Grilled Vegetable Salad

A few weeks ago, Scott and I went to Longhorn after church. We do not usually splurge like that, but we wanted steak and left glad that we'd gone. So, it was worth the trip. I got this salad as my side salad (for a little extra); it came off of the "for a limited time only" menu. It was so good that I figured out how to make it at home.

Grilled Vegetable Salad

Salad:

Romaine lettuce-chopped

Feta cheese - crumbled (optional)

Tomato - diced

Red onion - diced very small

Vegetables:

1 squash

1 zucchini

1 bunch asparagus

1/2 bell pepper (red or green)

1 c corn (I used frozen)

1 small white onion (optional)

Olive oil (maybe 1 Tbsp)

Salt

Pepper

Cut all vegetables into 1-inch pieces. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill on grill pan (flat side).

Dressing:

1/2 c olive oil

1/4 c organic canola oil

1/4 c balsamic vinegar

1 clove minced garlic (just use the stuff you buy in the jar)

1 Tbsp lemon juice

Salt

Pepper

Whisk together all ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste. I invested in one of those dressing shakers you buy to go along with the italian dressing packets. Worth it.

Prepare salad. Top with grilled vegetables. Drizzle with dressing.

Make it a meal by adding grilled chicken (pictured).

If you leave off the feta, this is a gluten and dairy free meal.

A Little Mathilda To Brighten Your Day

This is a picture we took of Mathilda the day we brought her home, January 6, 2010. She weighed 1 lb 3 oz.

This is a picture I just took of her today, March 21, 2010. As of last Saturday, she weighed exactly 4 lbs. She has quadrupled in size!

We are still trying to decide what color her eyes are. Maybe we should call them hazel. Our boys' eyes change between yellow and green. And sometimes hers look more yellow than anything, but usually they are this coppery/yellow/green color. I don't know how to describe it. They were grey when we got her.

She was sleeping all cuddled up with Sampson last Sunday night. Isn't that the cutest thing ever?

Maxwell was chilling out on the back of the couch.

Maxwell apparently got jealous and walked over and literally layed down on top of Sampson! I wasn't fast enough to get a picture before Sampson had had enough and bolted.

Having gotten what he wanted, Maxwell settled in with Mathilda at his side. I think they are getting used to having her around.

Later in the evening, we were sitting around watching a movie and Mathilda snuggled up with me. Look how sweet this kitty is!

She is really learning so fast! She has learned that if she comes running when she hears the icemaker, she will get to play with ice. She understands the word "NO!" She knows that if she scratches her scratching post she will get a treat or two or three depending on how we feel if she finishes her treat and then scratches again! We are still working on teaching her not to scratch and bite when she's not getting her way! She really is an accelerated learner! She has made our lives a little bit more chaotic, but we all love her!

Goings On

Well, it has been a few weeks since I have posted and a lot has been going on. First of all, our weather has been...bizarre! The last time I posted, we got several inches of snow on a Friday afternoon, which was all melted by the next evening. The very next weekend was our first warm weekend in a long time, where it got up to about 60 degrees. That weekend was the weekend of our nephew, Sam's, 4th birthday. His birthday was on the 19th, but we went to his party on that Saturday, the 20th. We had lunch at Scott's sister's house and didn't go to Sam's actual party at the indoor pool close to their house. The idea of swimming didn't really appeal to me when it was so cold outside, even though it was indoors. Sam was really excited about his birthday party, his birthday cake, and his gifts. He was all about showing us his dragon castle and his Thomas the Train cake. We got him clothes and a card that made a fire engine alarm sound. The card almost made up for the fact that we only got him clothes. ;)


Here's Sam opening his gifts.

Here's the paparazzi.

Here's Sam smiling while we sing to him. It was so sweet!

Here's a picture I took of SaraBeth and I.

Back to the weather. This past Wednesday, it snowed (hard) from about 8 in the morning until about 3 in the afternoon and was pretty much all melted because it never quite got below freezing during the day. Now, this weekend, it's been high's in the 60s. I went outside today and pruned our bushes out front. Like I said, Bizarre!

Scott and I went last weekend to the North Georgia Premium Outlets in Dawsonville, GA and shopped all day. My main goal was to get a couple of pairs of jeans since I only own 3 pair that fit me and I wear jeans almost every day. I could not find one pair of jeans that I loved. Sad times. But, I got a long-sleeve blouse, two half-sleeve cotton tops, two short-sleeve tops, and two dresses. Scott got several shirts too. No jeans. I didn't even find any dressy slacks I liked. But, since I found two dresses at Ann Taylor Loft that would have cost me $69 and $79 at the regular store for about $70 for bother and I didn't own any dresses that fit me before that day, I still consider the trip a success. Yay us!