Foodie Friday -- W is for WATERMELON

Nothing says summer like a huge, ice cold wedge of sweet, juicy WATERMELON. And, while it is fabulous au naturale, I highly recommend this Greek style salad. (in Greece, fresh watermelon, and good quality feta cheese is a commonly eaten snack)

Ingredients

* 1 smallish, seedless watermelon (to yield about 8 cups)
* 1 medium red onion
* 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
* Salt and pepper
* 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, basil or a combination of the 2
* 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
* 1/4 - 1/2 cup kalmata olives, pitted and sliced

Directions

Cut the flesh from the melon and cut into bite size pieces, removing and discarding any seeds, and set aside. Peel and dice the onion.

In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, salt, pepper, and whisk until salt is dissolved. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Add in the chopped mint and / or basil, taste, and adjust seasonings.

In a large bowl, combine the melon, onion, olives and feta. Pour the dressing over the melon mixture and toss gently until everything is coated and evenly mixed.

FOODIE FRIDAY -- S is for SALAD

When the temperature hovers way above 90 degrees for days on end (100++ most of this week) I can't bring myself to turn on the stove or oven. Luckily, my husband is just as fond of entrée salads as I am. So, he grills the main protein on the outside bbq, while I assemble the remaining ingredients in the comfort of our air conditioned kitchen.

Some of the salads we've had in the past couple of months:

~ Classic Caesar with grilled shrimp or chicken, my homemade dressing and home-baked croutons

~ A Mexican version of the traditional Cobb salad: greens topped with chopped chicken, avocado, pinto beans, tomato, red onion, black olives and cotija cheese with a salsa, sour cream, red wine vinegar dressing (pictured above)

~ Nicoise Style salad of greens topped with Ahi seared rare, tomatoes, new potatoes and green beans (I cheat and cook them in the microwave) Nicoise or French green olives, boiled egg

~ Spinach Salad with strawberries, almonds, blue cheese, and grilled chicken with a lemon poppyseed dressing

~ Shrimp Louie--traditional except the dressing was served on the side, and the shrimp was grilled

~ Greek Salad of romaine, tomato, cucumber, red onion, pepperoncini, kalmata olives, feta cheese, and grilled salmon with a red wine dressing flavored with garlic and oregano

As you can see, we LOVE salads, and the possibilities are endless.

Get some great ideas at this website:

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/10-classic-diy-salad-creations/

Of course, everything tastes better when served in vintage style--perfect example from nachokitty.etsy.com: