

3. Linking to Claiming Our Space isn't required but I would appreciate it if you would grab my button and either display it with the post you are linking up or under your list of parties.

<a href="http://www.claimingourspace.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg186/gooch100/COSButton-ToutItTuesdays.jpg" /></a>

4. Please try to visit at least two posts for each link you submit and leave a comment. Comments make everyone happy!

With all that out of the way, let's Tout It!

Stovetop Taco Pasta

This is one of our favorite, quick and easy, few ingredient, not many dirty dishes, whip together dinners.  I love how even when we have no idea what to make when we get home, we can have this tasty dish on a plate in about 30 minutes. 

I hope you all enjoy this as much as we do.

Ingredients
1/4 c taco seasoning
1 lb ground beef
1 lb pasta
3/4 c water
shredded cheese

Directions
In large pot, brown ground beef over medium to medium high heat.
In a second large pot, put water onto boil for the pasta.
Once meat is browned, add taco seasoning and water to meat, stirring to combine.
Simmer over low heat to let the sauce thicken.
Cook and drain pasta.
Add pasta to pot with taco seasoned beef.
Mix to combine thoroughly.
Serve with shredded cheese on top.

Check out the places I party.

Father's Day Strawberry Pie

My dad loves pie, especially strawberry pie.  I had always thought that cherry or apple were his favorites until last Father's Day when D and I brought a strawberry pie for dessert.  Dad was so excited and if I recall correctly, had two pieces after dinner.

So when Father's Day came around this year, what else could I do but make the man another strawberry pie, right?  Especially since we had just gone strawberry picking and had sooooo many strawberries in our fridge.

Last year I made an unbaked version so this year, baked it would be.  After a search of the internet, I decided that this recipe from the Food Network's Neelys would be best.  It had good ratings and didn't look too complicated. My kind of recipe.

Dad reported back this evening that the pie was fabulous, especially when served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Hooray!

Check out the places I party.
Baked Strawberry Pie
Source: Adapted from Food Network

Ingredients

• 2 sheets roll-out pie crust
• egg wash
• Demurara sugar, for top of crust
• 5 cups strawberries, washed and hulled
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch
• Pinch salt

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 400.
• Unroll out a sheet of the pie crust and lay in a 9-inch pie plate.
• nroll out the other sheet and cut into 1/2-inch thick strips with a sharp knife or pastry wheel. Set aside.
• In a small bowl, mix together dry ingredients - granulated sugar, corn starch and salt.
• In a large bowl, combine strawberries and dry ingredients.
• Pour into crust.
• Arrange the strips over the top of the pie in a lattice pattern, tucking in the edges. 
• Brush the top with the egg wash and sprinkle the demurara sugar.
• Bake the pie at 400 for 25 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 350. and bake an additional 30 minutes or until the top crust is golden brown. 
• Let cool before serving.

Oh my, how good does this look?

I am loving all the macros on my new camera.

Weekend To Dos 6/16-17 & Menu Plan 6/17-23

I had yesterday off and it was glorious. I got lots done and none of it was housework or laundry related! Huzzah!!  Practically what this means is I got some stuff of of last week's list done or at least partially done.  Woot!!

So this weekend's list has lots of "finish" items since I made good progress yesterday.  I love that since I will get to cross lots off the list quickly. Why is it that I get such satisfaction from adding the strike-through to the stuff I get done?  I think it may be some sort of sickness.

1. Finish the fence slat garden
2. Finish planting flowers in garden
3. Finish planting herbs, veggies and seeds in garden
4. Finish touching up paint on walls/ceiling in kitchen
5. Bake pie for dad
6. Make (more) jam
7. Cleaning, Laundry, Grocery
8. Make Dad's Father's Day present 
9. Apply teak oil to the Adirondack chairs
10. Blog posts - photos and write ups

With this week's menu plan, I am trying to incorporate some of the stuff we got in our CSA basket.  D already used up the radishes, broccoli and green onions but we still have Swiss chard, kale, spinach, etc.

I am going to try to whip up a batch of kale chips tonight so see if that works for using up something we will be getting all summer long.

Sunday:  Crockpot BBQ chicken on buns with fruit salad and cole slaw
Monday:  Baked pork chops with Swiss chard
Tuesday:  FITF
Wednesday:  Steaks with Spinach Strawberry Salad
Thursday:  Salmon on a large dinner salad
Friday:  FITF
Saturday:  Grilled cheese sandwiches, chips and a salad

We haven't been the best about following our menu plan the last week or so since we have had a couple of late nights at work - but, at least we have a plan, right?

