Strawberry salad with caramelized almonds

In the summer I love to eat salads, especially ones with fresh fruit mixed in. This one has been on rotation all summer and is super simple to make. I used to buy already made caramelized almonds until I realized how easy it is to caramelize your own in a skillet with sugar and chopped up almonds. Stir them around until they are golden brown. Plus, what a difference it makes to pour warm almonds onto your salad!

Strawberry Almond Salad

Mixed Greens

Chopped celery

Shredded carrots

Crumbled blue cheese

Sliced strawberries

Caramelized almonds

Shredded chicken (optional)

Other variations could include diced grapes, blueberries, or mandarin oranges. 

For the dressing you could easily make your own, but I personally like to mix the Brianna's Poppyseed Dressing with the Blush Wine Vinaigrette Dressing.

 

Make your own tortilla chips

We eat a whole lot of chips and guacamole at our house. I think we picked it up while living in Arizona. We always make our own guacamole, but until recently, I had never thought to make my own chips. They taste soooooo much better than store bought chips and are simple to make! Plus, I can control the amount of salt I want. 

Basically it's corn tortillas (I like the white corn ones) cut into triangles, sprinkled with sea salt, and baked on a cookie sheet at 425 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until slightly brown. I also brush some olive oil on the cookie sheet to get the salt to stick, but it's not necessary. Do you ever make your own chips or have you ever? 

   

Tips for making your own pizza: part 1

I've always loved pizza! I mean, who doesn't? But my love for pizza has gone to a whole new level since we started making our own. I got Brandon the book My Pizza for Christmas. Since then, we have been making pizza like it's our second job. We've been trying different toppings and working on ways to perfect the crust, sauce, cheese, etc. It's a fun way to be creative and now we love to invite friends over for "pizza night."

The process didn't start out pretty, but we've learned several tips along the way....

Easy Appetizer Idea

Now that summer is here it seems like we having been getting together a lot more with family and friends. With lots of barbecues and picnics to go to, sometimes you need something easy and quick to make. I found this recipe for a really simple appetizer and tried making it while we were on vacation last week. It was super easy to make and ended up being pretty tasty. 

More pictures and how to make it after the jump...

Pineapple Salsa

In preparation for Cinco de Mayo this weekend I thought I would share one of my favorite salsa recipes. There are two things I can't get enough of: salsa and pineapple. This recipe is super easy to make and the colors alone make it a perfect snack to share or to take to a party. It would even be great to add in a little mango.

    

Pineapple Salsa

About 5 or 6 Roma tomatoes

Pineapple (I used half of one)

Handful of Cilantro

1/3 of a Red Onion

Juice of 1/2 a lime

Dash of Sea Salt

Dash of Garlic Salt 

None of the measurements are exact because it depends on how much you like of each, but really there's no way to really mess it up. I like mine to have a little less onion and cilantro and if you want a little kick consider adding a jalapeno.