Standby salad dressing

I grew up having salad with just about every dinner. I didn't realize until I got older that not every family does. Most nights that I make salad, this is my standby vinaigrette. So easy and tasty.

2T olive oil

1 T good balsamic vinegar

hand cracked pepper

generous amount of Jane's Crazy salt (a staple in my family)

Shake it up for a minute or so (I use mini ball jars or old minced garlic jars so I can really shake the crap out of it without fear of salad dressing flying around my kitchen).

For the actual salad I do a mix of field greens or something similar and then slice up green onions. That's it! Well, last night I added a ripe peach and that was a fantastic addition.

In season..

I just bought some corn at the farmers market yesterday and am excited to make a mexican elote tonight! Basically its just the corn grilled with some mayo, lime juice and chili. I also add a few dashes of hot sauce cause I like it hot! Just thought I would share in case you guys were looking to spice up some veggies in season at the moment. Other good buys I saw at the market this week were green beans, beats and peaches.

Hmmmm, I really do like meat too I swear! Thus far all my posts/comments have gone more towards the veggie friendly side..

Fold Flat Tableware

I saw this Orikaso fold flat tableware on a blog I frequent, EmilyStyle. I love how compact they get and how easy they would be to clean when camping or backpacking. Let's be honest, I don't backpack, but I do camp and I do tailgate. Maybe I'll get the mugs for the football season.

Sara from Hotlanta!

Sooo to give the intro...I'm originally from Georgia but have made Chicago my home for the past 7 years (and possibly forever but shh, don't tell my parents!). I love, love, love eating and cooking as well. Simple recipes that taste delish are my favorite although I'll occasionally tackle something more complicated. One look at a recipe that has 10+ ingredients and chances are I will quickly be turning the page. That said, I don't mind making food that takes awhile. There's nothing like some good music, a glass of wine, and a bunch of chopping to relax a girl. I love my crock pot and got a food processor last christmas that I have yet to use but am looking forward to making lots of yummy soups this winter.

Favorite Foods: Anything Mexican although moreso for the cheese, sour cream, guacamole element than the spicy. I love mashed potatoes, mac and cheese (all kinds of comfort/southern style food), casseroles, asian food, greek food, italian food, ok pretty much all types of food. I'm always looking for good meat marinades and with it being summer, good pasta salad recipes. I don't like any orange vegetables - sweet potatoes, carrots, peppers (or any color pepper for that matter)...blech. Other than that I'm not too picky although I think someone on this blog has a husband who might beg to differ (Joe:). I love pretty much all veggies aside from the aforementioned orange ones. Not a huge fan of fruit unless it's floating in a glass of sangria. I've had a love affair with chocolate for many years.

Talking and reading about food is one of my favorite things to do besides eating and making it so I'm very excited to be part of this blog (my first!). Looking forward to getting lots of new ideas and sharing mine with ya'll!

Spinach Squares

As requested...these are sort of the easy version of spanakopita.

This is for a 9 in. sqaure pan. You can double it and use 9x13 in. pan.

1 package (16 oz.) frozen spinach (thawed and drained)
8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
8 oz. shredded brick cheese (I've used mozzarella when I can't find brick)
4 eggs
1/4 c. butter

Mix all ingredients together and sprinkle with garlic powder and pepper (or a greek seasoning mix if you have one).

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 mins. or until golden on top.

To go Vegetarian or not?

No, not me, sillies!

Here's my question, we're thinking of having two couples from our new neighborhood over for dinner this weekend. One of the couples are both vegetarians. So, I'm leaning toward a vegetarian meal for everyone. Would you do all vegetarian or would you do some meat also for us and for the other couple??? We're fine going meatless but it's hard to say what other people like. Thoughts?

The menu we're going with so far is:

Apps: Feta Spread with Pita, Fruit and Veggie Kebabs

Dinner: Greek Horiatiki Salad, Spinach Squares, Olives, (Something else??)

Dessert: My Chocoloate Cake

It's Mollie, with an -ie!

Ok so I like to think of myself as a witty girl and a decent writer but after reading all the blog posts and intros thus far I have to admit I feel a bit nervous measuring up! Ya'll are good! That said I hope to at least not bore you! Like all of us here I too love food and cooking- I dream about food and reminisce of old times via food- I love reading recipes, better yet I love trying them and more usually then not I like CHANGING recipes to suit my own tastes! I am one of those cooks who actually hates cooking inside the lines and I would say the only time I truly follow a recipe 100% is with baked goods because you stand to make a royal mess there if you're not precise!

I have been cooking meals for my family probably since I was about 10 years old and amazingly enough 21 years later (sh*t I'm old!) I still not only love cooking but am always learning about new tastes and techniques along the way. My ultimate dream one day is to attend culinary school for the pure pleasure of it. In the meantime I enjoy learning from others who share the same passion or my bff's on the food network, travel channel, martha, take home chef etc.

I love pretty much all fresh fruit and veggies, olives, cheese, mediterranean food, seafood, steak, lamb, pasta, italian and mexican, cilantro, lime..oh seriously I could go on for hours! One final note- I also love wine- particularly reds, and my latest food adventures involve making good food and wine matchups!