Kiwi Tomato Feta Salad

A fresh twist on the classic tomato and feta combo, this kiwi tomato feta salad is bright, flavorful and delicious. 

If you know any New Zealanders, I can guarantee that they will correct you on calling our main ingredient here kiwi without its whole name, kiwi fruit because, of course, the kiwi is also their national bird. Recipes for kiwi? Horrifying. No one eats the flightless bird! At least no one does anymore. 

So, I debated with myself about the name of this recipe. Do I add the word fruit so search engines will know I’m not cooking a protected bird? But then, please forgive me, NZ friends, it occurred to me that most of the world has never even heard of the bird that gives you your nickname. Kiwi tomato feta salad it is! 

As a small aside, regarding the kiwi fruit, I’ve been reading online that you can actually eat the fuzzy peel but I’ll be honest, that really doesn't sound like a good idea to me. (I prefer nectarines to peaches because of the fuzz and peaches aren’t even sharp.) Some Reddit users claim they scrub or even shave the little hairs off to make the peel more palatable and more power to them. I’ll stick with peeling! For this salad, you do you. 

Kiwi Tomato Feta Salad

Since this recipe makes more dressing than you actually need, this salad is very easily doubled. Add a protein, like cooked salmon or chicken and, as is, it makes a lovely lunch for two. I added salmon to mine but since I put it on last, it covered up the lovely green kiwi fruit in those photos, our star ingredient. Without the protein, it's the perfect side salad. 

Ingredients

For the dressing:

1 green onion, divided

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon mustard powder (like Colman’s)

Good pinch flakey sea salt

A few good grinds of black pepper, plus extra to finish the salad

For the salad:

3 ripe but firm kiwi fruit

1 ripe but firm tomato

1 oz or 28g feta cheese

Method

Slice the green part of the green onion and finely mince the white part. 

Put the white part in a small jar with the vinegar. Set aside for a few minutes then add the rest of the dressing ingredients. 

Give it all a good shake until fully mixed, then set aside. 

Peel and slice the kiwi. 

Core and cut the tomato in to small pieces. 

Lay the kiwi slices out single file on a plate. Scatter the tomato on the sliced kiwi. 

Crumble the feta and scatter it on the kiwi and tomato. 

Give the salad dressing another good shake and then pour or spoon some over the salad. You will not use it all and the rest of the jar can be stored in the refrigerator. Sprinkle on the green onion.  Give the whole thing another couple of grinds of black pepper to finish. 

Like all good tomato salads, this is best served at room temperature. My husband and I both loved the salad, agreeing that the kiwi was a great addition to the classic tomato feta combo. I don’t buy kiwi fruit very often but using it in this salad will certainly change that! 

Enjoy! 

Welcome to the 11th edition of Alphabet Challenge 2025, brought to you by the letter K. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the K recipes below:

• Sneha’s Recipe: Khoya/Mawa Gujiya With Dry Fruits 
• Jolene’s Recipe Journal: Strawberry Kuchen 
• Food Lust People Love: Kiwi Tomato Feta Salad 
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Kachumbari,Kenyan Salad 
• Blogghetti: Chipotle Lime Shrimp Kabobs 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Fresh Kielbasa Sheet Pan Dinner 
• A Messy Kitchen: Kimchi Udon 
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Cheese Tortellini Soup with Kielbasa and Kale 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Fresh Kielbasa Sheet Pan Dinner 
• Magical Ingredients: Kimchi Gochujang Dip

Here are my posts for the 2025 alphabet challenge, thus far:

A: Roasted Asparagus Soup

B: Blistered Sugar Snap Peas

C. Jersey Royal Chicken Chorizo Traybake 

D. Small Batch Dried Apricot Jam 

E. Whipped Espresso Cream 

F. Fish Sauce Roasted Chicken 

G. Extra Herby Gremolata 

H. Smoked Herring Spread 

I.  Fresh Cherry Ice Cream 

J. Small Batch Strawberry Jam 

K. Kiwi Tomato Feta Salad – this post! 

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Käsebrötchen - German Cheese Buns

My version of Käsebrötchen or German cheese buns don’t look like the individual ones I’ve been seeing online but they are delicious, nonetheless.

