Fruit Salad with Candied Nuts and Puff Pastry

You probably don't think of fruit salad as being in any way controversial. But I think it's divided into two camps - those who are happy to accept fruit salad as dessert and those who are not. I am firmly in the second group. So if you invite me to dinner and serve me fruit for dessert, not gonna lie, I'll be disappointed. But once you introduce another element like sweet puff pastry, that's a whole 'nother thing.

Cantaloupe Melon Martini

Have you mastered the art of being able to tell when a melon is ripe? Yeah, me neither. But I have learned that my best chance with melons, and all other fruit, is to go by the smell instead of squeezing the life out of it. So, if it smells like the fruit, it's probably ripe. And I've been walking past some amazingly fragrant melons lately.

Tex-Mex Corn Dip

Sweet corn is one of the many benefits of summer and I take full advantage of it. Grilled or roasted with plenty of butter and seasoning. I love elote which is a Mexican street corn but there is also a dish called esquites in which the kernels are sliced off the cob and sauteed in butter. Both versions get a dose of mayo and cheese and the esquites are typically served in a bowl and eaten with a spoon. Sounds like the makings of a great dip to me and I added some of the flavors of the southwest like tomatoes and cumin.

Red, White and Blue Frozen Yogurt Cake

Let's talk about the 4th of July or any summer gathering, actually. Guests are coming, there's going to be grilling and salads and side dishes and copious amounts of snacking while you're waiting for it all. And when it's done you still want something sweet but cold and light. It's easy to just serve ice cream but maybe you kind of want to impress your guests a little, too?

Mint Lychee Collins

I love watching as each summer fruit comes back into season. This week, on my stop at the fruit vendor, I spotted the display of bright red pods. The lychees are back. Sweet, juicy, tropical little orbs. Great as a snack but even better in a cocktail.

Tomato and Cottage Cheese Tart with Quinoa Crust

Cottage cheese has always been a staple in my house. My mother used to spread it on her morning toast and she'd mix it with apples or peaches for me as an after-school snack. I guess that stuck with me because I still sometimes make myself an afternoon snack of apples in cottage cheese. Although mom never cooked much with it, over the years I've learned that it's a great filling for casseroles and tarts, too.

Glazed Mango Bread

The other day I picked up a mango on my way home. It was my afternoon snack with some Greek yogurt but I was so mesmerized by how juicy and perfectly sweet it was that I new I needed more mangoes immediately. Fruit and Greek yogurt snacking made me think of my favorite Greek yogurt quick bread recipe. Mango bread coming right up.

French Onion Mac and Cheese

Well, hello sweet onion season. The Vidalia's are back and I'm going through them like they're going out of style, or at least out of season, very soon. I'm sure I'm driving my neighbors crazy with the smell of sweet onions caramelizing in my cast iron pan on a daily basis. And I don't even necessarily have a plan for what to put them in but I'm just happy to eat them with bread if need be.

Peanut Butter Banana Frozen Yogurt (No Churn)

For the last few summers I resolved to make healthier frozen treats using the pureed fruit and yogurt trick. And I become quickly disappointed with the results. Oh, they taste good enough when you first mix them but after they freeze they seem to lose their flavor. And that creamy texture we all love never returns. So many plans, so many disappointments. Except...

Pasta with Jeweled Beets

Pink pasta? Oh my, yes! I'm a pretty ardent beet fan but I seem to have been stuck in a roasting rut. I wanted to find something to change things up and maybe also speed them up. Enter my food processor and cast iron pan. In the time it took me to cook the spaghetti, I literally had the beets done and ready to go in. And the aroma in my kitchen was wonderful.

Blackberry Mint Bramble

The other day I was stocking up on berries, my summer snack obsession, and admiring the blackberries. Such an unusual but beautiful fruit and I've always loved the color. I was turning over potential recipes in my head when I remembered the Bramble. It's a sweet gin based drink that's typically made with blackberry liqueur but I always prefer to use fresh fruit anyway.

Blueberry Cobbler with Goat Cheese and Thyme

Although I'm a big proponent of homemade pie crust, there's a lot to be said for making it the lazy way. Galettes are lazy pies where the dough is just folded over onto the fruit without any fancy edge crimping. Cobblers forgo the crust altogether in favor of sweet biscuits layered on top of the fruit, giving it a cobbled together appearance. No need even to worry about a bottom crust. Quick, easy and completely satisfying.

The Month in Review - May 2015

I enjoyed May way too much. And the reason I know that is because it went by way too fast. Because winter lasted so long, our cherry blossoms and tulips were late this year. But once they appeared I wasted no time grabbing my camera, and my furry assistant, and capturing as much as I could. Now they've been replaced with the lush greenery of summer and the first of many summer in the city street fairs is coming up next week. And I'll be there, enjoying those too. The food in May was pretty amazing as well so let's take a quick look back. Enjoy!