I hope everyone has been enjoying their summer! Mine has been great. And busy. Camping, picnics, music, guests, birthday parties, shuffling kids to camps and activities, art shows, and finally, to really slow me down -back surgery. It was long overdue and I am already feeling great. No more hunching over in pain with a herniated disc while cooking over my stove. I can walk with ease and it is such a great feeling!

So I am finally getting a new recipe on my site. The kids are both in school and the transition I was worried about was almost too easy this morning! Max is at his first day of Pre-K and has been really excited to start. Cecilia has been less thrilled about going to school without her big brother but she was such a big girl this morning and there were no tears in sight. Phew.

I don't know where August went. The first week was focused on Cecilia's birthday party which was all she could talk about this summer (she is SO my daughter) . We had an Art Party and it was a lot of fun, and the finger painting was not as much of a mess as one might think.

But what are birthdays really about? I mean you can have a great theme but what do the kids really want? Cake. It's all about the cake. And Cecilia talked about her birthday cake all summer. If she was mad at Max, she would say, "You’re not going to get any of my birthday cake." That started in June! She wanted a pink cake and she wanted a flower cake. When I made her a pink cake in the shape of a flower, she asked, "Where are the flowers?" Sighhh. "Honey, the cake IS a flower!" I made an ice box cake but instead of buying the Nabisco Chocolate Wafer cookies, I make my own using a variation of this recipe. It might be my favorite cake ever. Homemade chocolate wafers in between homemade whip cream. I highly recommend trying this recipe.

But back to this bean salad recipe. It was my go-to dish for camping trips, barbeques, and picnics. It's really easy to make, quick, and I love the flavors. It might come in handy this weekend for any Labor Day celebrations you may have. It being my birthday this weekend, I might just have to make another chocolate wafer cake:) Each time I made this salad, I used some version of goat cheese. There are a variety of delicious goat cheeses on the market these days from mozzarella goat to cheddar goat and I think they are all a great addition to this salad. Goat cheese is easier for our bodies to digest than cow cheeses and some people who are lactose-intolerant seem to do okay with goat milk or goat cheese. If you are vegan, leave out the cheese and add more olives and basil.

I have so many photos from the summer, I had to include some. Enjoy and happy cooking:)

Lima Bean, Kalamata Olive, and Basil Salad

Serves 6 as a side dish, serves 2-3 as a meal

1 pound bag frozen Lima Beans
1 Cup Kalamata Olives, cut each in half
1/2-1 Red Pepper, chopped
1/2 Red Onion, finely chopped
1/4 Cup of Cheese ( I used various goat varieties, Goat mozzarella, Goat Cheddar and just plain Goat)
handful of basil, chopped

DRESSING

2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
pinch of salt

To make:

Steam the frozen Lima Beans until soft, about 10 minutes.
Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix together.
Mix the dressing together and pour over salad. Enjoy!