I thought it was hot in Austin. It was–but now that I’m back in Florida I’m sweating daily. Not the same kind of “hot” like Austin, but the humid-hot. So what better way to cool off than this Pineapple-Tequila Cooler. Don’t fret, if drinking alcohol isn’t your thing you can easily omit the tequila and make this a non-alcoholic pineapple-lime cooler. Both ways it is equally good!

I recently received a box of new fruit tools from OXO. One of the first tools we tried out was the Ratcheting Pineapple Slicer. I hate cutting pineapple and always task my husband with the job of doing it. Now that I have the pineapple slicer, I can cut pineapple with ease! I made a fun animated gif to show just how easy it is to use/cut pineapple! And we learned after the first sliced pineapple that you want to put a bowl underneath because the slicer extracts a lot of juice! So far we’ve found that we get about 1 cup of juice from every pineapple. So I just strain the juice before sealing it in a jar and then I either add it to this drink or save it to be used within a day or two.

Whether or not you have this tool you need to make this drink. Perfect for hot summer days!

Adapted from Everyday Rachael Ray, May 2013

Disclaimer: I received a box of fruit tools from OXO. I was not compensated to create this recipe nor required to blog about the tools. I genuinely love OXO and just want to share what I’m using in my kitchen. There are affiliate links in this post.

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This Greek-style cucumber, tomato, and feta salad is one of my favorite salads. I make this salad at least once a week. Sometimes not as glamourous with the kalamata olives and the feta. Sometimes its a simple cucumber and tomato with the greek all-purpose seasoning, olive oil, and a little fresh dill from the garden. I first blogged about my Greek Cucumber & Tomato salad a few years ago. This was before I liked feta. Over the past few years, I’ve played with this recipe and its completely transformed into what I can now honestly call mine. I no longer use a processed salad dressing. I also thinly slice my cucumbers. I love using my OXO hand-held mandoline slicer. For those who know me–know that this is probably one of my favorite kitchen tools. The Greek seasoning I use has plenty of salt and flavor.

Yesterday, I shared a Grilled Greek Pork Tenderloin that compliments this salad so very well. I received a few questions yesterday as to what Greek All-Purpose Seasoning I use. I use Cavender’s. It’s the only all-purpose Greek seasoning I’ve ever used. You can find this in the spice isle. I’m sure if you find other brands that will work as well.

This Greek-style cucumber, tomato, and feta salad is best consumed fresh. I’ll make it just before dinner, pop it in the refrigerator to cool, and then top it with feta right before dinner is served. I like to let the Greek seasoning marinate on the salad for a good 30 mintues. The salt from the seasoning helps break down the cucumbers and the flavor absorbs into it beautifully. I love entertaining with this salad. I’ve never had anyone complain when they received this salad on their plate at dinner. Typically, the complaints I receive is that their is not enough to take home to enjoy the next day. This salad is good the next day, but not as great. The cucumber really start to breakdown and the flavors really marinate into the vegetables making them a little softer than I would prefer. I also don’t like the soggy feta cheese–but maybe its me! Everyone else who eats the salad the next day (when their are leftovers) loves it.

Katie Original Recipe

Disclaimer: There is an affiliate link in this post. No brands paid me to talk about their products, I just truly love the products and want to share with my readers. 

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Can you believe the first day of Summer is this Friday? To kick off summer early I’ve paired up with some of my favorite blogging friends to host another progressive dinner party. This time it’s all about summertime entertaining.  Last virtual progressive dinner party, I brought mini crab cakes w/ cilantro lime sauce that were out of this world amazing! This time around, I’m finally sharing my coveted recipe for Grilled Greek Pork Tenderloin.

