Playing Hooky

I took the day off today.  It was one of the best decisions I have made in a long time.  Both of the courses I teach finished their content for the year last week and my AP kids had their exam.  I barely survived.  Many days over the last 8 months I have looked a lot like this:

Frazzled and more than a little stressed, but trying to pull it all together and keep smiling.  There have been countless breakdowns, tears and sleepless nights (not to mention the 5+ pounds and numerous gray hairs I've gained from stress) this school year.  However, I can now see the light at the end of the tunnel since we only have 12 more school days.  Hallelujah!!!!!

I celebrated my day off by staying up incredibly late last night reading and then sleeping in until almost 8... just because I could.  Heavenly.  And when I finally did get up and out of bed this morning I found this on our bathroom mirror:

Made my day!!!!  The Hubs earned some major brownie points for that one.

I spent the day tying up loose ends around the house, running errands and renewing my license at the DPS.  Not especially exciting, but incredibly relaxing.  All of that time spent waiting for them to call my number to get my new picture taken gave me even more time to read.  And the best part of the day - no one asked me any questions!  The teachers (and moms) out there know what I mean. 

To wrap up such a great spring day I needed a delicious, light dinner.  A spinach and arugula salad topped with roasted pecans, red onion, fresh goat cheese, roasted salmon, sliced strawberries and a balsamic vinaigrette fit the bill quite nicely. 

YUM!  Perfect way to round out a perfect day.

Spring Salad

I was so ready for spring to arrive this year.  I have enjoyed the clear, warm afternoons spent on the back porch after work recently.  I have adored the way springtime foods seem to awaken my palate after a winter of creamy and heavy foods.  There's nothing like the perfect salad this time of year to remind you what fresh tastes like.

photo: The Hubs

Although the grilled pork chops weren't bad, the real star of tonight's show was the Asian Citrus Salad.  Very simple: some arugula, spinach, dill, cilantro, & parsley, some thinly sliced red onion, a few blanched sugar snap peas, an orange and a handful of roasted cashews.  It was tossed with a simple vinaigrette made with the juice from the orange, a grated clove of garlic, a spoonful of orange marmalade, a splash of soy sauce, a couple of splashes of rice vinegar, some olive oil, salt and white pepper. 

Crisp, clean and perfect.

Peachy Keen

(The Hubs so kindly agreed to professionally document our session this morning.  All photos in this post are his work.  I want to make sure to give credit where credit is due.) 

Meet my friend Shannon.  She's the girl on the right.  That's me on the left.  No, we weren't mad at each other, we were simply "divinding and conquering".

No, we weren't mad at each other, we were simply "dividing and conquering".

Shannon really likes to cook too.  That makes it really easy to be friends with her.  Well, that and the fact that she is one of the kindest (and funniest) people I know.  This girl has a heart of gold. 

The last 2 Wednesdays we have gotten together to cook and it's been a blast!  Last week was biscotti, homemade nutella and nutella panna cotta.  So basically, chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. 

This week Shannon wisely suggested we be a little healthier and chose this fabulous menu:

Peach and Brie Quesadillas  

Served with Grilled Peaches over Arugula with Goat Cheese and Prosciutto.

(For dessert I picked another recipe from Real Simple - Irene's Peach Surprise...but more about that tomorrow.)

Anyone picking up on a theme here? 

Since we really didn't vary from the way each of the recipes were written, I won't worry with typing in detail about steps and procedures.  Instead, I will let the Hubs' pictures explain it all.  Enjoy!

The Prep Work:

Of course there were peaches to deal with.  Lots of peaches.

There were also ingredients other than peaches to prep -

Chives

Brie

Limes and Eggs

And sauces / dressings to make -

Honey Balsamic Syrup

Honey Lime Dipping Sauce

Cooking and Assembling:

Quesadillas first -

Now for the salad -

 

(a sprinkle of crispy prosciutto)

(a drizzle of honey balsamic syrup)

I'm not sure if there was more laughing or cooking going on -

Lunch is Served:

My favorite Taste-Testing Neighbor joined us for lunch.  (She is a professional taster, you know.) 

Both dishes paired nicely with the Riesling I had chilling in the fridge.  The recipe also said a Chenin Blanc would work well. 

All 3 of us agreed there was not a thing we would change about the salad.  To say it was delicious would be an understatement.  A definite keeper. 

We also all agreed that while the quesadillas were good, they fell a bit flat in the flavor department.  Even with the dipping sauce (which was very good) they still lacked pizazz.  Georgia suggested adding cinnamon to the peaches mix and Shannon suggested cilantro.  Either (but not both at the same time!) would make a delightful addition.

Coming tomorrw: Dessert re-cap and why we re-named it Baked Georgia.