My Bread Bakers group are sharing buns and rolls today so a few weeks ago, I started researching recipes for ones I’ve never made before. There are so many rolls and buns to choose from! I finally had it narrowed down to buttermilk potato buns and these käsebrötchen when it occurred to me that I had already made potato buns years ago. 

So käsebrötchen it would be. We really liked how soft and fluffy they turned out! They are perfect for breakfast sandwiches. Well, any sandwich really or just to eat on their own.

Käsebrötchen - German Cheese Buns

This recipe is a hodge-podge of ingredients and instructions from a variety of recipes online so I won’t say it’s authentic in any way, except that the buns have cheese just on top. My husband and I both agreed that there should be some cheese in the dough as well. NONE of the recipes I found did. 

Ingredients

For the bun dough:

1 1/4 cups or 300ml lukewarm milk

3/4 oz or 20g fresh yeast or 3 teaspoons dry yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

3 tablespoons or 45ml canola or other light oil, plus more for baking pan

1 large egg white

2 teaspoons fine sea salt

4 cups or 500g flour, plus extra for separating into buns and rolling. 

For baking:

1 large egg yolk

1 tablespoon water

3 1/2 oz or 100g extra sharp cheese

Method

In a medium bowl, combine the lukewarm milk, yeast and sugar. Stir and let sit for about 10 minutes. 

Add the oil, egg white, salt and half of the flour. Stir until well combined. 

Add the remaining flour and knead until smooth ball of dough begins to form. Add a little more flour if the dough is too sticky. 

Cover and allow to rise for about 1 hour. 

Grease a baking pan with canola.

Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and cut it into 15 relatively equal pieces.

Roll the dough pieces into balls and place in the prepared baking pan. 

Cover and leave to rise for 30 minutes. I had a brief hope of individual buns but honestly, I should have known better. Dough gonna rise and fill those gaps!

Grate your cheese and whisk the egg yolk with the water. 

Brush tops of the buns with egg yolk and top with grated cheese.

Leave to rise for about 15 minutes while you preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C.

Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Leave to cool on a wire rack then use a spatula to release the buns and transfer them to a cutting board. 

Once they are cool enough to handle, you can pull the buns apart to eat them. 

Enjoy! 

As I mentioned above, it’s Bread Bakers’ day, always the second Tuesday of the month and we are sharing recipes for buns and rolls. Many thanks to our host, Karen from Karen’s Kitchen Stories. Check out the list below. 

• Alabama Orange Rolls from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Cheesy and Spicy Wild Garlic Stuffed Spelt Rolls from Cook with Renu
• Filled Wool Rolls from Passion Kneaded
• Hoagie Rolls from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Käsebrötchen from Food Lust People Love
• Orange Date Sticky Toffee Buns from A Messy Kitchen
• Soft and Fluffy Sourdough Hamburger Buns from Sneha's Recipe

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

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Everything Bagel Smoked Salmon Cheese Ball

This Everything Bagel Smoked Salmon Cheese Ball is the perfect schmear for your favorite bagel with lemon zest, onions and capers. Send out the invites to brunch! 

Cheese balls were one of my paternal grandmother’s favorite things so my mom bought her one just about every Christmas when they were available, I guess for Christmas parties. We didn’t see them for sale the rest of the year. They contained a variety of cheeses and were rolled in nuts. Very festive! 

When I became a grownup, I’d occasionally make her one as well. She wasn’t picky at all. All cheese balls are good cheese balls, a sentiment I now echo. As a kid, I wasn’t such a fan. 

Yep, now I am a big fan of cheese balls for any party occasion. One of the favorite ones I’ve ever made was for Halloween so it was shaped like a pumpkin. My second favorite is spicy and covered in nuts but it’s rivaled by this everything bagel seasoning smoked salmon edition! 

