Fresh Watermelon Salad

watermelon is one of the best things to enjoy in the summer!    There is nothing quite like biting into sweet, cold, juicy watermelons!    As a child I remember my father taking us to nearby produce stands where there were huge tin water troughs filled with ice and watermelon.  Wow, just like a cold beer in a ice-filled beer tub!   I pity anyone who lacks a memory of eating a slice of ice cold watermelon . . . simple with nothing added!  Yea, now that's summer eaten'!


However, for a recent gathering with friends, I prepared a heavenly watermelon with goat cheese salad, a sweet and savory combination that is so delicious you may not stop eating it!  I know that this combo sounds really weird, but all of the different textures and flavors combine perfectly and the balsamico vinegar lends a nice kick to smack those taste buds of yours!


A day or two ahead, marinate your goat or feta cheese (I use goat cheese because I find it more mild and so it soaks up all the herbs and olive oil more genuinely; plus my husband hates feta cheese . . . remember he's still "Mr. Meat and Potatoes"). . . I mean after all . . . feta?  Nothing but cheddar or mozzarella cheese for my guy!  Yet reluctantly and surpisingly he enjoyed his one bite of this salad and then proceeded to cut that tried-and-true slice of watermelon to enjoy while I noshed on this salad.


This is superb and I highly recommend this incredible watermelon salad!


And as with all recipes, to achieve mouth-watering results, please remember to use quality ingredients:    extra virgin olive oil instead of regular olive oil (unless specified), freshly ground black pepper instead of already ground pepper, freshly ground sea salt instead of regular salt, etc.


It really makes a difference in the end-resulting flavors and final dish.  You'll be so glad that you did!

at our local produce stand:   a 'refrigerated' trailer full of cold, sweet watermelons!

the goat cheese happily marinating in all of the herbs, spices, and olive oil

Watermelon Salad with Fresh Herb Marinated Goat Cheese


Watermelon cut into 1 - 2" cubes
1 small roll of goat cheese, cut into small cubes
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp. fresh herbs, finely chopped (basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary)
3 tsp. red chili pepper flakes
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1/4 cup of fresh basil, broken into pieces by hand
Balsamico vinegar -- to drizzle on salad


Prepare the marinaded goat/feta cheese at least 2 hours earlier than serving the salad.
In a clean glass jar, pour the oil into it.
Add the chopped feta/goat cheese.
Add all chopped fresh herbs.
Add red pepper flakes and minced garlic.
Gently, very gently swish the cheese cubes around in the marinade.
Place in the frig to chill for 2 hours.
Just before serving, cut watermelon into cubes.
Sprinkle the marinaded cheese cubes over the watermelon cubes.
Drizzle with balsamico vinegar or pass it around to guests.

Stay Cool ! 

  Mangia!

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Peaches and Cream Ice Cream with Fresh Raspberry Coulis!

Stopping at local roadside produce stands in the summertime is so much fun!  Everyone seems to have their favorite little places where our cars automatically turn on their own into crowded parking lots.  When July arrives Bill and I know that it's time to drive to the roadside stands to fill up the back of our Jeep with several bushels of 'free-stone' or 'cling-free' peaches.  I love this variety simply because they are so easy to remove the pit than the earlier varieties that are available in June.  'Free-stone' peaches seem to have a more tender texture too.  But from what everyone is saying, both the June and July peaches have been super sweet this year.  And that's such a good thing!  

More peaches are grown in South Carolina than any other state in the U.S., and a healthy, but competitive rivalry exists between Georgia and South Carolina despite Georgia's infamous nick-name of 'the peach state'.  I guess that everyone has their own preference, and yea, I'm slightly biased about S.C.'s super sweet, tender, and juicy peaches.  My husband (not a S.C. native) found out that the reason for the extra sweetness of S.C. peaches is that more of this state's peaches are grown closer to the mountains, in the foothills where the temps are slightly cooler, especially at night, which peach trees thrive on.   


I've read and even prepared several recipes for fresh home-made peach ice cream, but thus far, my husband and I believe that the hands-down best recipe out there is from David Lebovitz that he shares in his bible on ice cream, "The Perfect Scoop".   This time I decided to add a fresh raspberry puree to top off the ice cream simply because we love the flavor combo of  the classic 'peach melba'.  Mmmm, can't go wrong with this pair!

Fresh Peach Ice Cream
(adapted from "The Perfect Scoop")


6 large fresh peaches (or frozen, we freeze peaches ever summer)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
a few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice


Place a large bowl or metal container in the freezer to chill before you begin.
This container is what you'll put the finished ice cream in and so it will be already be pre-chilled.
Peel, slice and pit the fresh peaches.
Add the sugar to the peaches.
With an immersion blender or hand-held electric beater, blend peaches and sugar with sour cream, heavy cream, vanilla extract and lemon juice.
Blend only until peaches are nice and chunky, not pureed.
Pour the peach mixture into an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer's instructions.
Freeze for several hours or overnight until your desired level of firmness is achieved.