I'm So Excited!

I'm so excited and I just can't hide it!  I'm about to lose control and I think I like it! [[Does a little dance in my desk chair!]]

Sorry, just had to channel the Pointer Sisters for a minute because, after saving since Christmas, I am now the proud owner of 

Source

A Canon Rebel T3i DSLR camera! 

After both of my point and shoots died late last year, my Dad was kind enough to loan me his Canon Powershot.  While it was much much nicer than my other cameras, I had been drooling over the thought of getting a DSLR ever since. Especially when I saw how nice the photos can be.

So when I saw Costco was having a sale, well at least as much of a sale as Costco has, I made my purchase.  I was able to get the camera body with 2 lenses, a carrying case, SD card and several other cools accessories.

It is going to be quite a bit of a learning curve but here's hoping I am a quick learner!

Here is one of the first pics I snapped in our garden. We have our first baby tomato! D is so happy since this is on a tomato plant he has claimed as his. I am still marveling at the detail. 

Gift Card Giveaway Winner!

Source

I want to thank everyone who entered our "We've Made It to 100 Followers" giveaway!

Here, without further ado, the name of the winner of the $25 VISA gift card is...

Laura Jacobson!!

Watch your inbox for an email so we can get you your giftcard.

Additionally, we want to thank you for sharing the types of the projects you would like to see in the future!

These ideas are getting us inspired and make us want to fire up the compressor/paint brush/shovel/power tools/creative juices. :-)

Some of the projects you said you are hoping for include

• Organizing older kids' toys/gear/books and school items
• Unique lighting projects
• Indoor herb gardens
• Bathroom remodeling
• New color scheme ideas
• DIY laundry room ideas
• Projects with baby food jars
• DIY Bookends
• Home renovation projects
• DIY Dollhouse
• Gardening ideas/projects
• DIY wall decor
• Trash to treasure DIY posts: repurposing old windows, pallet projects, etc.
• Adding shelving to kids rooms
• Updating computer/work area in bedroom

I can happily say that we have several projects that will hopefully fit the bill in several of these categories currently in progress. (You should see our basement workroom!)

So stay tuned!

Willow Wednesday

Saturday mornings at the off-leash dog park with Dad are just the best!  I get to run so fast!

Don't forget to enter Mom and Dad's "We've Made It to 100" giveaway.

Tout It Tuesday - #10

Welcome to Tout It Tuesday - #10!

Thanks to everyone who linked up last week!  We had 82 link ups! Here's to breaking 100 this week!

It is so exciting to see what everyone is sharing! I just hope everyone is as inspired as I am.  I think I am going to need to add a treadmill to my basement and another 4 hours to every day so I can try all the recipes and make all the cool projects people are linking up.

Before we get to the features, there is still time to enter our giveaway for a $25 VISA giftcard. Click here to enter.

Here are my favorites from last week.

Heatherly Love and her Dog Gone Adorable Rain Coat.

This project is definitely going on my To Do list since
Willow thinks rain = hot burning acid.

What's Cooking Love shared her dreamy Frozen Reese's Peanute Butter Pie.

Yum!  (This is why I am going to need that treadmill!)

Reposture shared tips on making your container plants look fabulous.

Which reminds me, I need to stop at a greeenhouse on my way home to get some flowers.

 Make sure to grab the featured button!

<a href="http://www.claimingourspace.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg186/gooch100/COSButton-Featured.jpg" /></a>

I can't wait to see what people will be share this week and know that I will be inspired by everyone's projects and recipes.

Just a few rules/guidelines.

1. I would love it if you would follow through GFC or Bloglovin'. You can also follow on Twitter where I will be sharing my favorites throughout the week.

2. Please do not link parties or shops. Everything else is accepted.

3. Linking to Claiming Our Space isn't required but I would appreciate it if you would grab my button and either display it with the post you are linking up or under your list of parties.

<a href="http://www.claimingourspace.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg186/gooch100/COSButton-ToutItTuesdays.jpg" /></a>

4. Please try to visit at least two posts for each link you submit and leave a comment. Comments make everyone happy!

With all that out of the way, let's Tout It!

Garlic Scape, Radish and Chicken Stir-fry

Last Thursday was the first week of that we were able to pick up our CSA share.  Since it is early in the year, our veggies were mainly of the green leafy variety - Kale, swiss chard, spinach, lettuce, green onions, radishes.  A pleasant surprise were the handful of garlic scapes.  We didn't have any last year in our basket so I wasn't expecting any this year

For those that don't know, garlic bulbs send up this curly shoot in the early spring and they are good eating.

