I Heart Halloumi

Summer has finally come to Portland! On Wednesday, we had our first really nice, warm day. That means two things: basket weaving outside, and grilling! Basket making is a good outdoor activity. You only need a small tub for soaking plus the materials you'll be weaving (in my case, pine needles and raffia) and a needle.



Here's a picture of my pine needle basket in its very humble beginnings. I've worked on it since and it's now about 3 inches wide and two inches high. Pictures of the finished basket will be up hopefully next week.



While I was working on the basket, Pug was nearby sleeping.



Basket weaving's hard on the fingers, so it's good to take a break now and then and do something else. So I fired up the grill and made a grilled salad from 200 Super Salads by Alice Storey. I have a hard time thinking of interesting salads, and this little recipe book has lots of great ideas.



My favorite salad ingredient: grilled halloumi! Let me take a moment here to express my extreme love of halloumi cheese. It is so delicious and wonderful! It's a goat and sheep milk cheese that has a nice chewy, rubbery texture, and is excellent fried. I first learned about it in one of Nigella Lawson's cookbooks and have loved it ever since my first taste.



Pug is fond of halloumi too! He waited very patiently during dinner for a little taste.