I started grilling my pork tenderloins about two years ago. I can honestly say that I’ve made this dozens of times over the past few years. It’s one of my go-to grilling recipes whenever I’m entertaining. Or if I’m in a pinch and have no clue what to make for dinner… this is what I make! I pair it with my favorite summertime Greek salad (which I’ll share with you tomorrow) and my feta and herb mashed potatoes. Even those who don’t typically like pork–LOVE this recipe. That’s why I think it’s ideal to bring to my summertime progressive dinner party!

Katie Original Recipe

KitchenAid has donated a 5-speed Hand Blender to help make the perfect dressing, marinade, or even drink ! Make sure you visit the new THE KITCHENTHUSIAST blog by KitchenAid!

World Market has donated a $200 gift card. You could buy all of your serving ware, food, or whatever your heart desires!

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. Be sure to fill out the rafflecopter widget below to enter to win this Margaritaville Margarita Maker and get the party started. A $200 value.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I did not receive anything to take part in the Summertime Progressive Dinner Party. I love the brands and want to share with one lucky reader. As always all opinions are my own. 

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Today’s event is being hosted by Kim of Cravings of a Lunatic and Jen of Juanita’s Cocina. They teamed up with their blogger friends to help raise awareness and support for Cancer and Hospice today in memory of Kim’s dad. We encourage everyone to read the posts and share their own experiences with cancer. We also would like to encourage everyone to donate to the Canadian Cancer Society, the American Cancer Society and also to the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association. Hospice was a key element during Kim’s father’s battle with cancer. They made it possible for Kim to care for him at home. So please show your support and donate if you can. You can also contact your local Hospice and donate directly to them if you wish. A little goes a long way!

In honor of todays event which also coincidentally falls on father’s day I decided to share what everyone dad loves best… Spicy Beef Sliders!  The majority of the heat can be found not only in the beef patty but also in the spicy sauce that is made to go on the slider. This is a nice twist to the everyday slider.

These spicy beef sliders are also a spicy way to kick cancers butt! I’ve had a few family members whom I’ve lost to this horrible disease; my grandmother and my uncle to name a few. In this day in age, we should have a cure for cancer already–yet we still don’t!  Today’s post is truly dedicated to all those we’ve lost to cancer.

Adapted from Rachael Ray, June 2013

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Happy National Strawberry Shortcake Day! Did you know that strawberry shortcakes are considered “THE” dessert for summer? What better way to kick-off summer than have a day dedicated to this refreshing summer-time dessert! I’ve compiled a list of 50+ links of strawberry shortcake recipes ranging from breakfast, drink, desserts, and more.

