Gorgonzola Iceberg Wedge Salad

 

I just about never pass up an iceberg wedge salad on a restaurant menu.  And I can guarantee if I do, I already know their dressing is no good.  There is something so refreshing and satisfying about a good wedge  and I figured if you get the dressing down, the rest would be a piece of cake.

This gorgonzola dressing is absolutely perfect.  You'll never come close to matching its taste with a  bottled dressing.  And it's a whole lot healthier than those dressings made with mayo and sour cream.  Tastes even better the next day.


From my little kitchen to yours... Enjoy.

Gorgonzola Iceberg Wedge Salad

Ingredients
2/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup Greek yogurt (I used fat free)
1 large garlic clove, minced
8 ounces crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
salt & fresh ground pepper
1 head iceberg lettuce, cut into 4 wedges
1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
Optional: 4 pieces of cooked, crumbled bacon
Step by Step
In a medium bowl, stir the buttermilk, Greek yogurt, and garlic together. Add in 2/3 cup of the Gorgonzola to the dressing. Smash the cheese into the sauce to help it blend.  Stir in a few more sprinkles of the gorgonzola and leave them chunky.  Season with salt & pepper and set aside.

Arrange the lettuce wedges on individual plates. Spoon the dressing over the wedges, top with tomatoes and remaining Gorgonzola (and bacon if using). Sprinkle fresh cracked pepper on top and serve.

Refrigerate dressing in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Makes 4 salads.  Or two salads one night and two the next...

Sangria

What prestigious award did this sangria win, you ask?

Oh, it was big.  Real big.

Mr. Hungry, our friend JD and I  headed to Barcelona, Spain for one of our weekend trips from Florence this summer.  We found the most amazing tapas bar... so amazing we ate there both nights of our stay.  The waiter told us that their sangria was very popular and we immediately ordered a pitcher.  I was surprised when he started making it from scratch right in front of us.  I was under the impression that you let Sangria sit for a long time to really get it good.

 

After I had one sip, I was on a mission to find out this recipe.  All three of us decided we could most definitely make it the best.  Long story short, we knew there was a sangria competition to be held when we got home.  Well, that contest has officially taken place and I just happen to have the award winning recipe.  (I can't say I was that surprised considering I schmoozed our waiter for the recipe).

Are you ready for the secret?  Lemon Fanta!

Sadly, I could not find this when it was competition time so I used Fresca, but I'd go with Lemon Fanta if I were you.

It's a pretty perfect summer drink.  Cheers to staying cool.

From my little kitchen to yours... Enjoy.

Sangria
Recipe Notes
The key to keep this fresh is only adding the ice and Fanta (or Fresca) right before serving.  You can mix all other ingredients and refrigerate ahead of time, but add those two at the end.  Cointreau is an orange liqueur and is a little pricey.  However, you can use it in all sorts of drinks.  You can buy and small airplane size bottle of gin and brandy if you do not have those on hand.  I did not have a pitcher that was good for mixing so I mixed in a bowl and added to a pitcher.  Mixing in a pitcher or bowl will work just fine.
Ingredients
1 small orange, cut into thin slices
2 small lemons, cut into thin slices
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon Cointreau
1 Tablespoon Gin
1 Tablespoon Brandy
1 bottle red wine (I used a Cabernet)
1 can Lemon Fanta (or Fresca)
Ice
Tools
Wooden spoon
Glass pitcher
Step by Step
Place orange and lemon slices in the bottom of a glass pitcher (or large bowl).
Pour sugar and 3 liqueurs over the slices.
Mash the fruit with the wooden spoon until the juice is released from the slices. Fill the pitcher with ice.  Pour bottle of wine and can of Lemon Fanta and stir with wooden to spoon to mix.  Pour into glasses, garnish with fruit slices and serve cold.

{slightly chunky} Tomato Gazpacho Soup

It's hot as blazes around here.  Until further notice, my oven is closed.

Who's with me?  If you're not with me, it means you live in one of those places with perfect summer weather and I would rather not hear from you right now.

But if you are in my boat... the temps are above 95 or the humidity hits you in the face like a wool blanket when you walk outside...then get ready.

This heat has even changed my taste buds.  I've never been one for cold soups.  Just no appeal really.  I liked em hot and savory, but since this i-must-eat-only-cold-things hit, it sounded like a pretty good idea to have something both cold and savory.

Not to mention the fact that tomatoes are out of this world right now.  It's amazing how good foods taste when they are actually in season.