Fresh Raspberry Coulis


2 baskets of fresh raspberries
1 cup sugar
4 Tbsp. raspberry jam/preserves


In a medium bowl, puree the raspberries with an immersion blender.
Pour the pureed raspberries into a medium sauce pan.
Using a sieve, pour the mixture through and press lightly to separate the juices of the berries from the skin and seeds into a bowl.
Discard the seeds and flesh (put them in your composite pile if you have one).
Add sugar to the juice that has the seeds and skin/flesh removed.
Return to the pan on a medium to high temperature burner on the stove.
Add raspberry jam/preserves.
Bring to a boil and stir for about 3 minutes.
Refrigerate until ready to use.
Serve with your favorite flavor of ice cream or pound cake.

add sour cream to the sweetened peaches

 add heavy cream

 add vanilla

 with immersion blender, give it all a whirl and keep the peaches fairly chunky, not pureed

Mangia!

have some fun and take a trip to your favorite roadside produce stand this summer!

I haven't joined in a foodie blog hop for some time now due to a year of serious career demands, 

but I'm sharing this today over at

The Tablescaper's 'Seasonal Sundays' and 

A Slice of Southern's 'Southern Sundays'.  

After all, it's nice to share isn't it?

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Grill~Roasted Corn Salad with Black Beans, Avocados and More!

As my husband and I were having breakfast at our favorite local diner this morning, our server said to us, "Happy 4th!  Aren't you excited about all of the good eats on the grill today?"   I thought about her statement and the way her words reflect how we simply and traditionally connect food with every holiday and ritual of our lives!  And the 4th of July (in the States) is one of our favorite foodie holidays!  What's not to enjoy in our tummies today?  Grilled steaks, burgers, and hot dogs . . . yummy berry pies and trifles . . . ice cold watermelon, popsicles and fresh ice cream . . . perfect potato and side salads.

Besides our own favorite tried and true recipes, deciding which 'new' recipes to try among the 1000's in this summer's magazines, TV food shows, and foodie blogs and web-sites can be overwhelming.  Once I read the following recipe over on Jessica's blog, Kitchen Belleicious, I was instantly inspired to make a similar side salad to add to my 4th of July recipe line-up.

Jessica's recipe for her corn and black bean salad uses roasted corn on the grill  which is the base for the recipe that I developed.  I used TV grill king, Bobby Flay's process for grilling corn on the cob.  A cilantro vinaigrette is also provided if you need that extra smack of flavor!  This was truly a yummy summer salad!

I made two versions of this corn and black bean salad.  The first version is more similar to Jessica's in that there is no avocados added since my husband doesn't like avocados, and I also added some of my preserved roasted red peppers (frozen from last summer's garden).  The second version does include avocados since I love them so much and Ro-Tel tomatoes with lime and cilantro thrown in for added zing!

Both versions are delicious!

This is version #1 which more close to the recipe by Jessica on Kitchen Belleicious

(roasted red peppers and tomatoes were added and no avocados were included)

Grill-Roasted Corn Salad with Black Beans, Avocados and More!

6 ears of grill-roasted corn kernels off the cob
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large tomato, diced, or 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
2 avocados, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
1/2 cup roasted red peppers, drained and chopped (I freeze a batch of these every summer)
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
¼ cup fresh chives, chopped
2 cans Ro-Tel tomatoes with lime and cilantro

Combine all ingredients and serve immediately as a salad or with tortilla chips for an appetizer.
This gets better after it sets for a few hours if you have the time.

this is version #2 with avocado added in and a small can of Ro-Tel tomatoes with lime and cilantro

Bobby Flay's Method for Grilled Corn on the Cob
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Click here for Bobby's video showing his grilling procedure
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6 ears corn (or the number of ears that you prefer)
salted pot of cold water

Heat grill to medium.
Fill large pot with cold water and 1 Tbsp. salt.
Place ears of corn with husks attached in pot for 10 minutes.
Remove corn from water and shake off excess.
Place the corn on the grill, close the cover and grill for 15 to 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes, or until kernels are tender when pierced with a paring knife.
Remove the husks and eat on the cob or remove the kernels, or remove kernels to add to a salad.

If desired, here is a nice, tangy recipe for a cilantro vinaigrette to lightly drizzle on the salad.  Adjust ingredients where you like.

Cilantro Vinaigrette

1/4 cup champagne vinegar

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup fresh cilantro, minced

1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice

1 Tbsp. fresh jalapeño pepper, minced

2 Tbsp. green onions, minced

2 tsp. garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. freshly ground sea salt

1/2 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper

1/4  tsp. ground dried chipotle pepper

2 Tbsp. sugar

Combine all ingredients.

Refrigerate for 2 hours.





Mangia!

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