I was invited to participate in a Summer Progressive Dinner, hosted by Kristin of Yellow Bliss Road and Katie of Katie’s Cucina.  Basically, a group of bloggers get together, and each person is responsible for a dish.  When put together, all the dishes make up a complete meal.  I remember going to progressive dinners when I was a kid (the “in person” kind) with my parents.  Usually, we ended up being responsible for dessert.  Not surprising, for people who know me.

For my part, I contributed a side dish.  Summer is all about frozen treats, grilling, and eating lots of fresh vegetables.  We make this dish all the time during the summer, as it is a perfect accompaniment to a hamburger or some grilled meat (like a few of the other dishes in the progressive dinner!)  If you like spicy, these tomatoes are right up your alley.  If you’re not into a lot of heat, I recommend removing the seeds and membranes from the peppers.

adapted from Cooking Light, June 2006

Now, any blogging event wouldn’t be complete without a giveaway. Fill out the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win these three fun, summery prizes:

-a five speed hand blender from KitchenAid.  This blender comes with three blades, perfect for making smoothies, frozen drinks, or pureed soups. Looking for a new drink flavor? Check out this recipe for blended grapefruit limeade, featured on The Kitchenthusiast, KitchenAid’s blog.

- Woot Froot is excited to bring you the ease and convenience of fresh cut peaches and nectarines just in time for summer. Perfect for summer snacking, dishes and drinks – like peach margaritas. Fill out the rafflecopter below for your chance to win this Margaritaville Margarita Maker and get the party started. A $200 value.

-a $200 gift card from World Market.  I love wandering through this store, dreaming of all the cool parties I could throw with the fun items in their aisles.

And here are all the other contributions to the progressive dinner.  I really want to have a get together so I have an excuse to try all these recipes!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I received no compensation for participating in this giveaway.  All opinions are my own.

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Rice vermicelli with grilled chicken from Saigon Sizzle.  Like the vermicelli dishes in Vietnamese restaurants, this was served like a salad with a fish sauce-based dressing.  The chicken was well seasoned and tender, and the fresh vegetables helped keep the dish light.

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About two years ago, my husband planted two stalks of lemongrass in our front yard herb garden.  It’s grown to this:

I can’t believe all that from two stalks!  Apparently, this plant loves warm, humid weather. It’s very low maintenance – just a matter of weeding out the dead outer layers.  Every few weeks, I trim off the leafy tops.  Easy!  Even a brown thumb like me can keep these alive.

Because of these thriving plants, I’m always on the search for more lemongrass recipes.  This recipe is even easier than others that use lemongrass, because the stalk stays mostly intact.  Just trim off the nubby bottom, and cut off the leafy top.  The meat tastes great over rice, or as the filling for a banh mi sandwich.  I’m averse to including pictures of raw meat, so here’s one of the meat before being cooked.

adapted from a Luke Nguyen recipe

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Burrito bowl with guacamole from Live Love Eat on Wheels.  For me, a burrito is all about the rice, and the cilantro flavored jasmine rice in this dish was perfect.  The burrito bowl also came with black beans, salsa, corn, sauteed onions and peppers, and tomatoes.  I liked that it was a healthy option with lots of veggies.

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Blueberry season here is just ending, much to my disappointment.  My favorite u-pick farm is closing up this weekend.  I went  about every other weekend for the past two months.  Before they opened, they sold their berries at local farmer’s markets, and as soon as they started I rushed out to purchase a few cartons.  I wanted my favorite berries for this cake, even if they were used only for a garnish.  My husband liked eating slices of the cake with even more berries on the side.  The fresh blueberries really went well with the lime in the cake.

adapted from Cooking Light, June 2006

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Over Memorial Day weekend, I attempted to grill a whole fish.  For the first time. Did I go with something little and manageable like a  red snapper?  Or orange roughy? Or even tilapia?  No, I decided it would be best to start with a two-pound grouper.  That thing barely fit onto our grill.  While the end result looked beautiful, the fish didn’t quite cook all the way through, and I had to finish it in the oven.

Joey had the brilliant idea of making fish stock out of the head and bones.  So we now had a ton of stock and a good amount of fish to use up.  I remembered this fish stew that I had made many years ago, and that I could use both leftover items for the dish.  I also loved that basically the soup was fish and vegetables, with very little fat.  Joey loved the flavors, and threatened to eat all the rest.

adapted from Cooking Light, September 2001

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I recently wandered into the Spice and Tea Exchange, and got lost in all the enticing jars.  I felt like I was in an old time apothecary shop.

While there are endless combinations of spice blends, I was quite intrigued about making my own mixes.  Particularly as seasonings for popcorn.  There was a beer powder – beer and cheddar popcorn, anyone?  For my first concoction, I went with more mainstream flavors.  I especially liked that the cheese powders didn’t contain extra sodium, giving me more control over the saltiness.

original recipe

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Chicken and waffles from 5 Gastronomy. The waffle was more savory than sweet, and the chicken was crispy and tender. I loved the vibrancy of the brussels sprouts.

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I’m kind of a quiet person.  I don’t think anyone would ever accuse me of “oversharing.”  It’s not the most conducive personality toward self-promotion in the blogging world, but it’s how I am.  I constantly ask myself the question, “How much should I share with my readers?” I have a personal blog where I post lots of stories and pictures about family life.  I feel like this blog should focus more on the food and recipes.

So, in a break from my reserved self, I want to share this story with you.

Very recently, I was pregnant.  Then, heartbreakingly, I wasn’t.  It wasn’t the first time.  Or even the second.  I didn’t realize it would be so difficult to have another child. At first, I couldn’t even talk to my family about it.  Eventually, I told a few friends, and trusted that they would discreetly pass the information along to others.  In private, I cried a lot.  At work, I focused on connecting with my students, doing well on an important evaluation, and getting through the day.  I neglected this blog and social media for a bit.  I gave my son extra hugs and kisses.

For the three months that I was pregnant, I craved all the foods that I was supposed to avoid – hot dogs, caffeinated beverages, alcohol, and sushi.  Oh, sushi.  How I missed you.  One of my favorite sushi restaurants served the best crunchy asparagus roll.  I started making them at home to satisfy my sushi craving.  It wasn’t the same as my beloved spicy tuna kobachi, but the toasted seaweed-seasoned rice-crunchy exterior combination took enough of the edge off the craving.

original recipe

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Wakitos from Wako Taco.  “Wakitos” is the food truck’s version of taquitos.  These were stuffed with potato, fried, and garnished with salsa and an avocado sauce.  The wakitos also come in chicken and beef varieties.

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