Well the zoo was amazing and the vacation has been a ton of fun so far. It feels like we have been going non stop day and night and by the time I get to bed I am exhausted. I am not complaining as the kids are having a ball!

We are slated to head over to Halifax, NS today and tonight and stay in a Jungle Theme Room that I booked last night ( the kids don’t know yet).  I think they will be super excited as it is a SUITE with bunk beds.  Before we get moving along, I wanted to share a fun summer salad with you.

Do you like watermelon? How about fresh basil and mint?  The colors and fresh flavor really make people happy.  This salad is really fresh and will definitely make you and your guests happy.  The combination of juicy watermelon and crisp cucumbers along with the nice sharp flavor of feta – this is a HIT.  The citrus dressing just screams summer so eat up and enjoy!

Super Summer Watermelon Salad

Ingredients

• 2 Cups seeded and diced ripe watermelon
• 2 Cups seeded and diced cucumber
• Quartered green and red tomatoes
• Fresh Basil and mint
• Citrus dressing (see below)
• 1/4 Cup crumbled feta cheese

Citrus Dressing

• 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp.fresh lime juice
• 2 Tsp honey
• 1/3 Cup olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint
• Pinch of cayenne
• Salt (to taste)

Method

1. It couldn’t be easier. Toss all the ingredients in a big bowl.
2. For the dressing, place all the ingredients in a jar with a lid.
3. Screw on the lid, and shake until well-blended.
4. Divide among four plates
5. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: For this one, I wait until just before serving before dressing it.  You do not want the fresh basil and mint to become limp and wilted.  You can make the dressing up ahead of time in the jar just be sure to give it a good shake before pouring over the salad.

OK, so we got home around 8:30 last night and I looked out onto the deck and saw some of this action…. isn’t this gorgeous?

Around 8:25pm

Around 8:35pm

Around 8:45pm

Have a super Wednesday – we are off in the car for a fun filled couple of days yet again.  Talk to you Friday morning before we hit the Gold Cup and Saucer Parade.

Take care

zesty

Happy Monday!  What signifies summer more than outdoor grilling, fresh basil, garden tomatoes, and great family and friends to join and share?  This past weekend we hosted Mamma’s Zesty birthday celebration.  It was filled with grilled pork tenderloin topped with an apricot and apple chutney, bbq turkey and beef sliders, delicious salads, roasted vegetables, fresh bruschetta and of course a big birthday cake.

The dish I want to share with you today may just be my favorite pasta salad ever.  I was contemplating flavors and browsing a few recipes online when I came across this Jamie Oliver recipe and immediately knew this would be a hit.  I had all the ingredients on hand and I knew it would match the summer theme I was going for.  I did a couple of swaps including adding some creamy feta cheese and omitting the yellow grape tomatoes and olives.

Here is the Zesty adapted version.

Ingredients

• 310g/11oz fusili pasta
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 255g/9oz red cherry tomatoes
• 3-4 Tbsp. Feta cheese
• 2 Tbsp. fresh chives
• 1 handful of fresh basil
• ½ a Cucumber
• 4 Tbsp. white wine vinegar, or to taste
• 7 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Throw in the pasta and cloves of garlic, boil until al dente, drain and run under cold water to cool.
2. Put the garlic to one side to use for the dressing.
3. Put the pasta into a bowl.



4. Chop the tomatoes, chives, basil and cucumber into pieces about half the size of the pasta and add to the bowl.
5. Squash the garlic cloves out of their skins and mush in a pestle and mortar. Add the vinegar, oil and seasoning.



6. Drizzle this over the salad, adding a little more seasoning to taste.



7. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: For an even more condensed garlic flavor you can roast a whole head of garlic in the oven at 350 for about an hour.  Just cut the top of the head off, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and wrap with tin foil.

Here are a few snap shots at some of the eats from the weekend.  We served 14 people and had a blast.

Have a super Monday and I will talk to you on Wednesday morning.

Take care

zesty