There is a little bit of prep work here, but no heat so that's a plus.  Have any favorite chilled or frozen recipes you'd like to share?  Email me, please.  Let's band together against this heat, shall we?

From my little kitchen to yours... Enjoy.

Here are a few pics from the process...

The way I like to go about getting the seeds out of a cucumber.  Slice in half and then slice diagonally on both sides to remove the strip of seeds. 

but as the saying goes, there's more than one way to skin a cat. 

This is a good size chunk to aim for with all your veggies...

This thing is a work horse...

Finally got all those veggies processed.  As you can see, I still had some chunks, which is why I chose the hand blender to help me out at the end.

Tomato Gazpacho
Adapted from Ina Garten
Recipe Notes
I prefaced that this was slightly chunky because if you like gazpacho and you like it extremely smooth and creamy, that is not what you are going to get from this recipe, but I love the texture.

Ingredients

1  cucumber, halved and seeded, but not peeled

1 red bell pepper, cored and seeded

4 plum medium sized vine ripened tomatoes

1 small red onion

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups tomato juice (23 ounces)

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 tablespoon kosher or sea salt

1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Special Equipment

Small food processor
Optional Equipment
Hand blender

Step by Step

Roughly chop the cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and red onions into small 1 inch chunks. Put each vegetable separately into a small food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until it is coarsely chopped. Leave slightly chunky; do not completely liquefy.

After each vegetable is processed, combine them in a large bowl and add the garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix well and chill before serving. Optional:  If you would like a little more creaminess with small chunks, you can use a hand blender at the end to get the consistency that you like.
The longer gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop.

Keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Serves 4-6. 

Taste Florence Winner!

And we have a winner...

Congratulations to Stephanie! You were #33 on the comments... Congrats!
If you didn't win, you definitely should still put Taste Florence on your itinerary when in Italy!

Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches

There is a lot more Italy to come.

However, since we've been back, I've been doing my best to cool things down around here since it's so darn hot, so let's talk about a few things to beat the heat.

If macaroni and cheese is the fall's best comfort food, then ice cream sandwiches take the cake for summer's best comfort food.

And something about this cookie with that ice cream is about the most addicting thing I've ever had.

I've always been a Blue Bell girl, but Mr. Hungry requested these one night and he likes Hagen Daaz.  So I thought I would choose my battles and go with Hagen Daaz and man, am I glad I did.  There is something about the texture and taste of Hagen Daaz that fits perfectly with this cookie.

You really can't mess this up so I've got one piece of advice... make a lot.  They go quick.

{All you need}

A batch of my favorite chocolate chip cookies  +  Vanilla Hagen Daaz ice cream

{All you do}

Leave the ice cream out and let it get really soft.  Or you can stick it in the microwave for about 15 seconds. Scoop a small bit on to one cooled cookie.  Smash together with the other cookie.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Freeze sandwiches without touching each other for at least one hour.  After sandwiches have frozen separately, they can be stored in an airtight container for up to one month.

From my little kitchen to yours... Enjoy. 

Little Kitchen Giveaway- NOW CLOSED

It's Monday... let's spice it up a little, shall we?  I have a really great giveaway from Taste Florence.

Taste Florence brings travelers to the city’s tastiest foods, educating them as they experience the best Italy has to offer.  Read all about the tour here. This is my kinda tour.  I don't mind learning about history as long as there is food involved.  And you are in one of the most amazing historical cities in the world so you can feel like you got your dose of history as well.

One lucky reader will receive two free tickets to "The Original Taste the Best Tour."  This is a 158 euro value (which in case you are not in the know about the dollar right now,  that comes out to over $200 U.S.).

Maybe winning these tickets will be just the nudge you need to finally book that trip to Italy! You have two years to use the tickets and if all else fails and you can't get there, this would be a great gift for a friend or family member traveling to Italy.

How to enter:
Simply leave a comment below that you want to be entered.  You can either leave contact info in your comment or check back to see if you won.  Entries who do not leave contact info, have one week to check back and see if they won.  If they do not respond, another winner will be chosen.

Extra entries:  

*Follow KitchenLittle on Twitter*

*Post about this giveaway on Facebook or your blog*

{Leave a separate comment saying if you are following on twitter or posted about this}

Good Luck!

{The Details}

One reader will win two tickets to "The Original Taste the Best Tour" in Florence, Italy. 

You have two years to use the tickets. 

Value: 158 euro

This is an international giveaway so you don't have to be in the U.S. to win!

Contest open until Friday, July 29.  Winner will be picked through random.org and announced on Monday, August 1.