Source

Flavor-wise I think they are a cross between an onion and garlic. They make a great pesto but they are also great in a stir fry, which is how we used them in Friday's dinner.  We also were able to use the radishes.  I usually think of them only as a garnish on a salad so this was a new way of eating them for me. 

Garlic Scape, Radish and Chicken Stir-fry
Source:  Fresh Earth Farms
Ingredients
garlic scapes cut into 1″ long pieces
radishes sliced into thin rounds
1 c snow peas (or any other good stirfry type veggies) - Optional
2 boneless chicken breasts
1 bottle of  beer
1/4 c low sodium soy sauce
2 T Worcestershire sauce
2 t onion and garlic powder, each
2T. sesame oil
1 t red pepper flakes (if you like a little heat)
1/2 T. corn starch
1 T cold water

Directions
In a large zip-top bag, pour the beer, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce.  Add onion and garlic powders and squish around to mix.  Then add sesame oil and pepper flakes.  Place chicken breats in to marinate for several hours. (We left the chicken in the marinade all day and it was just fine.)

Heat wok on medium-high and sauté the chicken pieces on both sides, cooking until just done. Place cooked chicken on plate and cover.

Pour about 1/2 the marinade juice into the wok and bring to a simmer.  Cook marinade for 5-8 minutes so it cooks down. Once cooked down, pour into a small bowl.

While the marinade is cooking down, cut the chicken into bite sized pieces.

Add sesame oil to the wok and heat until shimmering. Cook the garlic scapes for about 2-3 minutes.  Add sliced radishes and your other veggies and toss to coat.  Turn skillet heat down to low and add chicken pieces.

In a mixing cup, mix corn starch and water.  Stir until it’s a thin paste – pour that into the cooked-down marinade and whisk to mix.  Pour the mixture into the skillet.  Toss the fresh veggies and chicken together to coat well. Let cook for 3-5 minutes.

Serve over brown rice and a small salad.

Check out the places I party.

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There is still time to enter our giveaway for a $25 VISA gift card.

Mother's Day Plaque

I know Mother's Day for 2012 has come and gone but we thought this project was too good to hold until next year.  Plus, I think it would be a good project for a mom's birthday or any other special gift giving occasion during the year.

This was the gift for D's mom and she loved it so much it made her cry. So I got to tease him for making his mom cry for the rest of that week.

Before we begin, this project took time over a couple of days so if you make one of your own make sure to plan accordingly.

First gather all your materials
This first set of materials were purchased at Hobby Lobby

• heart shaped wooden plaque
• flower shaped photo frames
• narrow dowel
• paint (green and various flower colors)

Not pictured:

• saw tooth photo hanger
• hot glue gun
• drill and drill bit
• dark brown stain
• Green paper or vinyl cut using a Cricut

Paint flowers, stain plaque and dowels

• Cut the thin stem off the flower shaped photo frames
• Paint frames in flowery colors
• Cut dowels into 2 lengths (I think these were cut at 5" and 7")
• Paint green
• Sand plaque lightly and wipe down
• Stain (we used a random dark brown we had that no longer has a label)
• Let dry

Mark and drill holes for dowel in the top of the plaque
Drill the holes so that the "flowers" end up looking like they are growing out of the top.
D used a nail set to mark the location of the holes
He then used a drill bit that was the same size as your dowel
I am not sure how to explain this so check out the photo at the top of the post to see the angles he drilled at

Hot glue the painted green dowels to the back of the painted flower photo frames

Cut out your saying.  
I used my Cricut and my SCAL software.
I had to use paper since I didn't have any green vinyl.

The phrase we used was "Not all seed you plant grow in the garden."
We thought this was a perfect phrase for a gift that includes pics of all her grandkids.

Glue the letters to the plaque.
I used Elmer's glue brushed lightly on the back of the letters and a set of tweezers to place the letters onto the plaque.
I then brushed lightly over top to make sure they were sealed in place.
Let dry.

Seal with a couple of coats of poly spray.
Let dry completely (this step took about 12 hours)

Add a saw tooth photo hanger to the back.

Attach the flowers and insert the photos
Put a bit of wood glue in the holes you drilled at the top of the plaque and insert the green dowels
Cut your photos to size and place in frames
Let dry and you are all set to hang

I think this turned out really cute and it wasn't that difficult to put together, just a bit time consuming.  After seeing the look on D's mom's face when she opened the package was totally worth every minute.

Check out the places I party.

And don't forget to enter our "We've Made It To 100" giveaway.