1. Strawberry Shortcakes (with a little help from some raspberries) from Katie’s Cucina
2. Strawberry Shortcake from The Mother Huddle
3. Eggo Strawberry Shortcake from The Hungry Housewife
4. Strawberry Shortcake Muffins with Homemade Whipped Cream from Damn Delicious
5. Strawberry Shortcake Popsicles from Bakers Royale
6. Strawberry Shortcake Milkshake from A Spicy Perspective
7. Strawberry Shortcake Cookies & Ice Cream Sandwiches from Buns In My Oven
8. Strawberry Shortcake Cookies from Echoes of Laughter
9. Oatmeal Brownie Strawberry Shortcakes from Tidy Mom
10. Chocolate Strawberry Shortcakes from Annie’s Eats
11. Strawberry Shortcake Pancakes from Rachel Cooks
12. Strawberry Shortcake Spritzers from Tortillas and Honey
13. Pasta Frolla alle Fragole (Strawberry Shortcake) from bell’ allimento
14. Honeyed Strawberry Shortcake Yogurt Parfaits from Picky Palate
15. Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake from Dear Crissy
16. Strawberry Shortcake Bars from Bakers Royale
17. Salted Caramel Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake in a Jar from Driscoll’s
18. Strawberry Shortcake Jello Shots from That’s so Michelle
19. Double Chocolate Strawberry Shortcakes from Lauren’s Latest
20. Strawberry Shortcake Cookies from Two Peas and Their Pod
21. Strawberry Shortcake Greek Yogurt Popsicles from The Kitchen Paper
22. Old Fashion Strawberry Shortcake from Dine & Dish
23. Strawberry Shortcake Skillet Cobbler from Recipe Girl
24. Strawberry Shortcake Cheesecake from Real Women of Philadelphia
25. Strawberry Shortcake Waffles from Taste and Tell
26. Easy Strawberry Shortcake with Whipped Cream from Just a Taste
27. The Simplest (and Most Tastiest) Strawberry Shortcake from Prudent Baby
28. Strawberry Shortcake Truffle from Chocolate Moosey
29. Strawberry Shortcake Iced Coffee from Just A Pinch
30. Strawberry Shortcake Cookies from Culicurious
31. Strawberry Shortcake with Homemade Sour Cream Donuts from Tasty Kitchen
32. Strawberry Shortcake from Simply Recipes
33. Shortcut Strawberry Shortcake from Sweet Anna’s
34. Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes from Honest Cooking
35. Gluten Free Strawberry Shortcake from The Food Lovers Kitchen
36. Strawberry Shortcake Martini from My Life as a Mrs.
37. Cookies and Cream Strawberry Shortcake with Toasted Angel Food Cake from Sarah’s Cucina Bella
38. Strawberry Shortcake Trifle from Graces Sweet Life
39. Red Velvet Strawberry Shortcake from i am baker
40. Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Sandwich from My Sweet Remedy
41. Strawberry Shortcake Push Up Pops from Babble
42. Japanese Strawberry Shortcake from La Fuji Mama
43. Strawberry Shortcake from Gimme Some Oven
44. Balsamic Strawberry Ricotta Shortcake from Two Peas and Their Pod
45. Rosemary Strawberry Shortcake from Reluctant Entertainer
46. Strawberry Shortcake Fudge from Inside BruCrew Life
47. Better than… Strawberry Shortcake from Wine and Glue
48. Strawberry Shortcake Cookies from Cookies and Cups
49. Strawberry Shortcake Jars from Mimi’s Dollhouse
50. Strawberry Shortcake with Cream Biscuits from Love & Olive OIl
51. Strawberry Shortcake Smoothie from Kitchen Serendipity
52. Strawberry Shortcake Rice Krispie Treats from Sweet Treats and More
53. Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bar Cupcakes from Hoosier Homemade
54. Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes from Damn Delicious

My friends at Driscoll’s have this cool little Strawberry Shortcake info-graphic to give you more info about the official dessert of summer.

The post 50+ Strawberry Shortcake Recipes appeared first on Katie's Cucina.

This past weekend I traveled to Austin, Texas to attend BlogHer Food! This is a conference that has been long in the making for me! Rather than bore you with tons of writing I’ll share some of my photos from my trip. All of which were taken on my iPhone. I brought my DSLR camera with me and did not use it once during my 4-day trip. Proving once again, that I don’t need to bring my DSLR to everything.

After I got off the plane, I jetted to lunch followed by a Spa Party hosted by Dixie Crystals/Imperial Sugar at the Hiatus Spa. The above picture was taken right after Caroline and I changed into our robes! She is seriously my new good friend. We hung out most of the weekend together! I think every trip should start off with a spa day!

Right after my spa party I got ready for dinner at Uchiko with KitchenAid. Honestly this dinner was amazing. The people, the food, the brand all in one place celebrating one another. As everyone began to introduce themselves to the room I was in awe. It was surreal to be in the same room as so many talented bloggers!

The next morning it was conference time. I started my morning off with some Ice Coffee and tried some of the new Bailey’s Coffee Creamers. I also just so happened to win a year’s supply of the creamer while at the conference!

After lunch it was “go time”. My amazing co-panelist (Melissa from Skorpil Photography and Colette from Learning to Eat Allergy Free)  and I have been preparing months for our hour and a half session on beginning food photography. My intro was very shaky, let’s face it speaking into a microphone is not natural and very distracting as I heard my voice echo back to me! But once I got in my groove it was smooth sailing! We heard from a lot of people after the session that they felt all of our tips very helpful! I hope I was able to inspire at least one person… that was my goal at least!