Everything Bagel Smoked Salmon Cheese Ball

This cheese ball was inspired by this savory cheesecake recipe. You can use orange colored cheddar but I think using a natural cheddar makes a prettier cheese ball. 

Ingredients - makes a 1 lb or 454g cheese ball

4 oz or 113g extra sharp natural cheddar

1 tablespoon onion, sliced as thinly as possible then minced

4 oz or 113g smoked salmon

1 tablespoon capers

8 oz or 225g cream cheese, softened

1 tablespoon everything bagel seasoning, plus extra for sprinkling

zest 1 lemon

2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt

Method

Grate the cheddar. Using a sharp knife, chop the smoked salmon into small bits. 

Add all of the cheese ball ingredients into a large mixing bowl. 

Mash and stir until well combined and homogeneous. 

Scoop the mixture out on to a piece of cling film and use your hands and the cling film to mold it into a ball. 

Place the cheese ball in a round bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour to allow the flavor to meld, but it can be made a day ahead of serving. 

When chilling time is over, sprinkle everything bagel seasoning on the outside of the cheese ball, pressing it in so it sticks. 

Once it’s sufficiently covered, you can even roll the ball around to make it perfectly round. 

Serve with bagels or crackers or slices of baguette. I cut a large wedge to share with my mother-in-law and she ate hers on toast. It's all good. 

Enjoy!

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing cheese ball recipes. Many thanks to our host, Amy of Amy's Cooking Adventures. Check out the links below.

• Bald Eagle Cheeseball by Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Everything Bagel Smoked Salmon Cheese Ball by Food Lust People Love
• Jalapeno Pecan Cream Cheese by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Pineapple Cheese Ball by Our Good Life
• Shaam Savera/Palak Paneer Cheese Ball by Sneha's Recipe

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Small Batch Strawberry Jam

This small batch strawberry jam is so much better than store bought. Made with just strawberries, sugar and lemon, it's so quick and easy, you may never buy strawberry jam again! I know I won't. 

Last year my close friend group was hosting a shower for one of our daughters who was getting married. We decided on an “afternoon tea” theme which everyone loves. 

I volunteered to make mini scones, jam, clotted cream and blood orange curd. The clotted cream was an absolute nightmare so in comparison, everything else was super easy. Especially the jam! I called it Sweet as Audrey Strawberry Jam on the labels in honor of our beautiful bride to be. 

Small Batch Strawberry Jam

This recipe makes two full pint jars and about 2/3 of a third pint. 

Ingredients

3 lbs or 1.36kg fresh strawberries

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt 

4 cups or 800g white sugar

1/3 cup or 80ml fresh lemon juice

Zest from 2 lemons

Method

Remove the hulls and green tops from the strawberries. Rinse them with cool water. 

Slice the strawberries and put them in a large pot and sprinkle them with the salt. 

Add in the sugar and leave to macerate for at least 30 minutes. 

Cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly and bring the strawberries to the boil.

Once boiling, add the lemon juice and zest.

Boil for about 15 minutes, or until the jam reaches the setting temperature of 220°F or 104°C.

Stir often, to make sure the jam doesn’t burn.

Ladle into sterilized jars, screw the lids on and turn the jars upside down. Leave to cool, retightening the lids occasionally.

Once cooled, turn the jars right side up. The lids should pop in. Refrigerate any that have not. 

Enjoy on scones or buttered toast! 

Welcome to the 10th edition of Alphabet Challenge 2025, brought to you by the letter J. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the J recipes below:

• Sneha’s Recipe: Jeerem Meerem Powder/Cladin Masala-Homemade 
• Blogghetti: Easy Crock Pot Chicken Jambalaya 
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Armenian Jajukh Salad 
• Jolene’s Recipe Journal: Creamy Jalapeño Corn 
• Food Lust People Love: Small Batch Strawberry Jam 
• A Messy Kitchen: Jollof Rice 
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Thai-Style Turkey and Jasmine Rice Soup 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Jamaican Jerk Chicken 
• Culinary Cam: Inspired by a One-Word Text: Jjamppong 
• Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Sweet & Spicy Jalapeño Canned Tomato Salsa 
• Magical Ingredients: Jalapeño Popper Dip

