Wow--that was longer than I planned

So, my unplanned hiatus turned into an even longer unplanned hiatus, but now I am back for real. I promise!

Tomorrow I'm getting back with the program and I think that I'm going to finish my farm. After that I'll be doing activity bags as birthday gifts for my best friend's kids, which will be available at my Etsy store.

Since today is Father's Day, I made a special dinner for Nick. Lately I have decided that I want to be the Barefoot Contessa when I grow up, however I think that I will wear flip flops. The Flip Flop Contessa doesn't have quite the same ring to it. I wish that I had neighbors that showed up (with a nice and complementary beverage) right when I was finished cooking, as I always make too much. I made Panzanella, which is a Tuscan Bread Salad, as part of our dinner. A bread salad sounds weird, but it's not--it's yummy!! Here's my recipe, which is complied from several different ones (the Barefoot Contessa's being one of my inspirations). This makes a big batch, so you could either bring it to a picnic or have it in your fridge to eat for lunch all week.

Father's Day Panzanella

For the Salad

• 1 small loaf of stale bread, cut into cubes--rustic style bread that's kind of chewy works best*
• 5 ripe plum tomatoes, cut in a rough dice
• 1 large cucumber, cut in a rough dice**
• 1 small red onion, cut in as small of dice as you can get
• 1/2 cup Kalamata Olives, pitted and cut in half
• 2 TBSP grated cheese***
• 1 can white beans, drained and rinsed****
• 15-20 Basil Leaves, shredded and chopped

For the Dressing

• 1/2 Cup Good Tasting Olive Oil*****
• 1/4 Cup Good Tasting Red Wine Vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and Pepper to Taste--don't be stingy

Combine all the salad ingredients. Whisk the dressing together and pour over the salad. Allow to sit for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Because this post is more about food than anything else--I have a book recomendation. (In my head, that's not a non sequitor.) I am re-reading "Julie & Julia" by Julie Powell before the movie comes out this summer. This book really made me want to learn to cook. I'm still looking for a first edition "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" by Julia Child, but I do have her "The Way to Cook" which I love to just read. I'm glad that our PBS station still re-runs Julia Child, since she tought me how to commit to flipping an omlet. You much commit, otherwise, you'll just drop it on the floor.

See you soon--with pictures of something that I've actually made!

*I actually baked a small loaf of "crusty white sandwich bread" from the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day last night and let it get stale on my counter--this may have been going a little too far, but boy was it good.

**Some recipes called for the seedless/English cucumber here. That would be fine, however, I used a regular one, as it was on sale.

***Parmigiano-Reggiano would be ideal, however I'm not allowed to spend $15-$19 per pound on cheese any more, so I used regular Kraft Parmesan. Yes, Nick's Italian ancestors are probably rolling over in their graves now.

****These could be omitted, however I like them if your planning to eat the salad as a stand-alone meal, as I am planning to do for lunch the rest of the week.

*****Holy cow, I have a lot of footnotes here. If you can, find a store where you can taste the olive oil before you buy it. In my city, both Trader Joe's and Whole Foods will allow you to do this. I like an olive oil that tastes kind of fruity and isn't bitter, but you might like something lighter.