Friday night, I was off to dinner with the Land O’Lakes team hosted by Julie, Maria, Sommer, Brenda and The Pioneer Woman at The Moonshine Bar & Grill. I ate at Moonshine Bar & Grill the last time I was in Austin, so I was super excited for dinner and of course all of the good company. I had a giant bowl of green chile and chicken macaroni and cheese. It was delicious–sadly I ate maybe a quarter of the portion. The bowl could have easily fed a family of 4!

We had assigned seats and mine just happened to be right next to Ree, herself (*and my good pal, Lindsay to the left of me). Ree and I chatted all night about food, Real Housewives, and accents! Glad to know we have more in common than just cooking!

After dinner we all headed to the photo booth. The photo booth took rapid fire photos and turned them into gif’s…

Here is Julie & I being silly in the photo booth!

And more photo booth fun with Carrian, Joanne and Shelly.

Saturday morning, I was motivated to get to the preservation workshop! I’ve always wanted to learn how to can and I was determined to get to this session. I’m so glad I did because I learned so much, and I can easily say it was my favorite session at BlogHer Food!

I was invited to a private lunch with Dole where they treated us to tasty food and treats and chef Ben Ford, himself! The house where the luncheon was held was straight out of an episode of House Hunters… it was amazing to say the least.

My friend Christine from Cook the Story, along with 4 other very talented bloggers closed the conference with their readings from the new Roots anthology that BlogHer put together. She did an amazing job, and her story is both witty and heartfelt! Make sure you read Christine’s post on The Challenge of Cooking Healthy and Eating Healthy and of course purchase the new anthology if you love to read about food stories!

After the reading, we all headed to Stubb’s BBQ where we grubbed out on Texas-style BBQ and dance the night away.

You may not recognize this person. This picture is not with a food blogger. This is with my dear friend Jennifer that I went to middle school with in Virginia! We’ve kept in touch over the years via Facebook and I was so grateful when she reached out to me after she realized I was in town for BlogHer Food. She just so happens to be the events manager and knew that we were coming to Stubb’s! After asking a server, she appeared a few minutes later. What an awesome and unexpected highlight to my trip! I think the funniest part is that she said she remembers coming over to my house to work on a school project and my mom fed us perogies. I love that she remembered about the pierogies.

Dinner was great and it gave us all a chance to hang out and more and of course meet people who we might have missed during the conference. Pictured above: Kathy from Noble Pig, Sam from Sweet Remedy, Christine from Cook the Story, Elise, Ree, and Jaden, Jamie from C.R.A.F.T, and Caroline from Chocolate and Carrots.

More photo booth time with The Baker Mama, Sweet Remedy, Chocolate and Carrots, and Noble Pig!

And another photo booth opp with Noble Pig & Cook the Story!

We ended our night by sipping on Cathy’s wine. Yes, Cathy from Noble Pig has a vineyard. We’ve chatted for the past 2 years via email, comments, and twitter, and I dreamed of the day I would finally get to try her wine… and the day finally arrived! Full of citrus accents–it was amazing to say the least. So proud of my friend and her vineyard!

The next morning I met up with a few fabulous ladies to eat taco’s and donuts for breakfast. I know it may seem like an odd combo, but we needed to maximize our time in Austin. We started at Torchy’s Tacos. I ordered chips and salsa (everyone else ordered guac and I wanted to balance it out), as well as a homemade lemonade and the fried avocado tacos! I must recreate these soon! They were so good!

Our last stop was at Gourdough’s where we each ( Aimee, Jocelyn, Nikki, Carly, and Hayley) ordered a donut (or two) and had one big donut taste-testing feast! Gourdough’s Gourmet Doughnut Truck was amazing to say the least. Sadly the bottom right corner was what was left. None of us combined were able to finish one full donut. We were trying to give them to people… no one would take our half eaten donuts.

