A few of my favorite things

I just have to share my two most favoritest eats (as if my favorite anything would be something other than food!)

First off, it's officially salad season.  Nothing beats all the wonderful produce that's locally grown - farm fresh that is making it's way to my grocery store.  I love salads, not as much as I love junk food, but in the summer salads reign supreme on our dinner table.

There's this Italian restaurant chain called Maggiano's Little Italy.  It's tasty.  There's a chopped salad on the menu that is one of the best salads I've ever had.  And it's nothing fancy.  So I recreated it for dinner a while back and made it again yesterday.  Lettuce, tomatoes, olives, fetta cheese, red onion, cucumbers - all chopped - doused/drenched in the best Italian salad dressing you care to buy.  So easy, so yummy.  Piece of cake.  

Which is my most favoritest second thing.  I love that I'm remembering the summer fare type recipes now that spring has f-i-n-a-l-l-y sprung.  Strawberry Rhubarb Upside Down Cake.  Oh my heck!  I may have raved about this last year when I actually thought I had wild rhubarb growing in my yard, only to discover it was some horrible weed that will overtake your whole yard if not properly destroyed.  It's my birthday week, so I reserve the right to make this cake again, and not share it.

Melt 1/2 stick of BUTTER in a 9 x 13 pan

add 1 C. brown sugar (white works if you're out of brown, which I was on Sunday)

add 2 c. chopped strawberries and 2 c. chopped rhubarb

top with mixed white cake mix (mix + 1 1/4 c. of water + 1/3 c. oil + 3 eggs)

Bake at 350 for 45-50 min.  Turn onto plate.  Let cool. Serve with vanilla ice cream and/or whipped cream