Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Cones for the Cure Winner and Grilled Zucchini, Yellow Summer Squash and Red Onion with Lemon-Basil Vinaigrette

Hi fans!  I'm here to announce the Cones for the Cure Giveaway Winner and while I'm at it, I wanted to share a recipe for Summer's last hurrah as Fall seems to be rapidly upon us!  Oh, and in other news, we finally took the plunge and bought one of those fancy dSLR cameras so we could take lots of great pictures of our little cutie.  This also means better (hopefully!) food photography coming your way.  What do you think??

First thing's first, congratulations Kesha G. for winning the prize pack.  I've sent you an email with details on how to claim your prize.  I hope you enjoy the goodness!

Now for this recipe.  I loved grilled veggies but it never fails that when I send my husband out to grill em up, many of them end up as grill casualties when they slide down between the grates during transfer and/or flipping.  With this recipe, I skewered the vegetables for him so that they'd stay intact.  Good thing too because while the recipe said it served 4-6, I doubled it and it still only seemed to serve 4-6 which was a bummer considering I was trying to serve 10.  I made changes to the below so that you can get sufficient quantities and not be disappointed with your yield.  The flavor was wonderful so it was too bad we had to ration it...loved that caramelized flavor with the brightness of the lemon!  You can use whatever veggies you have on hand.  The farm had sent us zucchini and yellow squash so that's what I used.  I would have loved to add eggplant if we had it.  Yum!

One Year Ago: Chicken Fajita Lettuce Wraps
Two Years Ago: Foil-Baked Fish with Black Beans and Corn
Three Years Ago: Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken
Four Years Ago: Sausage, Pepper, Onion, and Green Pepper Fra Diavolo

Grilled Zucchini, Yellow Summer Squash and Red Onion with Lemon-Basil Vinaigrette 


Grilled Zucchini, Yellow Summer Squash and Red Onion with Lemon-Basil Vinaigrette

Ingredients
  • 1 lb zucchini, sliced into 1/3-inch rounds 
  • 1 lb yellow summer squash, sliced into 1/3-inch rounds
  • 1 red onion, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds 
  • 1/2 cup + 3 Tbsp olive oil 
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced 
  • Zest and juice from 1 lemon (preferably organic)
  • 2 tsp spicy brown mustard 
  • 6-8 large basil leaves, chopped
Directions

  1. Heat grill to medium and prepare skewers by soaking in water per the instructions on your package.
  2. Carefully thread the onion rounds onto prepared skewers, taking care to ensure the skewer goes through every onion ring.  If desired, thread the remaining vegetables onto skewers as well.  
  3. Brush onions, zucchini, and yellow summer squash rounds with 1/2 cup olive oil and season liberally with salt and pepper. 
  4. Grill vegetables 9-10 minutes each side, until nicely caramelized. 
  5. In a small bowl, whisk garlic, lemon juice, zest, mustard, remaining 3 tablespons oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper together.
  6. Place cooked vegetables on a platter, drizzle with dressing, and top with chopped basil leaves.

Source: Barely modified from Confections of a Foodie Bride

Friday, September 13, 2013

Second Free Cone Giveaway Date!

Have you stopped in to make a donation to the Cones for the Cure campaign yet?  I stopped in on the last free cone day and made my donation of $5 to get a sweet Graeter's coupon book.  It included another free cone coupon and a coupon for a free pint with a $15 purchase.  Money well spent towards a good cause and the extra sweets provide extra incentive ;).


As of Monday, $25,000 had already been raised for the 2013 campaign. Their goal is at least $40,000 so please stop in and help them reach it!

This coming Monday, September 16 from 3-8PM will be the second free Elena's Blueberry Pie cone giveaway day so make sure to stop in to support the cause!

Also, my Cones for the Cure prize pack giveaway is still going on for those that can't make it into the scoop shop.  Enter to win here!


Friday, September 6, 2013

More Elena's Blueberry Pie and a Giveaway!

Hi fans!  Did you get your free ice cream on Wednesday and make a donation to The Cure Starts Now yet?  If you can’t get enough of Graeter's Elena’s Blueberry Pie Ice Cream, stop by the Glendale Beer, Wine & Food Festival tonight for a special “Happy Hour” giveaway from 6-7 PM!

I also have a Cones for the Cure prize pack giveaway that will go from September 9 - 16.  It includes a $5 Graeter's giftcard, $7 worth of candy, Notes Left Behind book, and some other goodies!  Enter below for your chance to win!

Last but not least, check back again before September 16th for the announcement of the second and final free cone giveaway date!

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