After my morning full of tacos and donuts, I frantically packed and took a half power nap before meeting up with Christine. We went to the concierge desk to ask what to do and where to eat and the big thing to see and the response was “the Willy Nelson statue”. So Christine and I did a little window shopping, stumbled upon the famous Willie Nelson statue, and made our way to the “W”. We both had a cranberry and basil margarita. After that drink we knew we needed some food. We went to Manual’s and had another drink. This time we went with the cucumber martini (which was really like a margarita with celery salt–it was amazing). We also munched on chips, salsa, and guacamole. We made our way back to the hotel, grabbed a cab, and headed to the airport. Our last food stop was The Salt Lick in the airport. Needless to say, I had an amazing weekend and can’t wait for BlogHer Food 2013!

If you enjoyed my recap you might want to go read the other BlogHer Food Recaps:

Bake Your Day

Cajun Sugar Pie

Chocolate and Carrots

Completely Delicious

Cookies & Cups

Kevin & Amanda

Lauren’s Latest

Picky Palate

Reluctant Entertainer

The Blissful Chef

The Domestic Rebel

The Hill Country Cook

The Lemon Bowl

Two Peas & Their Pod

We Are Not Martha

Disclaimer: All photos were taken with an iPhone with exception to the photo booth photos.

The post {Recap} BlogHer Food 2013 – Austin, Texas appeared first on Katie's Cucina.

If there is one thing in life I love (other than my husband) it’s a good caprese salad. Fresh mozzarella, plump tomatoes, aromatic basil, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Mmmm I’m drooling just thinking about the coveted fresh salad. While flipping through my digital magazines I saw a tomato basil bake… I thought why not make a baked caprese salad? To me, it was a no brainer! I mean I love cold caprese salad and I love the idea of a crunchy panko bread crumb topping on just about anything!

This baked caprese works as side dish or a main dish. I made this one night last week before I left for the annual BlogHer Food conference (which by the way was amazing and I can’t wait to share a few things from my trip later this week). The night I made this dish I happened to eat it as main course amongst other appetizer like recipes.

This casserole is perfect as a main dish for two or a side dish for four. Although, everyone will love the baked caprese so much you might just need to make a double batch! I’m still trying to figure out what to make for Father’s day dinner this weekend for my dad.  I have a strange feeling he is going to ask for fresh spaghetti with bolognese sauce and if he does I think I’ll be making the baked caprese to accompany our meal. Whether you’re entertaining or it’s a simple meal in you must give this baked caprese recipe a try!

Inspired by Rachael Ray Magazine, June 2013

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Do you ever come up with a brilliant idea and then can’t stop thinking about that idea? That is what happen when I created Greek Crostini with Whipped Feta! I dreamed about this recipe for weeks and then finally made it one day. My dreams had come true and like magic this fancy appetizer that takes no time at all to put together was created! Seriously–if you want to impress people, entertain with this appetizer. 

You could put the Greek Crostini with Whipped Feta together or you could have all the items laid out with a few example appetizers and let your guest create their own Greek crostini’s. That way if someone is picky they can decide what they want to eat. I also love this recipe because you can broil the tomatoes ahead of time and just bring them out when your ready to make the appetizer. Same goes with the garlic and herb whipped feta.

And let’s talk about these pictures. I made these crostini’s seriously look as good as they taste! I was so proud when I photographed the Greek Crostini with Whipped Feta. While I’m on the topic of food photography, I’m actually speaking today at BlogHer Food in Austin, Texas about beginning food photography. Never in a million years would I have thought I would be speaking at a major national food blog conference. With a lot of hard work and dedication I have transformed my food photography from looking like dog-you know what… to mouthwatering food photos! I can’t wait to share my story with those at BHF and I hope I can inspire others that with a little work they too can create beautiful food photos (and it doesn’t have to take all day to photograph one meal it can take mere minutes like I did with these crositini’s). I think I spent 10 minutes tops styling and photographing my series of photos. Next week, I’ll be sharing about my time in Austin and hopefully some of my food photography tips and tricks I’ve learned along the way.