Here are my posts for the 2025 alphabet challenge, thus far:

A: Roasted Asparagus Soup

B: Blistered Sugar Snap Peas

C. Jersey Royal Chicken Chorizo Traybake 

D. Small Batch Dried Apricot Jam 

E. Whipped Espresso Cream 

F. Fish Sauce Roasted Chicken 

G. Extra Herby Gremolata 

H. Smoked Herring Spread 

I.  Fresh Cherry Ice Cream 

J. Small Batch Strawberry Jam – this post!

 

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Rustic Baked Potato Soup

Better than Panera’s, (and so says my mother-in-law) this rustic baked potato soup starts with actual baked potatoes for more flavor and texture. It’s creamy and more-ish! 

My wonderful mother-in-law doesn’t cook much for herself anymore, especially now after recovering from two successive broken legs (first the left, then when that healed, the right!) and two and a half months in rehab. So we’ve been cooking and bringing her meals to reheat as she needs them. 

Occasionally she asks me to run to the nearby Panera to pick her favorite rustic baked potato soup. It’s not a big serving still costs $7.99 but, hey, she needs the calories and nutrition so I would never object. But then it occurred to me that I could probably make a copy cat version MUCH cheaper. The great news is she likes mine better! Win-win.

Rustic Baked Potato Soup

The Panera Bread soup upon which this is modeled offers two options for topping, extra (or less) Asiago cheese and the addition of bacon for an extra charge. I’ve never added the bacon when ordering for my mother-in-law so I won’t do it here but feel free you want some! We aren't peeling these potatoes so choose a variety with thin skins like white or golden potatoes. If you must use russets, you might want to peel them. It won’t be the same though. 

Ingredients

2 lbs or 900g white or golden potatoes

Olive oil

4 cups or 960ml chicken stock

2 tablespoons butter

1 white onion

2 cloves garlic

4 oz or 113g cream cheese

1 green onion, green part only, sliced

1/2 teaspoon salt, if necessary (some chicken stock is pretty salty and that’s enough salt)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To garnish: Asiago cheese, grated  

Method

Preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C and line a pan with silicone mat or foil for easy clean up.

Scrub the potatoes clean and cut them in half lengthwise. Oil the silicone mat or foil with a good drizzle of olive oil then place the potatoes cut side down. Use a basting brush to oil the tops of the potatoes. 

Roast in your preheated oven for 15 minutes. Turn the potatoes cut side up and roast for another 15 minutes. 

While the potatoes are roasting, peel and chop your garlic and onion. 

Remove the potatoes from the oven and leave to cool. 

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion is translucent. I cover my pot because I find it helps soften the onion more quickly. 

Chop the potatoes into chunks. 

Add the potatoes and chicken stock to the pot. 

Bring to a boil then simmer for about 12 to 15 minutes by which time the potatoes should start to break down, if they haven’t already. 

Use a potato masher to mash some of the potatoes. 

Give the soup a good stir. If you like a thicker soup, mash more! The Panera soup does have some potato chunks so I tried to match that texture. 

Add the cream cheese and the sliced green onion and stir until the cheese has melted. Add the salt, if needed, and black pepper.

Serve garnished with shredded Asiago cheese.

Enjoy!

It’s Sunday FunDay and we are celebrating moms ahead of Mother’s Day in the United States next weekend, sharing recipes in honor of the great women in our lives. Many thanks to our host, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm. Check out the links below. 

• Edible Gelatin Balloons for Cake Decorating from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Guava Cheese from Sneha's Recipe
• Haldi Doodh Masala Spiced Cupcakes with Burnt Caramel Buttercream from Culinary Cam
• Honey Mustard Chicken Strips from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Pistachio Saffron Muffins from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Rustic Baked Potato Soup from Food Lust People Love
• Shortbread Lemon Squares from Our Good Life

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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