Berry Cheesecake Crumb Tart

I just looked at the calendar today and realized the July 4th holiday was a week away.  Eek, where does the time go?  But, the occasion also means another gathering of the Holiday Food Party Bloggers, creating some tasty, picnic themed recipes to celebrate.  I first saw this recipe on Brown Eyed Baker and immediately pinned it.  I didn't know when I'd get to it but I knew for sure that I would.  Then a few weeks ago, when I started thinking about my summer holiday desserts, I decided that one would be perfect.  The original recipe only included strawberries but I added blueberries, too, because I love the two fruits together and both go so well with cheesecake.

Fresh Summer Quinoa Salad

You might recall me telling you how obsessed I am with quinoa these days.  I've given you a couple of my favorite recipes for Quinoa & Chickpea Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing and Cheesy Quinoa & Asparagus Bake but what doesn't come across is how often I eat those.  Honestly, I can't even recall the last time I ate potatoes and I love potatoes.  But the quinoa obsession keeps winning when I'm deciding what to make for dinner.  The fact that it cooks so quickly doesn't hurt either!

Asparagus and Goat Cheese Tart (with Flaky Cream Cheese Pastry)

We're fortunate to have asparagus in our market pretty much year round and we do love to eat it.  But the best flavor comes from the locally grown bundles that arrive in late spring.  We roast them, grill them, slice them raw into salads, saute them with a fried egg on top or add them to omelets.  But I couldn't let the growing season go without also baking them into a savory tart.

Frozen Mango Daiquiri

Last summer I discovered a passion for mangoes after having a mango cocktail at a restaurant to celebrate our anniversary.  I also quickly discovered that I hated cutting into the things.  My first attempt yielded more fruit on the counter, the floor, my hands and the dog than in the bowl.  I eventually managed to handle the unusual fruit, but only just.

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

Over the weekend I was faced with that age old dilemma of what to make for dinner.  What...this surprises you?  I wish that, because I write a food blog, I could just pull a crown rack of lamb out of the drawer!  When I do make something more involved I usually plan ahead for it.  But most nights, dinner needs to be easy to make and involve ingredients that I either have in the house or are easily obtainable.

Honey Beer Bread

I have a lot of business to discuss with you all today in this very special group post.  I have a great recipe and yes, we have a fantastic giveaway.  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!

Ice Cream and Berries and Cake, Oh, My!

There are a number of things that happen around here that I file under the category of Being a Food Blogger Does Not Suck.  Samples of fun new kitchen tools for me to play with and review.  Boxes that arrive with free cookies, bottles of liquor and all kinds of other tasty samples.  Coupons.  And the occasional really cool invitation.

Oven "Fried" Falafel

My love of falafel is nearly as old as I am.  My parents enjoyed that type of cuisine so I grew up eating lots of hummus, tahini and those delicious little fried chickpea balls.  And, over the years, nothing has changed.  Well, except my resolve to not eat too many greasy little fried things.

Strawberry Shortcake Light

I've got strawberries on the brain in a big way lately.  Partly it's because it's almost summer and there are lots of lovely berries in the market that are far too tempting not to buy.  But, I was also recently chatting with a PR representative for Driscoll's Berries.  She reminded me that National Strawberry Shortcake Day is on the 14th and was also generous enough to send me some coupons for Driscoll's products.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Swirl Bundt Cake

What is it about bundts?  For me, the fun of this type of pan is the swirl you can make inside the cake.  So when the founders of our monthly bundt group, Anuradha of Baker Street and Lora of Cake Duchess, decided that our June theme would be swirly bundts, I was all in.  I've swirled before, even when it wasn't part of our challenge, but Murphy's Law stepped in this time.  My first attempt was a complete, although tasty, failure but I'll tell you about that another time.  Today let's focus on the success and complete peanut buttery deliciousness of this properly swirled cake.

Light Spaghetti Squash Gratin

I have a new love interest. He's short and squat and quite a bit yellow. He hangs around with the vegetables in the garden but, when you get him home to the privacy of your kitchen, he turns into pasta. Dreamy, forbidden, empty carbs, pasta. Yes, my new love is a veggie in a carb suit. What's not to love about that?

Tuscan Bean Salad

Have you ever eaten lunch at Costco? I don't mean that you've ordered a hot dog at their concession stand. What I mean is that, while you were pushing your shopping cart around, you stopped every few feet at the sample tables and helped yourself to whatever they were offering until you were full. Brian and I are definitely Costco diners although we rarely buy the product being sampled. We do spend quite a lot of money there, even if it's on non-sampled products, so I rather think they'd forgive us. And it's not that we don't think what we sampled tasted good. It usually does. But when we look at the nutrition panel of whatever it is, we ask each other how it's even possible to get that much fat and calories into that size container! But our dietary reluctance to buy doesn't mean we aren't inspired to cook.

Life in the Big City - Summer Style

I hope you enjoyed the first installment of Life in the Big City a couple of weeks ago.  No sooner do I start bringing you along with me through my days in New York City though, when summer hits and it's time to head out of the city.  OK, so technically it's not summer yet, but Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start to summer for big city folks.  For us, long summer weekends mean getting out of the hot city and heading to the south shore of Long Island.  Out there we're a couple of minutes drive from beaches and marinas but, best of all, is the nearly two acres of grass and woods right outside our door.