Until then… if you are entertaining this weekend or just want a tasty appetizer, make my Greek Crostini with Whipped Feta. I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Katie Original Recipe

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Some of you may know I have a little garden in my backyard. I say little and people don’t believe me thanks to all the vegetables I harvest from it. I have two 4 x 8 raised garden beds. For the past month, I’ve meant to harvest my beets and swiss chard. I finally had the chance the other day. Little did I realize that my sink would be full of vegetables. My husband wasn’t too happy when we planted our winter crop and 1/3 of our tiny raised garden beds were consumed by beets and swiss chard. He isn’t in to the earthy greens and root vegetables like I am. I think overall he did enjoy the Sautéed Beet Greens and Swiss Chard I made for us the other night. So hopefully, that means I’ll get to plant them again next year in the garden.

Growing up I ate canned pickled beets. In my 7-year old bran, it was such a treat to eat these for dinner! I told you I was a vegetable-loving (freak of nature) as a kid. What kid loves pickled beets?

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to enjoy the fresh variety of the root vegetable over the canned.  I enjoy beets and to be honest one of the only reason why I grew beets was to sauté the beet greens. In my book they are like 10 times better than the beet themselves. But since I enjoy both I figured this was a win-win vegetable to grow in my book! I could sauté the greens and pickle the beets. I plan to go to a canning session while in Austin, Texas at BlogHer Food this weekend. Hopefully upon my return I’ll be pickling the beets I boiled and canning them!

If you plan to grow beets in the winter next year here is some food for thought.

• Do plant the seeds directly into the ground
• Don’t just pour the packet of seeds into the ground. Be meticulous and spread out the seeds. I think my beets could have gotten much larger had they had more room to grow. I.e., I just poured the packet in the ground and hoped for the best!
• Do harvest the beet greens before it gets hot out. Greens get bitter as the weather gets warmer.

Next time you buy beets from the store (or grow them in my case), do not discard the coveted beet green tops! Clean them well, chop them up, and sauté them to make my Sautéed Beet Greens and Swiss Chard. If you only have one of the varieties–it’s ok. The recipe will still work and taste delicious.

Katie Original Recipe

The post Sautéed Beet Greens and Swiss Chard appeared first on Katie's Cucina.

Guys, how can it honestly be June already? This year is flying by. With the mark of mid-2013 I bring you a fun and innovative giveaway! I’ve partnered up with Dreamfarm to giveaway $100+ worth of product from them! They have kitchen utensils that are truly what I would call “thinking out of the box”.

Here are the items that one lucky winner will have the chance to win this month:

These aren’t your normal tongs… they are clongs! The unique bend in the handle keeps the tips sitting up which means they don’t sit on your countertop! Genius!

Want to be able to scoop and use a spatula at the same time? The chopula is your solution!

Do you like to cut your pizza instead of using a pizza wheel? I do! And the scizza is perfect for that task!

Do you have cords that need to be wrangled? If so, the jot is for you!

I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve never owned a vegetable steamer/basket. The Vebo is silicone and is perfect to use when you don’t have a lot of room for storage. It’s compact, has handles, and works as a steamer/strainer in one!

I hope your excited as I am about these awesome products from Dreamfarm. Please wait for the rafflecopter widget to load. One winner will be selected at random using random.org. Winner must be located in the USA and be 18+.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I received products from Dreamfarm to review and use. One lucky winner will receive all of the products above. As always, all opinions are my own!

The post {June Giveaway} $100+ of Product from Dreamfarm appeared first on Katie's Cucina.